First India-Jaipur Edition-18th May 2023

Mamata’s olive branch to Sonia is a bid to thwart Congress-Left combine in WB

IGNORING YEDIYURAPPA PROVED COSTLY?

The cat is out of the bag. The verdict is out… loud and clear… but life must move on. There are three more crucial elections this year in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

Now, what does the Karnataka result mean for the Saffron party? After the Saffron party’s defeat in Karnataka, for now, the BJP is not in power in any state in the south and it is time, the party should get down to the details and analyse in-depth the mandate outcome.

However, with the Lok Sabha elections almost a year away, the party, for now, can focus on the upcoming elections in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh as I had mentioned above. As far as Lok Sabha is concerned, the party mustn’t have sleepless nights right away because with its supremacy in the northern and western states, the Saffron party can still easily assume a simple majority for Parliament given its current status as of date.

I think wherever the regional parties are strong like in Bihar, Odisha, Bengal, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and so many other states, these parties should be given priority to fight the BJP. And places where the Congress is strong, in the 200-odd seats which we have calculated, let them fight and we will give them support. But they must reciprocate by supporting the other political parties as well. If I offer you support in Karnataka, your policy should not be to fight me daily in my state. This is true for everybody.

—MamataBanerjee, West Bengal Chief Minister

It may be noted that out of the 130 seats from the southern states clubbed together, only 30 had come from there. But as they say in politics, one must not take things lightly. The Karnataka results have already made other Opposition parties extremely active and the TMC boss has extended an olive branch to Sonia Gandhi albeit with a rider.

The Trinamool Congress is ready to extend support to the Congress in the 2024 general elections in regions where the Congress is strong, . But this offer comes with a rider and that is Congress, too, should reciprocate the political gesture by not fighting the Trinamool on a daily basis especially in states like Bengal.

To make this formula work, Banerjee stated that the Trinamool alone should be allowed to fight the BJP in Bengal without the Left-Congress combine cutting into its vote share.

“I think wherever the regional parties are strong like in Bihar, Odisha, Bengal, Jharkhand, Ta-

Anybody remembers what happened in 2013? It was when the Saffron party lost Karnataka after being in power for a full five-year term. What led to the Saffron party’s debacle then was intense internal differences and row which also initiated the exit of Lingayat strongman BS Yediyurappa who had floated the Karnataka Janata Party (KJP).

The KJP may have had logged in a vote share under 10 per cent (9.79 per cent) and it had tasted victory in only six seats in the 224-member Assembly that year (in 2013), but this created a dent in the BJP’s fortunes in as many as 26 seats it had won in 2008 in the Lingayat belts, when the party went on to form its first government in south India!

History repeats itself as they say… again in 2023 Assembly polls. It may be recalled how the BJP eased out Yediyurappa “gradually” way back in 2021 though he did not leave the party nor did the party expel him this time, but side lining the Lingayat strongman was enough reason for the BJP’s defeat in at least around 10 seats in central Karnataka.

It should be noted that even as the Grand Old party did sweep the Assembly polls, the Saffron

mil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and so many other states, these parties should be given priority to fight the BJP. And places where the Congress is strong, in the 200-odd seats which we have calculated, let them fight and we will give them support. But they must reciprocate by supporting the other political parties as well. If I offer you support in Karnataka, your policy should not be to fight me daily in my state. This is true for everybody,” Banerjee said at the state secretariat Nabanna on Monday.

This is the first time she has actually warmed up to the idea of having the Congress in the Opposition fold to take on the BJP. She has now put on the table a possible unity strategy for the Opposition camp. And it is a gameplan that includes the Congress. Political observers felt that Congress’s Karnataka performance may have forced Didi to address the Congress factor sooner than she would have liked to.

party’s score in the Lingayat stronghold was 31 out of 113 seats in 2023 as compared to 56 out of the 113, five years ago. Meanwhile, the Congress has gained from 50 to 78 in these strongholds.

Also, it must be mentioned here that the presence of around 10 Opposition candidates this time round who were Yediyurappa aides and were in the poll fray either from the Janata Dal (Secular) or the Congress or even as Independents after falling out of the BJP — they managed to deeply dent the BJP’s prospects. To establish this argument, it may be mentioned that a huge blow for the Saffron party was witnessed in Chikmagalur due to the Yediyurappa factor, where the

Starting off with a rider, “I am not a magician. And I am not at all an astrologer. I cannot say what will happen in future,” Banerjee was responding to a question on how she foresees the prospects of the Opposition’s one-on-one fight against the BJP with Congress in the equation.

“If you want to achieve some good things, then you must also be ready to make sacrifices in certain areas,” she declared, and added: “For the sake of saving the country, this should be a level playing ground for all parties. This must be done to save democracy and the people of this country.”

Political observers are watching this move closely and feel that this invitation has directly stemmed from Trinamool’s recent defeat in the Sagardighi bypoll which the Congress supported Left candidate won.

Questions, though, have already been raised on whether Banerjee’s formula would work in

BJP’s national general secretary

CT Ravi was defeated by Congress candidate HD Thammaiah by a mere 5,926 votes. Thammaiah, a Lingayat, has been a close associate of Yediyurappa. He had left the BJP on the eve of the polls to join the Congress.

Analysing the debacle after the polls, BJP apparently felt that the Yediyurappa impact also played out at several constituencies with large numbers of voters belonging to the Lingayat community who rejected the party’s candidates even as the strongman Yediyurappa did not campaign for them.

Ahead of the 2013 elections, the BJP was faction-ridden too with loyalties aligned with Yediyurappa, BL Santhosh, Basavaraj Bommai and the BJP’s central leadership.

The BJP lost nearly 4 per cent of its vote share from 2018, when it won 104 seats, in the Lingayatdominated Hyderabad Karnataka, Mumbai Karnataka and the central Karnataka regions where Yediyurappa’s writ is heavily dominant. The BJP lost as many as 25 of the 56 seats it had won in these regions in 2018. Also the Saffron party’s experimentation with fielding new candidates in 55 Assembly seats in the state yielded victories only in 13.

her own state where the Congress is already in an alliance with Trinamool’s arch rival, the CPI-M, and where the state leadership of the party have declared an aggressive political war against CM Banerjee and her policies.

“Wherever regional parties are strong, the BJP cannot fight in those places. These are places where people are demoralized and frustrated. There’s anti-incumbency and other factors at work. For instance in Karnataka, if you look at the verdict, it’s against the BJP government. People are antagonized. They considered the dispensation atrocious and terrible. The economy is ruined. Democratic rights are bulldozed. Even the wrestlers are not spared,” the Bengal Chief Minister said on Monday, explaining her stand.

“In this situation I feel those who are strong in their own places, in their respective regions, should fight in unity. For example in Bengal, I think we should

Amit Shah @AmitShah SPIRITUAL SPEAK

India towards becoming a global manufacturing hub and an investment destination while creating 75,000 direct jobs.

fight here. In Delhi, for instance, the AAP should fight there. In Bihar Nitish Kumar and Tejaswi Yadav are already together and the Congress is also present. They should decide their formula, I can’t decide it for them. Similar methods should be followed in states like Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand and elsewhere. It’s their choice,” she added.

“In UP, of course, Akhilesh Yadav should be given that opportunity. There’s also Ajit Singh and there are different combinations in that state. I am not saying that the Congress should not fight there. Let’s decide this carefully. The talks are on and they have not reached final stages. We can talk about it in detail only when the matter is discussed threadbare,” Banerjee stated. “At this point, everybody is having their own thoughts about this move,” the Trinamool chief said.

LESSONS FOR BJP

Karnataka has voted for the Grand old Party exactly after a decade. In 2013, it won 122 seats with a 36 per cent vote share. On Saturday, the Congress won 135 seats and its ally, the Sarvodaya Karnataka Paksha, won the only seat it had contested. Collectively, the vote share was almost 43 per cent.

BJP’S ADVENT AND SUPREMACY IN KARNATAKA

The BJP had acquired the vacuum in Karnataka politics in the Nineties created by the implosion of the Janata Dal. However, in other southern states of the country, the anti-Congress area created was quickly taken up either by the communists, regional parties, and breakaway groups of the Congress — the Dravidian parties in Tamil Nadu, the Telugu Desam (and later the YSR Congress and BRS) in Andhra Pradesh-Telangana, and the CPM.

The BJP’s rise in Karnataka was also boosted to a great extent thanks to the Lingayats, a powerful community that once backed the Congress and had also produced several chief ministers but later drifted apart from the Grand Old party during the early Eighties. BS Yediyurappa, a Lingayat strongman, had built the BJP brick by brick with the Lingayat community as its core vote.

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?

MODI’S VISIT STILL ON, DESPITE CANCELLATION OF QUAD MEET

New Delhi: PM Anthony Albanese on Wednesday said that his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi would still travel next week to Australia despite the cancellation of Quad leaders’ meeting in Sydney.

Crucial

READ

SAMEER WANKHEDE SUMMONED BY CBI IN ARYAN KHAN CASE

New Delhi: CBI Wednesday summoned former NCB officer Sameer Wankhade for questioning at its Mumbai office on Thursday. The summons came days after a corruption case was lodged for demanding `25 crore from actor SRK.

NET BAN EXTENDED FOR 5 DAYS; ASSAM RIFLES JAWAN DIES

Kolkata/Guwahati: Assam Rifles jawan who was shot by miscreants while patrolling in midst of Manipur violence on May 10, succumbed to the bullet injuries at Kolkata Hosp on Wednesday. Internet ban for 5 more days in some areas.

POLICE SURROUNDED MY HOUSE, ARREST IMMINENT: IMRAN

Lahore: Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday claimed that the police has surrounded his house and that he could be arrested any moment.“Probably my last tweet before my next arrest,” Khan said on Twitter.

SP HINDUJA

1935 — 2023

BOSS OF HINDUJA

FAMILY NO MORE

London/New Delhi: Srichand Parmanand Hinduja, the eldest of the four Hinduja brothers and chairman of Hinduja Group, died in London on Wednesday. He was unwell for some time. He was 87. “Gopichand, Prakash, Ashok and the whole Hinduja family with a heavy heart regret to announce the passing away of our family patriarch, and chairman of Hinduja Group, SP Hinduja today,” a spokesperson for the family said.

SOURAV GANGULY’S SECURITY UPGRADED TO ‘Z’ CATEGORY

Kolkata: The WB government has decided to upgrade the security cover of former Indian cricket team captain and ex-BCCI president Sourav Ganguly to Z category, a senior official said.

UNION CABINET OKAYS `17,000 CR PLI SCHEME FOR IT HARDWARE

New Delhi: The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has granted approval for the Production Linked Incentive Scheme 2.0 for IT Hardware, allocating a budget of `17,000 crore.

Gandhis, Kharge, Sidda & Shiva; talks still on over Karnataka CM

The swearing-in ceremony likely to be held in Bengaluru today

KA!

KISSA KURSI KA!

Aditi Nagar and Moni Sharma

Amid intense speculation over the next CM of Karnataka, the Congress has said a decision on it is likely on soon and a new cabinet in State will be in place in next 4872 hours. There seemed a ‘crossroad situation’ in the Karnataka CM selection process on Wednesday. Congress high command has come up with a new formula to run govt under leadership of those who win the election to give message of unity,

Kharge and Sonia Gandhi held a discussion. Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar played a role in the victory of Congress in Karnataka. Sources said, ‘Word is that 50:50 formula was discussed, but DK asked for CM post for 1st part and made a promise to high command saying, “Give me the first two and a half years, I will win all the seats in the Lok Sabha and if I don’t win, I will come forward and resign myself.”

High command said, “How will Siddaramaiah ji be balanced if he wins the seats?” And thus, high command once again got confused after not getting the answer to this question.

Sidda’s name is in priority for the CM post and DK for deputy CM along with the State president and 2 important portfolios. But DK denied. Meanwhile, after the high command’s formula of 50:50, Shivakumar demanded for the post of CM for the first two-and-a-half-years with a promise. —Sources

ADANI-HINDENBURG CASE

Can’t give indefinite extension, submit report on probe by Aug 14: SC to SEBI

First India Bureau

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted the SEBI an additional three months, until August 14, to complete its probe into possible lapses in regulatory disclosures by the Adani Group. A bench headed by CJI DY Chandrachud directed the SEBI to file an updated status report on probe into allegations of stock price manipulation by Gautam Adani-led group. The bench also ordered that report of the Justice AM Sapre committee, which was submitted to it, be made available to the parties.

EXPERT PANEL REPORT HEARING ON JULY 11

The Supreme Court had on March 2 ordered the formation of a six-member committee to probe allegations of stock manipulation against Adani Group by US short-seller Hindenburg Research. The Supreme Court listed the matter forfurther hearing on July 11.

COMPLAINT AGAINST ADANI’S PROJECT

The case in SC pertains to a complaint filed by the Centre against Adani group’s `16,000-crore coal mine project in Ratna in Chhattisgarh. The Centre has alleged that the group made fraudulent disclosures in its filings with the SEBI in the connection.

FULFILLING BUDGET’S PROMISES...

OTHER TOP COURT NEWS

JAIPUR SERIAL BOMB BLASTS: TOP COURT PUTS STAY ON HC REMARKS AGAINST ATS

In the case related to the serial bomb blasts in Jaipur, a division bench of Justice Abhay S Oka & Justice Rajesh Bidal in the SC, refused to completely stay decision of Rajasthan HC given on March 29 which acquitted 4 accused by canceling death sentence. The SC has asked State govt to serve notices to Mohd Saif, Saifur Rahman. More on P8

SC GRANTS ARREST SHIELD TO SRINIVAS IN HARASSMENT CASE

SC granted anticipatory to IYC president Srinivas BV in an FIR registered against him by expelled woman party member for allegedly causing her mental agony.

A bench of Justices BR Gavai and Sanjay Karol granted anticipatory bail to Srinivas to cooperate with probe, asked him to appear before police on May 22.

Gehlot approves `157.28 crore for road works

Naresh Sharma

Jaipur: Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has approved a financial proposal of ` 157.28 crore for the development of main roads, non-pachable roads and missing link roads in various areas of the state.

With this, the road widening and bridge construction work from Pandiv to Kalandri on State Highway-38 in Sirohi at a cost of `31.28 crore and BishangarhBhavrani-Bhorda-Ghana-Dhundhara in Jalore, Pali and Barmer at

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot being felicitated by the

a cost of ` 56 crore will be done. Apart from this, a total of 156 road development works of non-pachable roads and missing link roads will

be done in 7 assembly constituencies of the state at a cost of ` 70 crore.

With this decision of the Chief Minister, the

INCREASE OF 440 BEDS IN 10 MEDICAL INSTITUTIONS AND 350 NEW POSTS T he state govt is constantly expanding medical facilities in the state. In this sequence, CM Ashok Gehlot has approved the proposal for expansion of facilities in 10 medical institutions, increase of total 440 beds and creation of 350 new posts. With this decision, additional beds to the tune of 150 beds Government Hospitals in Kuchaman City Nagaur, 100 in Satellite hospital at Moti Dungari Jaipur, 45 in Community Health Center Sedwa Barmer, 25 in Bhinmal Jalore and 20 beds each in Hindauli Bundi, Kotkasim and Tapkuda in Alwar, Badau Jhunjhunu, Gudhachandraji Karauli and Ramgarh Sikar will be available.

construction of new roads will strengthen the road system in the state and provide ease of movement for the general public. It is

noteworthy that the announcement in this regard was made by the Chief Minister in the budget for the year 2023-24.

SC directed the State of Manipur to file a fresh status report on all security, relief and rehabilitation efforts made for people affected by the violence between Meitei and the Kuki communities.

SC adjourned to July 14 hearing on CBI’s plea that challenged K’taka HC order granting interim stay on probe into disproportionate assets case against KPCC President DK Shivakumar.

KARNATAKA CM

DECISION IN NEXT

24 HRS: SURJEWALA

Hours after the reports emerged saying Sidda was likely to be next CM of Karnataka, Congress GS Randeep Singh Surjewala on Wednesday said the decision was yet to be taken and southern state will have a new cabinet in the next 48-72 hours. He said deliberations were currently underway by Kharge.

SHIVKUMAR CAMP’S CLEAR INDICATION OVER THE CM POST

After daylong back-to-back meetings between Gandhis, Kharge, Venu, Surjewala and others; Cong top brass yet to decide over K’taka CM. Late at night, DK’s camp said, ‘Either we get CM’s chair or no other post is acceptable.’ Priyanka will once again talk to DK. Meanwhile, Sidda also met Venugopal and Surjewala.

7 flyers hurt in severe turbulence on AI flight

First India Bureau

New Delhi: At least 7 passengers travelling on board Air India’s DelhiSydney flight, AI 302, suffered minor injuries due to mid-air turbulence on Tuesday. DGCA said, these passengers complained of minor sprain, after the aircraft, a Boeing 787-800, encountered mid-flight turbulence. AI’s crew, assisted by a doctor and nurse and travelling on board as passengers, gave first aid to injured.

Flight landed safely in Sydney, 3 passengers availed medical assistance on arrival, none of whom required hospitalisation. This onboard incident has been reported to relevant authorities as a standard practice.

—Air India

FIRST-TIME FLYER FROM RAJASTHAN HELD AT BENGALURU FOR SMOKING ‘BEEDI’ IN FLIGHT

A56-year-old man, who was flying from Ahmedabad to Bengaluru by Akasa Air, was arrested on landing at KIA on Tuesday. He was charged with endangering the lives of fellow passengers by smoking a beedi midair. The accused, identified as M Praveen Kumar, a resident of Pali district, has been sent to Bengaluru Jail. “Kumar, who was flying for 1st time, claimed he was not aware of the no-smoking rule,” police said.

BSF seize heroin worth over `25 crore dropped by Pakistani drone

First India Bureau

Sri Ganganagar: The Border Security Force (BSF) at 2.30 am on Wednesday seized 5 kgs of heroin, worth over `25 crore, from Sri Ganganagar’s Anupgarh.

Police informed the drugs entered the Indian territory from Pakistan with the help of a drone at Nimichand Post in Sri Ganganagar.

“BSF officials opened fire after they spotted a drone crossing int’l border. Packets of heroin were recovered by BSF,” police added.

BSF troops foil drug smuggling attempt and recover 2 packets of suspected heroin dropped by Pakistani drone near IndoPak border at Rawla in Bikaner at 2.30 am on Wednesday. At around 2.30 am on Wednesday, troops witnessed a movement on the border. As troops could not see much, they fired 42 rounds after which smugglers fled away.

—Pushpendra Singh, BSF DIG

delegation of Grade-3 teachers at the Chief Minister’s Residence on Wednesday.

(From Left) Siddaramaiah meets Rahul Gandhi, in New Delhi on Wednesday. DK Shivakumar calls on Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi.

Randeep Singh Surjewala speaks to media outside the residence of party President Mallikarjun Kharge, in New Delhi on Wednesday.

Illustration by Uttkarsha Shekhar

Now licence mandatory for selling used vehicles

Transport dept issues guidelines to obtain trade licence online

Shivendra Singh Parmar

Jaipur: The business of second hand vehicles is very big across the state, including Jaipur, as there are a lot of people selling second hand vehicles in every city. After the growing number of centers and complaints received against them, the Transport Department has decided to control this trade and made a licence necessary for this same. The transport department has issued guidelines for obtaining trade licence by applying online. The trader will have to pay a fee of

25000 to the transport dept to get the trade licence. The department has authorised the DTO to issue the trade licence else action will be taken against them, said KL

Swamy, Transport Commissioner. Due to lack of control of the Transport Dept, there was arbitrariness in buying and selling of vehicles at these centers.

Female tantrik, 14 others held for planning to loot `600 crore

First India Bureau

Jaipur : Two property dealers barged into the home of a known property dealer to loot Rs 600 crore in the Karni Vihar area. To execute the burglary, they hired a gang of robbers and reached his home. First, they took the family members hostage, and then started the search for Rs 600 crore. When unable to find the sum, the frustrated robbers broke the tiles of the room. The robbery was done at the behest of a female tantrik. The tantrik said that there

NEWS DIGEST

MOTHER-SON DUO

DIE, 6 INJURED IN ROAD MISHAP

Alwar: Mother and son died & six were injured in an accident on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway on Wednesday morning. The accident was so severe that the speedy car collided with the divider and hung on a culvert at a distance of about 100 feet. The accident took place at 6 am near Maujpur under Laxmangarh police station in Alwar district. Seeing the car hanging on the culvert, the local people informed police. All injured were referred to Barodamev Hospital.

JMC-G BEGINS PREP TO ALLOT DAIRY BOOTHS

Jaipur: Following the budget announcement of CM Ashok Gehlot, interviews for the allotment of 563 new dairy booths in the Jaipur Municipal Corporation (Greater) area will start on May 18. The interviews will be held in 2 shifts till June 7. Commissioner Mahendra Soni has given directions to the concerned officers to strengthen the arrangements for the smooth conduct of the interview process.

Female tantrik & other accused in the Jaipur police custody on Wednesday. Tantrik had hinted about bounty in a realtor’s home.

were Rs 600 crore hidden in the house. Later, the robbers fled after looting the valuables (jewellery) and cash lying in the house.

DCP West Vandita Rana said that police arrested all 15 accused in-

cluding the female tantrik on Wednesday. Armed miscreants barged into house of property businessman Yadram Maurya late on May 12 at Dhabas area. The police disclosed this incident in 3 days.

The department had also received complaints like stolen vehicles being delivered several times along with the people buying second hand vehicles.

Accused in bank cheque dishonour case acquitted

Ajmer (FIB): Court of Judicial Magistrate No 6 Ajmer, Sonal Mishra, acquitted Sumesh Bijawat son of late Satyanarayan Bijawat, resident of Ajmer, accused of cheque dishonour.

In the year 2015, the complainant presented two cases of cheques of Rs 1 lakh each against the accused. The court, being satisfied with the arguments, acquitted the accused by giving him the benefit of doubt.

Accused Sumesh was represented by Advocates SK Singh, Amit Kumar Jain, Rekha Dixit, Saurabh Chatterjee & Keerti Harsha.

2 stolen idols of Lord Mahaveer worth `5 cr found

First India Bureau

Bharatpur: The two metallic sculptures of Lord Mahaveer, stolen nearly two years ago from Jain Temple in Mahaveer Nagar of Jaipur, was recovered from Helaina Police Station area in Bharatpur on Wednesday. Police informed 2 sculptures worth around Rs 5 cr was stolen in 2021 and was about to be sold.

“The accused has been identified as Bijendra Jatav, a resident of Nagla Jatav Naya Gaon Maafi under the Helaina PS area of Bharatpur,” police said.

Politics over hike in fuel surcharge, BJP protests

First India Bureau

Jaipur: As protests have started over the hike in electricity fuel surcharge, the Discoms have decided to avoid the dispute by adding provisional fuel surcharge in the bill every

month, so that consumers do not have to pay surcharge for 3 months at once. The RERC gave permission on the petition of power companies to collect fuel surcharge from consumers on provisional basis.

In fact, all the three discoms including Jaipur have fixed the fuel surcharge of 52 paise per unit for the third quarter of 2022-23. This amount will be recovered on electricity con-

Jogaram takes over charge of JDC, Prithvi Raj as agriculture secretary

Abhishek Shrivastava

Jaipur : IAS Dr. Jogaram assumed the charge of Jaipur Development Commissioner on Wednesday.

IAS Ravi Jain handed over the charge to him in JDA office. During this, the top JDA officials present congratulated Dr. Jogaram. After that, Jogaram took a meeting of the officials. In the meeting, along with the introduction of the officers, information about the functioning of JDA was taken and the ongoing projects were also discussed.

DR PRITHVI TAKES CHARGE, INSTRUCTS OFFICIALS

TO WORK ON PRIORITIES OF STATE GOVERNMENT

Dr. Prithvi Raj, the new Secy of Agriculture Dept, took charge on Wednesday. After this, an introductory review meeting was held with the departmental officers. First meeting was with the officials of the Horticulture Dept. After this, a meeting was held with the officials of the Agricultural Marketing Dept. During this, Dr. Prithviraj instructed all the officers to work according to the priorities of state govt.

sumption from July 2022 to September 2022. Meanwhile, the state BJP on Wednesday began its three-day protest against the state govt over its decision to increase power bills by hiking fuel surcharge. The protest witnessed the presence of BJP MPs, MLAs, Zila Pramukhs and other party leaders. Ramlal Sharma said that the protest in Jaipur will be held on May 19.

JDA’s enforcement wing seals 2 illegal buildings in Jaipur

Jaipur (FIB): The enforcement wing of Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) on Wednesday sealed an illegal residential building and school in Zone-9 and Zone-10, respectively. Officials informed that 12 duplexes, constructed in Krishna Vihar Scheme of Zone – 9, were sealed as the colony was not approved by the JDA. Plot No. 18 to 21 and Plot No. 25 & 26 of Krishna Vihar Colony were sealed due to violation of building bylaws. A notice was issued and the builder was restricted from doing any construction in January.

936

girls on 1000 male in State, informs Fadke

BD Kalla lays foundation stone for Haj House Cultural Centre in BKN

Laxman Raghav

First India Bureau

Jaipur : National convenor of Beti BachaoBeti Padhao Campaign, Rajendra Fadke, on Wednesday took a meeting of BJP leaders at State BJP HQs.

“Narendra Modi ji is paying attention to even the smallest thing in the

country. The campaign that began in 2015 in Haryana has reported surprising changes in the sex ratio in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh. Earlier in Rajasthan, there was a ratio of 726 against 1000, but now it has increased to 936,” said Rajendra Fadke.

Bikaner: Edu Minister Dr BD Kalla laid the foundation stone of the Haj House Cultural Centre on Wednesday to be built at divisional headquarters. On this occasion, Dr Kalla said that the construction of Haj houses at the divisional level would facilitate the Haj pilgrims of Phalodi, Jaisalmer and Pokran regions besides the districts of the Bikaner division, such Haj houses will be set up at each divisional HQs. He announced Rs 25 lakh from the

MLA fund for the construction of Haj House. Haj Committee, Chairman, Amin Kagzi said that with establishment of Haj houses at the divisional level, works like applications & training of Haj pilgrims would be done

more conveniently. Waqf Board, Chairman, Khanu Khan Budhwali said that the state govt has provided basic facilities to people of all religions andt he construction of Haj House is also a step in this direction.

Minor kidnapped, gang-raped

First India Bureau

Jaipur: A minor girl was allegedly beaten, kidnapped and gang-raped by two men in the Pratap Nagar area, police said. Police informed the incident took place at around 6:30 pm on May 15.

“The victim was walking around Godavari Apartment on May 15. Suddenly, two youths came and abducted the girl. She was then taken to nearby jungles where she was beaten & gangraped by the two miscreants,” police said.

Naresh Sharma Jaipur : Public Health and Engineering Minister Mahesh Joshi on Wednesday said that school curriculum should include lessons on water conservation to create awareness among children from an early age.

The PHED and groundwater depts will prepare study material

on water conservation and and send a proposal to school education

department, Joshi said while addressing as the chief guest the inaugu-

ral session of the State Consultation Program organized on the subject of ‘Convergent Planning and Implementation for Source Sustainability in Rajasthan’ on Wednesday at Hotel Marriott. The minister added that the young generation should be encouraged to participate in water conservation. Hailing the water con-

servation practice of the villagers in desert areas like Jaisalmer and Barmer, Joshi said residents of urban areas should follow suit.

Despite the adverse geographical conditions of the state, the State government has done commendable work in the Jal Jeevan Mission with 40.68 lakh tap water connections, the minister said.

(T) Car bazaar opposite to Dushehra Maidan. (B) Second hand bike market at Jalupura in Jaipur. —PHOTOS BY MUKESH KIRADOO

‘Water conservation should be in school curriculum’

Rajendra Fadke speaks as Arun Chaturvedi, Sonia Ramchandani, Rama Chopra, Shravan Bagri, & others listen keenly at BJP HQ on Wednesday.

Recovered idols.

Rajasthan University slips in World Varsity Ranking 2023

The Rajasthan University is ranked 1899 globally; earlier it was ranked 1817 globally

First India Bureau

Jaipur: The Centre for World University Rankings has released the rankings for the year 2023 edition. Rajasthan University has lagged behind in the ranking.

Last year RU’s global rank was 1817 and national rank was 53. This year RU’s Global Rank is 1899 and National Rank is 58. On the other hand, 64 Indian institutes are also included in the top-2000 institutes in the ranking.

IIM Ahmedabad ranks first in the country with a global rank of 419. IIS Bangalore has secured 494 rank globally. Its national rank is second. IIT Bombay has

a global rank of 554 and a national rank of three.

IIM Ahmedabad is at the forefront of providing employment. In this category, the rank of IIT

NIA arrests Lawrence’s aide during Jodh raid

Rajeev Gaur

Jodhpur: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday conducted raids at the premises of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s close aide Arvind Vishnoi in Jodhpur and arrested him. The NIA team reached Arvind’s house, located in 8 Meel under the Mandore Police Station area, at 6am and then took him to the police Station.

“Soon after questioning him, the NIA sleuths also went to the Pipad area to nab one more accused connected to gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. The officials also recovered photos of Arvind with weap-

ons and he is being interrogated regarding his connection with Lawrence Bishnoi,” officials said.

Speaking to the media, Arvind Vishnoi’s mother, Sulochna said that Arvind works as a labourer and he is not connected to Lawrence Bishnoi in any way.

Delhi has come better than IIT Bombay.

The Center for World University Rankings is an organisation that provides advice, sug -

gestions for improvement, quality education, etc. to government universities. This ranking is being done from the year 2012.

LAST

Till 2018, there was a ranking of 1,000 institutes. In 2019, increasing the scope, the number of universities was increased to 2,000. The RU made it to this ranking for the first time since 2019. This year the ranking of Rajasthan University has been worse as compared to the last four years.

Post eviction, Pak migrants protest outside Dabi’s office

First India Bureau Jaisalmer: Following the removal of encroachments by the the Urban Improvement Trust (UIT) in Jaisalmer’s Amarsagar, the Pakistani migrants sat on a protest outside collector’s office and alleged that their houses have been razed in the name of removing encroachments.

Protestor Sugni Devi said that they have been removed from the land due to vested interest of a few people.

“We are being tortured here more in India than in Pakistan. Where should we go now,” said Sugni Devi. Meanwhile, District Collector Tina Dabi informed that complaints of encroachment were being made time and again by Amarsagar Sarpanch and residents.

BJP ATTACKS CONGRESS OVER ACTION ON PAKISTANI MIGRANTS IN JAISALMER

Jaipur: The BJP has attacked the Congress Government over its action to displace Hindu Pakistani migrants in Jaisalmer in the name of removing encroachments. Leader of Opposition Rajendra Rathore said that Congress is doing politics of appeasement. “Earlier in Jodhpur and now in Jaisalmer. Houses of Hindu Pakistani migrants were being razed and it shows the cruel attitude of the Congress government. Hindus were continuously being harassed in Pakistan. In such a situation, to destroy the houses of Hindu refugees who came here in the hope of taking shelter is crossing the limits of cruelty of humanity,” said Rajendra Rathore. Deputy Leader of Opposition Satish Poonia too termed it as an arbitrary action and said that the government is making people homeless.

PSKS: Govt issues rule for regularising some part of occupied plot

First India Bureau

Jaipur: The State Government has set a target to give lease to maximum number of people under the Prashasan Shehron Ke Sang (PSKS) Campaign. In this sequence, work is being done to legalise the illegal occupations also.

Now the government has issued a clarification regarding the allotment of land occupied more than the original plot.

It has been clarified that the maximum area of occupied land will be 10 per cent of the area of the original plot or up to 300 square meters, whichever is less. Its

Nal airport expansion: Officials issue free land allotment order

Laxman Raghav

Bikaner: The land related problem regarding the expansion of Nal airport has been removed. The Revenue Department has issued free allotment orders of 24.75 hectares of land for airport development. After the expansion of the airport, now 10-15 aircraft up to 200-250 seaters will be able to come here.

Land allotment will be free of cost. The state

government will bear the entire expenditure (consultant etc.) of the diversion.

Now there is hope again among the passengers that they will be able to get direct

and connection flights to Kolkata, Guwahati, Surat, Ahmedabad and Mumbai. Flight agencies have done a survey before Covid to start air service on these routes.

Power connection to be given sans JDA lease

First India Bureau Jaipur: In the matter related to electricity connection on society leases in Prithviraj Nagar, the State Government presented in the High Court the details of the meeting chaired by the Chief Secretary on Wednesday.

The HC was told that electricity connection should be given in Prithviraj Nagar even without the JDA lease. JV-

VNL MD was ordered to appear on May 23 with an affidavit in the case. Single bench of Justice Sameer Jain gave the order on the petitions of Anant Kasliwal and others. Senior advocate GS Bapna presented the case on behalf of the JDA. HC appointed PN Bhandari and Mahendra Shandilya as amicus curiae in the case. Senior advocate Virendra Lodha appeared on behalf of the JVVNL.

amount will be recovered at 10 per cent of reserve rate or 10 per cent of DLC rate, whichever is less.

It has also been clarified that if the extra land occupied along with the original plot is in the building line and is not a part of the right of way, regularisation can be done only in that case.

94.50% clear Class 8th board exam, Kalla releases result

First India Bureau Jaipur: Education Minister Dr BD Kalla on Wednesday declared the results of Class 8th board exams. While releasing the result in the office of the Directorate of Education, Dr BD Kalla said that a total of 13,05,355 candidates appeared in this examination from across the State. “Of these, the maximum number of 1,23,993 students ap -

IAS VEENU GUPTA, SHUBHRA SINGH TAKE CHARGE AS ACS

Education Minister BD Kalla releasing Class 8th board result in Jaipur on

peared in Jaipur district while the least 14,303 candidates appeared from Jaisalmer. Similarly, a total of

Three-point message sent to mines officials in 1st meeting

lll Promotion of legal mining, effective strict action against illegal mining and increase in revenue were the areas officials were asked to focus

First India Bureau

Jaipur: Additional Chief Secretary Mines, Petroleum and Industries Veenu Gupta on Wednesday sent a threepoint message to the officials of the Mines Department — promotion of legal mining, effective strict action against illegal mining and increase in revenue. She also emphasised on time bound implementation of budget announcements.

After taking charge of ACS Mines on Wednesday, Gupta took a review meeting with Director Mines Sandesh Nayak and officials and inquired about the departmental activities

in detail. She instructed to speed up the exploration work and prepare a roadmap for the auction work. She said that working with team spirit, Rajasthan has to be made a leading state on the map of the country and the world. Giving information about the departmental activities, Director Mines Sandesh Nayak said that instructions have been given to the officials to implement the action plan.

Health & Family Welfare Dept review meet held

First India Bureau

Jaipur: IAS Shubhra Singh assumed charge as Additional Chief Secretary in the Medical, Health and Family Welfare Department on Wednesday. She reviewed the departmental schemes and programmes in detail in the meeting held at Swasthya Bhavan. The officials of the department highlighted

the progress of important schemes including Mukhyamantri Nirogi Nirogi Rajasthan Yojana,

12,33,702 candidates have been declared passed. The overall exam result was 94.50 per cent,” said Minister Dr BD Kalla.

As per the result statistics, 95,226 candidates got an A grade, 4,74,924 students got a B grade, 5,76,782 examinees got a C grade and 86,770 candidates got a D grade. Likewise, 86,777 candidates were given supplementary for not clearing all the exams.

Accused held in female teacher murder case

First India Bureau Ajmer: The police on Wednesday arrested the accused involved in the murder of a 32-year-old married woman that took place in Alwar Gate area of Ajmer.

“On Tuesday, when the accused (Vivek) met Kirti near Naka Madar Chowki in Ajmer and asked her to marry him, she refused. The fuming Vivek attacked her with a sharp knife and killed her on the spot,” police said.

Mukhyamantri Chi-

ranjeevi Swasthya Bima Yojana, Mukhyamantri Free Medicine and Diagnosis Scheme through PPT.

ACS Shubhra Singh holds review meet with Shuchi Tyagi, Dr Jitendra Kumar Soni, Anupama Jorwal, Shivprasad Nakate, Gaurav Saini, Dr Ravi Prakash Mathur and other officials on Wednesday.

BEAUTIFYING

A welcome gate is being constructed at Jawahar Circle Junction in Jaipur. The monument will be made in the traditional architecture of Rajasthan with white stones which will attract tourists. —PHOTO BY MUKESH KIRADOO

Accused Arvind’s mother says her son has no connection with Gangster Lawrence.

Wednesday.

PRITHVIRAJ NAGAR CASE: GOVT IN HC

INDIA

PM Modi to visit Australia next week despite cancellation of Quad meet

PM MODI WILL INAUGURATE PURI-HOWRAH VANDE BHARAT EXPRESS VIRTUALLY ON MAY 18

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair NITI Aayog’s Governing Council meeting on May 27, and issues related to the economy, agriculture and health are expected to be taken up for discussions, according to official sources. The council, the apex body of NITI Aayog, includes all Chief Ministers, Lieutenant Governors of Union Territories, and several Union ministers.

Modi is the Chairman of NITI Aayog. Generally, the full council meeting happens every year and last year, it was held under the chairmanship of Modi on August 7.

celled the Quad leaders' meeting in Sydney on May 24 as US President Joe Biden postponed

his visit to Australia to focus on crucial debtceiling talks to prevent a catastrophic federal

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. —FILE PHOTO

BOMMAI’S

DIG AT CONGRESS

Inability to choose CM early reflects on its internal situation

Bengaluru (PTI): Outgoing Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday said the “inability” of the Congress to decide on the new Chief Minister early, despite having a complete majority, reflects on the internal situation of the party. He urged the Congress to settle the issue of government formation soon. His comments came amid intense speculation over who will be the next chief minister, with the Congress saying on Wednesday afternoon that a decision on it is likely later today or Thursday, and a new Cabinet in the State will be in place in the next 48 to 72 hours.

Hectic parleys are on in New Delhi as former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is in stiff competition with state Congress president D K Shivakumar to become the CM.

People have voted for the Congress party hoping that a change of government will bring a lot of prosperity to the state as well as the people. They are yet to finalise their CM candidate. It is their internal matter, I don’t want to discuss much on that.

—Basavaraj Bommai, Outgoing Karnataka Chief Minister

W

New delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday will virtually inaugurate the Puri-Howrah Vande Bharat Express. The train will be flagged off from Puri at around 1pm by the PM virtually. The programme will be graced by railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw at Puri station, from where the train will commence its inaugural run. This is the second Vande Bharat that WB is getting after the Howrah-New Jalpaiguri Vande Bharat Express.

default.

Anthony Albanese, Narendra Modi, Joe Biden and Japanese

Only JPC can unravel truth: Cong on Adani Group

A

New Delhi (PTI): With the Supreme Court granting the SEBI time till August 14 to complete its probe into allegations of stock price manipulation by the Adani Group, the Congress on Wednesday said the apex court-supervised investigation into the Adani issue is limited to violations of securities laws and only a JPC probe can unravel the whole truth.

9 yrs of PM: A look at India’s meteoric rise in global affairs

Prime Minister Narendra Modi —FILE PHOTO

ASKS BJP LEADER

hile the Congress leadership in Delhi holds parleys between Siddaramaiah and D K Shivakumar to decide who will be the next chief minister of Karnataka, state Congress president Shivakumar on Wednesday received support from unlikely quarters. Former ministers Dr K Sudhakar and S T Somashekar who were among the 17 Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) legislators to switch to the BJP in 2019 and topple the Congress-JD(S) govt alleged on Thursday that Siddaramaiah, the former CM, was responsible for the collapse of the coalition govt, Both of them are Vokkaligas, a community to which Shivakumar belongs. While Sudhakar was the Medical Education, and Health and Family Welfare Minister in the BJP govt, Somashekar was the Cooperation Minister.M inister in the outgoing BJP government K Sudhakar on Wednesday questioned former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah whether he can deny the fact that he had no role, “implicitly or explicitly”, in the move by Congress MLAs to quit the party when the coalition government was in offi ce in 2019. He raised the issue at a time when Siddaramaiah is in a stiff competition with state Congress president D K Shivakumar to become the CM, after Congress won the Assembly polls by securing 135 seats In a series of tweets, Sudhakar accused the Congress leader of assuring the MLAs that he won’t allow the then H D Kumaraswamy-led coalition government to continue even for a single day after 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

On EU official call against India over Russian oil, EAM responds

Brussels: Responding to Josep Borrell, EU Foreign policy chief's remarks calling for action against Indian refined products from Russian crude, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday (local time) advised him to look at EU Council regulations.

"Look at EU Council regulations, Russian crude is substantially transformed in the third country and not treated as Russian anymore. I would urge you

to look at Council's Regulation 833/2014," said Mr Jaishankar.

Look at EU Council regulations, Russian crude is substantially transformed in the third country and not treated as Russian anymore. I would urge you to look at Council’s Regulation 833/2014.

—S Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister

India reselling Russian oil as refined fuels including diesel into Europe as Western nations move to tighten sanctions on Moscow's energy sector.

Vadodara: Four-time Congress MLA from Chhota Udepur, Dhiru Bhil , on Tuesday announced that he will join the BJP on Thursday in the presence of state BJP president Stating that he had “no animosity or grudges” against the Congress, Bhil said that he had taken the decision to join the BJP to “bring development to the taluka and district”

UNCHECKED PILGRIMAGE

s the suspense over who the next CM of Karnataka will be continued on Wednesday, the Cong hit back at the BJP over digs at the lack of clarity about who will lead the state, Siddaramaiah or D K Shivakumar. “2017 UP Vidhan Sabha election results out on March 11th. Yogi appointed CM 8 days later on March 19th. 2021 Assam Vidhan Sabha election results out on May 3rd. Himanta Sarma became CM 7 days later on May 10th,” Ramesh tweeted.Reacting to the development, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "SEBI asked for a 6-month extension saying a complete review will take 15 months. Supreme Court has granted a 3-month extension. Let it be said again and again and again. The SC-supervised investigation is limited to violations of securities laws."

They say PM Modi is a strong leader who is confident in the presence of some of the most powerful leaders in the world, and who represents a growing economy, a nation with the highest population, a nation sought by the West for friendship, and an important geopolitical player that counters an expansionist China.

Pawar holds meeting with NCP leaders for LS,

Mumbai (ANI): Senior opposition leader and NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday chaired a meeting at YB Chavan Centre in Mumbai on several issues including next year’s Lok Sabha, Assembly elections and the Maharashtra govet’s governance. The meeting was also called up to discuss the governance by the current Maharashtra govt of Shiv Sena and BJP along with the current political situation in the state. Earlier in the day,

Scientists warn about Chardham Yatra



Crumbling mountainsides, sinking towns and untrammelled construction. It is against this backdrop that thousands of pilgrims make their way to the upper reaches of Uttarakhand each day, posing serious risk to the fragile Himalayan region.

That reports of landslides are increasing and people in subsidence-hit Joshimath, the gateway to Badrinath, one of the Char Dham

destinations, are being compelled to move back to the homes they left because of large cracks add to the general sense of

foreboding gripping the area. Environmentalists point to the road expansion project as another factor posing a serious

risk to the stability of the region, already highly prone to climate-driven disasters, experts say.

The U’khand govt’s decision to lift the daily cap on the number of pilgrims visiting the state for the Char Dham Yatra is a matter of grave concern, according to environmental activist Atul Sati. Earlier, the daily limits were — Yamunotri (5,500 pilgrims), Gangotri (9,000), Badrinath (15,000) & Kedarnath (18,000).

assembly polls

In August 2014, during his first visit outside India’s neighbourhood, PM Modi struck a rapport with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe. PM Modi was deeply saddened when his friend was assassinated in July last year. He went to Japan to attend the state funeral of his friend.

“PM Modi started with a master stroke. He was the first Prime Minister of India to think of inviting the immediate neighbours of South Asia and Mauritius or near-neighbours to his inauguration,” India’s former ambassador Kishen S Rana told.

NCP leader Rohit Pawar said that in the meeting, there will be a discussion on how the party will fight in the upcoming LS, and State Assembly elec-

tions. Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray also arrived at Sena Bhawan in Mumbai to hold a meeting with party leaders.

Patna (ANI): Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on Tuesday slammed self-styled godman, ‘Baba Bageshwar’ Dhirendra Shastri, for his reported remark of “Bihar will ignite the ‘Hindu Rashtra’ fire”, and said that his statement has ‘no value’. “In Bihar, we ensure that everyone gets their right to worship as the way they want, but no one should interfere in each other’s faith. If someone is saying something on their own, it has no value,” Kumar added.

IN THE COURTYARD

BIHAR CASTE SURVEY: SC JUDGE RECUSES FROM HEARING

New Delhi: SC judge Justice Sanjay Karol today recused from hearing the Bihar Government plea challenging the Patna High Court order putting an interim stay on the castebased census in the state.

The matter was listed for justices BR Gavai and Sanjay Karol for hearing.Bihar Government has moved the SC challenging the Patna High Court order putting an interim stay on the caste-based census in the state.Bihar Government in his plea filed through advocate Manish Singh has challenged the Patna High Court order dated May 4.

U’KHAND COURT RECORDS STATEMENT IN DEFAMATION CASE AGAINST ASSAM CM

Uttarakhand: A local court has recorded the statement of a Congress leader who had filed a defamation case against Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for allegedly making indecent remarks against party leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. Sarma had made the alleged remarks while campaigning for the 2022 Uttarakhand Assembly polls. Complainant Ganesh Upadhyay, the spokesperson of Uttarakhand Congress, recorded his statement before Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (3rd) Nadeem Ahmad during a hearing on May 15.

HC REFUSES ‘INTERIM’ RELIEF TO GAMBHIR IN DEFAMATION SUIT AGAINST PUNJAB KESARI

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court Wednesday refused to pass an interim order in favour of former cricketer and BJP MP Gautam Gambhir defamation lawsuit where he sought to restrain Hindi newspaper Punjab Kesari and its reporters from publishing “defamatory” articles against him. The court however observed that the articles are “indicative of a willful campaign” launched to lower Gambhir’s reputation.The single-judge bench of Justice Chandra Dhari Singh issued notice on the application for interim injunction moved by Gambhir.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida were to attend the Quad Leaders' Summit.

New Delhi (PTI):

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who completed nine years in power on May 30, has made India a key stakeholder in global affairs, say political leaders, diplomats, economists and other experts.

PM NARENDRA MODI TO CHAIR NITI AAYOG'S GOVERNING COUNCIL MEETING ON MAY 27

AS CONG MULLS OVER ITS K’TAKA CM CHOICE, EX-BJP MINISTERS TARGET SIDDARAMAIAH

REFRESH MEMORIES OF UP, ASSAM: CONG TO BJP ON K’TAKA CM DELAY

CAN SIDDARAMAIAH DENY HIS ROLE IN COLLAPSE OF COALITION GOVT,

Nitish, Lalu react to controversial preacher’s trip

‘To bring devel’, four-time Cong MLA to join BJP

Sharad Pawar chairs a party meeting on several issues at YB Chavan Centre, in Mumbai on Wednesday. —PHOTO BY ANI

Weather Dept issues ‘Yellow Alert’ for rain in Himachal Pradesh

State is likely to witness a wet spell which will continue till Saturday: IMD

Shimla (PTI): The weather office in Shimla today issued a ‘yellow warning’ for thunderstorm and lightning at isolated places across Himachal Pradesh.

The state is likely to see the beginning of a wet spell from Wednesday which will continue till Saturday, it said.

hills are expected to receive light to moderate rain and snowfall, the weather department said.

Anticipating damage to standing crops, fruitbearing plants, and seedlings, the Indian Meteorological Department has advised farmers to make adequate arrangements and reschedule the spraying of insecticides.

Students eat ‘Ice Gola’ on a hot summer afternoon, in Patiala.

MIN GOPAL RAI’S MEET OVER AQI TODAY

THUNDERSTORMS, LIGHT RAIN, LIKELY IN DELHI TODAY:

IMD

vendor

During the spell, areas in the low and mid

'US, China facing crisis for giving freebies in Covid-19’

Having a good leader like PM Narendra Modi helps, Nadda said Mumbai: BJP Chief

J.P. Nadda while addressind a BJP event, claimed that the U.S., China and Japan are facing an economic crisis now as they spent money on providing freebies during the COVID-19 pandemic, while the Indian Government came up with a Rs 20 lakh crore package during that period to boost infrastructure, agriculture and other sectors.

“Countries like the U.S., China and Japan are facing an economic crisis because those countries spent on freebies during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our country came up with a ₹20 lakh crore package aimed at spending on agriculture, infrastructure and other similar sectors,” he said. Having a good leader like Prime Minister Narendra Modi helps, Nadda said.

Dubbing the erstwhile (MVA) Government in Maharashtra as “totally corrupt”, he

Will come back to K’taka after new assignment: Sood

Bengaluru (PTI): The CBI Director-designate Praveen Sood, who hails from Himachal Pradesh, said that he will come back to Karnataka after completing his new assignment in May 2025.

Currently the DGP of Karnataka, he will soon be handing over charge to his successor and exiting the official (Twitter) handle of DG & IGP Karnataka.

Thank you for love shown to me in past 3.5 yrs as Head of Police Force & 37 years in general. I will be back to K’taka after completing my next assignment in May 2025.

—Dr Praveen Sood, CBI Director-designate

“Glad to note that more than 1.6 lakh people are following it,” Praveen Sood tweeted.

alleged that the Uddhav Thackeray-led dispensation paused all the good works.

JP NADDA ON TWO-DAY VISIT TO MAHARASHTRA

New Delhi: Nadda will be on a two-day visit to Maharashtra from Wednesday, the party said. State BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule said Nadda will attend a few events in Mumbai He will address party’s state-level executive committee in Pune today, Bawankule added while informing about the plan.

MAN FAKING AS NADDA’S ASST HELD IN MAHA

Nagpur (PTI): Nagpur

police has arrested a man from Ahmedabad for allegedly demanding money from at least four MLAs in Maharashtra for minister’s posts in Eknath Shinde-led state govt. Neeraj Singh Rathod, a resident of Morbi, Ahmedabad district, allegedly claimed to be aPA of BJP Prez JP Nadda, an official said.

On Tuesday, no significant change was recorded in the minimum and maximum temperatures across the state.

Cabinet approves `1.08 lakh crore fertiliser subsidy for Kharif season

New Delhi: The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a Rs 1.08 lakh crore-fertiliser subsidy for the 2023-24 Kharif season, a move aimed to ensure that there is no increase in the retail prices of fertilisers. For the Kharif season, the Cabinet has approved Rs 70,000 crore subsidy for urea and Rs 38,000 crore for DAP and other fertilisers, Fertiliser Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said.

"A total of Rs 1.08 lakh crore will be spent on fertiliser subsidy for the Kharif season (April-September)," he said, and added that there will be no change in MRP of fertilisers. Currently, the price of urea is Rs 276 per bag and the price of DAP is Rs 1,350 per bag.

The subsidy is likely to benefit around 12 crore farmers. The Union Cabinet also approved and updated PLI scheme for IT hardware and increased the outlay to Rs 17,000 crore.

New Delhi (PTI): Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai has called a meeting of officials of his department and city’s pollution control board today, as national capital recorded close to ‘severe’ level air quality index (AQI). “The meeting of environment dept & Delhi Pollution Control Committee, to be chaired by Minister Gopal Rai, has been convened to discuss the situation as AQI level has deteriorated,” the official said.

New Delhi: The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted a dust storm with light to moderate intensity rain would occur over the adjoining areas of many places of Delhi and NCR today. “Light to moderate intensity intermittent rain would occur over and adjoining areas of Adampur, Hissar, Hansi, Meham (Haryana) during next 2 hours,” it added further. According to the forecast for Delhi for the next seven days, it is expected that the capital city will also receive light rain on Thursday, May 18.

Operation Dhvast: NIA raids 324 sites in 8 states

Teams conducted raids in DelhiNCR, Punjab, Rajasthan etc

New Delhi (ANI): In a massive day-long operation, the National Investigation Agency (NIA), in coordination with Punjab and Haryana Police, on Wednesday raided 324 locations as part of “Operation Dhvast” in eight states in terrorist-gangster-drug smugglers nexus cases.

The agency seized a huge cache of arms and ammunition, besides other incriminating material in the operation. Several suspects were detained during the raids, conducted in Punjab, Delhi, Haryana, UP, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Chandigarh and Madhya Pradesh. The NIA has further found that many criminals, who were leading the gangsters in India, had fled to countries like Pakistan, Canada, Malaysia and Australia.

Protesting wrestlers visit Hanuman temple as protest against Brij Bhushan continues

New Delhi (PTI): Demanding the arrest of former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the protesting grapplers and their supporters marched to the nearby Hanuman Temple and are visiting the Bangla Sahib gurudwara on Wednesday to offer prayers.

Camping at Jantar Mantar for the past 25 days, the wrestlers visited the temple near Connaught Place, and were accompanied by

Bhim Army president Chandrashekhar Azad besides hundreds of

TESTING EFFICACY & SAFETY

supporters.

Ace wrestlers Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia,

Dengue vaccine Phase-3 clinical trial soon

lll

The dengue vaccine has been developed in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)

New Delhi (ANI): The phase-3 trial for a dengue vaccine developed by Panacea Biotech is likely to begin in a few months, a senior official said as quoted by news agency ANI. The vaccine has been developed in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). The phase-3 trial is a randomised, doubleblind, placebo-controlled trial. This means that participants are

randomly assigned to receive either the vaccine or a placebo. Neither the participants nor the investigators will know who is receiving the vaccine and who is receiving the placebo.

The trials are underway but they have not yet fully started because we are waiting for the company to make the product which could not be made three months ago. The company should be ready in August. So, those phase-3 trials should be initiated in a few months. —Dr Rajiv Bahl, Director General of ICMR

“The trials are underway but they have not yet fully started because we are waiting for the company to make the product which could not be made three months ago. The com-

pany should be ready in August. So, those phase-3 trials should be initiated in a few months,” said Dr Rajiv Bahl, director general of ICMR, as quoted by news agency ANI.

Sakshee Malikkh and other grapplers have been relentless in their demand for arrest of Brij Bhushan, who has been accused of sexual harassment and intimidation by the athletes, including a minor.

Briefing the media after the march, Olympic and World Championship medallist Bajrang appealed to PM Modi & Home Minister Amit Shah to intervene and ensure justice to the female wrestlers.

INSURANCE ‘SCAM’ CASE: CBI SEARCHES AT NINE LOCATIONS IN J&K AND DELHI

New Delhi: The CBI on May 17 conducted searches at the premises of the then aide of former Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik and eight other locations in Delhi and the Union Territory in the alleged insurance scam case, officials said. They said CBI teams started a search operation early this morning at the residence of the former aide of the ex-Governor and other locations.

NIA ARRESTS ABSCONDING PFI MEMBER IN KERALA

New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested another Popular Front of India (PFI) member who was wanted in the gruesome murder of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader Srinivasan in Kerala in April last year. The accused, Saheer KV, was absconding since the crime and was carrying a reward of Rs 4,00,000. An NIA Fugitive Tracking Team tracked him to a relative’s house in Palakkad district and arrested him.

CBI ARRESTS JOURNO, EX-NAVY OFFICER FOR SPYING

New Delhi: The CBI has arrested freelance journalist Vivek Raghuvanshi and former navy commander Ashish Pathak in connection with the leak of sensitive military information including details of DRDO projects etc of armed forces. Raghuvanshi and Pathak were arrested under the Official Secrets Act following raids on Tuesday related to the probe into leaks, which officials said could impact India’s ties with certain countries. “

Manipur violence: Cong forms three-member team for probe

New Delhi: Congress

President Mallikarjun Kharge has constituted a three-member fact-finding team to ascertain the causes of widespread violence in Manipur and evaluate its extent.

"Congress President has constituted the following Fact-Finding team to visit Manipur, to ascertain the causes of widespread violence in the state and evaluate its extent, in coordination with the AICC Incharge of Manipur, PCC President and CLP Leader,

with immediate effect," stated the press release. AICC General Secretary MP Mukul Wasnik, former MP Ajoy Kumar and party MLA Sudip Roy Barman are part of the fact-finding team. The team has been asked to submit report to Congress president as earliest. Manipur Congress leader and former CM Okram Ibobi Singh along with other leaders had called on Mallikarjun Kharge in Delhi and apprised him of the situation.

Kerala brings in ordinance to ensure health workers’ safety

Thiruvananthapuram

(Agencies): The much delayed and keenly awaited law that takes care of all medical professionals against physical and verbal attacks, the Hospital Protection Act, on Wednesday was cleared by the cabinet as Ordinance. The weekly cabinet meeting of the Pinarayi Vijayan govt held here cleared the law & brought Ordinance which will be sent to Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan.This

has been a long-standing demand of IMA.

The entire medical fraternity has been up in arms since last week following the gruesome murder of Dr Vandana Das, a 22-year-old house

surgeon who was attacked while she was attending to a patient, an alleged drug addict. From now on, those who indulge in physical attack on medical professionals, which include students and even security staff, while on duty, depending on gravity of the crime, the accused will get a jail term from 6 months to even 7 years. In case of destruction of property in medical institution, the accused will have to pay a fine.

A

sells fruits on a Shikara during hot afternoon in Dal Lake, in Srinagar on Wednesday.

BJP National President JP Nadda with Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and others after garlanding a statue of BR Ambedkar, at Ghatkopar in Mumbai, Wednesday.

Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik & Sangita Phogat with supporters during their march to Hanuman temple at CP.

Common civility and compassion are highly underrated, they add so much Beauty and Grace to daily life.

—Dr Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor-in-Chief, First India

“I LOVE YOU CM GEHLOT” GRADE-3

TEACHERS HAIL THE LEADER AT CMR

l HUNDREDS OF TEACHERS RAISED SLOGANS AND HAILED CM ASHOK GEHLOT

l THE CMR ECHOED WITH THE SLOGAN, ‘GEHLOT GOVT FOR THE FOURTH TIME’

Their focus is on the politics arising out of Pilot’s ‘Jan Sangharsh Yatra’

Yogesh Sharma

Naresh Sharma

Jaipur: Now slogans of “I love you” have been raised for CM Ashok Gehlot. This ‘interesting scene’ played out at Chief Minister’s Residence on Wednesday, when a delegation of Grade-3 teachers had visited to meet the Chief Minister.

During this, hundreds of teachers raised slogans in one voice, “I love you, I love you Ashok Gehlot, I love you.” Along with this, CMR echoed with the slogan of “Gehlot government for the

Jaipur: Important decisions are being taken continuously by the State government to create an atmosphere of sports in the State and to encourage the sportspersons. In this series, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has approved the financial proposal to establish Salim Durrani Residential Sports School in each division of the state.

According to the proposal, Salim Durrani Residential Sports Schools will be established in Bikaner, Kota, Ajmer, Udaipur and Bharatpur divisions of the state for which financial approval of Rs 69.20 crore has been given. With this decision, players will get suitable environment for sports and having residential sports school at the divisional level, sports facilities will be available to the players residing in nearby areas.

fourth time”.

Notably, the slogan of “I love you” was earlier heard for Sachin Pilot but on Wednes -

day, the Chief Minister’s Residence also resounded with the slogan saying, “I love you.”

NON-AVAILABILITY OF FHTC ELECTRICITY CONNECTIONS

ACS instructs officers to send UO notes to MD s of 3 Discoms

Naresh Sharma

Jaipur: Due to nonavailability of electricity connections, the project of water connections to every household under Jal Jeevan Mission in the state is stuck. The PHED Department has appealed to the Electricity Department several times, but despite this, electricity connections are not being given. This is directly affecting the people of the state and they are suffering from thirst. The matter was raised in the meeting of the PHED Department on Tuesday in which ACS PHED Subodh Agarwal expressed displeasure. He has instructed to

MAXIMUM PENDENCY IN JAIPUR & JAISALMER

The maximum pendency is in Jaisalmer and Jaipur for which Superintendent Engineer of Jaipur Discom has been summoned. 25,000 Functional House Tap Connections (FHTC) electricity connections were not found in Jaipur Rural and about 22,000 connections could not be made due to non-availability of electricity in Karauli.

send UO notes to the Managing Directors of three Discoms. Due to lack of electricity connection in tubewells installed in

many districts of the state, tubewells could not be commissioned and this has affected the speed of water connections.

Sixteen minority government residential schools upgraded

First India Bureau

Jaipur: 16 Government minority residential schools of upper primary level of the state have been upgraded to secondary schools. With this, students will get opportunities to continue their further studies closer to home. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has approved the proposal to upgrade the schools. According to the proposal, residential schools in Ramgarh

Alwar, Bhaniyana Sakra Jaisalmer, Udaipur, Sikar, Burhan Ka Tala Barmer, Kanchanner Bharatpur, Nandera Bharatpur, Masuda Ajmer, Churu, Sawaimadhopur, Nagaur, Fatehpur Sikar, Tijara Alwar, Ghadsana Shri Ganganagar, Kuchdi Sam Jaisalmer, and Abhe Ka Paar Ramsar in Barmer will be upgraded. Of these, there are 9 boys & 7 girls residential schools. Total of 96 posts will be created.

Mehangai Rahat camps: 1 crore families benefited

First India Bureau

Jaipur: The inflation relief camps being organized across the state have created history by providing relief from inflation to more than one crore families of the state. By registering in 10 different schemes of the state government, people are being guaranteed benefits on the spot. Till Wednesday evening, more than 4.69 crore guarantee cards have been distributed through these camps.

According to the data received till Wednesday, 36.13L have enrolled in Indira Gandhi Gas Cylinder Subsidy Scheme, 62.27L in CM’s Free Domestic Electricity Scheme, 6.64L in CM’s Free Agricultural Elec-

tricity Scheme, 67.97 lakh in CM’s Free Annapurna Food Packet Scheme. More than 38.59L registrations have been done under CM Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and 3.79L under Indira Gandhi Urban Employment Guarantee Scheme. Similarly, 34.11 lakh registrations have been done in Social Security Pension Scheme, 55.40 lakh in CM Kamdhenu Bima Yojana etc.

Jaipur: In the last two days, the co-incharges of Raj Congress have started brainstorming in Jaipur and their respective areas. Coin-charge Qazi Nizamuddin and Amrrita Dhawan took feedback and both the coin-charges met BSP turncoat MLAs at Khasa Kothi. “Everyone in the party wants tickets. There is a process to give tickets. Soon we will take district-wise feedback. We will present whatever comes in front of the in-charge,” said Qazi Nizamuddin. Amrrita Dhawan met Minister Pratap S Khachariawas at his residence, who told Dhawan that everyone would have to sit and settle their disputes.

One of the 6 BSP MLAs, Rajendra Gudha is a minister and he is with Sachin Pilot these days. It is yet to be decided whether Gudha will continue as minister or not. He

Assam Guv Gulab Chand Kataria visits Banswara

Subhash Mehata

Banswara: Assam Governor Gulab Chand Kataria on Wednesday reached Banswara and offered prayers at Annapurna Devi Temple in Sagwadiya village and at Tripura Sundari Temple. Later, he also took part in a programme at Banseshwar Mahadev Temple. During his visit, Gulab Chand Kataria also attended the swearing-in ceremony of the student union of Govind Guru Tribal University. The Governor was welcomed on this occasion while BJP office-bearers and leaders were also present during the programme.

CONGRESS JAT LEADERS MEET AT DOTASRA RESIDENCE IN JAIPUR

Jaipur: Prominent Jat leaders gathered at the residence of Govind Singh Dotasra on Wednesday. Minister Ramlal Jat, Lalchand Kataria and Sandeep Chaudhary reached Dotasra’s residence during which political discussion was held between them. Congress’s Jat satrap and veterans gathered at the residence. Reportedly, the men also discussed Sachin Pilot and his recent public meeting. Notably, a delegation may meet the high command in the coming days and word is that time is being sought from AICC Chief Mallikarjun Kharge.

may not even need the guarantee of Congress ticket, but the other five do. That’s why they have expressed claim in front of the co-incharges.

Wajib Ali said tickets of strong candi-

dates should be announced first. “If this happens then party will be benefited and candidate will be able to create a good environment. In last 4 years, I have made Cong stand firmly.”

Delegation of Meena Samaj meets Guv Mishra

First India Bureau

Jaipur: A delegation of Akhil Bhartiya Meena Samaj met Governor Kalraj Mishra at Raj Bhawan on Wednesday.

The delegation thanked the Governor for approving Jai Meenesh Tribal University, Kota.

While interacting with the delegation, Governor Kalraj Mishra said that the tribal community should get maximum opportunities in the field of education.

“Under the NEP, the university should create such courses which can make students selfreliant. Everyone talks about fundamental rights, but people should also be aware of their constitutional duties,” said Guv. On this occasion, OSD of Governor Govind Ram Jaiswal, Director of Akhil Bhartiya Shri Meena Samajik Evam Shekshanik Samiti RD Meena and other officials were also present.

Jpr blast hearing: Bench headed by CJ likely to hear matter

First India Bureau

New Delhi: In the case related to the serial bomb blasts in Jaipur on May 13, 2008, a division bench of Justice Abhay S Oka and Justice Rajesh Bidal in the Supreme Court, refused to completely stay the decision of Rajasthan High Court given on March 29 which acquitted the four accused by canceling the death sentence. The High Court has also stayed the order given to the DGP to take action against the

ATS officers doing the investigation. Along with this, the Supreme Court has asked the state government to serve the notices of the acquitted accused in the case, Mohammad Saif and Saifur Rahman. After accepting the SLP presented by Rajeshwari Devi and Abhinav Tiwari, the relatives of the two deceased in the bomb blasts, the Supreme Court also accepted the SLP of the state government for hearing. The Supreme Court has also

asked to present the record of the lower court and has given the responsibility to the state government. The court clarified in the order that this matter is re-

lated to death reference, so it should be sent before the CJ of the Supreme Court. So in the next hearing on August 09, a bench of three judges can be formed for its hearing.

In state govt SLP and family members, they have challenged HC’s decision, where, Saifur alias Saifur Rahman, Mohd. Sarwar Azmi, Mohd. Saif and Mohd. Salman were acquitted.

The HC had also confirmed acquittal of another accused Shahbaz Hussain by special

court. The SC said that if accused are not wanted or under trial in any other case, the bail bond should be strictly enforced. All acquitted accused should surrender their passports to State govt. While giving bail to accused, they should attend the ATS every day from 10 am to 12 noon. Apart from this, they should not leave country without court’s permission. Attorney General of India, R. Venkataramani Sr Advocate Manish Singhvi represented Raj Govt.

STATE GOVERNMENT DELIBERATELY TOOK SUCH A SERIOUS MATTER LIGHTLY: RAJE

Jaipur: Former CM Vasundhara Raje said that in May 2008, Jaipur bomb blast case, which stained the Pink City with blood and killed 71 people while crippling many and the decision of SC is a result of the Congress government not pleading the case properly. Raje said that the government deliberately took such a serious matter lightly, otherwise the decision of the lower court would have been upheld in the High Court and the Supreme Court.

Raje also expressed apprehension if it happened at State govt’s signal “What would have happened to those families today who lost their lives in blasts. Are their screams not reaching the ears of this govt. Did the govt do this because of appeasement? The government is guilty in this episode.

According to the intention of the government, the accused of the bomb blast in Jaipur may have been acquitted, but the public will respond in time,” she said.

FILED SLP IN BOMB BLAST CASE AFTER PRESSURE’

‘GOVT

Jaipur: Former BJP State President Arun Chaturvedi on Wednesday attacked the State government over Jaipur Bomb Blast case. Arun Chaturvedi said that the Congress government filed an SLP in supreme court following pressure was made on the government. “SLP was already filed by BJP. Now, both SLPs may get clubbed due to similar issues. All facts will be placed before the court so that the court can take cognizance in the matter.

We want the blast accused to be hanged till death,” said Arun Chaturvedi.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot addressed the delegation of Grade-3 teachers at Chief Minister’s Residence on Wednesday.

Hundreds of enthused teachers raise slogans hailing CM Ashok Gehlot during their visit to CMR on Wednesday.

Govind Singh Dotasra meets Amrrita Dhawan and Qazi Nizamuddin at PCC office in Jaipur on Tuesday.

Dr Subodh Agarwal chairs a review meeting of PHED Department in Jaipur on Tuesday. Also seen are Avichal Chaturvedi, Ram Prakash, RK Meena, Dalip Gaur, Dinesh Goyal, Rakesh Luhadiya, Neeraj Mathur and others.

Cong co-incharges take dist feedback, meet BSP turncoats

SALIM DURRANI RESIDENTIAL SPORTS SCHOOL TO BE SET UP IN 5 RAJ DIVISIONS

Guv Kalraj Mishra addresses the delegation of All India Meena Community at Raj Bhavan. GR Jaiswal & RD Meena are seen. A beneficiary with CM Guarantee card in Jaipur.

n the vast realm of fashion, trends may come and go, but some styles retain their timeless allure. One such captivating ensemble is the garara, a traditional South Asian outfit that epitomizes grace, grandeur, and femininity. With its rich history and exquisite craftsmanship, the garara has experienced a resurgence in recent years, captivating fashion enthusiasts around the world. This feature delves into the captivating world of garara fashion, exploring its origins, evolution, and its contemporary relevance in the ever-changing landscape of The origins of the garara can be traced back to the Mughal era, which spanned the Indian subcontinent from the 16th to the 19th century. Originally worn by royalty and aristocrats, the garara represented opulence and elegance. It gained prominence during the reign of Emperor Akbar, who was known for his penchant for fashion and grandeur. Over time, the garment became popular among women of different social strata, and its influence spread across various regions of South Asia. A garara typically consists of a loose, wide-legged pant paired with a flared, anklelength tunic or kurta. What sets the garara apart is the exquisite detailing and embellishments adorning the ensemble. The pants are traditionally pleated and feature intricate embroidery, zari work, or mirror work, enhancing the beauty of the attire.

In recent years, the garara has experienced a renaissance in the world of fashion, capturing the attention of designers and fashion enthusiasts alike. Contemporary adaptations of the garara have brought in modern elements while staying true to the garment’s es-

As the fashion landscape continues to evolve, certain styles endure, leaving an indelible mark on the industry. City First brings to you the timeless charm of traditional Garara fashion!

YOUR DAY

Horoscope by Saurabbh Sachdeva

ARIES

MAR 21 - APR 20

You will get the financial help that you are seeking for and then accordingly you will decide what steps to take next. At work place you may earn oodles of joy and recognition by foraying into something new. Please take good care of your health and avoid stepping out in adverse

TAURUS

APR 21 - MAY 20

You will continue to enjoy your good health if you stick to a proper diet and exercise regime. You may finally meet your financial savior who will help you put the pieces at the right place. Some of you may assist your family by organizing a function or an event.

GEMINI

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

You have a good health and there is nothing to worry as such.

To prevent any monetary loss, you should care to read your business proposal twice before taking any decision. In office, you may need to persuade someone to stand in your favour but it will be worth it.

CANCER

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

This is the time to become serious about getting in shape and start eating healthy. You have limited income as of now and that could trouble you but don’t worry the times will change. Due to no work pressure in office, you could spend more time with near and dear ones.

LEO

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

You have a fine health so nothing to worry. It may take some time for you to have a financial stability.

It will be good for your image to maintain healthy relationship with your colleague and keep them in your favour. It may get difficult for you to deal with the firm opinion

VIRGO

AUG 24 - SEP 23

You are satisfied with your health and you enjoy that feeling. Money will flow into your life to make you financially stable.

Some of you may earn good name for being consistent at work. In social life, it’s a good practice to avoid blaming others for our own shortcomings.

LIBRA

SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22

You have a good healthy but that does not mean you should ignore the minor problems. On business front you need to be open minded to make some financial gains. You may all of a sudden feel the need to clarify some rumour about you

SCORPIO

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

You may go for a cheat meal all as a reward for maintaining good health. If you have been struggling with money then that’s a thing of a past now

Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.

PAST LIFE REGRESSION

EXPLORING THE BENEFITS

He had our trust. We worked on ourselves and tried to accumulate better karma.

When Brian Weiss talked about reincarnation and how it healed millions of people, we became dubious. The cycle of birth and rebirth is what is implied by reincarnation, resurrection, transmigration, and metempsychosis.

I've always believed in life after death. This belief subsided the fear and gave a reason to work on myself. But being naturally inquisitive and fact-based made me chase my father to

learn the tools & techniques of past life regression therapy and make me experience it. As I couldn't trust a stranger he learnt it and from that point on, a road towards faith, recovery and eternity began.

The process of past life regression involves inducing a trance-like state in the individual through hypnosis or guided meditation. Once the individual is in this state, the therapist becomes a facilitator guiding the client through a visualization process of their past lives, encouraging them to describe what they see, feel, and experience.

Regression to a previous life is utilized for healing people of physical ailments, traumas, and a variety of mental disorders including depression, phobias, MPD, schizophrenia etc. It is an approach of therapy that attempts to assist individuals in exploring their past lives in order to gain insights, explanations, into problems and hardships they are currently facing aka the baggage they carry. According to the premise underlying past life regression, each of us has had prior incarnations and our experiences in those lives may still be having an impact or a ripple effect on our present lives, and it's only when we become conscious of this that we can begin to recover. Even if there isn't sufficient evidence to back up the therapy, people's subjective experiences count just as much. Even those people who had no chance of recovery and for whom medical science had shut the doors, experienced complete healing. Here are a few of the numerous benefits:

● Self-Exploration: Past life regression allows individuals to explore their past lives and gain a deeper understanding of themselves beyond their current lifetime.

● Insights into Current Challenges: People can better comprehend and cope mitigating their present issues, recurring patterns, and struggles by learning about their past-life experiences.

● Healing Traumas: It is possible to address and

heal unsolved traumas from previous lifetimes that may be causing mental, emotional, or physical issues in the present life through past life regression.

● Release of Emotional Blocks: Revisiting past lives can aid individuals release emotional blocks, fears, and negative emotions that is holding them back in their current life.

● Resolving Relationship Issues: Past life regression provides insights into unresolved relationship issues, allowing individuals to gain closure, forgiveness, and healing in their present relationships.

● Overcoming Phobias and Fears: Through past life regression, people can discover the causes of their phobias and fears and gain knowledge to overcome them.

● Increased Self-Awareness: By exposing buried memories and motifs, past life regression can increase self-awareness, empowering people to make deliberate decisions and transform their lives.

● Spiritual Growth and Transformation: Exploring past lives can contribute to personal and spiritual growth, ex-

panding one's understanding of the soul's journey and purpose.

● Empowerment and SelfConfidence: Past life regression can help individuals gain a sense of empowerment, self-confidence, and self-acceptance by realizing their strengths, abilities, and resilience across multiple lifetimes.

● Integration and Acceptance: By integrating past-life experiences into their current sense of self, individuals experience a greater sense of acceptance, peace, and harmony within themselves.

● Resolving Unexplained Ailments: there are certain unexplained physical or emotional ailments that can be resolved when the root cause is identified back to past-life traumas. By exploring past lives, individuals gain a deeper understanding of their current behaviour, patterns, and beliefs, and are able to identify and release negative thought patterns and emotions that are holding them back. Like most anything in life, there are Skeptics. In my view however, once you go through this on your own as I did, and experience the potency and potential catharsis, you will realize how beautiful and easy the journey of healing can be.

KARTIK BAJORIA

The author is a Jaipur-based Educator & Writer and Co-Founder of Driveway Devi – Mental Wellness Initiatives

SAGARIKA SHARMA

The author is a Psychology Major & Team-Member of Driveway Devi – Mental Wellness Initiatives

When Lord Krishna talked about reincarnation and said

Sameer Salmani talks about his salon in Bandra

AI-generated PIC

Sameer Salmani, who runs his salon in the heart of Mumbai i.e Bandra, known as Sameer Salmani the artist - Salon & Academy, says that his father inspired him to set foot in this business. In his journey of 17 years he has grown a lot and come a long way from where he began, but what needs to be admired is his dedication and attitude of learning and growing more and more.

“I'm the third generation of our family in this profession. I belong to a barber background from the small town of Moradabad. My father used to run a barber shop in our home town and he inspired me.

Soon, I realized I need to excel in this field and take it to a whole new level so I decided to be a professional hairstylist,” he says. He adds, “I have done multiple courses national and international. I opened my salon in 2020 on the 4th of Feb. I wish to open at least three more branches in Mumbai and in other cities of India.”

Talking about how he entered this industry professionally, Sameer says, “Well, as I mentioned about my father, he was my first mentor. When I came to Mumbai, I met someone who was a professional stylist. He became my mentor and he changed my life completely. His name is Mohd. Asif Salmani is not only my mentor but like my el-

der brother. Now, he has moved to London.”

Sameer's salon is very popular among many celebrities such as Charul Malik, Parul Chaudhary, Jasleen Matharu, Rohit Bakshi, Vishal Kotian, Elnaaz Norouzi, Salman Ali among others. He has many well-known clients namely Jenifer Piccinato, Madirakshi Mundle, Manish Rais-

inghan and his wife Sangieta Chauhan, Scarlett Wilson, Bhumika Gurung, Redheima Tiwari, Director and producer Bejoy Nambiar, playback singer Ankush Bhardwaj who visits here on a regular basis. When in Mumbai & wanting a new look, don't miss to visit Sameer Salmani the Artist Salon in Bandra.

Bollywood actress Kajol is quite active on social media, and has over 14.2 million followers on Instagram alone! Kajol loves sharing her thoughts, opinions and photos on Instagram, which keep fans hooked to her account. Kajol shared an AI-generated picture of herself, and asked fans to guess who she looks like. She tagged Nysa in the picture, and wrote that she feels she looks like her daughter. In her caption, Kajol wrote, “AI and me… any guesses who I look like (The answer is in the person who’s tagged) There are too many eye rolls and not enough emojis…” In her post, she tagged her daughter Nysa Devgan, revealing that she feels she looks like her. The post garnered 27k likes in just one hour, and fans flooded the comment section to marvel over how similar Kajol and Nysa look.

with action'

While battling her health issues, Samantha Ruth Prabhu continues to stay committed to her work. She has been taking forward all her work assignments, which proves she is thorough and professional and continues to put up a brave front every day.

The Family Man 2 actress is currently shooting for Citadel's last schedule in Mumbai and shared another exciting update from the set called, 'My love story with action'.

One can see in the picture below, Samantha gives us a glimpse of her bruised hands after shooting for action sequences. Sam will have an action-driven role in Citadel and she is pushing the limits to get into the skin of her character. Billed as the original Syp series, Citadel will be packed with action, emotions and a lot more. The Shaakuntalam actress has also invested a lot of time and hard work to maintain a physique for her role opposite Varun Dhawan in Raj and DK's Citadel India.

MEGHAN WINS!

Meghan Markle, a prominent advocate for women’s rights, graced the streets of New York City on Tuesday evening, accompanied by two very special guests—her husband, Prince Harry, and her mother, Doria Ragland. The occasion was the highly anticipated Ms Foundation 2023 Women of Vision Awards: Celebrating Generations of Progress & Power. Recognized for her unwavering commitment to empowering women and girls

worldwide, Meghan, 41, was honoured as one of this year’s esteemed Woman of Vision Award recipients. Meghan Markle’s absence from King Charles’ coronation has stirred up speculation and fueled rumours of the ongoing drama between the Sussexes and the Royal Family. While the official reason cited is that she will be celebrating her son Archie’s fourth birthday in California on the same day, many believe there are deeper underlying factors at play.

Unlocking the TEENAGER

aapsee Pannu loves sharing glimpses from her day-to-day life, on Instagram. Since the last few days, the actress has been holidaying in Los Angeles with her rumoured boyfriend Mathias Boe, and sister Shagun Pannu. Now, looks like the actress explored the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood, and shared some pictures with her fans.

Taapsee took to her Instagram stories to first share a picture of herself posing against the Universal Studios globe statue. She is seen pointing at the globe in the picture, and she wrote, “Let's become tourists again!” The next story shows Taapsee Pannu posing for a picture in the Hall of Portraits. “Unlocking the teenager within,” wrote Taapsee, as she made the most of her time at the Harry Potter-themed area. In another story, Taapsee is seen with a wand at Hogsmeade.

ROKHSHAN ADAJANIA cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

Sameer Salmani with his clients

Kajol

Her post...

Meghan Markle

'My love story

Taapsee Pannu

Samantha Ruth Prabhu

SUMMER SOUNDS SHOW

CITY FIRST

The young learners of Jayshree Periwal International School dazzled the audience with their extraordinary musical talents in the highly anticipated Summer Sounds Show on Thursday. The concert, entirely organised and performed by PrePrimary and Grade 1 students, demonstrated their dedication, teamwork and artistic prowess. In a remarkable display of enthusiasm, parents of the young performers also participated in the event by dressing up as characters from various books. Dr Jayshree Periwal, the esteemed Chairperson of the Jayshree Periwal Group of Schools, praised the students during her address, commending their marvellous concert. She emphasized the importance of holistic learning, as the musical not only entertained but also enhanced the children’s language and socio-emotional skills, cultural

DURING THE DAY!

Renowned Rajasthani film actor Raj Jangir will be honoured at the state level by the Department of Art, Literature and Archeology for his exceptional contributions to the field of art and culture at the Officers Training Campus OTS on May 19. Deputy Government Secretary of the department, Jagdish Arya, announced that the honour will recognize celebrities who have made remarkable achievements during the year 2022-2023. Raj Jangir, a native of Bhilwara district, has dedicated 40 years to the film industry and has garnered immense acclaim for his work. He has acted in numerous Hindi and Rajasthani films, showcasing his versatile talent. Jangir has previously received the Best Actor Award for his remarkable performances as the protagonist in the film “Maa” and as the main villain in the film “Tandav.” In the recently concluded Rajasthan Film Festival, he was honoured with the Best Performance award for his role in the film “Babool Thari Ladli” by Bollywood actor Tushar Kapoor and renowned film critic Komal Nahata.

WHAT’S HAPPENING!

NPCL in its endeavor of promoting health and hygiene, constructed new washrooms In C.G.V. HS. School, Hathewa, Greater Noida under CSR. In its journey of proving a congenial learning environment to the Schools, NPCL apart from handing over 3 new washrooms, also conducted a self-defence workshop for which certificates were distrusted to all students who completed the training. In the same School, medical health camp in partnership with Sharda Hospital was also organised. Children were made aware of the Importance of education electricity conservation etc which NPCL is striving for the last 4 years. On the occasion were present Subodh Tyagi, GM, Operations, DGM, BE&CR, CSR Meghna Dosi and other NPCL members from CSR and projects team.

awareness, and confidence. The Summer Sounds Show at Jayshree Periwal International School served as a testament to the remarkable talent and dedication of the young performers, leaving the audience in awe of their abilities. This musical extravaganza not only entertained but also instilled a love for the arts, promoting a well-rounded education for the students involved.

DURING THE DAY!

The inauguration of a month-long free Cultural Heritage Training Camp (Sanskratik Virasat Prashikshan Shivir) will be organised today, May 18 at the City Palace in Jaipur. This camp is being organised under the joint aegis of Maharaja Sawai Man Singh (MSMS) II Museum, Rangreet Art School and Saraswati Kala Kendra.

In a significant development aimed at curbing cybercrime in Rajasthan, Tie Rajasthan, a prominent organisation fostering entrepreneurship and innovation, entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Rajasthan Police on Wednesday. The partnership seeks to establish a Technical Core Group (TCG), comprising expert officers from the police department and cyber specialists from Tie Rajasthan, to effectively address the rising challenges posed by cybercriminals. The MoU signing ceremony took place with Tie Rajasthan President, Dr Sheenu Jhanwar and Inspector General (IG) Sharat Kaviraj representing their respective organisations. Dr Ravi Prakash Mehrada, Director General of Police (DGP) for Civil Rights and Cybercrime, graced the occasion, underscoring the significance of the collaboration.

The Jaipur Jewel City Round Table 191 organised a splendid event in collaboration with House of Play, showcasing a grand celebration of sports and recreation recently. The event witnessed the enthusiastic participation of 250 students from Mahatma Gandhi Government School (Fagi) and 70 students from Mahatma Gandhi Government School (Bassi). The selection of participants was based on their abilities and aptitude for sports and games. The program was meticulously organised under the supervision of Chairman Satish Lashkari and other members of the organising committee.

The enchanting melodies of Sufiana music will grace the evening in Jaipur, providing a delightful respite from the heat. Singers will captivate the audience during the openair Members Meet 2023 event at the Emerald Garden Club, Bhankrota on May 19 Friday. The event aims to foster a sense of community and develop club culture in Jaipur, allowing Jaipurites to come together and celebrate. President RP Mathur and General Secretary Rachit Mathur expressed their excitement and emphasized the significance of food during the event.

Renowned Mohan Veena maestro, Padma Bhushan, and Grammy Award winner Vishwamohan Bhatt unveiled the poster of the play “Kaalpurush-Revolutionary Veer Savarkar” on Tuesday. The launch event, held in collaboration with Pandit’s eldest son, Pt Salil Bhatt, was attended by BJP Cultural and Tourism officials, along with the play’s actors. Pandit Vishwamohan Bhatt highlighted the importance of continually educating today’s generations about the significant contributions made by Veer Savarkar, a prominent revolutionary figure in India’s struggle for independence. He emphasized that by imparting knowledge the youth will actively contribute to India’s cultural nationalism and its ongoing development.

The poster launch of the event The Glam Talk was held in Jaipur on Wednesday. Fortis Escorts Hospital in association with Rotary Club Jaipur and AKS Foundation is organising the event with an aim to felicitate women on May 21 at Radisson Jaipur City Center. A panel discussion will also be held

A pottery workshop shop is being organised by Spin n Pot today, May 18 at S-55 Ashok Marg, C-Scheme. The workshop will teach how to centre the clay and will also provide various tips and tricks to make excellent pottery.

Navya Nair daughter of Brig Ranjith K Nair, Commandant Military Hospital, Jaipur topped in Humanities stream of class XIIth CBSE results 2023, of Maharani Gayatri Devi (MGD) Girls’ School Jaipur. She scored an overall aggregate of 98.8% marks. She has also cleared the CLAT (Common Law Admission Test) 2023 with an All India Rank 6. She stood first amongst the girls across the country and topped the CLAT 2023 from the state of Rajasthan. She has also cleared the AILET (All India Law Entrance Test) 2023 for the National Law University, Delhi with an All India Rank 38 and has also got admission in the prestigious National Law School of India University (NLSIU) Bengaluru. Bollywood superstar Ajay Devgn was spotted at Jaipur International Airport on Wednesday for the shoot of his movie, Azaad.

IIS World School organized a colorful cultural program on Mother’s Day in the school auditorium. In this special program dedicated to honoring all the mothers, many girls showed their affection towards the mothers through song, dance, short drama, poetry and speeches. The eyes of all the spectators present in the auditorium became moist in this program full of affection. It was really overwhelming to have this special and great day in honor of Mothers. School Director Dr Ashok Gupta also expressed his views.

Fuel-efficient mass motorcycle launched

a new paradigm in mass mobility, Honda Motorcy-

& Scooter India (HMSI) launched its most affordable and fuel-efficient mass motorcycle – Shine 100 in Rajasthan on Tuesday.

Shine 100 is developed with as many as 12 patent applications for the enhancement of reliability. Launching the allnew Shine 100 in Rajasthan, Yogesh Mathur, Director, Sales & Marketing, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India said, “Rajasthan is an important market for us, and

During the launch

we are pleased to see the growing demand for our motorcycles in the state. We have a strong dealership network in Rajasthan, and we are committed to providing the best services to our customers. With Shine 100’s reliable performance, comfortable ride, and

affordable price, we aim to empower people with the freedom to move forward, explore new horizons and realize their dreams. Shine 100 is Honda’s promise for every Indian commuter to surpass their expectations by offering unmatched value.”

—PHOTO BY SUNIL SHARMA

Captivating performance by the kids during the Summer Sounds Show

—PHOTO BY SUNIL SHARMA

—PHOTO BY SUNIL SHARMA

—PHOTO BY MUKESH KIRADOO