First India-Mumbai Edition-17th November 2022

BLASTS ROCK NEPAL BEFORE POLLS, 1 INJURED

FROM PM MODI TO ‘PRESIDENT MODI’

PM MODI TAKES OVER G20 PRESIDENCY FROM INDONESIA

India’s G20 presidency to be inclusive, ambitious, and action-oriented, stresses Modi

New Delhi: Indone sian President Joko Widodo on Wednesday officially handed over the G20 presidency to India at the end of a summit of the bloc’s leaders in Bali. India will officially assume the G20 presidency from 1 December 2022.

Taking over the pres idency, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Prime said it was a matter of pride for every Indian citizen.

“We will organize G20 meetings in differ ent cities and states of our country. Our guests will get full experience of India’s amazing di versity, inclusive tradi tions, and cultural richness. We wish that all of you will partici pate in this unique cel ebration in India, the ‘Mother of Democra cy’. Together, we will make the G20, a cata lyst for global change,” PM Modi said.

SUNAK, DISCUSSES TRADE, SECURITY

WHAT HAPPENED BETWEEN MODI AND

Draft statement echoes PM’s “not-time-forwar” remark

New Delhi: As world leaders have gathered in Bali for the summit, the language of the draft statement of the G20 communique “echoes” PM Modi’s words to Russian Pres ident Vladimir Putin in September. “The In dian delegation played a big role in achieving consensus among member states over the wording that criti cised the Russian inva sion, according to three officials with knowledge of the nego tiations. The language of the draft statement echoed Indian PM’s words to Putin in Sep tember by saying ‘now is not the time for war’,” the Financial Times reported.

Delhi Police files plea for narco test on Aftab

Aftab continues to hide details during investigation

New Delhi: A Delhi court has allowed the request of the Delhi po lice to conduct Narco Test on the accused Aftab Poonawala in the Shraddha Walkar Mur der case. Earlier, the police reached out to Saket court seeking permission to conduct the Narco Test on ac cused Aftab as they al leged that he is not co operating in the probe. The police said that Aftab is not proving correct information about Shraddha’s mo bile and the weapon he used to kill her. At times he says he dis posed of the mobile in Maharashtra and sometimes says he threw it in Delhi, the police said.

The police added that it wants to unearth the complete truth of the case and the informa tion about the weapon and Shraddha’s mobile through the Narco anal ysis test.

AAP’s ‘kidnapped’ candidate withdraws from Gujarat polls

Missile that hit us was Ukrainian stray: Poland

Warsaw (Reuters): A missile that hit Poland was probably a stray fired by Ukraine’s air defences and not a Rus sian strike, Poland and NATO said on Wednes day, easing global con cern that the war in Ukraine could spill across the border.

NATO’s chief said that Moscow, not Kyiv was ultimately to blame, for starting the war in the first place and launching the attack that triggered Ukraine’s defences.

“This is not Ukraine’s fault. Russia bears ulti mate responsibility as it continues its illegal war against Ukraine,” NATO Secretary-Gener al Jens Stoltenberg said.

“From the informa tion that we and our al lies have, it was an S-300 rocket made in the So viet Union,” Polish Pres ident Andrzej Duda said.

Surat: The AAP candi date from Surat East for the upcoming Gujarat Assembly polls, Kanchan Jariwala, who had gone “missing” since Tuesday, withdrew his nomina tion from the seat on Wednesday, with the AAP charging that he was al legedly “kidnapped” and forced by the ruling BJP dispensation to do so.

On Wednesday, Jari wala arrived at the re turning officer’s office at Nanpura in Surat and

withdrew his nomina tion form.On Wednes day morning, Jariwala showed up at the return ing officer’s office, ac companied by police personnel and bouncers.

AFTAB WAS REMORSELESS, CRIME WAS PRE-PLANNED, SAYS VICTIM’S DAD

Mumbai: Call centre employee Shraddha Walkar’s live-in-partner Aftab Poonawalla, accused of brutally murdering her in Delhi, had appeared confident with no trace of remorse on his face when Manikpur po lice in Maharashtra called him for questioning earlier this month, an official said. After Walkar’s family members filed a missing person’s complaint when she was not traceable, the Manikpur police in Vasai town of Palghar called Poonawalla for questioning twice -last month and on November 3 - and on both the occasions he told the police that Walkar had left his place and they were not staying together, assis tant police inspector Sampatrao Patil told PTI.

26/11 Mumbai attack survivor invited to 25th Knesset

Harinder Mishra

Jerusalem (PTI): Moshe Holtzberg, who survived the Mumbai terror attack in 2008 as a toddler, was invited to the inaugural ceremo ny of the newly elected Knesset (Israeli parlia ment) on Tuesday in a special gesture.

The 16-year-old recit ed a chapter from the Book of Psalms (Tehillim) “for my brothers and friends” during the inaugura

tion

people were killed by 10 Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba terror ists, who also targeted the Mumbai Chabad

House. The 26/11 attack con tinues to be an emotion al moment for a lot of Israelis who feel that the Mumbai assault “is a shared pain” that binds India and Israel together.

The day is marked by several events across the country to pay re spects to the victims of the attack in which six Jews were also killed at the Nariman House, popularly known as the Chabad House, by LeT

It’s against Maha culture: Raut on Fadnavis’ revenge comment

Pune: A day after Ma harashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fad navis said he had “taken re venge” against those who be trayed him, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) chief spokesper son Sanjay Raut said Wednesday

it was unfortunate that a leader of Fadnavis’ stature had lowered himself for the sake of power.

Reacting to Fad navis’s comments dur ing an interview with Marathi news channel, Raut said, “In Maha rashtra, politics is not played on the senti ment of revenge. If new precedents and traditions are being

set up, then this is against the culture of Maharashtra.”

“In politics, a differ

ence of opinion is com mon but to date, no one has used the word ‘bad la‘ (revenge) in Maha

rashtra politics. By resorting to such poli tics, Fadnavis has low ered his own stature which is unfortunate,” Raut added.

During the inter view telecast on Tues day, Fadnavis had minced no words in at tacking Uddhav Thack eray for betraying him and which he said forced him to take re venge. “If anyone be trays me, I will take revenge. Yes, I have taken revenge..,” Fad navis said.

terrorists.

Israeli leaders and of ficials have repeatedly called for the perpetra tors of the horrendous crime to be “brought to justice”.

Moshe was a twoyear toddler at the time of the attack. His par ents, Gabriel and Rivka Holtzberg, were killed in the attack, but he had a lucky escape when his nanny heard him cry ing and risked her own life to pull him out from the Chabad house.

MASKS NOT MANDATORY IN FLIGHTS: AVIATION MINISTRY

New Delhi: The civil aviation ministry on Wednesday said that face masks are not mandatory during air travel anymore. The ministry, however, added that passengers should preferably use them in view of the threat of coronavirus.

“The matter, regarding the requirement for mandatory use of mask or face covers during air travel, has been reviewed in consultation with Ministry of Health & Family Welfare,” the order issued by Ministry of Civil Aviation read.

DEMONETISATION: CENTRE DEFENDS ITSELF IN APEX COURT

New Delhi: Centre, in its affidavit filed in the Supreme Court, has defended its decision to demonetise Rs 500 and 1,000 currency notes in 2016 as it said that it was a major step to fight the menace of fake currency notes, terror financing etc.

Nepal: One person was injured after two explosions occurred in Nepal ahead of the General election which is slated to take place on Sunday. The Dolakha and Bhojpur Districts recorded the explosion which the Police claim to be caused by explosives. One person is injured in the incident in Bhojpur District.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi attends a session at the G20 Summit 2022, in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia, on Wednesday. —PHOTO BY PTI

PM MODI MEETS

XI: OWAISI

DOCTOR SAYS AFTAB POONAWALA CAME WITH CUTS ON HANDS

Bali: PM Modi on Wednes day held talks with his British counterpart Rishi Sunak, covering key areas of cooperation such as trade, mobility, defence and security. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the G-20 summit. After the meeting, Modi said India attaches great importance to robust India-UK ties.

Bali: A video of PM Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping shaking hands at the ongoing G20 summit sparked a debate. AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi, asked on Twitter, “Why has Modi not tweeted about it? The country needs to know what transpired between Modi and Xi.”

New Delhi: A doctor who treated Aftab said the accused had visited him in May, the same month when the woman was killed, for treating a wound. Dr Anil Kumar recalled Poonawala was very aggressive and restless when he had come to him for treatment and when he asked him about his injury, he claimed he got hurt while cutting fruit. “When I saw him, I found it was not a deep injury but a superficial one. The underline structure was intact,” said Dr Kumar.

ceremony. Next week will mark the 14th anniversary of the horrific terror at tacks during which 166

Shiv Sena MP says BJP leader has lowered his own stature

Holtzberg recites Psalm 122 from the Book of Psalms at the swearing-in ceremony of Israel’s 25th Knesset on Wednesday.

Kanchan Jariwala

PM Modi with UK PM Rishi

Sunak during a bilateral meeting, on the sidelines of G20 Summit, in Bali, Indonesia.

BY ANI

Devendra Fadnavis

Sanjay Raut

RaGa calls out Centre for economic strain

against them. Top in dustrial houses don’t give employment... small and medium trad ers give employment,'” said the Lok Sabha MP from Kerala.

Washim (PTI): Step ping up his attack on the Centre and the ruling Bharatiya Ja nata Party (BJP), Congress leader Ra hul Gandhi on Wednesday alleged their policies have de stroyed the Indian economy and broken the back of farmers.

He said small and me dium business enter prises, and not big indus trial houses, generate large-scale employment, but they were at the re ceiving end of the Cen tre’s 2016 note-ban (de monetization) exercise and the way Goods and Services Tax (GST) was implemented in 2017.

“GST, demonetiza tion, the farm laws were not just policies but weapons to destroy small and medium busi nesses and farmers. When the (three) farm laws were enacted in 2020 (they were re pealed in 2021), farmers in Haryana and Punjab came out strongly

Mumbai: Chief Minis ter Eknath Shinde on Wednesday vowed to preserve Dr BR Ambedkar’s Mumbai residence Rajgruha as a heritage structure.

He was speaking to reporters after visiting the house which stands in central Mumbai’s Dadar area.

The chief minister garlanded the portraits of the iconic leader and his wife the late Rama bai Ambedkar on the premises during the visit, stated an official release.

The ground-plusthree storey building houses a museum. Ambedkar’s study room has been preserved on the first floor.

Shinde also met the late leader’s family mem bers, “Ambedkar is the pride of the country and the house where he lived is a historical treasure. It will be preserved as her itage,” the chief minis ter told reporters later.

Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Deven dra Fadnavis also visit ed Indu Mill compound to review the work of Ambedkar’s under-con struction memorial.

Gandhi was speaking at a meeting in Medshi in Washim district at the end of the 10th day of the Maharashtra leg of his 3,570 km-long Bharat Jodo Yatra.

Gandhi said there is no violence or hatred in the yatra. “If people get hurt, the yatris don’t leave them be hind and move ahead. Everyone lifts the fall en person and walks together,” he said.

“This doesn’t happen in Delhi (referring to BJP rule at the Centre) or in Maharashtra,” the Congress MP said in an apparent jibe at Chief Minister Eknath Shin de whose revolt broght down the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) govern ment in June.

Addressing farmers’ plight, Gandhi said, “Farmers do not get re munerative price of their produce, If there is a good harvest, the gov ernment will suddenly change its export-import policies due to which prices fall, thereby af fecting cultivators.”

‘Govt must take over Bal Thackeray memorial’

Mumbai: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLC Prasad Lad on Wednesday demand ed the state govern ment take over the upcoming memorial of Shiv Sena founder late Bal Thackeray in Mumbai.

Shiv Sena President and Bal Thackeray’s son Uddhav Thackeray had said the construc tion of the memorial, coming up at the Mum bai mayor’s bungalow at Shivaji Park in Da dar, will be completed by the end of 2023.

Lad said a memorial cannot belong to any family or person.

“An individual from the Thackeray family can be the member of the memorial commit tee,” he told reporters.

The coalition govern ment of Balasahe banchi Shiv Sena and BJP is headed by Eknath Shinde, whose rebellion against Ud

BJP MLC Lad suggests a Thackeray family member be member of in-charge committee

dhav Thackeray led to the collapse of the then MVA dispensation in June.

Former chief minis ter Uddhav Thackeray

had said earlier this month the history of Shiv Sena and Bal Thackeray’s speeches will be the highlights of the memorial.

Senior Shiv SenaUddhav Balasaheb Thackeray leader Sub hash Desai had said the memorial is the state government’s project and is getting the necessary funds from the government.

ELGAR PARISHAD CASE

explain inflation by pointing to US’

Washim (PTI): The Congress on Wednesday said the Narendra Modi government cannot point to the situation in the US and other countries to ex plain away the in flation in India.

Party Spokesper son Supriya Shri nate said at a press conference here that some people in the government claim that coun tries like the United States are also reel ing under inflation.

“The purchasing power parity of US is 15 times higher. In In dia, incomes have shrunk,” she said. Inflation in the US was caused by finan cial assistance pro vided by government to citizens during the pandemic, she added.

“In India, our government earned Rs27 lakh crore from excise duty on petrol and diesel,” she claimed.

Maha,

Bihar roads are same: Jairam

Washim (PTI): All In dia Congress Commit tee (AICC) General Secretary Jairam Ramesh, who is walk ing with Rahul Gan dhi in the Bharat Jodo Yatra, on Wednesday, said the condition of roads in Maharashtra and Bihar is equally bad, taking dig at the Central government over the road con struction.

Talking to reporters in Washim, Ramesh said the condition of roads in Maharashtra is bad unlike in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnata ka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. He said he experienced dif ficulty in walking on roads in Maharashtra leg of the foot-march.

“There is a minister in the Modi govern ment who holds an im portant portfolio and it is believed that after Sher Shah Suri, he has constructed all roads.

He has an image of a master road builder. He also boasts of his work.

What has happened to Marathwada and Vid

Probe Malik’s remarks against ex-NCB officer Wankhede: Court

Mumbai: A sessions court has directed Washim police to con duct an investigation into the alleged re marks made by Na tionalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Nawab Malik against former Mumbai Zon al Director of the Narcotics Control Bu reau (NCB) Sameer Wankhede.

Additional Sessions Judge HM Deshpande directed Washim police to investigate the mat ter and submit a report.

The court said the po lice have not taken any action despite a com plaint sent to them in November 2021.

“Considering the al legations made in the complaint, an investiga tion as prayed by the complainant is neces sary in the present mat ter,” the order said.

Sanjay Wankhede claimed he had first

written to the Washim police seeking for a case to be registered against Malik. When the police did not take any action, he filed a private com plaint with the sessions court seeking a probe against Malik.

“Considering the al legations made in the complaint and docu ments filed on record, it certainly discloses a cognizable offense which is necessary to be investigated,” the court said in its order.

Navlakha’s release delayed due to ‘safety concerns’

NIA judge Rajesh Ka tariya during the day and stood as surety for Navlakha which the court accepted.

Mumbai: Activist Gautam Navlakha, an accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoists links case, hit a bump yet again as his re lease was delayed yet again on Wednesday. The hurdle comes as

the National Investi gation Agency (NIA) raised safety con cerns about the prem ises in Navi Mumbai, where he had pro posed to live during his house arrest.

Meanwhile, veteran actor Suhasini Mulay appeared before special

Responding to a ques tion by the judge, Mulay said she knew him for more than 30 years as he is from Delhi where she had lived for some time.

“Since there is strong objection on the part of the prosecution (NIA) for keeping the accused in the premises on ac

arbha?” asked Ramesh. He said Maharashtra is number one in invest ment “but I have to say there is no difference in terms of roads between the state and Bihar”.

Ramesh also said he walked more than 100 km in Marathwada and Vidarbha regions and poor condition of roads was very unfortunate.

“We had so much trouble walking on roads. We did not expe rience such a situation when the yatra passed through Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Tel angana and Andhra Pradesh,” Ramesh said.

SUBMIT PROPOSAL FOR AFZAL KHAN STATUE: GOVT

count of safety and se curity of the accused, it would not be proper to keep the accused in house arrest in the giv en premises,” the judge said in his order.

Further, as the special public prosecutor also submitted that the pros ecution was going to file a report of the evalua tion of the premises in the Supreme Court, it would not be appropri ate to shift the accused

there until further di rections from the apex court, the court added.

The 70-year-old activ ist, who claims to be suffering from multiple ailments, is in prison since April 2020.

On November 10, in response to his petition, the Supreme Court al lowed Navlakha to be put under house arrest for a month and said the order should be imple mented within 48 hours.

MAHA FDA SEIZES THERAPEUTIC DRUGS FROM GYM

Thane: Maharashtra’s Food and Drug Adminis tration (FDA) on Tuesday said its officials raided a gymnasium in Mira Road and seized thera peutic drugs worth more than Rs5 lakh stocked without permission from authorities. The raid was carried out on the basis of information received at the intelligence branch of the FDA. A team re covered mephentermine, testosterone and growth hormone injections, among 71 therapeutic drugs at the site.

3 KILLED IN TRUCK,

Gondia: Three per sons were killed and six others injured on Wednesday in a collision between a truck and a passenger cab in Gondia district, said police.

Prima facie, the accident occurred when the driver of the truck lost control of the vehicle near Bhusaritola village, said an official. The injured persons were rushed to a private hospital in Gondia city. Eyewit nesses told police that the truck suffered a tyre burst before collision.

First India Bureau

First India Bureau

First India Bureau

First India Bureau

NIA raises security issues about premises selected for house arrest of 70-year-old activist accused in case

View of building where Gautam Navlakha is to be kept under house arrest after his release from Taloja Central Jail in Navi Mumbai district. —PHOTO BY PTI

Says policies of govt destroyed economy, broke back of farmers, small businesses

‘Can’t

‘ELECTIONS CAN BE RIGGED THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA’

Washim (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said that polls can be rigged through social media, and that if social media companies want, they can make any party win an election. Without naming any party, he also said that communal violence has been planted as a strategic weapon to cause disharmony in society by one ideology and its leaders. “Even if the EVM (electronic voting machine) is secure, Indian elections may be rigged through social media. If large social media companies want, they can make any party win an election. Systematic bias is being applied there and my social media handles are a live example of it,” he said.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi dances with sup porters during the party’s Bharat Jodo Yatra in Washim district on Wednesday. Gandhi during the foot-march in Washim.

—PHOTOS BY PTI

Ambedkar’s Mumbai home to be preserved as heritage: CM Shinde

Sessions court passed the order on a complaint filed by Sameer Wankhede’s cousin Sanjay

Shinde and Fadnavis inspect site of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar memorial at Indu Mill.—PHOTO BY BHUSHAN KOYANDE

CM Eknath Shinde, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis take stock of Balasaheb Thackeray memorial at Shivaji Park in Mumbai on Wednesday.—PHOTO BY BHUSHAN KOYANDE

TAXI COLLISION IN GONDIA DISTRICT

Mumbai: The state government has asked the Satara district collector to submit a proposal for erecting a statue of the scene of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj slaying Bijapur general Afzal Khan at Pratapgad fort. Tour ism Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha sent a letter to the collector on Tuesday, seeking a proposal on an urgent basis for erecting the statue as well as setting up a light-and-sound show at the fort.

Gandhi with a young padyatri during the yatra. —PHOTO BY PTI

SC stays Bombay High Court observation over stray dogs issue

dogs if they are inter ested in feeding them.

First India Bureau

New Delhi: In an in terim order, the Su preme Court on Wednesday stayed certain observations of the Bombay High Court on the matter of adopting stray

A bench comprising Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice JK Mahesh wari directed that no nuisance must be cre ated by people while feeding them.

The court also ob served that nobody should stop feeding stray dogs as canines may become aggressive.

The bench also sought a response from Nagpur Municipal Cor

2 leopards trapped in cages at Mumbai’s Aarey Colony

poration (NMC) and the Animal Welfare Board on a plea against the Bombay High Court or der over guidelines on stray dog feedings.

The top court while hearing the matter passed various remarks including one that whether street dogs have any residence to live in. The court said, “Where do street dogs live and do the canines have any residences to live in?” It further ex

Mumbai (PTI):

Fourth big cat to be captured in the area; Forest Dept to identify one behind attacks release the other

So far, four leopards have been captured over a month.

“Trap cages were placed at Dairy Unit no 15 in Aarey Colony. Two leopards walked into the cages on Tuesday morn ing,” said a Forest De partment official.

“In the early hours of Tuesday, a leopard walked into a trap cage. When rescue teams were checking and deactivat ing the trap cage, they found another leopard roaming freely near the trapped leopard,” said Pawan Sharma, Founder and President of RAWW

(Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare).

As the spotted animal was roaming around the cage for hours, the forest department could not shift the leopard for ex amination. “It was then decided by forest offi cials to tranquillize the roaming animal and shift them for further ex amination,” he added.

The officials quickly set another trap cage near the trapped leop ard. Around 11.30 am, the free leopard also walked into the cage. Both the animals are shifted to SGNP for med ical examination.

pressed concern about keeping the street dogs in captivity and said that they are not meant to be kept in captivity.

Autos allowed to certify meters; activists outraged

First India Bureau

Mumbai: The state Transport Depart ment has allowed an autorickshaw union to certify recalibrated e-meters fitted in taxis and autorickshaws plying in the Mumbai region.

The decision has not gone down well with consumer activists and transport experts who said it would lead to a conflict of interest.

The Mumbai Metro politan Region Trans port Authority (MMR TA) earlier this month approved the applica tion of the Mumbai Rickshawmen’s Union for conducting bench tests of electronic fare meters in taxis and au torickshaws, said offi cials of the Regional Transport Office (RTO).

Bench test is a certifi cation process of e-me ters before they are refitted after recalibra tion.During a bench test, it is checked if an e-me ter is showing accurate fare for specific distanc es.

Recalibration is car

ried out whenever fares are revised.

“The autorickshaw union is an interested party, and therefore there will definitely be a conflict of interest. The certification should al ways be done by an inde pendent body like VJTI (Veermata Jijabai Tech nological Institute, a government-run engi neering college in Mum bai),” said AV Shenoy, a transport activist.

“It is like giving the keys of coffers to a thief,” said another con sumer activist, who did not wish to be named.

How could the govern ment expect that au

6 cattle shed owners held for administering oxytocin hormone to increase milk yield

First India Bureau

Pune: Six cattle shed owners have been arrested for alleged ly administering oxy tocin hormone—pro duced illegally—to cows and buffaloes to increase milk yield, police said on Tuesday.

The arrests were made by the Anti-Nar cotic Cell on Monday.

Last week, the Pune police had claimed to have busted a racket in

volved in illegal manu facturing and sale of oxytocin hormone by arresting two people—

Sameer Kureshi and Allauddin alias Babub

Oxytocin is administered into the udder of dairy cattle and suspected to cause adverse effects on the health of these animals

hai Laskar. A case was registered against them at the Vimantal police station under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and

the Prevention of Cru elty to Animals Act.

“During investiga tion, it was revealed Kureshi had sold ille gally produced oxy tocin hormone to six cattle shed owners in the city. Based on the information, these cat tle shed owners were investigated and it was found they were admin istering oxytocin hor mone to cows and buf faloes to increase pro duction of milk,” a po lice officer said.

torickshaw unions will protect passengers’ in terests?, he asked.

The lesser-known rickshaw union would be setting up a bench test center in suburban Jogeshwari. It had ap plied for permission to the Andheri RTO in Mumbai on January 17.

An e-meter manufac turing firm also applied for permission to run a bench test center. But the MMRTA rejected its application stating that “being a manufacturer, instead of carrying out self-tests, it will be ap propriate to carry them out through a third party.”

CONTENTION

The court also said that one cannot insist that people who feed dogs must adopt them.

In an interim order,

TWO ARRESTED FOR EXTORTING MONEY FROM EDU INSTITUTE

the court directed the NMC to ensure and take steps for the general public to feed the street dogs at the appropriate locations identified and demarcated by them.

Assuring that pro ceedings before Bom bay HC will continue, the court also clarified that the concerned cor poration should deal with the issue of nui sance caused by the street dogs in accord ance with the law.

The educational institute, located in Bhiwandi area, was carrying out the con struction of a water tank in its building. The two accused allegedly demanded Rs2 lakh from its management for allowing the construction, the anti-extortion cell’s (AEC) senior inspector Maloji Shin de said on Wednesday. Later, they agreed for a sum of Rs1 lakh as “protection money”, the police said. A represen tative of the educational insti tute’s management lodged a complaint with the Thane city police following which it nabbed the duo.

Pune: A case has been reg istered against an uniden tified person for allegedly stealing gold ornaments worth Rs70,000 on pretext of giving body massage to a woman in Pune. According to police, an unidentified person, posing as a mas seur, visited the woman’s house at Awhalwadi and offered his services. But before starting the mas sage, the person asked her to remove gold ornaments that she was wearing, and the women did the same. The man immediately grabbed a ‘mangalsutra’ (necklace) and sneaked out of the house. Based on a complaint, the police registered a case under IPC sections 406 and 420.

FOUR SUFFER BURN INJURIES DUE TO CHEMICAL LEAK AT MUMBAI INSTITUTE

Mumbai: Four persons, including two women, suffered burn injuries due to a chemical leak at a research institute located at Worli in Central Mumbai on Wednesday evening, a civic official said. As per the preliminary information, the leaked chemical is Glycerine. The chemical leaked from a machine in the testing department of the institute. The injured were sent to nearby Jaslok Hospital and later transferred to Airoli burns hospital in Navi Mumbai after first aid. Further details about the leak and the condition of the injured are awaited.

GANJA

Cop commits suicide at police training centre

First India Bureau

Mumbai: A police in spector allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself at the police training centre in Dhule dis trict, an official said on Wednesday.

The deceased, identi fied as Praveen Vishwa nath Kadam, purport edly left a note before the incident on Tuesday in which he mentioned that no one should be held responsible for his extreme step.

RISING NUMBERS

Kadam was posted at the police training cen tre in Dhule since 2019 after he came from Pune. When some of his colleagues found the door of his room locked on Tuesday evening, they knocked at it. As there was no response from inside, they peeped through a window and found him hanging. They immediately alerted inspector Nitin Deshmukh at the city police station. A police team then rushed to the spot.

Nagpur: The Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) seized 1,555kg of ganja (marijuana) worth Rs2.33 crore from a truck in Nagpur district on Wednes day and arrested four people, two of them residents of Andhra Pradesh, police said.

Acting on a tip-off, sleuths of the Nagpur police’s ANC intercepted the truck in the Kapsi area and found ganja hidden under fertilizer bags.

The truck was coming from Odisha and was on its way to Beed district via Nagpur.

Truck driver Someshwarrao alias Bujji Kotipillam (50) and cleaner Balemananaji alias Nani Paidaykapu Balema (25) were taken into custody.

On instructions of the Nag pur police, their counterparts in Beed arrested the duo.

Thane: An FIR has been registered against a 29-year-old police sub-in spector (PSI) in Navi Mum bai for allegedly raping his colleague under the pretext of marrying her. The case was registered against the PSI, posted in Mumbai, at Rabale police station under Indian Penal Code sections 376 (Punishment for rape) and 377 (unnatural sex). No arrest has been made so far. The accused and the complainant (30) were together during training in the Nashik facility. The complainant alleged the accused raped her between 2019 and 2022 in Nashik, Mumbai, Nagpur and Navi Mumbai under the pretext of marrying her.

Cheap housing, migrants reason for Thane’s population boom

Earns

distinction of district with the highest population in India; registered over 30% growth as per the 2011 census

Mumbai: As the global population crossed the 8-billion mark, Thane became centerstage as it is the district with the highest popula tion—which experts attribute to the influx of migrants who live in Thane, as it is cheaper, while work

ing in the adjacent city of Mumbai.

The district of Thane, which borders Mumbai, grew exponentially in terms of population, reg istering a more than 30% growth, as per the 2011 census, said former In dian Administrative Ser vices (IAS) officer Su dhirkumar Goyal.

“Thane city and the

district remained underdeveloped for a long time, offering easy ac commodation for the la bour class as well as for those who were in mid dle income groups. Cheaper local train ser vice connecting almost all major areas of Mum bai is another factor, which helped the mi grants settle down as far

as 70 to 80km from their workplace in Mumbai,” said Goyal.

As a result of the ris ing population, Thane has also become the dis trict with the maximum number of municipal corporations in the country. In 2001, the pop ulation of Thane district was 81,31,849; in 2011, as per the last census, it

rose to 1,10,60,148.

While an increase in birth rate did contribute to the rising population, in Thane’s case that was overshadowed by the in coming migrant tribe, said an expert.

“The migrant popula tion is not just increas ing in Thane, but also in the outskirts of Mum bai. This is the growth of

the city. Expansion of cities happens like this,” said Dr KS James, Direc tor of the International Institute for Population Sciences.

Due to the high cost of living in Mumbai, people are migrating to Thane and other regions where housing rates are cheap er as compared to Mum bai city, he said.

Says people who feed stray dogs cannot be asked to adopt them

Apex court has asked Nagpur civic body to designate suitable locations for feeding canines. —FILE PHOTO

If a meter manufactur er can be refused permission for being an interested party, the same principle should be applied to an autorickshaw union which is more of an interested party.

—Shirish Deshpande, President, Mumbai Grahak Panchayat

The MMRTA had ordered all autos, taxis to recalibrate meters.

WOMAN CONNED BY MASSEUR IN PUNE; JEWELRY STOLEN

Thane: Police have arrested two persons for allegedly ex torting money from the man agement of an educational institute in Thane district.

First India Bureau

Two leopards on Tuesday walked into trap cages kept at a specific spot in Mumbai’s “green lung” Aarey Colony, which had seen multi ple incidents of hu man-animal conflicts in the recent past.

Restructuring the UN Security Council: INDIA’S PROSPECTS

country in the internal af fairs of the other has sub stantially promoted peace and stability in the world. India intends to be a global rule-maker, and, therefore, wants to be a member of the expanded UNSC permanent category to have a greater say in the emerging internation al order. However, India’s am bition has been hampered by the country’s security issues, China’s opposition and low pace of development.

Among the five permanent members of the UNSC, four countries, including the US, UK, France and Russia have bilaterally extended their sup port for India’s candidature to the permanent seat in the ex panded UNSC. However, China has obstructed its inclusion.

TRUMP THROWS HIS HAT IN THE RING, AMERICANS NOT ENTHUSED

India has been a nonpermanent member of UNSC eight times including the current term and has been at the forefront of the years-long efforts to reform the Security Council stating its rightful claim to be a permanent member of the Council, which in its current form does not represent the geo-political realities of the 21st Century

The United Nations Organisa tion (UNO) was founded in 1945 after the Second World War by 51 countries commit ted to maintaining interna tional peace and security and developing friendly relations among nations. The UN has now 193 members and its main defined purposes are: to keep peace throughout the world; to develop friendly rela tions among nations; to help nations work together to im prove the lives of poor people, to conquer hunger, disease and illiteracy, and to encour age respect for each other’s rights and freedom and to be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations to achieve these goals. The most power ful organ of UN, United Na tions Security Coun cil (UNSC) has primary re sponsibility of maintaining international peace and secu rity. However, the basic struc ture of the UNSC has re mained almost unchanged since its foundation more than 75 years ago. Today, with significant changes in the re alities of the global scenario, the legitimacy, effectiveness, democratisation, and repre sentativeness of the Security Council is being questioned. A Working Group was estab lished in Dec 1993 by General Assembly for the discussions over Security Council reforms or restructuring. Any restruc turing of the Security Council would require support of at

TIME TO DEVELOP VILLAGES IS NOW

least two-thirds Member States (193) and consent of all of the permanent members of the UNSC (which have veto rights). Therefore, collabora tion among the member states is essential in achieving the reforms. The divergent posi tions of member states have made it difficult to come up with a common plan so far. Restructuring of UNSC in volves Democratisation by correcting the imbalances in power relationships among P5 and the rest of the world, Expansion in permanent and non-permanent seats to ena ble the UN organ to better deal with the “ever-complex and evolving challenges” and maintenance of internation al peace and security and Eq uitable Representation of all the regions of the world will give it a geo - political balance and desired effectiveness. Ja pan, as a member of G4 (Bra zil, Germany, India and Ja pan), supports the expansion of both permanent and nonpermanent categories of the Council. L.69 group of coun tries from Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific have committed to instilling “new life” in their efforts towards achieving reform of the UN Security Council.

INDIA’S BID TO UNSC

India has been a non - perma nent member of UNSC eight times including the current term and has been at the fore front of the years-long efforts to reform the Security Coun cil stating its rightful claim to be a permanent member of the Council, which in its cur rent form does not represent the geo-political realities of the 21st Century. India’s claim

World @8 billion must be cheered as human beings have started to live longer due to better medical care. The Unit ed Nations said, “This un precedented growth is due to the gradual increase in hu man lifespan owing to im provements in public health, nutrition, personal hygiene and medicine. It is also the result of high and persistent levels of fertility in some countries.” The world at tained this landmark on No vember 15. The projection is that the next billion will be added to the global population in the next 15 years as against the 12 years in which it moved from 7 billion to 8 billion.

There was a time when population explosion was a

for a permanent seat in the UNSC is justified being the largest democracy, the second most populous country, and the fifth largest and fastest growing economy. India has been as active participant in UN, raised its voice passion ately against racial discrimi nation in South Africa, played its part in formulating deci sions on several issues such as admitting former colonies to the UN, addressing deadly conflicts in the Middle East and maintaining peace in Af rica and contributed exten sively to the UN, particularly for the maintenance of inter national peace and security and has been major contribu tor to UN peacekeeping mis sions across the Globe.

India also represents the interests of most of the un derdeveloped and developing countries of the world. Its adherence to the principle of non-alignment and commit ment to Panchsheel- Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence -that focuses on non-interference by one

India’s population will reach 1.5 billion by 2030 and peak in 2048 at 1.7 billion. By 2030, India will overtake China and it has to start worrying about feeding a million mouths and augment its resources to meet the demand

dreaded term. Food shortag es, poor medical and health facilities and non-availabili ty of nutritious food for the downtrodden gave govern ments a nightmare. All those fears have receded as the world, barring some African countries, is growing more

Countries such as Pakistan, North Korea and Italy, which are China’s close allies, have also been opposing India’s can didature for permanent mem bership in the UNSC. To side line India, China instead pro poses the inclusion of small and medium-sized countries.

Apart from Chinese opposi tion Indian stand on NPT and CTBT is also a sour point which is not really liked by many countries.

Despite some of these chal lenges, India being a current non- permanent member has accorded highest priority to restructuring of council and its stand on getting a perma nent seat. It has enhanced its engagement with global fora of significance like G-4, G-20 (taking over Chairmanship), ASEAN, SCO (Currently Chairman), I2U2, The Quad rilateral Security Dialogue Quad and L69. India has adopted multi layered strat egy whereby it’s focussing on enhancing its support in General Assembly and reduc ing the resistance in Security Council.

The call for reforms takes on a sense of urgency as the Secu rity Council is stuck by system of vetoes of the permanent members and is failed to act on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

As India expands its economic, military, technological and po litical capabilities and contin ue working on the manage ment of global issues, it would be able to overcome the chal lenges in the path of perma nent membership in the UN Security Council. The world wide recognition of role of In dian leadership in the ongoing Russo-Ukraine conflict defi nitely brings India closer to getting a permanent UNSC seat than ever before.

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

food and the distribution is equally robust. India’s spe cial arrangements for free distribution of ration to the economically weaker section during the pandemic and continuing with it even now shows how our granaries have enough stocks to meet such exigencies not only in the country but also help neighbouring countries to tide over the crisis.

Will all these resources last forever? India’s population will reach 1.5 billion by 2030 and peak in 2048 at 1.7 billion. By 2030, India will overtake China and it has to start wor rying about feeding a million mouths and augment its re sources to meet the demand. There is an urgent need to develop villages to prevent migration to cities.

Drubbing which the Re publican Party re ceived in the mid-term elections has not de terred Donald Trump from throwing his hat in the ring again. Trump announced his 2024 presidential campaign for White House on Wednesday. The an nouncement was met with strong reactions even from his own party members. Joe Biden welcomed the announcement with a derisive “Donald Trump failed America” message. He also attacked his pre decessor for his failure on econo my, healthcare and on women’s rights. Inciting a mob to violence has been the darkest spot of Trump’s presidency.

Trump’s baseless allegation that the last elections were rigged did not find any support in the mid-term elections as Americans were more concerned about abortion law and inflation.

Conservative newspaper Nation al Review described Trump as “monumentally selfish [and] morally and electorally compro mised”. Trump may be in a delu sion about his popularity but the pull of his slogan ‘Make America Great’ has lost its appeal. The Re publicans could be looking for a better alternative.

SPIRITUAL SPEAK

Just as a reservoir is of little use when the whole countryside is flooded, scriptures are of little use to the illumined man or woman, who sees the Lord everywhere.

Bhagavad Gita

TOP TWEETS

able

India. Under

Minister

@narendramodi India will leave no stone unturned to

A historic moment for India IN! PM @narendramodi ji taking over India’s G20 Presidency in Bali is a matter of pride for all Indians. India’s Presidency will be inclusive, ambitious and will strengthen the voice of developing countries.

#OneEarthOneFamilyOneFuture.

MAHENG/2022/14652

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

Editor-In-Chief: Dr Jagdeesh Chandra

Editor: Anita Hada Sangwan responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act

Rajnath Singh @rajnathsingh

A historic moment for

the

leadership of Prime

Shri

make G-20 Presidency a huge success. PM Modi has urged every citizen, state government and political party to actively participate in it.

Dharmendra Pradhan @dpradhanbjp

As India expands its economic, military, technological and political capabilities and continue working on the management of global issues, it would be able to overcome the challenges in the path of permanent membership in the UN Security Council

COL RAJESH BHUKAR

The author is a Post Graduate in International Studies, Alumni of Defense Services Staff College, Wellington and College of Combat, Mhow

CM BHUPENDRA PATEL FILES NOMINATION FROM GHATLODIYA

Gujarat (ANI): Bharati ya Janata Party (BJP)

Ghatlodya constituency candidate Bhupendra Patel on Wednesday filed his nomination for the upcoming assembly elections in Gujarat.

Bhupendra Patel, the current Chief Minister of Gujarat, filed his nomination in the pres ence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Before filing the nomi nations, Shah and Patel held a roadshow in the Ghatlodya constituen cy. In his address to the public in Ahmedabad, Amit Shah confidently termed Bhupendra Pa tel as the state’s next chief minister. “Today with me is the next Chief Minister of Guja rat after the election,” Amit Shah said while addressing a public gathering in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad along with its Chief Minister Bhu pendra Patel.

Tharoor on missing out on Congress’ Guj campaigners’ list

New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor was asked by the party’s student wing NSUI to address a campaign event in Gu jarat but declined as his name was not on the star campaigners’ list of the party for the assembly polls in the state, sources said on Wednesday.

Tharoor’s name does not feature in the list of 40 star campaigners for the party that included the likes of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former par ty chiefs Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

Among the other star campaigners listed by the party are Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, CLP leader in Kerala Ramesh Chennithala, former chief ministers Digvijaya Singh, Kamal Nath, Bhupin der Singh Hooda and Ashok Chavan.

Asked if he was dis appointed over his name not featuring on the list, Tharoor told

The Congress knows who or what is best for it, so the question of disappointment is irrelevant.

—Shashi Tharoor, Senior Congress Leader

PTI, “The Congress knows who or what is best for it, so the ques tion of disappointment is irrelevant.” Tharoor had lost to Mr Kharge in the party’s presidential poll last month but had secured over 1,000 votes out of the more than 9,000 votes cast. The NSUI had invited Tha roor for the event in Gu jarat but sources close to him said he had to decline as his name was not there on the star campaigners’ list.

MIZORAM

CONG RELEASES FINAL LIST OF 37 CANDIDATES

Gujarat:The Con gress has dropped five sitting MLAs and retained seven others as it released the final list of 37 candidates on Wednesday for the second phase of the next month’s twophase Assembly elections in Gujarat. With the latest list, Cong has finished its candidate selec tion exercise for all the it will contest.

Cops take DNA samples of Shraddha’s father

New Delhi (ANI): Delhi Police, which is probing the hor rific Shraddha Walk er murder case in which her live-in partner Aftab Amin Poonawala had alleg edly strangulated Walker to death and chopped her body into 35 pieces, dumped it in the Chhatarpur area, has taken DNA samples of Shrad dha’s father Vikas Walker so that the dumped body parts and blood sample can be matched.

According to top sources of Delhi Po lice, the DNA sample of Shraddha’s father has been taken. About 10-13 bones have been recovered from the forest. They have been sent to the foren sic lab to find out whether the bones be longed to Shraddha or those of an animal.

STONE QUARRY COLLAPSE

AFTAB’S FAMILY FLEES TO UNKNOWN LOCATION

Maharashtra: The family of Aftab Amin Poonawalla has fled to an unknown location and is now untrace able, Manikpur police (Palghar) said on Wednesday. According to the police, Aftab’s family shifted to an unknown location without informing the police. “When the Manikpur police took Aftab’s statement after calling him to Vasai, Aftab’s family shifted to an unknown place,” the police told ANI.

PM condoles loss of lives, announces ex-gratia

New Delh (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed deep grief over the loss of lives due to the stone quarry collapse in Mizoram.

He also announced ex-gratia from the Prime Minister’s Na tional Relief Fund (PM NRF) for the kin of each deceased. The Prime Minister’s office (PMO) tweeted, “My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones due to the tragic stone quarry collapse in Mizoram.

An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh would be given from PMNRF to the next of kin of each deceased.

The injured would be given Rs. 50,000.”

Three more bodies were recovered on Tues day from the debris of the stone quarry which

MIZORAM QUARRY COLLAPSE: MAMATA ANNOUNCES JOB TO KIN OF DECEASED

Mizoram (ANI): The Mizo ram Police have arrested one person

POONAWALLA SENDS LEGAL NOTICE TO AAP MLA

New Delhi: BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla sent a legal notice for initiating civil and crimi nal proceedings against AAP MLA Naresh Baly an over a tweet linking him with Aftab Amin Poonawala. In a tweet in Hindi on Tuesday, the AAP MLA stated “What is the relation between Aftab Poonawalla, who chopped Shraddha Walker’s body into 35 pieces after murdering her, and BJP leader Shehzad Poonawalla?.”

Yogi calls devp ‘main weapon’

in Rampur bypolls

collapsed at Maudarh village in Mizoram’s Hnahthial district, in formed Additional Dep uty Commissioner Saizikpuii.

lit a lighter in the middle of the road near a Tank Lorry which claimed 11 lives in the Turial area of Aizawl district in the state. According to the police, at 4:35 pm on October 29, one Tank Lorry carrying 22,000 litres of petrol that was supposed to be delivered at Champhai met with an accident within the vicinity of Tuirial Airfield by turning turtle on the main road, thus spilling petrol out from the tanker on the surface of the road. A lot

CBI books pen maker Rotomac Global & its director in ` 750 crore bank fraud case

New Delhi (PTI: The CBI has charged Kan pur-based Rotomac Global and its direc tors for ` 750.54 crore for alleged fraud in Indian Overseas Bank, officials said.

The company, which was in the business of writing instruments, has a total outstand ing of ` 2,919 crore against a consortium of seven banks led by Bank of India in which

BY ANI

Indian Overseas Bank has an exposure of 23 per cent.

UTTAR PRADESH BUREAUCRACY

The agency has charged the company and its Directors - Sad

hna Kothari and Ra hul Kothari - under IPC sections related to criminal conspiracy (120-B) and cheating (420), besides various provisions of the Pre vention of Corruption Act. The company is already facing multi ple investigations by the CBI and the En forcement Directorate on the basis of com plaints from consorti um members.

107 IAS officers will be promoted in Uttar Pradesh next yr

lll

In UP, there is a system of giving super time pay scale to the IAS officers who get promotion to the rank of secretary for 16 years of continuous service

Lucknow: 107 IAS of ficers will be promoted in Uttar Pradesh on January 1, 2023 for which the exercise is going on.

This year, 6 IAS offic ers of 1998 batch will become principal sec retaries. These include Alok Kumar III, Anil Kumar III, Anil Kumar Sagar, Pandhari Yadav, Ajay Chauhan, Neena Sharma.

All these 6 IAS offic ers will be given pay

scale more than super time. After 25 years of service with an impec cable record, they are now being promoted from secretary to prin cipal secretary.

9 IAS officers of the

2007 batch will be pro moted to the post of Special Secretary/Col lector rank officers.

They are Suhas LY, Sheetal Verma, Alok Tiwari, Chaitra V, Naveen Kumar GS, Dr.

of

of people had gathered to collect and store the spilt petrol when it suddenly caught fire around 5.50 pm and four people lost their life on the spot. The police party and fire ten ders immediately reached the spot to bring down the raging fire after the injured persons were immediately taken to various hospitals for treatment.“

Uttar Pradesh (ANI): Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has been keeping an eye on the development works of Rampur since the as sembly elections and this time develop ment is go ing to be the main weap on in the battle of Rampur by-elections. As per an official statement, the BJP work on a long-term strategy to penetrate the areas which are strongholds of the op position.

CRUCIAL READ

In

At present 524 IAS are posted in UP and DPC is held every year in December to pro mote them.

BJP leader and former Gandey MLA Jai Prakash Verma joined JMM.

CONCENTRATION

POSING THREAT’

New Delhi: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), is working on a new set of recom mendations on media ownership, chairman P D Vaghela said on Wednesday. Inciden tally, in April this year, Trai had released a consultation paper to discuss ownership is sues within the media.

‘AVIATION SECTOR PERFORMED BEST TILL DATE’

New Delhi: Indian aviation sector has performed best till date in terms of the comprehensive safety audit conducted by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has said. It is to be noted that this is In dia’s best performance till date.

Patna: CM Nitish Kumar on Wednesday said the Bihar govt will soon increase the representation of women in the state police force to 35 per cent. Nitish Kumar said at present the representation of women in Bihar Police is around 27-28%. “The representation of women in state police is almost 28% in Bihar. The in creased presence of women in the state’s police force has not only empowered women but also made the constabulary more efficient and effective,” he said.

Ahtesham Siddiqui

Muthukumarasamy B, Prabhu Narayan Singh, Abhay, Adarsh Singh.

UP, there is a sys tem of giving super time pay scale to the IAS officers who get promotion to the rank

secretary for 16 years of continuous service.

Ranchi: Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Wednesday alleged that the conspirators are hell-bent to overthrow the current government of the State because “they know that we will strengthen tribals so much that those coming from outside will be thrown out.”He further asked people to decide whether con spirators should rule the State or tribals as he issued a warning that he will see all conspirators one by one. He was addressing party workers after

ALL ONE BY ONE...’: SOREN LASHES OUT AT CONSPIRATORS

BIHAR TO INCREASE WOMEN’S REPR. IN STATE POLICE TO 35%: NITISH KUMAR

PATEL OFFERS PRAYERS AT TRIMANDIR, ADALAJ AHEAD OF FILING NOMINATIONS

Gujarat: Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Bhupendra Patel on Wednesday held a roadshow in Ghatlodya in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad. Amit Shah exuded con

fidence in the BJP form ing govt in the upcom ing Gujarat Assembly elections and said that the party will “break all records and win with the most number of seats”.

Gujarat: Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel offered prayers at Trimandir, ahead of filing nominations on Wednesday for the upcoming Gujarat as

sembly elections.Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel held a roadshow in Ghatlodya, Ahmedabad before filing nominations.

who allegedly

Bhupendra Patel files his nomination from the Ghatlodiya Assembly constituency for the Gujarat Assembly elections, in Ahmedabad on Wednesday. —PHOTO BY ANI

Image for representational purpose only.

Shashi Tharoor

Mamata Banerjee speaks to the media about providing job and compensation amount to the families of the five deceased. —PHOTO BY ANI

A 12 July order of the Allahabad Debt Recovery Tribunal has accused Bank of India and Indian Overseas Bank executives of concealing facts and giving evasive replies in the Rotomac case.

Suhas LY Anil Kumar Sagar Ajay Chauhan Alok Kumar Neena Sharma

AMIT SHAH, BHUPENDRA PATEL HOLD ROADSHOW IN GUJARAT’S GHATLODIYA

New Delhi: India’s soya bean import is pegged lower by 64% at 2 lakh tonnes in the 2022-23 season on prospects of higher domestic produc tion, industry body SOPA said on Wednesday. The country had imported 5.55 lakh tonnes of soya bean during the 2021-22 season, it said. According to the SOPA, the domes tic production of soya bean is estimated to in crease to 120.40 lakh tonnes in the 2022-23 season when compared with 118.89 lakh tonnes last season. —PTI

KOTAK MAHINDRA BANK CUTS 1-YEAR MCLR ON LOANS

Global action for eco recovery

Bali (PTI): G20 grouping, including India, the US, and the EU, on Wednesday pledged to take coordinated actions to ensure strong and resilient global recov ery delivering jobs and growth.

The G20 Bali Leaders’ Declaration was issued af ter the conclusion of the two-day summit, which was attended top global leaders.

At today’s critical mo ment for the global econo my, it is essential that the G20 undertakes tangible, precise, swift and neces sary actions, using all available policy tools, to ad dress common challenges, including through interna tional macro policy coop

eration and concrete col laborations, the declara tion said. “In doing so, we remain committed to sup port developing countries, particularly the least devel oped and small island de veloping states, in respond ing to these global chal lenges and achieving the SDGs.

“In line with the Indone sian G20 Presidency theme — Recover Together, Re cover Stronger — we will take coordinated actions to advance an agenda for a strong, inclusive and resil ient global recovery and sustainable development that delivers jobs and growth,” it said.

The G20 comprises 19 countries: Argentina, Aus

TOP TALKING POINTS

z G20 grouping, including India, the US, and the EU, on Wednesday pledged to take coordinated actions to ensure strong and resilient global recovery delivering jobs and growth

Sensex scales all-time closing high, Nifty tops 18,400 mark

New Delhi: Private sector Kotak Mahindra Bank has revised upward its mar ginal cost of funds based lending rate for different tenors but reduced the benchmark one-year ten or rate by 20 basis points.

The MCLR linked loan rates for the benchmark one-year tenor, which is used by banks to price most of consumer loans such as auto, home and personal, has been cut to 8.55% from 8.75%. The revised MCLR rates have come to effect from No vember 16, 2022, Kotak Bank said. —PTI

COAL INDIA AIMS AT 50 MN TONNE SALES THROUGH E-AUCTION

Mumbai (PTI): Equity benchmark indices ended the trade in the positive ter ritory on Wednesday, with the BSE Sensex closing at its fresh life-time high of 61,980.72, helped by buying in banking counters.

After facing highs and lows during the day, the 30-share BSE Sensex final ly ended 107.73 points high er at 61,980.72. During the day, the index hit its 52week high of 62,052.57, higher by 179.58 points.

The broader NSE Nifty ended marginally higher by 6.25 points to 18,409.65.

From the Sensex pack, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Hindustan Unilever, Dr Reddy’s, HDFC Bank, Bhar ti Airtel, HDFC and Tata Consultancy Services were among the major winners.

Bajaj Finance, Tata Steel, NTPC, Bajaj Finserv, UltraTech Cement and In dusInd Bank were among the major laggards.

RUPEE FALLS 34 PAISE TO CLOSE AT 81.25 AGAINST US DOLLAR

Mumbai (PTI): The rupee depreciated by 34 paise to close at 81.25 (provisional) against the US dollar on Wednesday on dis appointing trade data and foreign fund outflows.

At the interbank foreign exchange market, the local unit opened at 81.41 and later witnessed an intraday high of 81.23 and a low of 81.58 during the session. The domestic unit finally settled at 81.25 against Dollar.

FPIs INVESTMENT IN INDIAN EQUITIES RISES

8% Q-o-Q TO $566 BN

New Delhi (PTI): After declining for three consecutive quarters, the value of FPI investment in Indian equities rose 8% quarteron-quarter to $566 billion in the JulySeptember period, according to a Morningstar report on Wednesday. A fastchanging global macroeconomic landscape, sentiments and op portunities that the Indian equity markets have to offer impacted the direction of flows by FPIs.

z The G20 comprises 19 countries & together, they account for over 80% of the global GDP, 75% of int’l trade and 2/3 of world population

z The grouping, declaration said, will stay agile and flexible in macro-economic policy responses and cooperation

tralia, Brazil, Canada, Chi na, France, Germany, In dia, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Rus sia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the USA, and the EU.

Together, they account for over 80% of the global GDP, 75% of international trade and two-thirds of the world population.

The grouping, the decla ration said, will stay agile and flexible in macro-eco nomic policy responses and cooperation.

“We will make public in vestments and structural reforms, promote private investments, and strength en multilateral trade and resilience of global supply.”

ACC TO TATA MOTORS MD

PV sales could hit over 38 lakh units in FY23

New Delhi (PTI): Passen ger vehicle sales in India could hit a record of over 38 lakh units in FY23 but the strong growth momen tum is not expected to car ry over to 2023-24 with pentup demand already been released, according to Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles MD Shailesh Chandra.

There could be a modera tion on offtake of passen ger vehicles (PVs) in the third quarter of the ongo ing fiscal and picking up again in the fourth quarter, but the growth rate in FY24

would also depend on the impact of new set of regu lations such as BS VI phase II and new safety regula tions kicking in next year, he told analysts. The first half of FY23 was very strong for the PV industry with “nearly 1.9 million vehicles”, said Chandra.

CONSULTATION PAPER ON OTT FRAMEWORK TO COME NEXT MONTH: TRAI

New Delhi (PTI): Telecom regulator Trai will issue a public consultation paper to discuss regulations for internet-based calling, messaging and entertain ment apps in December, a senior official said on Wednesday.

The Department of Tel ecommunications has sought recommendations of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) to set up a legal framework for the over-the-top (OTT) apps that provide calling and messaging services.

“Trai officials will make presentation on OTT on November 25, after which issues for discussion will be framed and a consulta tion paper will be issued for the same next month,” a senior Trai official told PTI.

Under the new telecom munication bill, the gov ernment has proposed to place OTT apps that pro vide calling and messaging service as telecom services company.

The telecom bill propos es OTT players also to com ply with ‘Know Your Cus tomer’ rules and facilitate lawful interce.

Kolkata: Coal India is tar geting 50 million tonne sales through the e-auc tion route in the second half of the current fiscal, a top company official said on Wednesday. The coal behemoth had sold around 30 million tonne via e-auction in the first six months of the 202223 financial year. “We are targeting another 50 mil lion tonne in e-auction sales for the year,” Coal India Chairman Pramod Agrawal said. Coal India’s e-auction sales were at 108 million tonne in 2021-22. —PTI

Paytm investors not in hurry to sell: Analysts

New Delhi (PTI): Pay tm’s pre-IPO investors, which include likes of Warren Buffet’s Berk shire Hathway, SoftBank and Alibaba, do not seem to be in a hurry to exit India’s leading digital payments brand as they continue to believe in its long-term prospect,

analysts said.

On Tuesday, 86% of Paytm’s shares became free to trade after the end of the lock-in period, al lowing investors to sell shares that haven’t yet been allowed onto the market. Market partici pants have been specu lating on Paytm, post-

expiry of lock-in for preIPO investors. “Paytm’s lock-in expiry had no impact on the share price as the company’s robust performance continues to impress investors,” Avinash Gorakshakar, Director, Research, Prof itmart Securities, said about Paytm.

IN HOUSING PRICE AMONG 8 CITIES IN JUL-SEP

New Delhi: The overall TV sports market is expected to touch `9,830 crore and sports digital revenue will hit `4,360 crore by FY26, according to a report. The digital revenue for sports, which was `1,540 crore in FY21, is expected to grow three-fold to `4,360 crore in FY26, it added.

While Cricket continues to dominate the sports view ership in India, other franchise-based events such as kabaddi, football, kho-kho etc are also wit nessing traction. —PTI

New Delhi (FIB): DelhiNCR’s property market witnessed the highest an nual price increase of 14% during July-Sept at an av erage ` 7,741 per square feet, according to a joint report by CREDAI, Colliers India and Liases Foras.

Housing prices appreci ated by 6% across eight cit ies during July-September 2022, compared with the same quarter last year on rising rates of key con struction materials.

“Delhi NCR saw the highest increase in hous ing price across pan India at 14% Year-on-Year (YoY).

Golf Course Road saw the highest price rise of 21%, followed by Ghaziabad,” the joint report said.

MAJOR HIGHLIGHTS

z Housing prices appreciated by 6% across eight cities during July-September 2022, compared with the same quarter last year on rising rates of key construction materials

z Delhi NCR saw the highest increase in housing price across pan India at 14% Year-on-Year (YoY)

As per the data, the aver age housing prices in Kol kata rose 12% YoY to `6,594 per square feet in the July-

Over 6.85

crore IT

returns filed for FY22 so far

New Delhi (FIB): Over 6.85 crore income tax re turns have been filed so far for fiscal 2021-22 and the number is expected to go up further by December 31.

The last date for filing ITRs for 2021-22 fiscal for individuals was July 31, while for corporates and others who need to get their accounts audited was Nov 7, 2022. If the deadline is missed, taxpayers can also file a belated return by paying penalty, the last date for which is Dec 31.

“So far, 6.85 crore tax re turns for Assessment Year 2022-23 have been filed and we are hopeful that the number will increase till December 31.”

Delhi-NCR sees highest annual increase

September period of this calendar year.

Ahmedabad saw 11% in crease in average prices to ` 6,077 per square feet, while Pune witnessed a 9% rise in rates to ` 8,013 per square feet.

The average housing prices in Hyderabad were up 8% to `9,266 per square feet. The rates appreciated 6% in Bengaluru to ` 8,035 per square feet.

The housing prices re mained stable in Chennai and Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) at `7,222 per square feet and `19,485 per square feet.

OTHER STORIES

UP GOVT APPROVES NEW IT POLICY, WITH BIG SUBSIDY FOR SETTING UP, DEVELOPING IT PARKS

New Delhi: The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet on Wednesday gave its ap proval for the New IT policy, under which an IT city will be set up in Purvanchal, Paschimanchal, Madhyanchal and Bundelkhand and an IT park in every division. To encour age private investors for setting up IT Parks, a subsidy of 25 per cent or up to Rs 20 crore will be provided, along with 100 per cent exemption in stamp duty. A subsidy of 25 per cent or up to Rs 100 crore will be given for developing IT city. IT units employing women, SC-ST students, transgenders and specially-abled people will get the facility of EPF reimbursement. This includes new units as well as units undergoing expansion. PTI

LIC’s RELIANCE CAPITAL’S DEBT SALE UPSETS LENDERS

New Delhi: Days ahead of the deadline to submit binding bids, LIC’s move to sell its Rs 3,400 crore secured principal debt of cash-strapped Reli ance Capital Ltd (RCL) to an asset reconstruction company (ARC) has irked its lenders and bidders.

The last date for submitting binding bids for Reliance Capital Ltd (RCL) and its subsidiaries is November 28.

LIC is conducting a Swiss Challenge process to invite bids from Asset Reconstruc tion Companies (ARCs) to sell its exposure in RCL, sources said, adding prospective bid ders will be asked to better the offer.

DGCA: ICAO’S SAFETY OVERSIGHT AUDIT SEC HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL

New Delhi: The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has completed the safety oversight audit of the Indian aviation sector and as per the initial reports, the mission was highly success ful, regulator DGCA said on Wednesday.

ICAO is the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

Under its Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP) Continuous Monitor ing Approach, an ICAO Co ordinated Validation Mission (ICVM) was undertaken from November 9 to 16. The audit was conducted in the areas of legislation, organization, personal licensing.

HDFC CAPITAL SELECTS 10 STARTUPS FOR FUNDING DURING 2ND H@ART SUMMIT

New Delhi: HDFC Capital, a subsidiary of Housing Development Finance Corporation Ltd, has shortlisted 10 startups for funding and support during the 2nd H@ART Summit concluded recently. H@ART Platform recently announced that it has raised over `500 crore through global investors as the first close of its property technology fund, HDFC said in a statement on Wednesday. Of the 10 finalists, 4 were focused on Construction Tech and 3 each on Sustainability Tech and Sales and Fintech, the statement said.

Angry commuters stop local train in Thane due to delay

First India Bureau

Mumbai: Miffed com muters stopped a lo cal train at Titwala station in neighbour ing Thane district for more than 20 minutes during the morning rush hour on Wednes day. They were angry over the suburban services running late, said officials.

A group of 10-15 com muters including wom en jumped on the tracks at around 8.30 am and stopped the local train at Titwala, located 55 km from Mumbai. The train was heading from Kasara in Thane dis trict to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Termi nus (CSMT) in south Mumbai. The railway police later removed the protesters from the tracks, said officials.

Local trains are con sidered as the lifeline of Mumbai and its adjoin ing Thane and Palghar

districts, and office-go ers mostly prefer it as the fastest mode of transport during the morning peak hours.

“The Kasara local was held up due to the com muters’ agitation from 8.30 am to 8.51 am,” said a spokesperson of the Central Railway (CR), adding that the train was

delayed due to a techni cal glitch in a goods train running ahead of it.

The CR’s Chief Pub lic Relations Officer, Shivaji Sutar, said, “We will find the reason for the delay. But agitation and stopping a train is not the way. It causes inconvenience to other passengers.”

MACT awards `49.3 lakh to man injured in road mishap

Thane: A 29-year-old man was awarded an indemnity of Rs49.33 lakh by the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) in Thane, for injuries he suf fered in a road acci dent in 2017.

In an order passed on November 01, MACT member MM Walimo hammed directed the owner of the tempo in volved in the accident, as well as its insurer, to jointly make the pay ment—albeit in install ments—with a 7% in terest per annum from the date the petition was filed.

The payment must be made within the next two months, the tribunal ruled.

The MACT also or dered that if the owner and the insurer failed to do so, they must pay the increased interest of 8% per annum till the total amount was

paid in full.

The matter was de cided ex-parte against the tempo owner, who did not appear for the hearing, while the in surance company op posed the claim on various grounds.

According to the vic tim’s counsel, the acci dent, which occurred on January 11, 2017,

cost the man the job where he earned a monthly salary of Rs34,277.

The petitioner, who was on his motorbike was hit by the tempo, being driven in a negli gent manner, coming from the wrong direc tion.

The petitioner was severely injured, thus suffered disability and was unable to continue his job, the petitioner told the tribunal.

He also incurred hefty medical expenses to undergo prolonged treatment.

Another CR official said the local train was delayed due to the agita tion, but it did not affect the schedule of the oth er suburban services.

A Railway Protection Force (RPF) official said passengers were agitat ed over the delay of the CSMT-bound Kasara lo cal train which was

RAILWAY ACTION

Personnel of the Gov ernment Railway Police (GRP) and the RPF removed the protesting passengers from the tracks and extra secu rity was deployed at the station, said officials. The Central Railway daily operates 1,810 services on its Main Line (CSMT to Kasara/Khopoli), Harbour line (CSMT-Goregoan/ Panvel), Trans-Harbour line (Vashi-Thane/Panvel) and Bamandongri-Be lapur/ Seawood line.

scheduled to arrive at Titwala station at 8.19 am, but reached there at around 8.30 am.

The commuters had complained that local trains were running late on a regular basis as a result, they could not reach their offices on time during the morn ing peak hours, he said.

WR revises timings of 25 trains for Vande Bharat Exp

First India Bureau

Mumbai: The West ern Railway (WR) has revised the tim ings of 25 trains in view of the schedule of Mumbai-Gandhi nagar Vande Bharat Express with an aim to have smooth train operations.

Among the trains whose timings have been revised includes Mumbai-Ahmedabad Shatabdi Express and its schedule has been revised between Vapi and Ahmedabad rail way stations in Guja rat, a release said.

“The timings of sev eral trains will be re vised, due to the run ning of train 20901/02 Mumbai Central Gan dhinagar Capital Van de Bharat Express,” it said.

The WR’s Chief Public Relations Offic er Sumit Thakur said the train timings were revised only by a few minutes and the new

The train timings were revised only by a few minutes; new schedule will be effective in few days

schedule will be effec tive in the next few days. “This has been done to make the train operations smooth,” Thakur said.

As per the release, the Mumbai Central Ahmedabad Gujarat

Warrant issued against ATS officer

Mumbai: A bailable warrant was issued on Wednesday against an officer of the AntiTerrorism Squad (ATS) for not appear ing before the special National Investiga tion Agency (NIA) court for the 2008 Malegaon blast case hearing.

He is the second ATS officer against whom such a warrant has

been issued.

According to a govern ment lawyer, the officer against whom the court issued the warrant was required to appear in

court as he had recorded statements of some of the witnesses who turned hostile recently.

The court was told that the officer could not make it to court be cause he was unwell.

Special judge AK La hoti, who is presiding over the case, issued the warrant against him.

In September, the spe cial NIA court had is sued a bailable warrant against another ATS officer, who not only

had arrested a few ac cused in the case and recorded some of the statements; he was also a witness in the case.

So far, more than 280 witnesses have been ex amined in the case hearing, and 29 of them have turned hostile.

The case pertains to the September 29, 2008 motorcycle explosion near a mosque in Male gaon, in which six peo ple were killed and more than 100 injured.

The Western Fleet (Sword Arm) underwent a change of guard with Rear Admiral Sameer Saxena handing over the baton of Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet to Rear Admiral Vineet McCarty at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai on Wednesday. The occasion was marked with a ceremonial parade and the traditional pulling-out ceremony.

—PHOTO BY ANI

BACK IN THE DOCK

HC orders fresh testing of Johnson & Johnson baby powder

Court upholds state govt’s order on its sale but permits the company to manufacture the product

First India Bureau

Mumbai: The FMCG company Johnson & Johnson Pvt Ltd was permitted by the Bombay High Court on Wednesday to manufacture its con tentious baby powder, but not allowed to sell it, as per the Maha

rashtra government order. The high court also ordered for fresh testing of its baby powder samples.

The HC ruling came in the company’s peti tion that challenged two state government’s or ders: cancelling the company’s licence on September 15, and Sep

tember 20 order to im mediately stop manu facturing and selling its baby powder.

The orders were passed by the joint com missioner and licensing authority of the state Food and Drug Admin istration (FDA).

The government had based its orders on the report of the Central Drug Laboratory in Kol kata, which found that the baby powder con tained higher than pre scribed pH level.

The company said it has suffered daily loss of `2.5 crore due to the license revocation.

A division bench comprising Justices SV Gangapurwala and SG

Dige, on Wednesday, di rected the FDA to col lect fresh samples with

in three days from the company’s factory in Mulund area. The sam ple would then be sent to three separate labo ratories—two govern ment and one private— for testing.

“The samples shall be sent to the Central Drug Testing Laboratory (West Zone), FDA lab and the Intertech Labo ratory for testing,” the court said adding that the labs shall submit a report within one week thereafter.

The sam ples shall be sent to the Central Drug Testing Laboratory (West Zone), FDA lab and the Inter tech Laboratory for testing. The labs shall submit a re port within one week thereafter.

—Bombay High Court

Superfast Express, Howrah Ahmedabad Superfast Express, Bandra Terminus Gorakhpur Humsafar Express, and Bandra Terminus Ramnagar Superfast Express are some of the trains whose timings have been revised.

The semi-high speed Mumbai-Gandhinagar Vande Bharat Express was flagged off by Prime Minister Naren dra Modi on Septem ber 30 this year.

First India Bureau

Aurangabad: The G20 delegates will visit the world famous Ajanta and Ellora caves and other prom inent sites in Aurang abad district over two days in February next year, officials said.

Divisional Commis sioner Sunil Kendrekar held a meeting on Mon day with senior offi cials to review prepara tions for the visit of the delegates.

Kendrekar instruct ed officials to make elaborate preparations as the visit by G20 del egates will boost Au rangabad’s image on the international plat form, the release said.

Around 500 delegates will visit the world her itage sites of Ajanta, Ellora, other promi nent places like the Daulatabad (Devgiri) Fort along with an in dustrial visit in Au rangabad on February 13 and 14 next year, a release from the divi sional commissioner’s office said on Tuesday.

India will assume Presidency of the influ ential G20 group for one year from Decem ber 01, 2022.

The group comprises of 19 countries—Ar gentina, Australia, Bra zil, Canada, China, France, Germany, In dia, Indonesia, Italy, Ja pan, South Korea, Mex ico, Russia, Saudi Ara bia, South Africa, Tur key, the UK, the USA— and the European Un ion (EU).

First India Bureau

Kansara local was held up by dissenters for almost half an hour.

—FILE PHOTO

The Mumbai-Gandhinagar Vande Bharat Express was flagged off by PM Narendra Modi on Sept 30 this year. —FILE PHOTO

First India Bureau

G20 delegates to visit Ajanta and Ellora caves

THE MAGNIFICENT BEAUTY ANISHA BHATI, ONE OF THE FINALISTS OF FIRST INDIA QUEEN, OPENS UP TO CITY FIRST ABOUT HER LIFE, DREAMS AND ASPIRATION AND HER APPROACH TO BEAUTY!

mistake that I made was that I felt very conscious at the beginning. This feeling impacted my overall performance. But over time I worked hard and overcame it.”

Confidence in the world inside you is a whole differ ent story, what you gain and give to the world will allow oth ers to see and share in your true beauty. Anisha Bhati, a 20-year-old gor

geous beauty from New Delhi proved that we must believe in ourselves to become the best person that we can be. The rav ishing beauty is one of the top finalists of First India Queen and a recent graduate in English hon ours from Delhi Univer sity. The Exquisite beau ty while describing her inspiration stated, “I have been a great follow er of fashion, right from my childhood, I used to watch fashion TV which inspired me to get into this field. I had the pas sion within me which

more for it.”

Talking about selfacceptance beauty said, “We must ac knowledge that everyone is different and that certain ob stacles are physi cal characteristics of a person that must be acknowledged by the individual. At the end of the day, acceptance is something we should all value, regardless of our body, skin tone, or other physical

When asked about the most memorable mo ment, the talented artist replied, “The most mem orable moment was the day my first music video was released with my fa vourite artist. My family was proud of me and their happiness still mo tivates me to work harder and make more remem berable memories also when I was chosen as the finalist for First India Queen, I am grateful to Dr Jagdeesh Chandra and First Miss Queen team for giving me this great opportunity, it

UTTKARSHA SHEKHAR uttkarsha.shekhar@firstindia.co.in

STORYTELLING - AN EFFECTIVE AND POWERFUL WAY TO CONNECT WITH THE AUDIENCE

etc. When a story is ‘told’, it enters the interpersonal and interactive sphere of an individual and has a high emotional, motiva tional and social impact.

RAJESH BHUKAR cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

Remember the good old stories of Vikram-Betaal or Akbar-Birbal or stories about kings, queens as well as animals and ghosts, the ones nar rated by our grandparents that have not only re mained etched in our memories but have been passed on to the younger siblings. The origin of storytelling has been traced back to the earliest civ ilizations where in, groups of people would gather around and narrate stories that have passed down cultural be liefs, memories, and ideas. It is a way of preserving the culture and beliefs of a tribe or community and passing them down to the next generation. So, what is a story and why is story telling important to us? A story can be defined as a narrative, either true or fictitious, in prose or verse, designed to interest, amuse, or instruct the hearer or reader. Storytell ing introduces new words and enriches our vocabu lary, enhances our listen ing skills, connects and keeps us connected with one’s cultural roots and fosters imagination and creativity of mind.

People don’t remember facts, they remember sto ries. It’s easier for us to recall stories than facts. Sounds and words have always fasci nated the human race since the very beginning. It can take form through drawings, paintings, dance or even puppet shows. Storytelling is a popular concept that is used in many fields, such as media, education, busi ness and entertainment

Storytelling has been the subject of multidiscipli nary study through the disciplines of theatre and folklore. Theatre provides a rich experience that en gages the body, emotions and senses in dynamic learning.

The art of storytelling. Successful leaders and

sists of the events and the theme which is the central idea or belief that the au thor is trying to convey in the story.

and har nessed the power of good storytelling. No matter the

and to picture it for the audience. Good stories create bridges, real em

The plot en compasses an introduc tion, ris ing ac tion, a climax, fall ing action and a resolution. The conflict, i.e. A chal lenge or problem around which the plot is based gives the story a purpose or trajectory. The resolution of the conflict

because we see ourselves reflected in them. We in evitably interpret the meaning in stories and understand ourselves bet ter. But we now live in the fast-paced information age, where information, concepts, and ideas con tinuously bombard us

are essen tial to hu man ex istence and more relevant today as storytelling creates connection, constructive engagement, learning

ing and is appealing to all sorts of learners. More and more organisations ing as an effective way for their leaders to influence,

While storytelling has

seen plenty of changes, the function of storytelling has stayed the same; con veying history, social cohe sion, information, news, art, and entertainment. Legends, sagas, fairy tales, and fables have been nar rated and these stories are about history, life and un derstanding the world we live in.

The use of advancing technologies such as the printing press, the camera, the internet, and the use of social media platforms have changed storytelling forever. Digital storytelling which is a new trend today includes the idea of com bining the art of telling stories with an assortment of multimedia, including audio, video, graphics and web publishing. Digital stories often presented in compelling and emotion ally engaging formats are interactive. Even as tech nology presents so many dynamic opportunities to create new content, hu mans will still crave stories so we can make sense of the world and stories will always matter, now and in the future also.

YOUR DAY

ARIES

MAR 21 - APR 20

Happiness in the domestic sphere will only come with a changed mind set. Some of you are likely to become a part of an overseas official trip. Better to consult an expert in financial matters before making an investment. Harsh words may create a rift in your romantic relationship; be careful.

LEO

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

Gifting something to your beloved is likely to make the day memorable. Matrimonial match for siblings will bring happiness for entire family. You will get a good price for your property. Those awaiting results are assured of succeeding with flying colours.

SAGITTARIUS

NOV 23 - DEC 22

Your intuition will save you from a tricky spot today, so don’t ignore it. Yoga would help in raising energy levels and improve your metabolism. You will manage to achieve your aim through travel. This is a great time on the academic front, when you mange to render your best.

TAURUS

GEMINI

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

You will succeed in resolving misunderstanding with family members, normalizing ties. Despite your misgivings, you retain good health. You will do much to bring peace and harmony at home. You will remain much in demand on social front. Some of you can get romantically involved.

LIBRA

SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22

Despite hectic schedule you will manage to find time for family. Seek the opinion of your family before finalizing a property deal. Your bold initiatives on romantic front bring back passion and spark in romantic relationship.Overall health remains fine.

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

JAN 21 - FEB 19

Avoid raising controversial issues at home to maintain harmony. Successful implementation of new ideas and projects would add to your prestige on the professional front. It is a wonderful day to build new connections. Your relationship requires you to be tactful.

CANCER

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

A

SCORPIO

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

Following

PISCES

FEB20 - MARCH 20

Distant relatives may drop in for a surprise visit. On professional front, recognition for good work would motivate you to work harder. Those awaiting an affirmation on romantic front are likely to get lucky today, as partner responds positively. You will feel happy today.

a health diet will be a good idea. Luck favours you today on the professional front. Focussing on health now will help you in keeping physically fit. Clarity of mind and retentive power will help you forge ahead on the academic front. Frustration on the romantic front is possible.

Horoscope by Saurabbh Sachdeva

NORA SHOOTS

nushka Sharma and Virat Kohli are one of the most loved cou ples in town. On Wednes day morning, the power couple was seen making heads turn at Mumbai air port. They looked all things adorable as they posed for the paparazzi. Virat and Anushka made a stylish appear ance at the airport.

The duo was seen winning hearts with their twinning game. Anushka sported a white sweatshirt with black pants. She also wore a black hat and rounded off her look with white sneakers and a fanny pack.

On the other hand, Virat too wore a white sweat shirt and black pants with white sneakers and a black jacket. However, Virat’s tshirt caught everyone’s at

tention. It had the letter A and a red heart embossed on it. Meanwhile, Vi rat was heard say ing, ‘thanks for understanding’ to the paparazzi. He said this after they called him ‘King Kohli’. The couple zoomed off hand-in-hand to board their flight.

PeeCee in Anjul Bhandari pantsuit

Priyanka Chopra loves mak ing iconic fashion statements. On her visit to India to she leaned to excit ing but executive looks each with a play ful and unexpected twist. From her mon ochrome denim fit to her power suit, she served lessons on re vamping that boring work wardrobe. An other power outfit that exudes confi dence but with a touch of tradition is this custom-made do taar Chikankari pantsuit in baby blue by Anjul Bhandari.

Priyanka Chopra managed to like a boss in chikankari, when she stepped out in a custom-made blaz er and trousers set by Anjul Bhandari. The designer pastel pant suit was a soothing

shade of baby blue. It featured a crisp col lared fullsleeved blazer paired with match ing high-waisted slim-fit trousers. Celebrity stylist Ami Patel styled it with a matching crop top underneath. The classy chikankari suit featured an all-over embroi dery with jaali daar jaal and mahi jaal on the sleeves and the pants.

Huma & Nicole

COLLABORATE FOR SWISSE

Huma Qureshi has once again charmed the audi ence with her per formance in her latest re lease Monica O My Darling. While the praises are still pouring in on social media, there is one more good news for her fan dom. Huma is all set to collaborate with global icon Nicole Kidman. Sharing the news with her Insta fam, Qureshi dropped a post to give details of her collaboration with Nicole. The photo post featured the In dian actress with the brand ambassador of Swisse. The duo will discuss health, wellness, and beauty.

Founded in Australia in 1969 and glob ally headquartered in Melbourne, Swisse is a vitamin, supplement, and skin care brand.

Shraddha Kapoor shared a happy picture of herself while enjoying her food on Tuesday. The actor called it ‘plate and pet (stomach) mein party’.

Taking to Instagram Stories, Shraddha posted a picture of herself. She wore a yellow sweat shirt with spectacles. She kept her hair open. She had a plate in front of her. She smiled while eating her food with her fin gers. Her plate was filled with rice, curry, sauce, green chilies and plain papad. The text next to the picture read, “Plate aur pet mein party (There is party on my plate and in my stom ach) with three smiling face with red heart eyes emojis. Thanks Macha!! (three red heart emojis) @fazaa_s6.”

idi and merry! We are wearing our hearts through dresses this party season and making it all count feels fruitful. High doses of sultry rounds are irresistible and look like Kriti Sanon is aware of this. Her recently tested looks for Bhediya’s promotions had star-wor thy finishes and there’s so much you could include in your style mix. Kriti’s look was strategised by ce lebrity fashion stylist Sukriti Grover. Get ex

cited about its details that focus on pleats, prints of roses, sheer bal loon sleeves with an elasticated hem, a plunging neckline, broad and ruched detail with a bloomed 3D applique black flower placed at the center to give it a dreamy allure.

Shraddha Kapoor’s post

Priyanka Chopra

Anushka Sharma

Huma Qureshi’s post...

Anushka and Virat at Airport

BACHCHAN FAMILY LOSES PET

Pets are one of the most beloved beings. They are raised as part of the family and are loved unconditionally. But when they die, it sure is a heartbreaking time for the owner. Something similar happened with veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan, who shared the news of his pet dog's death recently.

The actor shared a photo of him holding a puppy in his arms. In the captions, he wrote, "Hamaare ek chhote

se dost; kaam ke kshan. Phir ye bade hote hain. Aur ek din chhod ke chale jaate hain." He added a teary-eyed emoji at the end. Amitabh, who also regularly writes a blog, did not miss out on sharing his thoughts about his pet on the site. He wrote, "the gorgeousness of my little friend at work .. … and then they grow up and then one day leave us .. heart breaking ! but while they are around they are the life and soul of our life ..!!"

MAARRICH: EDGE-OF-ASEAT CRIME THRILLER

Tusshar Kapoor’s much talked about murder mystery film, Maar rich is all set to thrill the audiences with its glue ing suspense and extremely intriguing storyline. For the past few days, the film has been making headlines for the promotional video #Hat manKillerInMumbai going viral across the inter net; where the mystery finally ends that the hatman is Maarrich. In the film, Tus shar Kapoor portrays the

role of a badass and power ful police cop who is highly proficient at his work and is on a chase to find Maarrich, the biggest evil.

The makers of the film re leased their first poster on November 16th. The film stars Tusshar Kapoor along with Naseeruddin Shah, Ra hul Dev, Seerat Kapoor and Anita Hassanandani. The film will release theatri cally on December 9th.

SHALIN RECEIVES BACKLASH

Bigg Boss recently ap pointed a task to eve ryone to name three housemates that should not become the next Captain. Shalin named Gau tam Vig, Priyanka Chahar Chaudhary and Soundarya Sharma. While explaining why he took Gautam’s name, Shalin explained that Gau tam is weak like a woman. He used the terms ‘Janani, Au raat and Kamzor’. While the comment did not receive backlash in the house, it was met with harsh criticism

Vicky Kaushal announces Govinda Naam Mera

Vicky Kaushal and Karan Jo har have an nounced the di rect-to-OTT release of their first project to gether, ‘Govinda Naam Mera.’ The duo is fea tured in a fun video where Karan is seen pitching the film’s script to Vicky, who is confused about what kind of a film it is where the protagonist’s life is a mess.

The hilarious video begins with KJo calling Vicky a ‘firecracker en tertainer.’ But he imme diately takes a dig at the actor for always por

roles he has played until now. But Karan is convinced that Vicky should try do ing something ‘ma saledaar‘.

The video was shared by Vicky Kaushal on his Insta gram with the caption, "Picked the #Fun Vicky option. See you soon!

Sambhaal lena. #Govin daNaamMera coming soon only on dis neyplushot star!"

JACQUELINE gets mobbed

Jacqueline Fernandez was granted bail by the Patiala Court in Delhi on November 15. The actor is one of the accused in the Sukesh Chan drasekhar Rs 200 crore ex tortion case. She was seen scurrying away from the crowd that had gathered outside the court, with her team of lawyers and police personnel.

A video of the incident

started doing the rounds on the internet and Jacqueline could be seen visibly dis tressed by the situation. The actor was mobbed by jour nalists, camerapersons and bystanders who were push ing and bumping against each other to get a closer look at her. Jacqueline, her legal team and the police could be seen struggling to make their way across the crowd.

RANVEER SINGH SHARES SHOCKING CASTING COUCH EXPERIENCE

his acting skills.

ASHISH TIWARI cityfirst.mumbai@firstindia.co.in

Ranveer Singh is one of the most talent ed actors in the film industry currently. The actor made his Bollywood debut in Maneesh Sharma's

revealed their horrifying ex periences, A-lister Ranveer Singh is the latest individual from the fraternity to have revealed his casting couch experience. For the unversed, Ranveer Singh is an outsider and he has come a long way since the horrifying casting couch experience he faced during the initial stage of his career.

deal with the casting couch, said, "This guy calls me to

Sneak Peek..

Actress Kan gana Ranaut has begun filming 'Emergency' in As sam, her upcoming project. Ranaut had earlier travelled to the state in search of filming locations at places like Kaziran ga and Karbi An glong. On November 16th the actor-direc tor shared a photo from the set of the movie on her Insta gram Stories along with the caption, "Night shift in As sam". She will also be playing the role of former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gan dhi in the film.

from some of the ex-contest ants of the show. Urvashi Dholakia took to her Twitter to call out Shalin and even taunted him about his re quest to eat chicken every day. Gauahar Khan, who ap peared in Bigg Boss 7 too called out Shalin for his in appropriate words. She tweeted that calling women weak is extremely disap pointing and derogatory.

Kushal Tandon and Rajiv Adatia also came out against Shalin for his inappropriate remarks.

Tusshar Kapoor

Shalin Bhanot

Amitabh Bachchan

Ranveer Singh

Kangana Ranaut

Her story...

Jacqueline Fernandez

Jacqueline gets mobbed outside Patiala Court

Vicky Kaushal