First India-Mumbai Edition-20th October 2022

SRI LANKA SC ORDERS TO ISSUE SUMMONS TO GOTABAYA

READ Crucial

TERROR ABSOLUTE EVIL, NOTHING CAN JUSTIFY TERRORISM: UN CHIEF

Mumbai: UN Secy-General Antonio Guterres paid tributes to the victims of the 26/11 terror attacks at Taj Mahal hotel in Mumbai and said terror is an absolute “evil” & no reason, pretext or grievance can justify act of terrorism. Every country should have an emergency plan to fight violence against women, he added. P6

6 MONTHS JAIL FOR BURSTING CRACKERS ON DIWALI IN DELHI

New Delhi: Kejri-led got on Wednesday announced purchasing or bursting firecrackers on Diwali in Delhi will attract a jail term of 6 months, fine of `200. Minister Gopal Rai said production, storage, sale of firecrackers in nat’l capital will be punishable with a fine of up to `5,000.

INDIAN-ORIGIN UK HOME SECRETARY QUITS TRUSS CABINET

CONGRESS GETS 1ST NON-GANDHI PREZ IN 24 YEARS KHARGE PIPS THAROOR IN ONE-SIDED WIN

New Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge will take charge on October 26

Moni Sharma

Sonia Gandhi congratulates Kharge, Rahul Gandhi calls Prez post ‘historic responsibility’

New Delhi: Indian-origin British home secretary

Suella Braverman resigned on Wednesday after a “mistake” in using her private email for ministerial communication in London. On October 14, Kwasi Kwarteng was removed as the finance minister to be replaced by J Hunt. Suella tweeted her resignation.

HIMACHAL PRADESH POLLS: BJP’S LIST OF 62 CANDIDATES OUT

New Delhi: The BJP on Wednesday released a list of 62 candidates for the upcoming HP Assembly elections. The list was released a day after the meeting of BJP’s central election committee chaired by Modi, Shah and Nadda along with other party members.

F’FURT-B’LURU FLIGHT DIVERTED DUE TO MED EMERGENCY ON BOARD

New Delhi: Lufthansa’s Frankfurt-Bengaluru flight

LH 754 on Tuesday had to be diverted to Istanbul due to a medical emergency on board. Boeing 747 took off from Germany at 1.05 pm with estimated time of arrival in India at 1.25 am next day. Passengers to reach Bengaluru today.

My best wishes to Shri Mallikarjun Kharge Ji for his new responsibility as President of @INCIndia. May he have a fruitful tenure ahead. @kharge

New Delhi: As expected, Mallikarjun Kharge was on Wednesday elected the Congress president beating Shashi Tharoor in a tightly fought con test. The veteran, who won 7,897 of the valid votes (84.14 per cent) of the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) dele gates to Tharoor’s 1,072 (11.4 per cent), takes over as the first non-Gandhi chief of the party in twoand-a-half decades. While Kharge’s victory was no less than a land slide, Tharoor managed to cross 1,000 vote mark, surprising many.

Newly-elected Con gress president Mall ikarjun Kharge will take charge as party chief on October 26. He also thanked Outgoing Congress president So nia Gandhi on behalf of party workers. Rahul Gandhi, who is in the Bharat Jodo Yatra also extended wishes to Kharge and said that post he has been elected for “represents a demo cratic vision of India”.

Congress had strengthened the democracy of this country since Independence. Today when every institution is being dismantled, Democracy is in danger, the Congress, by holding a countrywide election, has worked towards strengthening the democracy.

Centre makes major reshuffle; Aramane is new defence secy

New Delhi: In a major shake up of top bureau cracy, govt on Wednes day appointed & reshuf fled 16 senior officials as secretaries. While AP cadre IAS Giridhar Ara mane will take charge as new defence secy from next month, Haryana cadre IAS Vivek Joshi has been named as new

financial services secre tary. Sanjay Malhotra, current financial ser vices secy, has been ap pointed as new revenue secy and he will replace Tarun Bajaj who is retir ing in Nov 6 of these 16 officers will take charge as secretaries in new depts in December, Jan uary and Feb. Turn to P5

The high-decibel election for Congress presiden cy is over. And now focus will now be back on Rajasthan. New Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and senior leadership will have to take a call on whether to let Ashok Gehlot continue as CM, given the huge support he has of the MLAs, or force a regime change and bring in Sachin Pilot. Sources in the party said Rajasthan issue was “still open” and argued that a decision had been deferred till the party presidential elections.

GUJARAT SET TO BE DEFENCE HUB SOON!

New airbase near India-Pakistan border will be crucial for security, says PM Narendra Modi at Defence Expo 2022

Gandhinagar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday in augurated the Defence Expo 2022 in Gandhina gar, laid the foundation stone of a new airbase at Deesa and said the new airbase will emerge as an effective centre for country’s security. Guj will become a cen tre of defence in India and will play a crucial role in India’s security. With an aim to give impetus to the defence sector, India’s “biggest ever” defence exhibi tion - DefExpo 2022 is being held. “I was see ing on screen that peo ple of Deesa were ex cited over the construc tion of the new airfield.

Deesa is only 130km away from the Interna tional Border. At pre sent, we are exporting defence materials and equipment to more than 75 countries of the world. We aim to take it to $5 billion dollars or about ` 40,000 crore in the next few years,” PM Modi said addressing Deesa’s ‘brothers and sisters’ in Gujarati.

PM Narendra Modi on Wednesday unveiled HTT-40 – the indigenous trainer air craft designed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited – at the India Pavilion during the expo, and also launched Mis sion DefSpace befor laying foundation stone for Deesa airfield in his home state.

PM Modi and visiting UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres on Thursday will launch the global plan of action for its brainchild Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) and appeal to world to opt for “mindful and deliberate utilisation to save the Earth from disastrous.

This is the very same country that once released pigeons, today it has reached a stage where it is releasing cheetahs. The events may look small at times but the underlying message is bigger. —Narendra Modi, Prime Minister

Organizing this Def-Expo at the beginning of ‘Amritkal’, reflects our strong resolve to safeguard the nation and become a defence manufacturing hub for the world in the next 25 years. In line with Modi’s vision to make India a strong, selfreliant nation, theme of this Expo is ‘Path to Pride’.

Woman gang-raped, tortured; 4 held

The woman had a

New Delhi: A 40-yearold woman from Delhi was allegedly gangraped by five men in Ghaziabad inside a ve hicle. Police have regis tered a case in the mat ter and detained four people. According to

Ghaziabad SP Nipun Agarwal, the incident came to light after the police received informa tion that a woman was

BJP’s withdrawal strategic move ahead of BMC polls?

Political observers feel ruling party did not want Uddhav Thackeray-led faction to garner ‘sympathy votes’

First India Bureau

Mumbai: The Bharati ya Janata Party’s lastminute decision to pull out of the high-decibel Andheri (East) Assem

bly bypoll is seen as a strategic step factoring in the “sympathy fac tor” potentially in fa vour of the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction’s nominee Rutuja Latke, say political observers.

The BJP leadership must have weighed the

BJP HELD POLL SURVEY: NCP, RAUT

The NCP and Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut had said the BJP might have decided to withdraw as they sensed a defeat in the bypoll. “The BJP had conducted a survey which predicted that their candidate (Murji Patel) would lose the bypoll by at least 45,000 votes. This is the reason they de cided to withdraw,” Raut had said and added that events like Raj Thackeray writing to Fadnavis were all “scripted”.

odds and concluded that the risk to pit Mur ji Patel against the wife of late MLA Ramesh Latke is not worth tak ing for a single bypoll as the main battle is shap ing up for the BMC polls, they said.

“If Rutuja Latke

wins, it will come as a morale booster for Ud dhav Thackeray. Her victory will mean that voters’ sympathy is with Thackeray after the split in the party.

The BJP seems to have wanted to deny Thack eray any chance to

claim a high moral ground,” they said.

Moreover, the Eknath Shinde faction does not have much presence in Andheri whereas the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction has loyal Mar athi voters.

The withdrawal of Patel’s nomination handed a virtual walko ver to Rutuja Latke though voting will be held on November 03 as six other candidates have not withdrawn their nominations. Turn to P6

found lying near Ghazi abad’s Ashram Road.

The five men named in the FIR are Dinu, Shahrukh, Javed, Dho

la and Aurangzeb. He added that the incident might be in connection with a property dispute between the parties in volved. He also said that the woman knew all the five men who raped her. Police added that a case regarding the property dispute is currently pending in court.Cops said probe underway.

‘Sleepless nights for few as Pawar shares dais with us’

Mumbai (PTI): Maha rashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, his dep uty Devendra Fadnavis and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ash ish Shelar on Wednes day shared the dais with Nationalist Cong Party (NCP) chief, Sharad Pa war, at a special dinner held on the eve of Mum bai Cricket Association (MCA) polls.

Speaking on the occa sion, Shinde said that Pawar sharing the dais with him and BJP lead

ers may give sleepless nights to some people. Although he did not name anyone, his re mark was apparently directed at his predeces sor Uddhav Thackeray.

“Pawar, Fadnavis and Shelar are on the same dais...It may give some people sleepless nights,” Shinde said on the occa sion.

“But this is not the place to indulge in poli tics. All of us are fans and supporters of sports; hence Turn to P6

Mukesh Ambani splurges $163 mn on priciest Dubai villa First India Bureau

Dubai: Mukesh Amba ni bought the Palm Jumeirah mansion last week for about $163 million from the family of Kuwaiti ty coon Mohammed Alsh aya, said the people, asking not to be named as they’re not author ized to speak publicly.

Alshaya’s conglomerate owns the local franchis es for retail brands in cluding Starbucks, H&M and Victoria’s Se cret. The billionaire has been snapping up prop erties overseas, increas ingly looking westward for second homes.

Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and General Secretary Sonia Gandhi pose for a group picture with newly elected Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and his wife Radhabai Kharge after his victory, at his residence, in New Delhi on Wednesday.

—PHOTO BY ANI

PM Narendra Modi inaugurates DefExpo22 at the Mahatma Mandir Convention in Gandhinagar on Wednesday. Also seen here are Union Minister Rajnath Singh, Gujarat Guv Acharya Devvrat, Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel, Defence Chief Anil Chauhan, Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar and others.

PM Modi at the inauguration of the DefExpo22 at Mahatma Mandir Convention and Exhibition Centre, in Gandhinagar on Wednesday.

—Mallikarjun Kharge

I didn’t stand for dissent,

stood for change.

doubted

party’s election authority.

victory

victory

Congress.

win

Congress party’s win.

thanks to Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for doing their own bit to support free and neutral Cong prez elections.

—Shashi Tharoor

—Rajnath Singh, Union Defence Minister

MALLIKARJUN KHARGE’S NEXT CHALLENGE IS RAJASTHAN!

PM UNVEILS HTT-40, PAINTS ‘NEW INDIA’ MISSION LIFE TO LAUNCH TODAY

Narendra Modi @narendramodi

Colombo: Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court on Wednesday directed authorities to issue summons to ousted president Gotabaya Rajapaksa to appear in court over the disappearances of two activists in 2011 as he has now been stripped of constitutional immunity.

DELHI SHOCKER!

in her private parts, the rod was still inside her when she was found on the road.

—Swati Maliwal, DCW chief

HC dismisses Uddhav camp plea for Diwali event permit

DUE DILIGENCE

Uddhav-led Sena takes out morcha against ‘atrocities’

First India Bureau

Mumbai: The Shiv Sena faction led by Ud dhav Thackeray or ganized a rally on Wednesday in Navi Mumbai’s Belapur area, in protest of the alleged police atroci ties against its leaders.

ous offences since 1987, including the two more committed by him dur ing externment pro ceedings.

Demo held after former corporator MK Madhvi was externed from Thane district

First India Bureau

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Wednesday dismissed a petition filed by three members of the Uddhav Thackerayled Shiv Sena faction seeking permission to hold their annual ‘Di wali Pahat’, a musical programme, in Thane district.

A division bench com prising Justice RD Dha nuka and Justice Kamal Khata said the plea was “devoid of merits” and hence dismissed.

The Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) has given permission to members of another group which is part of the Sena camp led by

CRUCIAL READ

THREE KILLED, 3 INJURED IN AC BLAST AT PLANT

Mumbai: An air conditioner compres sor explosion at the Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers (RCF) facility in Alibag, in the neigh bouring Raigad district, on Wednesday evening resulted in three worker fatalities and the same number of injuries. The incident occurred at the RCF plant located at Thal when a group of work ers were repairing an air conditioner. An explo sion in the compressor occurred at 4.45 pm.

DEE ARRESTED FOR ACCEPTING ` 1 LAKH BRIBE

Mumbai: The Anti-Cor ruption Bureau (ACB) on Wednesday arrested a deputy executive engineer (DEE) of the Maharashtra Discom in Palghar district for allegedly receiving a bribe of Rs1 lakh to settle a contractor’s bills. The DEE of Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company (MSEDCL) had allegedly demand ed Rs3 lakh from the contractor to pass bills worth Rs92.41 lakh.

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to hold this pro gramme at the same lo cation in the city neigh bouring Mumbai.

The petition, filed by Mandar Vichare, Su dhir Belose and Janak Sanghvi through their Anand Charitable Trust, challenged an October 13 order of the TMC granting permis sion to the Shinde fac tion for erecting a pan dal and stage in Thane. This was done after a preliminary permis sion was granted to the

petitioners on October 10.

“The impugned order is ex-facie illegal and abuse of process of law, nullity, void, against the principles of equity and natural justice, a gross abuse of the powers and jurisdiction, a gross mis use of the process of law, arbitrary and unlawful,” said the petition.

It claimed the per mission to the other fac tion was granted sur reptitiously.

The petitioners said they were getting per

mission to organize ‘Di wali Pahat’ at the loca tion in question since 2016-17, therefore they had every right to do it at the same place be cause a large number of Thane residents attend it.

They also claimed that the TMC was act ing at the behest of the ruling Sena faction of Shinde and the Bharati ya Janata Party (BJP).

The other group members who were granted permission told the HC that they

have been conducting the musical event for the last 10 years and the permission they had re ceived was in their indi vidual capacity.

The Thackeray fac tion members had ap plied on October 03 and their application in cluded only one NOC, said the TMC’s counsel.

After perusing all the documents submitted before it, the court dis missed the petition.

The ‘Dharak Mor cha’, as the rally was called, was organized to protest against for mer councillor MK Madhvi being externed from Thane district re cently. According to the police, Madhvi has been booked for 18 seri

The city unit of Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasa heb Thackeray said that more than 10,000 Shiv sainiks will join the rally and submit letters to the police commissioner regard ing the atrocities.

Madhvi was ex terned from Thane dis trict in the second week of October.

Vivek Pansare, DCP Zone 1, however, said that around 250 police

personnel, 25 officials and other arrange ments were made for the morcha, for which the police had not given permission.

Interestingly, the secu rity cover of Thane MP Rajan Vichare was also decreased recently, which did not go down well with the party.

‘Hope Kharge will renew consultative process’

‘Party will defeat communal forces in country’

Mumbai (PTI): Bala saheb Thorat, Maha rashtra Congress legislature party leader, also congrat ulated Kharge on the landslide victory.

First India Bureau

Mumbai: Congratu lating the newly elected Congress president Mallikar jun Kharge, former state Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan said on Wednesday that he was confi dent Kharge will re new “the consulta tive process” which existed in the party earlier.

Kharge won by mas sive margin as he won 7,897 votes out of the total 9,385, while the contender candidate Shashi Tharoor got 1,072 votes; 416 votes were declared invalid.

“I hope Kharge will use his electoral and administrative experi ence in strengthening

the Congress and take it to new heights. I am confident that he will renew the consultative process that existed in the party earlier,” said Chavan.

“There are many un resolved issues and the Assembly elections are due in two states this year. There is the 2024 (Lok Sabha election) challenge as well. I wish Kharge takes the party to new heights,” said the former chief minister.

Stating that he be lieved the party will have renewed energy by having a full-time president, Chavan said there was also the add ed excitement about Rahul Gandhi’s ongo ing ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’.

“I am confident that under his able leader ship, the party will be strengthened to fight and defeat the antidemocratic and com munal forces in the

difficult time, Thorat said she helped raise the voice of the com mon people and fought against the anti-demo cratic forces.

AAP office vandalized; party blames Cong, BJP

country,” Thorat said in a tweet.

Thanking Sonia Gandhi for leading the party during a very

“All Congressmen are grateful for her leadership and guid ance. She is a constant source of inspiration and energy for the Con gress party,” he said.

“Through the

#BharatJodoYatra, Ra hulji launched a na tionwide mass move ment against the divi sive & hegemonic forc es to fight for the rights of the common people. Under the guidance of Soniaji & Rahulji & with the leadership of Khargeji, Congress party will become more stronger,” Thorat had tweeted.

First India Bureau

Mumbai: The Aam Aadmi Party’s office in Bandra (East) was allegedly attacked on Tuesday night with the party’s city unit president on Wednes day saying the Con gress and BJP were behind it as they have been feeling threat ened by its growth.

In an official state ment, the party said, “Aam Aadmi Party Bandra East office at tacked by Congress and BJP goons; attack fol

—PHOTOS BY BHUSHAN KOYANDE

Wankhede moves panel over harassment by NCB officer

SIT submitted vigilance report on NCB probe of drugs-on-cruise case, flagged “suspicious behaviour” of 7-8 agency officers

Mumbai (PTI): The National Commission for Scheduled Castes

(NCSC) has said it will probe a com plaint received by In dian Revenue Service (IRS) officer Sameer Wankhede alleging harassment by Nar cotics Control Bureau (NCB) Deputy Direc tor General (DDG) Gyaneshwar Singh. The latter had headed a vigilance probe that found irregularities in the 2021 drugs-oncruise case.

The commission, in a

I have approached the commission, but do not want to comment further as the matter is sub-judice. Singh humiliated and mocked Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. I have faced con tinuous harassment and exploitation for a year.

—Sameer Wankhede, ex-NCB Director

raid on the ship, but he was later given a ‘clean chit’ in the case.

Wankhede was the NCB Mumbai zonal director when the raid was con ducted on the Goabound ship.

statement on Tuesday, said it will probe the al leged harassment and atrocities committed by

Singh and directed that no further action be taken in the matter till the complaint is pend ing before the panel, which enjoys powers of a civil court.

The NCB had insti tuted the vigilance

probe after several laps es were found in the in quiry into the alleged drug seizure from a cruise ship in Mumbai last October.

Aryan Khan, son of Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, was arrested after a

“A complaint or in formation has been re ceived by the National Commission for Sched uled Castes (NCSC) from Wankhede and the commission has decided to investigate or inquire into the

matter in pursuance of the powers conferred to it under the Consti tution,” said commi sion in a statement.

“There appears to be discrimination and har assment of the petition er (who belongs to a Scheduled Caste). Therefore, the NCSC has desired that no fur ther action in the mat ter be taken till the pen dency of the case in the commission,” added the statement.

Parts of the Bandra office have been damaged but no party worker was hurt in the attack; formal complaint filed at local police station

lows a recent spate of leaders from both par ties joining AAP. Parts of the office have been damaged. No party worker was hurt. A for mal complaint has been filed at the local police station.”

Preeti Sharma Menon, President of AAP Mumbai, said, “Both the Congress and BJP have jointly looted Mumbai. They are sta tus quo beneficiaries and cannot stand the rise of Aam Aadmi Par ty. The BJP’s ranks are filled with anti-social elements and the Con gress party is finished.”

Thane civic body has already given approval to members of CM Shinde-led group for the same gathering

Members of Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray at the rally.

Former CM Prithviraj Chavan —FILE PHOTO

Balasaheb Thorat –FILE PHOTO

TOASTING VICTORY Mumbai Congress President Bhai Jagtap, Working President Charan Singh Sapra and other party leaders, functionaries and activists celebrate the induction of Mallikarjun Kharge as the new president of All India Congress Committee in Mumbai on Wednesday.

‘Diwali Pahat’ is an musical programme traditionally held by the Shiv Sena in Thane. –FILE PHOTO

Sameer Wankhede

Festive season ‘critical period’ for nCoV: BMC

Civic body issues advisory urging people to follow COVID-19 protocols and prevent spike in cases

First India Bureau

Mumbai: The Brihan mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Tuesday issued an advisory urging the public to adhere to COVID-19-appropri ate behaviour during the upcoming festive season to prevent a spike in cases.

The Maharashtra Health Department has cautioned that COVID-19 cases could rise, espe cially during winters and the festive season, citing new variants like BA.2.3.20 and BQ.1 re ported from the state.

The metropolis saw an upward trend in daily

Nagpur man duped of `2.14 lakh over fake power bill

COVID-19 cases in the second week of October.

The Mumbai civic body asked people to get vaccinated against the viral infection, if not done so till now. It also recommended getting a booster dose, and wear ing face masks in crowded places and fol lowing other COVID-19 protocols.

In a statement, the BMC said, “The festival season is a critical pe riod as there may be a tendency to ignore COVID-19 safe behav iour during festivals due to large gatherings, events, fairs and crowds in enclosed and nonventilated spaces.”

Diwali and a few oth er festivals will be cele brated over the next fortnight.

The civic body ad vised citizens to get

Civic body begins repair work on 140 roadways in Mumbai

First India Bureau

themselves tested im mediately if they de velop symptoms of the respiratory infection.

The importance of early detection is also re

18 CASES OF XBB OMICRON SUBVARIANT DETECTED IN 15 DAYS

Mumbai (PTI): At least 18 cases of XBB sub-variant of Omicron have been reported in Maharashtra in the first fortnight of October, the state Health Department said on Wednesday. A health official said 13 of these cases are from Pune, two each from Nagpur and Thane and one from Akola district. Apart from these cases, Pune has also reported one case each of BQ.1 and BA.2.3.20 sub-variants. These cases are from the period of September 24 to October 11. As per the primary information, all these cases are mild. It said 15 out of these 20 cases (18 of XBB and one each of BQ.1 and BA.2.3.20) were vaccinated against COVID-19 while information on the rest five cases is to be received. The BQ.1 case in Pune is of mild variety and has a history of travel to the USA.

treatment or hospitaliza tion, the statement said.

lated to effectiveness of treatment taken. There fore, the sooner you know you are sick, the easier it will be to deter mine when you need

Asking people to avoid close contact with symptomatic coronavi rus patients, the civic body asked them to wash hands frequently, maintain good ventila

tion indoors, wear face masks at crowded plac es, cover nose and mouth with handker chief/tissue paper while sneezing and coughing.

Pointing out that the daily COVID-19 cases registered an uptick in

the financial capital in the second week of Octo ber, the civic body said new sub-variants of Omicron—BQ.1 (US var iant), BA.2.3.20 apart from XBB, which is a re combinant of BA.2.75 and BJ.1—have been de tected in Maharashtra. These new variants have a growth advantage over other variants of Omicron such as BA.2.75 and also immune eva sive properties, it stated while advising residents to take precautionary measures.

The advisory said people having difficulty in breathing, immuno compromised patients and those who have re cently visited countries where the coronavirus infection is prevalent, should seek immediate medical advice.

400kg of adulterated ghee seized in Masjid Bandar

Nagpur: A 48-year-old man from Nagpur lost Rs2.14 lakh after click ing on an online link shared by fraudsters posing as state discom officials, according to police.

The victim got text messages on his phone warning him that if he did not update and settle the “outstanding” in voices by April of this year, his power connec tion would be cut.

According to a police official, when the man called the number pro vided, thinking the mes sage had come from the MSEDCL, the person on the other end demanded that he download an app on his smartphone. “Af ter he downloaded the app, the fraudsters asked him to make the pay ment. Assuming that he was updating the bill, the man clicked on the link. Within seconds, an amount of Rs2.14 lakh got transferred from his account to another ac count,” said the official.

A cheating case was filed under the provi sions of the Information Technology Act as well as several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Mumbai: The Brihan mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has begun concreting work on 140 roads, which amount to around 70 km, in the city. Terming it one of the initial phases of road repair work, mu nicipal officials said that more roads would be repaired or concreted after secur ing clearance from traffic police.

In July, the civic body had assured the Bom bay High Court that Mumbai roads would be made weatherproof in the next two and a half years, after being pulled up for potholed roads.

The civic administra tion got the go-ahead to concretize 532 roads, with a combined length of 236km, in January. However, rain and other technical difficulties had obstructed or slowed down the work, said officials.

With the monsoon of ficially ending on Sep tember 30, officials said, they will expedite the conversion of asphalt roads into concrete ones.

“We are trying to start work on at least 60% of the roads and the pro cess of obtaining per mission from traffic po lice is going on,” said a senior BMC official.

Of the 140 roads that will be concretized in the first phase, about 70 are in the western suburbs and nearly 60 are located in eastern areas. Of the remaining 392 roads where work is yet to start, most will be in the southern part of the city.

Central Railway to examine entry-exit points at all stations

Mumbai: Following criticism of the city’s porous station bor ders, the Central Rail way (CR) is recheck ing all station entryexit points.

A CR spokesperson said, “We are going to do a survey of all sta

tions to pinpoint such porous borders and bar ricade them so as to pre vent the recurrence of such events.”

An auto-rickshaw en tered Kurla station on October 12 due to a lack of barricading. A few weeks before the inci dent, an auto-rickshaw and a bike had both en

tered Ambivli and Sha had railway stations.

“The railway police claim that the auto driv er was new to Mumbai and entered the plat form by mistake think ing the station access road was a common path and he could enter without any hindrance. This is pure neglect on

part of the railways in keeping borders open for a three-wheeler to enter the station,” Sub has Gupta of Yatri Sangh Mumbai said.

On September 08, an auto-rickshaw driver was nabbed for driving his vehicle onto a plat form at Ambivli railway station four days earlier.

HC seeks govt response on lumpy skin disease policy plea

Court reiterates viral infection widespread among cattle; petition calls out Maha for not taking appropriate steps to curb disease

First India Bureau

Mumbai: The Bom bay High Court on Wednesday noted that lumpy skin disease (LSD) is widespread among the cattle and sought the state gov ernment’s response to a plea for framing a policy or standard

operating procedure.

A division bench comprising Justice SV Gangapurwala and Jus tice RN Laddha asked the government to file its affidavit and posted the matter for hearing on November 17.

“It (LSD) is a wide spread disease spread ing across the state. You

(the government) will have to come up with a policy. We know it will

Petition has sought compensation of `1.5 lakh for every animal that dies of LSD

ernment ought to take steps as provided under the provisions of the Prevention and Control of Infectious and Conta gious Diseases in Ani mals Act.

Mumbai: Maharash tra’s Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) officials seized adulterated ghee which was being sold in substandard qual ity from a godown at Masjid Bandar.

During a raid at the godown in the Chinch bandar area, Masjid Bandar, the stock worth Rs3 lakh was seized.

According to the of ficials, the FDA of the Mumbai region has been vigilant about the food quality used and sold in the market ahead of the Diwali festival and has taken action against manu facturers for violating the quality under the Food Safety and Stand ards Act, 2006.

take some time,” said the bench.

The bench was hear

ing a petition filed by Raju Shetti, founder of Swambhimani Shetkari Sanghatana, stating that the LSD was on the rise but the state government was doing nothing except is suing circulars on the issue.

The plea said the gov

As per the petition, farmers are already fac ing hardships due to heavy rainfall and now with their livestock fac ing the threat of lumpy skin disease, they would require econom ic support from the gov ernment.

“The government has to carry out mass vac

cination of cattle to control the spread of the lumpy skin dis ease,” said the petition.

It sought a compensa tion of Rs1.5 lakh for every cow or buffalo that dies of the LSD.

Earlier this month, state Animal Husband ry Minister, Rad hakrishna Vikhe Patil, had said that immedi ate action by the gov ernment and rapid vac cination kept the num ber of cattle that died of the lumpy skin disease to just 2,100.

Ahead of Diwali, the FDA raided a godown in the Chinchbandar area, and stock worth `3 lakh was seized

Acting on a tip-off, the vigilance depart ment of the administra tion in Mumbai con ducted a raid in Masjid Bandar on October 18.

Three food samples of ghee from the food establishment named - Rishabh Shud dha Ghee Bhandar go down, Chinchbandar, were collected for ex amination and the re maining stock of 400kg worth Rs2,99,090 was seized.

According to the Joint Commissioner of Administration (Food), Shashikant Kekare, the said food samples have been sent for analysis, and further necessary action will be taken as per to the anal ysis report.

People have been shopping for upcoming festivities without adhering to health guidelines. —FILE PHOTO

FESTIVE

With preparations for the upcoming Diwali festival in full swing, people were seen shopping for ‘kandils’ (lanterns) and decorative items in Kandil Galli In Mahim and Matunga areas of Mumbai on Tuesday.

—PHOTOS BY BHUSHAN KOYANDE

First India Bureau

First India Bureau

Lumpy skin disease is spread by blood-feeding insects such as flies, ticks and mosquitoes. It causes fever and lumps on the skin and even leads to death.

—FILE PHOTO

Potholes are a menace to commuters. —FILE PHOTO

First India Bureau

An auto-rickshaw entered Kurla station on Oct 12.

—FILE PHOTO

EMOTIONAL SHREWDNESS

REKHA KUMAR

Ayoung man began experienc ing backaches. He became deeply troubled about it, as suming the worst. The more he worried, the greater the pain became. Finally, he went to a physician, who found no reason for his problem.

Initially, the back pain start ed due to increased work load which made him worry about being a failure. After under standing the source of the dif ficulty, this man stopped being anxious, and the pain disap peared. This illustrates that emotional problems can affect one’s physical well-being. Un knowingly, a person can be come his own enemy.

We live in a high-speed age with pressures that make peo ple edgy. Small things like a thoughtless remark, an unin tentional bump or a discour tesy shown can be so annoy ing that it can cause tensed persons to explode with anger.

We live in a high-speed age with pressures that make people edgy. Small things like a thoughtless remark, an unintentional bump or a discourtesy shown can be so annoying that it can cause tensed persons to explode with anger

understanding. An emotion ally shrewd person is not crafty but practical and pru dent, who can foresee diffi culties and prepare for it.

Over sensitivity, over con scientiousness, and being over fussy results in nervous ex haustion. Such persons make ‘mountains out of molehills,’ and expect much from others.

goes, “what cannot be cured must be endured.” Getting rid of the ‘blues’ requires re adjusting one’s outlook to wards problems and learning to remain unruffled when people irritate. This will re duce emotional strain. Fa tigue vanishes through pur poseful activity.

Many crave emotional stimulation through fast driving, risky sports and drugs. Their tolerance for quiet environment is low, wanting to get more emotional exhilaration out of life. Appropriately controlled emotions add spice to life. Healthy sentiments strengthen determination to achieve worthwhile goals. Emotional shrewdness helps us to weigh the consequences before we act. It guides one to make a right estimate of things –recognizing what are the really big things in life and what things merit only minor importance.

If one permits small things to cause irritation, temper can quickly soar. Under prov ocation, a person does and says things which one re grets later, that makes him / her lose friends and ruin re lationships. Acting rashly on some personal affront, makes one appear foolish in the eyes of others. By ignoring the er rors, one allows the dishon our to die down. It helps one to preserve his / her dignity as well as peace of mind, and even aid those responsible for provocation to attain emotional balance.

Shrewdness is defined as sharpness in perception or

TOUGH ROAD AHEAD FOR NEW CONG PREZ

Anxiety, fear and worry are other harmful emotions. They speed up aging, wrinkle the skin and make one sus ceptible to disease. Tension headaches may occur due to stress from conflict at work or at home.

Controlling and restrain ing our emotions is a sign of strength. What makes more sense – to ‘let off steam’ now, thus showing anger or to cool down the fire that is building up the steam? Often, due to short sightedness or igno rance, one reacts in a hasty manner.

Am I a ‘worry bird’? One can ask oneself. Can I do something about it? If not, one must dismiss it from one’s mind. As the saying

If a friend or a family mem ber is emotionally disturbed, it is easy for them to give in to instability, become with drawn, introverted or become very independent and asser tive. Some use coarse speech, others pretend to be some thing they are not, thereby becoming superficial.

By showing affection and care, their self-respect can be built. Emotional maturity is the ability to get along well with others with minimum friction. Rather than treating anyone inferior, one can heal others by thoughtful words and actions.

Good mental and emotion al habits lead to good health.

Taking out time for relaxa tion and a jovial frame of mind can shield one from the

bad effects of harmful emo tions. Those who maintain a cheerful disposition despite difficulties benefit them selves physically.

Music can stir every kind of emotion – love, tender ness, reverence, sadness, ha tred and passion. It can relax and soothe, or refresh and enliven when one listens to the right kind. We have an aesthetic nature that can re spond emotionally to the unique song of birds.

Fearful people generally complain of abdominal pains. Aggressive persons experi ence pain in the neck and those in sadness usually com plain of back pain. One’s emo tions can intensify the pain, or can suppress it. For exam ple, players, who are involved in a game can be injured and yet feel no pain at that time. Strong motivation helps one to resist yielding to damaging emotional upheavals.

All of us are exposed to new experiences and challenges that help one to grow emo tionally and develop coping skills – the ability to handle success and failure effectively.

Many crave emotional stimulation through fast driving, risky sports and drugs. Their tolerance for quiet environment is low, wanting to get more emotion al exhilaration out of life.

Appropriately controlled emotions add spice to life. Healthy sentiments strength en determination to achieve worthwhile goals.

Emotional shrewdness helps us to weigh the conse quences before we act. It guides one to make a right estimate of things – recogniz ing what are the really big things in life and what things merit only minor importance.

IDEA OF GOVT REPLACING THE COLLEGIUM IS QUITE SCARY

Octogenarian Mall

ikarjun Kharge, a loyal Congress sol dier, has been elected president of the Grand Old Party. He is only the sixth non-Gandhi president in the party’s 137 year-old history and the first in the last 24 years. He defeated his nearest rival Shashi Tha roor, the MP from Kerala, by a huge margin. Tharoor, who al leged foul play and said that there was a pro-Kharge bias in the run-up to the poll, gra ciously accepted the verdict.

After the announcement of Kharge as president-elect, the incumbent Sonia Gandhi, her son Rahul Gandhi and daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are all expected to take a back seat and not make the new party boss a rubber

The challenges before Kharge are many but the deep-seated factionalism and bringing rival factions in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, MP and Karnataka to the conciliation table to make the party a cohesive unit is the biggest. Reviving the party in Gujarat, UP, MP, Maharashtra and AP is another and winning elections will be his biggest test

stamp as is being feared by many of the party members. He will have to ensure.

The challenges before Kharge are many but the deep-seated factionalism and bringing rival factions in Ra jasthan, Chhattisgarh, Mad

hya Pradesh and Karnataka to the conciliation table to make the party a cohesive unit is the biggest. Reviving the party in Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh is another and win ning elections will be his big gest test. How he makes work ers repose faith in the party and in his leadership will decide the fate of the party.

Senior leaders like Kapil Sibal, Sunil Jakhar, Ghulam Nabi Azad, RPN Singh, Jitin Prasada, Ashwani Kumar and Hardik Patel resigned citing lack of vision in the leadership. With Kharge at the helm, the exodus of party leaders will hopefully be checked. It is for him to prove that inner party democracy is not short-lived.

Judiciary is under at tack from the gov ernment and on so cial media. Adding to judiciary’s troubles is the concern voiced by senior advocate CS Vaidyanathan who said on Tuesday that there were rumours the Supreme Court Collegium “is thinking of send ing recommendations only if they are going to be accepted by the government”. Even as a ru mour it is dangerous to imagine that such a situation could arise.

The government has been critical of the Collegium system and judiciary. Union Law Minis ter Kiren Rijiju recently said that the Collegium system is “too opaque” and that the judges spend half their time in deciding who to appoint as judges instead of delivering justice. Appointing judges is the task of the govern ment, he said. The remark was an unexpected cut Rijiju inflict ed. It may not have been without a purpose, however.

Jibes like these are intended to bring the judiciary to its knees. Hopefully the Collegium will stand its ground and not make bureaucrats out of judges.

Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship. Buddha

TOP TWEETS

Discussions were held regarding status of implementation of the respective action plans of the NCR States and NCTD, utilization of machinery for in-situ and ex-situ management, extensive use of biodecomposers for in-situ management of paddy straw among other issues.

Nitin Gadkari @nitin_gadkari

Giving Momentum to New India’s Economy with World Class infrastructure! The project section of Delhi-Vadodara Expressway (Package-I), is the part of the 8 Lane accesscontrolled expressway that would connect New Delhi with financial capital Mumbai. #PragatiKaHighway #GatiShakti

Vishnu

Dighe,

Mumbai-400701. Published at Plot No.

CHS

of Manglorean

Survey No.

(Part) Ville Parle

Phone 022-46031417.

Jagdeesh

SPIRITUAL SPEAK

Bhupender Yadav @byadavbjp

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

The writer is a personal development skills facilitator. rekhakumar@protonmail.com

To

Whatsapp:

English just a medium of comm, not a benchmark of intellect: PM

Earlier, knowledge of the English language was considered a mark of being intellectual. In reality, the English language is just a me dium of communication. The English language barrier was a hindrance. Many young talents from villages could not become doctors and engineers because they were not well-versed in English.

—Narendra Modi, Prime Minister

IN THE COURTYARD

MP: MINING DEPT OFFICIAL GETS JUDICIAL CUSTODY

Madhya Pradesh: A court in Madhya Pradesh’s Ratlam has sentenced a mining department official for demanding sexual favours from a woman five months ago, after her mine owner husband was found allegedly indulging in irregularities.

UPHAAR FIRE: HC SEEKS RESPONSE

New Delhi: The Delhi HC Wednesday sought the response of the city police to a plea by a former employee of the Ansal family seeking setting aside of his conviction and sentence for tampering with evidence in the 1997 Uphaar cinema fire tragedy case.

SEXUAL ASSAULT CASES AGAINST MINORS RISING: HC

New Delhi: Offences of sexual assault against minors are increasing alarmingly making it necessary for the courts to imbibe legislative wisdom, the Delhi High Court has observed while upholding life imprisonment awarded to a man for raping his one-year-old niece here.

SC TO HEAR DELHICENTRE ON NOV 24

New Delhi: The SC on Wednesday posted a plea of the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government on the contentious issue of who should control administrative services in Delhi over the transfers and postings of officers in the national capital, for November 24.

SC: TAX EXEMPTION FOR INST IF SOLELY ENGAGED IN EDU

New Delhi (PTI): Ad vocating the use of local languages in the coun try, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that English is just a medi um of communication, not a benchmark of be ing intellectual. While speaking at Gujarat govt’ s Mission Schools of Ex cellence initiative at Ada laj town in Gandhinagar, PM Modi pointed out that earlier English was considered the bench mark of being intellec tual despite being a me dium of communication.

During his speech, PM also asked to make sure those comfortable in Hindi and not Eng lish aren’t left behind.

HIMACHAL PRADESH ELECTIONS 2022: BJP RELEASES LIST OF 62 CANDIDATES

Himanchal Pradesh: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday released a list of 62 candidates for the upcoming Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections. The list was released a day after the meeting of BJP’s central election committee chaired by party president Jagat Prakash Nadda con cluded. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah were present in the meeting along with other members of the party’s election committtee. Himachal Pradesh chief minister Jai Ram Thakur will contest from Seraj constituency

KEJRIWAL URGES PM MODI TO WORK TOGETHER TO IMPROVE INDIA’S SCHOOLS

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednes day appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to work to gether to improve the country’s schools and offered his government’s expertise. Kejriwal’s remarks come after Modi visited a school in Gandhi Nagar, Gujarat, and interacted with students.“PM sir, we have done a wonderful job in the field of education in Delhi. In five years, all the government schools of Delhi were improved remarkably. Schools across the country can be improved in five years,” Kejriwal said in a tweet in Hindi.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court said on Wednesday educational institutions will not be entitled to approval under section 10(23C) of the Income Tax (IT) Act where their objective appears to be “profit-oriented”.Section 10 of the IT Act exempts from taxation certain classes of income.

AMARAVATI WILL BE ONLY CAPITAL OF AP: RAHUL

Andhra Pradesh: Con gress leader Rahul Gan dhi on Wednesday said that the Congress would ensure that Amaravati was the only capital of Andhra Pradesh.

Interacting with the media persons during the lunch break of his Bharat Jodo Yatra at Kurnool, Rahul said the Congress would not sub scribe to the three capi tals or decentralisation of administration.

He said the party would also look into every promise that was made to the people of AP at the time of bifur cation in 2014. “The govt of India had made some promises to the people. It made some provisions in the AP Reorganiza tion Act 2014. We would look into all those issues and implement every thing written in the Act and said on the floor of the Parliament,” Rahul Gandhi reiterated.

He blamed the BJP at the Centre and the re gional parties in the state for diluting the spirit of bifurcation.

He expressed concern over the delay in com pleting the Polavaram project and implement ing the rehabilitation and resettlement pack age for the displaced families. In reply to a question on the distribu tion of river water be tween the two Telugu States, Rahul Gandhi said the Congress would create a mechanism to settle all issues between the two states.

CONGRATULATORY MESSAGES POUR IN FOR KHARGE: ‘QUINTESSENTIAL ORGANISATION MAN’

New Delhi: With Mallikarjun Kharge sweeping the party’s presidential elections, party lead ers from Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah congratu lated the veteran functionary as he became the first non-Gandhi president in more than two decades. Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor who sprang a surprise by polling more than 1,000 votes in the elections was among the first people to congratulate Kharge. The party’s general secretary and communications in-charge Jairam Ramesh posted on Twitter, “Shri Mallikarjun Kharge @kharge has completed 50 years in electoral politics. He has distinguished himself as a legislator and Minister in the state and at the Centre.”

Prashant Kishor claims Nitish Kumar in touch with BJP

New Delhi (PTI): Po litical strategist Prashant Kishor claimed on Wednesday that Bihar Chief Minis ter Nitish Kumar is in touch with the BJP and that he may go for a tieup with the party again if situation demands so, a suggestion dis missed by the JD(U) as misleading and aimed at spreading confusion.

Kishor, who is on a padyatra in Bihar in what is widely seen as a precursor to his fresh entry into active poli

FORMER SP MLA MASOOD JOINS BSP

tics, told PTI that Ku mar has kept a line of communication open with the BJP through JD(U) MP and Rajya Sabha Deputy Chair person Harivansh

Lucknow: Nine months after he left the Congress to join the SP, Imran Masood on Wednesday switched to the Bahujan Samaj Party. Welcoming him into the party fold, BSP supremo Mayawati said the Muslim community is convinced that it is the BSP and not the SP that can get rid of the “hateful and cruel poli tics of the BJP”. Masood had joined the SP in Jan before the 2022 assembly elections.

RAGA ANNOUNCES NEW CONG CHIEF BEFORE RESULTS

lay the foundation stone of multiple de velopment initiatives.

Meanwhile, PM Narendra Modi also launched the ‘Mission Schools of Excellence’

at Adalaj in Gandhina gar, the students and teachers said that through this project, the quality of educa tion and learning will be enhanced.

PM Modi lays foundation stone of various devel works in Junagadh Gujarat (ANI): Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Gujarat’s Tapi, the residents exclaimed that due to Modi’s growing global popu larity, it has become a matter of pride to be called a Gujarati. The residents ex pressed their exhilara tion to see their Vada Pradhan and are wait ing with bated breath to see and listen to the Prime Minister. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit Tapi on Thursday to

Denied entry into J-K, Mann holds protest

Kathua/Jammu (PTI): Shiromani Akali Dal (A) chief Simranjit Singh Mann’s protest at Lakhanpur — the gate way to Jammu and Kashmir bordering Pun jab — after being denied entry into the Union Territory entered the third day on Wednesday.

Andhra Pradesh: Con gress leader Rahul Gandhi Wednesday said that the newly-elected Congress president will be the supreme authority in the party and all members and functionaries will report to him, including himself.

THAROOR CAMP ALLEGES ‘FRAUD’

New Delhi: In a letter ad dressed to the CEA, chief Madhusudan Mistry, Salman Soz, chief election agent for Tharoor has alleged that the election process in UP is “devoid of credibility and integrity”.

Mann, a Member of Parliament from San grur in Punjab, was stopped on the orders of Kathua District Magis trate Rahul Pandey, leading to protests by the politician and his supporters since Mon day evening.

He spent a second night in his vehicle on the road at Lakhanpur, SAD(A) officials said.

Supporters from

Jammu, Kathua and Punjab continued to throng the protest site and raised slogans against the BJP and the Jammu and Kashmir administration, the of ficials said. Mann is in the process of ap proaching courts in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir, they added.

CENTRE APPOINTS...

From P1

industries secretary in January

NHAI chairperson

I WAS CANDIDATE OF CHANGE: THAROOR KHARGE HOLDS PRESS CONFERENCE

For example, current rural development secretary NN Sinha will take charge of steel secretary on January 1, 2023.

New Delhi: Congress leader Shashi Tharoor congratulated his opponent Mallikarjun Kharge who defeated him in the election for Cong presi dent, but tempered the greet ing by raising concerns about an “uneven” playing field.

New Delhi: In his first press conference, Cong Prez-elect Mallikarjun Kharge said for him every Congress worker is equal and all have to work together to fight the fascist forces threatening democ racy and the Constitution.

Jharkhand cadre IAS, Sailesh Kumar Singh will replace Sinha.

Sanjay Malhotra of Rajasthan cadre IAS, from 1991 batch, who has been designated as officer on special duty in the shipping ministry, will take over as shipping sec retary in February after superannuation of current secretary, Sanjeev Ranjan.

UP cadre IAS, Kamran Rizvi will take charge as heavy

Alka Upadhyaya is new road transport secretary Amrit Lal Meena of Bihar cadre as the new coal secretary Odisha cadre IAS Sanjeev Chopra will be the new food secre tary

MP cadre IAS Manoj Govil will be the new corporate af fairs secretary Rachna Shah of Kerala cadre will take charge of textile department

In-situ upgrada tion of 8 officers as special secretaries in their current post ings approved

NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON TOURIST POLICE

Better law and order increases tourist inflow: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla

Referring to the po tential of tourism in the country, Birla observed that India is a country full of natural resourc es, historical sites, ar chaeological monu ments, and religious

places, which are fa mous for tourism glob ally. He mentioned that in today’s times tourism is not limited to travel only, rather India is

known all over the world as a hub of spir ituality, Yoga, Ayurveda and Naturopathy. Laud ing India’s growing pro file in various fields,

Simranjit Singh Mann is on protest at Lakhanpur.

New Delhi: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla ad dressed the participants in the “National Confer ence on Tourist Police” organized by the Minis try of Tourism at Vig yan Bhawan today.

Birla opined that India is emerging as an im portant destination for ecotourism, business tourism and education tourism.

Rahul Gandhi with supporters during the party’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday. —PHOTO BY PTI

Sonia Gandhi with newly elected Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, in New Delhi on Wednesday. —PHOTO BY PTI Mallikarjun Kharge being greeted by Vivek Bansal.

PM Narendra Modi at the foundation stone laying ceremony of the various development projects in Junagadh.

—FILE

PIC

Medicine donation of India left +ve impact on int’l stage’

Mumbai (ANI): Term ing India a partner of choice of the UN, Secre tary-General Antonio Guterres said on Wednesday that New Delhi has increased its impact on the interna tional stage due to the donation of medicines, equipment, and vac cines at height of Cov id-19 to neighbouring countries.

Addressing the stu dents at the Indian Insti tute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, Guterres said, “From your donations of medicines, equip ment and vaccines at the height of the COV ID-19 pandemic, to your humanitarian assis tance and development finance to Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, you’re increasing impact on the international stage.

India is today a partner of choice of the UN.” UN Chief, who arrived in Mumbai today, said that India’s digital plat form Cowin is the larg est vaccination program for Covid-19 which is delivering more than 2 billion doses.

He further said that

Terror is absolute evil. There are no reasons, no pretext, no causes, and no grievances that can justify ter rorism. terrorism is absolute evil.

—Antonio Guterres, UN, Secretary-General

India was the first coun try to launch a singlecountry south-south cooperation support framework via the In dia-UN development framework partner ship. Talking about In dia’s contribution to UN Peacekeeping, Gu terres said, “India is

also the biggest provid er of military and po lice personnel to UN missions, including the first all-women UN po lice contingent to a peacekeeping mission.

Over 200,000 Indian men and women have served in 49 peacekeep ing missions.

‘TERROR ABSOLUTE EVIL AND NO REASON, PRETEXT CAN JUSTIFY TERRORISM’

Mumbai (ANI): UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres paid tributes to the victims of the 26/11 terror attacks at the Taj Mahal Palace hotel in Mumbai and said that terror is an absolute "evil" and no reason, pretext or grievance can justify the act of terrorism."Terror is absolute evil. There are no reasons, no pretext, no causes, and grievances that can justify terrorism. terrorism is absolute

evil. It has no room in today's world," Guterres said at Taj Hotel. UN Chief, who came to India on Wednesday, visited the Taj Hotel on Wednesday and laid a wreath in honor of all those who sacrificed their lives in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack.

UN Chief further said, "I feel deeply moved to be here where one of the barbaric terrorist acts in history took place where 166 peo ple lost their lives."

JAY SHAH’S STATEMENT

Can ‘split’ cricketing communities: PCB

Lahore (PTI): A ‘disap pointed’ Pakistan Crick et Board on Wednesday requested the Asian Cricket Council to con vene an emergency meeting in the wake of BCCI secretary Jay Shah’s statement that India won’t travel to Pa kistan for next year’s Asia Cup.

In its first official re sponse to Shah’s state ment that India would like to play the continen tal tournament at a neu tral venue and not tour Pakistan, the PCB said “such statements can spilt the Asian and in ternational cricket com munities” and impact Pakistan’s visit to India for the 2023 World Cup.

Shah, who made the statement after the BCCI AGM on Tuesday, also happens to be the ACC president.

“The overall impact of such statements have the potential to split the Asian and international cricketing communi ties, and can impact Pa kistan’s visit to India for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 and future ICC Events in India in the 2024-2031 cycle. “The

PCB has to date not re ceived any official com munication or clarifica tion from the ACC on the statement of the ACC President. As such, the PCB has now re quested the Asian Crick et Council to convene an emergency meeting of its Board as soon as practically possible to discuss this important and sensitive matter,” the PCB said.

Pakistan has been al lotted hosting rights for the Asia Cup which will be held ahead of the ODI World Cup in India in October-November. The T20 Asia Cup held last

month had to be shifted from Sri Lanka to the UAE amid the economic crisis in the island na tion.

The 2018 Asia Cup, scheduled to be held in India, was moved to the UAE after the BCCI couldn’t procure clear ance from government security agencies to host Pakistan. India and Pakistan only play each other in Asian and ICC events due to the politi cal tensions between the two countries. India last toured Pakistan in 2008 while Pakistan’s last se ries in India came in 2012-13.

CRUCIAL

New Delhi (PTI): The Centre on Wednesday said incidents of stubble burning have started in creasing rapidly, espe cially in Punjab, and the state government has not taken adequate steps to prevent farm fires.

At an inter-ministeri al meeting on the issue of crop residue burning in Delhi-NCR, Union En vironment Minister Bhupender Yadav ex pressed concern that the Punjab government has not been able to take co ordinated actions.

Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Narendra Sin

Punjab has taken “inade quate” steps in spite of several meet ings and efforts by the statutory panel.

gh Tomar mentioned that the status of paddy straw management in Haryana is “significant ly better than that in Punjab”, the environ ment ministry said in a statement.

“Till October 15, the trend of fire events was less as compared to last

year but now it has started growing rapidly, especially in Punjab,” the statement read.The ministers noted that the Pusa bio-decomposer – a microbial solution which turns stubble into manure in 15-20 days was being sprayed in a lesser area in Pun jab and its application needs to be promoted.

MM Kutty, the chair man of the Commission for Air Quality Manage ment (CAQM), said Pun jab has taken “inade quate” steps in spite of several meetings and efforts by the statutory panel.

Kolkata (Agencies): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Ba nerjee made a surpris ing claim today, saying it was not she who had chased Tata Motors out of the state, but the CPM that was in power then. In a strong retort to her comment, CPM leader Sujan Chakraborty told NDTV that Ms Baner jee's statement was a "blatant lie".

Speaking in Siliguri, the Bengal Chief Min ister said: "It's all rub bish that I had chased away the Tatas and that it's the Tatas who are now giving jobs here. I did not chase the Tatas away. It is the CPM that had chased them away." She said CPM had tried to forcefully acquire land, which was later returned by her gov ernment.

"There is no dearth of land, so why acquire land forcefully?" she asked. She further said: "We have also done so

many projects, but we did not acquire land forcefully."

Reacting to her state ment, Mr Chakraborty said: "What Mamata Banerjee said today is a blatant lie and she has exposed herself as a blatant lier. Unfortu nately, she's the Chief Minister of Bengal."

Taking a dig at the Ben gal Chief Minister, he further said: "She had started her career with a lie, saying that she

was 'Doctor' Mamata Banerjee."

Ms Banerjee and her party Trinamool Con gress (TMC) were cata pulted to power in Ben gal after the CPM-led Left Front lost the 2011 assembly elections, fol lowing the anti-land acquisition agitations in Singur and Nandi gram that saw Tata Mo tors move their Nano car manufacturing plant from Singur to Sanand in Gujarat.

Anurag Thakur launches Mega Cleanliness Drives

New Delhi (Agencies):

Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Singh Thakur will inaugurate Mega Cleanliness

Drives under Swachh Bharat 2022 from Chan dani Chowk, Delhi on 19th October 2022. Simi lar Cleanliness Drives will be undertaken on 19th October 2022 in all villages across the country.

The aim is to consoli date the efforts of Swachh Bharat 2022 in

the Deptt. of Youth Af fairs and its affiliate organizations, namely NYKS and NSS, and fur ther intensify activities for ensuring mass pub lic participation in the campaign by organiz ing similar programs in all villages across the country.

A humble beginning can lead to great change and big transformation.

Swachh Bharat Pro gramme initiated by Deptt. of Youth Affairs in commemoration of

Azadi Ka Amrit KaAm rit Mahotsava bears tes timony to this. Barely 17 days ago, the pro gram commenced with the objective of collect ing One Crore k.g. of waste in the span of one month. To date, more than 60 Lakh k.g. of waste has been collect ed with overwhelming support and response from youth and people from all walks of life from all Districts across the country.

This is a trendsetter

of a sort. People par ticularly the youth irre spective of their back ground and affiliations are not only participat ing in the program but playing a pivotal role in motivating and encour aging others to join the program purely on a voluntary basis.

Swacchta Abhiyan was started by Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi Ji during 2014 and since then, remarkable headway can be noticed in this regard.

NIA FILES FIR IN MOMINPUR VIOLENCE

Lucknow (Agencies): The National Investi gation Agency (NIA) arrested Basit Kalam Siddiqui (24) from Va ranasi. NIA had carried out a search operation in Varanasi on late night of October 18 at the premises of the accused. During its searches, NIA has seized incriminating articles such as hand written notes related to fabrication of IEDs and explosive substances, mobile phones, laptops, pen-drives.

VARANASI RESIDENT RADICALISED YOUTH FOR ISIS IN INDIA: NIA New Delhi (ANI): The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has registered a case and initiated a probe into the October 9 anti-Hindu violence in Mominpur in West Bengal, sources said. The move comes after the Counter Terrorism and Counter Radicalization division of the Ministry of Home Affairs directed the agency to register a FIR and start a thorough probe considering the gravity of the case.

FROM PG 1

‘Sleepless nights... we have come together for its development ir respective of our politi cal differences,” he said.

Shinde’s rebellion against the Shiv Sena leadership had led to the collapse of the Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government--in which Sena shared power with the NCP and Con gress--in June this year.

Shinde’s revolt with 39 out of the 55 Sena legis lators also led to a split in the party.

Polls for the five posts of office-bearers, nine councillors of the MCA, and two representa tives for the general council of T-20, Mum bai, are scheduled to be held on October 20.

Milind Narvekar, the close aide of Thackeray, and NCP leader Jiten dra Awhad are also con testing the election and filed their nominations from the panel formed by Pawar and newlyappointed BCCI Treas urer and BJP leader Ashish Shelar.

BJP’s withdrawal...

Interestingly, Maha rashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Raj Thackeray had ap pealed to BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis to not field the party can didate.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar had also advised the BJP to en sure that the bypoll is unopposed as per the “political tradition” in Maharashtra.

“Raj Thackeray’s let ter to Fadnavis was a strategic move and is as per the wishes of BJP. Raj Thackeray will not do anything which will embarrass him later. This indi cates that BJP and MNS are working close ly together for the up coming BMC elec tions,” feel the observ ers.

The bypoll is the first electoral contest after the vertical split in Shiv Sena whose “bow and arrow” poll symbol was frozen by the Elec tion Commission of In dia (ECI).

‘

India’s voice on global stage & international meets can only gain in authority & credibility

UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres being felicitated during the India @75: UN-India Partnership: Strengthening South-South Cooperation, at IIT Bombay on Wednesday. —PHOTO BY ANI

United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres in a group picture with the faculty and students of IIT Bombay, on Wednesday. —PHOTO BY ANI

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at ‘Bijaya Samillani’, in Siliguri on Wednesday. —PHOTO BY ANI

A farmer burning the stubble in a field, in Amritsar.

—FILE PHOTO

BCCI Secretary Jay Shah arrives for the 91st Annual General Meeting of the BCCI, at the Taj Hotel, in Mumbai. — FILE PHOTO

SWACHH BHARAT CAMPAIGN

Union Minister Anurag Singh Thakur participates in the Mega Cleanliness Drive under Swachh Bharat 2022, in New Delhi on Wednesday. —PHOTO BY ANI

‘Punjab not taking adequate steps to stop stubble burning’

"I didn't chase out TaTas, CPM did": Didi's surprising claim

—MM Kutty, Chairman of Commission for Air Quality Management

business

BRIEFS

SPICEJET REVISES SALARY STRUCTURE OF ITS CAPTAINS

Inflation to fall below 6% next year: Goyal

Mumbai: No-frills carrier SpiceJet on Wednesday said it has revised the sal ary structure for its Cap tains, increasing their monthly remuneration to `7 lakh per month for 80 hours of flying, from No vember. The airline, in a statement on Wednesday claimed that with this lat est hike, the salaries of its Captains will be higher as compared to their preCovid salaries. According ly, salaries of Trainers and senior First Officers have also been increased com mensurately, the airline said.

COMPETITION COMM SLAPS PENALTIES ON MMT-GO, OYO

New Delhi (PTI): RBI Monetary Policy Commit tee (MPC) member Ashima Goyal on Wednesday said that the efforts of the Re serve Bank to contain price rise by repeatedly increas ing interest rates will help in containing inflation, which is likely to fall below 6% next year.

Goyal further said that the policy rate hikes have largely reversed pandemictime cuts but the real rate remains low enough not to hurt the growth recovery.

“With a lag of two-three quarters, higher real rates will reduce demand in the economy. “International commodity prices are sof tening with the global slow down and supply chain bot tlenecks have reduced,” she said. In order to control rising inflation, the RBI on Sept 30, raised the shortterm lending rate for the third consecutive time by .5 to take repo rate to 5.9%.

“The Indian government is also taking action to re duce supply-side inflation.

TOP TALKING POINTS

z RBI Monetary Policy Committee member Ashima Goyal said that the efforts of the Reserve Bank to contain price rise by repeatedly increasing interest rates will help in containing inflation

imposing minimal growth sacrifice.

z The policy rate hikes have largely reversed pandemic-time cuts but the real rate remains low enough not to hurt the growth recovery

z In order to control rising inflation, the RBI raised the short-term lending rate for the third consecutive time by .5%

India’s domestic passenger volume rose 65%

First India Bureau

New Delhi: India’s domes tic air passengers volume went up by 64.61%to 10.35 million in the month of September 2022 as com pared to the same period last year, according to a data released by Directo rate General of Civil Avia tion (DGCA) on Wednesday.

Indian domestic carriers (excluding newly launched Akasa Air) had flown a to tal of 7.66 million passen gers on the local routes, the data showed.

Akasa Air commenced its flight services on do mestic routes from August 7 this year.

The average passenger load factor of these carri ers stood at 77.5% against 72.5% PLF delivered in Au gust 2022, the DGCA data show.

‘Eager’ to secure trade deal with India, says UK’s Home Secretary

London (PTI): Home Sec retary Suella Braverman has said the UK is “eager” to secure a trade deal with India to boost both econo mies and that Brexit has meant that Britain no long er has a Eurocentric mind set towards trade or visas, days after she caused a stir with her “concerns” over what she feared could be an “open borders” approach in the ongoing trade talks with India.

The Indian-origin Cabi net minister spoke of being a proud member of the British Indian community and hailed the contribu tion made by the Indian diaspora to British life.

SUELLA BRAVERMAN SAID

z UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman has said the UK is “eager” to secure a trade deal with India to boost both economies

z The Indian-origin Cabinet minister spoke of being a proud member of the British Indian community and hailed the contribution made by the Indian diaspora to British life

New Delhi: The Competi tion Commission on Wednesday slapped pen alties totalling more than `392 crore on online trav el firms MakeMyTrip, Goi bibo and OYO for unfair business practices. A fine of `223.48 crore has been slapped on Make My TripGoibibo (MMT-Go) and `168.88 crore on OYO, according to a 131-page order. Among others, it was alleged that MMT-Go imposed a price parity in their agreements with ho tel partners.

DIAGNOSTIC COS REVENUES TO DECLINE 7% IN FY23

Current projections show inflation falling below 6% next year,” Goyal said.

According to Goyal, a mildly positive real inter est rate can act to reduce inflation, with supportive supply-side action, while

OTHER STORIES

She noted that today the forward-looking real inter est rate is positive and such a rapid response in an in flation targeting regime to inflation exceeding toler ance bands, helps anchor inflation expectations.

Replying to a question on the Indian rupee touching a historic low, Goyal point ed out that a more depreci

MSMEs CAN CONTINUE TO AVAIL NON-TAX BENEFITS POST RE-CLASSIFICATION: GOVT

New Delhi: MSMEs will continue to avail all non-tax benefits in their respective categories post re-classification for three years, the government said on Wednesday. The Ministry of MSME has notified that in case of re-classification in terms of investment in plant and machinery or equipment or turnover or both, and consequent re-classification, an enter prise shall continue to avail of all non-tax benefits of the category it was in before the re-classification for three years from the date of the such upward change. Non-tax benefits include benefits of various government schemes, including Public Procurement Policy, Delayed Payments, etc.

ated rupee makes imports more expensive and hurts those who have borrowed abroad but may raise re turns for some exporters.

While observing that lower imports and higher exports can help reduce the current account deficit, she said the dollar is strengthening against all currencies as rising Fed rates attract funds back to the US.

In terms of market share, leading carrier In diGo cornered 57% of the total domestic traffic pie, carrying 59.72 lakh passen gers across its domestic network followed by full service carrier Vistara, which flew 9.96 lakh pas sengers with 9.6% market share.

In an apparent effort to override her recent contro versial remarks about Indi ans forming the largest group of visa overstayers, the minister said the UK’s villages, towns and cities have been “profoundly en riched by immigration from India”.

“Naturally, there is an economic imperative for our countries to work to gether, which is why we are so eager to secure a trade deal,” said Braverman.

“But the boost to our economies is not the only virtue in making our friendship even stronger. We have a shared vision

Sensex, Nifty settle higher for 4th straight day as RIL, HDFC twins gain

Mumbai (PTI): Bench mark stock indices Sensex and Nifty closed higher on Wednesday, rallying for the fourth straight session helped by buying in index majors Reliance Industries and HDFC twins.

The 30-share BSE Sensex rose by 146.59 points or 0.25% to settle at 59,107.19.

Mumbai: The decrease in number of COVID-19 test will result to a fall of upto 7% in diagnostic compa nies’ toplines in FY23, rat ing agency Crisil said on Wednesday. The fall in revenues in FY23 will come after a handsome 30% growth in FY22 on higher testing, the agency said, attributing the fall in Covid testing in the ongo ing fiscal to the waning in tensity of the pandemic and also a preference for self-test kits. The operat ing profit margins will moderate to 24-25% in FY23 on the decline in revenue and the higher operating expenses.

WEB3 STARTUPS IN INDIA RAISE $1.3 BILLION IN 2 YEARS

COMMITTEE ON MSP TO HOLD 3RD MEETING ON OCT 31 IN BHUBANESWAR

New Delhi: The government’s committee on the minimum support price (MSP), natural farming and crop diver sification is scheduled to hold its third meeting on October 31 in Bhu baneswar. In the first meeting held on August 22 in Delhi, the committee had formed three internal sub-groups to deliber ate on the mandated topics. The second meeting, held on Sept 27 in Hyderabad, deliberated on organic farming.

BHARAT BOND ETFs CROSS ` 50,000 CRORE AUM MARK

New Delhi: Bharat Bond Exchange Traded Funds have crossed the `50,000 crore asset under management mark in just two-and-a-half years. The fund house manages Bharat Bond ETFs. The overall passive debt category has crossed `1.15 lakh crore mark at the industry level – this growth was kickstarted by the launch of the first tranche of the Bharat Bond ETF in December 2019, accord ing to a statement.

During the day, it rallied 439.09 points or 0.74%to 59,399.69.

The broader NSE Nifty advanced 25.30 points or 0.14% to end at 17,512.25.

From the Sensex pack, Nestle, HDFC, Axis Bank, Reliance Industries, ITC, HDFC Bank and UltraTech Cement were the promi nent winners.

NTPC, State Bank of In dia, Bajaj Finserv, Hindu stan Computers Limited (HCL) Technologies, Dr Reddy’s, Infosys and Maru ti were among the laggards.

EXPECT BUSINESS AT PAR WITH 2021 LEVEL

New Delhi: India is now home to over 450 Web3 startups that have raised $1.3 bn, about `10,700 crore, in last two years, a joint report of NASSCOM with venture capital fund Hashed Emergent said. According to it, over 80% of Indian Web3 startups are in tier I cities. Howev er, the tier II/III ecosystem is growing rapidly with lo cations such as Jaipur, Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Trivandrum, and Coimbatore evolving as emerging hubs.

that by 2030 we will enjoy an even stronger partner ship… As Home Secretary, I particularly value the co operation on security mat ters between our two coun tries. This is vital, on a do mestic level in India and in the UK but also more broadly on an internation al scale, especially in the Indo-Pacific,” she said. With Diwali no longer the target deadline for a draft FTA, Braverman sought to reiterate that the Liz Truss led government remains determined to build on the momentum set by PM Narendra Modi.

India’s forex buffers sufficient: Fitch

New Delhi (ANI): India’s external buffers are suffi cient to cushion risks asso ciated with rapid monetary policy tightening in the US and high global commodity prices, and risk to the sov ereign rating from external pressure is limited, Fitch Ratings said on Wednesday.

Mumbai (PTI): With the Dhanteras around the cor ner, the jewellery industry is cautiously optimistic about the demand, mainly due to the exceptionally high base last year, infla tion worries and the over all rising cost of living.

The industry is cautious despite benign gold prices and overall positive con sumer sentiment.

After the first wave of the pandemic, revenge pur chases along with post poned weddings boosted demand, resulting in an exceptionally good Dhan teras in 2021, with sales

crossing even the pre-pan demic levels.

Dhanteras, which marks the first day of Diwali in India, is considered auspi cious to buy gold and silver as part of Hindu festivities.

`

PLUNGES 61 PAISE TO DIP BELOW 83-MARK FOR FIRST TIME AGAINST US DOLLAR Mumbai (PTI): The rupee plunged 61 paise to decline below the 83-mark for the first time against the US dollar on Wednesday amid unabated foreign capital outflows and a strong dollar in the overseas markets. Besides, rising crude prices in the international markets and risk-averse sentiment among investors weighed on the local cur rency, traders said. At the interbank foreign exchange market, the lo cal currency opened strong at 82.32 but later pared gains to settle at an all-time low of 83.01(provisional) against the American currency, down 61 paise over its previous close. In the previous session on Tuesday, the rupee slipped 10 paise to end at 82.40 against the dollar. Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback’s strength against a basket of six currencies, advanced 0.31% to 112.48.

Jewellers cautiously optimistic this Dhanteras

INDUSTRY EXPECTATIONS

z The industry is cautious despite benign gold prices, which are ruling at around `47,000-49,000 per 10 grams, and overall positive consumer sentiment z Dhanteras is considered auspicious to buy gold

It expects the country’s foreign exchange reserves to remain robust and cur rent-account deficit (CAD) to be contained at a sus tainable level and reach 3.4% of GDP this fiscal year, up from 1.2% in last financial year.

India’s foreign reserves fell by almost $101 bn in Jan-Sept 2022, but are still large at around $533 bn.

India’s mineral output grew 4.2% during April-August

New Delhi (FIB): In com parison to a year-ago peri od, India’s mineral output in the first five month of ongoing fiscal registered a cumulative growth of 4.2%.

“The demand for jewel lery during Dhanteras is likely to be at par with last year as 2021 was an excep tional year for the industry when the country slowly inched towards normalcy

after the pandemic. This year, the consumer sentiment is dampened fol lowing high inflation, ris ing costs and unseasonal rains affecting agriculture activities.

But the index of mineral production of mining and quarrying sector during August was at 99.6, which was 3.9% lower as com pared to the level in August last year, according to the provisional data of Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM).

The output of important minerals in August in cludes coal 580 lakh tonnes, lignite 29 lakh tonnes, nat ural gas (utilised) 2,829 mil

4.2 PER CENT GROWTH

z In comparison to same period last year, India’s mineral output in the first five month of ongoing fiscal registered a cumulative growth of 4.2%

lion cu m, petroleum (crude) 24 lakh tonnes and bauxite 14.5 lakh tonnes.

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

Violence against women ‘big cancer’: Guterres

First India Bureau

Mumbai: United Na tions Secretary Gen eral Antonio Gu terres on Wednesday termed violence against women a “big cancer” and called for an “emergency plan” to tackle it in every country.

Interacting with stu dents at the Indian In stitute of Technology Bombay (IIT-B), he also pointed out that women activists and politi cians are targeted on social media.

The UN is working to achieve gender parity within its own organi zation, he said. “I must confess that there is

MSRTC gives Diwali ‘bhet’ of `5K to staff

First India Bureau

Mumbai: The stateowned Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) on Wednesday an nounced a Diwali “bhet” (gift) of Rs5,000 or bonus to its employees after the government gave it a Rs45 crore finan cial aid.

All of the MSRTC’s 87,000 employees, in cluding officers, will receive the bonus in the amount of Rs5,000. The state government has provided financial sup port of Rs45 crore, stat ed a MSRTC release.

“Since the last two years, the state trans port has been facing a financial crisis due to a decrease in the number of passengers due to the coronavirus epidemic. Even in such a situa tion, this year, the cor poration will give Rs5,000 Diwali gift to the officers and employ ees,” the release quoted MSRTC Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Shekhar Channe, as saying.

The funds will soon be credited to the em ployees’ bank accounts, the release added.

one problem that I did not manage to solve.

Many people thought-and I fully respect that-the secretary general of the United Nations must be a woman,” he said.

More than half the women at the top man agement level in the UN are women, Guterres said, adding that they are occupying posts like head of the department of political affairs and mission heads in Af ghanistan and Iraq.

In India, as across the world, much more needs to be done to ad vance gender equality and women's rights, said the top UN official.

This is a “moral im

perative” and also a multiplier for prosperi ty and sustainability, he said, adding that no so

ciety can reach its full potential without “equal rights and free doms for women, men,

Every country should have an emer gency plan to fight violence against women. It should cover all aspects such as training of the police, judiciary and making sure that there is clear accountability in society in relation to violence against wom en. The question of gender equality is essential ly a question of power.

—Antonio Guterres, United Nations Secretary General

GENDER PARITY

We live in a male-dominated world with a male-domi nated culture, Guterres said, adding that gender parity is necessary at the top level so that decisions are taken in a way which makes gender equality a “down stream phenomenon.” On the other hand, there is also a need to support all women’s organizations and have a bottom-up approach to generate equality, he added.

all those that have re sponsibilities in the world, he added.

Guterres also pointed out that terrible cam paigns are run against women activists and women politicians on social media. Violence through social media is enormous, he noted.

Mephedrone worth `60 lakh seized by ANC teams; 3 held

First India Bureau

Mumbai: The Mum bai police have seized mephedrone worth Rs60 lakh during raids conducted at two places in the city, and arrested three persons in this con nection, said an offi cial on Wednesday.

The Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) of the Mum bai Crime Branch con ducted the operation.

“The ANC conducted raids at suburban Kurla

and Dongri in south Mumbai, and seized mephedrone or MDMA drug worth Rs60 lakh.

Three persons, includ ing an autorickshaw driver, were arrested following the seizure,” said the ANC official.

The first raid was conducted in Kurla on Monday, where the driv er was caught by Azad Maidan unit of the ANC with the drug valued at around Rs42 lakh.

In the second opera tion, the Ghatkopar unit of ANC nabbed two persons from Dongri, including a per son residing in a highrise in south Mumbai on Tuesday, and recov ered the banned drug worth around Rs8 lakh from them.

BIGGEST EGG IN INDIA!

girls and boys.”

Violence against women is a matter of not only importance

but it is an emergency. Because things are get ting worse, not better, said the UN secretary

Cargo worth `1.18cr vanishes, FIR against MbPT, customs

First India Bureau

Mumbai: Ajay Indus trial Corporation Ltd, a Satara-based com pany, has filed an FIR against Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) and customs depart ment officials after raw material worth Rs1.18 crore went missing. However, no arrests have been made so far.

According to the complaint, filed on Sep tember 23 at the Yellow Gate police station by

company officials, 100 metric tonnes of resin procured from Vietnam and delivered to Mum bai were nowhere to be found. Surprisingly, MbPT officials called the company and said the shipment had been found, but when its of ficials arrived, they couldn’t tell them where it was.

Ajay Industrial Cor poration Ltd produces plastic pipes and fit tings. In April 2022, the company imported 100 metric tonnes of resin.

Hen lays egg weighing over 200g in Kolhapur

According to experts, there may be three to four yolks inside the egg that has been laid by a chicken of the Hy-line and W-80 breed

First India Bureau

Kolhapur: A 210g egg laid by a chicken in Kolhapur has broken the national record for the biggest egg in India.

The chicken belongs to a poultry farm in the Talsande village of the Kolhapur district. The giant egg was first spotted by Dilip Chavan, owner of this poultry farm in the Chavan Mala region on Sunday,

October 16.

Experts claim that there may be three to four yolks inside this egg laid by this chicken of the Hy-line and W-80 breed.

Chavan has been in the poultry farming business for over four decades but claims never once in his career, he came across an egg as large as this. At first, the egg was measured by him with a scale for its size and was

also weighed.

RECORD HOLDERS

been in the poultry busi ness for the past 40 years, but I had never seen such a big egg be fore. I first measured the egg with a scale for its size and then I weighed it,” Chavan said.

At present, the record for the largest egg, as documented in the Lim ca Book of Records, in India was held by a chicken in Punjab. It had laid an egg weighing 162g, which was about 10cm long and had a di ameter of 5cm.

general. The big cancer of violence against women needs to be an emergency priority of

“Every country should have an emer gency plan to fight vio lence against women,” he said, adding that it should cover all aspects such as training of the police, judiciary and making sure that “there is clear accountability in society in relation to violence against wom en.” The question of gender equality is es sentially a question of power, he noted.

CRUCIAL READ

TIGER MAULS TWO SHEPHERDS TO DEATH IN CHANDRAPUR DISTRICT

Chandrapur: A tiger mauled two shepherds to death at Chinchala village in the Chichpalli forest range in Chandrapur district on Wednes day, said a senior forest officer. The deceased, identified as Nanaji Nikose (53) and Diwru Waslekar (55), had gone into the forest with cattle when the tiger attacked them. “The kin of the deceased duo was given initial ex-gratia by forest officials,” said Divisional Forest Officer, Chandrapur division, Prashant Khade.

52-YEAR-OLD MAN HELD FOR RAPING MINOR

Mumbai: A 52-year-old man was detained on Tuesday for allegedly raping and impregnating a 17-year-old girl from Nagpur district. Accord ing to a police official, since January, the girl had been subjected to sexual assault by the ac cused, Surendra Pathik. After seeing a doctor, the victim discovered she was pregnant. A case was registered against Pathik under various sections of IPC.

BODY WITH STAB WOUNDS FOUND ON RAIL TRACKS

Mumbai: A man’s body with 29 stab injuries was found on the railway tracks near Kurla on Tuesday.

Nikhil Savla, the deceased, was unemployed and a school dropout. Police said they are probing whether Savla had got into a dispute with any one. A case of murder has been registered under Section 302 of IPC. Savla’s mother has pressed charges.

Mumbai: Mumbai Police recovered a cache of arms from a goat-rearing farm in the Behram Baug area and arrested a man for his alleged connection with the incident. The Unit 9 of the Mumbai Crime Branch detained an accused from the Behrambagh area for allegedly keeping illegal arms and ammunition at his goat-rearing place.The accused has been iden tified as Syed Majeed Alam alias Vicky and police recovered seven swords and a knife.

BMC TRANSFERS OFFICIAL THRICE IN ONE MONTH

BODY OF CLASS XII BOY FOUND IN AN OPEN GROUND

ing its weight as 210g.

“I came across this gi ant egg in my poultry on Sunday night, and was very surprised. I have

According to Guin ness World Records, the heaviest egg in the world was reported to be laid by a chicken in the USA back in 1956.

Mumbai: The Brihan mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Monday transferred three deputy officers, including Harshad Kale, who was transferred twice in a month, and Vijay Balamwar who was holding the position of Deputy Mu nicipal Commissioner (DMC) of Zone 4 and was transferred to the DMC Central Purchase Department. He was transferred for the his third time.

Mumbai: The body of a Class XII boy of Navi Mumbai’s Koparkhairane Sector 15, who left home on Tuesday night to meet his friends, was found in an open ground in Sector 23 on Wednes day morning. The body of the deceased, identified as Sahil Gole (17), was first seen by the morning walkers behind Bhumiputra Maidan at sector 23, Koparkhairane. A case of murder has been registered.

ILLEGAL WEAPONS SEIZED FROM GOAT FARM IN MUMBAI CITY; 1 HELD

Flags targeting of women activists on social media, bats for equal rights for all

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres (R) being welcomed by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis in Mumbai on Wednesday.

—PHOTO BY ANI

On Sunday, the egg was about 200g, however, when the owner crosschecked it again on Mon

day, it weighed 210g. The weight of the egg was cross-checked with three different weight scales by the owner, confirm

MISHAP PREVENTION

Fire Brigade officials rescue a man who climbed on the top of a skywalk to jump off from it near Grant Road station in Mumbai on Wednesday. —PHOTOS BY ANI

The weight of the egg was cross-checked with 3 different scales.

TALENT & GLAMOUR AN EVE TO REMEMBER

Mumbai, popularly known as the ‘City of Dreams’ is gearing up for the grand finale of the National level beauty pageant First India Queen 2022 to be held on October 21 at Hotel Sahara Star, Mumbai, with gorgeous-looking top 30 models all set to compete for the coveted crown. City First brings to you glimpses of the talent round conducted on Day 2 of the three-day grooming, mentoring and talent round held at Hotel T24, Mumbai on Wednesday!

—PHOTOS BY SANTOSH SHARMA

FIRST

aged to eat healthy, exer cise, and adopt healthy habits. They are groomed physically, mentally and emotion ally, and their innate skills are honed.

TA pageant is a talent or personality contest where beauty is just one of several criteria, you need a combination of communication skills, stage presence and per sonality. While some models showcased pow erful dance performanc es, some ended up sing ing melodious songs.

Parimal Mehhta, Founder Blanckanvas, Kavita Chauhan of the First India family and Khalid Ansari, IP Con sultant graced the even ing as the jury. The grand show witnessed spectac ular performances in various genres of acting, singing and dancing among many others.

The young ravishing girls stepped out of their

MITALI DUSAD

The stunning finalists of First India Queen during one of the grooming sessions

Clockwise: Garima Ahuja, Swara Mandlik and Kulsum Ali

Nigar Sayyed

Parimal Mehhta and Kavita Chauhan at the jury panel. Also seen are the finalists of First India Queen.

ARTISTIC AN

PATH

STUDY

1 Technical Foundation: Doing a Diploma, bachelor's Degree or a Masters in any of the Arts streams will give you a firm grounding in your chosen sphere. It will endow you with the tools using which you will be able to hone your craft and refine it.

KARTIK BAJORIA

If you are toying with the idea of a career in the Arts, chances are that there will come a point where you have to make a critical deci sion. To study your cho sen subject further, or to skip that stage and start working directly. See un like some other streams such as Engineering, the Sciences, Law, Account ancy and Medicine; the Arts are a universe where self-expression is paramount. And that begs the argument – do I need to study Writing, Film Making, Music and the like, at a graduate or postgraduate level? Is it REALLY necessary?

Like most things in life, here are the pros and cons:

2 Exposure: Studying with other students who are passionate about your field of study will provide immense exposure to different view points – a vital aspect of the arts. It makes the experience of learning richer, and makes one’s own percep tions and opinions, more diverse, bet ter informed, and more sensitive.

3Network: Depending on what college you study at, there will be an opportunity to network. This will come in handy, especially after your program. If it is an Artist you choose to become, or it is in Aca demia that you opt to pursue your career. Attending a good school will open doors.

4Self-Discovery: Perhaps the most important facet of a good higher education in the Arts is the process of self-discovery. It is only when you undertake a concentrated program will you delve deeper into yourself and come to many realiza tions about your

1 LEARNING ON THE JOB: Many people choose to skip ‘the higher education stage and go directly into work. The philosophy here is that espe cially when it concerns the Arts, the amount one can learn on the job is in valuable, and no school can teach you that. I disagree with this. While ‘on the job’ learnings are immense, I believe that you will benefit much more on the job if your fundamentals are already mastered. Let’s take film-making for example. There are many amateur film-makers out there. They go directly onto the set rather than studying film. My contention is that had they studied the subject formally, their time on- set would be spent more productively, ob serving the several nuances of the filmmaking process, rather than learn ing the basics of Lighting, Sound, Editing etc on set.

EASY WORK: There is one thing that you should be ex tremely well aware of. Any degree, even from a top-notch college or university will not guarantee you a job in the Arts. So, if that is your primary reason for studying further, you ought not to waste money, time and effort!

3CONTACTS: The networking and contacts you will build when you actually get out there and work will make or break your career. That is not to say you must compromise as an artist. It only means that you should be smart, be good to people, be a bit PR savvy and always maintain great relations with your employers, past and present. Never leave a job, no matter how painful, on a sour note. You never know!

4

AGE: The one big advantage of working instead of studying further of course is age. If you de cide for example NOT to do your 2-year MFA in Film Making, and invest that time instead on set –some might say that you have a 2-year head-start over your contem poraries. Then again, there is no hard and fast rule, nor is there any right or wrong.

The arts present their unique des tiny for each individual. As a men tor, I can advise you that if you feel you have the time, opportunity and energy, do both. The combination of robust education and great work ex perience is, without a doubt, the ideal scenario. Two paths lead to the Arts. Why not take both?

author is a Jaipur-based Communication Skills Educator & Writer)

SHINE OF STARDUST

UTTKARSHA SHEKHAR uttkarsha.shekhar@firstindia.co.in

Silver an extremely aus picious metal to make new purchases on festi vals, especially gold or silver articles and new utensils and is a highly soft, pliable metal that takes a very high polish and is similar in composition and character to gold and copper.

Even though it lacks gold’s hard ness, it still has a lot of uses, particularly when alloyed with other metals to increase its hardness. To mark the fortui tous day, buying gold and silver on this day attracts prosperity.

One of the seven ancient met als that were familiar to people in the past the others being gold, copper, tin, lead, iron and mercury is silver.

because it has been in use for such a long time.

Since gold is more uncommon in nature and more challenging to mine in large quantities, it is currently much more valuable than silver.

Simple alloyed silver, such as sterling silver, is far more appro priate for use in jewellery and other works.

It is for gifts are the most pre ferred spiritual and traditional option.

In most cases, sterling silver jewellery is a fantastic, highquality option. The metal won’t rust or deteriorate and if you take care of your jewellery, it will continue to look fantastic for a very long time. Even future generations should be able to inherit your silver jewellery.

Even sterling silver, which is delicate, may not be suitable for use with settings for very valu able gemstones. The metals that are most frequently utilised in

need to be a little more cautious when cleaning it. Never use abrasive cleaners like baking soda or toothpaste since, over time, they will gradually re move some of the metal.

ver and gold jewellery comes down to personal style, although the cost is a significant consideration un less you’re excep tionally affluent.

Silver is a pre cious metal, of course, but you might be sur prised to find that it is much less ex pensive than gold.

Silver is precious and an extremely auspicious metal. City First brings to you the significance of this pure metal during the festive season!

THE MAN OF COUTURE: ANEESDEEN

CITY FIRST

Aneesdeen is an In ternational fash ion Designer, Haute Couturier Fashion Curator and Fashion Jour nalist who carries fashion with a passion that speaks about his exquisite skills to justify fashion for a purpose and a cause. His creation reaches across the globe and is worn by world fashion icons and celebri ties at the most prestigious events such as The Interna tional Red Carpet, Cannes Film Festival and Awards ceremonies. He is the fash ion eco visionary of India justifying sustainability is the best way for the future. His designs are worn across the globe. He carries the main motto “Say No to Pi racy of Fashion”. Anees deen is the founder and Di rector of NMFW- Navi Mumbai Fashion Week and National Mumbai Fashion Week, Indus International Awards and Fashion House Aneesdeen label. He is proved to be a trailblazer in the fashion industry through his innovative ide as and clear vision for soci ety. He has successfully carved a unique niche by stating the fashion of a Cause/Smile/Purpose of society. He always support ed the new generation and successfully created a plat form for the new faces in

society. He has been men toring the new generation for a decade. Listed below are a few snippets from the conversation.

What values and messages do you hope to spread through your work as a fashion designer?

The concept of fashion is social. Prior to that, it is a social activity that involves sending and disseminating signals about the most re cent developments in fash ion. Designers are the first to change anything in the fashion sector since fashion is more closely tied to life style. For a variety of rea

sons, people turn to design ers for their work in the field. We convey a variety of social messages through fashion shows, including those that support farmers, educate the public, and save children. Since people seek out glamour and fashion, which go hand in hand, and people eventually come across such messages, the fashion business is the fin est means to propagate the message.

Why did you opt for fash ion design?

I have been an artist since childhood. I used to prefer drawing more than study ing at any time of the day.

Nora Fatehi opens up about her depression

Currently, Nora Fatehi is wellknown in the Bollywood com munity. She already rules the television industry as a judge in reality competi tions and she finally lands in movie parts thanks to her snarky movements. However, just like every outsider, Nora has her fair share of difficulties.

Fatehi has gone through a lot, including fighting de

pression, being rejected and being mocked for her accent. Even she ex perienced moments of depression and lost her motivation for work.

According to the most recent news in Bollywoodlife, the ac tress was dating actor Angad Bedi when their relationship ended. The actress shared how she handled sorrow and her two-month struggle with depression during her appearance on the show

by invite only. On this Nora said, “All girls go through (break up) at least once in their life. For me, it was a little bit difficult because it was an unexpected ex perience and I was broken by it. I lost my drive for 2 months.

However, I must say that experience re ally just trans formed me.”

Goes Bold

angana Ranaut isn't letting peo ple comment on what she wears and doesn't wear! The actress sent a strong message to trolls who would likely comment on her bold outfit. The Queen actress shared the message after she shared a few pictures in a bold

While Kangana was dressed in a sexy white lacy bralette which she matched with a pair of white pants. Kangana decided to share a couple of pictures offering a closer look at her outfit and share a message for those offering to com ment on a woman’s outfit.

Kangana wrote, “Just emphasis ing the fact that what a woman wears or forgets to wear is en tirely her business… None of your business.”

While in a lecture, I used to draw secretly while keeping papers inside my textbooks. I realised I had a creative edge in me and I started dressing bottles of soft drinks at that time, which would be around 1995. I started cluttering out what I wanted to become in the fu ture and this section was one of them, along with be ing a veterinarian and law yer. My main aim was to be social with what I selected and I chose to go for fashion design, which came with its own glamour.

Who are some of your favourite and most modest acquaintanc es from the journey?

Sonam Kapoor is the name that comes to mind while I’m an swering the ques tion since she was one of the most modest people I’ve ever encountered in the fraternity. Apart from that, nobody treats me bad ly or rudely, contrary to what some people may believe. In fact, I thought everyone in the fra ternity was modest.

VIVEK

Karan Deol’s heartfelt note for Sunny Deol

Actor Karan Deol and Sunny Deol are the most loved father-son duo and their camarade rie is one of the most an ticipated screen pairings of all time. Every child’s first hero is his father and in the case of Karan Deol, he is everything and a role model that he looks after.

Sunny Deol who blessed Bollywood with numerous hits is still a man who follows a par ticular pattern. His disci pline towards life and his career has become a thing that everyone looks at. The star has always guid ed Karan and pushed him to do better. As he turns a year older today, son Karan Deol pens a heart felt note for his dad.

The actor wrote, "My entire world revolves around you. From taking my first step into this world to taking my first step into the world of cinema, you have been

my guide. In this journey of life, you have not only guided me through cinema but also life. I have always ad mired how you have been grounded and true to your art and fans. No lad der can make me reach what you have achieved. But I promise to give eve rything to make you proud. Happy Birthday to you Dad". On the pro fessional front, Karan Deol will be soon seen killing it in Apne 2 along side Sunny Deol, Dhar mendra and Bobby Deol. The film is slated to re lease next year.

of crores by two con artists named Sanjay Saha and Radhika Nanda. The farce was opened by Sanjay and Radhika’s ex-employ ee Dia who revealed her suspicions of her employers being fake to Gaurang. This led to Sanjay being caught while Radhika is still absconding.

Vivek revealed that Shah Rukh Khan

and Shraddha Ka poor’s names were in volved in the con man and con woman’s farce. “Radhika and Sanjay sold dreams in Bangladesh that Shraddha Kapoor will attend an event there. Then they were also in discus sions for a show that would star Shah Rukh Khan and be held abroad,” he said.

HARD

lia Bhatt is one of the most loved actresses in Bollywood. She is en tertaining us for the past 10 years and has given us some remarkable movies. The actress has time and again proved her versatility and brought her characters to life with her magnificent Mom-to-be Alia Bhatt has entertained her fans with her fabulous performances in films like Highway, Raazi, 2 States, Gully Boy, Gangubai Kathiawa di and Darlings among others. Sharing a beautiful picture of

herself, Alia wrote, "10 years today and I am so so grateful, Every single day! I promise to be better - dream deeper - work harder! Thank you for the magic. Love love and only love."

Alia Bhatt will be soon making her Hollywood de but with Tom Harp er's Heart Of Stone, starring Gal Gadot and Jamie Dornan. She will also be seen in Karan Johar's Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani.

Her

Alia Bhatt

Kangana’s

Kangana Ranaut

Nora Fatehi

Vivek Oberoi

Aneesdeen

Karan’s Post

Karan Deol and Sunny Deol