First India-Mumbai Edition-23rd November 2022

INDIA-AUSTRALIA FREE TRADE DEAL CLEARED

INDIA SEALS SERIES 1-0 AGAINST NEW ZEALAND

New Delhi: Australian parliament on Tuesday cleared a free trade agreement (FTA) with India. “It is a landmark moment for Australia and India, would like to congratulate PM’s of both countries for achieving significant milestone,” Union Minister Piyush Goyal said.

MUMBAI l WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2022 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI TITLE NO. MAHENG/2022/14652 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 196

Bareilly: Rampur’s MP/MLA court in UP on Tuesday granted regular bail to Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan in a 2019 hate speech case on the condition of furnishing 2 bail bonds of `50,000 each.

The next date of hearing over pending appeal is Dec 2.

OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR, NEW DELHI & MUMBAI

Mumbai: Mumbai Cyber Crime files a chargsheet against actor Shilpa Shetty’s husband Raj Kundra & others in connection with case of producing and streaming pornographic content.

BSE SENSEX 61,418.96

Jakarta: The death toll has risen to 252 in earthquake which occured on Monday afternoon at the main island of Java, Indonesia. Officials said that 31 are still missing, 377 were injured.

274.12 | NSE NIFTY 18,244.20

84.25

Saudi Arabia pulled off one of the biggest World Cup shocks ever to come from behind to beat Argentina 2-1 on Tuesday. Argentina has been defeated for the first time since June 2019.

India managed to win another T20I series against NZ even as the 3rd and final match of the series in Napier was washed out due to rain, leading to a rare tie. India were 75 for 4 at the end of 9 overs, chasing a par total of 161 when the rain started belting down at McLean Park.

New Delhi: Northern Army commander LG Upendra Dwivedi on Tuesday said that Indian Army is ready to execute any order given by GoI, including taking back Pak-occupied J&K. He added, if ceasefire is broken by Pak at any time, we will give them a befitting reply.

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MAHARASHTRA POLITICAL CLIME

‘If such politics goes on, who can tell what will happen in 2 months?’

Union Minister Raosaheb Danve’s comments ignite yet another row in Maha with opposition claiming of mid term elections in the near future First India Bureau Aurangabad: Union minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Raosaheb Danve has invoked the mid-

term collapse of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government to say no one knows what will happen after two months if “such politics” continues.

No one thought the MVA government, which had completed two-and-a-half years in office, will fall. But such magic happened that the government fell in a night. If such politics is going on who can guess what will happen after two months?

—Raosaheb Danve, Union minister and BJP leader

Addressing a gathering in Kannad town in Aurangabad district, the BJP MP also spoke about the changed political position of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena following the 2019 Assembly polls.

“No one thought the MVA government, which had completed two-and-a-half years in office, would fall. But such magic happened that the government

Mentally ill man held for

HOAX THREAT TO PM First India Bureau

Mumbai: A 38-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday, a day after he called the Mumbai police warning that “two henchmen of Dawood Ibrahim were tasked to kill Prime Minister Narendra Modi”.

The man left seven audio messages in Hindi on the WhatsApp helpline number of the Mumbai Traffic police claiming

that the gangster’s henchmen have come to India to kill Modi. As the sensitive information was passed up the chain to the top brass of Mumbai police, all security agencies were put on alert. However, the threat turned out to be a hoax.

An inquiry revealed that the man, a West Bengal native, was mentally unstable. He was laid off from his job in Kerala—where he claimed he could see a ghost—four months ago and also recently lost his brother, police said, adding that further investigation is underway.

PM MODI’S

ROZGAR MELA 2.0!

Modi distributes 71,056 appointment letters to newly inducted ‘Saarthis’

New Delhi: PM Narendra Modi on Tuesday distributed 71,056 appointment letters to newly inducted recruits of Rozgar Mela via video conference and said that it shows the government’s commitment to providing government jobs to the youth. Addressing the event, PM Modi said that schemes like ‘Make in India’ or ‘Vocal for Local’ are creating employment and self-employment opportunities in the country. In his address the PM mentioned PLI scheme as a great source of new employment opportunities, under this scheme, it is expected to create 60 lakh new employment opportunities. PM Modi also launched the Karmayogi Prarambh module - online orientation course for all new appointees at Rozgar Mela via video conference.

You are getting this new responsibility in a special era. The country has entered Amrit Kaal. We the citizens have taken the resolution to make India a developed nation in this duration. To attain this resolution, you’re going to be the ‘saarthi’ of the country.

—Narendra Modi, Prime Minister

fell in a night. If such politics is going on who can guess what will happen after two months?” he asked.

Danve said the results of the 2019 Assembly elections made the Shiv Sena realize that the next government could not be formed without them. “They said all options were open for the party and broke ties with their old ally BJP,” he added.

DANVE SPEAKS TRUTH, CERTAIN THAT GOVT WILL FALL: RAUT Mumbai: Many leaders of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance have indicated that the Maharashtra government headed by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his deputy Devendra Fadnavis will fall soon, paving the way for mid-term elections in Maharashtra. Now, claiming that “Danve sometimes speaks the truth” Rajya Sabha MP and leader of the Uddhav-led Sena, Sanjay Raut has added fuel to rumours of approaching political turmoil in the state.

“Raosaheb Danve sometimes speaks the truth.

Anything can happen after two months. I have complete knowledge and 100% certainty that this government will fall,” Raut said. Interestingly, the word in political circles is that the second phase of cabinet expansions—slated to occur in the next few days—will leave several leaders disgruntled.

Congress ‘insulted’ Sardar Patel: Shah Shah dares Khambhat, Congress candidate, to produce any pic of him paying tributes to Patel at the Statue of Unity Khambhat (ANI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday alleged that Congress did everything possible to “insult” Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and it has started praising

Union Home Minister Amit Shah addressing a gathering at the Tharad (Banaskantha) public meeting in Gujarat on Tuesday.

him only now in view of Gujarat Assembly polls.

Even last rites of country’s first deputy PM were performed in “unceremonious” way, he said at an election rally at Khambhat. Shah further said that it was PM Modi who paid a real tribute to Patel by constructing Statue of Unity, Patel’s statue which is the tallest monument.

Friend says Aaftab, kin likely had an agenda ‘HEAT OF THE MOMENT’

INTERVIEW Gajraj Singh and Saloni Khandelwal Jaipur: Amid ongoing probe of brutal murder of Shraddha Walker by her live-in partner Aaftab Poonawalla. Shraddha’s friend Rajat Shukla on Tuesday said since 2018 not everything was good with Shradhha’s end. “She would not talk much, and would stay alone most of the time,” he said, adding, Shradhha was trying her best

Rajat Shukla, a close friend of the victim, Shraddha Walker.

to get out of relationship but could not due to threats from Aaftab. ‘It is most likely that Aaftab came with an agenda, else why would his family leave their house,’ Rajat said. Full report on P6

New Delhi: Aaftab Amin Poonawala who allegedly killed his girlfriend Shraddha Walker on Tuesday told a Delhi court that he murdered his girlfriend in the “heat of the moment”. The Saket court extended the police custody of Aftab Poonawala to four more days. Shraddha murder case is 80 percent complete, the police also told Delhi High Court.

PIL to transfer case to CBI dismissed The Delhi High Court on Tuesday dismissed with cost a PIL seeking transfer of investigation in the Shraddha Walker murder case from Delhi Police branch to the CBI.

Aaftab undergoes polygraph test

Court permitted police to conduct a polygraph test on Aftab on Tuesday.

During evening, accused Aaftab’s polygraph test started at Rohini Forensic Science Laboratory.

`2 lakh crore mega refinery Now, Ashok Chavan joins protest party, project coming to Ratnagiri KOSHYARI’S REMARKS ON CHHATRAPATI SHIVAJI MAHARAJ

demands Maha Governor be removed First India Bureau

Nanded: Congress leader and former chief minister Ashok Chavan on Tuesday said a new governor should be appointed for Maharashtra and Bhagat Singh Koshyari should be removed from his office for his remark on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Chavan was speaking to reporters after an agitation staged

by Congress workers against the governor in Nanded.

Koshyari had said that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was an icon of the “olden days” during an event in Aurangabad, triggering a political storm in Maharashtra, with activists of the NCP, Congress,

Shiv Sena - Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray, and other organizations demanding his ouster.

“The statement made by the governor has intensified people’s anger.

This is not limited to one single political party, it is a question of national pride,” the Congress leader said.

Koshyari must be shifted and a new governor should be appointed for the state, Chavan said, adding that no disrespect to Maharashtra would be tolerated.

Meanwhile, the Congress’s Aurangabad city and district units staged an agitation at Kranti Chowk in the city demanding that President Droupadi Murmu recall Koshyari.

“Koshyari should be

The statement made by the governor has intensified people’s anger. This is not limited to one single political party, it is a question of national pride.

—Ashok Chavan

CANT ACCEPT KOSHYARI AS GOVERNOR: RAUT

Shiv Sena - Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray leader Sanjay Raut slammed Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, calling the latter a ‘humble servant and campaigner for the BJP.’ Raut further said that he is not ready to accept Bhagat Singh Koshyari as Maharashtra’s governor. called back by President (Murmu). The governor has no idea whom to compare Chhatrapati

Shivaji with,” district Congress president and former MLA Kalyan Kale said.

CASE AGAINST KOSHYARI IN MUMBAI HIGH COURT Mumbai: With Governor Koshyari’s statements on Shivaji having raised the political mercury in Maharashtra, late on Tuesday, a criminal cse was registered against Koshyari in the Mumbai High Court by one Deepak Jagdev. Meanwhle, sources have releaved that Koshyari could visit Delhi on November 24-25, where he is likely to meet PM Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to discuss the political climate here.

First India Bureau Mumbai: The road has finally been paved for a mega refinery project to come up in Ratnagiri district’s Barsu village, now that Rajan Salvi, the Shiv Sena - Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray MLA from the RatapurLanza-Sakharov Assembly constituency has extended his support to the state government.

Industries Minister Uday Samant on Tuesday announced the project--originally slated to come up at Nanar but later scrapped due to strong opposition from the Shiv Sena--following a marathon meeting with all stakeholders, including legislators.

The refinery, which will cost more than Rs2 lakh crore, is expected

Uday Samant

to create 3,000 direct and 75,000 indirect jobs.

MLA Salvi had raised the issue that the Konkan region could face a water shortage if water from the Arjun Dam for the refinery. Addressing this, Samant said that the project would use water from the Koyna Dam instead.

“In-principle approval has been given to take water from Koyna Dam for this project,” Samant said,

FISSURES FORMING?

NEWS MUMBAI | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2022

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‘How will Maha ensure justice for Marathi people in Belgaum?’

Raut claims Karnataka govt was more alert about the border dispute First India Bureau Mumbai: Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray leader Sanjay Raut has asked how will the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government that tolerates “insult” to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj ensure justice for the Marathi-speaking population of Belgaum and other border areas.

Talking to the media in New Delhi on Tuesday, Raut also asked how many times Shinde and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) minister Chandrakant Patil had visited Belgaum in Karnataka.

“Neither (Chandrakant) Patil nor (Eknath) Shinde visited Belgaum as ministers. The Karnataka CM should be asked to withdraw the false cases registered against the youth in

Neither (Chandrakant) Patil nor (Eknath) Shinde visited Belgaum as ministers. The Karnataka CM should be asked to withdraw the false cases registered against the youth in border areas.

—Sanjay Raut, Shiv Sena - Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray leader border areas,” the Rajya Sabha MP said.

The CM was reportedly going to raise the issue of Belgaum with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Raut said, demanding that the conversation between the two be made public.

Farmers hit by excess rains shouldn’t be forced to pay power bills: State

As per reports, rains destroyed crops on 25 lakh hectares of irrigated land in the state. —FILE PHOTO

First India Bureau Mumbai: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday said the state power utility has been ordered not to demand payment from those farmers who had lost their crops due to excess rains in the last two months.

Fadnavis told reporters that the farmers who could repay the power bills can do it.

“I have given orders to officials of the state power distribution company (MSEDCL) not to force farmers to repay the

Deputy CM said that if farmers pay the bills for the current season their connections should not be snapped electricity bills, especially those who lost their crop due to excess rains.

However, officials have been asked to collect the electricity bills from farmers for the current season only,” said Fadnavis, who also holds the Power portfolio.

Maharashtra has a long-pending border dispute with Karnataka since the formation of the state when some areas with sizable Marathi-speaking population, like Belgaum, were included in Karnataka.

Referring to the recent controversial remark of Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was an icon of ‘olden days’, Raut asked, “How will this chief minister, deputy chief minister

and the government who tolerate an insult to Shivaji Maharaj give any justice to the people of the border areas?”

Raut also mentioned that the Karnataka government was more alert about the border dispute.

On Monday, the CM and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis held a meeting to discuss the Belgaum issue.

The government also appointed Chandrakant Patil and Shambhuraj Desai to coordinate with the legal team which is handling the litigation related to Maharashtra-Karnataka dispute in the Supreme Court.

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday said that his government had made all preparations to argue its case in the Supreme Court.

02

ASSEMBLY POLLS

Maha grants 1-day paid leave to Gujarat voters First India Bureau Mumbai: The state government here has issued a notification allowing voters from Gujarat working in Maharashtra’s border districts a day’s paid leave to enable them to exercise their franchise in the upcoming Assembly election, an official said on Tuesday.

Gujarat will go to the polls in two phases on December 01 and 05.

As per the notification issued by the state industries, energy and labour department, the decision applies to all private, semi-private companies, organizations and institutions.

The concession has been given to voters from Gujarat working in border districts such as Nashik, Palghar, Dhule and

Gujarat will go to the polls in two phases on December 01 and 05. —FILE PHOTO

Many voters from Gujarat travel here every day or stay here for some work. The concession is applicable only on December 01 and 05 will enable them to go to polling booths and vote. People who avail this concession will not face any salary or wage cut.

—Industries Department, Maharashtra

Nandurbar.

“Many voters from Gujarat travel here every day or stay here for some work. The concession is applicable only on December 01 and 05 will enable them to go to polling

booths and vote. People who avail this concession will not face any salary or wage cut,” a senior official from the Maharashtra industries department said.

bridge pile-up: Actors paid to walk with Rahul Pune Driver, helper arrested Gandhi, claims Maha BJP MLA Mumbai (PTI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Maharashtra, Nitesh Rane, has alleged the ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra led by Rahul Gandhi is “stage-managed”, with actors being paid to walk with him—a claim that the Congress has dismissed as “malicious propaganda”.

Rane, son of Union minister Narayan Rane, tweeted a screenshot of a purported mobile phone conversation on Monday without mentioning any names with a comment, “Ye Pappu kabhi pass nahi hoga!!”

Veteran actor Amol Palekar and his wife, writer-filmmaker Sandhya Gokhale participated in the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Maharashtra this past Sunday.

—FILE PHOTO

He then tweeted: “So the Rahul Gandhi Yatra is stage-managed. This is proof of how actors are being paid to come and walk with him. Sab Golmaal hai bhai!.”

“Other than refurbishing Rahul Gandhi’s credential as a leader, all that his yatra has achieved is to enable the rise of a self-serving coterie around him, which is doing more harm by this kind of paid PR. But who are these people willing to associate with Rahul even for some money?” Amit Malviya, who is in charge of BJP’s national IT department, asked in a tweet.

‘MALICIOUS PROPAGANDA’, SAYS CONGRESS Questioning the authenticity of Nitesh Rane’s tweets and claims, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee General Secretary Sachin Sawant on Tuesday alleged the tweet shows BJP’s desperation to discredit the yatra.

“Such bogus WhatsApp images are be-

ing shown as proof.

No name, no numbers.

It is BJP that masters the art of arm-twisting celebrities to portray artificial support for them, not Congress. Don’t we remember tweets of celebrities on petrol and diesel rates during UPA government and during farmers’ pro-

tests?

Everyone knows that it takes courage to stand against autocratic and divisive agenda of BJP. Those who have joined Bharat Jodo Yatra are standing for the cause and for our nation,” he tweeted, adding that the BJP’s attempt to belittle the honesty of

artists and malign their characters shows how correct the stand of artists is.

“Today’s statement of PM against Bharat Jodo Yatra and such malicious propaganda from BJP only reaffirms our resolve and proves that the yatra is on the right track,” he added.

Police data reveals 108 mishaps took place on two adjacent patches on Navale Road since 2018, leading to 31 deaths. —FILE PHOTO

First India Bureau Pune: Police have arrested Maniram Yadav, the absconding driver of the truck that caused a pile-up on the Mumbai-Bengaluru highway stretch in Pune, and his assistant Lalit Yadav, officials said.

At least 24 vehicles were damaged late Sunday evening when the truck hit multiple vehicles on the downward slope of Navale bridge, injuring more than 20 people, eight of whom who needed to be hospitalized.

A case was registered under the Indian Penal Code and the Motor Vehicles Act, and the driver and his helper, Lalit Yadav, were arrested

from Chakan area of Pimpri Chinchwad neighbouring Pune,” senior police inspector Shailesh Sankhe said on Monday night.

“The probe by the RTO indicates that the truck driver might have switched off the engine by turning off the ignition while on the slope. If the engine is switched off, it affects the vehicle's braking ability. That is how the truck might have gone hitting the vehicles on the slope,” Assistant Commissioner of Police Sunil Pawar had said on Monday.

Meanwhile, officials from the police department, Pune civic body, and the NHAI met on Monday to chalk out mitigating measures following the accident.

DELAYED ACCUSATIONS?

Savarkar helped Godse find ‘right gun’ to kill Bapu, says great-grandson In a series of tweets, Tushar Gandhi alleged VD Savarkar helped the British and Mahatma’s assassin, and criticized ‘leaders of Sanatani Hindus’ First India Bureau Mumbai: Freedom fighter Vinayak Damodar Savarkar aided Mahatma Gandhi’s killer Nathuram Godse in procuring the right weapon, or so claimed Bapu’s great grandson Tush-

ar Gandhi.

The allegation was made by the activist and author in a series of tweets on Sunday.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), however, called his comments “unfounded”.

Tushar Gandhi, on Twitter, said: “Sa-

varkar not only helped the British, he also helped Nathuram Godse find an efficient gun to murder Bapu.

Till two days before Bapu’s murder (on January 30, 1948), Godse did not have a reliable weapon to carry out the murder of MK Gandhi.”

He also claimed that Prabodhankar Thackeray, Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray’s father and grandfather of former chief minister Ud-

Tushar Gandhi during the Congress Party’s Bharat Jodo Yatra in Maharashtra last week.

—FILE PHOTO

dhav Thackeray, had warned Bapu’s companions about a plot to kill the latter.

Tushar Gandhi, in the same context, also criticized the “leaders of Sanatani Hindus” Savarkar and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh founder Keshav Baliram Hedgewar.

“When in the 1930s several attempts were made on Bapu’s life, Prabodhankar Thackeray forewarned Bapu’s companions about

a plot to kill Bapu in Akola, Vidarbha and saved Bapu’s life. He then issued a public warning to Sanatani Hindu organizations and their leadership in Maharashtra to desist from their murderous attacks on Bapu,” Gandhi tweeted.

“Savarkar and Hedgewar were leaders of Sanatani Hindus, thus Prabodhankar's warning was addressed to them, Shiv Sena - Uddhav Balasaheb Thack-

eray must be reminded of this bit of their history,” he further said.

BJP state spokesperson Keshav Upadhye, remarking on Tushar Gandhi’s claims, said: “The court had given its verdict in this case (Mahatma Gandhi assassination) and acquitted Savarkar of such charges. Still, some people like to mislead the society by making such unfounded comments against Savarkar.”

MAHARASHTRA MUMBAI | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2022

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Chahal in soup? Civic body contracts worth `12,000 crore under scanner The CAG is looking into transactions made by at least 10 departments of the BMC during COVID-19 pandemic First India Bureau Mumbai: The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has launched an audit into Rs12,000 worth of contracts awarded by the civic body during the COVID-19 pandemic, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Administrator Iqbal Singh Chahal said on Tuesday.

Following a meeting with Chahal, a 10-mem-

ber CAG team has sought documents pertaining to various transactions conducted by as many as 10 different departments from the BMC’s accounts department.

“We had a conference today. An audit is underway regarding various departments,” Chahal, who was the city’s Municipal Commissioner until the term of the elected members ended on March 07, said.

CRUCIAL READ MAN DIES AFTER BRANCH OF TREE FALLS ON CAR

TMC TO ORGANIZE MONTHLY LOKSHAHI DIN ON DEC 19

Mumbai: A 38-year-old man was crushed to death on Monday after the branch of a tree that was hit by an excavator fell on his car near Mahalaxmi Racecourse in central Mumbai, a police official said. The incident took place on Dr E Moses Road at 3:40 pm and the deceased has been identified as Thane resident Saiyog Pawar, he said. The excavator driver, who drove on without stopping at the site, has been booked and efforts are on to nab him.

Thane: The Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) will hold the monthly ‘Lokshahi Din’ on December 19. The officials from the Thane civic body have urged the citizens to submit their applications in two copies to the civic body office 15 days prior to Lokshahi Din that is till December 05.

During the Lokshahi Day, at the TMC headquarters, the citizens who have submitted their complaint applications which have not been acted upon for one month, will be accepted.

WATER CUTS IN MOST PARTS OF PUNE ON THURSDAY DUE TO URGENT REPAIR WORK Pune: A large part of Pune city will not get water on Thursday due to urgent repair work. In a statement, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) informed that the power utility is taking up urgent repair work at Parvati substsation and the civic administration has planned for repair and maintenance at Parvati, Cantonment, SNDT and Vadgaon water works.

Those familiar with the development say Chahal had chaired a meeting with the heads of all departments, ward officers, deans of major hospitals and COVID-19 centres ahead of the CAG team’s arrival, in which he directed them to cooperate fully with the investigation.

“We have been asked to present whatever details (about expenditure and tenders during the COVID-19 period) the CAG demands and give suitable justification (if any query is raised),” a BMC official said.

Chahal, who succeeded Praveen Pardeshi as

GEARING UP!

Mumbai registers 24 fresh measles cases and one suspected death: BMC First India Bureau Mumbai: The city reported 24 new confirmed cases of measles on Monday, while a one-year girl from suburban Govandi is suspected to have died of the viral infection, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said, adding that Mumbai has now seen 208 cases of the disease since January 01.

The death toll due to measles since the beginning of this year

BMC has asked Mumbaikars to ensure kids aged between nine months and five years are vaccinated. —FILE PHOTO

remained unchanged at eight, while the death in Govandi is being investigated.

Six confirmed cases were reported from the

Leopard spotted on IIT-Bombay campus First India Bureau

ANTI NARCOTICS CELL SEIZES 1KG CHARAS; 2 HELD

‘KEEP KHARGHAR DRY,’ URGES FORMER SARPANCH

Mumbai: Two drug peddlers were arrested by the Bandra Unit of the Mumbai Anti Narcotics Cell. The arrests were made from the Jogeshwari area where officials also recovered 1kg charas. The total worth of seized materials is around Rs30 lakh in the international market, the officials informed, adding that a case has been registered under the (ND&PS) Act.

Kharghar: Gurunath Liladhar Patil, the former Sarpanch of Kharghar and Shiv Sena (Thackeray) City President has written to CM Eknath Shinde and others to revoke the license to a restaurant to sell liquor. In his letter the former Sarpanch has appealed to maintain the no-liquor zone status of Kharghar by revoking the license.

Municipal Commissioner, took office amid a surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths in Mumbai in May 2020, and gained appreciation for his handling of the pandemic.

However, on October 31, the Eknath Shindeled government asked the central investigative body to look into the allocation of works by the civic body in the pandemic period under the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. The CAG will look into BMC’s transactions conducted between November 28, 2020 and February 28, 2022, Chief Minister Shinde had said.

Mumbai: A forest department official on Tuesday said that a leopard has allegedly been spotted on the campus of the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-B) in Powai here.

A distress call was made to the forest department on Monday morning and a team was dispatched to investigate if the sighting was of concern, especially since leopards are generally nocturnal.

Sightings during the day are not very common, he said, but possible since IIT-B is located

Forest department has urged people to report any wildlife distress incident to its control room number ‘1926’

M-East ward (which covers Govandi and Deonar) followed by five in Kurla.

The number of suspected patients who have reported symp-

toms like fever and rash increased to 3,208, the civic body added.

“All cases of fever with rash are administered two doses of Vitamin-A and the second dose of measles vaccine after 24 hours,” a BMC release said.

With the admission of 23 patients and the discharge of 22, the number of hospitalized measles patients stands at 94. Of these, 67 patients are stable, while 26 are on oxygen support and one is on a ventilator.

FISHY

BUSINESS

03

BMC sanctions `571 crore to reconstruct 2 bridges in Mumbai

A portion of Gokhale bridge that was constructed in 1975, collapsed in July 2018 killing two people. —FILE PHOTO

First India Bureau Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has sanctioned Rs571 crore to MahaRail for the reconstruction of Reay Road bridge and Tilak bridge.

According to the sources, Rs196 crore has been sanctioned for Reay Road bridge—which will take around 380 days for construction—while Rs375 crore for Tilak bridge. Both bridges were declared unsafe.

The Central Railway has already demolished Reay Road bridge. The construction work of a new Tilak bridge has already started while the existing one will be demolished after the new bridge is open for the public.

The construction of the new Tilak bridge needs two years including monsoon and may be completed in 2024.

The construction of the Ghatkopar rail bridge is also on the cards.

WORK BEGINS ON CARNAC BRIDGE, 2024 DEADLINE

Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has accelerated the reconstruction process of the new bridge at Carnac Bunder after the century-old existing structure was dismantled by the Central Railway over the weekend. The work order for the new bridge was issued in October, and construction and fabrication works have begun at a workshop in Ambala. The estimated cost of the bridge is around Rs49 crore and it is expected to be completed by June 2024. The bridge will ease traffic congestion in South Mumbai, said civic officials.

In 2018, the walkway on the south side of the Gokhale bridge in Andheri collapsed, following which IIT-Bombay had been assigned to audit all 445 bridges in the city.

A cat steals a meal of fish at Versova Beach, where fisherfolk often dry their catch to preserve it, in Mumbai on Tuesday. —PHOTO BY ANI

close to the Sanjay Gandhi National Park. Moreover, with the drop in temperature in the last 48 hours and the cold wave alert, leopards can be spotted during the day, he said.

“Our teams are investigating and initiating all necessary actions, we appeal to students, staff and IIT management and others not to panic,” the official said.

RETURN TO TRADITION

Pandemic-related joblessness leads to revival of fishing as livelihood Despite competition from mechanized trawlers and dwindling catch, rampon fishing is popular among villagers of Vayari in Sindhudurg district

First India Bureau Sindhudurg: On Sunday, the “rampon” fishermen of this coastal district had quite a reason to be overjoyed—a 12 tonnes worth of reasons.

These traditional fishermen caught their biggest haul of sardines and mackerel in their nets after a gap of nearly three years.

Rampon fishing—the traditional non-mechanized kind—re-emerged as a source of livelihood for the residents of Vayari village, especially

after the COVID-19 pandemic ruined the job market. These fishermen use traditional fishing nets and methods, but getting a good catch has become increasingly difficult for them because of overfishing by mechanized trawlers, they said.

But, on Sunday, they hauled in their largest catch. “We managed to catch at least 12-13 tonnes of fish. But this is an extremely rare event. We have caught fish on this scale after a gap of almost three years,” said Dilip Ghare, secretary of

We managed to catch at least 12-13 tonnes of fish. But this is an extremely rare event. We have caught fish on this scale after a gap of almost three years.

-Dilip Ghare, secy, Sindhudurg District Rampon Sanghatana

Fishermen unload their catch at Versova beach in Mumbai. —PHOTO BY ANI

the Sindhudurg District Rampon Sanghatana.

This is good news for the many families that have turned to rampon

fishing in the Malvan tehsil, under which Vayari comes. Out of the 108 rampon associations in Sindhudurg district,

56 are in Malvan alone, Ghare said.

For those looking for employment, despite this non-mechanised

fishing becoming less profitable, it is still a viable source of livelihood.

These fishermen go out to sea at night in their non-mechanised canoes to spread their nets.

They set out to sea

again at 4 am to pull in their nets and gather the catch.

Narayan Mayekar, who is in his late 70s, came to Vayari and became a fisherman when he lost his job two decades ago. Another resident of Vayari, Rupesh Talawnekar found employment in rampon fishing, even though he is a graduate, but couldn’t find a job in the city.

“You can earn around Rs 15,000-20,000 per month,” Talawnekar said about rampon fishing.

PERSPECTIVE MUMBAI | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2022

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ONE SUN SETS, ANOTHER SURYAKUMAR RISES…

LET YOUNG INDIA BLOOM ROBIN ROY

O

Let’s delve into the future.

The demographic dividend opportunity in India is the longest in the world which is accessible for around five long decades, starting from the year 2005 to 2055.

Owing to the change in demographics and patterns, India is expected to emerge as one of the largest consumer economies in the world

DEADLY MICROBES TAKE THEIR TOLL

The purpose of this article is to actually make professionals aware of the fact that they need to quit when the time is right.

The true legends should not be made to look vanquished, struggling for form and fatigued. Once the hard-earned respect is gone… it is gone forever.

One needs to know when to quit age age of 29, it has one of the youngest populations globally.

As this vast resource of young India joins the workforce, it could create a ‘demographic dividend’. Demographic dividend is clearly defined by the United Nations Population Fund as economic growth resulting from a shift in a population’s age structure, mainly when the working-age population is larger than the number of dependents.

T

he Lancet’s study on deaths caused by bacterial infections has flagged the seriousness of the problem in India. The study claims that five bacteria types claimed 6.8 lakh lives in India in 2019. Globally, the study found, bacterial infections were the second leading cause of deaths after ischemic heart disease in 2019. Among the five pathogens which claimed lakhs of lives in India, E Coli was the deadliest, the study said.

These bacteria alone claimed 1.6 lakh lives in 2019. The number of deaths caused by E. coli is surprising as this pathogen is normally considered harmless.

The four other bacteria which the Lancet study iden-

We also need to note that with the young India, India is in a vantage position. The overall rate of literacy among young India has increased, with approximately 90 per cent being able to read and write. Coupled with the enormous network of social media and internet penetration, this has created a digitally savvy population all across the nation. With access to the internet and the affordability of smartphones, young India is accessing online resources that encourage learning and acquisition of skills.

SOME QUICK FACTS As per the National Policy for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, 2015, it was estimated that the average age of the population in India by 2020 would be 29 years as against 40 years in the US, 46 in Europe and 47 in Japan.

India will account for 20 per cent of the worldwide increase in the working-age population over the next two decades from the year 2020.

World Bank projections show that between 2020 and 2040,

The Lancet’s study on deaths caused by bacterial infections has flagged seriousness of the problem in India. The study claims that five bacteria types claimed 6.8 lakh lives in India in 2019 tified as big killers in India were: S. pneumoniae (1.4 lakh), K. pneumoniae (1.3 lakh), S. aureus (1.2 lakh) and A. baumanii (1.1 lakh). The study shows the challenge before govt, health authorities to deal with these microbial killers. E. coli, which is caused by contaminated wa-

IN-DEPTH

CONTROVERSIES CHASE QATAR AS SOCCER KEEPS FANS ENTERTAINED

F

IFA World Cup at Qatar started off with the soccer body’s president Giani Infantino ridiculing the West for its hypocrisy and controversies over ban on LGBTQ community and silent onfield protests by Iranian players to express solidarity with the protesters in their country. “I think for what we Europeans have been doing the last 3,000 years we should be apologising for next 3000 years before starting to give moral lessons to people”. Infantino recalled his own experience and said that he knew what “it means to be discriminated, to be bullied, as a foreigner in a foreign country.

As a child I was bullied because I had red hair and freckles, plus I was Italian so imagine”.

Infantino’s outburst was over the controversy on Qatar’s ban on display of LGBTQ community’s symbols by players or spectators. The authorities have been strict in enforcing the ban despite criticism.

The event has not been short on soccer entertainment. The Saudis beating Argentina 2-1 proved that.

The writer is Senior Journalist and former Managing Editor, First India

n Sunday, when Suryakumar Yadav hit that scintillating knock of 111 runs against News Zealand in the second T20I of the three-match series, he arguably became the finest T20 batter in the world.

Suryakumar looked at his (perhaps) best, notching up the 3-digit figure in just 49 deliveries. He was on a song.

In fact, the entire team was on a roll and took the shine off the Kiwis in style. It was a massive win.

However, the whole purpose of this article is not JUST to hail and glorify this young Team India which made the win look so easy, but to remind the vast number of cricket fans in the country NOT to be murderous while criticising the FADING greats. We get better by the day and that is expected of us. What Suryakumar can do today was achieved by Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli too. Greats will be greats forever. We just have to keep in mind that everyday we must set a benchmark for the nation to succeed.

The purpose of this article is to actually make professionals aware of the fact that they need to quit when the time is right. The true legends should not be made to look vanquished, struggling for form and fatigued. Once the hardearned respect is gone… it is gone forever. One needs to know when to quit. We all need to realise and age gracefully. There are various stages of life and we can all contribute to an institute, organisation and the country gainfully.

We needn’t hold on or cling onto things like newborns. We need to know when to leave it.

Indians in general have a habit of hanging on in perhaps every field from Bollywood to cricket to politics. We need to give young India their due. India’s 1.35-plus billion people make the nation the second most populous country in the entire world and with an aver-

04

India’s population aged between 15 and 59 years is expected to increase by 134.6 million. That large number of potential workers is a big boon for India’s economic growth, but it is also a challenge for policymakers in order to create new and decent job opportunities.

LOOKING AHEAD Let’s delve into the future.

The demographic dividend opportunity in India is the longest in the world which is accessible for around five long decades, starting from the year 2005 to 2055. Owing to the change in demographics and patterns, India is expected to emerge as one of the largest consumer economies in the world.

The surge in young India will bring about several unique and interesting possibilities for the country’s future, in terms of social mobility, economic growth and even a more inclusive, wholesome and diverse cultural network.

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

ter and food, especially raw vegetables, turns life threatening in children & older people causing kidney failure.

Bacteria which requires closer attention of hospital authorities is A. baumanii. It may have caused fewer fatalities than E. coli and the two pneumonia causing bacteria but occurs mostly in healthcare settings. Those at risk include patients on ventilators in hosps, those who have catheters, are in intensive care units, have open wounds from surgery or those who are hospitalised for prolonged periods. Lancet has done yeoman’s service by drawing attention to dangers posed by these bacteria.

Needed now is closer monitoring, better healthcare, cleaner hospitals, awareness.

SPIRITUAL SPEAK Arise, slay thy enemies, enjoy a prosperous kingdom.

—Bhagavad Gita

TOP TWEETS Nitin Gadkari @nitin_gadkari

Our country is a country of youth, our youth power has proved its mettle all over the world. The Government of India under the leadership of the Prime Minister is committed to build a New India with the talent and energy of the country’s youth. #RozgarMela Jyotiraditya M. Scindia @JM_Scindia

Respectful salutations to Veerangana Jhalkari Bai ji, the commander of the women’s contingent ‘Durga Dal’ in Rani Laxmi Bai’s army on her birth anniversary. Today offered floral tributes to his statue and worshiped his feet.

l Vol 1 l Issue No. 196 l RNI TITLE NO.

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AAP will lose as it is ‘banner-based’ party: Nadda Guj CM Patel can not even change his peon: Kejriwal

BJP chief JP Nadda holds swords during the public meeting at Shehra, in Panchmahal on Tuesday; & JP Nadda greets the party supporters at another rally, in Siddhpur on Tuesday.

Ahmedabad (PTI): BJP president JP Nadda on Tuesday said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will be defeated in Gujarat polls as it is a “banner-based party” as against the BJP which is cadre-based.

AAP leaders will leave Gujarat once the elections are over, he claimed, speaking at a campaign rally in Shehra town of Panchmahal district.

1,621 CANDIDATES IN FRAY FOR GUJARAT ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS

Battleground

A formation on an inked marked finger is displayed by teachers with mobile flashlight at Lunsikui Ground, in Navsari on Tuesday.

GUJARAT

“The AAP lost in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Goa in the recent past. And its candidates will lose deposits in all 67 seats it has contested in Himachal Pradesh. They will meet the same fate in Gujarat,” said Nadda.

Voting for Shehra and 92 other seats will take place on December 5, in

Ahmedabad (PTI): A total of 1,621 candidates are left in the fray for the next month’s Gujarat Assembly elections after the deadline for the withdrawal of nominations got over.

For the 93 seats where elections would be held in the second phase, there are 833 candidates in the fray, said a release from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer.

The last day of withdrawal for the second

phase was Monday.

As many as 788 candidates are in the fray for 89 seats that will go to

the polls in the first phase of elections.

The ruling BJP has fielded candidates on all

182 seats, while Congress has fielded candidates on 179 seats while it allocated three seats to the NCP) as part of a pre-poll lliance. But with the NCP candidate withdrawing his nomination for Devgadh Baria seat, the party is contesting two seats.

The AAP fielded candidates on all 182 seats, but its candidates withdrew his nomination from the Surat East seat, so it will end up contesting 181 seats.

the second phase of the Assembly elections.

“AAP will lose because it is a bannerbased party which can only paste banners during the polls while we are a cadre-based party

which believes in serving people,” he said.

He also accused the Congress of shedding “crocodile tears” for Other Backward Classes and tribals. “But it is the BJP under PM Nar-

endra Modi which has actually changed your condition on the ground.

It was Modi who made an Adivasi woman the President of this country for the first time,” he said.

“Congress always

played politics with the OBCs. Though several commissions were formed, nothing happened. It was Modi who gave constitutional status to the National OBC Commission,’’ he added.

—PHOTOS BY ANI

Meanwhile, BJP confident of coming to power in Himachal again Shimla (PTI): The BJP will return to power in Himachal Pradesh with full majority, party’s state chief spokesperson Randhir Sharma claimed Tuesday and termed the Congress’ allegations of a possible horse-trading “baseless”.

He said the Congress leaders are aware that they would face a big defeat and are therefore trying to divert people’s attention by talking about EVMs and horse-trading.

Ever since EVMs are being used for voting in country, Congress leaders are blaming the EVMs whenever they are defeated, he claimed.

Devbhumi Dwarka (PTI): AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel can not even appoint his peon.

Speaking at a campaign rally at Khambhalia in Devbhumi Dwarka district for AAP’s chief ministerial candidate Isudan Gadhvi, he also alleged that there is secret collusion between the BJP and Congress.

“There are two faces before the people of Gujarat. One is Isudan Gadhvi and the other is Bhupendra Patel. Who will you vote for, who will you make chief minister?” Kejriwal asked.

Gadhvi is a young, educated man “whose heart beats for the poor” and he is also the son of a farmer, the Delhi chief minister said.

“When he hosted a show on TV, he raised the issues of farmers

Arvind Kejriwal

BJP TRYING TO WIN IN CONGRESS’S SOMNATH BASTION

Gir Somnath: With weeks to go for Gujarat polls, BJP candidate from Gir Somnath, Mansingh Parmar has exuded confidence in winning all four seats in the constituency, which the party had lost to Congress in 2017. The caste factor has always dominated Gir Somnath, which why Congress is believed to have won all four constituencies here in the 2017 polls.

IT IS HARDER FOR BJP IN SOUTH GUJARAT THIS TIME

Ahmedabad: The AAP challenge and agitations by local tribals against various govt projects could queer the pitch for the BJP in the south Gujarat region this time.

Of the 89 seats going to polls in the first phase of on December 1, as many as 35 seats are spread across the southern districts of Bharuch, Narmada, Tapi, Dang, Surat, Valsad and Navsari.

and did not indulge in ‘tu-tu-main-main’ (noisy debates). He has worked for the farmers and dedicated his life for the farmers and une m p l o y e d youth,” Kejriwal said.

UP Govt has created sense of Rahul’s Yatra enters MP today; PGV to join security for industry, says Yogi It would be the first time that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will be joining brother Rahul Gandhi’s yatra New Delhi (PTI): The Uttar Pradesh govt has created a sense of security for the industry by adopting a “zero tolerance” approach towards crime and criminals, CM Yogi Adityanath said on Tuesday, as he announced plans to organise roadshows in 18 countries to invite investors.

He said UP has emerged as one of the most favoured destinations for investors due to its transparent policies. The Uttar Pradesh Global Investors Summit 2023 to be held in Lucknow from February 10 to 12 next year. He said it would prove useful in providing a unified platform to the global industrial world.

UP CM Yogi Adityanath, State ministers Nand Gopal Gupta, Suresh Kumar Khanna and others at event, in New Delhi on Tuesday.

UP CM YOGI, AKHILESH PAY TRIBUTES TO MULAYAM ON HIS BIRTH ANNIVERSARY

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday paid tributes to party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav on his birth anniversary. A three-time chief minister, Mulayam Singh was born on this day in 1939 in Saifai, Etawah. “A humble tribute to former defence minister, former UP chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav on his birth anniversary,” Adityanath tweeted in Hindi. Akhilesh Yadav shared on Twitter a picture of the SP patriarch and his father and said, “Tributes to the son of soil on his birth anniversary.”

Bhopal (Agencies): After winding up its Maharashtra leg, Congress leader Rahul Gandhiled Bharat Jodo Yatra will enter Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday.

According to party sources, Congess general secretary Priyanka Gandhi will also join the march on the very first day of the yatra in Madhya Pradesh.

Notably, it would be the first time that Priyanka Gandhi will be joining the yatra. “Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will join the Bharat Jodo Yatra on Wednesday when it enters Madhya Pradesh,” senior party leader Jairam Ramesh said.

The Yatra started from Kanyakumari in

FALLOUT OF KAMAL NATH-SIKH EVENT ROW? BJY’S NIGHT HALT VENUE IN INDORE SHIFTED

Indore: Bharat Jodo Yatra led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will stay at Chimanbagh Maidan in Indore on November 27 and 28 and not in Khalsa Stadium as planned earlier, a development viewed as the fallout of a row over party veteran Kamal Nath attending a Sikh religious event recently. A police official said on Tuesday the permission for the Yatra’s stay at Chimanbagh Maidan was given based on the application of Congress. In view of the controversy, local BJP leaders had threatened to show black flags if Nath entered the Khalsa Stadium with Bharat Jodo Yatra. The cross-country foot march recently wound up its Maharashtra leg.

Rahul Gandhi takes part in Bharat Jodo Yatra.

Tamil Nadu on September 7. So far, it has traversed through the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra.

The Yatra will enter its first Hindi heartland state Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday after winding up its Maha-

—FILE PHOTO

rashtra leg. In the next 13 days, Gandhi will visit Ujjain’s Mahakaleshwar Temple, offer puja to the holy Narmada river, and go to the birthplaces of tribal leader Tantya Bhil in Khandwa and BR Ambedkar in Indore’s Mhow besides attending many other events.

PM gave a sustainable model of governance: MoS First India Bureau New Delhi: Union Minister of State Dr Jitendra Singh on Tuesday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given India a “sustainable” model of governance, which has defied the principle of diminishing returns as the dividends increase with each passing year.

Taking part in the “Capital Dialogue” programme of a TV Channel, Dr Singh said, over the last 20 years, Modi’s governance model has grown stronger with

every new challenge.

Dr Singh said, soon after Modi took over as Chief Minister of Gujarat, his first challenge was to overcome and build afresh the devastating earthquake in Bhuj and as he completes 20 years as head of government, the latest challenge confronted by him was the COVID pandemic sweeping across the nation of 140 crore people. He said, each of these challenges were handled by providing new ideas, his long hours of introspection about how to innovate new ideas and his

MoS Dr Jitendra Singh takes part in the programme.

intimate connection with the ground which enables him to convert every challenge into an opportunity.

On questions about his governance model, he said, ever since Modi

took charge in May, 2014, his first mantra was “Maximum Governance, Minimum Government” and after nearly nine years now, it is “Whole of Govt” approach through integration of schemes

and ideas, rather than working in silos.

He said, transparency, accountability and citizen-centricity became the hallmark of Modi’s Governance Model. He said, within three months after taking charge at the Centre, one of the first major decisions was to introduce self-attestation and do away with the practice of getting documents attested by gazetted officer, thus reposing faith in youth of India, which constitutes 70% below the age of 40 years.

JOLT TO T’GANA CONG AS SHASHIDHAR REDDY QUITS THE PARTY

REVOLT BREWING IN TN CONGRESS AGAINST STATE PREZ KS ALAGIRI

Hyderabad: Former Minister Marri Shashidhar Reddy resigned from the Congress on Tuesday, four days after the party expelled him for six years following his meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The senior leader announced his resignation from primary membership of the party while slamming the state leadership. He is likely to join the BJP soon.

Chennai: Close on the heels of a group of party workers led by Nanguneri MLA Rubi R Manoharan creating scene at the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) headquarters Satyamoorthy Bhavan, revolt seems to be brewing in the Tamil Nadu Congress against party state president, KS Alagiri. Sources senior leaders have upped their ante against KS Alagiri.

IN THE COURTYARD SC TO HEAR BAIL PLEAS OF MICHEL IN AUGUSTAWESTLAND SCAM ON NOV 28

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday said that it will hear on November 28 the bail pleas of Christian Michel James, the alleged middleman in the AgustaWestland chopper scam in which CBI and the Enforcement Directorate have lodged two separate cases. A bench said that the two separate bail pleas can be heard on Monday.

PLEAS CHALLENGING ELECTORAL BOND IN APEX COURT ON DEC 6

SC TO HEAR NIA’S APPEAL AGAINST TELTUMBDE BAIL

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday said it will hear on December 6 Congress’ plea challenging a recent notification by which the sale of electoral bonds has been extended by 15 more days in the year of general elections to assemblies of states and UTs.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear on Friday an appeal by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) against the bail granted to scholar-activist Anand Teltumbde in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case.

TO REUNITE 3-YR-OLD BOY WITH UKRAINIAN MOM, SIS, KIN TOLD TO SPEND TIME TOGETHER New Delhi: To re-unite a three-year-old child, who was brought to India by his father, with his Ukrainian mother and sister, the Delhi High Court Tuesday asked the family to spend some time together so the boy could bond with them. A bench asked the family--the child, his parents and sister-- to spend time together till 4 PM at the court’s crèche and appear before the court on Wednesday.

As the minor boy’s mother and sister, who have come here from Ukraine, tried to speak to the child in the court, he did not give any positive response.

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She wanted to come out of relationship: Shraddha’s friend EXCLUSIVE Gajraj Singh & Saloni Khandelwal Jaipur: As the nation is still in shock at brutal murder of Shraddha Walkar allegegedly by her live-in partner Aaftab Poonawalla, First India had an exclusive interview with Shraddha’s friend Rajat Shukla who shared chilling details about the relationship between Aaftab and Shraddha, and the likely intentions behind the gruesome killing.

The excerpts: z How was Shraddha

as a student, theater artist and a friend?

I was in regular touch with Shraddha from 2015 to 18 during college. We both were pursuing Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Media (BMM) from Viva College in Virar, Mumbai.

She was a very active girl with a bold personality, and was bluntly honest. She was also into theater and we did perform some acts together as well.

She would always Rajat Shukla

CRUCIAL READ KERALA: PRINCIPAL, 3 GOVT TEACHERS HELD UNDER POCSO CASE

JOINT INSPECTION LIKELY IN SOFT DRINK PLANT GAS LEAK

Kochi (ANI): Kerala police arrested a govt school teacher from neighbouring Tamil Nadu dist on Monday on charge of sexually assaulting her plus-one girl student last week. Besides, the school principal and 2 other teachers were also arrested on Monday itself for not reporting the incident to the police on time, the police said in a press statement issued here on Tuesday. All of them have been arrested under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.

Kolkata (PTI): A joint inspection is likely at the soft drink manufacturing unit near here following leakage of toxic gas and production activity has been halted as a precautionary measure.

Varun Beverages Ltd, the owner of the unit, claimed there was no fatality or serious illness due to the leakage from the unit on Monday. A police official said, “There is no report of any major injury due to the leakage and the situation was brought under control last night itself.”

ASI TO PROBE VIRAL VIDEO OF MAN OFFERING NAMAZ AT TAJ MAHAL New Delhi (Agencies): The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has instructed to probe the authenticity of a viral video allegedly showing a man delivering ‘namaz’ with a woman sitting alongside him in garden area which is said to be inside the Taj Mahal premises. Raj Kumar Patel, the superintending archaeologist for Agra circle of ASI, pointed out: “We have come across a purported video going viral wherein a man is seen offering namaz in the area said to be the premises of the Taj Mahal. “However, there is no certainty about the authenticity of the video particularly because none of our staff at Taj Mahal saw such happening.”

WOMAN DELIVERS BABY ON ROAD IN TIRUPATI TOWN

HIDDEN CAM IN WOMEN'S TOILET: STUDENT ARRESTED

Tirupati (Agencies): In a shocking incident, a woman delivered a baby on a road near a government hospital in Andhra Pradesh’s Tirupati town on Tuesday after the hospital staff allegedly denied her admission. The shocking incident occurred in the temple town in front of Tirupati Maternity Hospital.

A video has gone viral on social media, showing a man helping the pregnant woman deliver while two women holding a bedsheet to cover her.

Bengaluru (Agencies): A college student was arrested for allegedly installing a secret camera in a ladies’ restroom here on Tuesday. According to police, the accused was caught red-handed while fixing the camera. The arrested student is identified as Shubham M Azad, the student of a private college in Hosakerehalli locality of Bengaluru. Shubham, studying in fifth semester of BBA, had fixed a secret camera in the ladies toilet, the police said.

take part in college programme as a dancer, artiste. It was in 2018 when things started looking bad at Shraddha’s end. She would not talk much, and would stay alone. z Do you think Aaftab was in touch with other girls than Shraddha?

Aaftab was also seeing other women behind Shraddha’s back. I am informed and pretty sure too that he was seen on his ‘intruder’ bike with other girls

Aaftab Poonawalla and Shraddha Walkar

as a pillion. And would be jealous and insecure if Shraddha even hung out with her friends.

(Shraddha last talked to Rajat in 2019 when they gave an exam together. But as per Rajat, Shraddha’s behavior was totally different).

“She was very rude,

and wouldn’t talk straight. She was totally different from the Shraddha I met in college.

Rajat said that in the year 2021, she was in contact with her best friend from college.

Shraddha then showed her friend that her back was stubbed out with cigarette burns.

z If any of common friends knew or were in touch with Aaftab?

There are many friends of Shraddha who were in regular and close contact with Aaftab. He never seemed like a person who would have such an extreme criminal mindset. People got negative vibes, but it was general. No one thought of him to be this extreme. Aaftab likely came with an agenda, otherwise why would his family leave the house they were staying in for years right before this horrifying news broke out? z How was Shraddha’s relationship with her parents?

‘Immense scope to boost India and Cambodia ties’ New Delhi (PTI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met his Cambodian counterpart, General Samdech Pichey Sena TEA Banh, in Siem Reap and said there is “immense scope” to boost defence cooperation between the two countries.

Singh is currently visiting Cambodia to attend the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) Plus and the maiden India-ASEAN Defence Ministers’ meeting.

He arrived at Siem Reap on Monday to cochair the India-ASEAN Defence Ministers’ meeting and attend the 9th ADMM Plus, the defence ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

“Reviewed the full range of India-Cambodia defence ties during the fruitful meeting

Rajnath Singh with Defence Minister of Vietnam General Phan Van Giang, in Siem Reap, Cambodia, on Tuesday. —PHOTO BY PTI

Insightful deliberations with Australia’s Dy PM and Defence Minister, Mr. @RichardMarlesMP on boosting defence ties and deepening cooperation between India and Australia in Siem Reap today.

—Rajnath Singh, Defence Minister with Cambodia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister, General Samdech Pichey

Sena TEA Banh in Siem Reap today. There is immense scope to boost defence cooperation be-

tween both the countries,” Singh said in a tweet on Monday.

On Tuesday, he shared pictures of his meetings with other leaders on Twitter.

“Insightful deliberations with Australia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, Mr. @RichardMarlesMP on boosting defence ties and deepening cooperation between India and Australia in Siem Reap, Cambodia today,” Singh said in a tweet.

“Delighted to meet the US Secretary of Defence, Mr Lloyd J. Austin in Siem Reap. @SecDef,” he wrote on the microblogging site.

In another tweet, Singh said: “Had a wonderful interaction with the Defence Minister of New Zealand, Mr. Peeni Henare.”

z Was Shraddha a girl who’d pressure someone to marry her?

I’m hundred percent sure that Shraddha did not pressurize Aaftab for marriage. No one has said this except for Aaftab. Shraddha really wanted to get out of the relationship.

FULL INTERVIEW AT www. firstindia.co.in

6 die as cops open fire at N-E border

Assam Police and forest guards had intercepted a truck carrying timber at Mukroh village.

Guwahati (Agencies): Six people, five civilians of Meghalaya and an Assam forest guard, died following “unprovoked” firing by Assam Police and state forest guards on Tuesday, Meghalaya CM Conrad K Sangma said.

He said that Assam Police and forest guards entered Mukroh village in West Jaintia Hills District and resorted to “unprovoked” firing, killing the five civilians of Meghalaya.

Sangma said that the Assam Police and forest guards intercepted a truck carrying timber at Mukroh village and after

Meghalaya Govt strongly condemned the incident where the Assam Police and Assam forest guards entered Meghalaya and resorted to unprovoked firing.

—Conard K Sangma, Meghalaya Chief Minister

that, a large number of people from the village reached the spot and surrounded the police and forest guards leading to the firing by the latter.

Mirzapur, Ayodhaya, Aligarh, Basti commissioners transferred Ahtesham Siddiqui Lucknow: On Tuesday, the UP govt transferred 6 IAS officers including the commissioners of Mirzapur, Ayodhya, Aligarh and Basti divisions.

According to the orders, IAS Gaurav Dayal has been made the new commissioner of Ayodhya division, IAS Yogeshwar Ram Mishra,

(L to R) IAS officers Gaurav Dyal, Muthukumaraswamy B, Yogeshwar Ram, Govindaraju NS, Navdeep Rinwa

who till now served as Commissioner of Mirzapur division, has been made the new commis-

sioner of Basti division and IAS Navdeep Rinwa has been made commissioner of Aligarh divi-

sion from Ayodhya commissioner. Moreover, IAS Dr. Muthukumaraswamy —MD, Medical

Shocking facts about sanitary pads sold in India High amounts of harmful chemicals found in sanitary napkins sold in the country, reveals a latest study and volatile organic compounds in a total of ten samples, six inorganic and four organic sanitary pads available in the market. The findings were published in a report titled ‘Menstrual Waste 2022’.

Exposure to phthalates have been linked to a variety of health concerns including en-

both as they lived in the same locality.

When they were trying to file a complaint at the police station, Aaftab called and threatened her saying that he will end his life and Shraddha, her parents would be blamed. I just know of one instance, there might be many.

Defence Minister Rajnath meet his Cambodian counterpart in Siem Reap

WOMEN’S WOES

New Delhi (PTI): High amounts of chemicals linked with heart disorders, diabetes and cancer, have been found in popular sanitary napkins sold in India, according to a study done by a Delhi-based environmental NGO. The study by NGO, Toxics Link, found the presence of phthalates

During college, she would stay at home.

She wasn’t a hosteller.

She was close to her mom but not to her dad. 1.5 years back, when her mother died, Shraddha was in a very vulnerable state.

She was trying her best to get out of the relationship but couldn’t because of threats from Aaftab. In fact in 2021, when things went really hayway, she sought help from her manager. The manager then sent his/her friend to Shraddha’s house to take Shraddha to hospital as well as the police station. The manager’s friend knew Shradha and Aaftab

docrine disruption, impacts to the heart and reproductive systems, diabetes, some cancers, and birth defects.

Exposure to VOCs increases the risk of brain impairment, asthma, disabilities, certain cancers, and the proper

functioning of the reproductive system.

Highest amounts of phthalates were found in self-proclaimed ‘organic’ sanitary napkins, the study found.

According to the study, all types of sanitary napkins, organic and inorganic, tested positive for the presence of phthalates.

Among phthalates, maximum concentration was of DIDP, a type of phthalate, at 19,460 microgram/kg (µg/kg)

in a self-claimed organic pad. Concentrations of a combination of phthalates were found to be 0.0321 and 0.0224 gram in an organic and an inorganic sample, respectively, which is greater than 0.1% by the weight of the product mandated under EU regulations, study said.

The study recommends regulations and schemes to promote substitution or reduction in the use of these chemicals in the products.

Supplies UP— has been posted as Commissioner in charge of Vindhyachal Division, Mirzapur, while IAS Jagdish has been made Managing Director Uttar Pradesh Medical Supplies Corporation.

Additionally, IAS Akhand Pratap Singh serving as as Special Secretary APC has been appointed as Special

Secretary, Home Department while IAS Govind Raju NS, who was the commissioner of Basti, has been relieved to go on State Government Inter State Cadre Deputation. He is going to Bangalore ISRO. The officers are saying that in view of the municipal elections, a lot of changes are being made in bureaucracy.

`100 cr unaccounted transactions detected First India Bureau New Delhi: The Income Tax Department on Tuesday said it has unearthed unaccounted transactions exceeding Rs 100 crore during searches on a few groups engaged in jewellery and real estate business across the country in connection with alleged tax evasion. According to an official, on November 17, the searches were carried out in more than 30 locations spread

IT OFFICER HELD

across Patna, Bhagalpur, Dehri-on-Sone, Lucknow and Delhi.

COMMODITIES

CURRENCIES

Commodity

Price

Change

% Chg

Currency

Price

Change

% Chg

GOLD

52,731.00

30.00

0.05 (Per 10g)

USDINR

81.67

0.12

0.14

SILVER

61,518.00

856.00

1.39 (Per 1kg)

GBPINR

96.71

0.73

0.75

*Rates till the edition went to print.

MUMBAI | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2022

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business BRIEFS

NBFCs’ ASSET BASE SCALES PAST `54 L CR: MoS FINANCE

Mumbai : The asset base of non-banking financial companies has scaled past `54 lakh crore as of March 2022, constituting almost a quarter of the balance sheet of the commercial banking sector, Union Minister Bhagwat Krishanrao Karad said on Tuesday. It can be noted that since the fall of the two major non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) — IL&FS and Dewan Housing Finance Ltd (DHFL) — the shadow banking industry was in a —PTI long crisis.

GOLD GAINS `30 AS SILVER PRICES ALSO SEE JUMP OF `856

New Delhi: Gold price in the national capital rose `30 to `52,731 per 10 grams on Tuesday amid appreciation in rupee, according to HDFC Securities. In the previous trade, the yellow metal had touched `52,701 per 10 grams. Silver also climbed `856 to `61,518/kg. The rupee appreciated 14 paise to 81.65 against the US dollar in early trade on Tuesday as the American currency retreated from its elevated levels. In the international market, gold was up at $1,741.95 per ounce while silver was trading higher at $21.05 —PTI per ounce.

BHEL PAYS `88 CR AS FINAL DIVIDEND TO GOVT FOR FY22

New Delhi : State-owned BHEL on Tuesday said it has paid a final dividend of `88 crore to the government for the financial year 2021-22. The total dividend paid to the company’s shareholders for FY22 amounts to over `139 crore, it said in a statement. “A cheque towards the final dividend on the equity (63.17 per cent) held by the Government of India, was presented to Mahendra Nath Pandey, Union Minister of Heavy Industries by Nalin Shinghal, CMD BHEL,” it —PTI said.

AXIS BANK RATING UPGRADED ON IMP ASSET QUALITY

India-UK trade pact

recommend 28% GST on online gaming

Union Commerce and Industries Minister Piyush Goyal addresses at the 3rd ISA Steel Conclave in New Delhi on Tuesday.

OZ PARLIAMENT APPROVES FTA WITH INDIA

New Delhi (PTI): India and Australia would now implement the free trade agreement on a mutually agreed date as the Australian Parliament on Tuesday approved the pact between the two countries.“BREAKING: Our Free Trade Agreement with India has passed through parliament,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a tweet. The India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (AI-ECTA) needed ratification by the Australian parliament before its implementation. In India, such pacts are approved by the Union Cabinet. The agreement was signed between the two countries in April this year. Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal said in a tweet: “Delighted that India-Australia Economic Cooperation & Trade Agreement has been passed by the Australian Parliament. “A result of our deep friendship, it sets the stage for us to unleash the full potential of our trade ties & spur massive economic growth.”

fully calibrated and negotiated. “With UK we are doing a comprehensive deal like the UAE ….I assure you that it is a high priority of both countries. It has been reiterated in the meeting of the G20,” Goyal said.

OTHER STORIES AMAZON WEB SERVICE TO INVEST `36,300 CRORE IN HYDERABAD DATA CENTRE

India and Britain launched negotiations for the FTA in January with an aim to conclude talks by Diwali (October 24), but the deadline was missed due to political developments in the UK.

Mumbai (PTI): Equity benchmarks ended with gains on Tuesday after falling for the past three days amid buying in index majors Infosys and Reliance Industries.

The 30-share BSE Sensex climbed 274.12 points or 0.45% to settle at 61,418.96.

During the day, it jumped 321.79 points or 0.52% to 61,466.63. The broader NSE

Hyderabad: Amazon Web Service (AWS) on Tuesday announced an investment of $4.4 billion (about `36,300 crore) by 2030 in building in Hyderabad its second data center cluster in India. Amazon.Com Inc company, through the AWS Asia Pacific (Hyderabad) region, will provide developers, startups, and companies among others to “run workloads with greater resilience and availability, securely store data in India, and serve end users with lower latency.” AWS already has a similar facility in Mumbai, which opened in 2016. It runs such facilities in 30 geographies in the world.

—PTI

OTT COMMUNICATORS SERVICES SHOULD BE LICENCED, SAYS COAI

New Delhi: Telecom operators’ body COAI on Tuesday made a strong pitch for OTT communications services to directly compensate telcos for data traffic they are driving onto the networks, as it advocated a licencing and lighttouch regulation framework for such services. COAI Director General, said that the association, as part of draft telecom bill, has given its suggestions on how OTT comms services should be defined, to ensure there is no ambiguity.

—PTI

INDIA’S FISCAL CONSOLIDATION TREND INTACT: MOODY’S

New Delhi: Moody’s Investors Service on Tuesday said the trend of gradual fiscal consolidation remains intact for India and going forward the country will see strong revenue performance and debt stablisation. “We expect that India is going to be the fastest growing G-20 economy next year... (but) high inflation pose a downside risk to India’s growth as households and businesses have less purchasing power,” Moody official said on Tuesday. —PTI

New Delhi (PTI): The panel of state finance ministers is likely to recommend a uniform GST levy of 28 28% on online gaming irrespective of whether it is a game of skill or game of chance, sources said.

However, it is likely to suggest a revised formula for calculating the amount on which the Goods and Services Tax (GST) would be levied.

Currently, online gaming attracts 18% GST. The tax is levied on gross gaming revenue, which is the fees charged by online gaming portals.

The Group of Ministers (GoM) had in its earlier report submitted to the Council in June suggested a 28% GST on on the full value of the consideration, including contest entry fee, paid by the player, without making a distinction such as games of skill or chance. However, the Council had asked the Group of Ministers to reconsider its report.

‘Lift export ban on wheat, other agri items’ New Delhi (PTI): In a prebudget consultation with the finance ministry, farmers’ organisations on Tuesday asked the government to lift ban on exports of agri items like wheat and restrict import of products that cost below the minimum support price (MSP).

They also demanded that the government should focus on increasing domestic output of local oilseeds such as soyabean, mustard, groundnut and sunflower, instead of palm.

Imposition of higher taxes on processed foods was another suggestion made by farmers’ bodies during the virtual meeting with finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

In his wish list for the Union Budget 2023-24, Bharat Krishak Samaj Chairman Ajay Vir Jakhar demanded that the govern-

Nifty gained 84.25 points or 0.46% to end at 18,244.20.

From the Sensex pack, IndusInd Bank, NTPC, UltraTech Cement, Titan, Infosys, Tech Mahindra, Tata Consultancy Services and Larsen & Toubro were among the winners.

In contrast, Nestle, Bharti Airtel, PowerGrid, HDFC Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank were the laggards.

First India Bureau New Delhi: Around 1.14 crore passengers in October were carried by Indian airlines, 10% higher than the number of people flown in September.

Data released by the DGCA on Tuesday showed that domestic air traffic jumped nearly 27% to 114.07 lakh last month compared to the year-ago peri-

od when it was 89.85 lakh.

In September, the air traffic number stood at 103.55 lakh. Air traffic has been picking up in recent months after the airline in-

dustry was significantly impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

“Passengers carried by domestic airlines during January-October 2022 were 988.31 lakh as against 620.96 lakh during the corresponding period of the previous year, thereby registering an annual growth of 59.16% and monthly growth of 26.95 per cent,” DGCA said.

18% women directors in top 500 NSE-listed companies INDIA AND THE WORLD LEADERS

z At the end of March this year,

the Nifty-500 companies had 4,694 directorships, out of which 827 or 17.6% were held by women

z Europe and North America

sit above the global average, with women making up 34.4% and 28.6% of company boards

of almost 24% female representation in corporate boardrooms.

“India also has pro-

z Farmers’ organisations

asked the govt to lift ban on exports of agri items like wheat and restrict import of products that cost below the MSP

z They also demanded that the

government should focus on increasing domestic output of local oilseeds such as soyabean, mustard

ment should “not allow import of produce where landing costs are below MSP”. He also urged the Centre to focus on human resources development in the farm sector.

Jakhar also pitched for allowing voluntary carbon credits from farms to be traded globally to enable farmers to get the highest value.

RUPEE GAINS 12 PAISE TO CLOSE AT 81.67 AGAINST US $

Mumbai (PTI): The rupee appreciated by 12 paise to close at 81.67 (provisional) against the US dollar on Tuesday. At the interbank foreign exchange market, the local unit opened at 81.72 and touched an intra-day high of 81.64 and a low of 81.83.

The local unit finally settled at 81.67, registering a rise of 12 paise over its previous close.

Domestic air traffic rises 10% in Oct

GENDER DIVERSITY IN WORKSPACE

New Delhi: Even though it is at a slower pace right now, but gender diversity in boardrooms is picking up, with women accounting for nearly 18% of the directorships in the top 500 NSE-listed companies at the end of March this year.

According to a study titled ‘Corporate India: Women on boards’, proxy advisory firm Institutional Investor Advisory Services (IiAS) on Tuesday, it said that at a global level, boardroom diversity continues to improve with an average

MAJOR HIGHLIGHTS

MARKETS BOUNCE BACK AFTER 3 DAYS OF FALL

First India Bureau

New Delhi: S&P Global Ratings on Tuesday upped its credit rating on Axis Bank with a stable outlook on expectations that the private sector lender will maintain good asset quality over the next two years.

It said India’s robust economic growth should support borrowers’ creditworthiness and Axis Bank’s weak loans, or nonperforming loans, could decline to 2.5-3% of total loans by end-March 2023, from 3.7% as of March 31, 2022. —PTI

FARMERS’ BODIES ASK GOVT

high on priority: Goyal Panel may New Delhi (PTI): The proposed free trade agreement (FTA) between India and the UK is a high priority for both the countries and the next round of negotiations for the pact is slated to happen next month, commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal said on Tuesday.

He said that things are progressing well and it will yield good results.

“We are all very well aware that it was progressing very fast until we had a little bit of a blip because of political happenings in the other country. Fortunately, we have a stable government. I believe in office now (in the UK) and I am already in touch with my (UK) counterpart. We are working together to possibly have an in person meeting also very soon but our teams are already engaged.

Next month, the next round of negotiations are slated to happen,” Goyal said.

He said that industry support is required for the agreement and it should be a fair, equitable and balanced FTA. He also said that there should not be any strict timelines to conclude negotiations for an FTA as such agreements have to be thought through and care-

07

gressed in appointing women on company boards; from 6% in 2014 to 14% five years ago. Women

now account for 17.6% of directorships of the Nifty-500 companies.

“Although the number of

women directorships is increasing, the pace of new appointments has faltered with just an aggregate 1% increase over the last three years.

Based on these current rates, India will take till 2058 to achieve 30% gender diversity on boards,” it said. At the end of March this year, the Nifty-500 companies had 4,694 directorships, out of which 827 or 17.6% were held by women.

Europe and North America sit above the global average, with women making up 34.4% and 28.6% of company boards, respectively.

JIO, AIRTEL STRENGTHEN USER TALLY IN SEPTEMBER First India Bureau New Delhi: The total number of mobile subscriber base in India fell by 3.6 million in September, with Vodafone Idea suffering subscriber count decline even as larger rivals Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel added users month-onmonth, according to telecom regulator’s data.

India’s largest mobile operator Jio further cemented its position in the market, adding 7.2 lakh wireless subscriber during September, while Bharti Airtel increased its mobile users’ tally by 4.12 lakh.

Ailing Vodafone Idea faced subscriber count decline (by 40 lakh), its base shrank to 24.91 crore during September. Overall, the telephone subscribers number in India decreased to about 117.19 crore.

A person can look ‘successful,’ but till a deep peace and joy abides in life, True success is elusive.

2ND FRONT

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

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08

BHARAT24’S SHIKHAR SAMMAN IN RAIPUR

CM BHUPESH BAGHEL FELICITATES

EXTRAORDINARY INDIVIDUALS OF CHHATTISGARH Devesh Tiwari Raipur: In continuation to its special initiative that recognises and encourages individuals who are making extraordinary contribution towards the Vision of New India, Bharat24 organised Chhattisgarh Shikhar Samman in Raipur on Monday to felicitate such extraordinary individuals from the state. Dr Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editorin-Chief, Bharat24, believes “States make the Nation” and Shikhar Samman continues to

Chief Business Officer and Strategic Advisor Manoj Jagyasi, Executive Editor & Senior Anchor Mimansa Malik felicitate Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel along with Senior Editor Syed Umar at Bharat24’s Chhattisgarh Shikhar Samman in Sayaji Hotel, Raipur on Monday.

recognize extraordinary individuals from various walks of life from various states for

their exemplary work.

CM Bhupesh Baghel, Chief Guest, honoured the winners from differ-

ent sectors for their exemplary work with the coveted trophy of Shikhar Samman. In a one-

HC bench recuses itself from anti-Thackeray PIL PIL claims Sena chief and his family had amassed

on-one interaction with Executive Editor and Senior Anchor Mimansa Malik, Baghel talked

Dapoli resort has nothing to do with me: Parab

disproportionate wealth; demands CBI, ED probe First India Bureau Mumbai: A division bench headed by Bombay High Court's Chief Justice Dipankar Datta on Tuesday recused itself from hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) alleging Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray and his family members had amassed wealth disproportionate to their known sources of income.

According to the PIL filed by one Gauri Bhide, a resident of Mumbai’s Dadar area, the Thackeray family never disclosed any service, profession or business as their exclusive source of income and that their newspaper was profitable even during the pandemic-induced lockdown.

According to the petitioner, this was a clear indication that the Thackeray family converted its black money into white through the newspaper. The PIL

CASE DETAILS

Uddhav Thackeray

sought an investigation into the Thackerays finances by the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate.

Those present say Justice Ahuja spoke to Chief Justice before the bench recused itself from hearing the PIL without as-

—FILE PHOTO

signing any reason, when it came up for hearing. "The matter shall be placed before another appropriate bench," it said.

The petitioner had requested the HC to direct the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directo-

rate (ED) to conduct a "thorough and impartial" investigation against former Maharashtra chief minister Thackeray and his family members.

Advocate Joel Carlos appeared in the court on behalf of Uddhav and Aaditya Thackeray.

Mumbai (PTI): Former minister and leader of the Uddhav Thackeray faction Anil Parab on Tuesday asserted that a resort at Dapoli in coastal Ratnagiri district built in violation of coastal norms does not belong to him as alleged by Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) leader Kirit Somaiya.

Talking to reporters, Parab said he has already filed a defamation suit against Somaiya and he will also file a criminal writ petition against him for allegedly maligning his image.

“I don’t have any connection with the resort,” he maintained.

Chief Business Officer and Strategic Advisor Manoj Jagyasi and Senior Editor Syed Umar greet exCM Dr Raman Singh as Executive Editor and Senior Anchor Mimansa Malik looks on, on Monday.

about current challenges and work he is doing towards holistic devp of the state.

The platform highlighted contribution of individuals & also curated multiple knowl-

edge sessions featuring star panelists deliberate on key issues directly impacting people.

Rajasthan man arrested in Pune sextortion case Pune (PTI): The Pune police have arrested a 29-year-old man from Rajasthan in connection with the “sextortion” case of a teen from the city, who allegedly committed suicide after he was harassed and blackmailed by online fraudsters.

A 19-year-old man jumped to death after being harassed and blackmailed by online fraudsters in Dattawadi in Pune on September 28. The college student had fallen prey to threats of online fraudsters and paid Rs4,500 to them, but ended his life as he could not take the pressure.

“The investigations in the case led us to Gothri Guru village in Ra-

A 19-year-old jumped to death after being blackmailed by online frausters jasthan’s Alwar district, where we apprehended Anwar Suban Khan. He is the mastermind behind the sextortion racket being run from the village," senior

inspector Abhay Mahajan of Dattawadi police station said.

A detailed inquiry revealed that the majority of the youth and women from the village were involved in online sextortion, he said.

Khan had direct involvement in the case of the 19-year-old student, who was blackmailed into paying the racket.

PUNE POLICE SUSPENDED FOR FAILING TO ACT ON COMPLAINT OF WOMAN KILLED BY EX-BOYFRIEND

Pune: A woman police officer was suspended for alleged dereliction of duty after she failed to act on a complaint of harassment by a 22-year-old woman who was killed by a man in Pune city, an official said on Tuesday. The victim Shweta Ranawade was stabbed to death on November 09 by her former boyfriend Pratik Dhamale after she ended their relationship. The accused was found hanging from a tree on the outskirts of Pune a couple of days after the murder. The duo were in a relationship and were planning to get married, but due to some disputes the victim decided to end the relationship. The accused started harassing the victim and on November 09, came to the parking lot of the building where she lived and stabbed her with a sharp weapon, he said.

ALLIED POWERS

‘Can’t compromise on ideological issues like Savarkar and Hindutva’ Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut, who is from Uddhav Thackeray’s camp of Shiv Sena, was vocal about staying true to the party’s philosophy First India Bureau Mumbai: Key ideological issues such as Hindutva and respect for VD Savarkar are not something Shiv Sena – Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray can compromise on, even if it is part of the Maha Vikas

Aghadi (MVA), Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut said on Tuesday.

He said that his party worked smoothly while in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party, despite differences.

“There are some issues where the Shiv Sena cannot compro-

mise. This includes (the issue of) Veer Savarkar and Hindutva. Our party is built on an ideology and we are not surrendering that,” Raut said in an interview with a news channel.

Raut’s comment gained significance in wake of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s criticism of Savarkar, which had caused some tension in the Congress, Nationalist Congress Party and Shiv Sena alliance of MVA. Raut has previously

If democracy, freedom and the Constitution are to be safeguarded, then we have to forget our differences and come together. guarded, then we have to forget our differences and come together.

Sanjay Raut

—FILE PHOTO

—Sanjay Raut, Rajya Sabha MP

warned that such comments about Savarkar could cause cracks in the MVA. He was also vague with his answer when asked if the alliance would survive in the long term, saying it would if India needed it.

“If democracy, freedom and the Constitution are to be safeguarded, then we have to forget our differences and come together,” he said.

Raut, who was in New Delhi on Tuesday, said the allied members have regular talks with Ra-

hul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka GandhiVadra and other Congress leaders. On Monday, Raut tweeted that Rahul had called him to enquire about his health and said he was touched by the gesture.

On the controversy over Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari’s remarks about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the Sena leader said there was a demand from across the state that Koshyari be removed from his post.

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09

MUMBAI, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2022

UTTKARSHA SHEKHAR

uttkarsha.shekhar@firstindia.co.in

F

irst India, The Fashion Connect season 13 in association with India Fashion Week London took place on 20 November at Novotel London Hammersmith, London. Fashion Connect is a celebration of Asian fashion by national and internationally renowned designers. The conception of India Fashion Week London has been driven by the need for a platform to showcase the existing creativity of world-class designers alongside supporting upcoming NEWGEN designers. The whole show was concluded by celebrity designer Samant Chauhan.

Farha Ansari from Sewa, Ayesha and Radhika from Citrine and Shalini Naru-

kaa participated in the grand event and showcased their astonishing designer collections in between the designer sequence First Kiss fame famous singer Ipsitaa performed.

In the same episode, the grand launch of the cover page of the book ‘Unheard’

by Bhavini Bhargava was done by ace designer Samant Chauhan, Ipsitaa and many other dignitaries. Unheard is about an untold emotional journey of a teenager during the ups and downs of life through the medium of poetry.

The talented Singer thanked Dr Jagdeesh Chandra for inviting her to the mega event.

While expressing his gratitude, the brand ambassador Rishee Miglani said, “Something big like this can only be done and visualized by a visionary like Jagdeesh Chandra, when he said we will do a show in Dubai during covid, nobody would believe it but after spreading the love of Fashion Connect in Asia and Dubai, we have now come to another continent in London, which is a very big

Rishee and Ipsitaa during the launch

thing. I m really thankful to Dr Chandra for taking Fashion Connect to a different level”.

Lokesh Sharma, director of Fashion Connect said, “I am very happy with the response Fashion Connect got, I directed Fashion Connect in India and Indian Fashion Week in London simultaneously, to direct this grand show together was very interesting and fun and I am glad about this grand association of Fashion

Connect with Indian Fashion Week, London.

The celebration of Indian fashion involved fringe events in various places across London, ranging from VIP jewellery launch events to seminars on the various styles and trends.

Gorgeous divas showcasing astonshing collections

ETC MUMBAI | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2022

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10

MOVIES THAT DEFINED OUR

GENERATION KHUSHI TAMBI

cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

W

hen we say a movie “defines” a generation, we are not talking about timeless works but rather movies that resonated with us. Our culture was defined by the characters, songs, and scenes of those films. We all connected with them in some way, and they continue to be our favourite go-to movies. They become so special to us that we can’t stop but watch them over and over again all our lives. City First brings to you some of the iconic movies that perfectly define our generation and the friendships we build along.

YEH JAWANI HAI DEEWANI

Our generation was graced nine years ago with a film that will live on in our memories.

Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani is without a doubt the movie I’ve seen the most times and can now recite the dialogues in sync. The film, directed by Ayan Mukherji, examines a number of issues that young people deal with, including relationships, romance, aspirations and most importantly friendship. When my dad proudly cites Jai and Veeru as an example of the most selfless friendship, I swoop in with Avi, Aditi, and Bunny showing us the most uplifting friendship. And how could I possibly forget t h e lovely

3 IDIOTS

Rajkumar Hirani’s 3 Idiots is without a doubt a movie so precious to our generation, one that made us laugh, cry, and sing our hearts out. A fantastic movie showing Raju, Rancho, and Farhan’s strong bond as they become friends in college. This kind of friendship is something we all love, value, and aspire to have.

The movie demonstrated what it means to have your friend’s back and how friendship transcends prejudice and class. It is so heartwarming, relevant, and yet so, so humorous. Whether it is gatecrashing a wedding, studying together the night before the exam, or addressing family-related concerns, the movie was relatable to an extent we couldn’t imagine.

We all learn through relationships and maturation that friendship is a crucial component of love. Even though I had heard Shah Rukh Khan say, “Pyaar dosti hai,” in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, I didn’t fully understand what it meant until I saw it happen in Abbas Tyrewala’s Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na. The movie not only perfectly portrayed youthful relationships, but it also described how friendships functioned. Despite its many clichés and melodramatic elements, I always enjoy this movie. I’d call it a contemporary classic because of the songs, the humour, the heartache, and of course the collegiate friendships.

ZINDAGI NA MILEGI DOBARA

On July 15, eleven years ago, the film delineated new standards for friendship and revived the bromance subgenre after ‘Dil Chahta Hai’ had revolutionised it in 2001. Without a question, Zoya Akhtar’s best work, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, had a fantastic response from both the public and the critics. Many predicted that “ZNMD” would be a trip, a charming excursion that would be quickly forgotten, but it actually turned out to be a trip with friends that we treasure even today. It gives us a great deal of motivation to live and eagerly anticipates experiencing life with our friends, travelling, and discovering love somewhere far away.

relationship that Aditi and Naina grew to have as the film went on—it totally set the bar for friendship in real life!

YOUR DAY Horoscope by

FA CE OF TH ED AY

JAANE TU... YA JAANE NA

Saurabbh Sachdeva

ARIES

TAURUS

Happiness in the domestic sphere will only come with a changed mind set. Some of you are likely to become a part of an overseas official trip.

Better to consult an expert in financial matters before making an investment. Harsh words may create a rift in your romantic relationship.

It’s a very good day to take calculated risks in financial matters. Your efforts on the professional front will be recognised. Opting for some healthy choices will ensure you remain in perfect health. You will feel much happy and contented on the family front.

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

Gifting something to your beloved is likely to make the day memorable.

Matrimonial match for siblings will bring happiness for entire family. You will get a good price for your property. Those awaiting results are assured of succeeding with flying colours.

Using your initiative at work will be much appreciated. You may get a chance to pursue old hobby. Health tips from an expert will enable you to get closer to your fitness goals. Your generous behavior would enable to enjoy some lovely moments with family.

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

SAGITTARIUS Your intuition will save you from a tricky spot today. Yoga would help in raising energy levels and improve your metabolism. You will manage to achieve your aim through travel. This is a great time on the academic front, when you mange to render your best.

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

NOV 23 - DEC 22

JANHVI, Model

GEMINI

APR 21 - MAY 20

MAR 21 - APR 20

AUG 24 - SEP 23

You will succeed in resolving misunderstanding with family, normalizing ties. Despite your misgivings, you retain good health.

You will do much to bring peace and harmony at home. You will remain much in demand on social front. You can get romantically involved.

CANCER

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

A friend or colleague may motivate you to take up a healthy activity. Parents may appear more than happy with what you deliver. Plans for overseas travel are likely to materialise. You are likely to get clearance or approval for your construction plans.

SCORPIO

SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Family will be most supportive, when it really matters for you. Some of you may add to your list of properties by booking a new one. It is good day to confess your love as stars appear favourable for positive reply. A long drive is likely to help you get over mental tiredness.

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

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

DEC 23 - JAN 20

JAN 21 - FEB 19

Following a health diet will be a good idea. Luck favours you today.

Focussing on health now will help you in keeping physically fit.

Clarity of mind and retentive power will help you forge ahead on the academic front. Frustration on the romantic front is possible.

FEB20 - MARCH 20

ETC

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MUMBAI | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2022

11

DISHA TURNS UP THE HEAT A

ctress Disha Patani is an avid social media user. She is often seen treating fans with her stunning pictures.

Apart from that, she also keeps sharing cute pictures and videos of her pets. On Tuesday afternoon, she took to Instagram and shared a hot mirror selfie. The actress upped the hotness quotient on the 'Gram.

In the bathroom selfie, Disha is seen sporting a chic black bikini

with a white bathrobe. She is seen flaunting her perfectly toned body like a true diva.

With the no-makeup look and a wet hairdo, Disha definitely is soaring the temperatures.

Sharing the picture with her fans on her handle, she wrote, "Eat your carbs."

Soon after she shared the picture, her rumoured boyfriend Tiger Shroff's sister Krishna Shroff dropped a comment on it. She commented, "Yes, Ma’am!" Disha and Krishna share a sisterly bond and they are often seen together in the city.

Her post...

Disha Patani

Shilpa thanks

Raj Kundra

S

hilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra are one of the cutest couples in Bollywood.

These two have often stood with each other and had each other’s back during tough times. Well, today is Shilpa and Raj’s 13th anniversary and the actress took to her Instagram handle to share an adorable video featuring several pictures of the two with a sweet message.

Taking to her Instagram handle, Shilpa

Shetty shared a video collage of her romantic pictures with hubby Raj Kundra. From posing in front of the Eiffel Tower to glowing in their sunkissed selfies, Shilpa has shared a journey of their 13 years together. Sharing this video, the actress wrote, “13 years, Cookie, whoa! Thank you for sharing this journey with me in this lifetime and making it so beautiful. You, me, Us...

That’s all I need. Happy Anniversary to US, Cookie.”

Malaika's Statement!

B

ollywood actor Malaika Arora, who is also a fashion icon in the fashion industry, has something to say.

For those unaware, Arbaaz Khan and Malaika Arora tied the knot in 1998 and later got divorced in 2017. The former couple co-parents their son Arhaan together.

Recently, Malaika Arora shared her opinions on trolls and whether the negativity associated with them

impacts her life. Malaika said, “Certainly not.

I think I am today's woman, I think I've had enough and more of my share of experiences in life, and been through my fair share of ups and downs. I don't really take things lying down.”

"I think today's women should be able to stand up and say the things that they feel strongly about and show that it's fine. It's fine to find and to live the life that I am. I mean in today’s day and age, di-

vorced women, single parents, etc, are actually looked down upon and it’s not really very... you know, when I say looked down upon there’s always a lot of criticism.

I think we need to change that.

And then I want to change if I can, in my own little bit,” she added.

‘no pain no gain’

W

Shilpa Shetty

hile most celebrities pay great attention to their fitness, there are some who take their love for the gym a notch higher. Rashmika Mandanna is one of them, and she makes it a point to work on her toned physique whenever she gets a chance from her busy schedule. In October 2020, the Pushpa actress took to her Instagram handle and dropped a video of an intense workout session with weight lifts.

The diva looked completely motivated as she rocked an all-black stylish athleisure in the clip captioned, "Move it! Give an hour of your 24 hours to your body and your mind. It’ll be worth it!" If you scroll down Rashmika Mandanna's Instagram feed, you will find many motivating posts.

Her post...

Her pos

t...

Rashmika Mandanna

Kiara Advani

KIARA'S ALL EYES ON ME DRESS

K

iara Advani is busy promoting her upcoming movie, Govinda Naam Mera alongside Vicky Kaushal, and Bhumi Pedneker. Amidst the ongoing promotions, the actress has been serving arresting looks since her Versace look. This time, Kiara stepped out in a risqué sartorial all-white ensemble by the designer label House Of CB. The style icon has been making a compelling case for sartorial silhouettes. The actress just dropped multiple pictures on the ‘gram in a high-octane pristine white coordinated set that was styled sartorially. If you are keen on pulling off a solidcolored coordinated ensemble. Let Kiara be your inspiration.

A FIRECRACKER OF A WOMAN

B

humi Pednekar will be soon seen together in Govinda Naam Mera. In the film, Bhumi Pednekar is playing the role of Vicky’s wife and her character name is Gauri Waghmare. The actress has been getting a lot of praise for her acting in the comic thriller.

Speaking about her role, Bhumi says, “My character in Govinda Naam Mera is me trying to do something disruptive again, trying to change it up again with each film and hopefully wowing people with my performance.” She further adds, “I’m delighted that audiences are loving my character in the trailer.

She is a firecracker of a woman, she is grey and I love her.”

Malaika Arora Bhumi Pednekar

CITY

STAY MASKED

GET VACCINATED

BUZZ

MUMBAI | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2022

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VANI TRIPATHI:

12

Kartik's cosy birthday

A RECKONING FORCE BEHIND IFFI K ASHISH TIWARI

cityfirst.mumbai@firstindia.co.in

V

ani Tripathi an actor, thinker, cerebral politician, and CBFC board member is a staunch Pahadi from the hills of Uttarakhand, and she personifies the term "selfmade." Having worked with Barry John and Maya Rao, a feisty girl born to intellectual prodigies began her acting career with a successful Stint.

Although her passion has always been for what is now known as mainstream Indian cinema, it was once referred to as "parallel cinema" in the 1980s.

All of the newspapers, paparazzi websites and television screens featured images of the Cannes red carpet. A R Rahman, Shekhar Kapoor, Nawazuddin Sidiqui, Prasoon Joshi, R Madhavan, Ricky Kej, and Anuraag Thakur, Minister I & B, were all present, but she was the only female in the group. Vani Tripathi, a genuine protagonist of

Vani with Shoojit Sarcar

Vani Tripathi, Ashish Tiwari, Pankaj Tripathi and Anurag Thakur

Vani with Nawazuddin Siddiqui

cinema and its always shifting, almost ephemeral sand, yet seemed to hold her own in this galaxy of stars.

Recently she joined Ashish Tiwari of First India for an exclusive chat. In that she shared, “It’s almost 8 years into this now, cinema changes its consciousness with every passing year. Now we are here doing launch of a Huge Netflix Show which we have never done before. We have picked up the best Cinema. It’s an evolving world when it comes to the movie industry. We are on the path of pro-

Vani with Paresh Rawal

gress and goa has been an interim part of it” Sharing her experience of working with the team she shared,” Anurag Thakur as an I&B Minister has tried to change many things in the industry and as a result this time the steering committee was divided into multiple departments according to people’s forte. The entire team had the liberty of doing things that enhanced the engagement of the festival and carved its mark, all thanks to Anurag for it.”

At the same time, She added, “Every festival has its pros and

cons but we have tried to create an aura that has not been done before. The Bazaar depends upon the content that is being made, so it’s not an equating situation but we have a wide variety of new things. This is what makes this festival unique.”

The actress recently held a masterclass with ace actor Nawazuddin also with Raghuvir Yadav. Speaking about her experience she said, “There are industry stalwarts like Pankaj Tripathi, Anupam Kher, Pankaj Kapur and many more. The cinema be-

Vani Tripathi

gins with theatre I have myself been a theatre artist, Anupam Kher, Pankaj Tripathi, Raghuvir Yadav, Nawaz and more they are they are the new narrative of Cinema. They are the Jannet of Excellence of Indian Cinema."

Sharing her upcoming plans she shared “ As a producer, I want to do cinemas that I always wanted to see, Now I am completely unorganised that’s the high that cinema gives you but I’ll surely be back very soon for all my audience a n d Fans.”

artik Aaryan can be called one of the most successful actors in Bollywood right as his fan following seems to be increasing with each passing day. While this year can be considered auspicious for Kartik, he also turned a year older on November 22 to celebrate his 32nd birthday.

Kartik spent his special day with his family along with a small celebration at midnight on November 22. His family decorated the living room with strings and with the words ‘Love You Koki’ on the wall. Sharing a glimpse of the celebration on his Instagram, Kartik posted two images from the night along with an adorable caption. While the first photo was of him showing his cake to the camera with his dog, Katori sitting beside him, the second photo was of his parents hugging him. The caption below the post said, “In every birth, I would like to be born as your koki. Thank you for the sweet birthday surprise mummy- papa, Katori n Kiki.”

Celebrities took to the comments section to wish the actor. Kriti Sanon wrote, “Happiesttt Birthday Buntoooo I have the besttt gift for u stay tuned!”

His post....

Kartik Aaryan

TIGER'S

BANKRUPT DAYS

A

Tiger Shroff

yesha Shroff, Jackie Shroff's wife and a producer, recently remembered the period when her family was in financial trouble. Ayesha broke down in tears when talking on 'Koffee With Karan' about how Jackie opted to sell their property to repay the loan.

Ayesha, wiping

Chhello Show awarded

B

face of UNICEF’s global campaign, EVAC -

Ayushmann Khurrana

ending violence against children - I have been working for the past two years to raise awareness of child rights. It is amazing to see these huge global icons join this initiative to bring to light how gender discrimination must be put an end to have a better society across countries,” Aushmann said.

On the work front, Ayushmann has impressed everyone with his action avatar in the trailer of his upcoming thriller An Action Hero. It releases on December 2.

Poster of the film

T

he eight-member jury awarded the festival’s top prize BEST PICTURE - SNOW LEOPARD to Pan Nalin’s Last Film Show.

Writer-Director Pan Nalin and Producer Dheer Momaya were presented with the trophy. Nalin while accepting the award said, “What an honour, what we did in our solitude continues to echo in multitudes across the world.

Through the Last Film Show, we not only wanted to enter-

Pan Nalin

tain you but bring you close to that child in you so that you can witness the fearlessness of coming-of-age drama.

We are so much looking forward to its theatrical release in Japan on 20th Jan 2023 followed by South Korea.”

Producer Siddharth Roy Kapur said,” Last Film Show is a heartfelt ode to cinema, and this award reinforces our vision.

We are glad that Nalin’s love letter to the cinema is getting so much love from audiences across the globe.”

house on lease and released the film. Of course, we lost the house. When Tiger joined the films, the first thing he told me was, ‘I am going to buy that house for you.

That meant so much to me rather than big diamonds and a declaration of love.”

The famous wife claimed that her son Tiger kept his word and purchased his mother’s property.

A legendary biopic

O

Ayushmann Khurrana joins global icons

ollywood star Ay u s h m a n n Khurrana has joined hands with global icons like David Beckham, Robert Lewandowski, Sergio Ramos, Andriy Shevchenko and Cafu to raise awareness on child rights across the world!

“The prevalence of violence against children is widely recognised.

The world needs to raise awareness about this problem by bringing the issue of violence against children into the open. As the

off her tears, told Karan Johar, “I made a movie called Boom some years ago. That movie meant a lot to me. But unfortunately, the movie got pirated and distributors backed off. They refused to take delivery of the film. My husband stood with me and said, ‘It’s our family honour. We will release the movie. I am with you.”

She added, “We put our

ne such remarkable and unrecognised story is of Shaheed Ravindra Kaushik, who was just 23 when he first went undercover for RAW. This is his story. Kaushik is regarded as India's best spy to ever penetrate the ranks of the Pakistan army and received the nickname - The Black Tiger, by then P r i m e Minister Indira

Ravindra Kaushik

Gandhi herself. He passed on critical information to the Indian defence forces from the year 1973 to 1983.

The family of Shaheed Ravindra Kaushik announced and expressed their approval for a biopic about the fallen and forgotten hero on the anniversary of his passing. The sacrifices and way of life that Ravindra Kaushik loved as a spy are things that his family wants to share with the world.