First India-Delhi Edition-23rd December 2022

As India steps up Covid ‘Shield’...

‘CONCERNED’ PM TAKES A KNOW-HOW

APPROVE COVOVAX AS BOOSTER FOR ADULTS: SII TO DCGI

In a big move, Prime Minister gives a go-ahead to the Bharat Biotech’s Nasal Covid-19 vaccination

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired high-level meeting in the backdrop of spike in cases in some countries on Thursday to assess the Covid-19 situation in the country, preparedness of health infrastructure and emergence of variants and their public health implications and cautioned against complacency. Advising strict vigil, he said Covid not

over yet and directed officials to strengthen the ongoing surveillance measures, especially at the international airports. The nasal vaccine has got a go-ahead in meeting as India is stepping up the vaccination drive. He advised states to audit COVIDspecific facilities to ensure the operational readiness of hospital infrastructure, including oxygen cylinders, PSA plants, ventilators & human resources. P6

to a new analysis. This current Covid wave may see the country’s daily

case rate rise to 3.7 million in January and 4.2 million till March, according to British scientific information and analytics company Airfinity.

DAY 12: WINTER SESSION OF PARLIAMENT

Sansad stormy again due to Tawang

First India Bureau

New Delhi: Both Houses on Thursday saw a stormy start as Opposition members demanded a discussion on the India-China border clash in Tawang Sector, Arunachal. While the LS was adjourned till 12 pm, Opposition members staged a walkout in the Rajya Sabha after a heated back-and-forth with the Chairman.

GIRL ABDUCTED, FOUND IN PARK, RAPED

New Delhi: A 5-yearold girl was allegedly kidnapped and raped in north Delhi’s Bhalswa Dairy area, police said, adding that a team of 50 personnel is at work to find the culprit. Police said the girl was kidnapped on Wednesday and was found Thursday morning in a park not far from her house.

Later in the day, RS took up Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Second Amendment) Bill, Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Or-

der (Third Amendment) Bill and the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (4th Amendment) Bill, which modify the scheduled tribes list. P5

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

l Didn’t intend to insult Bihar: Piyush Goyal withdraws his remark in Parl

l Speaker Om Birla advises MPs to wear masks, follow Covid protocols

l RS passes Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Second Amendment) Bill

l Government introduces Jan Vishwas Bill in LS

l Members have freedom of speech in RS, but it’s not free for all: Harivansh

‘Ukraine will never surrender’

Washington (FIB): Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told cheering US legislators during a defiant wartime visit to the nation’s capital that against all odds his country still stands, thanking Americans for helping to fund the war effort with money that is “not charity,” but

an “investment” in global security and democracy. He also said

They have now come up with a new idea. They wrote a letter to me and said Covid-19 is coming so stop “Bharat Jodo Yatra”. They are coming up with excuses to stop the yatra. Wear masks, Covid is spreading, these are all excuses.

States to create awareness about wearing the face masks and administer precaution doses; especially in view of upcoming festivals & new year celebrations. Centre to test random 2% of int’l travellers for Covid-19 amid new variant scare.

The SII has sought the DCGI’s approval for market authorisation of its Covid-19 vaccineCovovax as a booster dose for those aged 18 years who have been jabbed with 2 doses of Covishield or Covaxin. It is indigenous version of vaccine by Novovax Inc and made under SII.

MAJOR HAPPENINGS

l Random testing of international passengers from Dec 24, airlines to select flyers for screening

l Hours after suspension due to Covid-19, Jan Aakrosh Yatra in Rajasthan to continue

l IMA and other health experts appeal for Covid appropriate behaviour with immediate effect

Ex-Delhi Prisons chief Sandeep Goel suspended month after Sukesh’s claim

New Delhi (ANI): Former Delhi Prisons chief Sandeep Goel has been suspended from service almost a month after conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar made sensational claims that he paid Rs 12.5 crore to the Indian Police Service officer as “protection money”.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is-

sued an order on Wednesday night suspending Goel from service. The action was taken a month after the IPS officer was transferred from the post of Director General of Prisons and asked to report to Delhi Police Headquarters.

Chandrashekhar had claimed in his letter dated October 7 to Delhi

LG VK Saxena that “a total amount of Rs 10 crore was paid to Satyendar Jain (AAP minister jailed in Tihar) and Rs 12.50 crore to DG

Prison Sandeep Goel.”

Chandrashekhar also claimed he had disclosed about Goel running a racket in a petition in Delhi High Court, besides telling it to the CBI.

Aaftab’s bail plea withdrawn, dismissed

New Delhi (PTI): Aaftab Amin Poonawala, accused of strangling his live-in partner Shraddha Walkar and chopping her body into pieces, withdrew his bail plea on Thursday.

that Ukraine will never surrender, democracy is being tested.

told him about withdrawing the plea.

“Bail petition dismissed as withdrawn and not pressed,” Additional Sessions Judge Vrinda Kumari said.

The Delhi Police sought court’s permission for obtaining voice sample of Aaftab. The application is likely to be heard on Friday.

Indian firms get bulk of

85,000 cr order for weapons & equipment for armed forces

New Delhi (ANI): The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Thursday accorded approval for Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for 24 Capital Acquisition Proposals. According to Defence officials, the proposals include six for the Army, six for the Air Force, 10 for the Navy and two for the Coast Guard for a

total value of Rs 84,328 crore. Of these, 21 proposals, worth Rs 82,127

crore (97.4 per cent), are for procurement from indigenous sources.

The AoNs accorded will equip the Army with Infantry Combat Vehicles, Light Tanks and Mounted Gun Systems. Approvals for Navy include Anti-Ship Missiles, Multi-Purpose Vessels and High Endurance Autonomous Vehicles. IAF will be strengthened with a new range of missile systems and Long Range Guided Bombs.

Poonawala appeared before the court through video-conferencing and said he wished to withdraw the bail application which was filed before the court on December 15.

Poonawala’s advocate MS Khan informed the court that the bail application was moved because of “miscommunication” between him and the accused.

During the proceedings that started around 11 am, the judge asked Poonawala twice whether he was willing to file or withdraw the bail application.

Khan also informed the court that he met Poonawala on Monday for around 50 minutes during which his client

`

‘ATMANIRBHAR BHARAT’

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

5-YR-OLD

New Delhi (PTI): Bollywood actor Jacqueline Fernandez, accused in a money laundering case, on Thursday withdrew from a Delhi court her plea for per-

Delhi: A bench of the Delhi High Court on Thursday sought the stand of the CBI on a plea by expelled BJP leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar seeking interim release for two months to attend wedding ceremonies of his daughter which would begin on January 18. Sengar

officer Sandeep Goel, ex-Delhi Prisons chief

on Thursday alleged that lakhs of ration card holders were ‘not getting ration’ for last two months.

CHARLES SOBHRAJ’S RELEASE DELAYED BY A DAY

Kathmandu: Charles Sobhraj, 78, will spend one more day in Nepal’s prison as the immigration authorities on Thursday expressed their inability to arrange accommodation for the notorious serial killer who is expected to be deported after his release.

ROBERT VADRA FACES ARREST

AFTER HIGH COURT REJECTS PLEA

Jodhpur: The Rajasthan High Court on Thursday rejected a petition by Robert Vadra seeking quashing of an ED probe into purchase of land in Bikaner by a company linked to him. The court extended stay on Vadra’s arrest by four weeks.

Moni Sharma

Modi urges people to follow the Covid-appropriate behaviour & asks States to audit medical facilities

No order has been issued by the Central government to curb the incoming flights from China: Sources

A MEGA SURGE! CHINA IS LIKELY SEEING 1 MILLION COVID CASES, 5,000 DEATHS/DAY

Beijing: China is most likely experiencing a whopping 1 million Covid infections and 5,000 virus-related deaths every day as the country of 1.4 billion people is experiencing the worst outbreak the world has ever seen, according

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a high-level meeting to review the Covid-19 situation in India, via VC, in New Delhi on Thursday. Union Ministers Amit Shah, Mansukh Mandaviya, Jyotiraditya Scindia alongwith NITI Aayog CEO Parameswaran Iyer and other health & medical experts are also present here.

—Rahul Gandhi, Congress Leader

—Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla RS Speaker Jagdeep Dhankhar

(L) Volodymyr Zelenskyy with Joe Biden at White House on Wednesday. Nancy Pelosi, Kamala Harris present signed Ukrainian flag to Zelenskyy.

Traders’ associations urge shop owners to wear masks

New Delhi (PTI):

Many trader associations across Delhi have asked shop owners to wear masks, use sanitisers and follow social distancing norms amid concerns over the surge in Covid cases in some countries.

Fearing that the possible surge here will impact their business yet again, some of these associations have also called meetings to discuss their future course of action.

Ashok Randhawa, president of Mini Market Association, Sarojini Nagar, said shop owners have been asked to start taking precautions by wearing masks and regularly using sanitisers. "Traders had stopped wearing masks, but now we have asked them to wear them for their own protection. As there is no mandate from the government, we cannot ask customers to wear masks. People have become a bit complacent but we cannot force them to wear masks," Randhawa said.

Fearing that a possible surge may impact business, Randhawa has called a meeting of traders to discuss the fur-

ther course of action.

“We cannot afford any more such situations. We have called a meeting today to dis-

cuss what all precautions should be taken,” he added.

Similarly, at Palika Bazaar, traders said customers could not care less about masks.

“We regularly ask them to wear masks but people have stopped using them altogether. We cannot ask them continuously because it might impact our business. We can only advise,” said DL Kakkar, president of Palika Bazaar Association.

Taj Mahal on alert, no entry for tourists without testing

Agra (ANI): With the surge in Covid cases in China and other countries, one of the most popular tourist attractions of the country Taj Mahal in Agra is put on alert, confirmed the District Health Information Officer in Agra.

Domestic and foreign tourists come every day in large numbers to visit the Taj Mahal in Agra. Keeping the situation in mind, they will have to undergo a Covid test before their visit as per the official sources.

Anil Satsangi, the District Health Informa-

tion Officer (Agra) said, "The health department has already

Child pornography: More than 100 FIRs, 36 held

New Delhi (PTI): Delhi Police's Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit has registered more than 100 FIRs and nabbed 36 people under a major operation against child pornography, officials said on Thursday.

The operation, "MASOOM" (mitigation of adolescent sexually offensive online material), was coordinated by the IFSO and all the districts were instrumental in making it successful, they added.

Details of violations pertaining to child pornographic material (CTRs or cyber tipline reports) were received by the IFSO through the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), which has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), police said.

On the basis of these CTRs, 105 cases were registered at various police stations across Delhi and legal action was taken against the offenders. So far, 36 people have been arrested or apprehended during the operation, Deputy Commissioner of Police (IFSO) Prashant Gautam said.

An MoU was signed between the NCRB and the NCMEC, a US-based

Kabbadi coach arrested for sodomising minor

According to the police, the incident took place in Rohini's Kanjhawala area. The police registered the case under sections 377, 506 of the IPC. A senior police officer informed that the victim is a 15-year-old boy. All of a sudden, the boy refused to go to the academy and when his father asked him why, he told him about what his coach did to him, the officer said. The accused used to impart Kabbadi to students and sodomised the victim while they were alone, the police said.

private, non-profit organisation that was established in 1984 by the United Nations Congress. It has a tie-up with social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. Whenever it comes across any content violating the privacy or projecting obscene material regarding children, it is red-flagged. The IP address details of the user who had uploaded the content is then procured, police said.

Under the MoU, the NCMEC provides CTRs or information about sexually offensive content involving children that has been shared or uploaded on social me-

dia platforms to the NCRB. These complaints, along with the details of the person sharing or uploading such sexually offensive contents, are forwarded by the NCMEC to the NCRB, which shares those with the state nodal agencies, police said, adding that the IFSO is the nodal agency in Delhi for the same.

The IFSO has analysed the details received from the NCRB to identify any organised nexus in child pornography. After a technical analysis of more than 10,000 CTRs, the actionable reports were identified, the officials said.

started the tests to prevent the spread of infection. As the alert is

BJP picking on Bharat Jodo has nothing to do with Covid

First India Bureau

New Delhi: Masks are not as important for people as they are for those walking in the Bharat Jodo Yatra.

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya wrote a letter to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot regarding Covid norms to be followed in Bharat Jodo Yatra, citing a request to ensure that masks are worn by the Yatris.

“Only vaccinated people should participate in yatra. Follow rules or suspend yatra,” read the letter.

The guidelines for international travel issued by Mandaviya’s ministry on November 21 said all travellers should “preferably” be fully vaxed, use of masks is “preferable” and any passengers “having symptoms of Covid-19” should be isolated.

THE DAMAGE REPORT

APRIL 19, 2021

z Active cases during Amit Shah’s election rally in Bengal – OVER 2 LAKH

z Case figures after midnight – OVER 2.5 LAKH

z Deaths that day – OVER 1500

DEC 21, 2022

z Active cases during Cong’s Bharat Jodo Yatra – 3408 CASES

z Case figures after midnight – 185

z Death that day - 1

THE CHRONOLOGY

z Surge in cases started in February –March 2021

z The first phase of the elections was held on March 27 in West Bengal and Assam

z Over 3 lakh cases were being reported in the last week of April & the country went to lockdown next month

z India recorded over 3 lakh new cases for a week in April, breaching the mark on April 22 for the first time

since the pandemic.

z The last round of polling was held on April 29.

z The WHO said that the mass gatherings have sparked the outbreak in the country.

z The Election Commission was also criticised for the breach of Covid protocols during campaigning with Madras high court terming it the "most irresponsible institution" in India

on, the tests have now been made mandatory for all the visitors."

Also, the concern did not show up during early 2021 when Covid protocol was violated at election rallies and in the Kumbh Mela.

During the Gujarat campaign recently, the BJP’s campaigners and candidates gathered in huge numbers without

masks, even when Europe, the United States and China were struggling to battle the Covid surge.

HC restrains sale of Dil Afza on lawsuit by Rooh Afza

New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi High Court has restrained the manufacture and sale of sweet beverage concentrate 'Sharbat Dil Afza' during the pendency of a lawsuit for alleged trademark infringement by Hamdard Dawakhana which sells 'Rooh Afza'.

A bench of justices Vibhu Bakhru and Amit Mahajan said that prima facie, 'Rooh Afza' served as the source identifier for Hamdard for over a century and has acquired immense goodwill and it was essential to ensure that the competitors keep a safe distance from the mark.

The court's order came on an appeal by Hamdard (appellant) against a single judge's

order refusing to pass an interim order to restrain 'Dil Afza' manufacture Sadar Laboratories (respondent) from allegedly indulging in trademark infringement.

"It is not difficult to conceive that a person who looks at the label of 'DIL AFZA' may recall the label of 'ROOH AFZA' as the word

Police ‘not satisfied’ with Flipkart’s reply

New Delhi (PTI): Delhi Police has questioned the officials of Flipkart for allegedly selling acid on its platform despite a ban on the substance by the Supreme Court.

Police on December 15 issued a notice to Flipkart after the prime accused in an acid attack on a girl in Dwarka, Delhi said he bought the substance from the ecommerce website.

According to the police, the officials were questioned on Wednesday

and they are not satisfied with the firm’s reply. The company had responded to the notice, saying that the acid was sold by an Agra-based firm. It had also earlier stated it will cooperate with the police.

According to sources, the company responded that it acted as a platform between buyers and sellers. To which, they were asked about the norms being followed by the firm while facilitating both parties.

'AFZA' is common and the meaning of the words 'ROOH' and 'DIL', when translated in English, are commonly used in conjunction," said the court in its order dated December 21.

The court also noted that both the products have the "same deep red colour and texture" and "structure of the bottles is not materially different" and thus opined that the "commercial impression of the impugned trademark is deceptively similar to the appellants' trademark". The court re-

WEBSITE RESTRAINED FROM PUBLISHING PHOTOGRAPHS OF LOUIS VUITTON

New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi High Court has granted relief to Louis Vuitton Malletier, a French high end luxury fashion house, by restraining a website from copying or publishing photographs which would infringe its copyright. The high court said the plaintiff company has made out a clear prima facie case of copyright infringement and as such, it would be entitled to ex parte ad interim' relief so that such infringement does not continue. It issued summons to website www.haute24.com on the suit and listed the matter on February 6, 2023 before the Joint Registrar (Judicial) for completion of the pleadings, including admission and denial of documents and marking of exhibits.

corded that before the single judge, a statement has been made on behalf of the respondent that it would not manufacture

and sell syrups and beverages under the mark 'DIL AFZA' and thus made it "absolute" till the disposal of the suit.

PIL against Sikhs carrying ‘kirpans’ on flights dismissed

New Delhi (PTI): Delhi High Court on Thursday dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) against the permission accorded to Sikhs to carry ‘kirpans’ while travelling

“Dismissed,”

The

Singhal,

The petitioner, a lawyer, challenged a March 4, 2022 notification by the Centre which said

Sikh passengers shall have exceptional regulatory sanction to carry kirpans having blade length of not more than six inches and total length of not more than nine inches whilst on board any civilian flight in India that is operating on all domestic routes.

The bench had earlier orally remarked that it was a policy of the government and the court cannot interfere with it unless it is arbitrary.

Instructions issued to use sanitisers, follow social distancing & adopt appropriate safety protocol

Associations claim customers are lax about wearing mask, not listening to their advice

Traders fear another wave of Covid would ruin their businesses; to chalk out action plan

Masks being distributed outside Parliament as precaution in view of the surge in COVID-19 cases across the world, in New Delhi on Thursday.

—PHOTO BY ANI

People have become a bit complacent but we cannot force them to wear masks, especially since there is no government mandate yet

—Ashok Randhawa, President , Mini Market Assn, Sarojini Nagar

CISF personnel with a sniffer dog inspect the Taj Mahal complex, as part of security arrangements ahead of the new year and Christmas, in Agra on Thursday. —PHOTO BY PTI

Union Home Minister Amit Shah during a road show in West Bengal Assembly election on April 19, 2021. —PHOTO BY ANI

New Delhi: A Kabbadi coach was arrested for allegedly sodomising his pupil multiple times at his academy, the police informed on Wednesday.

... a person who looks at the label of ‘DIL AFZA’ may recall the label of ‘ROOH AFZA’ as the word ‘AFZA’ is common ....

—Delhi High Court

on civilian flights in India.

a bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad said while pronouncing the order.

court rejected the plea by Harsh Vibhore

who had said that a committee of stakeholders should be constituted to “apply its mind” to the issue of permitting kripan on flights.

You can say winter has started: Weatherman

Lawrence Bishnoi refuses to give voice sample at CFSL

First India Bureau

New Delhi (ANI): Delhi-NCR is likely to witness dense fog for the next two to three days while Punjab, Haryana, and north Rajasthan may expect a decrease in temperature by 1-2 degrees alongwith cold wave conditions, Dr Kuldeep Srivastava, Head of Regional Weather Forecasting Centre, said Thursday.

“If we talk about the weather in Delhi, then a thick blanket of fog is seen in the morning hours and visibility is dropped by around 100 meters. In the Palam observatory, today morning the visibility was till 100 meters, and later around 8 in the morning there is an improvement,” he said.

“In the next two days, there are chances of having dense fog in Delhi-NCR and the visibility will be around 100 meters. The temperature will remain between 6-7 degrees for next 2-3 days,” he added.

From Punjab up to Bihar and till West Bengal and northern Rajasthan, the wind speed in the morning hours is less, about 2-3 km per hour .

“From Punjab up to Bihar and till West Bengal and Northern parts of Rajasthan, the wind speed in the morning hours is less which is 2-3 km per hour along with sufficient availability of moisture, and during the day time, we have a clear sky,” he told ANI.

“There is no cold wave condition as of now in the plains, but in the coming few days from December 24 or December 25, we are expecting a decrease in temperature by 1-2 degrees. On a severely cold day, you can see the maximum temperature stays 4.5 degrees less than the normal temperature. This situation will remain for the next 2 days in Punjab, Haryana, North West UP, and North Rajasthan. Now you can say that winter has started,” he said.

Dense fog disrupts road, rail traffic

New Delhi (PTI): A layer of dense fog enveloped the IndoGangetic plains including Delhi Thursday morning, affecting road and rail traffic. A railway spokesperson said 20 trains were running late by 1:30 to 4:30 hours. Flight operations remained unaffected, an airport official said.

The Met office said the Palam and Safdarjung airports logged visibility levels of 200 metres at 5:30 am. On Tuesday, visibility levels had plunged to

Police refute church attack claim made in viral video

New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi Police on Wednesday refuted claims made in a viral video that a church was attacked and forcibly evicted on suspicion that religious conversion was going on there.

“There was no church and no forcible eviction was reported,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Sagar Singh Kalsi said.

The building seen in the video widely circulated on social media is not a church but a private building in northern part of the city, the police said.

According to the police, a PCR call was received in the morning of December 11 about a

gathering at the building in Burari's Baba Colony. Suspicion was also raised about religious conversion there. The ground floor hall of the building was let out to a Christian woman. According to the police, it was used for meetings and singing carols between 10:30 and 12:30 hours.

On Tuesday, a video became viral on social media where a person claimed that a church in Burari area was attacked by 400 people.

“A church in Delhi, Burari been attacked by around 400 people this morning. They forcibly vacated the church and threatened them,” he wrote in his tweet.

50 metres at both these places. South westerly winds and increase in temperatures had led to some improvement in visibility on Wednesday.

New Delhi: ‘Sardar te gaddi chadhadi (Sardar has been mowed)’ — this was the intercepted recording on the basis of which Delhi Police’s Special Cell sought to get voice samples of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and his associates tested at the Central Forensic Sciences Laboratory (CFSL).

Prime accused in the assassination of Sidhu Moosewala, Bishnoi is suspected to have received a call inside Tihar Jail soon after gunmen shot dead the singer on 29 May.

Court grants bail to ex-NSE chief Chitra Ramkrishna

New Delhi (PTI): A court here has granted bail to former managing director and chief executive officer of the National Stock Exchange Chitra Ramkrishna in a case related to alleged phone tapping of NSE employees.

The police had filed a plea in the MCOCA court in November for obtaining the voice samples of Bishnoi and his associates Deepak alias Tinu, Sampath Nehra and Bintu alias Mintu. On 22 November, the court gave its nod.

Sources in Delhi Police said that while Nehra’s and Bintu’s voice

samples were collected, Bishnoi refused to do so upon reaching the CFSL lab in Lodhi Colony on Wednesday.

“Bishnoi refused to talk when he was brought to the lab. Due to this, adverse inference will be drawn in the case,” sources said. Later, the Delhi Police moved an application in court stating that Bishnoi refused to give his voice samples.

“One accused in his discretion opted not to give a voice sample. No further directions are warranted in the facts of the present case,” read the court order.

Delhi liquor mafia’s son among 3 held with illicit booze

The Sadarjung Observatory, the primary weather station in Delhi, recorded a minimum temperature of 7.2 degrees Celsius, a notch below normal.

Special Judge Sunena Sharma granted bail on a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh with two sureties in the like amount, and directed her to appear before court when the matter is taken up.

Jamia to decide on CUET in January

New Delhi (PTI): Jamia Millia Islamia is likely to decide on the implementation of the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) for admission to all undergraduate courses from the next academic session in January, a senior official said on Thursday.

The varsity has formed a committee to decide on the possibility of adopting the CUET, said Jamia Millia Islamia Registrar

Nazim Husain Al-Jafri.

The report submitted by the committee will be presented during a meeting of the Academic Council in January and thereafter Executive Council, which is the highest decision-making body of the university will take up the matter.

Noida: With the arrest of three people, the Noida Police in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday claimed to have busted a Delhi-based inter-state gang of liquor smugglers and also seized around 4,500 litres of alcohol estimated worth more than Rs 20 lakh.

Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Noida) Ashutosh Dwivedi told reporters that among those held is the son of Delhi liquor mafia Kamal Kishor Chaurasiya alias KP, who has over two dozen cases lodged against him.

The suspects were held near the Rajnigandha Chowk on the basis of a tip-off and four vehicles, including three cars and a pickup truck, loaded with liquor cartons were also impounded.

“Three liquor smugglers have been arrested. Their base network is Delhi and they would bring liquor from Gurugram, ” Dwivedi said.

While three people have been arrested, KP, the mastermind of the gang, and three more of his identified associates are at large and efforts are underway to arrest them soon, Dwivedi said. Those held have been identified as KP’s son Ashish, Ravi Chauhan and Nakul Nagar, all three residents of Delhi, the police said.

3 arrested for stabbing to death history-sheeter in Badarpur

New Delhi (ANI): Delhi Police on Thursday said they have arrested three men for allegedly stabbing to death a man with criminal history in Badarpur area.

Police said on December 20 at 8:12 pm, a call was received at police station Badarpur informing that a man had been stabbed and admitted to AIIMS.

“A police staff rushed to the spot immediately. On local enquiry, it was revealed that three persons stabbed one person, Keshav (29), a resident of Badarpur,” police said.

“A team was called and the scene of the crime was preserved. The CCTV cameras near the spot were thoroughly scanned. Three

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR

suspects were captured in the CCTV footage and on analysis, two of them were identified as Vickey and Kohinoor,” a Police official said.

Deceased Keshav got into a fight with accused Kohinoor at a marriage function

Police said the deceased Keshav had a criminal history and was found involved in 4 cases of Robbery, Snatching and Arms

Act registered in three police stations.

“After Call Data Records surveillance, accused persons were arrested near a liquor shop at Molarband Extension bypass road and the weapon of offence i.e knife was recovered from them. They have confessed their involvement in the crime,” a police official said.

After 2-yr Covid lull, restaurants in Delhi decked up for year-end

New Delhi: Business closures, slashed menus, empty seats, furloughed staff—restaurant and cafe owners in Delhi wish to put these unpleasant memories behind them as they prepare to welcome guests for Christmas and New Year after a two-year lull.

The hospitality industry was one of the worst-hit sectors as multiple waves of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic had broken its back, forcing many restaurants to shut down.

However, owners of several restaurants and cafes and their associations feel, the “worst is behind them”, hoping that their businesses will once again thrive as “it is beginning to look a lot like Christmas again”.

In Connaught Place, restaurants like Diggin Cafe, Zen Cafe, Farzi Cafe, Out of the Box Cafe, Warehouse Cafe and many other restaurants have put up Christmas-themed decoration, and toy shops and apparel brands in the old British-era shopping arcade are also

wooing customers for festive shopping.

Manpreet Singh, owner of nearly 30-yearold Zen Cafe, an Asian

cuisine restaurant, said, “In our industry, a lot of restaurants do shut down on a normal basis too, but in the last

about 30-40 restaurants which have shut down and not opened again”.

But the worst is behind us, the industry is recovering and this Christmas and New Year will see “happy and cheerful faces again,” says Singh, also treasurer, National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI).

‘LIFE

IS NORMAL NOW’

two years, this figures have been very high.

Even in CP, many restaurants have shut down permanently,

“Right now, we are doing quite well. Earlier there were many challenges, but the customers are back and they wish to eat out. So, we are happy. We are selling well now,” he said. —PTI

Recalling the pandemic and its impact on the industry, Rahul Singh, founder and CEO, The Beer Cafe, said, “It was devastating, these two years have been hell for us, hospitality and the aviation sectors were the most hit.” He said after the first lockdown, the supply chain was hit and there was a lot of spoilage in his company. “We sell a lot of beer. We had to drain out a lot of beer, which is a perishable item, so we suffered a lot of capital loss. As per our staff, we had a furlough when the first wave hit us. Certain staff didn’t join, they went out and probably got another job. But, most of the staff came back. We have gone through survival stage and revived ourselves, and about to hit the thriving stage” he said.

Kunal Dutt & Saloni Bhatia

People dine at a restaurant decorated in the theme of Christmas and New Year in Connaught Place in New Delhi. —PHOTO BY PTI

In our industry, a lot of restaurants do shut down on a normal basis too, but in the last two years, these figures have been very high.

—Manpreet Singh, Owner,. Zen Cafe

‘From Dec 24 or 25, we are expecting a decrease in temperature by 1-2 degrees’

Youngsters sit around a bonfire on a cold winter day in Gurugram on Thursday. —PHOTO BY PTI

Commuters wait for train amid fog on a cold winter morning, at Sahibabad Railway Station on Thursday. —PHOTO BY PTI

—Dr Kuldeep Srivastava, Head, Regional Forecasting Centre

A screen grab from the viral video of the alleged attack.

MERKEL’S BOMBSHELL WEST v/s WEST

REFORMED OR NOT, THE ‘SERPENT’ TO BE OUT OF PRISON SOON?

It shows that international agreements with the West specially the US carry no value and remain in play only till the time they favour the West and allows them time to turn the tide to suit their interests. Yes, it is amply clear that Western powers are likely to dump treaties and agreements like a HOT Potato when they no longer serve their purpose. It indeed is a lesson to India, China, Pakistan and to the rest of the developing countries in international politics

Quizzically enough, as I chanced upon the recent interview of Angela Dorothea Merkel, ex chancellor of Germany, it gave me a peep into the pandora box of the Western world’s political dynamics. A seasoned politician and a scientist, she was the first and the only lady chancellor of Germany and was referred to as the de facto leader of the European Union. Having been brought up in erst while East Germany under Kremlin’s influence, her control over Russian language was perfect yet, she was not inclined to communist ideology.

Her actions and decisions as the chancellor of her country ensured a commanding position for Germany not only in Europe but amongst all NATO allies. Nonetheless, today many find faults with her for increasing Germany’s dependence on Russian energy imports through Nord Stream 1, without acknowledging that the graph of Germany’s industrial growth was highest during Merkel’s chancellorship.

All through her political career, she professed that she did not want to give advice from the side-lines, and therefore, described Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a “brutal

TALIBAN RETURN TO OLD WAYS

war of aggression” which constituted a far-reaching turning point and the most glaring violation of international law in Europe since the World War II. She further believed that European solidarity goes out to Ukraine which has been attacked and raided by Russia, and that the Ukraine’s right to self-defence was incontestable.

Surprisingly, a leader with such clarity and frankness on Russia – Ukraine war, suddenly took a U turn and in an interview in the second week of Dec 22 to a newspaper Der Zeit of Germany, came out with the facts that hitherto fore, were a subject of confidentiality amongst all NATO leaders joining their hands to support Zelenskyy and fight Russia.

In a dramatic style, Angela confessed that there was no real interest amongst the Western powers to implement the provisions and conditions laid down in Minsk 1 & 2 Agreements signed by Ukraine and Russia in 2014 and 2015 respectively. Instead, the intention of US and allies reeked with conspiracies and deceits by the West to give time to the NATO and Ukraine to build up their military capabilities for the sole purpose of a confrontation with Russia.

In other words, the West planned and schemed for the war against Russia since 2014 after they organized a coup to forcibly remove a democratically elected Ukraine government and replace it with a puppet government loyal to

Surprisingly, a leader with such clarity and frankness on Russia – Ukraine war, suddenly took a U turn and in an interview in the second week of Dec 22 to a newspaper Der Zeit of Germany, came out with the facts that hitherto fore, were a subject of confidentiality amongst all NATO leaders joining their hands to support Zelenskyy and fight Russia

the West.

In my opinion, Angela has proven herself to be Putin’s friend as her confession is almost a declaration to let out NATO secrets. In simple words, what Merkel said can be taken as an announcement that Putin is not the aggressor but the victim of a veiled Western conspiracy against it. In fact, Angela has provided Putin the defence which he may need in the future to protect himself from Western actions at international courts when the war crimes are taken up. Obviously, the implications from this interview are far reaching. It shows that international agreements with the West specially the US carry no value and remain in play only till the time they favour the West and allows them time to

turn the tide to suit their interests. Yes, it is amply clear that Western powers are likely to dump treaties and agreements like a HOT Potato when they no longer serve their purpose. It indeed is a lesson to India, China, Pakistan and to the rest of the developing countries in international politics. While negotiating with west, countries should choose friends with open eyes Judging so called friends not by what they say but by what they do and their past reputation of honouring treaties and agreements with other parties in the agreement.

The numerous visits of German Chancellor to Russia between 2014 (in the aftermath of annexation of Crimea by Russia) and 2021, when Merkel vacated her office as the ultimate leader of European Union and Chancellor of Germany are being looked at with suspicion of delaying Russian onslaught on Ukraine to buy time. She out rightly mentioned that she felt no regrets for her handling of Vladimir Putin during her time in power and blocking the route of Ukraine joining NATO membership as Putin would have taken it as a “declaration of war” against Russia by the West. It appears that in the opinion of the West, democratically immature Ukraine would have been less prepared for an invasion then what it was in February 2022 and thus, hinting at a global conspiracy.

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

Taliban are gradually showing their true misogynist and hard-line character but the world is a silent spectator. After banning girls from attending schools, Afghanistan’s Taliban government has taken the regressive step of telling women that the doors of universities were now shut for them, leaving female students in tears. The anguished students were left with no future as other regressive restrictions on women’s clothing and movement are already in place. Instances of public flogging have also been reported. All these are dreadful reminders of the old Taliban regime and its brand of ruthless Islam.

President Joe Biden left

Taliban are gradually showing their true misogynist and hardline character but the world is a silent spectator. After banning girls from attending schools, Afghanistan’s Taliban government has taken the regressive step of telling women that the doors of universities were now shut for them, leaving female students in tears

the Afghan people, especially women, after the withdrawal of Allied forces from Kabul in 2021. In his White House address Biden said that it was “the right and the responsibility of the Afghan people alone to decide their future and how they want to

run their country”. He also said the US will continue to speak out for the rights of women and girls. Does speaking out for them makes them less vulnerable to the attacks on their psyche being witnessed now? Reacting to the latest Talibani firmaan the US said the “move would come with consequences for Taliban”. Other than turning off the aid tap, which will only starve the Afghan people, the consequences have not been spelt out.

Taliban stand out like a sore thumb for the way they treat women. In no other Islamic country are women subjected to such treatment. Iran, where women are protesting against wearing hijab, does not bar women from attending schools and colleges.

Charles Sobhraj may have spent two decades in jail; his release from a prison in Nepal still makes news. The serial killer, notorious as Bikini Killer, is now 78 and hopefully a changed man after long incarceration. The French national shot to infamy after he killed 20 tourists on South and Southeast Asia’s hippie trail between 1972 and 1976, most of them backpackers. “Handsome, charming and utterly without scruple” women easily fell to his charms and he ruthlessly finished them off after he was done with them. What made Sobhraj stand out as a criminal was his ability to evade police and avoid detection, which earned him the nickname of “Serpent”.

He continued with his crimes like drugging tourists and robbing them to maintain a luxurious lifestyle even in prison. In mid seventies he bribed Tihar jail staff to live in comfort. Later he drugged them to escape, but was nabbed by Mumbai Police. Is Sobhraj a reformed man now?

SPIRITUAL SPEAK

TOP TWEETS

India, led by PM @narendramodi ji remains the biggest hope for the world. An all-weather champion of multilateralism, more of the world today strongly acknowledge India’s criticality in maintaining global peace. ‘Not an era of war’ has resonated strongly and touched chords.

l Vol 2 l Issue No.114

RNI TITLE NO. DELENG/2021/19840

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Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Impressions Printing and Packaging Limited, C-21, 22 Sector-59, Noida-201301. Published at G-20, 3rd Floor, 309, Preet Vihar, New Delhi-110092. Phone 011-49846474.

Editor-In-Chief: Dr Jagdeesh Chandra

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

You should perform your duty with a view to guide people and for universal welfare.

Bhagavad Gita

Jagat Prakash Nadda @JPNadda

Saddened to hear about the demise of renowned Gamak Vidwan & Padmashri awardee H R Keshavamurthy Ji. He was a pioneer who mastered Gamak & even taught children this great art form for free. His legacy will live on forever. My condolences to his family & admirers. Om Shanti.

Dharmendra Pradhan @dpradhanbjp

COL ANUPAM JAITLY (RETD)

The writer is Defence expert, Motivational Speaker & Corporate Trainer

WINTER SESSION OF PARLIAMENT

LOK SABHA ADJOURNED AGAIN AMID UPROAR BY OPPN ON BORDER ISSUE

New Delhi (Agencies):

Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day on Thursday without any business, owing to continuous protests by the Congress-led Opposition, which sought discussion on the IndiaChina border clashes in Arunachal Pradesh.

As Lok Sabha assembled at 4 p.m. after several adjournments since morning, Opposition members led by the Congress entered the well of the House, shouting slogans and seeking Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s presence in the House.

Rama Devi, who was in the Chair, adjourned the House till 4.30 pm amid chaos and slogan shouting.

At 4.30 p.m. when the Lower House reassembled, protests and slogan shouting by the Opposition members resumed. While Congress and DMK members entered the well of the House, NCP, JD-U and TMC members stood near their seats.

Opposition members shouted slogans seeking PM Modi’s presence in the House and called

‘ISRO SIGNED 4 CO-OP DOCUMENTS FOR SPACE EXPLORATION TIE-UP’

New Delhi (FIB): The Minister of State (MoS), Dr Jitendra Singh, on Thursday said Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has signed 04 (four) cooperative documents specifically to collaborate in space exploration in the last

for a discussion on the India-China border clashes issue.

Amid the pandemonium, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal in-

IN THE COURTYARD

PANEL TO CONDUCT ACCESSIBILITY AUDIT OF SC PREMISES

New Delhi: Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud has constituted a committee headed by apex court judge Justice S Ravindra Bhat to conduct an audit of “physical and functional access” of the top court premises to make them disabled-friendly. The ‘Supreme Court Committee on Accessibility’ has been given a broad mandate to prepare and release a questionnaire for persons with disabilities, including the apex court employees, advocates, litigants and interns, who visit the top court premises.

CISF CONSTABLE VS DMRC STAFFER: HC QUASHES CASE

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has agreed to quash two cross FIRs against a DMRC employee and a woman CISF constable involving an altercation between them after they reached a settlement but imposed costs of Rs 10,000 each on both, observing that considerable time of police and judiciary has been wasted. Cross FIRs were lodged in 2015 at Raja Garden Metro Police Station for various offences. The woman CISF constable had also accused the DMRC staff of outraging her modesty.

five years.In a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, MoS Dr Singh said, the agreement with the USA is for accommodating USA instruments in India’s Chandrayaan-2 and Chandrayaan-3. He informed that the agreement with Japan is to conduct feasibility study for a joint lunar polar exploration mission.

troduced the Jan Vishwas Amendment of Provision Bill 2022 in the House. He also immediately referred the bill to a joint Parlia-

BRS to hold ‘Maha Dharna’

against Centre

Nizamabad (ANI):

Bharat Rashtra Samithi will hold a ‘Maha Dharna’ in all the district headquarters on Friday protesting against the Centre’s “anti-farmer policies”, MLC K Kavitha said on Thursday.

RS PASSES THE CONSTITUTION (ST) ORDER BILL

New Delhi: The Rajya Sabha has passed The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Second Amendment) Bill, 2022 and The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Fourth Amendment) Bill, 2022. Tribal Minister Arjun Munda moved the bill.

OVER 40K WOMEN TRAINED IN INDIA UNDER NAI ROSHNI SCHEME: IRANI

New Delhi (FIB): Union Minister of Minority Affairs Smriti Irani in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha on Thursday said during last three years, i.e., 2019-20 to 2021-22, around 40,000 women have been trained all over India including

mentary panel.

Soon after this, the House was adjourned for the day.

Earlier in the morning, both Question Hour

175 in Bihar. Nai Roshni scheme has now been merged as a component of Pradhan Mantri Virasat Ka Samvardhan (PM VIKAS) scheme w.e.f FY 2022-23, to improve livelihoods of minorities, particularly artisan communities, through skill development, education and leadership training, to support their entrepreneurship interventions.

and Zero Hour proceedings were washed out due to continuous protests by the Opposition on the India-China border clashes issue.

GOVT INTRODUCES JAN VISHWAS BILL IN THE LOK SABHA

New Delhi: Commerce & industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday in Lok Sabha introduced Jan Vishwas Bill, which seeks to decriminalise minor offences by amending 183 provisions in 42 Acts with a view to promote ease of business.

GOYAL TAKES BACK REMARKS ‘AGAINST BIHAR’

New Delhi (ANI): Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday withdrew his “demeaning” remarks on Bihar, which triggered protests in Parliament by MPs from the state who demanded an apology from him.“Let me clarify that I have no intention to insult either Bihar or the people of Bihar. If it has hurt anyone’s sentiment, I immediately withdraw that statement,” he said in Rajya Sabha. On Tuesday while RJD member Manoj Jha was speaking on inflation in the Upper House, Goyal had said “Inka bas chale toh desh ko Bihar hi bana de”.

2,841 selected as Khelo India Athletes: Thakur

New Delhi (FIB): Khelo India Athletes are selected on their performance in the Khelo India Games, National Championships / open selection trials. The Sports Authority of India (SAI) provides a platform for identification of talented sports persons in priority Sports disciplines through the National Sports Talent Search Portal. This was stated by Union Sports and Youth Affairs Minisster Anurag Thakur in a written reply in

Rajya Sabha on Thursday. Under “Sports Competition and Talent Development” component of Khelo India scheme, athletes are selected as Khelo India Athletes based on their performance in the Khelo India Games, National Championships / open selection trials.

Mulling EC proposal on political donations: Govt

New Delhi: The govt on Thursday said the Election Commission proposal to reduce anonymous political donations to Rs 2000 from Rs 20,000 is uder examination.

On a question about the government’s response to the Commission’s proposal and whether such measures would usher in reforms and transparency in donations received by political parties, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju in a written

Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra resumes from Haryana’s Nuh district

Nuh (ANI): Congress’s Bharat Jodo Yatra led by Rahul Gandhi resumed from Malab Village in Nuh’s Haryana on Thursday.

Kolkata: A CBI court on Thursday extended the judicial custody of former West Bengal Education Minister and ex-Trinamool Congress secretary general, Partha Chatterjee and six others for another 14 days in connection with the teachers’ recruitment scam. All the seven individuals will be presented at the same court again on January 5 next year. On Thursday, Chatterjee’s counsel Selim Rahman made a fiery argument at the court, even going to the extent of questioning CBI’s competence as regards to producing concrete evidence in the matter. In his counter argument, the CBI counsel said that although charges of incompetence have been raised by the petitioner’s counsel.

HC ALLOWS TEEN GIRL TO DONATE

LIVER’S PART TO DAD

Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Thursday granted permission to a 17-yearold girl to donate a portion of her liver to her ailing father. The High Court took the decision even taken after an expert committee constituted by the Appropriate Authority under the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994 initially opined that the daughter cannot be exempted from the bar imposed by the Act and Rules on organ donation by minors. Court asked it to reconsider its stance.

MADRAS HIGH COURT ORDERS NOTICE ON RSS PLEA

Chennai: A division bench of the Madras High Court on Thursday ordered notice on a batch of appeals challenging the orders of a single judge, which had granted permission to the RSS to take out “route marches” and hold public meetings in auditoriums and open grounds alone. A bench of the HIgh Court ordered the notice returnable by January 5, when the appeals from G Subramaniam of Anna Nagar and 44 others came up for further hearing on Thursday.

Kavitha, daughter of CM KCR, alleged that the BJP govt at the Centre is “forcing” Telangana Govt to take back schemes under MGNREGA. “Tomorrow the party will launch Maha Dharna in all district headquarters, against BJP Government’s antifarmer policies, in light of the recent demand to exclude agricultural activities from MGNREGA Scheme in Telangana,” Kavitha said.

“Today it is a fact that the BJP is an anti-farmer, anti-poor, and procorporate Government.

On one hand, the Government is targeting farmers and the poor,” she alleged.

People in large numbers were seen joining the march holding banners and party flags. The ongoing foot march of the grand old party entered the state of Haryana on Wednesday. On Wednesday, while addressing a gathering here, Rahul Gandhi took a swipe at the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and other parties and said that the leaders of these parties do not listen to the public.

“Nowadays, there is a gap between the leaders of BJP, Samajwadi Party, and the public. Leaders think there is no need to listen to the public and give speeches for hours. We have tried to change this in this journey,” Gandhi earlier

CHANDY’S SON TAKES JIBE AT BJP

Nuh (ANI): Former Kerala Chief Minister’s son Chandy Oommen on Thursday aimed at the Centre government over its letter to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, urging him to consider suspending or postponing the Bharat Jodo Yatra if Covid protocols could not be followed.

“When PM Modi took out a Yatra in Gujarat, a similar situation was there but no action followed,” Oommen said after joining the Bharat Jodo Yatra here.

said on Wednesday.

On Tuesday the Yatra observed its last day in the Congress-ruled state of Rajasthan. It is

BJP SCARED OF LOVE

New Delhi (ANI): Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya’s letter to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot asking them to follow COVID-19 guidelines strictly during the party’s Bharat Jodo Yatra has elicited diverse reactions from leaders.

reply in Rajya Sabha said, “The proposal is under examination.”

Aiming for reforms and transparency in donations received by political parties, the poll panel had proposed reducing anonymous political donations from Rs 20,000 to Rs 2,000.

Panchamasali Lingayats’ march for quota in K’taka

the only Congress-ruled state where the yatra covered around 500 km over 17 days before entering Haryana.

AAP’S EXPANSION PLANS

Talking about the issue, Congress leader Pawan Khera said BJP is scared of the love Bharat Jodo Yatra has received. He said, “Their intent is clear. They are only bothered about the love the Yatra has received.”He also added, “If BJP was worried about the country, they would have written a letter to Satish Poonia as well who is taking out ‘Jan Aakrosh Yatra’ in Rajasthan.”

The community is demanding they be included in the 15 per cent OBC category of 2A. A heavy police force has been deployed at Hirebagewadi in Belagavi due to the Panchamasali padayatra being held under the leadership of the Jagadguru Basava Jaya Mruthyunjaya Swamiji of the Kundalasangama Peetha.

Karnataka Assembly is currently holding its Winter Session at the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belagavi.

Can AAP dent Cong and BJP’s morale in K’taka polls?

Shamsher Singh

New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party has now started preparing to contest the Karnataka assembly elections. Assembly elections are going to be held in May and before that Arvind Kejriwal’s party has started making populist announcements. The party has promised that it will implement the old pension scheme if its government is formed in the state. The

Congress was also about to say this, as it had promised in Himachal Pradesh and won the election, but AAP made the announcement even before the Congress.

Not only this, the party’s state number two leader Bhaskar Rao also participated in the demonstration of state government employees.

The employees were demonstrating for the restoration of the old pension scheme. Senior leader Brajesh Kalappa,

who left the Congress and joined AAP, also talked about restoring the old pension scheme.

However, AAP’s weakness is that it does not have an organization in the state and

does not have senior leaders either. Then the question is how will the party contest the Karnataka elections? Will it fight in the way it fought in Gujarat or will it fight in the way it fought in states like Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand etc.? If it fights like Gujarat i.e. Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann and other leaders work day and night then Congress can suffer a big loss. There Congress party is hoping to re-

turn to power this time but if AAP fights with full force and JDS also contests the elections on its own, then BJP would be benefited. But if AAP contests elections like in Himachal Pradesh, then Congress will not be harmed. Five months before the elections, it seems that AAP does not have an organization and will fight just for the sake of fighting. But the real picture will emerge after Arvind Kejriwal’s first visit.

AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal. —FILE PHOTO

PARTHA CHATTERJEE’S JUDICIAL CUSTODY EXTENDED BY 14 MORE DAYS

Belagavi (ANI): The Panchamasali Lingayat community padyatra, demanding more reservations to meet the educational and professional needs of its people, reached Belagavi in Karnataka on Thursday.

BJY GOT: KHERA

Rahul Gandhi during Bharat Jodo Yatra, in Nuh. —PHOTO BY ANI

Lok Sabha adjourned amid commotion in the House, in New Delhi on Thursday. —PHOTO BY ANI

STARTED RT-PCR SAMPLING OF INT’L PASSENGERS: GOVT

New Delhi (ANI): Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Thursday said that the government has started random RTPCR sampling among the passengers arriving at International airports in the country amid the recent surge of Coronavirus infection in various countries including China, Japan, South Korea, France, and the United States.

“We have also started the random RT-PCR sampling among passengers arriving at International airports in the country. We are committed to tackling the pandemic and are taking appropriate steps,” Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said in his statement in the Lok Sabha while advising the States to make sure that people wear masks, use sanitizers and maintain social distancing even during the festive and the New Year season.

He also encouraged the states to increase awareness towards precautionary doses against Coronavirus.

“We are keeping an eye on the global Covid situation and are taking steps accordingly. The States are advised to increase genome-sequencing to timely identify the new variant of Covid-19,” Union Health Minister Mandaviya added.

He further said that the health department has been proactive in managing the Covid pandemic. The Centre has also provided financial assistance to States in the fight against the pandemic, he added.

“So far, 220 crore covid vaccine shots have been given,” Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya mentioned. Mandaviya then claimed that the number of Covid cases is depleting in India despite its surge across the world.

“From the last few days, Covid cases have been rising in the world but in India, the cases are depleting. We are seeing rising Covid cases and deaths due to it in China,” Union Health Minister said.

GENOME TESTING OF ALL POSITIVE CASES IN J’KHAND

Ranchi: Concerned at the reported spurt in Covid-19 cases in countries like China, USA and Japan, the Jharkhand government has asked officials to send for whole genome sequencing of all positive samples of Coronavirus to track the variants, a top Health department official said on Thursday. The development comes in the wake of Union Health Minister reviewing the Covid situation.

UP CM HOLDS MEET TO ASSESS COVID SITUATION

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath on Thursday held a meeting to assess Covid situation. Officials said after the meeting that though face masks have not been made compulsory but should be encouraged at public places.

PUNJAB CM MANN HOLDS COVID REVIEW MEETING

Chandigarh: Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann held a meeting of health officials over Covid-19 situation. “We just have nine active cases of Covid. 16 districts do not have any positive cases of Covid so far. We have established oxygen plants & have prepared hospitals as well accordingly,” Health Minister Chetan Jouramajra said.

OM BIRLA ADVISES MPs TO WEAR MASKS, FOLLOW COVID PROTOCOLS

New Delhi: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday advised all the MPs to wear masks and follow the Covid protocol completely, in view of the increasing cases of Covid 19 in many countries across the world. Birla himself was operating the House wearing a mask in the House. Birla appealed the MPs to be careful and

spread public awareness regarding Covid before the uproar by the opposition MPs during the Question Hour saying that in view of the past experiences, this time there is a need for constant caution and vigilance. The govt has also advised following the Covid protocol across the country.While advising all the MPs to use masks, Birla appealed to them to make efforts to spread public awareness in their respective areas.

“HAVEN’T GOT REQUEST FOR USE OF GANGA WATER IN COVID TREATMENT”

New Delhi: The Centre on Thursday clarified that it has not received any request from National Mission for Clean Ganga to conduct research on the use of Ganga river water as a cure for the COVID-19 virus.In a written reply in Lok Sabha, Jal Shakti MoS Prahlad Singh Patel said, “Govt has

not received any request from National Mission for Clean Ganga to conduct research on the use of Ganga river water as a cure to the Covid-19 virus.” “However, NMCG had sent two proposals viz., ‘Ganga Sediments could immunize against COVID-19’ and ‘Treatment of COVID-19 by Ganga Jal’ on April 28, 2020, to the Indian Council of Medical Research for examination.

“Just like last time we had conquered covid with collective efforts, similarly we will succeed in stopping this epidemic in the future also.”

—Om Birla, Lok Sabha Speaker

“We have also started the random RT-PCR sampling among passengers arriving at International airports in the country. We are committed to tackling the pandemic and are taking appropriate steps,”.

—Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Health Minister

There won’t be a lockdown situation in the country since 95% of the people here are vaccinated. The immunity system of Indians is stronger than that of the Chinese...India needs to go back to Covid basicstesting, treating, tracing.

—Dr Anil Goyal, Indian Medical Association

In India, we have sufficient evidence to prove that those who recovered from Covid are best protected. It’s important to monitor all variants. But it’s unlikely that we’ll face any serious problem due to the virus in the current scenario.

—Dr Sanjay Rai, Senior Epidemiologist, AIIMS Delhi

Submarine corruption case: Nod for prosecution of Naval officers

New Delhi (PTI) The govt has given the goahead to prosecute four serving and retired Navy officers in connection with alleged corruption in purchasing spare parts to retrofit Russian Kilo-class submarines, officials said.

The CBI had filed its chargesheets in November last year, within two months of initiating a probe into a corruption case, following which it had sought the government’s sanction to prosecute accused Navy of-

Covid nasal vaccine to be rolled out as booster dose

New Delhi: Paving way for more options for third or precautionary doses in India, Bharat Biotech, which is the manufacturer of Covaxin, will roll out its nasal vaccine as a booster dose after receiving a final nod from the authorities.

Sources said that permissions are in the final stage, and they could be introduced on the COWIN platform by the upcoming week.

Bharat biotech’s Nasal vaccine, being a needless jab, will be India’s first such booster dose. It can be administered to those above 18 years. Pricing of the vaccine will be decided soon and it will be made available

It is a vectored, needleless, intranasal Covid vaccine. An intranasal vaccine stimulates a broad immune response – neutralizing IgG, mucosal IgA, and T cell responses. It comes with ease as one does not require a health practitioner or worker to give them a dose.

in government and private facilities.

Science Ministry recognised the vaccine as the ‘World’s first intranasal vaccine for COVID developed by India’.

In December, it also got approval from Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation for restricted use in emergency situations in 18 and above age group.

Parliamentary panel raises concerns over production of electric locomotives

Udhampur/Jammu (PTI): Army doctors have saved a 61-year-old woman badly injured in a bear attack in a village here by performing a timely surgery to repair her wind pipe and blood vessels of the neck.

“A 61 years old female resident of Pancheri village was brought barely breathing to emergency of Command Hospital after sustaining severe injuries to her neck and abdomen following attack by a wild bear on December 16,” an officer said She was immediately attended by trauma surgeons, who found out that she has got life threatening injuries to her wind pipe and large blood vessels of her neck.

New Delhi (PTI): Raising concerns over missed targets in electric locomotive production during this financial year, a parliamentary standing committee has asked the Railway Ministry to closely monitor the manufacturing capacity of production units.

The Standing Committee on Railways, in its report presented in Parliament on Thursday, noted that with the national transporter head-

ing towards 100 per cent electrification on broadgauge lines, the requirement of diesel locomotives would reduce substantially, while that of the electric ones would increase to a great extent. The committee also noted that the Banaras Locomotive Works (BLW) and the Patiala Locomotive Works (PLW) were given targets to manufacture 450 and 200 electric locomotives for 2022-23 and 202324 respectively.

India wary of Taliban’s decision to ban women from Afghan varsities

New Delhi (PTI): India on Thursday said it is concerned over reports that the Taliban have banned women from universities in Afghanistan, and renewed its call for setting up of an inclusive government in Kabul that ensures the equal rights of women and girls in all aspects of the Afghan so-

IN KUPWARA

ciety.Several countries, including the US, Australia, Canada, France,

Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom, have strongly condemned the Taliban’s decisions to ban women from universities. “We have noted with concern the reports in this regard. India has consistently supported the cause of female education in Afghanistan,” the MEA spokesperson said.

Hizbul module busted, 5 associates held

Srinagar (PTI): Security forces on Thursday busted a module of the Hizbul Mujahideen and arrested five militant associates in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara district, officials said. A joint team of police and army apprehended three terrorist associates -- Abdul Rouf Malik, Altaf Ahmad Payer and Riyaz Ahmad Lone, officials said.

During questioning, the trio disclosed the location of two hide-

outs constructed for terrorists of Hizbul Mujahideen on the instructions of a Pakistanbased terrorist handler Farooq Ahmad Pir alias Nadeem Usmani, who is presently based in PoK, officials said.

“One AK rifle, two AK magazines, 119 AK ammunition, one pistol, one pistol magazine, four pistol rounds, six hand grenades, one IED, two detonators, two wire bundles and one water tank of ap-

proximately 100 litrecapacity has been recovered from the hideouts,” officials said.

The arrested persons told the police that they also received Rs 6 lakhs in June to procure arms

and ammunition and also material for construction of hideouts.

“Two more terrorist associates, including Budgam-resident Abdul Majeed Beigh who have been actively supporting the trio in their activities, have also been detained,” they added.

The officials said the terrorist associates were in touch with another PoK-based handler -- Fayaz Geelani, also from Budgam.

Army doctors save woman badly injured in bear attack

ficers Commander S J Singh (retired) and three serving commanders — Ajit Pandey, Abhishek Kumar Shar and Jagdeesh Chander, the officials said.

After more than a year, the government has finally given the sanction to prosecute the four accused figuring in the CBI (CBI) chargesheets.

HOW NASAL SPRAY WORKS

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya speaks in Rajya Sabha on Thursday. —PHOTO BY ANI

—REPRESENTATIONAL IMAGE

Security forces in action in Shopian district on Tuesday.

(L-R in the top row) AAP MP Raghav Chadha, BJP MP Prakash Javadekar, Congress MP Rajeev Shukla, Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar; and (L-R in the bottom row) BJP MP S Phangnon Konyak, AAP MP Balbir Singh Seechewal, BJP MP Mahesh Jethmalani and Union Minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey, wear a face mask after authorities made it mandatory for parliamentarians to wear masks, on Thursday.

BRIEFS

EXPERTS AHEAD OF BUDGET

‘WIDEN TAX BASE AND DO AWAY WITH CESS’

First India Bureau

New Delhi: Maruti Suzuki India Ltd on Thursday said it has signed a fiveyear pact with Kamarajar Port Ltd for export of its passenger vehicles to international markets. Under the agreement starting December 2022, Kamarajar Port will be used for exports to Africa, Middle East, Latin America, ASEAN, Oceania and SAARC regions by the company. The port will be used to export around 20,000 cars annually. A car-cum-general cargo berth has been developed and commissioned. —PTI

New Delhi: Widening of the tax base, doing away with cess and surcharge, improvement in compliance and moderation in tax for emerging sectors are some of the suggestions submitted to the Finance Ministry ahead of the Budget by TCF.

Experts are of the opinion that there is a need to grow tax revenues for the government to drive economic growth and make investments in developmental activities, TCF, the think tank said in a statement.

Towards this end, poor compliance was identified as a weak link in achieving targeted collections leading to complex issues like overtaxing, complicated tax structures, rising litigation, among others.

MAJOR HIGHLIGHTS

z Experts are of the opinion that there is a need to grow tax revenues for the government to drive economic growth and make investments in developmental activities, TCF, the think tank said

ing and need for strategies to strengthen tax collections from Tier 2 towns and cities to widen the tax net.

z Experts during a deliberation stressed on better compliance processes to be put in place backed by technological support

z The estimated tax loss to the government in two highly regulated and taxed industries, tobacco products is `28,500 cr

Panagariya cautions India against cutting trade ties with China

New Delhi (PTI): Amid demands for snapping trade ties with China for its transgressions on the border, former Niti Aayog Vice Chairman Arvind Panagariya has opined that cutting trade with Beijing at this juncture would amount to sacrificing India’s potential economic growth.

Instead, Panagariya suggested that India should try to enter into free trade agreements (FTA) with countries such as the UK and the European Union to expand its trade.

“Engaging China in a trade war at this juncture will mean sacrificing a considerable part of our potential growth... Purely on economic grounds, it will be unwise to take any action in response to it (transgressions on the border),” the eminent economist said.

‘ABILITY TO INFLICT INJURY’

z Both countries can play the trade sanctions game but the ability of a $17 trillion eco (China) to inflict injury on a $3 trillion economy (India) is far greater than the reverse

Panagariya said both countries can play the trade sanctions game but the ability of a $17 trillion economy (China) to inflict injury on a $3 trillion economy (India) is far greater than the reverse. “Now there are some who want trade sanctions on China to ‘punish’ it for its transgressions on the border... If we try to punish China, it will not sit back, as amply illustrated by its response to sanctions by even the mighty United States,” he observed.

Taxonomy & clear definitions needed to prevent greenwashing: Rao

New Delhi: Gold price rose `59 to `55,241 per 10 grams in the national capital on Thursday amid gains in precious metal in overseas markets, according to HDFC Securities. In the previous trade, the yellow metal had touched `55,182 per 10 grams. Silver, however, slipped `194 to `69,413 per kilogram. In the international market, gold was trading in green at $1,816.7 per ounce while silver was marginally down at $23.84 per ounce.

META ACTS ON 2.29

CR CONTENT PIECES ON FB, INSTA IN NOV

Experts during a deliberation stressed on better compliance processes to be put in place backed by technological support which in turn will enable tax widen-

OTHER STORIES

Former chairman of CBIC PC Jha said “enforcement agencies are working hard to check the illicit trade, but tax evaders are

ROOFTOP SOLAR INSTALLATIONS FALL DUE TO SUPPLY CHAIN DISRUPTIONS: MRME MINISTER

New Delhi: The rooftop solar capacity installations fell to 1.09 gigawatt during January-September 2022 due to reasons like supply chain disruption in solar modules and delay in tenders by state implementing agencies, Parliament was informed on Thursday. At 1.09 GW, the installation was over 4% lower compared to 1.14 GW in the nine-month period of 2021, according to the data shared by Minister for New and Renewable Energy R K Singh. The minister further said that his ministry has taken several steps to enhance rooftop solar installations in the country. —PTI

5.86 GW COAL, LIGNITE BASED THERMAL PROJ NON-OPERATIONAL

New Delhi: Social media giant Meta took action against more than 2.29 crore pieces of content created by Indian users on Facebook and Instagram in November. The company took action on over 1.95 crore pieces of content on Facebook and 33.9 lakh pieces of content on Instagram, according to the data shared in the report. The company actioned over 1.49 crore spam content, followed by 18 lakh content related to “Adult Nudity and Sexual activity”, 12 lakh pertaining to “Violent and Graphic Content” etc on Facebook on its own. —PTI

TATA COMM TO ACQUIRE SWITCH ENTERPRISES

New Delhi: Projects of 5.86 GW out of the total 210.6 GW coal and lignite based thermal power generation capacities in the country are non-operational, Parliament was informed on Thursday. “Out of 210.6 GW (coal and lignite based) monitored capacity of thermal power plants, 5.86 GW capacity is non-operational due to various reasons such as no PPA, under National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) etc,” Power Minister R K Singh said. —PTI

PM TO TAKE CALL ON EXTENDING PMGKAY

BEYOND DEC: MoS AGRI

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take a call on extending the PMGKAY scheme to provide free ration to the poor beyond December, Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje said on Thursday said stressing that the government has sufficient foodgrains stock. If Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) has to be extended, the decision will be taken by the Cabinet, headed by the prime minister. —PTI

CIL CAN PURSUE OVERSEAS ACQUISITION OF COAL MINES AFTER DETAILED STUDY OF BLOCKS: PAR

New Delhi: With CIL not buying out of any coal blocks abroad at present, a Parliamentary panel on Thursday said the PSU can still pursue overseas acquisition of mines after detailed study and analysis of the blocks, especially low ash coking coal. “Considering the existing coal resources in the country, the committee would like the coal ministry/ CIL to explore acquisition of coal blocks abroad. They would like to be apprised of any developments in this regard.” —PTI

ahead of curve and using innovative techniques to smuggle goods into our country. There is a need to deploy modern technology, install more scanners at ports and use artificial intelligence to address the counterfeiting issue.”

DoT forms task forces to boost telecom mfg

New Delhi (PTI): The Department of Telecom (DoT) has formed four task forces to recommend to the government measures that will boost the domestic telecom manufacturing ecosystem and remove the bottlenecks, an official memorandum said

Under one of the task forces, the DoT has sought recommendation for a phased manufacturing programme for telecom gear manufacturing to boost domestic component supply chain ecosystem as well as attract global players.

This task force will be cochaired by state-run research arm C-DoT CEO RK Upadhyay, the memorandum dated December 20 said.

New Delhi: Tata Communications will acquire New York-based end-to-end live video production company The Switch Enterprises in an all-cash deal for `486 crore. Tata Comm will support The Switch customers with global reach to over 190 countries and territories and The Switch will bring live production capabilities helping organisations to produce high quality immersive content faster and efficiently, Tata Communications said. —PTI

Mumbai (PTI): Reserve Bank Deputy Governor M Rajeshwar Rao on Thursday called for a taxonomy on green finance to avoid the risk of “greenwashing”.

Green financing refers to lending to environmentally sustainable economic activities.

Rao said a formal definition of green finance along with a taxonomy “is the need of hour” and added that it will enable more precise tracking of finance flows to green sectors in India.

The call for clear definitions and a taxonomy or a classification system, establishing a list of environmentally sustainable economic activities, comes at a time when India is looking at increasing green finance to help the climate.

“Greenwashing” refers to dishonest practices designed to deceive people.

Reliance set to acquire Metro’s India business for `2,850 crore

New Delhi (PTI): Reliance Industries has agreed to buy German firm Metro AG’s wholesale operations in India for `2,850 crore as the conglomerate run by Mukesh Ambani seeks to strengthen its dominant position in India’s mammoth retail sector.

Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd (RRVL), a subsidiary of the oil-to-telecom conglomerate, signed definitive agreements to acquire a 100% equity stake in Metro Cash & Carry India Pvt Ltd for a total cash consideration of `2,850 crore, subject to closing adjustments, the two firms said in a joint statement.

Reliance is India’s biggest brick-and-mortar retailer with over 16,600 stores, and a strong wholesale unit would further deepen its operations in India.

Metro started operations in India in 2003 as the first company to introduce a cash-and-carry business format.

Govt sees bright prospect of wheat crop

New Delhi (PTI): Agriculture Secretary Manoj Ahuja said there is a bright prospect of wheat crop in key growing states as the current temperature remains conducive for plant growth and higher yield.

Till last week, there was a 3% increase in wheat acreage at 286.5 lakh hectares in the ongoing rabi season that began in October, according to the agriculture ministry’s data.

“Wheat crop prospect is bright. The current weather remains conducive for the plant growth and better yields,” Ahuja said.

Better weather conditions and higher area under the crop are expected to lead to higher production

in the 2022-23 crop year (July-June), he said.

Like last year, there have been no reports of extreme

MAJOR HIGHLIGHTS

z According to the agri ministry’s data, till last week, there was a 3% increase in wheat acreage at 286.5 lakh hectares in the ongoing rabi season that began in October

z Like last year, there have been no reports of extreme temp from wheat-growing states so far

temperatures from wheatgrowing states so far. This augurs well for the crop prospects, he added.

JIO TO PROVIDE MANAGED SERVICES FOR IOCL

New Delhi (PTI): Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), the nation’s largest oil firm, has selected Reliance Jio’s managed network services to connect a fifth of its petrol pump network. Jio will connect 7,200 IOC sites with SD-WAN managed service solution, zero-touch provisioning and 24x7 real-time monitoring, the firm said in a statement Thursday. JioBusiness, the enterprise arm of Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd will be deploying and managing SD-WAN (Software Defined Wide Area Network) for IOC across its 7,200 retail outlets for a period of 5 years. This will be one of the largest deployments of SD-WAN solutions in India.

JIO DEPOSITS ` 3,720 CR IN SBI ACCOUNT TO ACQUIRE RITL

Mumbai (PTI): Reliance Projects and Property Management Services, a subsidiary of telecom major Jio, has deposited `3,720 crore in an SBI escrow account to acquire mobile tower and fibre assets of Reliance Infratel. The NCLT gave approval to Jio for the acquisition of Reliance Infratel (RITL) in November. “Reliance Infratel transaction is complete. Jio has deposited `3,720 crore in a SBI escrow account as directed by NCLT,” a source said. Billionaire Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambani-led Jio placed a bid of `3,720 crore in November 2019 to acquire the tower and fibre asset of debt-ridden subsidiary of his brother’s company.

Markets give up early gains, decline for third straight day

Mumbai (PTI): Equity benchmarks pared early gains and ended lower for the third straight session on Thursday, defying largely positive global market trends, amid the release of minutes of the RBI’s MPC meeting.

Despite a positive beginning, the 30-share BSE benchmark Sensex failed to carry forward the gains and declined 241.02 points to finish at 60,826.22.

The broader NSE Nifty dropped 71.75 points or 0.39% to settle at 18,127.35.

From the Sensex pack, M&M, Bajaj Finserv, In-

RUPEE APPRECIATES

8 PAISE TO 82.76

AGAINST

US DOLLAR

Mumbai (PTI): The rupee appreciated by 8 paise to close at 82.76 (provisional) against the US currency on Thursday following a weak greenback in overseas markets. The local currency opened higher at 82.78 at the interbank foreign exchange market. The rupee moved in the range from 82.64 to 82.79 in the day trade before settling at 82.76 to a dollar, showing gains of 8 paise over the previous close.

dusInd Bank, TaMo, Tata Steel, Larsen & Toubro, Axis Bank and NTPC were among the major laggards.

GOLD GAINS `59 BUT SILVER PRICES GO DOWN BY `194

MARUTI SUZUKI SIGNS PACT WITH KAMARAJAR PORT

FOUNTAINS, PUBLIC ART, ILLUMINATED TREES IN NEW DELHI

Women carry ‘occasional guilt’ in Congress yatra

New Delhi: Several roads and parks will be beautified, trees illuminated and public art installed at many locations ahead of the G20 summit next year in Delhi.

“This will include improving road infrastructure and walkability, refurbishing signages, beautifying areas beneath flyovers, good LED lighting, illuminating trees, covering drains and replacing broken slabs, installing public art at important locations, developing modern kiosks, taking permanent measures to prevent waterlogging,” a

55 art installations will be put up at important intersections, key markets and historical places

senior MCD official said.

Beatification work would be done on roads leading to Sunder Nursery, Tuglakabad Shooting Range, the park near Qutab Minar, internal market road in Lajpat Nagar, Greater Kailash-I, Greater Kailash-II, South Exten-

sion market and Defence Colony market, officials said. Also, 55 public art will be installed at important locations. Trees will be illuminated at the Waste-to-Wonder Park at Sarai Kale Khan, Bharat Dharshan Park at Punjabi Bagh and Shaheedi Park, ITO as well as in markets.

The MCD has also identified locations for the installation of water fountains. These include Qutub Park, PVR Saket, Greater KailashII M Block Market, Waste-to-Wonder Park, Bharat Darshan Park, Shaheedi Park ITO and Ajmal Khan Park.

Nuh: Some left behind their husbands and children, others their ailing parents. Battling occasional guilt but backed by supportive families, an intrepid band of Congress’ women workers have taken on the physically - and personallydaunting challenge of walking in the Bharat Jodo Yatra.

As they march on alongside former Congress president Rahul Gandhi in the 3,570 km yatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, staying in containers and walking 20-25 km a day, the women are scripting stories in empowerment and the criticality of supportive family structures that enable it.

The toast of the Congress for their tenacity and the difficult choices they made to fulfil a five-month political commitment, their stories are many.

There’s Lhinkim Haokip Shingnaisui of Manipur, the only woman from the northeast in the Congress’ crosscountry march, who left her husband and 3 kids, Sheeba Ramachandran from Kerala who has a teenage daughter, son and husband, and Pratibha Raghuvanshi from

Madhya Pradesh whose father is recovering from an eye surgeryjust three of the scores of women marching on.

Overcome by guilt at leaving her children, Ramachandran one day locked herself in a toilet at a petrol pump, turned on the water and cried her eyes out. Her teen daughter had phoned asking how she could ask her father to buy sanitary napkins, and it was just too much for the mother in the Congress worker to handle.

“Leaving behind my teenage daughter to embark on the yatra was the toughest decision of my life. We were walking in Bellary when she called me crying,” Ramachandran told PTI.

It’s only after Ramachandran pressed the teen that she came out with her anguished question. “At that point, the mother in me felt crushed and was overcome with guilt,” the 47-year-old from Ernakulam said, recounting her near breakdown at a roadside petrol pump. “Later, I called up her father and told him to take her out to treat her to her favourite soup and buy her sanitary napkins,” she said, stressing that her

Sight of half-burnt body of US woman as child spurred him to become cop, says officer who arrested Sobhraj

Shirish B Pradhan

Kathmandu: A former Nepalese police officer who was instrumental in the high-profile arrest of the notorious French serial killer Charles Sobhraj in 2003 on Thursday said it was the painful childhood memory of the sight of a halfburnt body of a slain American woman in a river that spurred him to become a detective.

Ganesh K.C. was 40 and the Deputy Police Superintendent in 2003 when he nabbed Sobhraj from a casino

in Kathmandu.

Nepal’s Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered the release of Sobhraj, 78, a Frenchman of Indian and Vietnamese parentage, who has been in jail here for close to 2 decades on murder charges. For Ganesh, it was the painful childhood memory of the sight of a half-burnt body of American tourist Connie Jo Bronzich that encouraged him to become a seasoned & hardened detective.

“I was barely 12 when I saw people rushing near the Manahara riv-

Laurent Carriere were the 2 backpackers killed by Sobhraj in 1976. It was only ironic that 27 years later, Ganesh would be entrusted with the task of hunting down the serial killer. Ganesh recounted with glee the chain of events that lead to Sobhraj’s sensational arrest.

husband was also playing the role of mother to the two children.

Crediting her husband for her being able to undertake this “life changing” journey, Ramachandran said she had never asked her husband for any holiday,

saree or jewellery after marriage. Going on the yatra was the first thing she had asked of him and he readily agreed and also convinced their children.

The choice of following their conviction to take on hate was clear,

I am unmarried and I stay with my parents while my brother works in another district. I wanted to be there for my father as my mother is not that literate and there were eye drops to be given 12-13 times in a day.

said several of the women. Over 100 days into the yatra, they said they would do it again under Rahul Gandhi’s leadership if given the chance and added that his slogan of “Daro Mat (fear not)” keeps them going, mile after mile. —PTI

NIF TO OFFER FELLOWSHIPS ON POST-INDEPENDENCE INDIA BOOKS

Bengaluru (PTI): The New India Foundation (NIF) has announced the 11th edition of its fellowships that support books documenting various aspects of the dynamic and rich landscape of India post-Independence era. The last date of submission of applications is December 31.

About 20-25 proposals will be shortlisted to meet with a jury. The last date to submit applications is December 31

er in Kathmandu to get a glimpse of the dead body of Connie Jo Bronzich, the US backpacker who was killed by Sobhraj,” he said. Bronzich & Canadian friend

“He (Sobhraj) landed in Kathmandu on the pretext of filming a documentary. He was spotted in Durbarmarg & a newspaper published his photograph & a manhunt was launched,” he recollected. —PTI

About 20-25 proposals will be shortlisted to meet with a jury consisting of eminent people from the world of scholarship, business, and social ser-

vice and 5-10 fellowships will be awarded. With an annual stipend of Rs 18 lakh to each recipient, the New India Foundation

Book Fellowships will also offer editorial and administrative guidance throughout its course, from proposal to publication. The fellowships are open to Indian nationals, including those currently living abroad, and will be awarded for a period of one year. The jury this year includes social scientist and author Niraja Gopal Jayal, historian Srinath Raghavan, and entrepreneurs Nandan Nilekani and Manish Sabharwal.

The idea of travelling is changing with ‘revenge tourism’ after Covid

First India Bureau

New Delhi: Travel in India is back on track and it looks like India has evolved as a tourism hotspot for multiple reasons, especially after the Covid pandemicinduced disruption.

Recently, passengers had posted pictures and videos of long queues and crowds at the Delhi Airport. The industry has termed it ‘revenge’ tourism. After being confined for over 2 years due to several restrictions, people have started to realize that travel is a much-needed break.

Delhi and Mumbai airports are experiencing high footfalls and the check-in and boarding time is longer than usual due to Christmas & New

Year. The hospitality industry is gearing up to make the most of the festival time, with rooms at many hotels and resorts already sold out.

Tourists from different countries have been visiting India to witness its traditions and cultural heritage, which are the factors

that laid the foundation of the Indian tourism sector contributing about 5 per cent to GDP. Destinations like Lonavala, Leh Ladakh, An-

Dharamshala and Coorg are witnessing good demand, unlike traditional places like Goa, Himachal & Shimla.

First India Bureau

PM Narendra Modi reviewing the model of the new exhibition complex at Pragati Maidan. —FILE PHOTO

Asim Kamal

Leaving behind my daughter to embark on the yatra was the toughest decision. We were walking in Bellary when she called me crying.

—Sheeba Ramachandran, yatri from Kerala

The only woman from the northeast in the Congress’ cross-country march, she left at home her husband and three children.

—Lhinkim Haokip, Cong supporter from Manipur in the Bharat Jodo Yatra

—Pratibha Raghuwanshi, a Congress supporter from MP

Party’s women supporters set a brave new example

Many are staying in containers and walking 20-25 km a day

Dy Police Superintendent Ganesh KC of Nepal, who arrested Charles Sobhraj.

726.11 lakh during the corresponding period of previous year, registering an annual growth of 52.19%, as per Directorate General of Civil Aviation data. In terms of domestic visits, the top states are Tamil Nadu at 115.33 million, Uttar Pradesh at 109.70 million, Andhra Pradesh at 93.27 million and Karnataka at 81.33 million. Taj Mahal became the most-visited ticketed ASI Site for Domestic tourists in FY 21-23, followed by the Red Fort and the Qutub Minar, which received the second and third most visitors. Kerala, one of the top tourist destinations in India, registered over 1.33 crore domestic travellers between January and September this year, an official of state’s tourism department said.

Police escort Charles Sobhraj from court in Kathmandu on Aug 12, 2004.

ONE WOMAN ARMY!

Astrong woman knows she has strength enough for the journey, but a woman of strength knows it is in the journey where she will become strong, believes Ritu Sharma from the beautiful place of ‘Pilani’.

She is also a perfect example of influential woman. While sharing her bittersweet journey to City First, the diva expressed, “ I have completed my post-graduation and am always seeking opportunities where I can utilise my skills & ability to show my talent to the world. I am a multi-talented girl who is working in one of the top 10 companies “Accenture” under the accounts and finance profile with my favourite passion modelling. I always wanted to keep my parents proud and become an independent girl who always aims high.

The modelling industry demand individuals who have the ability to organise their time and workload, to be flexible and open to change and most important ability to work well with others. Also, a model should be brave to try new things and not be too afraid to express themselves model should be original, creative and have the courage to do modelling.”

According to the ravishing beauty, “My inspiration is my father “Surya Prakash Sharma”. He faced so many problems in his life but he never give up and so hard work for us, so here I am and following the same what my father is doing work hard. While sharing about her memorable moment, “ I have so many memorable and rewarding movements but the most beautiful movement is becoming top 15 Elite Miss Rajasthan 2022. When I took the trophy for the top 15 Elitemissrajasthan that movement changed my life and it brings me to the top of Rajasthan and feel very beautiful and confident. This also makes my father happy and proud and this makes me the happiest daughter in the world. I am truly grateful to Jagdeesh Chandra sir and Gaurav Gaur for supporting me during my journey.”

UTTKARSHA SHEKHAR uttkarsha.shekhar@firstindia.co.in

—PHOTOS BY MUKESH KIRADOO

THERE’S NO SUBSTITUTE TO HARDWORK: SAMMY

Only a few people do what they love and follow their hearts. Following your heart is an exhilarating feeling and thrill; it is an adventure that you must experience before leaving this world.

City First caught up with Soumyajit Modak, popularly known as Sammy, about his journey and the challenges he faced so far!

Rahul Faujdar

Being on stage, presenting, talking, interacting, motivating, mentoring and offering creative solutions, that’s what keeps Sammy fueled. The microphone and the stage are his callings! As an anchor, he has worked with some of the biggest brands in the world. Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Capitals, Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Dynamos, Jaipur Pink Panthers, Dabangg Delhi, Bengaluru Bulls, Puneri Paltan, Ranchi Rays, La Liga India, Premier League India and Royal Challenge Bold league are some of the names who have turned to him for their bigticket events.

When asked about his career choices, Sammy said, “I started my career as a radio jockey in 2011 with Power FM and Kolkata and my hosting career with Kolkata Knight Riders in 2012. I used to host events before that but not of a magnitude of an IPL. It was always a conscious effort to keep both ships running together.” He further added, “Sports was always a part of life growing up. My mother’s side of the family is sports fanatics including my mother. I remember growing up mom and I would sit and watch cricket and football matches together. There was an India match in Bangalore where Javagal Srinath and Anil Kumble batted out of their skins to take India home, their respective moms were in the stadium watching, and I was watching with my mom at home. My first match as a host just reaffirmed the fact that I was born to do this.

When asked about the challenges he faced, the dynamic man said, “Quite a lot. Starting with the fact that I was one of the first containment hosts in the country, so did not have a reference point to go to. The third season onwards I had an idea of what works and what doesn’t work. I think the fact that I understand the game very well is an advantage I have. Benchmarking your cost also is a challenge honestly. People

don’t know how much to pay you. A very interesting reply was received when asked if there is a scope for the next common man who loves cricket and is trained in media journalism to come through. Currently, the arena is dominated by

ex-

cricketers, he said, Yes why not? Look at Harsha Bhogle. Look at Jatin Sapru. Non-cricketers yet some of the best in the industry. It will be difficult for sure to make a name for a noncricketer, but it is not impossible. Always try and

see how can you bring a bit of “you” into it.

On his experience with FIFA World Cup, Sammy told that it was absolutely fantastic. He continued, “The fact that I hosted the FIFA women’s World Cup here in India is a big deal to

me. Honestly, you get to learn so much. During the games everyone was focused on one and only one thing, everyone in the stadium should have fun. And that just resonates so well with what I believe in - “Give everyone in the stadium

their ticket money’s worth”.

When asked how he wishes to inspire the younger generation and guide them to seek interviews on the ground, Modak exclaimed, “Believe in your dreams. Work very hard to make them

true. On the path to success, you will be hindered by a lot of obstacles and stupid people. Don’t make them your reason to whine and cry. Just forgive and move ahead. You should be dictating your life, nobody else.”

Sammy with the Indian National Flag during the Ind vs Pak held at Dubai International Stadium

Sammy at the ElClasico screening for LaLiga in Mumbai

Sammy with his nephews, Dhruv and Arunabh Sammy with Rahul Faujdar

Sammy at the finals of FIFA Women U-17 Women’s World Cup 2022 at DY Patil Stadium, Mumbai

Sammy at the Pro Kabaddi Players Tunnel in Pune

Sammy at the Barabati International Stadium, Cuttack, hosting a match in the Legends League Cricket 2022

Sammy with the LaLiga trophy

POOJA CIRKUS ON HER ROLE IN

Interestingly, the popular actress, who is joining hands with both Ranveer Singh and director Rohit Shetty for the first time in her acting career, stated that her character is the only ‘reality check’ in the mad world created by the hitmaker. “Rohit sir’s brief to me was like - In the mad world you are the one person like a ‘reality check’. Except for the one scene, I would say, towards the interval. But everything else is like, I am the ‘seedha’ character - the emotional angle of the film,” revealed Pooja Hegde. “So, for me, it was a different experience. I was watching the comedy around me and had to keep sane. Because it was very tempting to kind of, want to be a part of it and to go extra, and be like ‘oh even I wanna do something like that.’ But that’s not my character in the film. So my journey was switched towards that,” concluded the Cirkus actress.

SHRUTI & SANTANU CANNOT GET ENOUGH OF EACH OTHER

Shruti Haasan is extremely active on social media and loves to share every aspect of her life with the fans. She also is vocal about her live-in relationship with her doodler beau San-

on posting glimpses of their ‘we’ time on Instagram. Recently, the Salaar star took to the story section of the photo-sharing app, and dropped a loveydovey couple photograph, along with the caption, ‘All

person, and a very unique human being. People think that a lot of the time we call paparazzi, and yes there are times we do when we are looking extra cute or something (laughs). But a lot of the time we don’t, and it was just getting silly to like being photographed.

I also like to share my life on social media, I think it’s been a great avenue for people to connect with me as a person, and this is a big part of my life.”

Vicky compares Katrina to Hema Malini

Vicky Kaushal and Katrina Kaif are one of the most loved couples in Bollywood. Their fans love them a lot and always showed a lot of love.

Vicky said that Katrina is a known face because of her work and she represents Bollywood along with Amitabh Bachchan. He did mention that Hema Malini used to be one of these faces. Talking further he also said that his wife has achieved that status.

TAMANNAAH BHATIA TURNS 32!

he actress turned a year older this Wednesday. It’s her 32nd birthday and she has ringed in her special day with her loved ones. Tamannaah is going to spend her time in Coimbatore at Isha Yoga Center situated at the foothills of Velliangiri. The actress has had a rather eventful year with multiple releases and much more. This break will help her re-align herself, reconnect to nature and give her a much-needed break. As much as it’s important to work, taking a break too is equally important. Tamannaah’s celebration reminds us to take a break and be present in the moment appreciating everything we have. The actress celebrated her birthday last year with close friends & family. Social media was flooded with celebratory messages, fan art and indeed an amazing day. The actress has had a wonderful career with many memorable projects in Bollywood as well as various Tamil and Telegu films.

Anushka calls Kareena to form a ‘cat crew’

Anushka Sharma and Kareena Kapoor Khan are one of the most popular actors in the Bollywood industry. They both have carved out their niche in the industry and have not given a pause in their acting career even after getting married. Recently, Anushka was roped in for promoting a popular sporting brand following which she faced severe backlash.

Anushka Sharma and a popular sporting brand PUMA exchanges bittersweet comments with each other on Instagram after Anushka accused the brand of using her images without prior permission.

A day later, on Tuesday, Anushka signed a mutual agreement and then was seen promoting the brand with energy and enthusiasm. Taking to Instagram, she now recalled Kareena’s association with the brand’s Yoga collection and said, “Thank you @kareenakapoorkhan!”

Rashmika remembers Puneeth Rajkumar

The demise of the late San dalwood star Puneeth Ra jkumar left a huge void in the Kannada film in dustry after he passed away in October last year. He left for a heavenly abode after suffering a heart attack. Back in 2017, he shared the screen with Push pa actress Rashmika Man danna in the action enter tainer, Anjani Putra. As the project completed 5 years of its release today on 21st December, the diva took to her Twit ter handle and penned a heartfelt note, sharing her ex perience of working with the Power Star.

Shruti Haasan

...her post

Katrina Kaif Pooja

Anushka Sharma (L) and Kareena Kapoor Khan (R)

Rashmika Mandanna

Tamannaah Bhatia

The b’day celebrations

LEAVING HIS MARK ON THE GLOBAL TATTOOING SCENE!

start the ‘coloured realism and portraits style of tattooing’ which is mastered by very few people in the world.

Lokesh is India's first award-winning, internationally experienced artist who was also one of the first people to start tattooing in India.

Delhi-based Veteran tattoo artist Lokesh Verma, Founder of Devil'z Tattooz featured among the World’s Top 10 tattoo artists, also got the opportunity of working with some of the world's best tattoo studios like Paul Booth’s Last rites Gallery NYC or Nikko Hurtado’s Black Anchor Tattoo. While giving insights about his work, he said “Just like a dream come true”. Famous for his terrific amalgamation of varied tattoo styles, Lokesh is best known for his coloured portraits and is also the first artist in India to

SUTRA

The Tales That Never Ends

CITY FIRST

Utsav Educational & Cultural Society – an NGO founded by Ranjana GauharPadmashree and SNA Awardee – organised a dance performance of talented Odissi dancer Vinod Kevin Bachan, who hails from Trinidad and Tobago. His performance in “Sutra - The Tales That Never Ends” was held on December 21 in The Stein Auditorium, India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, Delhi.

Bachan, a senior disciple of the illustri ous Ranjana Gauhar, stands tall among Odissi exponents. With his vibrancy and graceful dance , Bachan will set the stage alive with his dance on ‘SUTRA’ un der the guidance

RANJAN said, "For kevin Dance is beyond the physical….it is a spiritual connection with the divine."

Vinod Kevin Bachan said, "Sutra- as a presentation was given birth by my Gu-

and care throughout this journey of creating this event is unfathomable." In all, he has performed two choreographies:

RASA RANG – An anodiya based piece that showcased the love ballet of Krishna with Radha.

BHOOMI SUTA –These episodes were taken from Sita’s life in Ramayana. It focused on Sita’s inner voice, her feelings and emotions and how she dealt with every situation that she faced.

Lokesh is also known for pioneering ‘Soundwave (Audible) tattoos and Permanent Tattoo Removal (Pico Laser) service in In dia’. He is also one of the first Asian to teach tattooing at an Italian University.

To top it all, Lokesh added another feather to his cap by creating a Guinness World record too. “I hold a Guin ness world re cord with my team to tat too the maximum number of flags to be tattooed on the human body and I’m proud of the rewards that my passion has brought

for me,” said Lokesh with a look of pride. But behind all these achievements, lies a story of grit and determination and of a passion so strong that it made pushed a young boy to change his destiny forever. From a sixyear-old boy who drew Fido Dido to a tattoo artist who has inked cricketers like Shikhar

Dhawan and Ishant Sharma to Bollywood actors like Swara Bhaskar and Tapsee Pannu and choreographer Remo D’Souza besides international celebrities, the journey for Lokesh has been long and eventful too. Born and brought up in Delhi, Lokesh had seen his father and mother struggle to give their children a comfortable living while living in a one-room flat for several years.

Lokesh’s father was an ex-army man who did odd jobs after his retirement to earn a living for the family, while his teacher mother also helped to make both ends work.

However, even though Lokesh won the first prize in an Inter-Asia painting competition held in Japan at 14, he was not willing to take the traditional drawing format seriously. It was a different kind of art that fascinated Lokesh.

PROUD MOMENT!

AISHA GUPTA

A21-year-old young and passionate Divya Dhurve started her modelling journey in Bhopal. Belonging to a small town it was really difficult for her to convince her parents. Divya said, "The people of my town had this mentality that modelling isn't the right profession, especially when you are a female."

'If something is truly meant for you, no one and nothing can stop you from getting it,' Divya proved this quote right. She stood strong until her parents gave her a chance to modelling. She then became Miss Central India's 2nd Runner-up, which boosted her morale and stepped ahead to Nagpur for further grooming. Her dedication and the hard work she's put in gave her Miss India Dehradun title.

CELEBRATING LOVE WITH Pyaar Tera 5G!

CITY FIRST

OSM Records recently launched their year-end rager ‘Pyaar Tera 5G’ for music enthusiasts to groove into 2023. Essayed by the gorgeous Chitranshi Dhyani and the actor Devashish Chandiramani, the song depicts the relationship of a young, much-in-love couple and their playful banter. Within a few hours of the launch, the song received an astounding response from fans across the country through YouTube and streaming platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music.

Singing sensation Chitranshi gained popularity for her melodious voice with her song ‘Khasma Nu Kha’ going viral and garnering over 2 million views within three days of unveiling.

While Devashish rose to fame with his acting in hit shows such as Bhagya Lakshmi and Spy Bahu. ‘Pyaar Tera 5G’ captures the essence of young love through a fun repartee between this dynamic duo, a

newlywed couple adjusting to their lives together. Drawing parallels between the 5G and 2G networks, she reminds him of the tall promises he made while wooing her and his neffectiveness in delivering them once they got together. On the occasion of the launch, lyricist and Co-Founder, of

"Chhindwara my hometown had many girls like me who wanted to make a career in modelling but just like me, they had no guidance and even no or maybe little support from their guardians. I knew I had to do something from them, so I started my modelling studio named Diva's modelling studio," said Divya. Her modelling studio provides training, guidance, grooming and everything necessary for becoming a

OSM Records – Himanshu Shekhar said, “This song has a very youthcentric vibe. The singer adds magic to the video and brings it alive with her zestful singing. Devashish pulls off the smitten and sincere husband with charm. Their on-screen chemistry is a delight to watch. Pyaar Tera 5G will resonate with people experiencing ‘butterflies’ for the first time.”

model. She is also planning to organise a show called Miss/Mrs/Mr Chhindwara for aspiring models. Apart from modelling she also works with an NGO called We care for all for animal welfare.

She also won titles of Miss Central India 2nd runner up 2020, Runway model and Groomer etc which are golden moments of her life.

DR MAHENDRA NATH NARAYAN MEMORIAL FOR HIS NOVEL ‘FATHER OF GOD’

Steel

Padma Vibhushan Sonal Mansingh.

Ajay, a renowned technocrat who has been Chairman of the Innovations group at the International Telecom Union (ITU), United Nations curated his first novel, ‘Father of God’ when he was stuck in Paris during COVID first wave. Other than this, he has authored several books on mobile technology.

pana

lice of Odisha, scholar writer Arun Kumar Upadhyay, in the honor of "Art Protection and Promotion", the name of the famous Director General of Bihar Museum, Anjani Kumar Singh, while "Art Rahul Rastogi, Deputy Direc-

tor of Ustad Allauddin Khan Sangeet Academy of Madhya Pradesh in “Sanskriti Samvardhan Samman”, senior writer and former Commissioner of Commerce Narmada Prasad Upadhyay and Alok Paradkar in “Art and Culture Writing Samman”, famous Bharatnatyam in “Sangeet Samman” Dancer Priya Venkata Raman, Director of Goa Museum in "Visual Arts" and renowned artist Subodh Kerkar, Shimla Po-

lice IG in the famous "Loknayak Yash Samman". Jai Prakash Singh, serving on the post of "Lokkala Samman", Ramshabd Singh, senior painter of Kohbar art of Uttar Pradesh, Dr Arvinder Singh Kang, serving on the post of Director of Youth Welfare Wing, Chandigarh University, on "Loknayak Vishisht Shrayab Samman". The "Performing Arts" honor includes Shri Nalini Nihar Nayak, a young playwright and actor from Odisha.

Delhi-based Veteran tattoo artist and Guinness world record holder Lokesh Verma, Founder of Devil'z Tattooz shares his inspiring journey with City First!

UTTKARSHA SHEKHAR uttkarsha.shekhar@firstindia.co.in

of Ranjana Gauhar.

The official Twitter handle of DCP Central Delhi shared glimpses from an event organised recently in Guwahati with the hashtag HeroesOfDelhiPolice in recognition of outstanding contributions to Public service by Robin Hibu, Spl. CP through his NGO Helping Hands. Robin Hibu was honoured with Excellence in Public Service Award 2022, by the former President of India, Ram Nath Kovind.

CITY FIRST

Lok Nayak Jai

Prakash Foundation awarded the Dr Mahendra Nath Narayan Memorial to author Ajay Mishra for his debut novel ‘Father of God’ on December 21, 2022, in a gala ceremony. The event was graced by the presence of Speaker, Lok Sabha, Om Birla, Pankaj Chaudhry, Minister of State for Finance, Faggan Singh Kulaste, Minister of State for

and Rural Development and noted Indian Classical Dancer,

Other major awardees included renowned artist and thinker Padma Shri Kapil Tiwari for the Sanskriti Shikhar honor, well-known contemporary painter Ar-

Kaur for the Kala Ratna honor, ICPR in the "Shiksha Samman". Professor Sachchidanand Mishra, the current Member Secretary of the Society, in Literature and Philosophy, former Director General of Po-

Lokesh Verma

Glimpse of dance performance

Ajay Mishra

Poster of the song

Divya Dhurve