First India-Delhi Edition-18th October 2022

‘E-day’ in Congress, results tomorrow

AROUND 96 PER CENT OF 9,900 DELEGATES VOTED FOR CONGRESS PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION: MISTRY

Moni Sharma

New Delhi: Congress members queued up across the country on Monday to elect their first non-Gandhi presi dent in 24 years, choos ing between senior lead ers Mallikarjun Kharge and Shashi Tharoor in an exercise aimed at putting the party on the path to revival.

“I have been waiting for a long time for this day,” Congress chief So nia Gandhi said. Over 9,000 PCC delegates form the electoral col lege to pick party chief in a secret ballot. The results will be declared on October 19.

“Satisfied with Con gress’ presidential poll process. Elections are free, fair, transparent,” said Madhusudan Mis try, the central election authority chairperson. “Voting is going on smoothly. There are no complaints so far on polling from any where,” Mistry told.

Tharoor called up and wished good luck and I wished him the same. The two of us are contesting internal polls on a friendly note to strengthen the Congress to build a stronger and better nation for the future generations.

—Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress leader

The revival of the grand old party has begun whatever the outcome and that the fate of the Indian National Congress lies in the hands of the party workers.

—Shashi Tharoor, Congress leader

While Sonia Gandhi, former PM Manmohan Singh and general sec

Crucial

READ

SPICEJET Q400: DGCA ISSUES DIRECTIVES FOR ITS ENGINES’ UPKEEP

New Delhi: The DGCA on Monday had directed embattled SpiceJet to carry out analysis of engine oil samples from its Q400 fleet and other inspections, days after it’s emergency landing at Hyderabad airport due to smoke in the cabin. DGCA has also asked the carrier to conduct an inspection of the bleed-off valve screen.

HIGH COURT GRANTS

BAIL TO SHRIKANT IN GANGSTER ACT CASE

New Delhi: Allahabad High Court has granted bail to politician Shrikant Tyagi, arrested for assaulting a woman at a Noida society few months ago, in a Gangster Act case. Shrikant Tyagi has been in jail since his arrest in the case on August 9.

‘AHEAD OF GUJ POLLS, STATE GOVT SLASHES VAT ON CNG AND PNG’

ONE NATION FERTILIZER

PM Narendra Modi releases 12th instalment of funds worth `16,000 cr for farmers during the inauguration of two-day PM Kisan Samman Sammelan

retary Priyanka Gan dhi Vadra, voted in Delhi, Rahul Gandhi,

GEHLOT EXPRESSES CONFIDENCE THAT KHARGE WILL WIN

CM Ashok Gehlot on Monday said his equa tion with the Gandhi family will remain the same as it has been for the last 50 years. Talking to reporters at PCC office after casting vote in the party’s prez poll, Gehlot expressed confidence that Kharge will win the election and infuse a new life in the organisa tion. Gehlot said his ties with the Gandhi family will be the “same for life”.

who is on the Bharat Jodo Yatra, did so in Ballari in Karnataka.

Justice DY Chandrachud appointed 50th CJ of India

Justice Chandrachud will take oath after current CJI UU Lalit retires on November 8

First India Bureau

BILKIS BANO CASE: MHA OKAYS 11 CONVICTS’

RELEASE FOR ‘GOOD NATURE’, GUJ GOVT TO SC

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat government has reduced VAT on CNG and PNG by 10 per cent, state education minister Jitu Vaghani said Monday. Prices of petrol and diesel remain unchanged for now. According to ANI, Vaghani also said two free cylinders will be given in a year.

MUMBAI AIRPORT TO CLOSE RUNWAY FROM 11 AM TO 5 PM TODAY

Mumbai: The Mumbai airport will close its runway from 11 am to 5 pm on Tuesday for the post-monsoon preventive maintenance of runway the intersection,” Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, or CSMIA, tweeted on Monday.

NAKED BODY OF WOMAN FOUND INSIDE ABANDONED SUITCASE

Gurugram (PTI): The naked body of a woman was found inside an abandoned suitcase on Monday. An autorickshaw driver informed police that a suspicious suitcase was spotted in the bushes near IFFCO chowk. Police found the body in the suitcase.

New Delhi: Prime Min ister Narendra Modi in augurated the two-day PM Kisan Samman Sammelan 2022 on Mon day and said that the 12th instalment of funds worth Rs 16,000 crore has been sent to farmers across the country.

"Under PM Kisan the 12th instalment worth of funds Rs 16,000 crore has been sent to farmers across India. Under 'One nation, one fertilizer', farmers will be provid ed with cheaper & good quality fertilizer," said PM. Under the scheme, Modi launched Bharat urea bags, which will help companies market fertilizers under the sin

PM MODI INAUGURATES AGRICULTURE STARTUP CONCLAVE AND EXHIBITION

PM Modi also inaugurated the Agri Startup Conclave and Exhibition. About 300 startups showcased their innovation related to precision farming, post-harvest and value-add solutions, allied agriculture, waste to wealth, mechanization for small farmers, supply chain management, and agri-logistics, among others. PM Narendra Modi also launched ‘Indian Edge’, an e-magazine on fertilizer.

PM TO CELEBRATE DIWALI WITH SOLDIERS AGAIN

PM Modi is scheduled to visit Kedarnath on October 21, he will head to Badrinath on the same day. On the day of Diwali, October 24, the PM will celebrate among soldiers, as he has been doing for the last 8 years.

From today, the work will start to convert over 3.15 lakh fertilizer shops into Pradhan Mantri Samruddhi Kendras. These Kendras will be a one-stop solution catering to all requirements of our Annadatas.

gle brand name 'Bharat'.

"Today, India is work ing towards Aatmanirb

Delhi becoming capital of crime: Sisodia to LG

New Delhi (PTI): In view of a murder inci dent in Baljit Nagar, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Sunday wrote a letter to Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena appeal ing to him to take cognisance of his constitu tional duty of main taining public order.

In the letter, he said the crime graph in the city has increased and

it seems that Delhi has become the capital of crime. He also men tioned the worsening law and order situation in Del hi. “The consti tution has given the responsibili ty to maintain law and order in Delhi to you (LG) and the police di rectly reports to you. I request you to kindly pay some attention to wards this,” Sisodia said in the letter.

—Narendra Modi, Prime Minister

harta in urea production through the use of nanourea. Nano Urea will

emerge as a cost-effec tive medium for farming purposes," he added.

New Delhi: Justice DY Chandrachud has been appointed as the 50th CJI, effec tive from 9 November, 2022. Justice Chandra chud will take oath after current CJI Lalit retires on 8 November. He will have a term of 2 years as the 50th Chief Justice of India till 10 November 2024. This is also the first time a father & son will hold CJI position.

Gujarat govt on Monday, in an affidavit in the SC, said it decided to grant remission to the 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano case as they completed 14 years sentence in prison and their “behaviour was found to be good”. Guj govt said the Union Home Ministry had approved the premature release of the convicts through a letter dated July 11, 2022.

SC NOTICE TO CENTRE, CBI & RBI TO PROBE RBI STAFF IN FIN SCAMS

The SC on Monday agreed to examine BJP leader Dr Subramanian Swamy’s plea seeking a probe into the alleged role of RBI officials in various banking scams.

A bench of Justices B R Gavai and B V Na garathna issued no tices to the CBI and RBI and sought their replies on Swamy’s plea.

Binny to be elected 36th BCCI president today

...but questions remain on ICC chairmanship

Mumbai: The issue of ICC chairmanship will be up for dis cussion when BCCI holds it An nual Gener al Meeting (AGM), where former India cricketer Roger Binny will replace Sourav Ganguly as new Board Prez on Tuesday.

SC GIVES 2 WEEKS TO UP GOVT FOR REPLY ON MISHRA’S BAIL PLEA T

he SC on Monday granted two weeks to the Uttar Pradesh government to file its response on a plea filed by Ashish Mishra, son of Un ion Minister Ajay Mishra, seeking bail in a case related to Lakhimpur Kheri violence. A bench of Justices BR Gavai and BV Nagarathna gave next date Nov 7.

Sisodia grilled for 9 hours by CBI in Liquor Policy Case

WB CM Mamata Banerjee on Monday said BCCI president Sourav Ganguly must be allowed to con test the ICC election and she would

Traffic in city to be hit for 4 days

New Delhi (PTI): Traf fic will be affected in the national capital for four days, starting Tuesday, due to the 90th Annual General Assem bly of the Interpol at Pragati Maidan.

Delhi Traffic Police has advised organisa tions in Lutyens’ Delhi to either allow work from home for their em ployees or opt for stag gered working hours for four days, in light of the event.

The meeting is taking place in India after a

gap of about 25 years. it was last held in 1997.

The traffic police said the commuters travel ling around the New

Delhi district could en counter delays and may wish to consider alter native routes during the period specified.

WILL BE

The delegates will stay in —The Lalit, The Imperial, Shangri La, Le Meridien, The Oberoi, Hyatt Regency and The Ashok -- and travel to Pragati Maidan, JL Nehru Stadium and the airport. Traf fic volume on Ashoka Road, Janpath, Firoz Shah Road, Barakhamba Road, Mathu ra Road, Dr Zakir Hussain Marg, etc. would be regu lated. Besides, Panchsheel Marg, Shantipath, MG Marg, Dhaula Kuan Flyover, Aerocity & T3 Road would be regulated.

New Delhi: Amid pro tests by the AAP leaders and workers, the CBI on Monday grilled Delhi Dy CM Manish Sisodia for nine hours in connec tion with the alleged Delhi excise policy scam case being investigated by the probe agency.

Addressing media af ter being questioned for 9 hours by the CBI in the alleged Delhi excise pol icy scam case, Sisodia said, “Today I saw in the CBI office that there is no issue of any scam (ex cise policy case). The whole case is fake. I un derstood all that in 9-hour questioning. The case is not to probe any scam against me, but to make Operation Lotus successful in Delhi.”

“CBI will evaluate the answers given by Sisodia and if needed, he moned again,” an official

A

Sonia Gandhi & Priyanka Gandhi casted their vote at AICC HQ in Delhi, Rahul Gandhi in Ballari, Mallikarjun Kharge at KPCC in Bengaluru, Shashi Tharoor at Kerala PCC, Raj CM Ashok Gehlot at Raj PCC on Monday.

PM Narendra Modi with Narendra Singh Tomar, Mansukh Mandaviya, Kailash Choudhary, Shobha Karandlaje & others during inauguration of PM Kisan Samman Sammelan 2022, at the Mela Ground, ICAR - Indian Agricultural Research Institute, in New Delhi on Monday.

First India Bureau

SEND SOURAV TO ICC: MAMATA TELLS MODI

Don’t insult freedom fighters by comparing them to your leaders’

..says BJP MP Tiwari after AAP compares its leaders to freedom fighters

New Delhi (PTI): As Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Siso dia was questioned by the CBI in the liquor policy case, BJP MP Manoj Tiwari lashed out at the Aam Aadmi Party, saying it was "in sulting" Bhagat Singh and other freedom fighters by comparing ministers of Kejriwal government who are facing corruption charges to them.

"Today they are tak ing out a procession, tomorrow people will teach them a lesson," Tiwari said in a dig at Sisodia, who reached the CBI office with a large number of sup porters.

"People of Delhi are laughing at them. How ever, the unfortunate thing is that they are soiling the names of Bhagat Singh and other freedom fighters by comparing them to a minister who is in jail and Sisodia who is an accused in liquor scam," Tiwari said.

Delhi CM Arvind Ke jriwal says they are like Bhagat Singh. This is not only an insult to Sha hid-e-Azam Bhagat Sin gh but also to all those freedom fighters who sacrificed their lives for the independence of the

country, he said.

The issue has drawn criticism from Oppn parties BJP and Congress

Currently, ministers of Kejriwal govt are facing corruption charges

LG issues showcause notice to DDCD vice-chairperson

New Delhi (PTI): Del hi Lt Governor V K Sax ena on Monday issued a showcause notice to Dialogue and Develop ment Commission of Delhi vice-chairperson Jasmine Shah on alle gations of "misuse of public office" by acting as the "official spokes person" of the AAP, sources said.

The unfortunate thing is that they are soiling the names of Bhagat Singh and other free dom fighters by com paring them to a min ister who is in jail and Sisodia who is an ac cused in liquor scam.

Manoj Tiwari, BJP MP

He said that Kejriwal and his ministers forgot to attend the Gandhi Jayanti programme on October 2 at Rajghat but when CBI summoned Sisodia for questioning in corruption in excise policy, he "ran" to Ma hatma Gandhi's memo rial. The North-east Delhi MP said that AAP leaders have been in dulging in "drama" to deflect questions asked to them regarding the alleged liquor scam.

"They have not an swered even one pointed question about the cor ruption in the excise policy. There have been documentary evidence and sting videos expos ing the corruption, but they have always divert ed the issue," he claimed.

COMPARING SISODIA, JAIN WITH BHAGAT SINGH UNFORTUNATE: PUNJAB CONG CHIEF

Chandigarh (PTI): Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Sin gh Raja Warring on Monday slammed AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal for compar ing party leaders Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain with freedom fighter Bha gat Singh, terming it as unfortunate.

No individual can ever match the sacri fice and commitment of Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh Ji. At the young age of 23, He gave his life for the motherland. Com parison of corrup

Security beefed up in Central Ranjit Nagar after man dies in brawl

New Delhi (PTI): Secu rity has been deployed in central Delhi’s Ranjit Nagar area where a 27-year-old man was killed during a street brawl, police on Monday said. The extra force has been deployed to avoid any law and order issue, police said, and added there is no communal angle behind the killing.

A senior police offic er said, “Since the inci dent, we have beefed up the security around the area to avoid any law lessness and ensure no untoward incident takes place. There is clearly no communal

Since the incident, we have beefed up the security around the area to avoid any lawlessness and ensure no unto ward incident takes place. There is clearly no communal angle to this incident.

—Senior police officer

tion accused Satyen dar Jain & @msiso dia with Bhagat Sin gh Ji by @ArvindKe jriwal is unfortunate, said Warring in a tweet here.

Speaking to report ers later, Warring said, It is not right to

compare anyone with Bhagat Singh. Be it Raja Warring or any one else.

(Manish) Sisodia saab can be a good person. (Arvind) Ke jriwal saab can be a good person, (Bhag want) Mann saab can be a good person. But it is not right to com pare any one with Bhagat Singh, said Warring.

Congress leader Sukhpal Singh Khai ra sought an apology from Kejriwal for equating the two AAP leaders with Bhagat Singh.

The action came fol lowing a complaint by BJP leader and West Delhi MP Parvesh Ver ma. In his complaint, dated September 13, Parvesh Verma has al leged that "while work ing as vice chairperson, Dialogue and Develop ment Commission of Delhi (DDCD), Jasmine Shah has acted as offi cial spokesperson of the Aam Aadmi Party for political gains, which is in violation of established procedures, and few alleged in

stances of misuse of public office by Shah has been provided...", the notice read.

The inquiry in the matter was carried out by the Delhi govern ment's planning depart ment, which is the ad ministrative depart ment in-charge of the DDCD, the sources at Lt Governor's office said.

The department after "thoroughly analysing various video footage

AIR QUALITY STILL ‘POOR’, MIN TEMP 17.5 DEG C

New Delhi (PTI): The national capital record ed a minimum temper ature of 17.5 degrees Celsius on Monday morning, two notches below the season's aver age, the Met office said.

The weatherman has forecast mainly clear skies for the day and the maximum tempera ture expected to settle at 32 degrees Celsius, they said.

The relative humidi

ty at 9.30 am was 96 per cent. The Central Pol lution Control Board's 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) data showed that at 9.05 am, Delhi's air quality was in the poor catego ry at 241.

An AQI between zero and 50 is considered good, 51 and 100 satisfac tory, 101 and 200 moder ate, 201 and 300 poor, 301 and 400 very poor, and 401 and 500 severe.

of Shah's presence in TV programmes, tran script of press confer ences addressed by him and news reports in newspapers, news por tals etc", prima facie found he was using his government office and other perks to "further an extremely partisan political agenda, spe cifically contrary to the laid down norms for conduct of a public servant", a source said.

MCD demolition drive in Jamia Nagar

New Delhi (PTI): The Municipal Cor poration of Delhi (MCD) on Monday carried out a demo lition drive to re move “illegal struc tures” near Batla House in Jamia Na gar using bulldoz ers amid a heavy police presence.

angle to this incident. It was a case of alleged honking by the bikers which led to the scuf fle.” The incident had happened on the night of October 12 when three men, including the deceased, objected to honking by some peo ple riding a bike, police had earlier said. A call was made at Ranjit Na

gar Police Station to re port a brawl near Chaw la Bakery, Mandir wali gali, but when police went to the spot, they found no one there.

The brawl had start ed when Nitesh, Alok, and Monty stopped three people on a bike allegedly for honking and assaulted one of them who fell down.

FOR NATURE LOVERS

Commuters com plained about traf fic jams in the area due to the drive. Ac cording to civic of ficials, the demoli tion drive was con ducted after due in spections by the ground staff where it was found that a number of “illegal structures” have come up in the area encroaching upon government land.

“The demolition drive was conduct ed to remove these illegal structures. Permanent as well as temporary struc tures including shanties and kiosks were removed dur ing the drive,” a civic official said.

Artificial waterfalls, floating fountains in Asola Bhati Mines by Oct-end

To develop a new tourism hotspot, Delhi LG directed the officials to create safe viewpoints for the visitors and provide a clear view of the waterfalls

New Delhi (PTI): Del hiites will get to wit ness four artificial wa terfalls and at least 10 floating fountains in the sprawling Neeli Jheel in the heart of Asola Bhati Mines by the end of this month, officials said. The Neeli Jheel, which was earli er almost unapproach able and little-known to the people of the na tional capital, will now offer a new experience for them, they said, add

ing that it will become a sought-after destina tion for Delhi residents and nature lovers.

According to an offi cial statement, the wa terfalls and the foun tains, ideated by Lt Gov ernor V K Saxena dur ing his previous visits to Asola Bhati Mines, are being developed by the Territorial Army in coordination with the Department of Envi ronment and Forest. This is in keeping with

the Saxena’s commit ment to develop Asola Bhati Mines into Delhi’ eco-tourism spot.

On Sunday, Saxena visited Neeli Jheel and inspected the trial run of the waterfalls and the floating fountains that is going on success

fully for the last one week. This is the fourth visit of Saxena to Asola Bhati Mines since he became Delhi LG on May 26 this year.

“These waterfalls at Neeli Jheel will come after Baansera, Asita East project, world class

The Neeli Jheel, which was almost unapproachable and little-known to the peo ple, will now offer a new experience. Also, it will become a soughtafter destination for Delhi residents and nature lovers.

nurseries at Roshanara Bagh and Khoja Wala Bagh and restoration of Anangtal Baoli in San jay Van that are being developed as public rec reational spaces in na ture for the people of Delhi,” the statement said. The nursery being

developed at Roshanara Bagh will be inaugurat ed in the first week of November. These pro jects aim at providing breathable public green space to the people, be sides the aesthetic up grade of the city, it said.

According to the of ficials, the waterfalls have been created by pumping up the water from the lake to the ap proximately 100-foothigh rocky ledges from where the water plung es back into the lake.

The waterfalls simu lated at four different ledges will provide beautiful scenic views & facilitate growth of flo ra and fauna, they said.

New Delhi (PTI): Construction of artificial water falls and floating fountains in Neeli Jheel at the heart of the Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary to boost eco-tourism may disturb wildlife and result in man-animal conflicts, experts said on Monday.

Experts told PTI that any “ill-thought” intrusion will drive wildlife away from their habitat and may lead to man-animal conflicts. Experts told PTI that any “ill-thought” intrusion will drive wildlife away from their habitat and may lead to mananimal conflicts. A year-long study conducted by the Delhi forest and wildlife department and the Bombay Natural History Society has confirmed the presence of eight leopards in the sanctu ary, an indicator of its thriving ecosystem. The sanctuary did not record any leopard sighting for many decades after 1940, as per the Gazetteer of Delhi. In 2019, the Delhi forest department reported fresh sightings of leopard pug marks and scats in the sanctuary.

SUCH AMBITIOUS PROJECTS MAY DISTURB WILDLIFE: EXPERTS

‘

BJP MP Manoj Tiwari addresses a press conference in New Delhi, Monday.  —PHOTO BY PTI

Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav immerses his father Mulayam Singh Yadav’s ashes in Ganga river, in Haridwar, Monday.  —PHOTO BY PTI

‘

BJP doesn’t want Sisodia to campaign in Guj

Unjha (Gujarat):

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday claimed the BJP-led government at the Centre plans to keep his deputy Man ish Sisodia in jail till the declaration of Gu jarat Assembly poll re sults as it does not want him to campaign in the state.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday started questioning Delhi Dep uty Chief Minister Sisodia in connection with alleged irregu larities in implementa tion of the 2021-22 Del hi excise policy.

Addressing a rally in Unjha in Mehsana dis trict, Kejriwal said when his party comes to power on December 8, "jail ke taale tootenge, Manish Sisodia chhoot enge" (the locks of the jail will break and Siso dia will be free).

December 8 is the vote counting date for Himachal Pradesh As sembly polls, though no schedule has been announced by the Elec tion Commission for Gujarat elections.

Kejriwal said Siso dia, a senior AAP lead er, has built many

schools in Delhi and was supposed to visit Gujarat for poll cam paigning, but "today, the CBI has called him (for questioning) and will arrest him".

"They will keep him (Sisodia) behind bars till December 8. They do not want him to campaign here. But when the AAP comes to power in Gujarat on December 8, 'jail ke taale tootenge, Manish Sisodia chhootenge'," said the AAP leader, repeating his newlycoined slogan three times.

Kejriwal, on the sec ond day of his two-day visit to the state, asked voters to give his party at least 150 seats in the 182-member Gujarat Assembly as a simple majority would allow the BJP to wean away some of the MLAs to bring down the government.

BJP ‘scared’ of AAP’s ‘popularity’ in poll-bound Gujarat: Sisodia

New Delhi (PTI): Del hi Deputy Chief Min ister Manish Sisodia on Monday dubbed as “fake” the case lodged against him by the CBI in the alleged excise policy scam, and claimed that his ques tioning was taking place as the BJP was “scared” of the AAP’s “popularity” in pollbound Gujarat.

Sisodia made the re marks ahead of his questioning by the central agency here in the case. The deputy CM asked AAP volun teers to feel proud if he goes to jail, saying he was a follower of Shahid Bhagat Singh.

Delhi Chief Minis ter and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal cam

paigning in Gujarat said that Sisodia was going to be arrested in a bid to stop him from electioneering in the western state. “The re sults of Gujarat (polls) will be out on Decem ber 8. They will keep Manish Sisodia in jail till then so that he can

not go to Gujarat for campaigning,” Kejri wal said.

The BJP slammed AAP, saying it was “in sulting” freedom fight ers by comparing them with Kejriwal government ministers facing corruption charges.

AAP protests, 100 detained amid Sisodia questioning

New Delhi: Several AAP leaders, includ ing MP Sanjay Singh, were detained on Mon day after a massive protest by them against the questioning of Manish Sisodia by the CBI in the liquor policy case. Around 100 lead ers and workers were detained from outside the CBI office, they will be released soon, a Del hi Police official said. Dramatic visuals showed the leaders be ing pushed into a bus by the police. Several women workers, while being taken to the bus, alleged the police “misbehaved”

Cops file FIR after men seen scaling Miranda House walls

New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi Police have taken suo motu cognisance and registered an FIR against unknown per sons who allegedly climbed the walls of Delhi University's Mi randa House during an open Diwali fest on the campus, officials said on Monday.

Deputy Commission er of Police (North) Sa gar Singh Kalsi said they have booked the persons under sections of tres pass based on the video.

The students of the prestigious all-women college alleged several men climbed the college walls and gates to wit ness an open Diwali fest on the campus and in dulged in ‘cat-calling and sloganeering’.

Miranda college prin cipal B Nanda said the crowd was unprece dented and for the safe ty of students the gates were closed.

“This did not deter the crowd who tried to enter the college after scaling the walls. Police immediately took ac tion and controlled the situation,” Nanda told PTI. Delhi Commission for Women chief Swati Maliwal said the com mission has sent a no tice to Delhi Police and college administration regarding the matter.

"Boys forcibly entered the ongoing Diwali fair at Miranda House, one of the most famous col leges in Delhi. The girls

have made serious alle gations of molestation and exploitation. We are sending a notice to Delhi Police and the college administration. How did this hooliganism happen? What security arrangements were made?" Maliwal tweeted in Hindi.

Nanda has also filed a complaint at Maurice Nagar Police station and pledged to take measures to ramp up security in the college to prevent similar inci dents in the future.

New Delhi (PTI): In wake of a ruckus during a fest, Delhi University's Miranda House on Monday formed a sub-committee to revisit the procedures of holding events and provided an emergency SoP, pro hibiting open events without prior regis trations.

‘No Complaint Of Sexual Harassment’

with them.

AAP MP Sanjay Singh was detained along with other pro testers or unlawfully protesting at the CGO complex, where large gatherings are banned, a senior po lice officer said.

Sisodia earlier in the day predicted his arrest as part of what he called a BJP “plan” to stop him from cam paigning for the up coming Gujarat elec tion. He also took out a roadshow in an open-roof SUV on his way to the CBI office and made many stops, including at Mahatma

Gandhi’s memorial Raj Ghat, and ad dressed Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers.

Sisodia, 50, left home after a “tilak” ritual, accompanied by AAP leaders like party MP Sanjay Sin gh and MLAs Atishi and Saurabh Bharad waj.

The CBI has pre pared a list of ques tions and will ask them in “several phas es”, sources say. The evidence found so far, and statements of oth ers accused in the “liquor scam” will be placed before the Dep uty CM, they say.

DCW chief claims her house attacked

New Delhi (PTI): Delhi Commission For Wom en (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal on Monday al leged that a man forci bly entered her resi dence in her absence and vandalised her cars.

The college has taken ‘serious note’ of unprece dented incident during the Diwali Mela B Nanda, College principal

In a notice, College principal B Nanda said the college has taken "serious note" of Friday's unprece dented incident dur ing the Diwali Mela organised by the NSS Unit of Miranda House. During the fest, Several men were seen climbing the college walls and gates to witness an open Diwali fest on the campus and indulged in "cat-calling and sexist sloganeering”. The incident has created an uproar on social me dia with several expressing concern over the safety of women.

GEARING UP FOR POLLS

Mumbai: Professor Bi jayalaxmi Nanda, Prin cipal of Miranda House College on Monday said that they have not received any com plaints of sexual har assment while reacting to the incident where some people tried to en ter the premises of the college.

She said, “There was a Diwali Mela pro gramme in the college on October 14. Due to the excess crowd, we closed the doors after which some people tried to enter the prem ises.”

She further said that the matter has been taken into cognizance and all safety measure have been taken.

She has complained to the Delhi Police. “A few moments back, an attacker forced his way into my residence and attacked it. He vandal ised my mother's car and my vehicle and made an attempt to en ter the house,” Maliwal said in a tweet in Hindi.

“By the grace of God, my mother and I were not present there. You can do anything but I am not going to be scared. I am complain ing to Delhi Police,” she said. Police said around 9 am, a call was received at Civil Lines police sta tion stating that a man

Attacker vandalised my mother’s car and my vehicle and made an attempt to enter the house

Swati Maliwal, DCW chief

had vandalised two cars and broken glasses.

Deputy Commission er of Police (North) Sa gar Singh Kalsi said on reaching the spot, the police team found a per son who was later iden tified as Sachin, a resi dent of Nathupura who has been detained in connection with the in cident.

AAP to fight J&K elections; campaign to begin from November 1

lll

Party announced UT & provincial level units of the party; former minister Harsh Dev Singh nominated as head of State Coordination Committee

Jammu (PTI): The AAP in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday an nounced the UT and pro vincial level units of the party and said it will contest the next assem bly polls with full force and start its election campaign from Novem ber 1. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) also nomi nated former minister Harsh Dev Singh as the head of State Coordina tion Committee.

Earlier, AAP had de clared district and block

level units and said the oath ceremony of all the nominated office bear ers will be held on Octo

KNOW MORE

ber 28 and 29. Singh, a former chair man of National Pan thers Party who joined

AAP in May, was named as the chairman of the AAP Jammu and Kash mir State Coordination

Committee while Dis trict Development Coun cil (DDC) member Meh raj Malik and Ghulam Mustafa Khan will be co-chairmen of the com mittee, a party spokes man said. He said Jam mu and Kashmir State Organisation Building Committee will be head ed by in-charge of the UT while senior leader Om Prakash Khajuria and DDC member Malik will be co-chairmen of the committee.

Nasir Ali Kochak will

lead the J&K State Po litical Strategy and Pol icy Committee as chair man with S Surender Singh Shengari as cochairman, whereas Jammu and Kashmir Manifesto Drafting Committee will be head ed by S Deep Singh while Farooq Ahmed Aga will be co-chairman of the committee, the spokesman said.

He said senior party leader and DDC mem ber T S Tony has been assigned the task of

chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Adminis trative Engagement and Minority Affairs Com mittee with Sheema Fa rooqi as co-chairperson.

The spokesman said AAP has also formed the State Media Com mittee with Nawab Na sir as its chairman, S Jagdeep Singh as cochairman, whereas Aga has been nominated as chairman of State Grievances Redressal Forum and S K Sharma as co-chairperson.

Harsh Dev Singh, Kundal and Tony addressing a press conference at Jammu.

PHOTO

will keep Sisodia behind bars

Delhi

AAP chief asks voters to give his party 150 seats in 182-member Guj Assembly

Police remove AAP MLAs & supporters who had gathered near the CBI office while Deputy CM Manish Sisodia was being questioned, in New Delhi, Monday. —PHOTO BY PTI

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal speaks during a public meeting at Unjha in Mehsana district, Monday. —PHOTO BY PTI

Delhi Dy CM Manish Sisodia at the party office before leaving for the CBI headquarters for questioning in connection with the excise policy probe, in New Delhi, Monday. —PHOTO BY PTI

Men seen ‘climbing’ walls of all-women Miranda House to see Diwali fest. —TWITTER

Committee formed to revisit procedures to hold events

Indian Women are Queens of Asia with a Dominant Display in Asia Cup!

SIDDHAARTH MAHAN

The writer is a specialist on Sports and Cinema who works as an actor in the Hindi film industry

If you want something said, ask a man; if you want some thing done, ask a woman!”

This quote by Margaret Thatcher clearly reflects the recent scenario in Indian cricket. While everyone ex pected the Indian men’s team to lift the Asia Cup, the dream was actually fulfilled by the Indian Women’s team. On Saturday, they thrashed Sri Lanka by 8 wickets to become the Asian queens for the sev enth time. The victory comes barely a month after the men’s team flopped badly and even failed to reach the finals.

India missed winning just once - in 2018

Given this background, it was particularly satisfying that Deepti Sharma bagged the ‘Player of the Tournament’ award at the Asia Cup! Her allround skills and her performances both with the bat and ball all through this season have been quite remarkable – and it was gratifying to note that the ‘Mankading’ row in England had not cast any dark shadow over her game in the Asia Cup where she was a vital factor in India’s triumph

In the 8 Asian Women Champi onships, India has missed win ning just once - in 2018. In the final, Sri Lanka was annihi lated as they posted only 65 runs losing 9 wickets - the worst batting performance playing first in the final. Re nuka Singh, the Indian medi um pacer struck early blows taking 3 wickets for just 5 runs – and Sri Lanka never recov ered. Rajeshwari Gaikwad and Sneh Rana later took 2 wickets apiece to set up an easy chase.

In reply, India’s dominant batters polished off the 66 runs to win in 69 balls, losing just 2 wickets. India’s Vice Captain Smriti Mandhana hit a half century in just 25 balls as she hit 3 sixes and the same

LIZ TRUSS FACING HEADWINDS

number of fours in her effort.

Shafali Verma and Jemima Rodrigues were the only wickets taken by Sri Lanka and the final, expected to be a close contest, ended far too quickly to the dismay of the 10000 plus crowd at the Sylhet Stadium in Bangladesh.

The road to the final wasn’t without a stutter for the In dian Women’s team. They lost to their arch rivals Pakistan in a crucial match which was India’s first ever defeat in the Asia Cup against them and the first since 2016. Pakistan’s win was a surprise as it came on the back of a defeat against Thailand in the previous match. Opting to bat first, Pa kistan made 137 losing 6 wick ets, thanks to the 76-run-part nership between Nida Dar and Captain Bismah Maroof.

In reply, Indian openers strug gled against the spinners and were bowled out for just 124 .

The loss though did not pre vent India from entering the Semi Finals where they faced Thailand. In terms of rank ings, India is much higher but the Thai team had a dream championship and were a sig nificant threat. India was asked to bat first and Shafali Verma ensured that India reached a respectable total of 148 with help from Harman

While everyone expected the Indian men’s team to lift the Asia Cup, the dream was actually fulfilled by the Indian Women’s team. On Saturday, they thrashed Sri Lanka by 8 wickets to become the Asian queens for the seventh time. The victory comes barely a month after the men’s team flopped badly and even failed to reach the finals

preet Kaur as well. Shafali hit a 28 ball 42 studded with 5 fours and a six. The middling total proved a tad too much for Thai land as they lost by 74 runs.

Pakistan suffered a shocking defeat In stark contrast, Pakistan suffered a shock defeat in their semi-final with Sri Lan ka. Electing to bat first, Sri Lanka posted a disappoint ing total of 122 runs in 20 overs but Pakistan failed to pounce on the opportunity and kept losing wickets. Ulti mately, it was heartbreak for Pakistan women as they lost by 1 run in the low-scoring but intense semi-final.

The Championship win was a continuation of the great gains they have been making in recent months. In early Au gust, at the Commonwealth Games 2022, they had scripted history by bagging a silver medal in their first-ever outing at the Commonwealth Games. Though they had settled for the silver medal in Birming ham, the team under captain Harmanpreet Kaur was show ing clear signs of solid im provement. The rapid progress of the Indian women’s team became more obvious in Sep tember when they trounced England 3-0 in an ODI series.

However, the close win in the last game was marred by the ‘Mankading’ row that erupted after Deepti Sharma got rid of England’s Charlotte Dean. Sharma had run out Dean at the non-striker’s end which sparked off a huge debate.

Deepti Sharma bags ‘Player of the Tournament’

Given this background, it was particularly satisfying that Deepti Sharma bagged the ‘Player of the Tournament’ award at the Asia Cup! Her all-round skills and her per formances both with the bat and ball all through this sea son have been quite remark able – and it was gratifying to note that the ‘Mankading’ row in England had not cast Indian women lifts Asia Cup trophy for 7th time As the entire country cele brates Indian women lifting the Asia Cup trophy for the seventh time, all eyes are now focussed on how well the men will do Down Under. Hopefully Rohit Sharma and his troops will get a special inspiration to bring back the T20 World Cup Trophy that has eluded India ever since they won it in the inaugural edition in 2007!

SOURAV GANGULY CAUGHT IN THE VORTEX OF TMC, BJP POLITICS

Unintentionally, for mer India captain Sourav Ganguly

finds himself caught in politics. Ganguly recently announced his decision to step down as president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India. No sooner than his deci sion was known that politics erupted. It was said that Gan guly was upset at being denied a second term as BCCI president, while Jay Shah, the secretary, has been allowed. It was also said that he was miffed for not being allowed to contest for the post of president of the Interna tional Cricket Committee (ICC).

From here on politics between the BJP and TMC took over.

Many wondered if Ganguly was denied the second term because he did not join the BJP due to his proximity with Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Ganguly himself has preferred silence on this issue.

On Monday Mamata told Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to be “politically vindictive” towards Ganguly and requested that the cricketer be allowed to contest the ICC election.

SPIRITUAL SPEAK

Delighted to meet diplomats from 30 countries at Raisina Forum for Future of Diplomacy 2022 program.A commendable initiative at investing in relationships. Shared experiences past & present of interest to them. So glad that they could visited Varanasi as they get to know India.

Liz Truss became Britain’s prime minister on Sep tember 6, just about six weeks ago, finds her flight being rocked by political turbu lence.

Truss is now trying to salvage her position while, according to a Times’ survey, her critics in the Conserva tive Party are discussing the prime minister’s ouster and the way to go about it. Al though not easy, if that hap pens Truss will end up being the prime minister for the shortest tenure in British history. Some newspaper in London tried to guess if her shelf life would be shorter than the head of a lettuce.

Truss’s troubles began on September 23 when the Chan cellor Kwasi Kwarteng an

Truss’s troubles began on September 23 when the Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng announced 45 billion pounds in tax cuts. The highest salary earners were given low income-tax cuts. The hastily prepared budget led to turmoil in the market and instead of bouquets, bricks started being hurled at the PM

nounced 45 billion pounds in tax cuts. The highest salary earners were given low in come-tax cuts. The hastily prepared budget led to tur moil in the market and in stead of bouquets, bricks started being hurled at the prime minister. A cornered

Truss tried to wriggle out of the situation by hastily roll ing back the tax cuts for the rich, sacking Kwarteng and appointing Jeremy Hunt the new finance minister. Despite that, analysts at Goldman Sachs bank have downgraded the UK’s growth outlook.

These steps have not been found satisfactory by a group of Tory MPs who are keen to have her replaced by either Rishi Sunak, who lost the PM’s race to Truss, or Penny Mordaunt who came third.

Tory MPs are recalling how Rishi Sunak, the former Chancellor, warned against tax cuts in one of his televised debates with Truss. With the economy already sinking, the political instability could bring about Truss’s downfall sooner than expected.

As a gift to the farmers of the country ahead of Diwali, today PM @ narendramodi ji launched 600 “Pradhan

Mantri Kisan Samridhi Kendra” and “Bharat” brand in line with the “One Nation, One Fertilizer” idea. With the help of these schemes, it will be easy to do farming and the life of the food donors will be happy. #PMKisan

Delight in heedfulness! Guard well your thoughts! Buddha

Dr. S. Jaishankar @DrSJaishankar

Smriti Z Irani @smritiirani

TOP TWEETS

To

Gap b/w internal and external security reducing: Rajnath

Gandhinagar (PTI):

Defence Minister Ra jnath Singh on Monday said the gap between internal and external security is reducing sharply in the last two decades.

He also said the inde pendent media, judici ary, NGOs and dynamic democracy can be mis used to destroy the se curity of a nation.

Addressing the sec ond convocation of the Rashtriya Raksha Uni versity (RRU) at Lavad village in Gujarat’s Gandhinagar district, Singh said “the lines between the internal and external security almost disappear in a hybrid war”.

He stressed the need for state agencies to work in an integrated manner as security challenges like terror ism, cyber warfare, hu man trafficking, mon ey laundering, drug

abuse etc are internal ly connected though they appear separate. With the changing times, there has been a tremendous change in

security dimensions, he said.

“We generally see se curity from two aspects – internal and external.

But in the last two dec

Ghulam Nabi Azad vouches for restoration of J-K statehood

Kathua (Jammu and Kashmir) (ANI): Dem ocratic Azad Party chairperson Ghulam Nabi Azad on Sunday reiterated the demand for the restoration of statehood ahead of the assembly elections scheduled next year.

Former Congress Rajya Sabha MP and Democratic Azad Par ty chairperson Ghu lam Nabi Azad ad dressed a public rally in Kathua and launched three main agendas of his outfit.

“We have three main agendas, first to re

store statehood, sec ond to reserve the rights of purchasing lands for J&K people only, and third to re serve jobs rights only for local youth”, Azad said in a public rally.

Adding that we will not step back until

these agendas are ful filled. Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Monday an nounced that his new political outfit will be named as ‘Democratic Azad Party’.

The development comes exactly a month after Azad resigned from the Congress par ty. Announcing the name of the new party at a press conference here, Azad said that the outfit will be secular, democratic and inde pendent from any in fluence.

ades, it has been seen that the gap between internal and external security is reducing,” Singh said.

The defence minister

Railways mulls protection after Duronto robbery

Kolkata (Agencies):

The Ministry of Rail ways is giving a critical thought to the redeploy ment of Railway Safety Force (RPF) comman dos on premier trains like Rajdhani, Shatabdi and Duronto passing alongside sure routes after Sunday’s armed theft on board the New Delhi-Howrah Duronto Specific in Bihar.

As many as 20 armed robbers obtained on the practice quickly after it left Patna station on its technique to Howrah and looted the passen gers at gunpoint.

OPS sits on Deputy Oppn Leader’s chair

Chennai (ANI): All In dia Anna Dravida Mun netra Kazhagam (AI ADMK) leader O Pan nerselvam (OPS) on Monday lashed out at the rival faction leader Edappadi Palalniswai (EPS) for not attending assembly session that began on Monday.

The former Chief Minister OPS was seen participating in the pro ceedings of the House seated in the chair for

AIADMK deputy floor leader. EPS was absent in the assembly session. As per sources, he “boy

ACTRESSES SUICIDE CASE

MP cops book husband-wife for abetment to suicide

Indore (Agencies):

CRUCIAL READ

CARCASS OF WILD ELEPHANT FOUND IN PADDY FIELD IN ASSAM’S NAGAON DIST

cotted” the Assembly session because rival faction leader OPP was made to sit as the As

sembly Deputy Opposi tion Leader Chair, the sources said.

OPS said, “We are at tending the assembly session today as AIAD MK MLAs. You should ask the EPS faction why they did not attend the assembly session.” On the existing feud in the party, OPS said that it is a dangerous situation that the bylaws of the party are being changed.

HIGHLY INFECTIOUS DISEASE IN INDIA

said social media, NGOs, the judiciary and the democracy of a country can be mis used by forces working to destroy its security.

“An independent so cial media can be used to carry out systematic propaganda. Freedom of social media is not bad, media should be free, but if media is free it can be misused… Attempts are made to establish and propa gate dangerous and controversial things in the name of freedom of expression,” he said.

“If NGOs have free dom, efforts are made to use NGOs in such a way that the entire sys tem of the country is paralysed. If the judici ary has freedom, ef forts are made to use it to stop or slow down the works of develop ment using the legal system,” Singh said.

The Madhya Pradesh police on Monday booked a husband-wife duo for allegedly har assing and abetting TV actress Vaishali Th akkar’s suicide.

Vaishali Thakkar was found hanging at her residence in the Sai Bagh colony in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore, under the limits of Tejaji po lice station, an official informed on Sunday adding that a suicide note was also recovered from the spot which sug gested that she was stressed and harassed by her neighbour, busi nessman Rahul Navlani.

The Tejaji Nagar Police have booked Rahul Nav lani and his wife Disha under sections 306 (Abet ment of suicide) and 34 (Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code for allegedly persuading the actor to kill herself.

Nagaon (Assam) (ANI): Forest officials in Assam found the carcass of a wild elephant in a paddy field in the state’s Nagaon district on Monday. According to the forest officials, the dead elephant, aged about 7 years old, was found at Kiling village near the Jakhalabandh area this morning. Prima facie, infighting is suspected to be the cause of death. Nepal Mandal, Forest Range Officer said the wild tusker might have died after fighting with other elephants. “Today morning, the local villagers and forest staff informed us that, a wild elephant died in the area and we immediately reached the spot and found the carcass of the tusker. Local villagers told us that, a herd of elephants came to the area last night. The elephant was not healthy and its treatment was going on,” the officer said.

THAK-THAK GANG KNOCKED OUT, FOUR ARRESTED

New Delhi (Agencies):

Delhi Police have arrested 4 members of the notori ous Thak-Thak gang, who knock on automobile and home windows to distract the eye of motorists with a view to rob them, officers.The accused have been recognized as Dheenathayalone (24), Raju (54), Karupa Samy (37) and Murti (24). Police said that they had been all presently residing at Shakurpur in Delhi, however, all are natives of Tamil Nadu.

With their arrest, police have additionally claimed to resolve 4 instances of theft registered.

HYDERABAD MAN KILLS WIFE & TWO KIDS, HANGS SELF

Hyderabad (Agencies): In a shocking incident, a man murdered his wife and two children before committing suicide in Hyderabad. The bodies were found at their house in Papireddy colony in Chandanagar area on Monday after police broke open the door following com plaints by the neighbours about foul smell. Bodies of Nagaraju, his wife Sujata and children Si dappa (11) and Ramyasri (7) were found lying in the house. The police suspect that the incident occurred on Friday.

Top leaders stress Gandhi family to play key role in going forward

New Delhi (PTI): With the Congress set to elect its first non-Gandhi president in over 24 years, senior leaders on Monday stressed the Gandhi family’s guid ance will be crucial and will play an important role in the party in the days to come.

The polls are signifi cant as the new presi dent would replace So nia Gandhi, the longestserving Congress presi dent who has been at the helm since 1998, barring the two years between 2017 and 2019 when Rahul Gandhi took over.

Voting for the Con gress presidential polls began on Monday. Sen ior leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Shashi Tha roor face-off for the post of the AICC chief. Over 9,000 Pradesh Con gress Committee (PCC) delegates form the elec toral college to pick the party chief in a secret ballot.

Speaking to reporters after casting her vote at the AICC headquarters here, senior leader Am bika Soni asserted that the Gandhi family can not be ignored and the

New Omicron sub variant BF.7 detected

With a declining trajectory of fresh Covid cases, a new Omicron sub variant is posing a new threat

New Delhi (Agencies):

With a declining trajec tory of fresh Covid cas es, a new Omicron sub variant, however, is pos ing a new threat in the country.

According to some re ports, the first case of BF.7 has been detected by the Gujarat Biotech nology Research centre.

This new Omicron vari

ant is also considered to be highly infectious and has a greater transmis sibility.

Omicron sub-vari ants -- BA.5.1.7 and BF.7 -- after emerging from a region of Mongolia in China are now making their way to other parts and posing fresh threats.

Reportedly, Omicron

variants BF.7 and BA.5.1.7 are behind the recent surge in the Cov id-19 cases in China.

However, experts have

advised precaution and Covid appropriate be haviour ahead of the up coming festive season.

Meanwhile, the active

caseload of the country presently stands at 26,834 cases, accounting for 0.06 per cent of the country’s total positive cases. India’s daily posi tivity rate was reported to be 1.86 per cent, while the weekly positivity rate currently stands at 1.02 per cent on Monday.

A total of 2,060 fresh Covid cases was detect ed in the last 24 hours against 2,401 reported on the previous day, the Un ion Health Ministry said on Monday morning.

CONG MP WON’T CAMPAIGN AGAINST BROTHER Hyderabad (Agencies): Congress MP and the party’s star campaigner Komatireddy Venkat Reddy made it clear that he will not campaign in the Munugode Assembly constituency where his brother Komatireddy Raja gopal Reddy is contesting the by-election as a BJP candidate. Venkat Reddy made the remarks while addressing reporters at Gandhi Bhavan, the state headquarters of Congress party, after casting his vote in the AICC presiden tial election.

party workers’ attach ment with them would remain. Hailing Sonia Gandhi’s contribution

STOP YATRA NOW, GO TO HP, GUJARAT: FRANCISCO SARDINHA

Panaji (PTI): Congress MP and former Goa chief minister Francisco Sardinha said Rahul Gandhi should stop the ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra and concentrate on the pollbound states of Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat. He claimed that Congress is the “only party” which can defeat the BJP. The Congress’ Bharat Jodo Yatra is sched uled to cover a distance of 3,570 km in 150 days.

CONGRESS MPs SINGHVI, THAROOR GET CHAIRMANSHIP OF PARLIAMENTARY PANELS

New Delhi (ANI): Congress MPs Shashi Tharoor and Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who went missing on the first list of parliamentary committee chairmen rolled out recently, made their way into the second one. Another list of Standing Committee chairmen have recently been announced in which Congress MPs have got the chair manship of two panels - one of Lok Sabha and the other of Rajya Sabha.

NEW CONG PREZ WILL TAKE FORWARD LEADERSHIP’s VISION: SALMAN KHURSHID

New Delhi (ANI): Congress leader Salman Khurshid on Monday said that the new party president would take forward and implement the vision of the party leadership. “Party leadership will remain. The new party president will decide how to take forward and implement the lead ership’s vision,” Congress leader Salman Khurshid said after casting his vote at the All India Congress Commit tee (AICC) office in the national capital.

to the party, Soni said she played a key role in the formation of the UPA government and

the Congress’ win in the 2004 polls, beating the BJP’s ‘Shining India’ campaign.

ED attaches 28 assets worth crores of TRS lawmaker Nama Nageshwar Rao

New Delhi (ANI): The Enforcement Directo rate (ED) has attached 28 immovable proper ties and other assets worth Rs 80.65 crore be longing to TRS MP Nama Nageshwar Rao and his family members in an ongoing money laundering case against Ranchi Expressway Ltd, Madhucon Projects Limited and its director and promoters, the agency said on Monday.

The ED has also at tached the registered of fice of the Madhucon

vention of Money Laun dering Act, 2022. Nama Nageshwar Rao is a pro moter and director of the Madhucon group of companies and a per sonal guarantor to the Bank loan defaulted by the company.

group of companies and residential property at Jubilee Hills, Hy derabad. The properties were attached under the provisions of the Pre

ED has identified and attached immovable as sets of Rs 67.08 crore at Hyderabad, Khammam and at Prakasham dis trict and movable assets of Rs 13.57 cr including shareholding of Nama Nageshwar Rao and his family members.

‘With the changing times, there has been a tremendous change in security dimensions’

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh with Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel during the release of the Gujarati edition of book ‘Modi@20: Dreams Meet Delivery’, in Gandhinagar, on Monday. —PHOTO BY PTI

Had the opportunity to participate in the release ceremony of the Gujarati edition of the book ‘Modi @ 20’ in Gandhi nagar today. Shri @narendramodi has promoted the poli tics of development and credibility in the country. The peo ple of the country have faith in his leadership. This book is very use ful to understand his working style. —Rajnath Singh @rajnathsingh

Former PM Manmohan Singh casts vote for party’s Presidential election at AICC headquarters, in New Delhi, on Monday.

DAP Chairman Ghulam Nabi Azad

AIADMK leader O Pannerselvam

TAMIL NADU ASSEMBLY

—PHOTO BY PTI

New Delhi (FIB): Cement maker ACC on Monday reported a consolidated net loss of `87.32 crore for September quarter on account of a steep rise in fuel cost. The company had posted a profit of `450.21 crore for the same quarter a year ago.

However, total revenue from operations was up 6.42% to `4,057.08 crore in July-Sept as against `3,812.31 crore. Accord ing to ACC, its EBITDA in the quarter “stood at `16 crore largely due to steep rise in fuel cost” as against `712 crore earlier.

PVR LTD 2nd QUARTER CONSOLIDATED LOSS AFTER TAX NARROWS

FIGHT AGAINST INFLATION TO BE PROLONGED: RBI ARTICLE

First India Bureau

New Delhi: The Reserve Bank of India in its Octo ber Bulletin noted that India’s fight against ‘stub born’ retail inflation will be dogged and prolonged, given the long and varia ble lags with which mon etary policy operates and that it is fraught with un certainties.

Retail inflation, which is measured by YoY changes in the all-India consumer price index (CPI), rose to 7.4% in September, up from 7% in August. The headline inflation saw a rise owing to the sharp increase in CPI food inflation to 8.4% in September from 7.6% a month ago.

However, going forward RBI expects the headline

Price increase in wheat and rice normal: Food secy

New Delhi (PTI): Film ex hibition firm PVR Ltd on Monday reported a nar rowing of consolidated loss after tax at `71.49 crore in the second quar ter ended September with people returning to cine mas as the pandemic eas es. The company had posted a consolidated loss after tax of `153.27 crore in the year-ago peri od, it said in a regulatory filing. Consolidated reve nue from operations in the second quarter stood at `686.72 crore as against `120.32 crore.

ISB, IIM-BANGALORE FIGURE IN FT EMBA 2022 RANKINGS

New Delhi (PTI): The gov ernment on Monday said the price rise in wheat and rice has been “normal” and it will intervene in the mar ket to offload the grains if there is any abnormal in crease in the rates.

Food Secretary Sudhan shu Pandey also said the government has surplus stocks of both wheat and rice in its godowns which will be used for making market intervention.

“Price rise is not abnor mal as it has been perceived and projected...,” he said.

inflation to ease from its September high, albeit stubbornly, on the back of easing momentum and fa vourable base effects.

“While the persistence of headline CPI inflation above the tolerance band for three consecutive quar

ters (up to September) will trigger mandated account ability processes, mone tary policy remains fo cussed on realigning infla tion with the target,” RBI said.

Input cost pressures in creased in September 2022

Inflation will not show rate hike impact now: Varma

New Delhi (PTI): RBI Monetary Policy Commit tee (MPC) member Jayanth R Varma on Monday said that the impact of mone tary policy tightening on inflation will be felt after five to six quarters.

The central bank is man dated to keep inflation at 4% with 2% of upside and downside margins.

In order to control rising inflation, the RBI on Sep tember 30, has raised shortterm lending rate for the third consecutive time by 50 bps to take the repo rate to 5.9%.

Since May it has cumula tively increased the key interest rate by 190 basis

points.

“No doubt it (inflation) will come down. Because we have done monetary policy tightening. “That tightening will have its im pact. The monetary policy takes, you know, five to six quarters to have its impact and cool prices,” he said.

“We started only in April. We will start seeing the effect of that tightening later in the year.

across manufacturing and services, albeit at a slower pace, as reflected in the PMIs.

Selling prices also edged up across manufacturing and services, with the ser vices sector registering price increases higher than the long-term average, the central bank noted in its bulletin.

RBI expects the momen tum of real GDP growth to shed the drag embedded in the NSO’s estimates for Q1FY23 and move into pos itive territory in the re maining quarters.

“Although this may not be evident in year-on-year growth rates due to unfa vourable base effects, q-o-q annualised rates will re flect the underlying recov ery,” the bulletin reads.

Nokia bag contracts from Jio to build 5G network

New Delhi (PTI): Finnish company Nokia said it has won a multi-year deal from Reliance Jio to build one of the largest 5G networks in the world.

Under the contract, Nokia will supply equip ment from its AirScale portfolio, including base stations, high-capacity 5G Massive MIMO (multiple input multiple output) an tennas, and Remote Radio Heads (RRH) to support dif ferent spectrum bands, and self-organising network software.

Reliance Jio plans to de ploy a 5G standalone net work which will interwork with its 4G network.

The network will enable Reliance Jio to deliver ad vanced 5G services such as massive machine-to-ma chine communications, network slicing, and ultralow-latency.

ERICSSON ANNOUNCE LONG-TERM STRATEGIC 5G CONTRACT WITH JIO

New Delhi (PTI): Telecom gear maker Ericsson on Monday announced a long-term strategic 5G contract with Reliance Jio to roll out 5G standalone (SA) network in the country. This is the first partnership between Jio and Ericsson for radio access network deployment in the country.

Akash Ambani, Chair man of Reliance Jio, said, “We are delighted to partner with Ericsson for Jio’s 5G SA rollout... We are confident that Jio’s 5G network will accelerate India’s digitalisation and will serve as the foundation for achieving our nation’s ‘Digital India’ vision”.

Sensex, Nifty rise for 2nd straight day as oil, banking stocks advance

Mumbai (PTI): Bench mark BSE Sensex rose by 491 points while Nifty set tled above the 17,300 level on Monday on the back of buying in index majors Re liance Industries, ICICI Bank and recovery in glob al markets. Rising for a sec ond session, the 30-share Sensex jumped 491.01 points or 0.85% to settle at 58,410.98. The index opened lower and fell to a low of 57,639.80 in early trade. However, it bounced back in late morning deals and hit rallied 529.03 points or 0.91% to touch a high of 58,449. The broad er NSE Nifty

climbed 126.10 points or 0.73% to end at 17,311.80, marking its second straight session of gains.

Among Sensex shares, State Bank of India, NTPC, Bajaj Finserv, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, Reliance Indus tries, and IndusInd Bank were the biggest winners.

` FALLS 11 PAISE TO CLOSE AT 82.30 AGAINST US DOLLAR

Mumbai (PTI): The rupee depreciated by 11 paise to close at 82.30 (provisional) against the US dollar on Monday as risk-off sentiment among investors and sustained foreign capital out flows weighed on the local unit. However, a rally in the domestic equities and a weak greenback overseas restricted the rupee’s fall, traders said. At the interbank foreign exchange market, the local currency opened lower at 82.33 and later fell to a low of 82.42. The unit finally settled at 82.30 against the American cur rency, registering a decline of 11 paise over its previous close.

Hyderabad (PTI): The In dian School of Business (ISB) was ranked number one in India and 44 glob ally in the top 100 Finan cial Times (FT) Executive MBA 2022 ranking. After ISB, Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIM-B) figured in the FT list at 86th position glob ally. Alumni from the Post Graduate Programme in Management for Senior Executives class of 2019 have been surveyed for this year’s ranking and ISB has significantly ranked higher in various parameters of this year’s rankings than the previ ous year, the premier BSchool said.

GOLD PRICE FALLS

RUPEES 40; SILVER DECLINES `594

Citing the example of wheat, he said the “price rise is normal” as the last year’s wholesale price was depressed as the govern ment sold huge quantities under its OMSS to bulk consumers, he said.

The whole price of wheat was ruling at ` 2,331 per quintal on October 14, 2021, as against ` 2,474 per quin tal on the same day in 2020.

“Therefore, it is not ad visable to compare the cur rent year’s increase in wheat with last year’s. It should be compared with prices that prevailed in 2020,” Pandey explained.

Air passenger traffic volume to recover to pre-pandemic level

Mumbai (PTI): Air pas senger traffic volume is expected to recover to the pre-pandemic level, imply ing a robust 75% year-onyear growth this fiscal, a report said on Monday.

The pick-up in traffic volume is expected to be led by domestic traffic as slots and routes on the interna tional front are still open ing up, domestic credit rat ing agency Crisil said in its report.

It also said that the air port operators are expected to see their traffic volume

recover to the pre-pandem ic (fiscal 2020) level this fis cal, spurring a recovery in revenue, supported by an increase in tariffs.

In FY23, with the pan demic impact seemingly behind us, air traffic vol ume is expected to in crease to the fiscal 2020 level of around 340 million passengers.

1/3rd OF PASSENGERS HAD TO PAY EXTRA FOR FLIGHT SEATS

Mumbai (PTI): Around one-third of air passengers had to pay extra money for seats on a flight in the last 12 months as free seat option was not available, according to a recently con ducted survey. One in every third person surveyed said that the airline they booked did not give the option to secure a free seat,” the survey said. Some consum ers prefer to reserve seats as per their choice which can be availed by paying an extra `200-1,500, especially for seats in the front and emergency rows as they offer more legroom.

SBI, Kotak, Federal Bank revise lending rates

First India Bureau

New Delhi (PTI): Gold price in Delhi fell `40 to `50,833/10 gm on Mon day amid a fall in the pre cious metal prices in the overseas market, accord ing to HDFC Securities. In the previous trade, the yellow metal had touched `50,873 per 10 grams. Silver also declined by `594 to `56,255/kg from `56,849 per kg. In the in ternational market, gold was quoting lower at $1,655.75 per ounce while silver was down at $18.55 per ounce.

New Delhi: Sate-owned State Bank of India (SBI) and private lenders Kotak Mahindra Bank and Fed eral Bank have revised their lending rates under marginal cost of fund based lending rate (MCLR), making consumer loans such as personal, home and auto costlier.

SBI has revised the MCLR for the benchmark one-year tenor to 7.95%, up by 25 basis points from pre vious rate. SBI said the new MCLR is effective from Oc tober 15, 2022. The one-year

tenor MCLR is the rate against which most con sumer loans are tied to.

Kotak Mahindra Bank

MCLR RATE REVISION

z SBI has revised the MCLR for the benchmark oneyear tenor to 7.95%, up by 25 basis points.

z SBI said the new MCLR is effective from Oct 15, 2022.

z The one-year tenor MCLR is the rate against which most consumer loans are tied to.

NEW RBI NORMS TO STRUCTURALLY STRENGTHEN ARCs

Mumbai (PTI): The new regulatory guidelines for asset recon struction companies will lead to consolidation in the sector apart from structurally fortifying them with improved governance, better disclosures, lower funding needs for asset ac quisitions, and robust bal ance sheets, says a report.

‘TRADE SETTLEMENT IN RUPEE THING IN RIGHT DIRECTION’

Kolkata (PTI): With the RBI allowing Indian banks to open vostro accounts with Russian banks for trade settlement in the Indian cur rency, the tea exporters have expressed the view that this a step in the right direction as Russia is a big importer of tea from India.”Opening up of vostro account is a good step. Anything in that direction is good”, an official of ITEA said.

INDIA’S SUGAR OUTPUT TO BE HIGHER AT 36.5 MT IN 2022-23 MARKETING SEASON: ISMA

New Delhi (PTI): The country’s sugar production is projected to be 36.5 million tonnes in the 2022-23 marketing season, an increase of 2% compared to the yearago period, industry body ISMA said on Monday. The marketing season will be starting this month. The production in India, the world’s major producer of the sweetener, stood at 35.8 million tonnes during the 2021-22 marketing season. The season is from Oct-Sept. With an estimated increase in production despite higher diversion for etha nol, ISMA expects export to be around 9 mn tonnes this season.

BYJU’S RAISES $250 MILLION IN FRESH FUNDING ROUND

New Delhi (PTI): Edtech major BYJU’S has raised $250 mil lion (about `2,000 crore) from its existing investors, in cluding Qatar Investment Authority, in a fresh funding round, the company said on Monday.

GOVERNMENT SEEKS DATA ON VACANCIES

FROM PSUs: OFFICIAL

said the MCLR for various tenors has been set in the range of 7.70-8.95% with ef fect from October 16, 2022.

Federal Bank said its one-year MCLR on loans and advances has been re vised to 8.70%.

The funding round follows BYJU’S recent announce ment to become profitable by March 2023. “BYJU’S raises $250 million in a fresh funding round.

New Delhi (PTI): The govern ment has sought data on va cancies from all public sector undertakings (PSUs) and asked them to prepare a roadmap to fill those with an aim to reducing unemployment in the country. Information has been sought by the government regarding vacancies at the entry-level as well as at the senior level, a senior official of a public sec tor undertakings said.

CITY LOGS 635 DENGUE CASES IN FIRST 12 DAYS OF OCTOBER

The rise in dengue cases has taken the total count to 1,572 so far this year

New Delhi (PTI): The number of dengue cas es in Delhi has seen a spike with 635 new in fections being reported in the first 12 days of October taking the total tally to 1,572 so far this year, a civic body report said on Monday. Of the total 1,572 cases record ed this year, as many as 693 were reported in September alone.

The city had logged 937 cases of dengue this year till September-end, and 635 fresh cases were reported in the first 12 days of October, taking the tally of the vectorborne disease in the city to 1,572, according to the report released by the Municipal Cor poration of Delhi (MCD) on Monday.

It is also the highest number of dengue cas es logged during the

January 1-October 12 period since 2017, when the corresponding fig ure was 2,884, the report stated.

The report said that as many as 314 fresh dengue cases were re

Protest outside Hurriyat office in Srinagar against killing of Kashmiri Pandit

ported in a week be tween October 5 and 12. Between October 1 and 5, the city reported 321 cases.

In 2015, the city had witnessed a massive dengue outbreak, with

the number of cases crossing 10,600 in Octo ber. It was Delhi’s worst dengue outbreak since 1996.

According to the MCD report issued on Monday, the city record

ed 23 dengue cases in January, 16 in February, 22 in March, 20 in April, 30 in May, 32 in June, 26 in July and 75 in Au gust. No death has been reported so far this year due to the disease.

GOVT ACTIVELY TAKING STEPS TO ENACT LAW FOR CLINICS, LABS

New Delhi (PTI): The city government on Monday told the Delhi High Court that it was “actively” taking steps for drafting, finalising and enacting its own law to regulate clinical establishments, includ ing laboratories, here.

Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad listed the case for consideration on January 11.

353 DRUG SMUGGLERS, NABBED IN A WEEK IN PUNJAB

Chandigarh (PTI):

The Punjab Police on Monday said 353 drug smugglers and suppli ers have been arrested in a week as part of an ongoing anti-narcotics drive in the state.

Inspector General of Police (Headquarters) Sukhchain Singh Gill said 273 FIRs have been registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substanc es (NDPS) Act during this time period.

He said the police seized 11.56 kg heroin, 13.51 kg opium, 900 gram ganja, eight quin tals of poppy husk, and 88,014 tablets, capsules, injections, and vials of pharma opioids, be sides Rs 20 lakh cash after carrying out cor don-and-search opera tions. In a statement here, Gill said 11 pro claimed offenders in the drug cases have been arrested in the last seven days.

Two Chinese held in Noida for cyber fraud

Srinagar (PTI): A group of people, includ ing social activists, staged a protest outside the Hurriyat Confer ence office on Monday against the killing of Kashmiri Pandit farmer Puran Krishan Bhat by terrorists last week, of ficials said. The protest ers assembled outside the office of the Mirwaiz Umar Farooq-led Hur riyat at Rajbagh here and held a protest. They held the Hurriyat re sponsible for the blood shed in Kashmir Valley.

The protesters daubed “India” on the main gate of the Hurriyat’s central building and brought down the signboard of the separatist amalgam, the officials said.The

gate was locked. The protesters included so cial activists, municipal corporators and Kash miri Pandits, the offi cials added. One of the protestors said the Hur riyat office will be closed down soon and an or phanage will be run from the building.

Another protestor, a Kashmiri Pandit, said the people of Kashmir have realised that they want peace and not bloodshed. Bhat was gunned down by terror ists on Saturday outside his ancestral house in the Chowdhary Gund area of south Kashmir’ Shopian district, where he had gone to look after his orchards. Bhat was cremated in Jammu.

The Delhi govern ment was responding to a petition by Bejon Ku mar Misra who has al leged that unauthorised laboratories and diag nostic centres in the na tional capital were be ing managed in by un qualified technicians.

In an affidavit, it also

stated that provisions of an existing central government statute, Clinical Establishment (Registration and Regu lations) Act, 2010, are not applicable to the na tional capital and guide lines have been issued to regulate all laborato ries conducting Covidrelated tests. A bench of

“It is respectfully sub mitted that the Delhi Health Establishments (Registration and Regu lation) Bill, 2022, herein after referred to as the Delhi Health Bill, 2022, has already passed through various stages of finalisation,” stated the affidavit submitted by the special secretary of the Delhi govern ment’s health and fami ly welfare department.

Noida (PTI): Two Chi nese nationals have been arrested from UP’s Greater Noida for their alleged involvement in a cyber fraud, officials said on Monday. The suspects were held by a joint team of the Special Task Force (STF) and the local Knowledge Park police station for allegedly duping sever al Indian citizens.

The duo had put out an app on Google Play store through which they lured Indian citi zens into making easy money online, accord ing to the STF. The ar rested persons have been identified as Feng Chenjin and Huang Kuan. Two passports

Terrorist hideout busted in J-K, arms seized

Jammu (PTI): Securi ty forces on Monday busted a terrorist hide out in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch dis trict, and seized arms and ammunition from it, officials said.

The hideout was un covered during a joint search operation by po lice and security per sonnel at Sangla village in the Surankote area of the border district, they said.

The officials said a pistol, four hand gre nades, four Under Bar rel Grenade Launcher (UBGL) cartridges, a wireless set, 16 impro

vised explosive device (IED) batteries and three AK magazines with rounds were seized from the hideout.

The operation was carried out acting on specific information, they said, adding that no one was arrested.

‘Promote U’khand as yoga, wellness tourism’

Dehradun (PTI): Utta rakhand Chief Minis ter Pushkar Singh Dha mi on Monday sought the help of Indian diplo mats in promoting the state as a yoga and well ness tourism destina tion in countries where they are serving.

“Uttarakhand has the potential to quickly emerge as an interna tional yoga and well ness tourism destina tion. It is the original

RELIEF FOR HUMANS?

land of yoga. People trained in yoga here have become yoga in structors abroad,” he said at a meeting in Dehradun with Indian ambassadors and high commissioners to seven countries. During the meeting at his residence here, the chief minister also sought the diplo mats’ support in pro moting the state govern ment’s ‘One District Two Products’ pro

gramme to advertise at least two unique local products from each of its 13 districts .

He also asked the dip lomats to give informa tion to officials in Utta rakhand about the best practices prevalent in the countries where they serve. The diplo mats suggested that products of the hill ar eas of the state and their cuisine should be promoted.

were also found from them, one of which had expired, the STF said.

More than 150 SIM cars, 96 of them activated, two laptops, Rs 30,000 cash, 110 Chinese Yuan, 10,000 Korean Won and 5,000 Cambodian Riel were also recovered from them, it added.

The police said they have seized some im portant documents from the duo, who has been sent to jail, while further investigation is underway. The duo has been booked for cheat ing, forgery of docu ments as well as under provisions of the Infor mation Technology Act, among others, the po lice added.

AAP leaders greet Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann on his birthday

Chandigarh (PTI):

Several AAP leaders in cluding Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejri wal and Punjab cabinet ministers on Monday greeted CM Bhagwant Mann on his birthday.

Mann turned 49 on Monday. Greeting Mann on his birthday, Aam Aad mi Party

national convener Arvind Kejriwal

in a tweet in Hindi said, “Birthday wishes to my younger brother & Pun jab CM Bhagwant Mann ji. May God give you a healthy and long life and more strength to serve people of Punjab.”

Punjab cabinet Min ister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer tweeted, “Birthday wishes to the beloved leader of Pun jabis @Bhagwant Mann.” AAP minister Baljit Kaur, wishing Mann on his birthday, said thanks to his hon est visionary thinking, Punjab is moving ahead on the way to becoming a vibrant state again.

Ghaziabad bans Pit Bull, Rottweiler, Dogo Argentino as pets

lll Pet-owners living in high rise complexes will have to use service lifts for taking their dogs out and make sure they wear a muzzle while in the public

Ghaziabad (PTI):

Amid a series of pet dog attacks, the Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation has banned the resi dents from keeping the ferocious Pitbull, Rott weiler and Dogo Argen tino breeds as pets. The civic body issued a host of other guidelines on Saturday for pet-owners according to which they will have to get a licence for their dogs, which will be issued from No vember 1, and no family can keep more than one

pet dog. Pet-owners liv ing in high rise com plexes will have to use service lifts for taking their dogs out and make sure they wear a muzzle while in the public. The decision comes amidst several dog bite inci dents reported from various localities of the city in the recent months. The pet-owners will have to obtain regis tration within 2 months.

“The three breeds -Pitbull, Rottweiler and Dogo Argentino -- are

ferocious (khoonkhar), and no permission will be granted to keep these dogs. No licence will be issued. If somebody buys one of these, he/ she will be responsible.

All these three breeds have been banned in Ghaziabad,” BJP leader and GMC councillor

Sanjay Singh told PTI on Sunday. Singh had moved s proposal to ban

these breeds which was passed by the munici pal body House. He said people who already have these breeds of dogs will have to get them sterilized within two months. Mayor Asha Sharma told PTI, “Sterilisation of the dogs has been declared compulsory in the board meeting of the civic body held on Sat urday. Without sterili sation, certificate regis tration will not be granted.”

“In case the dog is younger than six months, the owner will have to submit an affi davit with an assurance that they will get the pet sterilised when he be comes one,” she added.

The mayor said dogowners love their pets, but they must also think about the chil dren who sustained se vere injuries in dog at tacks. “More than 10 children suffered dog bites. A child in the Sa njay Nagar colony, Kush

Tyagi, was attacked by a Pitbull and he got 150 stitches on his face.

Four days later, another boy was attacked by a dog of this breed,” she said. All zonal officers of of the GMC have been instructed to issue notices to pet-owners to inform them about the rules and regulations passed in the board meeting. On stray dogs, mayor Sharma said residents would be al lowed to offer them food at a designated place.

Bull, Rottweiler, and

Argentino

The duo were held by a joint team of the Special Task Force (STF).

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami meets the Ambassadors of India posted in several countries at Chief Minister’s Residence, in Dehradun on Monday. —PHOTO BY ANI

The protesters including social activists and Kashmiri Pandits assembled outside the office and brought down the signboard.

midst the dazzling light, glimps es of mag nificence and elegance were wit nessed in the grand finale of the 9th edi tion of Rajasthan’s biggest and most prestigious beauty pageant Elite Miss Rajasthan 2022. Shweta Raje won the title of Elite Miss Ra jasthan 2022 in this magnific event held on Sunday at Sam skara Resort on Ajmer Road. On the other hand, Taj Devs hree Hada and Shee na Parashar the first runner-up and sec ond runner up won their names. While

Disha Nareda and Shivangi Singh Rao were declared run ner-ups.

Dr Jagdeesh Chan dra graced the pro gram as the chief guest and motivated the finalists. During this, Directors of Elite Miss Rajasthan Gaurav Gaur, Anil Bhattar, Ajit Soni, PN Doody, Nakul Vi jay, Yasheel Pandel and Patron of the program JD Mahesh wari congratulated the winners for their bright future.

During the finale, Charvi Tanya Dutta, Aditi Hyundai, Him mat Singh and Akanksha Bhalla were present as judg es to test all the con testants. Talent from cities like Udaipur, Jodhpur, and Kota as well as small areas and villages of Ra jasthan got a chance to show their skills on the ramp. The event took place in five designer se quence rounds, the

first round show cased designer Var sha Jangid’s western designer collection. In the second round, the girls performed the ramp walk with 32 saris of Bhaiya who came from Bag ru. This was followed by a multi-designer round, wherein 17 eminent designers from Rajasthan showcased their col lection, in which the top 15 girls were shortlisted by the jury. After which the question answer round with the top 6 selected from all the contestants was fol lowed by the finale round in the fashion designer Heena Bala ni’s Garments crowned the winner of this season. Mean while, the girls’ title announcement round was also spe cial. The judges an nounced the top 3 on the basis of talent, confidence, intelli gence and introduc tion of the models.

KAVITA

Jagdeesh Chandra with (L-R) Gaurav Gaur, Shivangi Singh Rao, Shweta Raje, Devshree Hada, Sheena Parashar and Varunavi Singh

(From Left) 5th runner up Shivangi Singh Rao, 3rd runner up Varunavi Singh, 2nd runner up Sheena Parashar, Miss Elite Rajasthan 2022 Winner Shweta Raje, 1st runner up Devshree Hada and 4th runner up Disha Nareda

—PHOTOS BY SUNIL SHARMA AND MUKESH KIRADOO

Role of Social Media in the Promotion of Art and Artists

necting with others.

Social media is not only helping artists, in stitutions and galler ies to improve outreach and audience engage ment, but its effective use is also becoming an invaluable marketing tool to engage with new audiences and create new sales channels.

After ‘tech sav vy’ it is the ‘social media savvy’ that has become synonymous with today’s generation. About 2/3rd of online Indians spend time on different social networking sites like Facebook, Insta gram, Twitter, You Tube, Pinterest, etc. Even the trend of send ing personal emails seems to have become obsolete as compared to the usage of social media. But why is this media becoming so popular in India? Inter action, live chat, status updates, image - as well as video-sharing are a few of the major as pects that play a role in the popularity of so cial media. Social me dia is defined as “forms of electronic commu nication through which users create on line communities to share information, ideas, personal mes sages, and other con tent. Customer re sponses, interac tion and brand awareness is the reason companies are using social me dia in India and across the globe. Its multiple roles played by social media beyond its core role of mere communicating infor mation are leading to its popularity.

India has the world’s largest number of Fa cebook users and the third largest internet users in the world after the US and China. In the modern era, every thing is online. “Social media are primarily Internet-based tools for sharing and dis cussing information among human beings.”

Linked In, a profes sional business-related networking site, allows companies/ promoters of events to create pro fessional profiles for themselves, and their business to facilitate networking and con

Till the advent of so cial media mouth pub licity, the use of media (TV, Print media, ad vertisements) was the most resorted means of popularizing art and cultural shows and bringing fame to artists. But gradually

artists have understood the importance of so cial media and they do promote their products through Facebook,

forms, which offer them the chance to comment, like, and share content, and they may even speak with

they have lost credibil ity and have become too time-consuming and with their limited reach are getting out fashioned. Today’s youth wants every thing “Now”. They are

Twitter, Google+, and so on. It is the right time for every artist, promoter of art and art lover to adopt social media as the key tool. Fans and artists are connected through So

their favourite artists. Artists using Social Media can develop stronger relationships with their fans as one of the strongest bene fits of using it.

Today, artists and businesses use so cial me dia to get closer to their ences and meet customers where they are - re gardless of geographic location. Being present on social media allows creative minds to ex press themselves with more liberty, frequen cy, and intimacy, and eventually promote their work and gener While each social media platform, and each expert, has its own standards on how often to post, what’s im portant is con Re

cent surveys show that an ever-grow ing percent age of the general public dis covers art primarily

through social media, rather than by visiting museums and galler ies, especially among younger demograph ics. Instagram is argu ably the most impor tant social network for contemporary art to day, Instagram’s in credible success is due to people’s need for in teraction, archiving, self-expression, escap ism and peeking- this makes it clear why the visually-driven plat form seems to be art enthusiasts’ favourite place to share artworks, and it is also becoming a legitimate contempo rary art medium of its own. True, quality con tent matters but it can only shine through a proper medium.

There are some neg ative aspects of social media it is time-con suming, requires con stancy and dedication, work of artists availa ble for comparison in open fora and can be discouraging for young emerging artists, doesn’t guarantee suc cess and finally, the quantity and quality of stuff on social media platforms can be over whelming and may not be so authenticated. Nevertheless, the ad vantages of social me dia platforms outnum ber the disadvantages. These are:- its easy ac cessibility, almost free or with the least ex penses, easy to connect to an audience no mat ter where an artist is located, gives an artist a chance to showcase the amount of work which happens behind the scenes: the trials, the attempts and the dialogue necessary to create art. Social me dia makes it easy for artists to get noticed and viewed by their peers and the public grows and fosters uniqueness and crea tivity.

ARIES

MAR 21 - APR 20

Things move positively on the academic front and encourage you to give your best. Good man management will help you in completing a project or assignment in time. Travelling with your near and dear ones to the countryside will prove immensely fulfilling. Blessings of someone will fulfilling your expectations.

TAURUS

APR 21 - MAY 20

Switching to healthy foods will be the key to remaining fit and active. A family issue may need to be deliberated upon, so that it does not disturb domestic harmony. An out of town invitation will tempt some to undertake the journey. Spirituality may bring a special meaning to your life.

GEMINI

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

Change of diet will improve health. A difference of opinion may pit you against a family elder. Those compelled to travel are likely to find interesting company. Some of you will be able to add to your wealth and even plan to buy property. You are set to enjoy the exclusive company of people of eminence.

CANCER

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

Time is favourable as your real estate investments start giving handsome returns. An official trip is likely to keep you tied up. Your help and support to a youngster will help boost his or her self-confidence. Those trying to achieve their professional targets will succeed.

LEO

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

Your professionalism is likely to be praised at work. Someone’s unexpected arrival at home threatens to upset your personal plans. Seeing new places, meeting new people is in store for some. There is nothing that can go wrong today, except things involving property.

VIRGO

AUG 24 - SEP 23

Those in the financial sector can hope to start making profits. You may think up ways of improving your health. A major renovation work may be undertaken at home. A journey is likely to take you down the memory lane. Travel stars look bright for some, especially for overseas travel.

YOUR DAY

LIBRA

SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22 You are likely to experience a positive phase in your existence. Favourable decision can be expected regarding a piece of property under dispute. Those in tourism and hospitality sectors will find new opportunities knocking at their door. You may take the initiative of organising a family gathering.

SCORPIO

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

A trip with friends will be both enjoyable and therapeutic. Family life will remain stable and provide you a firm foundation from where to venture forth. This is the best time for launching your ideas at work. Money multiplies through excellent financial planning. The day turns out well for you.

SAGITTARIUS

NOV 23 - DEC 22

Meeting someone new is likely to enlarge your social circle. Something you had wanted for the home may be gifted to you. Your ideas will work on the professional front and speed up the progress. Your financial condition is not bad, you possess the potential to earn much more. Overall health remains good.

CAPRICORN

DEC 23 - JAN 20 Businesspersons are likely to do good business today and earn well. The day proves excellent for you, both personally and professionally.

Appease someone in the family to have your way.You may have to put your foot down against a trip you are reluctant to go on. Keep a close track of the progress.

AQUARIUS

JAN 21 - FEB 19

You will be able to get the study stream you desire on the academic front. Going is likely to get better on the professional front. Purchasing a new car or an expensive appliance is indicated. Children can keep you entertained. The day is favourable to get a project underway.

PISCES

FEB20 - MARCH 20

Some additional perks can be expected by those in the private sector. An enjoyable outing is on the cards for some. Family life will cruise along smoothly and give you time for rest and recoup. A promotion or a prestigious appointment is in store for those in a government job.

FACEOFTHEDAY

Horoscope by Saurabbh Sachdeva

RAJESH

THE SENSATIONAL SQUAD

hundred women from across the country walked the ramp and showcased their talent during various audi tions rounds held across multiple cities.

MITALI DUSAD cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

irst India Queen, where beauties from pan India will compete for the privi leged titles and crowns, at Hotel Sahara Star in Mum bai on October 21, re vealed its top 30 final ists recently! And now it's time to bring to light the successful partners behind the

Grooming and train ing sessions were held where contestants prepared in various aspects to enhance confidence, fitness and other areas of de velopment that are needed to become a supermodel.

First India Queen is curated by Blanckan vas Media and the fi nale will be choreo

graphed by Parimal Mehhta. Apart from cash incentives, and gorgeous crowns by SVAR Fine Jewellery, the winners will also win Brand endorse ments and SM influ encer contracts, calen dar shoots and more. Anjali Khandal has been selected as the face of the First India Queen, the young in nocent beauty from Rajasthan is the sym bol for lakhs of young girls, who hope to make it big in the world of glamour.

Parimal Mehhta

said, "We are extreme ly excited and gratified to have come up with this season of First In dia Queen. This sea son, we are also proud to announce various perks for the winners that'll highlight not just their victory but a blend of their unique ness and high-spirited attitude. The brand is a true personification of a beauty queen. I congratulate all the partners for their con stant support." More partners of the grand show to be an nounced tomorrow.

Hotel Sahara Star, Mumbai

Parimal Mehhta, Founder, Blanckanvas Media

Madhuri Bhosale Founder, IRA Women

Khalid Ansari IP consultant

Raghuveer Jhaveri Founder, Parram Parraa Netra Saxena, Founder and CEO - Ira

Anjali

Jagdeesh Chandra

RINA DHAKA TOOK A RETRO LOOK

CITY FIRST

Rina Dhaka's inspired fashion theme and stories titled “Urban Tribe” were show cased in the joint fashion week be tween The Fashion Design Council of India and Lakme Fashion week which allowed her creative mood to delve into archives, pieces of vintage embroidery as well as botanical prints. Her “Urban Tribe” collection was a re laxed look at glamorous, re sort wear that fitted beauti fully into Rina’s design sensi bilities. Moving back to the 70s–90s eras that were filled with riotous excitement of vibrant colours, the ensem bles unveiled were a multihued romantic story. Working on her concept of “back to the future”, Rina recreated some innovative versions from her classic collections. The print story was aimed at

creating a bright bonanza of sunshine tones, while embel lishments were at the core of the collection, as Rina brought in her favoured mir ror work to highlight crafts like crochet and knits.

Bollywood actress, model and interior deco rator Shamita Shetty brought an element of fun on the ramp, when she closed the show in an unconvention al sheer/opaque corset-style blouse with puff sleeves and a colourful, printed, maxi skirt with a tantalising slit. The striking, white, ornate, hipster belt was a real eyecatcher. For fashion aficiona dos, the “Urban Tribe” collec tion by Rina Dhaka will be a perfect addition to their sar torial choices.

“My collection is a story of an urban tribe, a new age ren dering of the traditional sketches and prints in a ready-to-wear format. In spired by archives, pieces of

vintage embroidery and bo tanical prints, it’s a modern relaxed resort glamorous col lection. After my last showcase which was in a phygital format, it was great to be back on the runway at Lakmé Fashion Week in partnership with FDCI. Post-pan demic, the ener gy we all need ed, I tried to bring that in my spring 23 collection –a spirit of sum mer, of youth, of bare shoul ders and bare backs with the use of the sheer and a mixed bag of inspirational prints." said Rina Dhaka.

‘Fairytaless Bride’

CITY FIRST

Atwo-day Bespoke Couture exhibi tion titled 'Fair ytaless Bride' By Nikita Arya culminated at the Hyatt Regency, New Delhi on Monday.

The exhibition wit nessed the who’s who of Delhi attending the famous luxe edit which was specially curated for the brides and their families for the coming festive-wedding season. This Festive season, Fairytaless Bride made its presence in the capital city with an in credible showcase of luxurious bridal jewel lery, bespoke couture and classic trousseau essentials.

Some of the par ticipating design ers and brands were House of Risa Talk ing Threads, Ayush Ke jriwal (Malabar Gold & Diamonds), Varun Mit tal (Tirupati Jewels), Unicity Jewels, Shriram Jewels, Masakali by Shradha & Malvika and

many more.

During the occasion Nikita Arya founder of Fairytaless Bride said “A synonym for the unmatched curated offerings is it wed ding couture, high jew ellery or Haute accesso ries all under one roof. The show was all about fine jewellery, couture and all things luxury for all kinds of special occasions.

Water to Waste Management

CITY FIRST

Helps Citi

zens go Green.

D elhi Metro

The Delhi Metro be gan operations over a small track across the Yamu na in 2002. Twen ty years later, the metro’s extensive net work covers Delhi edge-to-edge. With 299 stations that cover 390 kilometres of the capi tal, the metro eases the lives of its 1.5 million commuters every day.

The Delhi Metro has several unique and distinctive facts about its construction and commuting experi ences. Besides easing

travel and reducing traffic, it helps reduce pollution in the capi tal. Every commuter who chooses the Delhi Metro over a car or a bus contributes to a re duction in emission of roughly 100 mg of car bon dioxide for eve ry trip of 10 kilo metres. It is, in fact, the city’s life line.

Every year, private vehicles in Delhi con tribute to 40-50 per cent of the city’s air pollu tion. As a result, air pollution in the Capital has worsened, with Delhi recording its worst air quality in five years a day after Diwali in 2021. As Del hi’s air gets thicker

and leads to the deaths of thousands annually, the government and environmental stake holders are actively voicing the use of pub lic transport. As per studies, the metro has significantly reduced Delhiites’ depend ence on private transport, in turn reducing the car bon footprint gener ated by its population.

The Delhi Metro op erates 12 lines in the capital named after a range of colours, which expand over 291 kilometres. The lines cover all corners of the city and the organisa tion heads have often spoken of ensuring last-mile connectivity.

SAIF ALI KHAN AND SHARMILA'S statement regarding Pataudi Cup

CITY FIRST

The Bhopal Pa taudi Cup was orchestrated on October 16 at the Jaipur Polo Ground, New Delhi. Bollywood actress Sharmila Tagore graced the event as the Chief Guest.

Apart from their acting, Bollywood stars are always in talks whether there is an event or a program related to some organi sation, they stay in the limelight by register ing their presence at such a place. Saif Ali Khan was not present at the event due to pri or commitments. But he has made his point

about it!

In a touching quote, Saif said, "The Bhopal Pataudi Cup has always been close to my heart, not because it symbol izes carrying forward our legacy, but because it is a celebration of true sportsmanship. The match stems from the spirit of House of Pataudi, an enterprise that is central to the syn ergy of all our efforts."

Actress Sharmila Tagore, who honoured the winners in the same episode, said, "It's been a wonderful day. The match was really good. It was a very ex citing match at 7-6. Last year, we had a lot of rain. And this year, it

has been fantastic. The ground is also very green and this is the first time a match was played on these grounds. We all enjoyed it. Bhopal Pataudi Cup and thank you all for supporting our team Thank you."

Dipti Dhillon

Sharmila Tagore

Sharmila Tagore felicitates Chris Mackensie

Kanishka, Sharmila Tagore, Urshita and Dhruv

Divya Sabhlok

Shamita Shetty

(L-R) Pooja, Tanvi, Priyanka and Shobhna

Shaloo Jindal

Shamita Shetty and stunning models showcasing the collection