First India-Mumbai Edition-15th October 2022

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I-T RAIDS PREMISES OF JD(U) CHIEF LALAN’S CLOSE AIDE

Patna: The Income Tax dept on Friday conducted raids at multiple locations in Bihar’s Patna, including the Shivpuri, Patel Nagar, and Boring Road premises of builder Gabbu Singh. Builder Gabbu Singh is a close aide of the national president of Janata Dal (United) Rajiv Ranjan alias Lalan Singh.

Details in this matter are awaited as the IT raids are currently underway.

EXCISE POLICY: ED RAIDS AT 25 DELHI LOCATIONS

New Delhi: The ED on Friday raided at least 25 locations in Delhi as part of its ongoing money laundering investigation into the now-scrapped Delhi Excise policy, officials said. The premises covered under the search operation belong to private entities linked to liquor dealership and distributorship.

ROBBIE COLTRANE: HARRY POTTER ACTOR DIES AGED 72

Falkirk: Robbie Coltrane, who played Hagrid in the Harry Potter films, has died aged 72. He also appeared in ITV detective drama Cracker and the James Bond films Goldeneye and The World Is Not Enough.

In a statement, his agent Belinda Wright confirmed the actor died in hospital near Falkirk in Scotland. She described Coltrane as a “unique talent”.

INDIA TEST FIRES

BALLISTIC MISSILE FROM SUBMARINE

New Delhi: India’s nuclearpowered submarine INS Arihant on Friday carried out a successful launch of a submarine-launched ballistic missile in the Bay of Bengal with a “very high accuracy”, defence ministry said. It said all operational parameters of the weapon system have been validated.

‘LET OUR DAUGHTERS

WEAR HIJAB, YOU WEAR YOUR BIKINI’

Hyderabad: Reacting to split verdict by the Supreme Court on petitions challenging the Karnataka hijab ban, AIMIM chief Owaisi has slammed the Centre for ‘’forcing the Muslim girls to remove their hijab.’’ Reacting to the split verdict given by the top court on the hijab ban, Owaisi said, “if Muslim women want to cover their heads, it does not mean, they are covering their intellect.” P5

TO REACH AGREEMENT

TOUCHED

HIMACHAL TO VOTE ON NOV 12; NO ANNOUNCEMENT FOR GUJ

Counting will be held on Dec 8 and results will be declared on same day

New Delhi (ANI): Himachal Pradesh will go to polls on November 12 to elect its next gov ernment and the results will be declared on De cember 8, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced on Friday. But it did not an nounce the poll sched ule for Gujarat citing past precedents.

At a press conference here, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Ku mar said the counting of votes for Himachal polls will take place on De cember 8 and elaborate arrangements have been made to ensure maximum participation of voters in the “festival of democracy”.

In the elections to the 68-member assembly with over 55 lakh eligi ble voters, the BJP will seek to overturn the three-decade conven tion of no ruling party returning to power by defeating the main op position Congress in the hill state.

The Commission re frained from announc ing the poll schedule for the Gujarat assembly which has a tenure till February 18, 2023.

ECI ON WHY IT DIDN’T ANNOUNCE GUJARAT ELECTION DATES NOW

New Delhi (Agencies): The Election Commission of India on Friday skipped Gujarat as it announced poll dates for Himachal Pradesh, though the schedule for the two states is traditionally revealed at the same time. Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, fielding questions, said no rules had been violated. The term of the Gujarat assembly ends on February 18 and that of Himachal Pradesh, on January 8. The BJP is in power in both states.

There is a gap of 40 days between the end of the assemblies of the two states.

According to the rules, it should be at least 30 days so that one result doesn’t impact the other. —Rajiv Kumar, CEC

BJP AND CONGRESS WELCOME ECI ANNOUNCING HIMACHAL ELECTIONS

New Delhi (PTI): The Congress and the BJP on Friday welcomed the announcement of assembly polls in Himachal Pradesh and said they are all geared up for the November 12 polling. BJP president JP Nadda appealed to people to elect a government which contributes to the state’s progress. Congress in-charge for Himachal Pradesh Rajiv Shukla said the party will win the state with a two-thirds majority. “We are confident to win Himachal with a two-thirds majority. Priyanka Gandhi will be campaigning for the party across the state,” Shukla said.

Election is the biggest celebration of democracy.

It is a medium to keep the country and the state on the path of development and good governance. —JP Nadda, BJP national president

CONGRESS WILL RESTORE OLD PENSION SCHEME IF VOTED TO POWER IN HIMACHAL, SAYS PRIYANKA GANDHI

Shimla (PTI): Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday promised to restore the old pension scheme for govt employees in Himachal if her party was voted to power in the Assembly elections. She said this at the ‘Parivartan Pratigya Rally’ held at Thodo Maidan in Himachal Pradesh’s Solan. She said the decision to restore the old pension scheme and provide one lakh jobs to unemployed youth would be taken in the first cabinet meeting if the Congress was voted to power in the state. P5

Guj will make AAP pay price in polls for ‘abusing’ PM Modi’s mother: BJP

New Delhi: The BJP on Friday sharpened its at tack on the AAP after its Gujarat chief Gopal Ita lia was heard mocking the PM’s mother in a video, and said people of the state will make it pay for “abusing” her. An old video of Italia emerged on Thursday in which he is mocking Modi’s mother.

“If you think abusing the PM’s mother will help you gain political popularity in Gujarat, you are mistaken. And for that mistake, Guja

Smriti Irani addresses media in New Delhi, on Friday.

rat and Gujaratis will make you pay the politi cal price in the forth coming elections,” Un ion minister Smriti Ira ni told media on Friday

Saibaba’s acquittal on technical grounds disappointing: Fadnavis

First India Bureau

Nagpur: Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fad navis on Friday said the acquittal of former Del hi University professor GN Saibaba in a case of alleged Maoist links was “unfortunate and disappointing”.

There was a lot of evidence against him but he was acquitted on technical grounds which was unfortunate, Fadnavis, who also holds the home portfo lio, said.

More than eight

years after his arrest, the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court on Friday acquitted Sai baba (52) in an alleged Maoist links case, and ordered his immediate release from jail citing

I am thinking what must the families of our policemen who were martyred in attacks by Naxalites be going through after hearing about this. We have approached the Supreme Court against the acquittal and I believe we will get justice.

—Devendra Fadnavis, Dy CM

a lack of valid sanction for prosecution under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

The bench also al lowed the appeal of five other convicts in the case Turn to P6

PRIME MINISTER NARENDRA MODI TO CHAIR CSIR SOCIETY MEETING TODAY

New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair a meeting of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research Society here on Saturday. During a press conference, Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh said this is the third year of the CSIR Society and the meeting is of special significance as it marks 80 years of the establishment of the council.

PM TO DEDICATE 75 DBUS ACROSS 75 DISTRICTS TO THE NATION ON SUNDAY

New Delhi: In yet another measure to deepen financial inclusion, PM Modi will dedicate 75 Digital Banking Units to the nation on Sunday (Oct 16) via video conferencing. He will also address the gathering on the occasion. As part of the Union budget speech for 2022-23, the Finance Minister had announced the setting up of the 75 DBUs in 75 districts of the country to commemorate the 75 years of independence.

BSF shoots down Pak drone along Int’l Border in Punjab

Gurdaspur (ANI): Bor der Security Force (BSF) troops shot down a drone that entered India in Punjab’s Gurdaspur sector from the Pakistan side on the Internation al Border in the early hours of Friday.

A senior BSF officer said that the drone was spotted at 4.35 am by BSF troops on patrol ling duty. They immedi ately opened fire and it was shot down.

According to the BSF official, a massive search operation has been launched in the area to determine whether the

drone has dropped any consignment in the area.

A search operation is underway under the su pervision of BSF DIG. It is suspected that the drone was carrying a con signment from Pakistan.

“Brave jawans of BSF spotted a drone coming from Pakistan side. As soon as it entered India, jawans fired 17 rounds of bullets at it. One of the blades of the drone was damaged. The en tire area is being searched. The drone will be analysed,” said BSF DIG, Gurdaspur, Prabhakar Joshi.

20% ETHANOL-BLENDED PETROL MAY BE AVAILABLE FROM DEC OR JAN, SAYS PURI

Jaipur: 20% ethanol-blended petrol is likely to be available in country from Dec or January, ahead of April 2023 target, Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Puri said here on Friday. “We are constantly reviewing the ethanol production and I believe, 20 per cent blended fuel would come in the market in December or January ahead of April 2023 (target),” he said.

NEW CJ: GUV ADMINISTERS OATH TO JUSTICE PANKAJ MITHAL

MURJI PATEL, RUTUJA LATKE FILE NOMINATIONS ON LAST DAY

BMC accepted Latke’s resignation following HC order, allowing her to stand for her late husband’s seat

First India Bureau

Mumbai: The BJP’s Murji Patel and the Shiv Sena Uddhav Bala saheb Thackeray par ty’s Rutuja Latke on Friday filed their nomi nations for the Novem ber 03 Andheri East As sembly byelection amid

shows of strength from their respective parties. The byelection was necessitated due to the death of Rutuja Latke’s husband and incum bent Shiv Sena MLA Ramesh Latke.

Friday was the last day of filing nomina tions.

“I am a BJP worker and I do what the party asks me,” Patel said be fore filing his nomina tion papers.

Latke filed her nomi nation paperwork after the Brihanmumbai Mu nicipal Corporation (BMC) accepted her res ignation, acting on the Bombay High Court’s order.

BMC accepted the resignation and issued a letter of its accept ance to Latke, who was working in the civic body as an executive as sistant, around 10 am on Friday, officials said.

“The BMC had ac cepted Latke’s resigna tion on Thursday itself, immediately Turn to P6

‘Daring’ DGP Lather transfers 149 RPS at his own level!

JUST 18 DAYS BEFORE HIS RETIREMENT.... Naresh Sharma

Jaipur: Has the ‘hon our’ of the government really started falling? Has the bureaucracy re ally started giving a wide berth to the ‘gov ernment’? Notably, a few days back Gehlot him self had satired and said, “As soon as the elec tions approach, the offic ers start to listen less.”

And now it is this sat ire and apprehension of Gehlot that came true on Friday as DGP ML Lather issued the transfer list of 149 RPS officers.

According to sources, there was no discussion even at the level of the Chief Minister, who happens to be the home minister as well.

DGP made the final list at his own level and issued the same just 18 days before his retire ment. Now everyone at the top level in the gov ernment is shocked and surprised!

Rutuja

CEC Rajiv Kumar and Election Commissioner Anup Chandra Pandey at the Press Conference organised by the Election Commission of India for the General Election to Legislative Assembly of Himachal Pradesh, in New Delhi on Friday. —PHOTO BY ANI

Arrangements are in place to ensure maximum participation of voters: ECI

Border Security Force shot down a Pakistani drone along the International Border, in Gurdaspur on Friday. —PHOTO BY ANI

Justice Pankaj Mithal on Friday took oath as the new Chief Justice of Rajasthan. Justice Mithal was the CJ of the J&K and Ladakh High Court before being transferred to Rajasthan. Governor Kalraj Mishra administered him oath during a brief ceremony at Raj Bhavan here.

CM Ashok Gehlot, assembly Speaker CP Joshi, leader of Opposition Gulab Chand Kataria, ministers and judges of the Rajasthan High Court were present in the programme.

Andheri (E): Ground zero for high-stakes Assembly bypoll

First by-election since split in Shiv Sena will decide more than just who occupies the seat left vacant by the death of incumbent MLA Ramesh Latke

First India Bureau

Mumbai: With the Bharatiya Janata Paty’s Murji Patel and the Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray party’s Rutuja Latke having filed their nom ination papers for the November 03 Andheri East Assembly by-elec tion on Friday, the stage is now set for a political litmus test.

The first Assembly by-election after the col lapse of the Uddhav Thackeray-led govern ment in June will de cide more than just who takes over the seat left vacant by the death of sitting MLA Ramesh Latke in May.

It will be a trial by fire for the newly named Shiv Sena Uddhav Bala saheb Thackeray party’s hold over the traditional Sena votebank in Mum bai. A victory for the Ud dhav Thackeray-led par ty would mean support for him among the Se na’s voters is intact and also that the votes of Congress and National ist Congress Party, Thackeray’s allies in the Maha Vikas Aghadi, are transferable.

A defeat, on the other hand, would be a further setback for Thackeray after 40 MLAs led by Eknath Shinde—now chief minister—and 12 party MPs deserted him in June.

Friday—the last day

LITMUS TEST

A victory for the Uddhav Thackeray-led party would mean support for him among the Sena’s voters is intact and also that the votes of Congress and Nationalist Con gress Party, Thackeray’s allies in the Maha Vikas Aghadi, are transferable. A defeat, on the other hand, would be a further setback for Thackeray after 40 MLAs led by Eknath Shinde—now chief minister—and 12 party MPs deserted him in June.

of filing nominations— saw both the BJP and Thackeray-led Sena stage shows of strength as their respective candi dates filed nomination papers.

Senior leaders of the Maha Vikas Aghadi took out a march before Latke filed nomination papers.

Aaditya Thackeray, leader of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena, said he was 100% confident that Latke will get the votes of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) constitu ents: the Thackeray-led faction of the Sena, Na tionalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress.

Other leaders of the Thackeray faction in cluding Anil Parab and MPs Priyanka Chatur vedi and Gajanan Kirti kar too were part of the march. Mumbai Con gress president Bhai Jagtap and senior NCP leader Dilip Walse-Patil were also present.

The MVA will work to ensure Latke’s victory, Walse-Patil said.

Besides the NCP and Congress, even the Com munist Party of India has pledged support to Latke.

The joint candidate of the BJP and the Balasa hebanchi Shiv Sena headed by Chief Minis ter Eknath Shinde, Patel was accompanied by BJP’s Mumbai unit pres ident Ashish Shelar, Pravin Darekar and Nitesh Rane.

Mumbai (PTI):

Aaditya Thackeray, leader of the Uddhav Thackeray-led camp of the Shiv Sena, on Friday slammed the Eknath Shindehelmed Maharashtra government, saying that there is anger among people the way his party can didate Rutuja Latke was troubled. The Bombay High Court on Thursday directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corpora tion (BMC), where Latke was employed to accept the resigna tion she tendered earlier this month.

Aaditya Thackeray alleged that there was pressure on the BMC not to accept Latke's resignation. “There is anger about the way a woman (Latke) was troubled. Be it BMC or the state government, the attempt was that she doesn't contest (the bypoll)...,” he said.

Make Bharat Jodo Yatra a success: Patole to workers

First India Bureau

Palghar: State Con gress president Nana Patole urged party workers to make par ty leader Rahul Gan dhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra a grand suc cess in Maharashtra.

Speaking at a gath ering at Vasai in Pal ghar district on Thurs day, Patole appealed to Congress workers and local leaders to come out and tell people about the govern ment’s failures, and convert the Bharat Jodo Yatra into a mass movement.

Over the past month, the Congress has em barked on a 3,570km journey across 12 states of the country eyeing a political and electoral revival.

The state Congress chief said whenever party leader Rahul Gandhi travels some where during the yatra, local leaders and workers in other districts should simul taneously take out marches in their re spective areas and tell people about the gov ernment’s failures.

“The government sitting in Delhi has triggered price rise and unemployment and forced farmers to commit suicide,” Pa tole said, terming the Goods and Services Tax (GST) as Gabbar Singh Tax due to the fear attached to it.

Notably, some media reports have stated that more than 1,800 farmers have taken

Citizens need to be alert, or else their land will be grabbed for the (Bullet train) proj ect without due compensation. We will not allow the land of tribals and non-tribals in Pal ghar to be looted.

—Nana Patole, Maha rashtra Congress chief

their own lives in the past eight months in Maharashtra.

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his deputy Devendra Fadnavis were not running the state gov ernment, which is be ing controlled (by the BJP high command) in New Delhi, the Con gress leader further alleged.

Speaking about the Ahmedabad-Mumbai Bullet train project, Patole claimed that while the lion’s share was in Gujarat, the neighbouring state had invested a very small amount in it.

‘MVA won’t have candidates for 2024 polls’ Lawyer jailed for using casteist slur

Mumbai: Maharashtra BJP chief Chan drashekhar Bawankule on Friday said his party wants to create such a situation that the MVA—comprising the Uddhav Thackeray fac tion of the Shiv Sena, the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party—would not get candidates to field in the 2024 state Assem bly polls.

“We want to create a situation in Maharash

tra that by 2024, the MVA will not get a can didate to field in the elections. Under the leadership of Shinde and Fadnavis, the (BJP

Maha BJP chief hails the good work of the ShindeFadnavis faction

and Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena) alliance will win more than 200 Assembly and 45 Lok Sabha seats (in Maha rashtra in 2024),” he said at an event where some functionaries joined the party.

Bawankule claimed that the BJP was a party

where workers got am ple scope to progress.

However, in the Con gress, NCP and Uddhav Thackeray’s party, one progresses up the hierar chy if one is a close rela tive of powerful leaders, Bawankule claimed.

“In the BJP, the only qualification is work. Such a person will get a free hand and no one will stop him. Even a person like me, with no family background (in politics), can become Maharashtra BJP chief,” he said.

First India Bureau

Thane: A local court has sentenced a 44-year-old lawyer from Kharivali vil lage in Palghar dis trict to six months in jail for using a casteist slur against a man during an ar gument and fined Rs1,500.

Special judge AS Bhagwat convicted the lawyer of charges un der relevant sections of the Scheduled Castes

RIGHT GETS LEFT SUPPORT

and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atroci ties) Act on Wednesday.

If a lenient view is taken, then such tendencies will crop up and resul tantly create an un stable social atmo sphere, which can not be permitted.

—AS Bhagwat, Special judge

lawyer had borrowed Rs1 lakh from the com plainant in July 2015 but did not return it. When the complain ant met him at his of fice, the lawyer verbal ly abused him and used casteist slurs, follow ing which the case was registered, she said.

Appearing for the accused, advocate Ra jan Salunke argued that the lawyer had been dragged into a false case due to land dispute.

As Thackeray faction faces crucial bypoll, it gets CPI backing

A delegation of CPI leaders met former CM Uddhav Thackeray at his residence and extended the party’s support to his faction’s candidate in the Assembly bypoll in Andheri (E)

First India Bureau

Mumbai: As the Shiv Sena’s Uddhav Thack eray faction gears up for its most important electoral battle since the June revolt—the Andheri (East)

As sembly bypoll on No vember 03—it has re ceived the support of the Communist Party

of India (CPI), whose candidate the saffron outfit defeated in 1970, triggering the decline of Left forces in Mumbai.

Earlier this week, a delegation of CPI lead ers met Thackeray at his residence here and ex pressed the Left party’s support for his faction’s candidate in the Maha

rashtra Assembly by poll in Andheri (East), a Mumbai suburb.

CPI’s Mumbai secre tary Milind Ranade said his party has pledged support to Thackeray for the bypoll necessi tated by the death of sit ting Shiv Sena MLA Ramesh Latke. “The CPI will stand with the MVA (Maha Vikas Aghadi) in its fight against the BJP,” he said.

date is being backed by the Congress, the Na tionalist Congress Party (NCP)—constituents of the MVA—and some fac tions of the Republican Party of India (RPI).

FRENEMIES

Taking a dig at the Thackeray-led faction, Deepak Kesarkar, a state minister and spokesper son for the Balasahe banchi Shiv Sena, on Thursday said taking support of the CPI was akin to “murder of the party’s ideology”.

Maha

The former CM’s fac tion has been given the name Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) by the Election Commis sion (EC) as an interim arrangement.

rashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who led a revolt against Thack

eray’s leadership, heads the rebel faction of the party and his group is

known as Balasahe banchi Shiv Sena.

Thackeray’s candi

The CPI and Shiv Sena had been arch political foes and their fierce ri valry often lead to vio lent clashes in the past.

The CPI and the Shiv Sena, which still swears by Hindutva, had been arch political foes and their fierce rivalry often spilled on to the streets of Mum bai, leading to violent clashes in the past. In the 1970 Parel Assem bly bypoll in Mumbai, necessitated after the death of Communist leader Krishna Desai, the Shiv Sena defeated the CPI in what was a crucial victory for the then-fledgling party founded by Bal Thack eray in 1966.

Murji Patel, the joint candidate for the BJP and Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena, arrives to file his nomination papers in Mumbai on Friday. —PHOTO BY ANI

First India Bureau

Special public prose cutor Rekha Hiwrale told the court that the

Uddhav Thackeray with members of his party

CPI

‘Anger among people the way Rutuja Latke was troubled’

Senior leaders of the Maha Vikas Aghadi took out a march before Latke filed her papers.

—PHOTO BY BHUSHAN KOYANDE

Monsoon withdraws from 3 north-central dists, 9 days late

First India Bureau

Mumbai: The southwest monsoon has withdrawn from Nan durbar, Dhule and Jalgaon districts in north-central Maha rashtra, much later than the usual pull out date of October 05, the India Meteoro logical Department (IMD) said in its 4 pm update on Friday.

Thunderstorms ac companied with light ning and light to moder ate spells of rain with gusty winds reaching 30-40kmph hour were likely to occur at isolated places in Mumbai, Pal ghar, Thane, Satara, San gli, Solapur, Beed, Parb hani, Hingoli, Nanded, Latur, Nashik and Au rangabad over the next three to four hours, it added.

The IMD’s “district forecast and warning for next five days” update is sued in the afternoon said the yellow alert was for districts in Konkan,

The MeT department issues four colour-coded predictions based on the prevailing weather sys tems. Green indicates no warning, yellow is to keep a watch, orange is to stay alert, while red means a warning and that action

western Maharashtra, Vidarbha and Marath wada regions.

A yellow alert means heavy rainfall of 6-11cm.

needs to be taken. As per the weather bureau’s pa rameters, heavy rainfall is precipitation of 64.5mm to 115.5mm in a 24-hour period, while the term “very heavy” is for rainfall between 115.6mm and 204.4mm in 24 hours.

These areas are likely to get “thunderstorms accompanied with light ning, light to moderate rain” with “gusty winds”

with speeds reaching 3040kmph.

The IMD also issued a “green alert” for north ern Maharashtra dis tricts like Nashik, Dhule, Jalgaon and Nandurbar, indicating either dry weather or light to mod erate thundershowers.

Heavy rains pounded Pune city on Friday evening, with Shivajina gar area receiving 74mm of rainfall between 4 pm and 6 pm, the Met depart

More than 1,800 farmer suicides seen in Maharashtra in 8 months

First India Bureau

Mumbai: The Relief and Rehabilitation De partment in Maha rashtra revealed that 1,875 farmers in the state committed sui cide between January and August of this year due to distress.

During the same peri od in 2021, 1,605 debtridden farmers had ended their lives.

The number of sui cide cases continue to rise despite several loan waivers and welfare schemes for farmers were announced by the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) govern ment, and the recent as surance made by Chief Minister Eknath Shin de to make Maharash tra free of farmer sui cides by extending fi nancial support to the debt-ridden.

According to the re search conducted by

leading social organiza tions and government agencies, poor price for produce, stress and fam ily responsibilities, gov ernment apathy, poor ir

Of the 1,875 suicides in 2022, 981 farmers were eligible for finan cial assistance from the government, 439 were not eligible and 455 were under scrutiny. At pre sent, the department is paying Rs1 lakh to the next of the kin of the deceased family.

Official records showed that 188 farmers ended their lives in Ya vatmal district this year.

However, if farmers’ leader Kishore Tiwari is to be believed the num ber is 226. In 2021, 2,743 farmers committed sui cide, he added.

According to Tiwari, while Shinde had as sured assistance, at the grassroots level the gov ernment machinery was yet to reach farmers.

ment said. Several areas witnessed waterlogging.

Several parts of Mum bai, especially the east ern suburbs, also re ceived heavy rains on Friday evening, the Bri hanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said.

The island city received 8.23mm, western sub urbs 19.72mm and east ern suburbs 27.66mm of rainfall since 8 am. Parts of the eastern suburbs saw 62mm of rainfall.

Seat belts must for drivers, passengers

First India Bureau

Mumbai: The Mum bai police on Friday said wearing seat belts will be com pulsory for fourwheeler drivers and co-passengers in the metropolis from November 01.

The traffic wing of the city police, in a statement, has in structed all motor ists and vehicle own ers to install seat belt facility in fourwheelers before No vember 01 and warned of action against violators.

After November 01, all motor vehicle drivers and passen gers travelling in four-wheelers on Mumbai roads will have to compulsorily wear seat belts, an of ficial said.

Strict action will be taken against vio lators under section 194 (B) (1) of the Mo tor Vehicles (Amend ment) Act, he said.

As per the provi

Strict action will be taken against violators under section 194 (B) (1) of the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act

sion of the Act, who ever drives a motor vehicle without wearing a safety belt or carries passengers not wearing seat belts shall be pun ished.

Former chairman of Tata Sons Cyrus Mistry was killed in a road accident in ad joining Palghar dis trict last month and a

probe into the crash revealed the busi nessman, who was occupying the rear seat of the Mercedes car, was not wearing a safety belt.

The car was speed ing and Mistry died due to the impact of the crash after his ve hicle hit the divider of a bridge on the Surya river.

Warehouse owner booked for illegally storing urea

First India Bureau

Thane (PTI): An of fence has been regis tered against the owner of a warehouse in Thane district for allegedly illegally storing neem-coated urea worth Rs16.96 lakh, the police said on Friday.

rigation, a high debt burden, corruption in subsidies and crop fail ure owing to heavy rain are the primary reasons for farmer suicides.

“We need a targeted ap proach in these dis tricts,” he said, adding that no critical measures were taken in suicideprone districts.

RETURN TO GLORY

Gateway of India to regain its lost sheen and grandeur

Civic officials say it will be illuminated as part of a ` 16 crore beautification drive around the iconic monument

Mumbai: The Brihan mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to beau tify Gateway of India and its adjoining are as under the Mumbai beautification pro gramme.

The tourist attraction will soon be illuminated along with the beautifi cation of the area.

According to a BMC official, the civic body is going to spend Rs16 crore on the project.

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had re cently taken a review of development works in Mumbai. Thereafter, BMC Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal an nounced a 16-point agen da for Mumbai beautifi cation. He also allotted Rs1,705 crore for the pro ject, under which roads, bridges, footpaths, traf fic islands, coasts and gardens will be repaired and beautified.

The BMC will also il luminate chowks and will maintain greenery

be lit up include the Bandra and Mahim forts, Sewri andthe iconic Gateway

of India. The project will be carried out in phases and the BMC has already disbursed Rs 800 crore for the program’s first leg. During the first

ENCROACHMENTS RAZED AS PART OF MAHIM FORT RESTORATION PLAN

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Thursday began razing encroach ments around the precinct of Mahim Fort, a Grade-I heritage structure. The city civic body has undertaken a project of restoring the Ma him fort which will reportedly be the first such exercise since Independence. The restoration is an extension of the BMC’s Mahim beach beautification project. The BMC on Thursday demolished 21 of the 267 residential structures that had cropped up around the fort. The rest will be demolished over the next month, of ficials stated on Friday.

Neem-coated urea is supplied to farmers at subsidised prices and one needs a permit from the authorities to store, distribute and sell it. The police had raided the Bhiwandi ware house last month and seized 1,786 bags of the fertilizer stored there il legally, senior inspector Madan Ballal of the Nar poli police station said. By storing urea without a due permit, the owner of the warehouse had cheated the government and farmers, he said, adding that the case was registered on Thursday, after a laboratory con firmed the composition of the seized stock.

An offence under sec tion 420 (cheating) of the IPC and relevant provisions of the Ferti liser Control Act and Essential Commodities Act has been registered, the official said, adding that no arrest has been made in this regard yet.

phase, illumination worth Rs25 crore and Rs15 crore will be done at beaches and gardens, respectively. Chahal also emphasized that all the

work should be complet ed by the end of March 2023 and 50% work should be completed by the end of this year. He also made it clear that

the work should be du rable, artistic and of good quality. In the first phase of this project, the Gateway of India will be decorated.

With less than 10 days to go for Diwali, Nagpur’s potters are busy making their last batches of earthen lamps, which will likely go out to last-minute shoppers in the run-up to the festival of lights.

—PHOTO BY ANI

Rains, thunder likely in Konkan, western Maha, Vidarbha & Marathwada over next 5 days

Mumbai and Thane received heavy rainfall with thunder since late Friday afternoon.

—FILE PHOTOS

—FILE PHOTO

The Gateway of

is lit up in the colours of the national flag

Indepndence

NETAJI’S JOURNEY OF SAMAJWAD & POWER

fence Minister in the United Front government headed by HD Deve Gowda. Sukhoi fight er aircraft deal with Russia was also done during his ten ure. Later, Mulayam Singh Ya dav once again turned to poli tics of UP & became CM for the third time in the year 2003.

Mulayam was engaged in uniting the family till the last moment

A SHORT RESPITE FROM SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION IN GYANVAPI CASE

He started his political journey in Uttar Pradesh and became the Chief Minister of the state thrice. Even after the Samajwadi Party’s reins came into the hands of Akhilesh Yadav in 2017, Mulayam Singh Yadav remained Netaji for the party supporters and his presence on the stage gave hope to keep the Samajwadi clan connected

MOHD FAHAD

writer is National Editor at NewsBytes, and alumnus of AJKMCRC, Jamia Millia Islamia

Samajwadi Party (SP) founder Mulayam Singh Yadav, who was the leader of political ma neuvers and the axis of the politics of the opposition for decades, never got away from the political spectrum. Mu layam Singh Yadav, who was once a master of the wrestling arena, later proved to be a master wrestler of the politi cal arena as well. He breathed his last on Monday (October 10) at Medanta Hospital in Gu rugram. Mulayam Singh, popularly known as Netaji among supporters, remained active in politics for nearly six decades, and if he got famous during this journey, he also faced failure. But nothing could affect his popularity.

Early days and struggle Born on November 22, 1939, in a family of farmers in Saifai village of Etawah district of Uttar Pradesh, Mulayam was active in student politics dur ing his early days. He taught for some time in an inter-col lege after earning a degree in Political Science. He was elect ed MLA from Jaswant Nagar seat for the first time in the year 1967. He strongly opposed the declaration of emergency in the country by the then In dira Gandhi government in the year 1975. After the Emer gency ended in 1977, he be came the president of the Ut tar Pradesh unit of the Lok

NO POLL DATES YET FOR GUJARAT

Dal. Mulayam, who had an unmatched ability to know the pulse of politics, was elected to the UP Legislative Council in the year 1982 and during this time, he was also the LoP in the Upper House till 1985.

Was Defense Minister, but UP remained his political arena He also created the most prominent political clan of the state. He was a 10-time MLA and was also elected MP for seven terms. At one time he was also seen as a contend er for the post of PM. He was a national leader for decades but UP was mostly his politi cal arena. Influenced by so cialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia, he started his political journey in Uttar Pradesh and became the CM of the state thrice. Even after the Sama jwadi Party’s reins came into the hands of Akhilesh Yadav in the year 2017, Mulayam Singh Yadav remained Netaji for the party supporters and his presence on the stage gave hope to keep the Samajwadi clan connected.

Mulayam specialized in ‘manipulative’ politics Socialist Mulayam Singh Ya dav always kept the political possibilities open and he was a politician who used every op portunity. Yadav, who was also considered an expert in the politics of manipulation, was associated with many parties from time to time.

When SP leader was called ‘Mullah Mulayam’ He became the Chief Minis ter of UP for the first time in the year 1989. During this,

After entering politics, Mulayam Singh Yadav focused on removing social evils. Under this effort, he had given a feast at home to Valmiki &Dalits at his younger brother’s wedding in Saifai. He also worked for the backward & SCs. Due to becoming the voice of the weaker sections of the society, he came to be known as ‘Dhartiputra’

the Ram Janmabhoomi movement gained momen tum while bringing the poli tics of the country and the state under its influence. A gathering of kar sevaks took place in Ayodhya and on Oc tober 30, 1990, the police opened fire, in which five kar sevaks were killed. After this incident, the then CM Mu layam Singh Yadav came un der the target of BJP and other Hindutva organiza tions, and he was even called ‘Mullah Mulayam’.

Joining hands with arch-rival BSP

In November 1993, Mulayam Singh Yadav once again be came the CM of the state with BSP’s support, but later his government fell due to with drawal of support. After that Yadav turned to national poli tics and won the LS polls from Mainpuri in 1996. Mulayam also briefly appeared as a prime ministerial candidate during the opposition parties’ attempts to create a non-BJP alternative to the Congress. However, he was made the De

In the year 2016, the split start ed in the Yadav family. The war of supremacy started be tween the then Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and his uncle Shivpal Singh Yadav and on January 1, 2017, in the party’s emergency national conven tion, Mulayam Singh was re placed by his son Akhilesh Yadav as the party president. However, Mulayam Singh was made the patron of the party. Shivpal formed his own party in the year 2018 in the name of ‘Pragatisheel Samajwadi Par ty’ after not getting proper ‘respect’ in the party. During this, Mulayam kept trying his best to unite his clan.

Mulayam had revolutionary qualities since childhood To know about the title ‘Dhartiputra’ (son of the soil) given to Mulayam Singh, it is necessary to throw light on his political life. Mulayam Singh Yadav, who was born before independence, had the quality of revolutionary since childhood and this is confirmed by the fact that he had joined the rally against the then Congress govern ment at the age of just 14.

7 times MLA from the seat gifted by Guru Mulayam Singh’s father want ed his son to become a wres tler but his luck didn’t want to limit him to wrestling. In 1962, when Mulayam Singh had ar rived to participate in a wres tling competition. Mulayam’s wrestling skills impressed Chaudhary Nathu Singh Ya dav, who was present there, and after which Nathu Singh took Mulayam with him. Nathu Singh had not only made him meet Ram Mano har Lohia but also gave the Jaswantnagar seat of UP to his disciple as a gift and he was asked to contest from there in 1967. Nathu Singh was a member of Praja Social ist Party. Mulayam lived up to his guru’s expectations and won the election. Later, he clinched the assembly polls from this seat seven times.

The district court in Varanasi has rejected a plea by four Hindu parties for carbon dating of the pur ported Shivling in the Gyanvapi mosque premises. The demand for a scientific test by the Archae ological Survey of India, as was done in the case of Ayodhya, was to confirm whether it was a Shiv ling or a fountain as was claimed by the Muslim side. The order has given the contentious issue a rest, at least for the time being. The district judge dismissed the plea on the ground that the place was sealed on the orders of the Supreme Court and any scien tific investigation would inter fere with the SC order.

The district judge’s order does not mean that the issue has been resolved. All eyes will be on the apex court whenever it decides to take up the case. Also pending be fore SC is the Places of Worship (Special Provision) Act of 1991 which, the Hindus claim violates the principles of natural justice.

SPIRITUAL

As a man casts off worn-out garments and puts on others that are new, so does the soul cast off its worn-out bodies and enter into others that are new.

Gita

TOP TWEETS

The Election Com mission of India has once again held back the an nouncement of poll dates for Gujarat Assem bly. While the EC gave details of the poll schedule for Himachal Pradesh, it said that the dates for Gujarat after 40 days. In 2017 also the Election Commission was scheduled to announce poll dates for Guja rat and Himachal Pradesh on October 12 but only an nounced the schedule for Himachal Pradesh. Election Commissioner OP Rawat then defended the decision in a me dia interview saying that “the model code of conduct would disrupt flood relief opera tions”.

Commenting on the poll panel’s decision, senior Congress leader P. Chidam

The de- linking of elections in Himachal and Gujarat is surprising as there is little doubt about the BJP’s victory in Gujarat. The ruling party probably needed more time for campaigning to ensure that it won a three-fourths majority

baram had tweeted, “EC will be recalled from its extended holiday after Gujarat Govt. has announced all conces sions and freebies.”

The de- linking of elections in Himachal and Gujarat is surprising as there is little doubt about the BJP’s victory

in Gujarat. The ruling party probably needed more time for campaigning to ensure that it won a three-fourths majority. In 2017 the party formed the government in Gujarat for the sixth consecutive time with 99 seats and 49.1 percent votes. BJP’s main rival won 77 seats with 41.4 percent votes, an in crease of 2.5 percent. Poll sce nario in Gujarat has changed drastically with the Congress staying away from campaign ing in the state. Having virtu ally conceded the match Its focus is more on Rahul Gan dhi’s Bharat Jodo march.

The Aam Aadmi Party is eyeing the space being creat ed by the Congress. Arvind Kejriwal and his team are go ing full throttle to take on the ruling party they are banking mainly on its Delhi model.

‘Make In India’ record-breaker. $1 billion mobile phone exports in September. Big success for Govt’s Production Linked Incentive Scheme that is scaling production & jobs and transforming India into a global manufacturing hub.

Visited the Bharati School of Telecommunication Technology & Management at @iitdelhi. The institute is a part of the multi-institute collaborative #5G testbed project led by @iitmadras. #5G with plethora of use cases across sectors will be a force-multiplier for our economy.

Goyal @PiyushGoyal

Dharmendra Pradhan @dpradhanbjp

To

Priyanka vows to restore old pension scheme if voted to power

New Delhi (PTI): Con gress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Fri day promised to re store the old pension scheme for govern ment employees in Himachal Pradesh if her party was voted to power in the Assembly elections.

AICC general secre tary Vadra said this at the ‘Parivartan Prati gya Rally’ held at Tho do Maidan in Himachal Pradesh’s Solan.

She said the decision to restore the old pen sion scheme and pro vide one lakh jobs to unemployed youth would be taken in the first cabinet meeting if the Congress was voted to power in the state.

Earlier, Gandhi paid obeisance at the Maa Shoolini Temple in Solan before formally launching the Con gress’ election cam paign in the hill state.

She also released the party’s election theme song on the occasion.

PM MODI WILL HAVE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS ON INFLATION, UNEMPLOYMENT: RAHUL GANDHI

New Delhi (PTI): Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday sought to know from Prime Minister Narendra Modi why inflation and unemployment were at a high and said the government will have to answer these questions.

“Why is inflation at a 35-year HIGH? Why is unemployment at a 45-year HIGH? Why are ‘Parathas’ being taxed at 18% GST? Why are farm tractors being taxed at 12% GST? “Bharat Jodo Yatra will keep asking you these questions and more, Prime Minister. You will have to answer,” Gandhi said on Twitter.

‘NO CONGRES CHIEF CAN KEEP GANDHI FAMILY ALOOF’

‘Are we forcing our daughters?’, says Owaisi

Centre upgrades Assam CMs security to Z+

Assam (ANI): The Cen tral Reserve Police Force (CRPF), which is currently providing Sarma ‘Z’ category se curity, will now facili tate him with ‘Z+’ cate gory security.

Sources said that the move comes after the security arrangement for Sarma was reviewed in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in con sultation with the Cen tral Security Agency and it has been decided to upgrade his present ‘Z’ category CRPF secu rity cover in NorthEastern region to ‘Z+’ category CRPF security cover on all India basis.

The MHA has re quested the CRPF to provide ‘Z+’ category security cover to Sarma on all India basis, said the sources.

Bhopal: Lok Sabha MP and Congress presidential poll candidate Shashi Tharoor on Friday said he was gladdened by the reception he has got from party workers in MP and admitted he did not get this kind of welcome in some states. Tharoor is contesting against veteran colleague Mallikarjun Kharge for the polls to the party’s highest post.

TEWARI ON KHARGE: CONG NEEDS A ‘SAFE PAIR OF HANDS’

New Delhi: Congress leader Manish Tewari on Thursday said that the party needs a “safe pair of hands” and a “composed personality” in the form of Mallikarjun Kharge who can provide “stability” to the party as the president. He extended support to Kharge’s candidature for the top post in the party.

New Delhi: Reacting to the split verdict given by the SC on petitions chal lenging the Karnataka hijab ban, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has slammed the Centre for ‘’forcing the Muslim girls to remove their hi jab.’’ Reacting to the split verdict given by the top court on the hijab ban, Owaisi said, “if Muslim women want to cover their heads, it does not mean, they are covering their intellect.”

He further alleged, “They say that Muslims are forcing little chil dren to wear hijab. Are we really forcing our girls?” The AIMIM lead er went on to say, “Let our daughters wear hi jab, you wear your bi kini if you like…”

During his interac tion with a gathering at the Golconda Fort, he also sought to question whether hijab shows the ‘backwardness’ of Mus lims and whether Mus lim women are not con tributing to the develop ment of the country.

“If you come to Hy

Prez visits shaktipeeth Kamakhya Temple

Assam CM & Guv accompanied President Murmu to the temple

Guwahati (ANI): Droupadi Murmu, the President of India, who is on a two-day tour to Assam visited the shak tipeeth Kamakhya Tem ple in Guwahati this morning. This is her maiden visit to the state since assuming office.

She prayed at the tem

ple and sought blessings for the well-being and welfare of everyone. As sam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Governor Jagdish Mukhi accompanied President Murmu to the temple situated atop Nilachal Hills.

“Honoured to accom

BY ANI

pany Hon’ble President Smt Droupadi Murmj ji, who is on a 2-day vis it to Assam, to the Kam akhya Temple along with Hon’ble Governor Prof Jagdish Mukhi.

We sought blessings from Maa Kamakhya and prayed for the wellbeing and welfare of everyone,” Assam Chief Minister Himan ta Biswa Sarma tweeted after the temple visit.

Nuclear sub INS Arihant test fires ballistic missile

New Delhi: India’s strategic strike subma rine INS Arihant car ried out successful launch of a ballistic missile on Friday, the defence ministry said.

The missile was test ed to a predetermined range and it impacted the target area in the Bay of Bengal. “The successful user train ing launch of the SLBM (submarine launched ballistic missile) by INS Arihant is significant to prove crew competency and validate the SSBN programme, a key ele ment of India’s nuclear

deterrence capability,” the ministry said. “A robust, survivable and assured retaliatory capability is in keeping with India’s policy to have ‘credible mini mum deterrence’ that underpins its ‘No First Use’ commitment,” it said in a statement.

When a Hindu, a Sikh and a Christian student is allowed to enter the classroom with their religious clothing and a Muslim is stopped, what do they think of the Muslim student? Obviously, they will think Muslims are below us.

—Asaduddin Owaisi, AIMIM chief

derabad, you will see the most notorious drivers are our sisters. Don’t even put your vehicle behind them. No, this is from my personal expe rience. I tell my driver to be careful. Sit behind them on the motorcycle wearing a helmet and then you will under stand whether they are being forced,” Owaisi said in his speech.

Referring to the Kar nataka hijab ban row,

IN

Owaisi said, “When a Hindu, a Sikh and a Christian student is al lowed to enter the class room with their reli gious clothing and a Muslim is stopped, what do they think of the Muslim student? Obvi ously, they will think Muslims are below us.” Amid the raging hi jab row, Owaisi said that “One day, a girl wearing a hijab will be the PM of India. It is my dream”.

CJI UU LALIT RECUSES TO HEAR BS YEDIYURAPPA’S PLEA IN LAND CASE

New Delhi: CJI UU Lalit on Friday recused from hearing former Karnataka CM B S Yediyurappa’s plea challenging Karnataka HC order restoring the criminal complaint against him in alleged forgery of documents over the withdrawal of approval for a parcel of land in the state. CJI Lalit directed to list the matter after Diwali before an appropriate bench of the SCin which he is not a member. The SC was hearing Yediyurappa’s plea challenging the Karnataka HC order dated January 5, 2021 whereby the HC has restored a criminal complaint against B S Yediyurappa, former minister for industries Murugesh R Nirani and one more accused.

SC DISMISSES

PLEAS OF WHATSAPP-META

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday upheld the Delhi High Court order, which dismissed the appeals filed by WhatsApp and Facebook (now Meta) challenging a single judge bench order refusing to stay the Competition Commission of India’s (CCI) probe into alleged abuse of dominant position practices by WhatsApp in connection with its 2021 privacy policy.

NO DIVORCE UNDER ARTICLE 1 42 IF ONE SIDE UNWILLING: SC

New Delhi: The SC has said that it would not use its power under Article 142 to annul a marriage, when the wife is willing to give the marriage one more “try”, however the husband claimed an irretrievable breakdown of marriage. A bench was informed that the couple stayed together only for 40 days and they have been living separately for almost two years now.

SUPREME COURT REJECTS URGENT HEARING OF PLEAS OVER POLITICAL FREEBIES

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday said that there was no urgency to hear the matter against freebies promised by the political parties during election campaigns. The petition seeking an urgent hearing of the plea was mentioned for urgent hearing before the Supreme Court today. Advocate Ashwini Upadhyay mentioned the matter before a bench of Chief Justice UU Lalit and Justices Hemant Gupta saying elections are to be announced in Gujarat and parties are making irresponsible promises. CJI Lalit then said there is no urgent hearing and asked to send the files of the case to his chamber.

EXPANDING BASE

Will Arvind Kejriwal expand his cabinet?

Sharat K Verma

New Delhi: There are a total of seven ministers including Chief Minis ter Arvind Kejriwal in the government of the national capital Delhi. One of these ministers, Satyendra Jain, is lodged in jail and the other minister, Rajen dra Pal Gautam, has re signed. CM Arvind Ke jriwal himself has not kept any ministry with him. So, effectively, there are only four min isters in the Delhi govt right now. These four

ministers have all the portfolios. Delhi’s Depu ty Chief Minister Man ish Sisodia officially has 18 ministries, which include all the big min istries like Home, Fi

nance, Education, Pow er, Water, Urban Devel opment. Apart from this, it has also been written on the website of Delhi Government that all the depts which

have not been given to any other minister are also with Sisodia.

Recently, when Saty endra Jain was arrested and was lodged in jail, almost all his ministries were given to Sisodia.

Now that Rajendra Pal Gautam has resigned, his ministries have also been divided among the remaining four minis ters. Then the question is, will Arvind Kejriwal expand his govt now? Or will wait for Sisodia to go to jail too? He him self has said many times that Sisodia can

be arrested in the case of liquor policy. How ever, informed sources say that he will keep Satyendra Jain as the minister. A Dalit leader can be made a minister in place of Rajendra Pal Gautam. In this con text, the name of Man golpuri MLA Rakhi Birla, who is currently the deputy Speaker, is in the running. Apart from this, names of Karol Bagh MLA Vishesh Ravi and Kon dli MLA Kuldeep Ku mar are also doing the rounds.

IT conducts raid at premises of JD(U) chief’s close aide in Patna

Patna (ANI): The In come Tax (IT) depart ment on Friday con ducted raids at multiple locations in Bihar’s Patna, including the Shivpuri, Patel Nagar, and Boring Road prem ises of builder Gabbu Singh.

Builder Gabbu Singh is a close aide of the na tional president of Ja nata Dal (United) Rajiv Ranjan alias Lalan Sin gh. Details in this mat ter are awaited as the IT raids are currently un derway.

The development has come months after JDU

chief Nitish Kumar broke the party’s alli ance with Bharatiya Ja nata Party and joined hands with the opposi tion to form a “Maha gathbandhan” alliance in the state and took oath as Bihar CM for the

eighth time. It was in 2020 when the BJP-JDU won the election in alliance with each other in Bihar and Nitish Kumar was made the chief minister de spite BJP being the sin gle largest party.

Priyanka Gandhi addresses ‘Parivartan Pratigya Rally’, in Solan on Friday.

Representatives of India during the 38th meeting of Council of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS), in New Delhi on Friday. Other member countries of SCO RATS; Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, also attended the meeting. —PHOTO BY PTI

President Droupadi Murmu with her daughter Itishri Murmu offering prayers at Kamakhya Temple, in Guwahati on Friday.

Lalan Singh

Yogi visits flood-hit villages, says ready to serve public

Maharajganj (ANI):

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adity anath on Friday visited the flood-affected villag es of Maharajganj and Gorakhpur districts and distributed relief mate rials to the floods vic tims.

He also conducted an aerial survey of floodaffected areas. CM Yogi said that the administra tion has been instructed to distribute relief mate rials to the flood-affected families on a war footing so that no one has to suf fer. The officials have been directed to immedi ately provide compensa tion of Rs 4 lakh to the families of the flood vic tims.

“For the first time in October, we all have to face the tragedy of un timely floods. Facing the challenge of disaster firmly, the double engine government of the Cen tre and the state is en gaged in the service of the people,” he said. Yogi further said that all the possible help is being provided to every floodaffected person and en

“GOVT NOT RUNNING ZOMATO, COLLECT YOUR RELIEF MATERIALS”: UTTAR PRADESH DM TO FLOOD-HIT PEOPLE

Ambedkar Nagar (ANI):

At a time when Uttar Pradesh is reeling under a flood situation, its Ambedkar Nagar District Magistrate’s (DM) video with local people went viral where the official is heard saying that

sured no shortages of any kind.

He also met flood-af fected victims in Maha rajganj and Sahjanwa

No consensus between Punjab and Haryana over SYL

the government is not running “Zomato” to provide door-to-door service or relief materials

and distributed floodrelief material among them.

CM reviewed the situation arising out of incessant rainfall in the

to people in the flood-hit areas. “...If you need, you will be provided with chlorine tablets, and a doctor will come to see when one falls sick, this is the reason why flood posts are established,” the DM said.

state in the last few days. The Chief Minis ter has directed the Group of Ministers to immediately visit the

For the first time in October, we all have to face the tragedy of un timely floods. Facing the challenge of disas ter firmly, the double engine government of the Centre and the state is engaged in the service of the people

—Yogi Adityanath, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister

districts under their charge and extend their cooperation in relief and rescue works to the flood-affected parts of the state.

In a high-level meet ing chaired by CM Yogi, instructions were is sued to expedite the re lief and rehabilitation work in all the districts affected by heavy rains.

CM Yogi also ordered to keep the District Con trol Room functional 24x7 under the leader ship of Joint Magistrate level officers.

Expert committee holds first meeting

New Delhi (ANI): The first meeting of the four-membered com mittee to examine the World Health Organisa tion’s report regarding Maiden Pharmaceuti cals Ltd was held on Thursday.

The committee com prises of technical ex perts Dr YK Gupta, Vice Chairperson of the Standing National Com mittee on Medicines (chair), Dr Pragya Ya dav, Indian Council of Medical Research- Na tional Institute of Virol ogy (ICMR -NIV) in Pune, Dr Arti Bahl, Di vision of Epidemiology, National Centre for Dis ease Control (NCDC) in New Delhi, and AK Pradhan, JDC(I) in Cen tral Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO). According to the sources from Union Health Ministry, the ex perts here discussed and intensified the in vestigation into the matter. Notably, the pro duction of cough syr ups by Maiden Pharma ceuticals was suspend ed on Wednesday, how ever, its lab report is awaited.

5th Vande Bharat train by Nov 2022

New India (ANI): The 5th Vande Bharat Train will begin operations from November 10 on the Chennai-BengaluruMysuru route.

The first Vande Bharat Express train was flagged off on Feb ruary 15, 2019, on the New Delhi-Kanpur-Alla habad-Varanasi route.

The government has dedicated significant ef forts towards strength ening the ‘Make in In dia’ campaign, and Vande Bharat Express

Chandigarh (Agencies):

A meeting to discuss the contentious Sut lej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal issue was held here today between Punjab Chief Minister Bhag want Mann and his Haryana counter part Manohar Lal Khattar.

Reportedly, the two failed to arrive at a consensus on the construction of SYL canal. They will now meet Union Water

Resources Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and brief him about the meet ing. The meeting was held after the SC re cently nudged them to meet and find an amicable solution. Addressing media af ter the meeting, Pun jab CM Bhagwant Mann said he had a long discussion with Haryana CM and his team. “I put across Punjab’s side very strongly,” he claimed.

is one of the success sto ries.

In his address to the nation on August 15,

75 weeks of the Amrit Mahotsav of Independ ence, 75 Vande Bharat trains will connect eve ry corner of the country.

Govt is alerted and has formed a com mittee. Production of cough syrups by Maiden Pharmaceuticals Ltd has been suspended, and its lab report is awaited.

“The government is alerted and has formed a committee. Produc tion of cough syrups by Maiden Pharmaceuti cals Ltd has been sus pended, and its lab re port is awaited. A fourmember expert commit tee has been formed to investigate the report sent by WHO,” official sources said.

According to reports, Atlanta-based Atlantic Pharmaceuticals Com pany Ltd which has per mission to export medi cines to West Africa’s Gambia had ordered combined cough syrup

‘DRUGS WORTH `900 cr SEIZED

SINCE MAY 2021’

Official sources said

bottles that were pur chased from Maiden Pharmaceuticals limit ed. “From the prelimi nary inquiry of CDSCO, it has been revealed that Maiden Pharmaceuti cals Ltd is a manufac turer licensed by the State Drug Controller for the product’s Pro methazine Oral Solu tion BP, Kofexnalin Baby cough syrup, Ma Koff Baby Cough Syrup and MaGrip n Cold Syr up under reference, and holds manufacturing permission for these products for export only,” the sources said.

GYANVAPI CASE: COURT HINDU SIDE’S PLEA

2021, from the ramparts of the Red Fort, Prime Minister Modi an nounced that during the

IITs are repositories bridge to the future: Dharmendra Pradhan

New Delhi (Agencies):

Union Minister for Edu cation and Skill Devel opment and Patron-inChief of IInvenTiv Dharmendra Pradhan, on Friday, inaugurated IInvenTiv - the first-ever all-IITs R and D show case at the Indian Insti tute of Technology, Del hi. The two-day event that would conclude on October 15 would bring academia and industry under one roof to show

On Thursday, PM Modi flagged off the in augural run of the fourth Vande Bharat Ex press from Amb Andau ra, Una to New Delhi. Train No. 22447/22448 New Delhi- Amb Andau ra- New Delhi Vande Bharat Express shall commence its regular service from 19th Octo ber 2022.

Guwahati (ANI): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday claimed that drugs worth Rs 900 crore were seized and a total of 6,800 people have been arrested in the state since May 2021. “To make Assam a drug-free state, the Assam government is continuing its war against Drugs. Drugs worth Rs 900 cr seized and 6,800 persons arrested in Assam since May 2021,” said CM.

Varanasi (ANI): Hindu side will approach the SC against the Varanasi court’s verdict refusing to allow a ‘scientific investigation’ of the purported ‘Shivling’, claiming to be found on the Gyanvapi mosque premises. The Hindu side demanded carbon dating of the structure they claimed to be a Shivling found inside the Gyanvapi Mosque’s wazukhana. However, the Muslim side said that the structure found was a ‘fountain’. The Hindu side had then submitted an application on September 22.

Saibaba’s ... and acquitted them. One of the five died pending hearing of the appeal.

The bench directed for the convicts to be re leased forthwith from jail unless they are ac cused in any other case.

ONE HELD IN GOA FOR RECORDING VIDEO OF GIRL IN HOSTEL BATHROOM

India’s global R and D strength.

Is Lalu’s family being surrounded by agencies?

New Delhi: The way the central agencies are laying siege to the Soren family in Jharkhand, similarly, Lalu Prasad’s family is being laid siege upon in Bihar. Lalu Prasad’s troubles in the fodder scam seemed to be end ing, so now the entire family has been entan gled in the alleged scam of job for land. The dis proportionate assets case is also pending

against almost all the members of the family. The latest case is of

land for job, which is from the time when Lalu Prasad was Rail

way Minister i.e. before 2009. Central agencies have started action in this matter after a dec ade and a half.

The CBI had regis tered a case in May this year in the case of giv ing jobs in lieu of land. Since then, the names of about one and a half dozen people have come in it.

Along with many railway officials, the names of Lalu Prasad, Rabri Devi, Misa Bhar ti and Hima Yadav are

also in it. Bhola Yadav, who was a close aide of Lalu Prasad in the same case, has been ar rested and the CBI is interrogating Tejashwi Yadav’s close aide San jay Yadav. The sword is also hanging over Tejashwi Yadav in a case of IRCTC, a rail way related company. If the agency has ar rested one accused in this case, then natural ly the sword of arrest is hanging on the rest of the accused as well.

In March 2017, a ses sions court in Gadchi roli district had con victed Saibaba and oth ers, including a journal ist and a Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student for al leged Maoist links and for indulging in activi ties amounting to wag ing war against the country.

Murji Patel, .... after the HC direction, but she collected the ac ceptance letter this morning,” an official said on Friday.

Latke had submitted her resignation letter to the civic body on Octo ber 03. She moved the high court since it hadn’t been accepted till October 12 despite repeated requests.

The high court had on Thursday directed the Mumbai civic body to accept her resigna tion.

GOA (Agencies): The Goa Police on Friday ar rested one person for allegedly recording video of a girl while she was taking a bath in the Girls Hostel washroom. Panaji Police inspector Nikhil Palekar told IANS that the accused person, identified as Cipson Gomes, 25, has been arrested. Responding to a question, Palekar said that the accused person climbed the building using pipes and then recorded video while the complainant was taking a bath. “The accused person has been arrested,” he said. Police are further investigating the case.

HOPE IT IS SEEN SERIOUSLY: MEA ON AUS STABBING

New Delhi (PTI): The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday the high commission in Can berra is in touch with the local authorities over an incident of stabbing of an Indian student in Australia and expects action to be taken against the perpetrators.MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said a suspect has been taken into custody in connection with the incident.

FISHERMAN WINS `70 L LOTTERY IN KERALA

Kollam (Agencies):

Barely hours after he received an attach ment notice from a bank in respect of his house for default on loan repayment, a fish seller from Kerala was able to heave a sigh of relief as he won the ` 70 lakh Akshaya lot tery of the state gov ernment. Pookunju, on October 12, began his day as usual and while on the way to collect the fish which he sells during the day.

Mahesh Sharma

Administration instructed to distribute relief materials to the flood-affected families

Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath distributes relief material to the flood-affected people, in Gorakhpur.

Lalu Prasad Yadav

Bihar Chief Minister

Punjab and Haryana CM Bhagwant Mann and Manohar Lal Khattar in a meeting to discuss the Sutlej Yamuna Link canal issue, in Chandigarh on Friday. —PHOTO BY ANI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the flagging off ceremony of the Vande Bharat Express. —FILE PHOTO

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan at inauguration ceremony of IInvenTiv in New Delhi on Friday. —PHOTO BY ANI

BRIEFS

GOLD PRICES FALL

SILVER

FM: INDIA WILL COME OUT OF CURRENT GLOBAL TURMOIL

Washington (PTI): Fi nance Minister Nirmala

New Delhi: Gold price fell by `261 to `51,098 per 10 grams in the national capital on Friday amid a decline in the prices of yellow metal in the inter national market, accord ing to HDFC Securities. In the previous trade, the precious metal had closed at `51,359 per 10 grams. Silver also declined by `692 to `57,477 per kilo gram from `58,169 per kg. In the international market, gold was trading lower at $1,665.2 per

silver was down at $18.95

CENTRE’S WHEAT STOCK 11% HIGHER THAN BUFFER NORM

Sitharaman has exuded confidence that India will come out of the current global turmoil and move on the path of sustained re covery on the back of rapid digitisation and steps tak en by the government.

She said India has been able to set up a global benchmark in digitisation in areas of payment, healthcare, education and regulatory compliances, and this is a confidence booster for the economy.

The economy and busi nesses are doing well be cause of steps taken by the government in last two years, Sitharaman said.

“I would think that the economy’s revival is on a sustained path,” she said, adding that the govern ment has taken on board the impact of the global turmoil on demand, ex ports, and the rupee vis-avis the US dollar.

INDIA’S 5G IS INDIGENOUS, CAN PROVIDE TO OTHER COUNTRIES AS WELL: SITHARAMAN

Washington (PTI): India has launched its indigenously developed 5G infrastructure and is ready to share it with other countries as well, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Thursday (Friday IST). “The story (of India’s 5G) is yet to reach the public,” Sithara man said. “The 5G that we’ve launched in our country is completely standalone,” she said. “There could be some parts coming from, say, countries like (South) Korea, but (not) coming from somebody else.

So complete indigenous technology that we can now provide 5G (to any country) who wants it,” she said. “So, our 5G is not imported from somewhere else. It’s our own product,” Sitharaman said.

WHAT NIRMALA SITHARAMAN SAID

z India has been able to set a global benchmark in digitisation in areas of payment, healthcare, education and regulatory compliances, and this is a confidence booster for eco

z The economy and businesses are doing well because of steps taken by the government in last two years

Sitharaman said the push for digitisation be tween 2014 and 2019 helped fight the economic crisis during COVID-19 and thereafter as well.

CURRENCIES

New Delhi: The govern ment’s wheat stock is 11% higher than the buff er norm at 227.46 lakh tonne at the beginning of this month, according to the Food Ministry data.

However, the wheat stock in state-run FCI is at five year low due to a 57% drop in procurement ow ing to a fall in production and aggressive buying by private traders for export purposes. In the case of rice, the stocks are more than double the buffer norm at 283.9 lakh tonne as of October

SOWING OF RABI CROPS, ESPECIALLY MUSTARD, BEGINS

“There is a sense of con fidence in India that we will go through this and we will be able to still perform. It’s because of the way in which technology has been used for the public good,” she said.

OTHER STORIES

She further said the credit availability is no longer an issue as even small businesses are get ting loans sitting at home.

These are actually great lubricants when the econo my is looking to find ways in which it can come out of the lockdown or the diffi culties of a largely extrane ous problem, she said.

PACKED, FROZEN PARATHA ‘QUITE DIFFERENT’ FROM ROTI; ATTRACTS 18% TAX: GST APPELLATE AAR

New Delhi: Packed frozen ‘Paratha’ is not ‘roti or chapatti’ as it requires further cooking before consumption and despite wheat flour being the ‘common thread’ there are other ingredients used in making parathas, said an order by the Gujarat Appellate Authority for Advance Ruling. Such parathas, whether named Malabar, Mixed vegetable, Onion, Methi, Alu, Laccha, Mooli or Plain, have ingredients like margarine, salt, emulsifying agent, oil, potato, peas, cauliflower, coriander powder, bread improver and water, apart from wheat flour, which make ‘quite different’ from plain roti or chapatti and hence are not eligible for 5 per cent Goods and Services Tax (GST) rate, the ruling said. —PTI

Sitharaman said India’s public goods are available for countries which need them. “For example, be cause of CoWIN, Indians travelling abroad don’t need any paper to show they’re vaccinated. They can show it on phone. Now, CoWIN app is available for any country which wants to use it.”

“The push that was given between 2014 and 2019 actu ally has helped us. And helped us in many unbe lievable ways. We were able to provide relief immedi ately during the long lock down,” she said.

Similarly, the public dis tribution system was digit ised and during this period, India also brought in One Nation One Ration Card scheme.

“We believe that the tar get approach was possible because we were techno logically well-networked.

MARKETS REBOUND SHARPLY AMID FIRM GLOBAL TRENDS

Mumbai (PTI): Equity benchmarks Sensex and Nifty ended over 1% higher on Friday, helped by heavy buying in Infosys and banking stocks amid a ral ly in global stock markets.

The 30-share BSE Sensex jumped 684.64 points or 1.20% to settle at 57,919.97. During the day, it rallied 1,199.79 points or 2.09% to 58,435.12.

Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty climbed 171.35 points or 1.01% to end at 17,185.70. From the Sensex components, Infosys jumped nearly 4 per cent, followed by HDFC Bank, HDFC, HCL Technologies, Larsen & Toubro, ICICI Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Bajaj Finance and State Bank of India.

`

TOP GAINERS ON FRIDAY

z From the Sensex components, Infosys jumped nearly 4 per cent, followed by HDFC Bank, HDFC, HCL Technologies, Larsen & Toubro, ICICI Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Bajaj Finance and State Bank of India

FALLS 8 PAISE TO CLOSE AT 82.32 AGAINST $

Mumbai (PTI): The rupee depreciated 8 paise to close at 82.32 (pro visional) against the US dollar on Friday, as a firm American currency and risk-averse sentiment among investors weighed on the local unit. At the interbank foreign exchange market, the local currency opened at 82.26 and finally settled at 82.32 against the American currency, registering a decline of 8 paise over its previous close. During the day, the local unit witnessed a high of 82.12 and a low of 82.43 against the greenback. On Thursday, the local currency had settled at 82.24 against the US dollar. Meanwhile, the dollar index advanced 0.56% to 112.99. Global oil benchmark Brent crude futures fell 0.75%.

WPI inflation eases to 18-month low of 10.7 percent in September

New Delhi (PTI): The wholesale price-based in flation declined to a 18-month low of 10.7% in September, as prices of food, fuel and manufac tured items softened.

New Delhi: Sowing of rabi crops, especially oilseeds and pulses, has begun across the country and about 7.34 lakh hectare has been covered so far, according to the agricul ture ministry data re leased on Friday. Wheat is the main rabi (winter) crop but its sowing data has not yet been reported from states, it said. Rabi crops are sown from Oc tober, immediately after the southwest monsoon is over and harvesting is done in April/May. The government has not yet announced MSP of rabi crops for the 2022-23 crop year.

BPCL TO CONVERT RETAIL OUTLETS INTO ENERGY STATIONS

ALIA BHATT TO EXPAND ED-A-MAMMA BIZ TO UAE, EUROPE NEXT YEAR

New Delhi: Bollywood actor Alia Bhatt has said that she plans to expand her fashion directto-consumer (D2C) startup Ed-a-Mamma’s business to UAE and Europe next year. The actor said that Ed-a-Mamma is her first entrepreneurial venture which focuses on sustainable cloth ing for kids at affordable price points. “I would like to focus on expanding outside India and add more categories to the brand. We started with a kids wear brand and are launching maternity wear this year. —PTI

DISCOMS’ AGGREGATE LOSS RISES 66% TO `50,281 CR IN 2020-21

New Delhi: Aggregate losses of power distribution utilities or discoms increased by 66% to `50,281 crore in 2020-21 as compared to the previous year, a report by state-run Power Finance Corporation said. ‘The Report on Performance of Power Utili ties in 2020-21’ unveiled also stated that overall AT&C losses of discome deteriorated from 20.73% in 2019-20 to 22.32% in 2020-21. Aggregate losses of discoms increased from `30,203 crore in 2019-20 to `50,281 crore in 2020-21. —PTI

Although the wholesale price index (WPI) based in flation declined for the fourth consecutive month, it continued to remain in double digit for the 18th month since April 2021.

“Inflation in September, 2022 is primarily contrib uted by rise in prices of mineral oils, food articles, crude petroleum & natural gas, chemicals & chemical products, basic metals, electricity, textiles etc. As compared to the corre sponding month of the pre vious year,” an official statement said.

The wholesale inflation was 12.41% in August and 11.80% in September last year. This year, WPI touched a record high of

MAJOR TALKING POINTS

z Although the wholesale price index (WPI) based inflation declined for the fourth consecutive month, it continued to remain in double digit for the 18th month since April 2021

15.88% in May.

Economists say the grad ual month-on-month de cline in WPI is mainly due to moderation in commod ity prices and pegged infla

UK ‘no longer working to Diwali deadline’

Bengaluru: Bharat Petro leum Corporation Limited (BPCL) has aimed to con vert its 7,000 conventional retail outlets into energy stations providing multi ple fueling options includ ing electric vehicle (EV) charging facility, in the medium to long term.

BPCL on Friday an nounced the launch of EV fast-charging stations on two corridors in the southern region -- Banga lore-Chennai and Banga lore-Mysore-Coorg

London (PTI): The free trade agreement (FTA) ne gotiations with India are no longer working towards a Diwali deadline, UK Trade Secretary Kemi Bad enoch has confirmed.

During a visit to a Scotch whisky distillery on Thurs day, the Cabinet minister in charge of the FTA negotia tions at the Department for International Trade (DIT) said the deal being lined up with India would bring great wins for the industry as the steep tariffs of up to 150% are set to be slashed.

However, while the nego tiations are progressing

well, signing a draft agree ment by October 24 is no longer the goal.

“We are close. We’re still working on a deal.

One of the things that has changed is that we are no longer working to the Diwali dead line,” Badenoch told BBC.

“We’ve closed a lot of

TIMELINE SET BY EX-PM JOHNSON

z The Diwali timeline had been announced by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson during his India visit in April

chapters (the sections for the negotiating text). The negotiations are progress ing well. But we want to focus on the quality of the deal rather than the speed of the deal. Given the changes that have taken place – not just in govern ment but the mourning pe

riod (for the Queen) and so on, it makes sense for us to focus on the deal rather than the day,” she said.

This marks the first of ficial confirmation that both sides are no longer considering Diwali as the closing date for the major ity of the deal, with the DIT previously only saying that the government “won’t sac rifice quality for speed”.

The Diwali timeline had been announced by for mer PM Boris Johnson during his India visit in April and it was widely ex pected that it would prove a tight deadline.

z The wholesale inflation was 12.41% in August and 11.80% in September last year. This year, WPI touched a record high of 15.88% in May

z Inflation in food articles in Sept eased to 11.03%, against 12.37% in Aug. But inflation in vegetables rose to 39.66%

tion to come down further with overall recovery mo mentum and weaker out look on commodity prices.

Inflation in food articles in Sept eased to 11.03%.

ACT NOW TO BRING DOWN INFLATION: IMF

Washington (PTI): The International Monetary Fund on Friday urged pol icy makers across the world to act now to bring down inflation, put in place responsible fiscal policy, safeguard financial stability and carry reforms to address climate change, make digitalisation work for people and address in equality.

Speaking to reporters IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said, “The IMF is working with our 190 members on these issues. Our economic anal ysis is front and centre to help countries navigate this complex environment and avoid policy mistakes.”

Describing it as a diffi cult global environment, Georgieva said the world economy has been hit by one shock after another. They continue to harm people’s lives and they have caused a cost-of-living cri sis, she noted.

‘India will do everthing to ensure energy security’

Jaipur (PTI): Reacting to the decision of Organisa tion of Petroleum Export ing Countries (OPEC) to cut oil production by 2 mil lion barrels per day, Union

Minister Hardeep Singh

Puri on Friday said India will do all that is required to ensure its energy secu rity and affordability.

He said if required, In dia will go for diversifica tion of energy sources.

“This is their (OPEC’s) sovereign right what they want to do but equally it is my job to point out that all actions

have consequences, in tended or unintended. In dia will be able to navigate through the situation with confidence,” the petroleum and natural gas minister said. “We will not allow any shortages to come in.

The government will do all that is required to en sure energy security and affordability,” he said. Puri said as per the esti mate of the sector, consumption of fuel will increase and 25% of the global demand in next 20 years will be from India.

CBI opposes ex-min Deshmukh’s bail plea

The jailed NCP leader approached the special CBI court for bail in the corruption case after High Court had last week granted him bail in ED’s money laundering case

First India Bureau Mumbai: The Central Bureau of Investiga tion (CBI) on Friday opposed the bail plea of former Maharash tra home minister Anil Deshmukh in a corruption case against him.

The Bombay High Court had last week granted bail to the 71-year-old NCP leader, who was arrested last November in a money laundering case being probed by the Enforce ment Directorate (ED) and is currently lodged in Arthur Road Jail. Thereafter, Deshmukh had approached the spe cial CBI court for bail in the corruption case.

In his plea, Deshmukh

CRUCIAL

We are op posing his bail tooth and nail. We have opposed all the contentions made in the bail plea.

—Ashish Chavan, Addl public prosecutor

claimed that former Mumbai police commis sioner Param Bir Singh and dismissed cop Sachin Waze were “in cahoots” and had passed the buck to him to save their skins.

The plea also ques tioned the credibility of the statements on which the CBI’s case was based.

Appearing for the probe agency, additional public prosecutor Ash

Diwali rush: MSRTC hikes fares by `5 to `100 on bus services Oct 21-31

First India Bureau

Thane: Abhijit Bangar, the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) Commissioner, while chairing a meeting on Friday instructed of ficials to make sure that the beautification works start within the next 15 days so that they can be completed by January 15 next year. Talents of local artists, students of Mumbai’s JJ School of Arts and other local art colleges should be used, he said.

Thane: An office of a ball bearing manufacturing company in Thane city was destroyed in a fire that broke out there in the wee hours of Friday, a civic official said. The incident occurred around 2 am in the company located on Pokhran Road number-2, he said, adding that nobody was injured. It took them 3.30 hours to extinguish the flames, he said, adding that the cooling operation was underway.

Thane: The body of an unidenti fied man was found at 1 pm at Ganpati Visarjan ghat in Kolshet in Thane city on Friday, Thane Municipal Corporation regional disaster management cell Avi nash Sawant told reporters. An accidental death case has been registered, and the issue is being investi gated further by the Kapurbawdi police.

18-YR-OLD BOOKED FOR MANHANDLING TTE, NONE HELD

Mumbai: The Maha rashtra State Road Transport Corpora tion (MSRTC) on Fri day announced a tem porary fare hike for all bus services, ex cept the air-condi tioned ‘Shivneri’ and ‘Ashwamedh’ classes, between October 21 and 31.

The MSRTC in a press release said it has permission to hike fares up to 30% during peak season, which is usually the summer holiday period and fes tivals such as Diwali.

“Therefore, the fares will go up in the range of Rs 5 to Rs 100. The temporary fare hike will be applicable only for ordinary, semi luxu ry, sleeper coach and Shivshahi services, and not for luxury Shivsha hi and Ashwagandha classes. The fare hike will stand withdrawn on November 01,” the

The fare hike will not be applicable on AC ‘Shivneri’ and ‘Ashwamedh’ classes

release said.

“Those who have al ready booked their tick ets for this period will have to pay the differ ence in fare during the journey. The fare hike, however, won’t be appli cable for monthly and trimonthly passes,” it added.

Earlier, the state-run corporation had an nounced it would run almost 1,500 extra buses between October 21 and 31 to tide over the Diwali rush of passengers.

3 of investment booked for cheating senior citizen of `75L

First India Bureau

Thane: The public re lations officer, region al manager and head manager of an invest ment company have been booked for alleg edly cheating a senior citizen of more than Rs75 lakh after prom ising lucrative returns if he invested through demat accounts and in Forex, police said on Friday.

In his complaint, the 69-year-old victim said he had opened a demat account with the com pany and made invest ments worth Rs75.93 lakh between July and August, but did not get any returns. The ac cused also allegedly failed to give him back the invested sum, he told the cops.

A case under section 420 (cheating) and other relevant provisions of the IPC and IT Act was registered on Thursday.

ish Chavan said, “We are opposing his bail tooth and nail. We have op posed all the contentions made in the bail plea.”

Earlier, Param Bir Singh had alleged that Deshmukh, the then state home minister, had directed police person nel to collect Rs100 crore per month from restau rants and bars in the city.

Deshmukh refuted the allegations, but had to step down from his post after the Bombay High Court directed the CBI to register a case against him.

According to the in vestigative body, a pre liminary inquiry had revealed that the ac cused and others had al legedly attempted to take undue advantage of their public duties.

The next hearing on the plea will be held on October 18.

The other accused in the case are Deshmukh’s aides Sanjeev Palande and Kundan Shinde.

Deshmukh in hospital for coronary angiogram

Mumbai (PTI):

Jailed former home minister Anil Desh mukh was on Friday admitted to a pri vate hospital in Mumbai for under going coronary an giography.

Deshmukh was ar rested by Enforce ment Directorate (ED) in November last year in a money launder ing case and was re cently granted bail by the Bombay High court.

However, he is lodged in Arthur Road jail in judicial custody in a corruption case being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation.

The 71-year-old Na tionalist Congress Party leader’s bail plea in the graft case is being heard by a

Deshmukh’s daughter and wife permitted to attend to him at hospital

special court.

The court had, on October 10, allowed his plea seeking per mission to undergo a coronary angiogra phy test at Jaslok Hos pital here. However, as per sources, he could not be admitted to the hospital then as the jail authorities had not received intima tion about the order.

The court has per mitted Deshmukh’s daughter and wife to remain present with him during hospitali zation but warned him to not misuse this liberty.

Maha logs 477 new nCoV cases, 4 deaths in 24 hrs

First India Bureau Mumbai: Maharash tra on Friday reported 477 new COVID-19 cas es and four deaths linked to the infection, taking the tally to 81,26,797 and the toll to 1,48,371, the state health department said.

All the four COVID19-linked fatalities in the last 24 hours were re ported from the Kol hapur circle.

Of the new cases, the highest 336 cases were from the Mumbai ad ministrative circle fol lowed by Pune (65), Nag pur (25), Nashik (20), Akola (17), Latur (6), Au rangabad (4) and Kol hapur (4) circles, said the department in a bulletin.

The state had reported 475 COVID-19 cases and one fatality related to the respiratory illness on Thursday.

The number of recu perated cases rose to 79,75,667 after 319 pa tients recovered from the

QUEST FOR ROOTS

infection during the day. According to the de partment, Maharashtra has 2,759 active COV ID-19 cases and of these, the highest (1,093) were in Mumbai, followed by 554 and 446 in Pune and Thane districts, respec

tively. The state’s nCoV recovery rate was 98.14%, while the fatality rate stood at 1.82%. With 23,556 COVID-19 tests conducted in the last 24 hours, the number of samples examined so far rose to 8,50,37,528.

Adopted Swiss woman looks for bio mom in Mum

Thane: A local court has acquitted PSI Sub Inspec tor Sudhir Bhausaheb Yadav (48) who was accused in May 2012 of taking a bribe of Rs1 lakh to favour a man accused of dowry harassment by his second wife and charged under the Pre vention of Corruption Act. In her order of October 03, the details of which were made available on Friday, Special Judge Rachna Tehra said the prosecution was “not able to prove the demand of bribe by the accused be yond reasonable doubt”.

Palghar: An 18-year-old student was booked for allegedly manhandling a Train Ticket Exam iner (TTE) on board a local train. The accused, instead of showing his ticket, manhandled the TTE and tore his uniform. He also kicked his associ ate, said an official on Fri day. A case under section 353 (assault or criminal force to a public servant in execution of his duty) and other sections of IPC has been registered at the Vasai Road railway police. No one has been arrested so far.

Bina Makhijani Muller, who was abandoned as a baby, has been visiting the city since 2011, hoping to reunite with her birth mother

First India Bureau/ANI

Mumbai: Bina Makhi

jani Muller’s story is similar to that of Sa roo Brierley of the book “A Long Way Home”. While Brier ley was reunited with the family he was born into, Muller, who was adopted in 1978 by an Indian cou ple and taken to Swit

zerland, has been searching for her bio logical mother with out success.

“I have been visiting Mumbai in search of my mother since 2011,” Muller said. Her DNA profiling shows she is of Goan origin, and her lead is that her biologi cal mother’s name is Rebello—she doesn’t know whether it was a

maiden or married name.

She only knows that she was born in 1978 and left at Asha Sadan, an adoption centre in

tact Anjali Pawar…. I am not looking to ruin anybody’s life. I just want to know about my roots and heritage,” a teary Bina appealed.

Anjali Pawar is an ad vocate and director of Adoptee Rights Coun cil, Pune, who is helping Muller search for her biological mother.

South Mumbai.

“If anybody knows a woman with the name Rebello from Goa who came to Mumbai and gave birth…please con

According to Pawar, the authorities in India were not ready to help in Muller’s matter. She also said there had been inconsistency in the in formation, worsening the case.

“When I started work ing on her case, the

adoption agency was not cooperative. I asked DWCD (Directorate of Women and Child Development Depart ment) authorities, but even they tried to stop me. I then went to Bom bay High Court to be permitted to seek the information, only then the adoption home started cooperating. But it has been inconsist ent,” Pawar said.

“Bina…was either given birth by a Goan mother in Mumbai or she was brought to Mumbai and given to Asha Sadan after her birth,” Pawar said.

BALL-BEARING FIRM GUTTED IN THANE, NONE INJURED

BODY OF UNIDENTIFIED MAN FOUND AT GANPATI VISARJAN GHAT IN THANE

Anil

Bina

Muller.

The ethnic wear market is booming with revitalised collections intended to steal hearts

City First brings to you amazing floral lehengas

BLOOM LIKE A FLOWER

The ethnic wear industry is flourishing with new ide as, modern ensembles and reinvigorated collections and is constantly brewing up celestial designs made to pilfer our hearts. Now-a -days girls have a vast array of op tions to pick from, which is why hunting for the perfect festive at tire wear can become an over whelming task at times. City First brings to you some amazing collec tion spectacular floral print lehen ga designs which will make your festival more colourful!

Be ready to steal the stage in some smoking looks made to exem plify pure royalty. You can turn up your festive era with the best floral lehenga stylebook which is totally different from the old heavy lehen gas but are made up of light mate rial and modern designs. If you are going for a statement look, then here are the best floral lehenga styles that deserve a spot on your vision board. So lets gear up with the latest ultra-posh lehenga ideas that are fresh off the runway.

White is the colour of grace and royalty, and the silky flowy floral print on the light creamy lehenga that falls gracefully to the floor is

DIWALI 2022: 7 BUDGET-FRIENDLY HOME DECORATION IDEAS TO SPRUCE UP YOUR HOME

ADD LIGHTS

MRIDULA SHARMA

Diwali is around the corner, and we all are busy clean ing the nooks and crannies of our homes. The festival of lights means sprucing up our houses and get ting them ready to welcome prosperity by worshipping God dess Lakshmi. How ever, elevating your home décor is not an easy task and re quires some invest ment. Don’t fret be cause we have got you covered. This article mentions budget inte rior design ideas that will help you com pletely alter your liv ing space to welcome guests and spread good vibes on Diwali.

ADD COLOURS, FRAGRANCE AND FRESHNESS

The simplest ap proach to improve any room’s interior design is to add plants and flowers. Around Di wali, you can get bou quets from street ven dors as well as a vari ety of them at the market.

Garlands made of marigolds are fre quently picked and hung about the house. It not only adds colour, but the smell also up lifts the spirit. Addi tionally, you can pur chase vibrant flowers and put them in vases to spruce up bare spaces.

Diwali is a festival of lights. Fairy lights can be used inside the home to freshen up windows, mirrors and walls, though most people prefer to use them to decorate balconies and exteriors.

In addition to fairy lights, you can enhance interiors with fake candles, chandeliers, and other reasonably priced light fixtures. To assist you improve the room without spending a lot of money, there are glass bell jars, attractive lamps and other solutions available on Amazon, Myntra and other e-commerce sites.

ACCENTUATE THE WALL

You can just add an accent to the area by painting one wall if you don’t want to paint the entire house. Most people either like to paint the wall behind the television or the sofa in the living room a different, brighter colour.

You don’t need to devote weeks and thousands of dollars to completing this task. Even you can complete the task. You can add textures and instantly brighten up any space by using do-it-yourself techniques.

ADD METALLIC SHOWPIECES

Rustic-looking metallic objects give an otherwise modern room a hint of beauty and traditionalism.

Furthermore, Diwali is the ideal opportunity to experiment with home décor. If you have old, large metallic containers lying around your house, you can scatter them around the walls and ceilings of your living room, hallway and balcony. They can then have candles and diyas (earthen lamps) lit inside of them after being filled with water, flowers and petals. light diyas (earthen lamps) and candles in them.

AIN’T NO SUNSHINE

A

rjun Kapoor and Malaika Arora always give us major relationship goals. They never shy away from expressing their love for each oth er on social media. Arjun is in the UK to shoot for his next film and Malaika visited him. They shared pictures from their dates. But now, Malai ka has returned from the UK leaving be hind Arjun. And the actor is already started missing her. He even shared a pic ture of her.

The actor took to his Instagram handle and shared a picture of Malaika. In the picture, the diva can be seen wearing an all-white outfit as she looks out of a win dow. Captioning the picture, Arjun wrote “Ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone… Malaika Arora.” As soon as he shared the post, his ladylove wrote, “Aww baby,” with a red heart emoticon. Actress Rakul Preet Singh reacted, “Awww” and his friendphotographer, Rohan Shrestha reacted with a red heart emoji.

Karwa Chauth Celebrations!

It is that time of the year again when ladies deck up and fast for the long lives of their hus bands. We have seen ladies celebrate Karwachauth with full glitz and glam and even our Bollywood divas are no less. Like every year Anil Ka poor’s wife Sunita Ka poor held a Karwachauth bash at her house Bollywood divas and star wives come together at the Kapoor mansion for their special day. Celebrities like Raveena Tandon, Shilpa Shetty and oth ers were spotted looking gor geous in traditional attires as they arrived for Suni ta’s celebration. Shilpa Shetty took to her Insta gram handle to share pictures from the Karwachauth bash. In the first picture, we can see the en tire girl gang pose together flaunting their brightest smiles for the pic ture. All the la dies look lovely decked up in traditional at tires and we bet you would not be able to take your eyes off the pictures.

Shilpa also shares pic tures of her posing with Suni ta Kapoor and called her the best host.

CAN’T STOP SMILING

K

iara Advani and Sidharth Malhotra, who won hearts with their chemistry in the 2021 film, Shershaah, have been reportedly dating each other for a while now. Recently, while appearing in differ ent episodes of Karan Johar’s chat show Koffee With Karan season 7, Sidharth and Kiara had in a way admitted that they were dating. Recently, Kiara and Sidharth attended producer Ashvini Yardi’s star-studded birthday bash in Mumbai. Now, a candid picture of the rumoured love birds is doing rounds on the internet, in which they can be seen interacting with Riteish Deshmukh. For the occasion, Kiara wore a white butterfly halter top teamed with a golden shiny skirt and high heels while the Student Of The Year actress opted for a denim shirt paired with grey pants and white shoes. Riteish, on the other hand, is seen donning a black suit.

Phone Bhoot song out

Off to work

areena Kapoor Khan is currently in London shooting for her next with Hansal Mehta. On Thurs day she shared an adorable pic ture of her with her son Jeh and we bet you would not be able to shift your eyes from them.

In the picture, we can see Ka reena dressed in a white hoodie which she paired with light blue denim and white shoes.

An upcoming horror-come dy film Phone Bhoot’s first song Kinna Sona has been released. The song stars Katrina Kaif, Ishaan Khatter and Siddhant Chaturvedi. The track is composed, written, and sung by Tanishk Bagchi. The film is pro duced by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhawani’s Excel Entertainment. The song video opens by showing Ishaan and Siddhant inside an old bungalow. Suddenly, Katrina dressed in a red latex dress appears- singing and walking on the railing of the stair case. Sharing the song video on Ig, the actress wrote, “Who let the ghosts out? We did! #KinnaSona out now.”

The actress tied her hair in a single ponytail and wore black sunglasses and held her son Jehangir Ali Khan’s hands. He cutely looked to wards his mom. The moth er-son duo appear to be walking in the hotel corri dor. Sharing these pic tures, Bebo wrote, “Off to work with my Boy…but a quick Pose before we leave…#Jeh baba#Kaam pe chalo..”

Alia Bhatt took to the comments section and wrote, “Superstars” with red heart emojis.

KARWA CHAUTH MEHENDI

ajal Aggarw al is making the best of both worlds right now. Apart from enjoying her new phase of life with her baby boy Neil Kitchlu, she has also re sumed work on Kamal Haasan starrer Indian 2. Now, the actress celebrated Karwa Chauth on Thurs day and she took to Insta gram to post a few sneak peeks of her prepara

tions. She shared some pic tures flaunting her Mehen di, looking radiant in a sans-makeup look in a black kurta and red bindi.

On the other hand, Rana Daggubati’s better half Miheeka also penned a beautiful Karwa Chauth post on Instagram, “2 souls, 2 people, 2 hands, 1 promise. An eternity to gether. Celebrating love, today and every day. You

Malaika Arora

Her

Kiara Advani and Sidharth Malhotra

Katrina Kaif

Kareena Kapoor Khan

Prime Time Research Media Announces Winners of Global Healthcare & Global Icon Awards 2022

ASHISH

Prime Time Re search Media Pvt Ltd, in as sociation with partners

Bharat 24 & First India (Media Partner) and News10 India (News Partner), IgoUgo (Trav el Partner) Xoom Stu dio (Creative Partner) concluded the prestig ious 9th Global Health care Excellence Awards, 2022 and 9th Global Icon Awards, 2022 in New Delhi to cel ebrate and honour the winners at different levels and Segments. They were awarded for their continuing com mitment to excellence, developing best prac tices and innovative strategies for the growth of the service sector with vision and inspiration in the hard times of COVID-19. The event was a hub of do ers and achievers from the Health care, Service and Media sectors. The Program witnessed the starry presence of Sunil Gavaskar as

Chief Guest. Not only as Media Partner but Bharat 24 a vision of the media maestro of Jagdeesh Chandra won the Best Emerging News Channel of the Year. While Ashish Ti wari, Managing Editor ( Entertainment ) of First India Group known for delivering some of the finest inter views with stalwarts from the industry for his show #Unfiltered Baatien won the award as Best Entertainment Editor. Bharat 24 is a channel that puts its emphasis on stories from around the nation with the help of its aug mented reality-enabled studios. Stars added fashion flavour dress ing in their best styles and Entrepreneurs from various segments took the charge of shar ing innovative ideas, thrilling journeys and experiences. The plat form gave a great op portunity for profes sionals and stakehold ers to exchange views and ideas en couraging budding talent to work hard and take calculated risks. The exacting and daunting feat of zeroing-in on the win ners was achieved by Prime Time Research Media, with support from its associates and partners. After an elab

orated and meticulous selection process which included invit ing nominations from potential nominees, substantial research and surveys and colla tion of feedback and opinions, screening was based on pre-deter mined judging param eters and subsequently choosing the winners through an independ ent jury panel. The sig nificant parameters which were considered for selecting the

Quality and Operation al Excellence, etc.

A comprehensive list of winners of the 9th Global Healthcare Excellence Awards in cludes Bharat 24, Ash ish Tiwari, Rajeeb Lochan Panda, Varsh ney Info tech, Prof. Dr Sunil Kumar Singh, Dr Varun Kumar, Law Trend, Dr Arvind Kumar, Dr T. K. Jayarajan, Jeeten dra Kumar Singh, Dr Ashwin Mudgil, Sal eem Baghban,

Shankar Prasanth, The Learning Curve, Ab hishek Chowksey, Neha Dhingra, Dr Rav ishankar Prasad Ravi, Dr Sandeep Kumar Pathak, Fakkeerappa I.P.S, Dr Muskan Tyagi, Dr Musharraf Ahmed Khan, Select Hospital, Moradabad, Aryabhat ta International School, Mo radabad, So matheeram Re search Institute and Ayurveda Hospital Pvt. LTD, Career choice360’s, Dawchem Pharmaceuticals PVT ltd, Dr Rishi George, City Eye Hospital, Al pha Astro App, Rihita Ranjan, Multi-Speciali ty Hospital, Pithapuram, Sujay Goswami, Sanjay Ku mar Singh, Vastulipi, KIMS Health, Dr Veena Chowdhary Founda tion Eye Hospital, Holy Child School, Dr Par thasarathi Dutta Roy, Voyage Consultants, Punam Gupta, Dr Rajesh Pal, CPL Di agnostics Pvt Ltd, Dr Gagan Deep Singh, Dr Anir ban Sengupta, Dr Bhanwar Singh Takhar, Dr Umar Nazir, Dr Brah manand Lal, Raja R R, Dr Meet Kumar, Abhilash Reddy, SVS Construc

Watch India's pride Last Film Show (Chhello Show)

It's a proud moment for all Indians as the country's offi cial Oscar selection Last Film Show (Chhel lo Show) finally releas es in theatres. The film is an authentic and heartful tribute to the magic and power of cinema. In an ingen ious nod to its selec tion to the 95th Academy Awards, the movie showed on 95 screens across India last night for the “last film show” at a ticket price of ₹95!

From its world pre miere at the prestig ious Tribeca Film Fes tival in New York to being named India's official entry to the Best International Fea ture Film category at the 2023 Academy Awards, Last Film Show has been stead fast in its mission of

putting Indian cinema and Indian culture on the map. And now, au diences across India have the opportunity to show their support for the country by watch ing the film at their nearest theatres! The Gujarati-language coming-of-age drama has already been lauded by the big gest names in the Indian film indus try and beyond.

Based on director Pan Nalin's childhood memories, it is an or ganic and emotionally charged drama set amid films, food, fami ly and friends. The film is a true celebration of the Indian spirit and richly deserves the au dience's love and sup port.

Producers Siddharth Roy Kapur and Dheer Momaya and director

Pan Nalin said in a joint state ment "What be gan as a mere dream for us has now culmi nated in a movement across the world. We are grateful for all the love our movie Last Film Show (Chhello Show) has been receiv ing as it represents the best of Indian culture, innovation and enter prise. It tells the story of a small boy who overcomes incredible odds to fulfil his dream.

A loving metaphor for the ethos of striving that characterises this great nation. With the film finally releasing in India, we urge audi ences to watch the film with their families in the theatres and sup port our journey as we begin our campaign to represent India at the 2023 Oscars!"

tions, FWD Architects, Oscar Group of Hospi tals, Bharat 24, Ashish Tiwari, Mahant Gaurav Sharma, Dr Santosh Kumar Jha, The Picture House, 22 Yards Sports Media & Communication Pvt Ltd, IgoUgo, Advance Calibration

During the occasion, the director of the company, H N Jha ex pressed, “The pandem ic COVID-19 has affect ed the service industry the most. And, the way industries like Agri culture and Allied sec tor, IT, Healthcare and Education bounced back is commendable.”

Nargis speaks about burnout

ctress Nargis Fakhri has spoken up about her struggle with de pression and how it was impact ed by the Bollywood industry. In this situation, she would never be able to forgive the industry for making her land in this position. She was quoted saying, “I didn’t know how to ma noeuvre in a new culture. I was told that because I was so authen tic and honest in my feelings it wasn’t a good thing. You have to interact with people even if you’re not comfortable with them. You have to put on a game face, which I couldn’t. I was said to be immature. To day, I have come to under stand that in actuality there are three faces – a business face, a creative face and then your own per sonal face.”

The actress also men tioned taking a vacation from the entertainment industry since she had mental health problems as a result of eight years of nonstop labour.

Brad slipped into Nora's DMs?

Nora is known for her jawdropping fashion sense and incredible danc ing skills. She is fre quently mocked for her daring wardrobe choices and incisive remarks, though. On Instagram, Nora has close to 42 million followers, and her photos frequently go viral. She just re vealed something in triguing regarding her social media DMs. She stunned everyone when she claimed in an interview that "Brad Pitt slid into her DMs."

In no time,

Nora's statement about Brad went vi ral with netizens badly trolling her. One user comment ed, “I am embar rassed for her.” An other wrote, “Are we supposed to believe it?”

KATRINA'S FIRST KARWA CHAUTH

Karwa Chauth plays a significant role in the lives of several women in India and Bollywood’s leading ladies are no different. Sharing glimpses from the beautiful night, Katrina mesmerised her fans as she looked radi ant in the pictures.

She shared a slew of pho tos on her feed that also in cluded Vicky Kaushal and his parents. Katrina looked stunning in a magenta saree with a floral blouse. She donned a handful of chudas and completed her look with

a pretty pair of jhumkas and a small red bindi. She cap tioned the photo as, “ #KarvaChauth ”.

The first photo was a selfie taken by her husband, fellow actor Vicky Kaushal on the balcony of their apartment as Kat smiled lovingly beside him. The second was another selfie but this time included her in-laws as well. the third picture was a full-length photo of the couple who wrapped each other as they posed for the camera. The last one was a close-up photo of Kat during one of the rituals.

Ashish Tiwari

Sunil Gavaskar felicitates Bhim Shankar Negi and Nishant Mishra of Bharat 24

Nargis Fakhri

Nora Fatehi

Dheer Momaya, Pan Nalin and Siddharth Roy Kapur

Sunil Gavaskar felicitates Alpha Astro App

Sunil Gavaskar felicitates Ashish Tiwari

Sunil Gavaskar felicitates SVS Constructions Pvt Ltd

Sunil Gavaskar felicitates Kims Hospital