First India-Mumbai Edition-15th January 2023

INDIAN ARMY DAY

Had alerted Thorat about Nashik, was assured it would be handled, claims Ajit

Congress MLA

Balasaheb Thorat. As a result, along with the Congress, Balasaheb Thorat is also in deep trouble.

Mumbai: The political atmosphere in the state has gone several notches up due to the elections being held for the Vidhan Parishad, teacher and graduate constituencies in the state. Congress’ Dr. Sudhir Tambe was nominated in Nashik graduate constituency, but he did not file his application in time. Originally Congress leader Sudhir Tambe’s son Satyajit Tambe had filed his application as an independent. Satyajit Tambe is the nephew of Congress leader

Now Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar has given a big statement on this issue and claimed that he had already told Balasaheb Thorat that something different is going on in the Nashik graduate constituency.

“We were hearing different details for the past two days, that’s why I myself spoke to Balasaheb Thorat and told him that something was amiss. I told him that you should be careful. I had told the whole thing to Balasaheb Thorat the previous day. But Balasaheb Thorat asked me not worry at all and said that he will fulfill the responsibility of his party properly. I was told that dr. Sudhir Tambe’s application will be filed,” Ajit Pawar said.

We were hearing different details for the past two days, that’s why I myself spoke to Balasaheb Thorat and told him that something was amiss. I told him that you should be careful. I had told the whole thing to Balasaheb Thorat the previous day. But Balasaheb Thorat asked me not worry at all and said that he will fulfill the responsibility of his party properly. I was told that dr. Sudhir Tambe’s application will be filed.

—Ajit Pawar, NCP leader

WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED?

The Nashik graduate constituency was left for the Congress party by other MVA parties. Congress MLA Dr. Sudhir Tambe was nominated on this seat. But Dr. Sudhir Tambe did not file his candidature despite the party having AB form on the last day of application. However, in Sudhir Tambe’s place, his son - Satyajit Tambe - filed his application as an independent. Even if Satyajit Tambe wins from this seat, he will be an independent MLA. That’s why the Congress has lost this seat even before the elections. For this reason, it is being termed as a setback for the Mahavikas Aghadi.

WILL BJP SUPPORT SATYAJIT TAMBE?

Tambe has expressed his desire that BJP should support him. For this, he will discuss with Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and State BJP President Chandrashekhar Bawankule. BJP has taken a stand that if Satyajit Tambe seeks support, the saffron party will consider it. That’s why everyone is curious about the future political equations in state.

CONGRESS MP DIES DURING YATRA

Santokh Singh Chaudhary died after suffering a cardiac arrest during Rahul-led Yatra in Punjab

London: Former IPL chairman Lalit Modi was admitted to the hospital after a corona infection and pneumonia attack. He has been further placed on external oxygen support as his condition deteriorated. He took Instagram to update about his health condition.

CBI RAID, SAYS SISODIA; AGENCY SAYS NO RAID

New Delhi: A CBI team visited Delhi CM Manish Sisodia’s office on Saturday to seek some documents related to the the Delhi excise policy case, agency officials said. He claimed that raids were conducted at his office, a claim that the agency denies.

WOMAN BLEEDS IN FLIGHT, DIES LATER

Indore: An IndiGo flight from Madurai to Delhi was diverted to Indore airport after a 60-year-old passenger’s well being deteriorated mid-air on Saturday night. After the flight landed, the passenger was taken to a hosp where doctors declared her dead.

FOUR ARRESTED FOR TIGER DEATH

Nagpur: Four persons were arrested for alleged involvement in the death of a tiger in Pench Reserve, informed a state Forest Department official on Saturday. They have been sent to the custody for three days by the Judicial Magistrate of First Class (JMFC), Ramtek. P3

Ludhiana/New Delhi: Congress MP Santokh Singh Chaudhary died of a heart attack during Bharat Jodo Yatra in Punjab this morning. He was 76. Santokh Singh Chaudhary, the party’s MP from Jalandhar, collapsed during the Congress’ mega foot march in Punjab’s Phillaur while he was walking with Rahul Gandhi. The veteran Congress leader was taken to a hospital in Phagwara where he was declared dead on arrival.

Rahul Gandhi rushed to the hosp soon after.

a

PM

“Pained

Govt bodies and experts get gag order by NDMA over Joshimath

Joshimath (FIB): A day after ISRO publicised its assessment that showed Joshimath sank by 5.4 cm in 12 days, NDMA on Saturday issued a gag order on govt institutions and officials on sharing data on social media and commenting in media on “their own interpretations” of the land subsidence episode in Uttarakhand. The gag order to 12 govt institutions across came under immediate criticism from Congress with its President Mallikarjun Kharge asking PM Modi “not to shoot messenger”.

RENAMING PUNE TO JIJAU NAGAR

names are good, but there are more pressing issues’

First India Bureau

Mumbai: Off late, a demand has been raised repeatedly to change the name of Pune city to Jijau Nagar. NCP leader and MLA Amol Mitkari has said that he will raise the issue in the upcoming session. But the Hindu Federation has opposed Mitkari’s demand. The Hindu Federation has taken a stand that it is not appropriate to name the city of Pune after Rajmata Jijau. Now Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar has reacted to this demand and stressed that all names are good.

“There is no reason to disrespect anyone. Pune city is mini India. At present, there are big issues like inflation, unemployment in the state. It is difficult for a political leader like us to talk about it (Renaming) because it is an emotional topic. Decision is expected after discussing this question in confidence. Pune is

no one’s business anymore. Pune is mini India. We also have to think what the natives of Pune think. If people from outside start giving advice then there will be problem. Rather, everyone should have a sense of harmony. All names are good. Pune’s name has reached every nook and corner of the world. Pimpri Chinchwad is also considered a part of Pune. However, important issues are being sidelined and the core issues are being diverted. I request that everyone should take a sensible stand,” Ajit Pawar said.

Nitin Gadkari’s office receives 3 threat calls

First India Bureau Nagpur: Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari’s Nagpur office has received three death threat calls on Saturday. According to sources, an unknown person called the union minister’s office’s landline number twice and threatened to kill him. The person also threatened to blow up the office on the phone. The employees of the office informed the police soon after. More on P2

Two threat calls had come within a span of 10 minutes.

Unidentified caller had asked for Rs 100 crores claiming to be member of Dawood gang. We are now verifying the entire episode. Precautions have been taken so far for security and unearthing the racket.

—Amitesh Kumar,

WHAT DID AMOL MITKARI DEMAND?

NCP leader and MLA Amol Mitkari has demanded to rename Pune city as Jijau Nagar and tweeted in favour saying, “It is the wish of all Shiva devotees of Maharashtra that the name of Pune city should be changed to “Jijau Nagar”.” Mitkari stressed in his tweet that he will raise this demand before the government in the coming session.

HINDU SANGH OPPOSES NAME CHANGE

The Hindu Sangh has opposed the renaming of Pune city to Jijau Nagar.

“Jijaumata is a name taken with respect by all Hindus and Shiva devotees in the country. However, we are of the opinion that it would not be appropriate to name the city of Pune after her. Even Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj himself did not change the name of the city. Instead, Rajmata Jijau’s memorial should be constructed in Lal Mahal. This is an old demand of Hindu Sangh,” said Anand Dave, President of the Hindu Sangh.

1 woman dies, several injured in stampede

Cuttak: At least one woman was killed and 20 others were injured, four of them seriously, in a stampede in Odisha’s Cuttack on Saturday, police said. The incident took place as a large number of people congregated on BadambaGopinathpur bridge on occasion of Makar Mela.

CM Naveen Patnaik expressed grief over incident and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh for next of kin of deceased.

CP

Uddhav heard students within hours, is CM Shinde still asleep, questions Sarode

First India Bureau

Mumbai: In Pune, students appearing for competitive exams resorted to agitation and staged a sit-in at Alka Talkies Chowk demanding the implementation of the State Service Main Exam Pattern from 2025. A large number of students participated in this movement. However, the students were angry over Chief Minister Eknath Shinde not paying heed to the protest. Advocate Asim Sarode has also commented on CM’s apathy towards the stu-

dents and compared it to the effort made by former CM Uddhav Thackeray.

Sarode said, “the students had protested even when Uddhav Thackeray was the Chief Minister. But CM Uddhav came live in three-four hours and the students’ matter was were temporarily

resolved. Even now the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister need to play a sensitive role. The system of MPSC has become deaf and dumb. MPSC says that we have a committee of experts. The same experts get 8 to 9 questions wrong. If you challenge them, they say we are experts, you

cannot challenge us.” “Kids are not robots. They study intelligently. So no one has right to change exam pattern suddenly. It is violation of rights of students. So they hope that govt responds soon. Haven’t the detectives and crime branch officers given information to the government about the students’ agitation,” Sarode questioned.

Interestingly, Sarode satirically questioned that if Shinde works till 3 AM, does he continue sleeping throughout the day?

‘All

Uddhav Thackeray

Eknath Shinde

CONGRESS OUSTED FROM NASHIK VIDHAN PARISHAD ELECTION BEFORE POLLS!

First India Bureau

Dr. Sudhir Tambe was party’s choice, but he did not file rather his son filed as an independent and is now seeking BJP’s support

Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat

Ajit Pawar

EX-IPL CHIEF LALIT MODI HOSPITALISED, PLACED ON OXYGEN SUPPORT IN LONDON

Moni Sharma

Rahul Gandhi meets the family member and pays his last respect to party MP Santokh Singh Chaudhary in Jalandhar on Saturday.

We have lost

gem, his void will be difficult to fill. My heartfelt condolences to his son MLA Vikram Chaudhary, friends and family.

—Rahul Gandhi, Congress Leader

PM MODI CONDOLES DEMISE OF CONG LEADER MP SINGH

IRREPARABLE LOSS: SONIA IN A LETTER TO SANTOKH’S WIFE

Narendra Modi expressed his condolences, saying he will be remembered for his efforts to serve the people of Punjab.

by the passing away of MP Singh Chaudhary Ji. He will be remembered for his efforts to serve the people of Punjab,” Modi said in a tweet.

Sonia Gandhi condoled death of party’s Jalandhar MP Santokh Singh Chaudhary. In letter to Kamaljit Kaur, Sonia termed the death of party MP an “irreparable loss”. “I express my heartfelt condolences. I can understand the pain you and your family is going through,” the letter read.

Army Chief General Manoj Pande on Saturday said all three services of the armed forces are ready to face any challenge as a formidable instrument of the nation.

First India Bureau

75TH anniversary of the Indian Army will be celebrated today. Every year on January 15, India celebrates its Army Day. It is the day on which Field Marshal Kodandera M Cariappa (then a Lieutenant General) took over as 1st Commander-in-Chief of IA from last British Commander-in-Chief of India.

Rep of Maha police needs to be restored: Fadnavis

Opposition parties should be united like govt: Raut

Paranjpe slams CM, Thane cops over multiple FIRs

Thane (PTI): Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and former Lok Sabha MP, Anand Paranjpe, on Saturday slammed Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Thane police in connection with 11 First Information Reports (FIRs) filed against him over a single protest held in December.

His comments come a day after the Bombay High Court pulled up Maharashtra police for registering 11 FIRs in connection with one protest against the CM. “Police will learn a lesson only when costs are imposed on them, which they would have to pay from their own salaries,” noted a division bench.

The first FIR was registered at Shrinagar police station in Thane on December 12 following the protest. Later, 10 more cases were filed at different police stations within the Thane Commissionerate.

Addressing a press conference, Paranjpe said he could be killed in an encounter and slammed the Thane police for working as a “private army” of the ruling party.

Such kind of treatment meted out to politicians was completely unwarranted and the administrative machinery was being misused by the ruling dispensation to settle scores, Paranjpe alleged.

First India Bureau

Pune: Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday underlined the need to restore the “reputation” of state police which he said was “tarnished” by some people in the recent past.

Fadnavis, who handles the Home portfolio, was speaking on the sideline of a conference of senior police officers on the “Crime and Law and Order” held at the Centre for Police Research in Pune city.

He said a strategy is being prepared to eradicate the drug menace in the state and a drive would be launched.

“A conference of senior police officials on crime was organized. The status of crime rate in different units of police, the rate of conviction, strategies, and other aspects of polic-

CASE IN POINT

Notably, then state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) had faced allegations of ordering Mumbai police to collect money every month from bars and hotels. Following this revelation, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered a case. Deshmukh, currently out on bail, had denied the allegations raised by former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh.

ing were discussed and deliberated during the meeting,” he said.

Fadnavis said he assured police officers that in the new regime, they will not have to face any “wrongdoing”

BY BHUSHAN KOYANDE

in terms of transfers and postings.

“Recently, we effected transfers and postings, and nobody had to face any (allegations) related to corruption. It is expected they (police offic-

Security scaled up at Gadkari’s Nagpur residence and office

First India Bureau

Nagpur: Security was beefed up at Union Minister of Road Transport Nitin Gadkari’s residence and office in Nagpur on Saturday. The move came after a man claiming to be a member of the Dawood Ibrahim gang made threatening calls and demanded Rs100 crore, police said.

GANGSTER CHHOTA RAJAN POSTER

PUT UP AT KABADDI EVENT; 6 BOOKED

Mumbai (PTI): Six persons were booked for allegedly putting up a poster of jailed gangster Chhota Rajan at a kabaddi event in the north Mumbai suburb of Malad, said a police official on Saturday.

The six persons, including a man and his son, have been booked under provisions re-

lated to defacement and were let off after questioning, said Deputy Commissioner of Police Smita Patil.

“However, we are inquiring into the fund collection carried out by the NGO that had allegedly put up the birthday greeting poster. We will take action if we get more details. The poster was removed as it did not have civic permission,” the DCP said. The tourney ends today.

The caller has been identified and a crime branch team has been sent to track him down in Karnataka, said a police official on Saturday night. Three threat calls were received on the landline number of Gadkari’s public relations office in Khamla area between 11.25 am and 12.30 pm.

“The caller told the phone operator that he is a member of the ‘D gang’ and demanded Rs100 crore from Gadkari. He threatened to harm the minister with a bomb if his demand is not met,” said

an official.

The caller also shared his mobile number and the address in Karnataka where he said the money must be sent, he said.

“Police have identified the caller who has a criminal past. His phone number has been traced to Karnataka and a crime branch team has been sent to the address shared by him,” the official added.

NEW ERA

ers) will perform their further duties transparently,” the Deputy CM said.

The Eknath ShindeBJP government came to power in July last year.

“The reputation of the Maharashtra police was tarnished by some people of late. Work should be done to restore that reputation,” he added.

Fadnavis said the police department faced challenges such as communal and religious tensions. “I have directed everyone to bring these tensions down,” he said.

On the occasion, he

launched Maharashtra Emergency Response Team (MERS). Under MERS, after dialling the dedicated number 112, callers can reach the Maharashtra police using social media platforms.

“The integration of social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp), email, web portal, and citizen mobile app will help citizens to reach out to the police even faster and help curb crime with immediate action and minimum response time,” Fadnavis added.

First India Bureau

Mumbai: Shiv Sena –Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray leader Sanjay Raut on Saturday urged parties in the Opposition coalition to stay united with a common agenda. His remarks came after Congress leader Dr Sudhir Tambe withdrew his nomination for the Nashik seat in upcoming Assembly polls in favour of his son Satyajit, who is running as an independent candidate.

Speaking with media persons here, Raut said, “Coordination and unity among the opposition parties should be similar to the way a government is run. Only then, we can move forward.”

“I am not blaming anyone. But, there is no coordination between the Maha Vikas Aghadi and the opposition. If leaders maintain coordination in the future, such incidents will not happen,” he asserted.

Directors of firm booked for forgery of registration docs

Mumbai (PTI): A First Information Report (FIR) has been registered against two directors of a company for allegedly using forged documents for its registration, police said on Saturday.

Notably, this firm was at the centre of allegations that it had bagged contracts from the Mumbai civic body through fraudulent means to provide medical facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A police official said Shiv Sena –Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray leader Sanjay Raut’s close aide Sujit Patkar allegedly became a partner in the company after six to eight months of its formation. Patkar has not been named in the FIR but the police investigation in the case is on, he said. The case against two directors was registered after a complaint was lodged by an official from the office of the Registrar of Companies (RoC).

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kirit Somaiya had alleged

the company is among the firms that had used fraudulent means to bag contracts from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) as providers of medical facilities during the COVID pandemic.

As per the RoC’s complaint filed at the Marine Drive police station on Friday afternoon, the two directors had submitted bogus papers to get the company registered.

They have been

booked under Indian Penal Code sections 465 (forgery), 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating), and 471 (intending that a document forged shall be used for the purpose of cheating), said the official. Somaiya had also sought an investigation into the alleged tender scam in the BMC, he added.

Incidentally, Raut is already being probed for irregularities in Mumbai’s Patra Chawl redevelopment project.

Shiv Sena changing into new, stronger unit: Aaditya Thackeray

his party which was once known for its aggressive ‘sons-of-thesoil’ politics.

Thane (PTI): Shiv Sena – Uddhav Balasaheb

Thackeray leader Aaditya Thackeray on Saturday said there has been a “radical change” in

The former state minister was speaking at a job fair organized by the Shiv Sena faction led by his father Uddhav Thackeray in Thane. “There has been a radical change in the Shiv Sena which used to launch agitations for

the rights of the sons of the soil....now we organize job fairs to address the issues of the sons of the soil, especially the youth,” said the 32-yearold MLA from Worli.

A new and stronger

Shiv Sena was in the making as youths were becoming part of it, the Thackeray family scion added.

The coalition govern-

ment of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Eknath Shinde-led Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena has done nothing for Maharashtra other than dividing people, he said. This “government of gaddars” (traitors) will collapse in the next two months, he claimed.

Thane, notably, is the home turf of Chief Minister Shinde, whose

rebellion led to the collapse of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government in June 2022. Shinde then tied up with the BJP to form the govt.

Of the 55 Sena MLAs, 40 are with the Shinde camp, while 12 of the party’s 18 MPs have deserted the Uddhav Thackeray faction.

Instead of focussing

on unemployment and industries going out of the state, the government is busy settling political scores, he said, daring it to hold civic body elections in Maharashtra. Thackeray also expressed confidence that local MP Rajan Vichare, who belongs to Sena (UBT), will win the Lok Sabha election again in 2024.

Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis launches Maharashtra Emergency Response Team social media integration project in Pune on Saturday.

Recently, we effected transfers and postings, and nobody had to face any (allegations) related to corruption. It is expected they (police officers) will perform their further duties transparently.”

—Devendra Fadnavis, Maha Deputy Chief Minister

Deputy CM calls for efforts to work on image of dept, transparency to prevent corruption

Bombay High Court also pulled up Maharashtra police for lodging 11 FIRs over single protest against CM Shinde. —FILE PHOTO

Union minister Nitin Gadkari.

Man claiming to be ‘D gang’ member made threat calls, demanded `100 crore

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and his wife Dr Sudesh Dhankar on Saturday prayed at the renowned Siddhivinayak temple in Mumbai. Also seen in the picture are Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and state minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray —FILE PHOTO

Earlier we used to agitate, and now we organize job fairs for ‘sons of soil’ says ex-min

—PHOTO

Probe to find out role in bagging BMC contracts during COVID-19 pandemic, say cops; Sanjay Raut aide Sujit Patkar also partner in company

CRUCIAL READ SEVEN BOOKED FOR SELLING BAGS WITH FAKE LOGOS

Thane: Seven shopkeepers in Thane district have been booked for allegedly selling bags sporting fake logos of popular international brands, a police official said on Saturday.

Bags worth Rs7.73 lakh were seized from the shops in Ulhasnagar, said Maloji Shinde, the public relations officer of Thane city police. They have been charged under Indian Penal Code Copyright Act and Trade Marks Act, though no one has been arrested as yet.

CCTV s TO BE INSTALLED

IN CIVIC SCHOOLS

Thane: The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation in Thane district has decided to install CCTV cameras in its schools for better security of students and teaching staff, a civic official said on Saturday.

There are 52,000 students in 79 primary and 53 secondary schools run by the civic body. To begin with, the corporation will install CCTV cameras in 55 schools, said Mahendra Konde, Public Relations Officer of the municipal body.

The surveillance cameras will be installed under the corporation’s “Shikshan Vision” programme aimed at improving the quality of education and all-round development of students, said Konde.

40 LABOURERS INJURED AFTER TEMPO OVERTURNS

Pune: As many as 40 laborers were injured after the tempo in which they were traveling turned turtle near Mahabaleshwar in Satara district on Saturday, police said.

The incident took place around 9 am. “A tempo transporting labourers overturned in a ghat (hill) section between Mahabaleshwar and Tapola. A total of 40 labourers, including a couple of children, sustained injuries,” said Inspector SK Bhagwat of Mahabaleshwar police station. Most of them suffered minor injuries and the two children who sustained fractures were taken to the Satara civil hospital, he added.

POLICE ARREST FOUR WITH COUGH SYRUP BOTTLES

Mumbai: The police have arrested four persons for allegedly carrying several bottles of cough syrup without valid documents in the Chembur area here, an official said on Saturday. Assistant Police Inspector Kiran Mandre of RCF police station said they intercepted a car on Mahul Road a few days ago and seized cough syrup bottles. This particular brand of cough syrup is often abused for intoxication, he said.

The police also found a large quantity of tablets containing narcotic substances in the vehicle.

LIFEGUARD ARRESTED FOR ‘KIDNAP’ OF MED STUDENT

RETRACING STEPS

Four arrested for tiger death in Pench reserve

First India Bureau

Nagpur: Four persons were arrested for alleged involvement in the death of a tiger in Pench Reserve, informed a state Forest Department official on Saturday.

Protected Forest compartment number 256 of Silari beat in Paoni unified buffer range of the reserve on January 12. An investigation into the case is underway.

Mumbai: A 32-year-old lifeguard has been arrested for allegedly kidnapping an MBBS student from a city college, who has been missing since November 2021, Mumbai police said on Saturday.

Sadichha Sane (22), a third-year student of Sir JJ Hospital and Grant Medical College, had been allegedly last seen with the accused. She is yet to be traced.

The accused was detained by the Crime Branch of Mumbai police on Thursday night from suburban Bandra and arrested on Friday after questioning, said the official.

A court sent him in police custody till

January 21.

Nagpada police had conducted narco-analysis and brain-mapping tests on him in August last year, but the reports were inconclusive, said the official.

In November 2021, Sane boarded a train at 9.58 am from Virar station and got off at Andheri as she was to appear for her prelim examinations at 2 pm. Then she boarded an-

Eight victims of bus-truck collision cremated in Thane

Thane (PTI): The bodies of eight persons who were among those killed in a truck-bus collision near Sinnar have been cremated at Morivali village in Thane district, a police official said on Saturday.

Ten persons including seven women were killed and at least 22 others injured after a private tourist bus on way to the temple town of Shirdi collided with a truck in Nashik district on Friday morning.

Most of the bus passengers were workers of a packaging firm and their families from Ambernath tehsil of Thane district. Eight of the

10 persons including 7 women were killed & 22 others injured after pvt bus collided with truck on Friday

deceased were residents of Morivali near Ambernath.

Their bodies arrived in the village around 9 pm on Friday and last rites were performed around 10.30 pm, said Inspector JB Sonawane of the local police station.

Hundreds of villagers attended the last rites, he said. The other two deceased hailed from Kalyan and Ratnagiri, he said.

other train and alighted at Bandra from where she took an auto rickshaw to Bandra Bandstand, a seaside spot.

Her mobile phone location history indicated that she kept on roaming around in the area that afternoon.

As per the accused’s account, he was on duty as beach lifeguard at Bandra Bandstand that day. On spotting her alone, he suspected

that she might attempt suicide and approached her.

She told him that she was not there to end her life. The two then sat on a rock and began to chat. During this nearly three-hour period, he also clicked four selfies with her, the police official said.

When news broke that a woman matching her description had gone missing, he did not

report his encounter with her to police, the official said.

Only when police zeroed in on him, he admitted that he had run into her and chatted with her.

He has been booked under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 363 (kidnapping) and 364 (E) (kidnapping for ransom) and further investigation is underway, the official added.

They have been sent to the custody of Forest Department officials for three days by the Judicial Magistrate of First Class (JMFC), Ramtek.

The carcass of the tiger was found in Kodu Talav in the

Three persons were arrested for alleged poaching on the same day, while one person was held on Friday evening, said Pench Tiger Reserve Deputy Director Dr Prabhunath Shukla.

The post mortem was carried out as per National Tiger Conservation Authority guidelines, he said in a release.

Primarily located in the southern part of Madhya Pradesh, the Pench tiger reserve is also spread across 257 square kilometres in Maharashtra.

FIR against principal for barring 8-yr-old to take exam

First India Bureau

Mumbai: A First Information Report (FIR) has been registered against the principal and a class teacher of a prominent school in the Dadar area for allegedly not allowing an 8-year-old girl to take a unit test over unpaid school fees, police said on Saturday.

The father of the Std II student approached

Thane man cheated of `95,000 with promise of operator job in Azerbaijan

Thane(PTI) : A 27-yearold city resident was duped of Rs95,000 by two men who offered him a job in Azerbaijan, police said on Saturday.

A case of cheating has been registered at the Kapurbawdi police station, said an official.

The complainant had approached the accused, who operated a recruitment agency, looking for an overseas job in December, he said. They allegedly promised to get him a job as a mobile crane operator in Azerbaijan and asked him to pay

Rs95,000 towards various charges.

After the complainant paid them, he was given a job offer letter and flight ticket which turned out to be fake. The accused, in the

PUSHING AGAINST PRESSURE

Two persons promised him job as a mobile crane operator; asked to pay money towards various charges

meantime, had shuttered their office and vanished.

Investigation revealed that they had cheated around 25 job aspirants in this way of a total of Rs22 lakh, the official said. Further probe was on and no arrest has been made in the case yet, he added.

the police on Friday with a complaint, he said. The school has produced many cricketers who have played internationally.

The child was not allowed to appear for the unit test which was conducted on Wednesday, he said. “She was also made to sit separately from other students in the classroom to humiliate her,” the official

said, quoting the father’s complaint.

The police have registered an FIR under Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act. The section provides for punishment if any person having control of a child, assaults, abandons, abuses or wilfully neglects him or her. The investigation is on and no arrest has been made, said the official.

‘Will try for permanent market in Mumbai-Thane’

Thane: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLC Pravin Darekar has said he would follow up with the Maharashtra government for a permanent market in Mumbai or Thane to sell produce from the Konkan region.

Speaking at the ‘Malvani Mahotsav’, he accused the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi government under Uddhav Thackeray of ignoring the Konkan region. “I will follow up with the state government

I will follow up with the state government to set up a permanent market in Thane or Mumbai for Konkan produce.

—Pravin Darekar, BJP MLC

to set up a permanent market in Thane or Mumbai for Konkan produce,” he said.

MPSC aspirants oppose intro of new exam pattern from this year

lll

Similar protests were held in Kolhapur, Nagpur & Aurangabad seeking the descriptive pattern be implemented from 2025

Pune (PTI): A section of students preparing for the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) examinations is demanding that the new descriptive pattern of question papers be implemented from 2025 instead of this year.

Several MPSC aspirants staged a protest to press the demand. Similar protests were also held in Kolhapur, Nagpur and Aurangabad.

In June 2022, the

MPSC, through which the state government employees are recruited, announced that it would switch to descriptive pattern examinations from the current objective type. “Our demand is that the descriptive pattern be implemented from 2025 instead of 2023 because students will need some time to prepare for the new syllabus,” said one of the protesting students on Friday.

Students say they need time to prepare for new syllabus.

In July 2022, the MPSC

and coaching institutes were driving a campaign to pressurize the commission to implement the new syllabus from 2025 instead of 2023. It would not yield to such pressure, and the `Pre’ and `Main’ exams in 2023 will be conducted as per the new pattern and syllabus, it had asserted.

Asked about the protests, Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis said the new pat-

tern was recommended by the Dalvi Committee formed by the previous government.

“Somewhere down the line, we have to implement the syllabus on the lines of the UPSC (Union Public Service Commission). Today, these students are asking us to implement it from 2025, but in 2025, somebody would demand that it be deferred to 2027. We cannot do this. We have to ensure quality,” he told.

claimed that

some `self-proclaimed’ student organizations

First India Bureau

Sadiccha Sane was last seen with the accused at Bandra Bandstand in November 2021

PAK ARMY IS RULING NATION FOR MANY YRS

INDIA’S INITIATIVE TO CONSOLIDATE ITS POSITION AS WORLD LEADER

ndia

being the Voice of Global South, which comprises Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, Pacific islands and Asia minus South Korea, Japan and Israel. The term global South has replaced the earlier term of the third world used for countries with low per capita income and high unemployment. The term, however, does not refer to geographical area although most of these areas are located in the Southern Hemisphere. Instead, it is used in economic terms.

na, however it keeps a close eye on Pakistani terrorists and rabid Islamists. The CIA too is active. ISI and CIA work together.

Most countries have armies, but in Pakistan the Army has a country. Had Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Nawabzada Liaquat Ali Khan lived longer the army may not have played the role it now plays in running and ruining Pakistan. In other words its hardly concealed political clout has made civilian governments subservient. The rot set in with Field Marshal Mohammad Ayub Khan, who ruled Pakistan for nearly ten years. Before partition he was a captain in the British Indian Army, posted in Mathura.

Pakistan can no longer dependent on the Islamic world. But it is not looking to India, which is going from strength to strength. In four years India will be the third largest economy in the world. Even today it is the fifth largest economy.

Pakistan is the creation of one man - MA Jinnah. To some extent he was the creation of Congress. For a long time he was ignored by it. Then pampered by Gandhiji. Being a brilliant lawyer, with a razor sharp mind he read the Hindu mind set better than the Congress understood the Muslim mind. Gandhiji called him Quaid-i-Azam. For Jinnah it was always Mr Gandhi.

Jinnah made one secular speech between 1935 and 1947.

Pakistan is the creation of one man - MA Jinnah. To some extent he was the creation of Congress. For a long time he was ignored by it Then pampered by Gandhiji. Being a brilliant lawyer, with a razor sharp mind he read the Hindu mindset better than the Congress understood the Muslim mind

between one community and another, no discrimination between caste and creed. We are starting with this fundamental principle that we are all citizen and equal citizens of one State….. I think we should keep in front of us as our ideal and you will find that in the course of time Hindus would cease to be Hindus and Muslims would cease to be Muslims, not in the religious sense, because that is the personal faith of each individual…..”

I know Jairam Ramesh well. With Mani Shankar Aiyar out of favour Jairam is the only genuine wordsmith in the Congress Party. The phrase “Bharat Jodo Yarta” is his gift. Now he has come up with “Hath Se Hath Jodo Yatra.”

Rahul Gandhi’s letter too has Jairam literary touch. Congratulations, Jagat Guru

The Army has ruled Pakistan for nearly forty years. In 1973 almost 90% of the federal budget was allotted for the Army. American aid to Pakistan runs into hundreds of million US Dollars. There is no accountability. Today Pakistan is facing bankruptcy, hunger, wide spread corruption and unemployment. Imran Khan has reduced law and order to a specular farce.

The USA, which at one time was chronically pro-Pakistan is less enthusiastic. The only country that has been a long standing friend of Pakistan is the Peoples Republic of Chi-

SC CONCERN OVER HATE SPEECHES

On 11 August 1947 Pakistan’s Constituent Assembly met in Karachi for the first time and unanimously elected Jinnah to preside. He made an amazing speech. Totally out of character:

“You are free; you are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or to any other place of worship in the state of Pakistan… you may belong to any religion or caste or creed- that has nothing to do with the business of the state…. We are starting in the days when there is no discrimination, no distinction

The issue of hate speech, which is targeted mostly against minority communities but is also made against those from the majority, keeps cropping up every now and then because of inaction against perpetrators. This is what drove the Supreme Court to ask the government why no arrests were not made against the Delhi hate speech case of 2021. The court called hate speeches a menace and held the Centre responsible for not acting promptly. The Centre clarified that comprehensive changes were being planned in the criminal law for speedy justice to all. In the case of Uttar Pradesh, the data provided by the state showed a 400 percent increase in hate-

During my two years in Pakistan as Head of Mission, not once did I hear any citizen of Pakistan or any newspaper refer to this speech. I very much doubt if President Ziaul- Haq ever read it. Except for the Holy Quran he read no other book, as far as I know. In passing I might add that, when it came to good manners, I would bracket his name with Chou-En-Lai.

The post of the Governor has lost its sheen. The unseemly scenes in Thiruvananthapuram, Chennai and New Delhi are nothing to be proud of. The job of the Governor entails fact and understanding. It takes a man from Maha-

The issue of hate speech, which is targeted mostly against minority communities but is also made against those from the majority, keeps cropping up every now and then because of inaction against perpetrators

speech related crimes with 581 cases being registered in 2021-22, the bench voiced concern at the sharp rise over the 147 cases registered in 2020-21. Hate speeches disturb communal harmony and pose a threat to life and property and must be avoided during the nation’s “Amrit Kaal” in the countdown to

rashtra to become familiar with temperament of a politician. Shri Ravi in Chennai has put his foot in his mouth. The first act of a Governor must be to be on good terms with the Chief Minister. If he is older than the Chief Minister he should in an unobtrusive manner advice the Chief Minister, even gently guide him. This can only happen if the luminaries avoid reading on each other’s toes. Shri Ravi flouted well established norms. He edited the text of the speech sent to him after being approved by the Cabinet. He even avoided calling the state Tamil Nadu.

Jairam: Genuine wordsmith in Congress I know Jairam Ramesh well.

With Mani Shankar Aiyar out of favour Jairam is the only genuine wordsmith in the Congress Party. The phrase “Bharat Jodo Yatra” is his gift. Now he has come up with “Hath Se Hath Jodo Yatra.”

Rahul Gandhi’s letter too has Jairam literary touch. Congratulations, Jagat Guru.

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

100 years of Independence. In its 75th year of Independence Indian democracy and society are expected to have grown more mature and risen above narrow ideas that may constrict development. An allround progress requires every section of society coexists harmoniously.

The amendments being planned by the government for expeditious action against those spreading hate through provocative speeches would hopefully be effective. To ensure that the government has invited suggestions from all states and Union territories, both Houses of Parliament, the Chief Justice of India and chief justices of all high courts, judicial academics, and national law universities.

As a leadership initiative for Global South, India recently hosted a video summit at which Prime Minister Narendra Modi pointed to the crisis facing the world and assured the member countries that their voice “is India’s voice”. In his long-term aim of acting as a bridge between the developing and developed world, the PM gave a mantra for “re-energising the world” with a call for them to sit together for a “global agenda of Respond, Recognise, Respect and Reform”.

NO. MAHENG/2022/14652 Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Dangat Media Pvt Ltd, No.22, Dighe MIDC, Vishnu Nagar, TTC Industrial Area, Dighe, Navi Mumbai-400701. Published at Plot No. 3 Scheme C of Manglorean Garden Home, CHS Limited, Survey No. 5, 6C (Part) Ville Parle East, Mumbai 400057. Phone 022-46031417.

Editor-In-Chief: Dr Jagdeesh

Editor: Kartikey Dev

responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act

Chandra

Singh

Rajnath Singh @rajnathsingh

Dedicated ‘Shaurya Sthal’ in Dehradun Cantonment to the Armed Forces and paid tributes to the fallen soldiers, who sacrificed their lives in service to the nation.

Kiren Rijiju @KirenRijiju

India’s culture is so vibrant, colourful and rooted in rich tradition. Warm greetings and best wishes on the auspicious occasion of Makar Sankranti, Pongal, Bhogi, Magh Bihu and Uttarayan. May all these harvest festivals bring prosperity and happiness in everyone’s life.

SPIRITUAL SPEAK

Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?

Bible

is consolidating its position as world leader by

K NATWAR SINGH

The author is Former Minister of External Affairs of India

Amit Shah celebrates Uttarayan by offering prayer in Ahmedabad

After offering prayers, Union Home Minister feeds temple’s cows and elephants

Ahmedabad (ANI):

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday offered prayers at Shree Jagannath Temple in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad on the occasion of Makar Sankranti.

After offering prayers Shah also fed the temple elephants and later went for the kite flying festival at Vejalpur.

A prominent festival on the Indian calendar, devotees make offerings to the Hindu deity Surya on Makar Sankranti. The day marks the first day of the sun’s transit into the Makara, marking the end of the winter solstice and the start of longer days.

Observed on January 14 every year, the festival is known by various names in different parts

EXCISE POLICY CASE

CBI at office of Manish Sisodia; he says they won’t find anything

of the country such as Pongal, Bihu, and Maghi. Devotees in several parts of the coun-

SHAH

IN T’GANA ON JAN 28 FOR BJP’S LOK SABHA PRAVAS CAMPAIGN

Cong leaders condole MP Chaudhary’s sudden death

New Delhi (PTI): Congress

sudden

of

try performed rituals at different ghats. In Gujarat, the festival is celebrated as Uttarayan.

New Delhi: To improve the party’s performance in weak constituencies for the 2024 general elections, Union Home Minister and BJP leader Amit Shah will embark on a visit to Telangana on January 28 under the party’s Lok Sabha Pravas campaign. Amit Shah will hold a meeting with the office bearers of the BJP during his visit, he will meet the party leaders and give guidelines to the party regarding the preparations for the elections. Before Shah’s visit, there will be public meetings of Telangana CM and BRS president K Chandrashekar Rao and PM Narendra Modi, over a gap of two days, in the state.

Jalandhar MP Santokh Chaudhary during the Bharat Jodo Yatra on Saturday. The party suspended the yatra for 24 hours as a mark of respect for the departed leader.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said Chaudhary’s passing away is a great blow to the organisation.

“Deeply shocked and saddened to learn about the untimely passing away of our MP, Shri Santokh Singh Chaudhary. His loss is a great blow to the party and organisation. In this

hour of grief, my heart goes out to his family, friends and followers. May his soul rest in peace,” Kharge said on Twitter.

The 76-year-old died Saturday morning after suffering a cardiac ar-

Garland gifted to PM by minor in K’taka sent for FSL test

Hubballi (Agencies):

The garland gifted to PM Narendra Modi by a minor boy during his recent road show here has been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for testing, police said on Saturday.

As per sources, the garland was subjected to detailed analysis at the FSL to ensure that it did not contain any harmful chemical and poisonous substances.

However, the tests have confirmed the absence of harmful or

New Delhi (PTI): A CBI team descended on the office of Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Saturday to seek some records related to the Delhi Excise policy case, according to agency officials.

While city government sources said that the CBI team was conducting “searches” at Sisodia’s office at Delhi Secretariat, agency officials maintained that the CBI “visited” the premises to collect documents and no “raid or search” was being carried out.

Taking to Twitter,

Sisodia claimed the agency did not find anything against him during previous raids and this time too it will be the same as he has done nothing wrong.

“The CBI has again reached my office today. They are welcome.”

“They conducted raids at my house, searched the locker, made enquiries in my village. Nothing was found then and nothing will be found now because I have done no wrong. Have worked honestly for the education of Delhi's children,” Sisodia said.

suspicious substances in it. A report in this regard has been submitted to the state police

DMK leader suspended over abusive speech against Tamil Nadu Guv

Chennai (ANI): A member of Tamil Nadu’s ruling DMK party has been suspended for publicly abusing and threatening Governor RN Ravi amid an ongoing row between the two sides that spiked this week over a speech in the assembly. Speaking at a party gathering, Shivaji Krishnamoorthy had attacked the for skipping parts of the speech, written for him by the state government as is custom, and

Delegation led by Om Birla to visit Kenya & Tanzania

KARNATAKA MINISTER & BJP MLA ENGAGE IN WAR OF WORDS

Bengaluru: Two senior leaders of the ruling BJP in Karnataka, a minister and another an MLA have indulged in a war of words by trading charges against each other.

BJP Minister Murugesh R Nirani on Saturday warned party MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal that his tongue will be cut if he continues to talk “senselessly”. Earlier, MLA Basanagouda Patil had called Minister Nirani a pimp while talking about reservation quota.

gadi, had breached security to garland the PM. Later, he had described PM Modi as

rest during the march in Phillaur in Jalandhar. Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi tweeted pictures of Santokh Singh Chaudhary walking with him during the yatra Saturday morning.

Is Indian-US Ro Khanna eyeing White House bid

dropped references to leaders like BR Ambedkar and Periyar.

New Delhi: A delegation of Parliament led by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will visit Kenya and Tanzania from January 16 to 21. The delegation includes MP Chirag Paswan, Manoj Kishorbhai Kotak, and S Phangnon Konyak. Secretary General of Lok Sabha Utpal Kumar Singh and Joint Secretary Dr Ajay Kumar will also be part of delegation.

END OF AN ERA

god. “He is not an ordinary human being. I am his fan and want to meet him” he said.

MDM scheme in WB under GoI’s scanner

Kolkata (Agencies): After the Prime Minister Awas Yojana (PMAY), the implementation of the Mid-Day Meal (MDM) scheme in the Trinamool Congress (TMC) ruled West Bengal has come under the scanner of the Central government. A field inspection team from the Union Education Ministry will be arriving in the state to review the implementation of the MDM scheme.

A communication from the Ministry has already been forwarded

to the state secretariat on this count, where all cooperation from the district administration for facilitating the field inspection process has been solicited.

Washington (PTI): Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna has said that he is weighing a Senate bid in California, sparking speculation among Democrats in several key US states that he may be eyeing to run for the White House in the future, according to a media report. Those close to Khanna, 46, say he is keeping his options open ahead of a potential presidential run in 2028 or beyond. But others in his orbit are talking about an even more compressed timeline: running in 2024 if President Joe Biden, 80, decided not to, according to Politico, a political newspaper company based in Arlington County in the US.

Sharad Yadav was one of the most patriotic leaders: Sunil Arora

Former CEC

Former Union Minister Sharad Yadav cremated in MP village

First India Bureau

First India Bureau

New Delhi: Former Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sunil Arora reached Sharad Yadav’s residence in Mehrauli to pay his tribute and offer his condolences to the family. Sunil Arora and Sharad Yadav shared a close rapport and the late leader’s wife Rekha Yadav remembered that her husband always used to speak very highly of Arora.

Arora also spoke to Yadav’s daughter Subhashini Raj Rao and son Shantnu and shared his memories of their be-

loved father with them. Later speaking to Bharat24 news channel, Arora said, “He was an organisation in himself. He was much more than a normal human being. I would say he was an institution. I had the opportunity of working with as his joint secretary him when he was

minister of civil aviation, and as the CMD of the then Indian Airlines. We had shared valued relations. He always guided us. His life was value driven. He was one of the most patriotic political leaders I have met in my life. I never had any political relation with him, neither I am a

politician. With his passing away there has become a big vacuum in India and his age was not very old to go. Leaders like him are not made every day. He was elected to Lok Sabha seven times and four times to the Rajya Sabha. Even a civil servant doesn’t have this long career.”

Bhopal: Veteran socialist leader and former Janata Dal (U) president Sharad Yadav was cremated with full state honours on Saturday at his ancestral village in Madhya Pradesh's Narmadapuram district. Yadav's mortal remains were brought to Bhopal on Saturday. Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan was also present at the airport to receive the mortal remains of the Socialist leader.

"An outstanding leader, who could still have given a lot to this nation, left us. On the behalf of the people of Madhya Pradesh, I am here to offer him my last

respects. May his soul rest in peace and may God give strength to his family, supporters and loved ones in this hour of grief," CM Chouhan told mediapersons at Bhopal airport.

Former MP CM Digvijay Singh, all prominent leaders from all political parties attended Yadav's cremation. State honour was given to the deceased leader

associate Raghu Thakur didn't attend the cremation.

Yadav had breathed his last on Thursday (January 12) at the Fortis Hospital in Gurugram where he was rushed after collapsing at his Delhi residence.

In a political career

spanning nearly five decades, Sharad Yadav served as a Union Minister, convenor of the National Democratic Alliance and the president of Janata Dal-United. He was a prominent leader from the socialist block in parallel with other socialist leaders like the late Mulayam Singh Yadav and George Fernandes. Sharad Yadav's political career was at its peak during the anti-Congress movement in the 1970s.

It was his Lok Sabha bypoll win from Jabalpur in 1974 as the Opposition candidate against the Congress, which boosted the political fight against then PM Indira Gandhi.

says ex-Union Minister was an organisation in himself

Union Home Minister Amit Shah with his wife Sonal Shah during their visit to Lord Jagannath Temple on Makar Sankranti, in Ahmedabad on Saturday. —PHOTO BY ANI

leaders expressed shock and sadness over the

demise

party’s

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.

—FILE PHOTO

department and the Special Protection Group (SPG). The boy, Kunal Dhon-

Ro Khanna

The minor boy, Kunal Dhongadi, had breached security to garland Prime Minister Narendra Modi. —FILE PHOTO

TN CM Stalin had accused the Governor of “delivering a speech that was extempore and deviated from approved text.”

—FILE PHOTO

Dharmendra Pradhan

Former Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora with Sharad Yadav’s son Shantanu.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi pays floral tribute to the mortal remains of the party MP Santokh Chaudhary. —PHOTO BY ANI

Sharad Yadav. Nitish Kumar and Madhya Pradesh socialist leader and Sharad Yadav's close

Mortal remains of former Union Minister Sharad Yadav are brought to Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh on Saturday.

Indian armed forces counted among best, says Gen Pande

Army

New Delhi (PTI): Indian armed forces is highly professional and counted among the best in the world which is a result of the indomitable courage of the veterans and their sacrifices, Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande said on Saturday.

Addressing ex-servicemen on the seventh Armed Forces Veterans Day celebrations here, he asserted that inspired by the contributions of veterans, all the three services of the armed forces are “ready to face any challenge” in a formidable manner.

IAF chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari and Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar shared the dais with the Army chief during the celebrations held at the Manekshaw Centre here. A large number of veterans drawn from the three wings of the armed forces had also gathered at the venue.

“Today, our armed forces is counted among the best and highly professional forces in the world. This identity (of the forces) is a result of your sacrifices, indomi-

WE CONTROLLED VIOLENCE IN J&K: TOP ARMY COMMANDER

Jammu: Security agencies have effectively controlled violence in J&K and are giving a befitting reply to those who are trying to fulfil their “political goals” through proxy war. At a Veterans Day rally in Rajouri, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command, Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi said the Army Welfare Housing Organization has approved a housing project for the veterans.

table courage and hard labour. Inspired by it, all the three services of the armed forces, as a formidable instrument, is ready to face any chal-

CRUCIAL READ

CHILD PRISONERS STAB SECURITY STAFF TO DEATH

Chapra (ANI): The inmates of a juvenile prison in Bihar’s Chapra allegedly stabbed a police security personnel to death on Saturday, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Saran Police, Vikas Kumar said. According to the DIG, these two juveniles first took hold of the morning home guard personnel Chandra Bhushan Singh and then stabbed him to death after allegedly thrashing him fiercely. “Child prisoners in a Chapra-based remand home stabbed Chandra Bhushan Singh to death with a knife. When Chandra Bhushan went to take a stock of the condition in the prison room, the children in remand home first fiercely thrashed him and then stabbed him with a knife,” DIG Vikas Kumar said. He further said that two other home guard police personnel were also present at the spot.

NARCOTICS

Srinagar (ANI): The Jammu & Kashmir Police have arrested an alleged drug peddler in the Kupwara district of the valley, officials said on Saturday. Officials said that they had seized 500 grams of narcotics along with over Rs one lakh in cash from the drug peddler who was arrested from the Karnah area of the district. As per a statement from Kashmir police, a search operation was launched based on specific information regarding the presence of narcotics and arms and ammunition in the possession of two brothers Sajid Khan and Majid Khan of Cheterkote Karnah. The operation was accompanied by local Army unit 6 JAK RIF and tracker dog from the 29 Battalion of the Border Security Force (BSF).

EX-BANK OFFICIAL HELD FOR TRANSFERRING `19 CR FROM CLIENTS’ ACCOUNT INTO OWN

New Delhi (PTI): A former assistant vice-president of a bank was arrested for allegedly transferring more than Rs 19 crore from the clients’ accounts into his own fraudulently, police said on Saturday. The accused has been identified as Nagendra Kumar, they said. The vigilance department of the bank filed a complaint stating that Kumar was their employee and posted at the Barakhamba Road branch, a senior police officer said.

TIGER CAPTURED FROM KERALA’S WAYANAD DISTRICT

Wayanad (PTI): The Forest Department officials on Saturday captured a tiger which was suspected to have attacked and killed a farmer at Mananthavady near here two days ago. The team found the big cat in a plantain farm based on information provided by the locals and tranquilized the animal after hours long effort, a senior forest official said. “The animal was tranquilized from a place near Kalpetta. It has been shifted to Bathery government animal care hospital to monitor its health,” the official told PTI.

Kolkata (Agencies): A man who approached a West Bengal minister with complaints about local civic amenities received a tight slap from a local Trinamool Congress worker in full public glare in North 24 Parganas district on Saturday. The state Food and Supplies Minister, Rathin Ghosh, was in the Ichapur-Nilganj area of the district as part of Trinamool’s newly-launched ‘Didir Suraksha Kavach’ exercise, under which ministers, party MLAs and MPs are supposed to make district tours, interact with people and address their grievances.

FORCES VETERANS DAY

CELEBRATED IN CHENNAI

Chennai: Tambaram Air Force Station celebrated Armed Forces Veterans Day here on Saturday with MoS for Defence Ajay Batt as chief guest. “The veterans are our idols and icons.

They should be served, they should be cared for. We are here because of our veterans and they have sacrificed a lot for this country,” MoS Bhatt said.

lenge,” Gen Pande said.

The Navy chief, in his address, said the armed forces of today is a product of the efforts, visionary leadership,

RAJNATH INAUGURATES SHAURYA STHAL IN U’KHAND

Joshimath: Houses, temple collapse in Singhdhar town

Singhdar (ANI): Several houses collapsed at Singhdhar in the Joshimath town of Uttarakhand in the midnight hours of January 2 and 3, sources said.

However, no lives were lost in these incidents, they added. According to sources, cracks at several houses and a nearby temple started widening, to the point where they eventually collapsed.

Harish, a local, said, “It happened on January 2. It was around 2.30 am when we were sleeping. We heard a noise as the cracks on the walls opened up and big chunks of concrete started falling off.”

“We were scared and spent the night under an open sky. We were shifted to a government school nearby the day

On January 2 and 3, our house as well as others collapsed. A nearby temple, too, collapsed. Both my sons are jobless now.

—Rishi Devi, A local resident

after,” he said.

“Many important documents and household items were destroyed.

But thankfully, no lives were lost. Some hotels in Manohar Bagh, too, have developed big cracks,” he added.

Another local resident, Rishi Devi, said while his residence and many others had developed cracks for some time, the municipality refused to act saying it had no order from the higher authorities.

Complainant

aspirations and selfless efforts put in by “each one of our veterans”.

“It is an honour for me to be present here and interact with you all. To-

day is also an occasion to remember and pay homage to our valiant warriors who dedicated their lives to the nation,” Admiral Kumar said.

Avalanche hits J&K’s Gurez, luckily no damage reported

Srinagar (PTI): An avalanche hit a village in Gurez sector of Jammu and Kashmir’s Bandipora district on Saturday, but there was no loss of life or damage to property, officials said, An avalanche warning has been issued for 12 districts including Bandipora after moderate to heavy snowfall a day before, they said.

The avalanche hit Jurniyal village of Gurez this afternoon but there was no damage.

The SDMA on Saturday issued a ‘high danger’ avalanche warning for Kupwara district of north Kashmir and a ‘medium danger’ warning for Bandipora, Baramulla, Doda, Ganderbal, Kishtwar, Poonch, Ramban and Reasi districts.

“Avalanche with high danger level is likely to occur above 2,000 metres of Kupwara district in the next 24 hours. Avalanche with

medium danger level is likely to occur above 2,000 metres over Bandipora, Baramulla, Doda, Ganderbal, Kishtwar, Poonch, Ramban and Reasi districts in the next 24 hours,” SDMA officials said.

They said avalanche with a low danger level is likely to occur above 2,000 metres over Anantnag, Kulgam, and Rajouri districts in the next 24 hours.

DELHI-NCR LIKELY TO WITNESS COLD WAVE FROM JAN 16-18, SAYS IMD

New Delhi (PTI): Several places in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) are likely witness a cold wave next week with the minimum temperature expected to settle around 3 degree Celsius, the India Meteorological Department said on Saturday. The minimum temperature in the national capital on Saturday settled at 10.2 degrees Celsius, three notches above the season’s average, it said. A partly cloudy sky is expected in the city during the day, they said. The humidity at 8.30 am was recorded at 88 per cent, the IMD said.

DR JITENDRA SINGH SAYS...

New Delhi (PTI): A woman, who had accused her co-passenger Shankar Mishra of urinating on her on an Air India flight, on Saturday rejected the claims made by him that she seems to have urinated on herself, saying these are “completely false and concocted and by their very nature are disparaging and derogatory”. Mishra’s counsel, while arguing against a petition seeking revision of an order passed by a magisterial court refusing his custodial interrogation, on Friday claimed that he did not commit the offence, and that she herself urinated. “The allegations are completely false and concocted and by their very nature are disparaging and derogatory. The said allegations are also in complete contradiction and a complete volte face of the statements,” her lawyer said.

Man dragged on car’s bonnet in Delhi for

half-a-kilometre

New Delhi (Agencies): A man was dragged on a car’s bonnet in the west Delhi area, the police said on Saturday, adding that they suspect it to be a road rage incident but police teams are probing the incident from all angles.

Police said that the accused driver has been identified and is being questioned.

"A case under Section 279 (rash driving), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint) and 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide) of the Indian Penal Code has been registered," said a senior police officer.

The video of the incident was also doing rounds on social media. In the video, a man is seen on the bonnet of a moving white Maruti Dzire car.

CAR MOWS DOWN ON-DUTY DELHI COP

New Delhi (PTI): A 59-year-old Delhi Police sub-inspector was killed on duty after being allegedly hit by a car in the central part of the city days before his retirement, officials said on Saturday. The incident took place on Friday around 8.30 pm. Latoor Singh, who was posted at Chandni Mahal police station in central district, was allegedly hit by a car between Rajghat and Shantivan signals on Ring Road and has died, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (central) Shweta Chauhan. According to police, Singh was on duty when the incident happened.

...Start-Ups are key to India’s future economy

that is evident that the Indian Start-Up economy crossed a major milestone as it added the 100th Indian Start-Up to the Unicorn club in 2022.

First India Bureau

New Delhi: Union Minister of State (MoS) Dr Jitendra Singh on Saturday said that StartUps in new emerging technologies are key to India’s future economy.

After launching the “Geospatial Hackathon” this morning here, Dr Singh said, the

Hackathon will promote Innovation and StartUps in India’s Geospatial ecosystem. He invited the nation’s youth to participate and contribute towards the building of the nation’s geospatial economy.

He said, half of our population is under 40 years of age and are very aspirational and

Dr Singh said, in line with the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is on the cusp of Geospatial Revolution and a healthy synergy among Government, Industry and Scientific Community will tremendously boost up economic output and would help India becom-

ing a 10 Trillion Dollar Economy by 2030.

The MoS appreciated Ministry of Science and Technology, Survey of India, IIIT Hyderabad and Microsoft India for planning, participating and designing the Geospatial Hackathon, which he said will serve as a formal Launchpad to India’s geospatial strategy and policy which envisions making India a global leader in the geospatial sector in times to come.

MoS launches “Geospatial Hackathon” to promote Innovation and Start-Ups in India’s Geospatial ecosystem

Union MoS Dr Jitendra Singh at the Geospatial Hackathon.

rejects Mishra’s claim that she had urinated

Chief lauds the indomitable courage of armed forces veterans and their sacrifices

Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar, Chief of the Army Staff General Manoj Pande, the Secretary (Ex-Servicemen Welfare) Vijoy Kumar Singh and Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC) Air Marshal BR Krishna and veterans at the event of 7th Armed Forces ‘Veterans’ Day organised, in New Delhi on Saturday. —PHOTO BY ANI

Dehradun: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday inaugurated the Shaurya Sthal, a war memorial dedicated to martyred soldiers from Uttarakhand at Cheer Bagh here. Accompanied by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and CDS Gen Anil Chauhan, the defence minister laid a wreath at the war memorial to pay tribute to the brave soldiers of the state martyred in the service of the nation.

DRUG PEDDLER HELD WITH `1 LAKH CASH,

TMC WORKER SLAPS MAN COMPLAINING TO MINISTER

‘

MFIs to play leading role in India’s eco growth’

US FDA CONDUCTS INSPECTION OF PIRAMAL’S UNIT

Mumbai: Piramal Pharma on Saturday said that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) conducted a pre-approval inspection (PAI) and good manufacturing practices (GMP) inspection of Piramal Pharma’s Sellersville (US) facility from December 19 till January 13. At the conclusion of the inspection, the company said the US FDA issued a Form-483, with two observations. The observations were classified under VAI (Voluntary Action Indicated) and do not relate to data integrity. ANI

Kolkata (PTI): Microfinance institutions, which have acted as a financial support system to low-income households by offering credit access to six crore borrowers in the last few years, will play a leading role in the growth process of India, according to a study.

From February 2017 to June 2022, the MFI sector underwent several transformations in terms of inclusivity and expansion, said the joint study conducted by consultancy major Price water house Coopers(PwC) and the Association of Microfinance Institutions of India.

According to the report, the global market size of the MFI industry is expected to grow by USD122.46 billion from 2021 to 2026 at a compound annual growth

HDFC Bank quarter 3 profit rises 18.5% to ` 12,260 crore

Gurugram: Gurugrambased realty developer 4S Developers announced that it will develop megaluxury residential projects of 2.2 mn sq. ft. by FY2023-24 worth Rs2,500 crores approximately. The projects are located at the strategically acquired land parcels in Gurgaon Sector 59 and South of Gurugram, Sohna. With these massive projects in the pipeline, 4S Developers is set to transform the real estate sector not just in Gurugram but also in the entire NCR. ANI

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE TO EXPLODE

IN DELHI-NCR IN ’23

New Delhi: The commercial real estate market in India, especially NCR, is expected to explode in 2023, with some interesting trends that will shape the future for the segment.

Delhi-NCR market is now amongst most favoured when it comes to seeing some really positive growth, both in rentals and returns of commercial real estate, including retail and office spaces. Rise Infraventures, in its latest report on Commercial Realty cited that Delhi-NCR Real Estate market is going to witness great appreciation of commercial real estate returns and rentals. ANI

INVESTMENT FIRM

New Delhi (PTI): The country’s largest private sector lender HDFC Bank on Saturday reported an 18.5 per cent increase in its standalone net profit at ` 12,259.5 crore for the third quarter ended December 2022. The bank had earned a net profit of ` 10,342.2 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous fiscal year.

Total income on a standalone basis rose to `51,207.61 crore in the October-December quarter of FY23, as against Rs40,651.60 crore in the same period of the previous financial year, HDFC Bank said in a regulatory filing.

On the asset quality side, the bank’s gross non-performing assets (NPAs) remained flat at 1.23 per cent of gross advances as of December 30, 2022. Net NPAs too were flat at 0.33 per cent as compared to 0.37 per cent at the end of December 2021.

THE STATUS OF NPAs

z On the asset quality side, the bank’s gross non-performing assets (NPAs) remained flat at 1.23 per cent of gross advances

rate of 11.61 per cent.

Moreover, global development agencies and several governments have made concerted efforts to alleviate poverty through

THE GLOBAL MARKET SIZE

z According to the report, the global market size of the MFI industry is expected to grow by USD122.46 billion from 2021 to 2026 at a compound annual growth rate of 11.61 per cent

micro-credits, it said. From 2017 onwards, the Indian MFI industry embraced the digital route by using online delivery channels, mobile banking and e-wallets, paving the way for the sector to adopt digitization at a large scale.

The future course of the

z From 2017 onwards, the Indian MFI industry embraced the digital route by using online delivery channels, mobile banking and e-wallets

z Future course of the industry will be determined by the ability of MFIs to forge partnerships, develop new products

industry will be determined by the ability of MFIs to forge partnerships, develop new products and investment channels and leverage technology.

The challenges that the MFI sector will face are the diverse nature of customer segments such as small

farmers, vendors and labourers.

“The consumer behaviour and loan requirements for different customers may require varied levels of services with financial products and digital literacy,” the study said.

It also said the dependence on physical modes of interaction poses a challenge for MFIs to reach last-mile borrowers, which has been evident during the pandemic when group gatherings could not be held. Only technological integration will be able to assist MFIs in providing services as well as repayment collection processes.

FCI to adopt zero tolerance for corruption, says Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal

New Delhi (ANI): Talking about the ongoing investigation against alleged cases of corruption in the Food Corporation of India (FCI), Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said that it's a wake-up call for the organization and assured that no one found involved in corrupt practices will be spared. He said FCI will follow the principle of zero tolerance for corruption.

The transformation of FCI should be done on a fast-track mode so that the organization can continue to help the people, the poor and the farmers of the country. This was stated by Goyal while delivering the inaugural address at the 59th Foundation Day of FCI in New Delhi on Saturday. In his speech, Goyal

directed

secretary of

food

distribution to monitor the transformation of FCI and Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) every week and to update him on the status on a fortnightly basis. He said strict action has to be taken against the

MAJOR TALKING POINTS OF DAY

z The transformation of FCI should be done on a fast-track mode so that the organization can continue to help the people

z Secretary of the dept of food and public distribution to monitor the transformation of FCI and Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) every week

officers who do not cooperate with or delay the transformation process, according to a statement from the ministry of consumer affairs, food and public distribution.

Goyal directed the secretary to institutionalize a mechanism wherein whistle-blowers may be reward-

ed. He called out all officers and staff of FCI to report any incident of corruption.

Goyal praised the way FCI carried out the world's largest food supply chain system, especially during the pandemic to ensure a seamless supply of foodgrains under the "Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana" (PMGKAY). He said that despite the Covid pandemic, no one slept hungry in the country.

He said that India has set a global example in the areas of food security, strengthening the economic scenario, controlling inflation and others. Goyal mentioned that the rice procurement figures for the year are good and that he looked forward to a robust wheat procurement in the coming season as well.

Mumbai: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a monetary penalty of Rs30 lakh on Bahadur Chand Investments for non-compliance with certain provisions of the ‘Core Investment Companies (Reserve Bank) Directions, 2016’ and directions on ‘Information Technology Framework for the NBFC Sector’. This penalty has been imposed in exercise of powers vested in RBI under the provisions of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, the central bank said. ANI

REAL ESTATE

z Net NPAs too were flat at 0.33% at the end of December 2021 New

INDUSTRY SEEKS TAX

BREAKS,

Provisions and contingencies for the quarter ended December 31, 2022, were ` 2,806.4 crore as against `2,994 crore for the year-ago quarter, it said. Net interest income (interest earned less interest expended) for the quarter ended December 31, 2022 grew by 24.6 per cent to ` 22,987.8 crore from `18.443.5 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2021, it said. Core net interest margin was at 4.1 per cent on total assets, and 4.3 per cent based on interestearning assets.

INFRA

STATUS

NAREDCO has suggested the real estate industry could become more productive and thrive, if certain regulations and taxation blocks are eliminated, particularly those concerning the deduction of interest for customers looking for a home loan, besides the tax load on developers working on affordable and rental housing. It also recommended amending or removing certain sections of the Income Tax Act, incentivising business entities and individual investors looking to invest in capital-intensive sector.

NEWER MODUS OPERANDI ADOPTED

‘Customs closely monitoring toy imports’

New Delhi: The CBIC on Saturday said customs department is closely monitoring import of toys and continuously tackling newer modus operandi adopted to circumvent the quality control and safety norms.

The government, earlier this week said 18,600 toys have been seized in last one month from major retail stores, including those of Hamleys and Archies, at airports and malls across India for lack of BIS quality mark and use of fake licences.

In a tweet, the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) said

customs department is engaged with both BIS and the DGFT (Directorate General of Foreign Trade) to thwart attempts of circumventing the quality control and safety checks.

It said newer modus op-

erandi adopted to circumvent the BIS restrictions by way of imports of parts of toys, staggered import of such parts through different ports, and misdeclaration of toys and their parts as entirely dif-

QUALITY AND SAFETY CHECKS

z Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) said customs department is engaged with both BIS and the DGFT to thwart attempts of circumventing the quality control and safety checks

ferent items is being “continuously tackled”. “Indian Customs has been closely monitoring and addressing the problem of import of toys which do not meet BIS standards,” the CBIC tweeted.

‘Sri Lanka concludes debt restructuring talks with Japan’

Colombo (PTI): Sri Lanka has concluded debt restructuring talks with Japan and will continue to hold such meetings with India this month, President Ranil Wickremesinghe announced on Saturday, as the cashstrapped country looks to carve a path out of its worst financial crisis.

The crisis-hit island nation, which is trying to secure a USD 2.9 billion bridge loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), has been trying to get financial assurances from its major creditors — China, Japan and India — which is the requisite for Colombo to get the bailout package.

The IMF bailout has been put on a halt as Sri Lanka pursues talks with creditors to meet the global lender’s condition for the facility.

Addressing the trade unionists, the president said that the debt restructuring talks with China’s Exim bank were held this week and further dialogue is in progress. “On January 19, the Indian foreign minister is expected to visit and we will continue to

have debt restructuring talks with India,” Wickremesinghe said.

His remarks have come days after Wickremesinghe said India’s response to Sri Lanka’s request for debt restructuring is expected by the end of this month. He had earlier said that India and Sri Lanka held “successful” talks on debt restructuring and the country will also begin discussions with China.

Wickremesinghe stressed that the only option that the island nation was left with was a bailout package from the IMF. The president said he was looking forward to the IMF facility in 3-4 tranches. “I want to lift this country out of the plunge sooner,” he said.

FACES ` 30 LAKH PENALTY BY RBI

the

the department of

and public

Delhi (ANI): With the Union Budget for 2023-24 slated to be tabled on February 1, the National Real Estate Development Council (NAREDCO), the apex body real estate industry, has put forward its pre-Budget recommendations to the government.

Mirch Masala

FIRST INDIA SUNDAY SPECIAL

BY TRIDIB RAMAN

The author is a journalist and political commentator and views expressed are his personal

Rahul Gandhi’s security incharge PK Baiju decides who will be seen walking with him in Bharat Jodo Yatra. So, this time when Rahul’s Yatra reached Punjab, Sachin Pilot called Baiju to join the yatra and told him that ‘he has to travel with Rahul for 3-4 hours.’ Byju told Sachin that ‘he will discuss with Rahul and call him at night.’ So Baiju’s call came to Sachin in the night, and Baiju told him that Rahul

has said that ‘you are most welcome in the yatra, but we will not discuss political matters, that means the focus of the discussion will be on Bharat Jodo Yatra.’ It should be noted that earlier Pilot had accompanied Rahul on his visit to Rajasthan. After this, Pilot joined Rahul’s visit to Fatehgarh Sahib in Punjab, along with Pilot, Congress in-charge of Punjab Harish Chaudhary also participated in this visit.

The process of meeting of leaders of NDA allies with the BJP top brass is going on amidst the sounds of a possible reshuffle in the Union Cabinet. Such leaders of BJP are also orbiting the party top whose political career is at an end. They are orbiting Amit Shah’s house just to get another chance. Among those who met the BJP top brass were Chandrababu Naidu’s son Nara Lokesh and Akali Dal leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal. But the most surprising was the visit of Lok Dal leader Jayant Chaudhary who met BJP National President JP Nadda. Jayant is still a coalition partner of Akhilesh’s party SP. When Rahul passed through UP in the course of his BharatJodoYatra, Jayant and his party extended their moral support to Rahul. But his recent meeting with Nadda can create new equations in UP politics.

WHAT’S COOKING BETWEEN SHINDE & BJP?

This time when Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde came to Delhi, he also had a meeting with the BJP top brass. During the conversation, when the issue, that Shinde should now merge his party with BJP, emerged prominently, Shinde wanted to explain to the BJP leaders that ‘if he merges his party with BJP now, most of his MLAs will remain in their old will return to home i.e. Shiv Sena. So, even if he has to merge his party with BJP, it should be before the 2024 general elections.’ The BJP leaders seem to have agreed to Shinde’s proposal.

WHY DID PRIYANKA MEET KHARGE?

Recently, when Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi reached Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s house to meet her, the speculations gained momentum that Priyanka is being made the party’s General Secretary Organisation, so that she can join the Congress cadre in the positive atmosphere created by Rahul’s Bharat Jodo Yatra. If sources are to be believed, Kharge even talked to Sonia about this, but Sonia avoided Kharge’s request saying that ‘if this happens, BJP will get a chance to attack us that Congress is still within the family as since Sonia is not able to come, the son is shining light across the country as a party leader and the daughter is handling the work of the organisation.’ Kharge also understood the point.

This year, the budget of Bihar can prove to be the last budget of Nitish Kumar as CM. After this he can become active in Delhi politics & can declare RJD leader and Dy CM Tejashwi Yadav as his successor. So, Nitish has decided that ‘in his last budget, he will come up with a big welfare scheme for poor people. It is said that this ‘Revdi scheme’ of Nitish will cost the state exchequer Rs 8,000- 10,000 cr. So, Tejashwi has urged Nitish that ‘in view of the financial condition of the state, he should not take such a big decision which would be difficult to compensate’. Word is that Tejashwi has urged Nitish that ‘before going to Delhi, he should just present the interim budget. So, should this be taken as an order from the future Chief Minister?

Sources say that both Rahul and Priyanka want to contest the CWC elections this time. The session of AICC will be convened at the end of February in Raipur, the capital of Chhattisgarh, in which elections are to be held for the Congress Working Committee. It should be noted that the Congress Working Committee consists of 25 members including the President. 12 members are nominated by the party president, while the remaining 12 members are elected by AICC members through voting. AICC currently has 1450 members. Now there is a discussion going on in the Congress party that ‘if both Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra contest the election and one of them gets less votes, it will be a loss for the party.’

Therefore, it is being mulled upon that Gandhi should be nominated and elections should be held among the rest of the former presidents.

The Saffron sky of a state is telling a new story of mutual enmity and tussle. A great movement is going on in a state regarding 22-point demands including reservation on economic basis, and about 3 lakh people are participating in this movement. Most of the demands have been accepted by the CM of the state, but the screw is stuck regarding the arrest under the SC Act. A journalist close to the CM asked him, ‘How did such a huge crowd gather in your house under your rule and you did not even realise it?’ If sources are to be believed, the CM could not stop himself, and feeling pain over it, made it clear that ‘the dreams of a Kshatriya leader sitting in Delhi have become bigger these days, this crowd is sponsored by him.’ The CM did not stop here and said, “Last time he had to leave his seat and go outside the state and contest elections. Let’s see from where will he win this time?”

The BJP has played an important role in shaping the Jat versus non-Jat politics in Haryana. By putting the reins of the state on the shoulders of a non-Jat Chief Minister, the BJP has managed to balance all castes in the state. Congress has shown its full faith in Bhupinder Singh Hooda this time, due to which, in a way, the Jats are getting completely mobilized in favour of Congress. But this Jat versus non-Jat politics has made room for a third player in the fray. It is believed that the Aam Aadmi Party may emerge as a third force in Haryana this time. The trend of non-Jat votes is already visible towards AAP.

FARMERS HOLD PROTEST AGAINST MSEDCL AS ‘GROOMS’

THE CONTENTION

First India Bureau

Latur: Several farmers dressed up as grooms held a protest march against the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) in Latur district, said an official on Saturday.

The protesters, some on horseback, told reporters outside the Nilanga office of MSEDCL on Friday that they had paid for distribution transformers (called DP in local parlance) in 2018, but were yet to get electricity connections.

“We just want the MSEDCL to tell us when they will arrange the

wedding of our farming issues and electricity,” said one of them, when queried on why wedding attire and horses were chosen for the protest. “Farmers of 20 vil-

lages are facing problems of irrigating crops due to lack of electricity despite paying for DPs. When we go to the power firm’s office to find out about the delay,

Uorfi’s statement recorded over BJP leader complaint

First India Bureau

Mumbai: Mumbai police on Saturday recorded model and social media influencer Uorfi Javed’s statement in connection with a complaint filed against her by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Chitra Wagh.

Javed visted Amboli police station to record her statement after police called her for questioning, said a police official.

Wagh, chief of Maharashtra BJP’s women’s wing, has filed a complaint against Javed for dressing ‘improperly’ in public places. No First Information Report (FIR) has been registered over Wagh’s complaint yet, the official added. On Friday, Uorfi had filed a complaint against Wagh with the Maharashtra State Commission for Women (MSCW) for her alleged remarks on the actor’s ‘immodest’

dressing sense.

A complaint has been filed against Wagh for making threats and criminal intimidation to harm the actor in the public domain. Her lawyer Nitin Satpute has

Couple, 2 kids found dead in Pune house

Pune (PTI): A couple and their two children were found dead in their house in Pune city, police said on Saturday. They suspect it to be a case of suicide pact.

Dipak Thote (55), his

wife Indu (45), their son (24), and daughter (17) were found dead in their house in the Keshavnagar area late Friday night, said a police officer from Mundhwa police station.

“No suicide note has been found so far. We are probing the suicide angle and according to the preliminary information, there was some financial loss to the family,” said the police officer.

He said the deaths were caused due to consumption of a poisonous substance.

also requested preventive action under the relevant section of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).

The row between Uorfi and Wagh began after the latter filed a complaint against the actor on January 01.

On January 04, the BJP women’s wing leader took to Twitter and slammed Uorfi for her dressing sense. Hitting back, the actor took to Instagram and posted a picture of boils on her legs and claimed that she was “allergic to clothes”.

officials speak rudely to us. So we decided on this kind of protest,” said another protester.

The protest was led by local Shiv Sena –Uddhav Balasaheb Thack-

The protesters, some on horseback, told reporters outside the Nilanga office of MSEDCL on Friday that they had paid for distribution transformers (called DP) in 2018, but were yet to get electricity connections. “We just want the MSEDCL to tell us when they will arrange the wedding of our farming issues and electricity,” said one of the farmers.

eray leader Limban Reshme. He urged the state authorities to look into the problems of farmers and come up with a suitable solution.

Suicides among farmers have increased over the years as they continue to struggle financially. Uneven or excess rainfall, lack of power supply has led to failed crops, which has affected farmers adversely.

Hoax call about ‘terror attack’ sends Pune police into tizzy

First India Bureau

Pune: Security was tightened at the Pune railway station after the police control room in the city received a call informing about a possible terrorist attack. But it turned out to be a hoax, said an official on Saturday.

The caller, who was traced and detained, allegedly made the call in a fit of anger after he had a spat with Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel on a train.

The call was received late Friday evening.

“Following the call, the security at the Pune railway station was beefed up and a search was conducted but nothing suspicious was found. The man who had made the call was traced in Katraj area,” said the police official.

Upon questioning, he told police that he was angry after a heated ex-

COURTESY MEET

change with RPF personnel for some reason on a train and decided to make a hoax call.

“A case would be registered against the man,” he added.

On December 31, 2022, a man was arrested by Mumbai police for allegedly threatening bomb blasts at some places in the city on New Year. He placed the call under the influence of alcohol.

Demand power supply to irrigate their crops; ride horses during march dressed in wedding attire

Farmers seen carrying banners and on horseback during the protest in Latur on Saturday.

Farmers of 20 villages are facing problems of irrigating crops due to lack of electricity despite paying for DPs. When we go to the power firm’s office to find out about the delay, officials speak rudely to us. So we decided on this kind of protest.

—A protestor at the march

BJP Women’s Wing chief Chitra Wagh. —FILE PHOTO

Uorfi Javed —ANI PHOTO

Man contacted police after heated exchange with RPF personnel aboard a train at Pune railway station

Dr Jagdeesh Chandra greeted Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla during a courtesy visit at the latter’s residence in New Delhi on Saturday.

WHY DID JAYANT MEET NADDA?

WILL NITISH SAY GOODBYE TO BIHAR POLITICS?

NEW CRISIS BEFORE THE CM OF A NORTH INDIAN STATE!

WILL RAHUL AND PRIYANKA BOTH CONTEST POLLS?

RAHUL TOO FOCUSSED ON BHARAT JODO YATRA

MITALI DUSAD mitalidusad01@gmail.com

Makar Sankranti marks the first day of the movement of the sun into the Makar rashi or the Capricorn zodiac sign and marks the end of winter. As we look to warmer days most of us take to the rooftops with fresh zeal to celebrate the day with family and friends, flying kites and partaking in the special sweets and foods relevant to Makar Sankranti. This is the only Indian festival celebrated as per

the solar cycle, all others follow the lunar cycle of the Hindu calendar.

A special day, it is celebrated in some form or the other across India with Maharashtra and Rajasthan totally devoting the day to kite flying- a tradition now seen pan India. Kites hold a certain charm for all of us and this year turned out more glorious for the kite lovers as there are major beliefs regarding the date of the festival, hence people are thoroughly enjoying the weekend.

There is even a ‘One Sky, One World Kite Fly for Peace’ event held annually worldwide by the World Kite Museum to promote

peace and global har mony.

The day witnessed no distance between the people as the kites too met and greet ed each other, stretched from different roofs, they danced, twisted and turned and sparred in the open blue sky.

And as the sun set, the hues of the sky were lit up with hope as the capti vating lanterns ‘Akashdeep’ lit up the darkness. So, gear up for anoth er day of fun, joy, laughter, a day to soak the sun and imbue

very core with the warmth of its blessed rays and leave the dark

your

days behind us.

‘KaiPo Che’, ‘Wo Kaate’, ‘Charkhi’, ‘Manjha’, ‘Dheel de’, ‘Kheench’, ‘Till ke Laddu’, ‘Feeni’, ‘Paush bade’ and more such words competed with boisterous music under the sunny sky! This year many people across were confused with Jan 14 and 15, hence are expected to take to the rooftops and soar with our kites today too. City First highlights some glimpses!

(L-R) Khushi, Kalpana, Sheena, Vinne, Tanya, Varunavi, Soni, Rishika, Himakshi, Soni, Tanu and Rutvi

Akanksha Bhalla, Tanu Choudhary, Gaurav Gaur and Ritu Sharma during Sankranti festival

A glimpse from the Kite Festival

—PHOTOS BY MUKESH KIRADOO AND SUNIL SHARMA

What makes Sankranti extra

SPECIAL IN WALLED CITY?

You see relatives and family friends you didn’t even know existed until they pop at your place to celebrate Sankrat from “Sheher ki chhat” (terrace in the walled city)

POORVI SINGHAL singhalpoorvi16@gmail.com

“Vok Kaatey!”

Yell many terraces in unison as one kite falters in the Makranti Sankranti sky.

Sankrant here is a hell lot of fun.

As it plummets towards the tightly packed havelis (traditional townhouses) in the walled city, attempts are made using poles, jujjas (stones hung on threads) and jumping kids to capture it. Finally, one boy from atop the water tank seizes the yellow, slightly tattered and taped kite, and claims his position as the bonafide patangbaz (kite-flyer) of the Pink City. He grooves to Kala Chashma chiming from his adjacent ter-

Apart from the flying of kites, the gathering of all my family members and friends on the terrace with delicious sweets and snacks with Bollywood songs playing in the background makes it a lot better. Some of us vibe to the music, some just keep flying the beautiful kites while others collect the kites with long wooden sticks. My favourite part is the night when everyone out there celebrates the end of the festival by bursting crackers. All my family members eagerly wait for the night just to capture the beautifully lit sky with all the fireworks. After ending the festival on a lovely note, we all had dinner together.

—ADHISHREE KHANDELWAL

race while prepping to soar his kite and loot probably five more from it until the sky turns dark and lit-up candles take over.

Such is Makar Sankranti and a few days leading up to it in the walled city of Jaipur.

Kites are pegged (tang daalna), looted ones are discreetly stacked in the attic and charkhis (string roll) are loaded before D-day. What’s out of your control is the guest list. There’s an unspoken rule - if you

As someone who’s grown up surrounded by these pink walls, Sankrant isn’t a oneday festival, it starts right from the beginning of January and reaches its peak on the weekend closest to the 14th. The chaos that is this festival always brings comfort, and the feeling of hope and home is always assured when the lanterns start glowing on the eve of the 14th. The environmentalist in me has only one guilty please and that is this festival. I’m not too big on kite flying, but the festivities, the music and the vibrance that is this festival always make my heart go “voh kaaatey.”

—MANSI LOHIA

live in the walled city, the terrace is open for all before and on the day of Sankranti, doesn’t matter if you don’t know them. And, you have to (mandatorily) serve the old city’s delicacies- think kachori, samosa, etc.

While you may be in just for the snacks, or a view of the lanternstudded sky, a true ‘shehri’ (resident of the walled city) loves Sakrat for reasons more than one. See for yourself!

I’ve always been fond of kites since I was five. So, there’s only one festival I wait for all year - that is Makar Sankranti. Every year, all my friends come to my house during this time. We always started our eve with aloo ki kachori from Khunteta or pyaz ki kachori from Samrat and before everyone leaves, we always stop at Sahu Chai Wala for a cup of hot tea. Fireworks on Sankrat are always better than on Diwali. Our relatives and friends from all over Jaipur come to the old city during this week and everyone competes with their neighbours when flying kites and sounds of “voh kaatey” start from six in the morning.

—GAURANG MAHARWAL

This is the only time of the year when I make an attempt to leave my bed early and hit the terrace. How the morning turns into the night - you will never know because the time you will spend with your cousins and friends fly quickly. And as soon as we stop flying the kites, putting on marwari gaane (songs) and dancing our hearts out is a must to end the night! The walled city is a place where all the traditions and customs of Jaipur are preserved and celebrating Sankrat here makes your heart go all giddy. Seeing up in the sky and spotting multiple colours as songs blaze through your ears - that’s what ‘parkota wali Sakrat’ does to you! It makes you feel peaceful amid the festive chaos.

—BHAVISHYA AKAR

LET’S SOAR HIGH!

The festival of soaring kites, Makar Sankranti, is one of the favourite festivals of all.

The festival usually falls on January 14 and is celebrated as the beginning of warmth after the winter season. During this festival, families and friends gather on terraces & roofs and fly kites together. City First brings to you glimpses of the enchanting festival shared by our avid readers from all across!

Alok, Kshitij, Ashish, Vikram, Shiksha, Shikha, Sughandh, Maulik, Marisha, Veohm and Vikhyat

Devansh, Ruby, Seema, Manish, Samarth, Rakesh, Anu, Sneha, Ajay Neetu and Meenu

Jasbeer Kaur Rudra

Kshitij, Sughandh and Ashish

Ram Kishore & Sunita Dusad

Harshvardhan Singh

The Sharma Family

Pulkit Jangir

Tanya Chalana

(L-R) Nimit, Dhriti, Indrani, Shimona, Nupur, Rohit, Siddharth, Nidhi, Ekank, Snehaa and Niharika.

(L-R) Devesh, Dr Abid, Dr Mariyam, Abaan, Ateeq, Ziyan, Irfan, Nomana and Ayaan

The Bagra’s

The Chauhan’s from Jaipur

Rudranshi, Aarvi, Gauravi, Shamsher, Rudrakshi, Rajveer and Sufi

Aditi Tiwari

(L-R) Suneeta, Rajini and Sunita enjoy the festive aura by flaunting their traditional Mehndi

Akanksha Bhalla, Rewti Upadhayay and Rutvi Tiwari

Khushi Mishra and Alisha Sharma

(L-R) Meenu, Seema, Neetu, Devansh, Akshit, Sneha, Rakesh, Anu and Ruby

Shashi Sharma Dhriti

Ananya Kushwaha

Divyanshi Jangid

SHAHID KAPOOR’S FARZI DEBUT

ASHISH TIWARI cityfirst.mumbai@firstindia.co.in

Shahid Kapoor on Friday launched the trailer of his web series Farzi along with his co-star Vijay Sethupathi and filmmakers Raj & DK. The actor is slated to make his OTT Debut with the show. The trailer gave a better peek inside the fast-paced web series featuring Shahid as a conman, and Vijay as a law enforcement officer trying to track him down.

Announcing the show Shahid stated, “It is the best start for the year that I could have asked for. Last year had a lot of ups and downs. And I was very happy to hear that we will launch the show on February 10. It is my birthday month and it is great.”

As Farzi marks Shahid Kapoor’s OTT debut

in his career of twenty years. Talking about the same he said, “It is a lot of firsts. We started talking about the show even before everybody started talking about OTT as an option. When I say everybody, I mean the film fraternity. I love their (Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK) shows. I love The Family Man one and two,” shared Shahid, who was first approached by Raj & DK for a film eight years ago.

The actor added, “They called me for a film and I said ya that’s ok but what are you doing in show format and they are like, ‘Are you serious? Do you want to do a show?’ I said I would love to collaborate with you guys.

They had an idea that they had narrated to me eight years ago as a movie.

And at that time, DK had said it is too big in terms of length to fit into a story and I think the best thing that happened to Farzi is that it didn’t become a movie because I don’t think we would have been able to do justice to it. Here, we have the first season

MALTI MARIE’S FIRST BIRTHDAY!

had a pretty wild journey in the earlier part of her life. Malti Marie had to spend 100 days in the NICU before she could be brought home.

which is equal to twoand-half movies. If people like it, we will make another season then another. And the cast they put together, the characters they have put together and the way they have put the entire story together lends itself to more and more time. By the time I finished (playing) Sunny, I felt that it was just the beginning of Sunny (for me).” Shahid Kapoor shared his experience of working in a long format show. He shared, “It (OTT) is an opportunity, as an actor to bring more to it. When you are doing something short format, you can be more attacking in terms of the way you approach a character. Sometimes that works better. I don’t like attacking characters. I like to pull people to the screen, it should be immersive. I enjoy that. I don’t have a process. I like to do things instinctively.”

Farzi also features Kay Kay Menon, Raashi Khanna, Amol Palekar, Regina Cassandra and Bhuvan Arora. The crime thriller will be released on February 10.

Randeep gets injured

Randeep Hooda’s exemplary dedication to any role he does is no mystery and once again the actor went so deep into his character that it landed him in a health scare. Reportedly Randeep was hospitalized at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai for treatment. The actor was injured a few days back and rushed to the hospital immediately.

Last year Randeep suffered an injury while shooting an action sequence for Radhe with Salman Khan for which the Highway actor had to undergo knee surgery on his right leg. The surgery happened during the shoot of his series Inspector Avinash.

Randeep also posted pictures from the hospital to keep his fans updated with his health developments.

Now the actor was drastically losing weight for Savarkar for a long time. It was during horse riding when Randeep fainted and as per the reports, because he has lost 22 kilos for his role, there is hardly any muscle left around his knee. Due to this, the fall had a major impact on his knee and leg. The actor injured his left leg which may require surgery.

Vivek Agnihotri’s shocking revelation

that they threw her a party. -

In a chat with Kelly Clarkson, Nick called Maltiing’ and also shared how she

Nick also opened up about how he tries to be a patient dad. He also opened up about having new personal goals this year and said, “I have some personal goals, some professional goals, there’s a lot on the personal front after being a new father, that’s taking up most of my time.”

‘Mountains also crumble’

Actor Govinda who has always managed to amaze us with his performance revealed in an interview that he once went without sleep for 16 days while filming a movie. The actor who reigned B-Town in the 1990s was dedicated in that way.

According to numerous stories, Govinda used to film three to four movies a day. Producers and directors were not pleased with this. Many directors who worked with Govinda agreed that his inability to keep his promises caused their films to be delayed and over budget. The actor said, “I was at the top for 14 years, there was no planning. But when I realized that people were turning against me,

merology and Vastu shastra. They don’t pay attention to these people. It’s too small a factor to look at. Moun-

The Kashmir Files director Vivek Agnihotri recently faced harsh criticism after sharing the good news that the movie had been selected for an Oscar nomination. The movie is based on a true story about Kashmiri Pan -

merous times. Earlier, during the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2022, Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lipid referred to it as crass propaganda.

A few days back, the director took to Twitter to announce the same. He shared the film’s post-

versy, Vivek Agnihotri has now strongly reacted to the same. Adding further to it the ace director wrote, “WARNING: The nasty ecosystem at work again. They are twisting our statements to bring defame and disrepute to the team of #TheKashmirFiles by misreporting and lying to the public. News sites and others are warned against being involved or circulating such fake news with malicious

ments section, fans called them “king and queen.” And there were also comments that

ple goals.” One of the fans jokingly asked, “Is Vamika Vamika’s second birthday was recently mous couple. Virat, in his Instagram post wrote, “My heartbeat is tioned the image, “Two years ago my heart

alti Marie Jonas, the daughter of Priyankanas, recently had her

Shahid Kapoor Poster of the series

Randeep Hooda

Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri

Virat’s

Govinda

Priyanka Chopra