First India-Delhi Edition-24th December 2022

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VIDEOCON LOAN CASE

CBI ARRESTS FORMER ICICI CEO CHANDA KOCHHAR, HUSBAND

New Delhi: The CBI has arrested former managing director and chief executive officer of ICICI Bank Chanda Kochhar and her husband Deepak Kochhar in a loan fraud case. Both Chanda Kochhar and her husband were arrested from New Delhi by the CBI after a long investigation into a money laundering case involving the bank and the Videocon Group, a consumer electronics and oil and gas exploration company. Chanda Kochhar quit ICICI Bank in October 2018 over allegations of irregularities in loans provided to the Videocon Group when she was heading the private sector bank.

BAIL TO RIYAZ KAZI IN ANTILIA BOMB SCARE & HIREN MURDER CASE

CHARLES SOBHRAJ

RELEASED, SAYS “I FEEL VERY GREAT”

New Delhi: Delhi’s Saket court on Friday extended the judicial custody of accused Aaftab Amin Poonawala in the Shraddha Walkar murder case by a further 14 days.

The next date of hearing is on January 6, 2023.

Zema: As many as 16 Army personnel were killed and 4 injured on Friday after a truck they were travelling in skidded down a steep slope while negotiating a sharp turn at Zema in North Sikkim, the Army said. The “ill-fated vehicle” was part of a three-vehicle convoy that moved from Chatten in the morning towards the Thangu area. En route at Zema, the vehicle skidded down a steep slope while negotiating a sharp turn, PRO Lieutenant Colonel Mahendra Rawat said. Prez Droupadi Murmu, PM Modi, Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh expressed grief over the death.

Amit Shah, Rajnath to cover the rest; BJP had identified 144 seats initially

Payal Mehta

New Delhi (PTI): The CBI has filed a charge sheet against former Mumbai police commissioner Sanjay Pandey and former NSE CEO Chitra Ramkrishna and other top executives of the bourse in connection with alleged tapping of phones of executives of the stock market, officials said Friday.

The agency in its charge sheet, filed before a special court here, has alleged that NSE paid Rs 4.54 crore (approx) in 8 years to ISEC Services Pvt Ltd, where Pandey was a director,

MI SH DC LSG & DC 18.50 CR 17.50 CR 16.25 CR 16.25 CR

Vol 2 l Issue No.115 l 80 players sold for Rs 167 crore during IPL Mini auction in Kochi on Friday l 405 players are part of the IPL 2023 auctions, including 273 Indian players l Joshua Little becomes first Irish player to play in IPL; GT buy pacer for Rs 4.4 crore l Mohit Sharma is back in the IPL. Gujarat Titans secure his services for Rs 50 Lakhs l Mayank Dagar has a big day, purchased by SRH in Rs. 1.8 crore after a huge bidding war l Bengal pacer Mukesh Kumar will represent DC in IPL 2023. He joins them for ISHAN KISHAN HARRY BROOK RILEE ROSSOUW POORAN & YUVRAJ PBKS MI CSK RR

16 ARMY BRAVEHEARTS ‘MARTYRED’

Anguished to learn about the tragic road accident that took away the lives of our brave Army soldiers in Sikkim. I express my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. The injured have been provided with every possible assistance.

CBI files charge sheet in NSE phone-tapping case

for carrying out illegal interception of phones. It said that the recording started in 1997 when then MD (Ravi Narain) and then DMD/MD (Ramkrishna) connected call lines of NSE employees to a digital voice recorder provided by a private company.

15.25 CR 13.25 CR 4.6 CR 16 CR

New Delhi: With the BJP focused on the potentially weak Lok Sabha seats ahead of 2024 general elections, the party’s national president JP Nadda will be going on a 2-day tour to Tamil Nadu and Odisha, two states where the

15.50 CR 15 CR 5.75 CR

KKR RCB RR

MOCK SAM CURRAN CAMEROON GREEN BEN STOKES CHRIS MORRIS

Nasal Covid vaccine cleared for use; on CO-WIN soon!

First India Bureau

New Delhi: Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya said that Bharat Biotech nasal vaccine has been approved as a booster dose. Bharat Biotech’s intranasal Covid vaccine will be available in private centres and will be introduced on CoWIN on Friday evening.

“The government of India has approved the Nasal vaccine. It will be used as a heterologous booster and will be available first in private hospitals. It will be included in Covid vaccination program from Friday evening,” official sources said.

CHINA REPORTS 37 MN

COVID CASES IN A DAY

Beijing: China may have reported 37 million coronavirus cases in a day this week, making it the largest single-day spike ever, as per a report which quoted an estimate from the government’s top health authority.

SALIENT FEATURES

l This needless jab will be India’s first such booster dose

l It will be administered to people above 18 years age

DRILL ON TUE A mock drill to test Covid emergency preparedness would be conducted in hospitals across the country on Tue, Dec 27. Dr Mansukh Mandaviya will also be participating in drill. The mock drill is being conducted amid fear of a Covid surge in the wake of a spurt of Covid cases reported globally. PAT CUMMINS KYLE JAMIESON JASON HOLDER

Winter Session ends, both Houses of Parliament adjourned sine die

Houses

First India Bureau

New Delhi: Both Houses of the Parliament were adjourned sine die on Friday morning, a week ahead of the schedule. The Winter Session of Parliament, which started on December 7, was to otherwise end on December 29. Adjourning RS Sabha Chairperson Jagdeep Dhankhar

Nadda given toughest task: to cover half of 160 ‘weak’ Lok Sabha seats

been unable to form the government so far.

BY PTI

talked about the importance of taking necessary precautions to prevent Covid-19 spread. Session saw heated debates over Tawang clash.

During the Tenth Session of the 17th Lok Sabha, 13 sittings were held and Lok Sabha sat for 68 hours and 42 minutes. The productivity of the House during the Session was 97 per cent and many important legislative businesses were transacted.

—Om Birla, Lok Sabha Speaker

l Pricing of the vaccine will be decided soon by the dept

l It will be made available in govt and private facilities

NATIONWIDE COVID OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR, NEW DELHI & MUMBAI www.firstindia.co.in https://firstindia.co.in/epapers/delhi twitter.com/thefirstindia facebook.com/thefirstindia instagram.com/thefirstindia PUNJAB KINGS BREAK BANK FOR SAM CURRAN `18.50 CR Mumbai Indians Owner Akash Ambani, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) CEO Kasi Viswanathan and SunRisers Hyderabad head coach Brian Lara during IPL 2023 Auction, in Kochi on Friday.

BJP has been trying to find its foothold but has

While the BJP is in an alliance with AIADMK in Tamil Nadu, in Odisha the saffron party has so far not been able to breach the Patnaik bastion.

“The party chief will travel across two Lok Sabha seats both in Tamil Nadu and Odisha spending a day each in both states,” sources told ANI. Turn to P8

New Delhi: With the BJP already in 2024 election mode and for this purpose it is already treating each and every election, be it assembly, bypoll or

President

HIGHLIGHTS

l BF.7 variant of coronavirus not worrisome for India, assures senior scientist Rakesh Mishra

l India fully prepared to deal with coronavirus situation: Jyotiraditya Scindia

l India ready to send fever drugs to China amid alarming Covid surge

KERALA

BSE SENSEX 59,845.29 980.93 NSE NIFTY 17,806.80 320.55 MINI AUCTION 2023 RAM-SETU TO HELP BJP CROSS OVER ‘ELECTORAL SEA’ TO 2024 VICTORY?

Abdul

and it is from here where the Ramsetu starts from which Shri Ram had crossed into Lanka. Moreover, Rameshwaram, one of 12 Jyotirlingas, is also located in Ram anathapuram, TN.

In such a situation, if BJP wins from this seat, then 2 big roads will open. Firstly, BJP will make a big dent in Cong bastion of South and 2nd is that Modi will be accepted in Mus lim-majority area.

Union Ministers Pralhad Joshi, V Muraleedharan and Arjun Ram Meghwal with BJP National President JP Nadda and others arrive for the BJP Parliamentary party meeting, in New Delhi on Tuesday.

—PHOTO

(L) Ex-Mumbai police chief Sanjay Pandey and (R) ex-NSE CEO Chitra Ramkrishna.

(L) LS Speaker Om Birla, PM Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi attend customary meeting at end of Winter Session of the Parl on Friday. RS Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar greets as he conducts the proceedings of the House in New Delhi on Friday.

TRUCK FALLS INTO GORGE IN NORTH SIKKIM

First India Bureau

Army personnel seen near the wrecked remains of an Army truck in Zema area of Sikkim on Friday.

A rescue mission was immediately launched, 4 injured soldiers were air evacuated from accident spot

President Murmu, PM Modi, HM Shah, Rajnath, others condole the deaths of Indian Army personnel

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Friday granted bail to Riyaz Kazi, co accused with Sachin Vaze in the Antilia bomb scare and Mansukh Hiren murder case. The court directed Riyaz Kazi’s release on a bail of Rs 25,000.

GETS BAIL AFTER 2 YEARS

First India Bureau

Lucknow: Kerala-based journalist Siddique Kappan, who was lodged in a Uttar Pradesh jail after his arrest in October 2020 while he was on his way to Hathras in the state, where a Dalit woman had died after allegedly being raped, has been granted bail by the High Court on Friday in a money laundering case. The Dalit woman had died at a Delhi hospital a fortnight after she was allegedly gang-raped on September 14, 2020.

local body, with a sense of extreme importance, there is a word

around in party’s

party will

Amit Shah@AmitShah

Shelly Oberoi AAP’s mayoral candidate

Aaley Mohammad Iqbal for deputy

New Delhi (PTI): The Aam Aadmi Party on Friday finalised six names as its candidates for various MCD posts, including that of mayor and deputy mayor, with Shelly Oberoi emerging as the choice for the top post in the civic body.

Senior AAP leader Pankaj Gupta announced the names at a press conference. The party held a meeting of its political affairs committee (PAC) and following a discussion, the six names were shortlisted.

The party's mayoral candidate is Shelly Oberoi and deputy mayor candidate is Aaley Mohammad Iqbal, son of AAP MLA Shoaib Iqbal. The four names shortlisted for Standing Committee were Raminder Kaur, Sarika Chaudhary, Mohini Jeenwal and Mohd Aamil Malik. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal congratulated the candidates.

"Congratulations n best wishes to AAP candidates @OberoiShelly n @AaleyIqbal for May-

MAIN FOCUS TO WORK HARMONIOUSLY WITH COUNCILLORS: SHELLY OBEROI

Speaking

"My main focus in MCD will be to work harmoniously with all the councillors for betterment of the city. We have started working in our respective wards and resolving the garbage menace is our primary focus right now," Oberoi said.

minderKaur,

MCD moves HC against Lokpal order for CBI probe against officials

New Delhi (PTI): The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) approached the Delhi High Court on Friday against an order of the Lokpal of India directing a CBI investigation against its officials on the basis of a complaint about alleged illegal and unauthorised constructions in the city.

Justice Prathiba M Singh, while refusing to pass an interim order of stay "at this stage" deferred the hearing till January 5.

She asked the counsel for the petitioner to serve a copy of the petition to the Lokpal in the meantime.

Senior counsel Rajshekhar Rao, appearing for the municipal body, urged the court to stay further proceedings.

The judge, however, said she will pass an order of stay if a case is made out against the MCD on the next date of hearing.

"Lokpal is consisting of three members with a retired high court judge... Once the Lokpal has considered the matter, there are some reasons. I have to hear them," said the court.

"List on January 5. Advance intimation be given to the respondent Lokpal," it ordered.

Rao contended that if CBI investigation is of-

fered in a case such as the present one, "nobody would be able to do their work" and, by the same logic, a probe should also be ordered against the police for crimes in the city.

The court, however, said, "MCD can't be equated with Delhi police" and voiced its concern with respect to illegal structures.

Inshallah, everything will be good.

I thank Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for making my son deputy mayor candidate. He called me personally to give me this news..

—Shoaib Iqbal, AAP MLA

he tweeted. AAP MLA Iqbal said he was happy with his son getting this responsibility.

Student jumps from 4th floor to escape gay

date

New Delhi (PTI): A 19-year-old Delhi University student, jumped from the fourth floor of a building to save himself from harassment.

According to police, the student had gone to his friend’s flat to party. The two had befriended each other through Blued App -- reportedly a Gay Dating App. The duo planned to meet and party at night.

However, when the student reached his friend’s flat, some boys already present there, started behaving in an objectionable manner. When he decided to leave, the boys apparently blocked his way. Distressed and fearing the situation, the student jumped from the fourth floor to escape.

Gauba’s mantra to secys: Get to root cause of ppl’s grievances

First India Bureau

New Delhi: Urging secretaries to get to the root cause of people’s grievances, Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba on Friday said, “not merely treat the symptoms but treat the disease” and not get overwhelmed by the volume of files.

Addressing a workshop on ‘Good Governance Practices’, Gauba said government offices should have creches, gymnasiums, cafeterias and efforts should be made to keep them clean as physical environment had a bearing on work efficiency.

“What had been done during the Swachhta

Special Campaign 2.0 should be turned into a regular practice,” Gauba added asking officials not to wait for special drives. He also released Special Campaign 2.0 Assessment Report at the event, which was attended by many secretaries in the central government.

“Good governance is

ultimately about improving outcomes and improving the delivery of services. It is about effectively addressing public grievances. I think officers should go a step further to address the root cause of public grievances. (Do) Not merely treat symptoms but treat the disease,” Gauba said.

DCW notice to police over 5-year-old girl’s ‘abduction’, ‘sexual assault’

My team is with her. We have issued a notice to Delhi Police so that the accused are arrested soon.

so that the accused

The

“Five-year-old

Govt schools to close for winter vacation

New Delhi (PTI): Delhi government schools will have a two-week winter vacation from January 1, according to a circular issued by Directorate of Education.

However, remedial sessions for Classes 9 to 12 will be held from January 2 to 14 to revise the syllabi, the circular said.

"All government schools under the Directorate of Education will remain closed for winter vacation from January 1, 2023, to January 15, 2023. To revise the syllabus and enhance the learning-level aca-

demic performance of the students, remedial classes will be held for classes 9 to 12. These classes will enable the students in revising the basic concepts of the subjects from examination point of view," the circular said.

For schools with double shifts, remedial classes will be held in separate wings. However, if there is space crunch, heads of evening shift schools may consult concerned Deputy Directors of Education and opt for evening timings accordingly," the circular added.

KEEPING UP WITH TIME

raped in Delhi. She was picked up from the front of her residence at Bhalswa Dairy and later, found near a lake. She

surgery in

her.

The girl

abducted

hi’s

HC seeks NHAI response on plea against double toll without FASTag

New Delhi: Delhi High Court Friday issued notices to National Haighway Authority of India and Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, seeking their repsonse on a plea against double toll tax for those without FASTag.

The notice was issued on a plea challenging the rule making it compulsory for vehicles without FASTag to pay double the the toll tax.

A bench of Chief Justice SC Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad heard the petition which contended that the rule was discriminatory, arbitrary and against public interest as it empowers NHAI to collect toll at double the rate, if paid in cash.

The HC gave four weeks to file reply and listed the matter for further hearing on April 18.

Commuters not having a functional FASTag are forced to pay double the toll amount. The petitioner claimed he had to install a FASTag device in his car because of the compulsion of paying double toll

Tyagi, represented by advocate Praveen Agrawal, has sought the quashing of a provision of National Highway Fees (Determination of Rates & Collection)

Amendment Rules, 2020 read with MoRT&H letters and NHAI circular due to which commuters without a FASTag on

their vehicles are bound to pay double the toll tax. FASTag is a device that employs Radio Frequency Identification technology for making toll payments. FASTag is affixed on the windscreen of the vehicle and enables a customer to make the toll payments directly from account which is linked to it.

Historic Central Library shifted from Town Hall to Civic Centre

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A copy of the original version of Constitution of India, civil list and gazettes of preindependence era, historical documents are also available in the library

New Delhi (PTI): The Central Library of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi set up in 1958 at the iconic Town Hall in the walled city, has been shifted to the towering Civic Centre here, officials said on Thursday.

The 1860s-era Town Hall in old Delhi’s Chandni Chowk served as the headquarters of the MCD from the time of its inception till it was moved to the 28-storey high complex -Civic Centre.

Special Officer of the

MCD Ashwani Kumar on Thursday inaugurated the library in the presence of Municipal Commissioner Gyanesh Bharti. It is located on

the third floor of the E Block of the Civic Center. The Civic Centre, officially known as SP Mukherjee Civic Centre, the headquarters of

Since its inception, this library has been an important centre of study for public representatives, corporation officials, employees & researchers.

—Senior official, MCD

MCD was inaugurated on April 22, 2010.

The state-of-the-art complex houses five buildings, the tallest of which is 28-storey high.

“The old Central Library of the MCD had about 8,000 books and nearly 6,000 books have been shifted to its new location. The Central Library set up in 1958 when the MCD began its journey, has some very rare books in its possession, including an original copy of the Constitution of India. It has now found a new home,” an official source told PTI.

The MCD came into being in 1958 and Town Hall served as its headquarters till 2009, and

from April 2010 the headquarters was formally shifted to the swanky and towering Civic Centre complex in front of the New Delhi railway station.

Town Hall was built in 1860s. The building was earlier called Delhi Institute or Lawrence Institute, and is still considered one of the iconic buildings of the city.

A heritage renewal project for the over 150-year-old building, has been planned by the NDMC for the past sev-

eral years, but it has not taken off the ground yet.

“The Central Library of MCD was established in 1958 at Town Hall, Chandni Chowk. Since its inception, this library has been an important centre of study for public representatives as well as corporation officials, employees and researchers. There are more than six thousand books in the shelves of the Central Library, in which some books are timeless and precious,” a senior official said.

or n Dy Mayor n AAP members Standing Committee members @ SarikaSamar, @iRa-

@MohiniJeenwal n Aamil Malik God bless u all to make our beloved Del clean,"

Shelly Oberoi

Aaley Mohammad Iqbal

New Delhi (PTI): Working harmoniously with all councillors for betterment of the national capital will be the focus of the MCD, Aam Aadmi Party's mayoral candidate Shelly Oberoi said on Friday.

to PTI, She said the AAP councillors have already started working in their respective wards and cleanliness and resolving the garbage menace in the city is their primary focus.

Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba

New Delhi (PTI): Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) has issued a notice to the police, seeking an action-taken report in connection with the alleged abduction and sexual assault of a 5-yr-old girl at Bhalswa Dairy.

panel has sought the details related to the FIR and the arrest of the accused by December 26.

girl

underwent a

a hospital. My team is with

We have issued a notice to Delhi Police

are arrested soon,” DCW chief Swati Maliwal said in a tweet in Hindi.

was allegedly

and sexually assaulted in north Del-

Bhalswa Dairy area, the police had said.

A video grab of the incident as captured in the CCTV.

—Swati Maliwal, , DCW chief

First India Bureau

Petitioner Ravinder

from Jan 1

MCD engineers are a problem. Unauthorised construction, encroachment, everything takes place. Something has to be done.

—Delhi High Court

Do not expect surge in cases due to Omicron sub-variants: Virologist

New Delhi (PTI): Renowned virologist Gangandeep Kang on Friday said India has reported a few cases of Omicron sub-variants XBB and BF.7, but they have not driven an upsurge, and she does not expect a spike in covid cases.

Her remarks come in the backdrop on the highly transmissible Omicron strains, mostly BF.7, causing a spike in covid in many countries, including China.

“They are, like all Omicron sub-variants, very good at infecting people because they escape the immune response that prevents infection, but are not causing more severe disease than Delta,” the professor at the Christian

Medical College's division of gastrointestinal sciences tweeted. Kang said, "at the moment, India is doing fine" but maintained surveillance should be ensured to "detect signal of any changes in the behaviour of the virus".

BF.7 is a sub-lineage of Omicron variant BA.5 and has the strong-

est infection ability since it is highly transmissible, has a shorter incubation period and has a higher capacity to cause reinfection or infect even those vaxed.

China is opening up fast at a time when their population has low levels of exposure to natural infection, she said, adding “the current cir-

culating variants are Omicron, which have evolved in vaccinated populations and are therefore very infectious". Kang said most of China's population has received two doses of vaccines.

"Most infections can be managed at home, but sheer numbers mean that even a small

Worry with China is not just the tragedy unfolding for them as they undergo what we have already experienced, but that high replication means increased opportunity for new variants to emerge.

Gagandeep Kang, Virologist

proportion getting severely ill, means that many people will have severe disease and that a proportion of those will die," she said.

"At the moment, India is doing fine. We have few cases, we have had the XBB and BF.7 for a while and they have not driven an upsurge in India. In the absence of an

Kamal Nath’s nephew summoned by court in fertiliser scam

New Delhi (PTI): A Delhi court on Friday summoned Ratul Puri, nephew of former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath, as accused in a money laundering case linked to an alleged fertiliser scam and payment of Rs 685 crore as kickbacks.

Special Judge Vikas Dhull, while taking cognisance of a supplementary charge sheet

in the case, directed Puri to appear before the court on January 18. The judge passed the order while noting the submissions made by the ED's Special Public Prosecutor Nitesh

Rana that prima facie there were enough evidence to prosecute Puri in the case.

Puri is also an accused in cases related to the AgustaWestland chopper scam and Mo -

ser Baer scam.

He is currently out on bail in cases related to both the scams.

According to the ED, the fertiliser scam, also involving RJD Rajya Sabha MP Amarendra

Dhari Singh and IFFCO Managing Director and CEO U S Awasthi, relates to illegal commissions worth over Rs 685 crore allegedly paid to the NRI sons of Awasthi and Indian

Two suffocate to death after fire in Gr Noida warehouse

First India Bureau

New Delhi (PTI): A man was arrested for allegedly killing his wife by strangulation over suspicion on her character in Mandawali area, police said on Friday.

On August 30, a 25-yearold woman was found dead at her house in Mandawali’s Saket block. The body bore injury marks on the forehead, a senior police officer said.

During the investigation, it was revealed that the deceased, a native of Siddarth Nagar district in UP, married auto mechanic Saddam in 2016, the officer said, adding they had a 3-year-old son who lived with his grandparents in Siddarth Nagar.

Noida: Two men died reportedly due to asphyxiation following a fire in a carton warehouse in Greater Noida early Friday, police said. Identified Baburam (33) and Avneesh (32), the victims were natives of Baduaun district in UP, the police added.

"The fire broke out in the warehouse in Milak Lachhi around 1.30 AM. Police and firefighters rushed to the spot after which the blaze was brought under control," the police said.

"When the teams checked a room in the warehouse, two people

were found there and both were immediately taken to community health centre in Bisrakh where the doctor

Potash Ltd (IPL) Managing Director P S Gahlaut, as well as others by overseas suppliers during 2007-14. Indian Farmers Fertiliser Co-operative Limited (IFFCO) is a multi-state farmers' cooperative, while IPL is its company involved in supplying fertilisers, for which the government provides subsidies to keep rates affordable, the ED said.

‘NO SEVERE DISEASE’

Noting that Omicron does result in severe disease in a proportion of the infected, but it is not as severe as that caused by the Delta variant, she said it is not mild, but it does infect the upper respiratory tract more than the lower.

even more highly infectious variant, I do not expect a surge," the virologist tweeted.

“Each new sub-variant thrives only if it is better at immune escape than the prior ones. Therefore, greater infectiousness of new variants is a given and not news,” she said on Twitter.

At 5.3o C, Delhi records season’s coldest morning

New Delhi (PTI): A shallow layer of fog engulfed parts of Delhi on Friday morning, reducing visibility to 500 metres, as the city recorded the season’s coldest morning with the mercury dipping to 5.3 degrees Celsius. The fog disrupted road and rail traffic with a railways spokesperson saying 21 trains were running late by 1.30 to 4.30 hours. The maximum temperature, which settled one notch below normal at 20.1 degrees Celsius, was also the lowest this winter.

The Safdarjung Observatory, the primary weather station in the national capital, recorded the minimum temperature at 5.3 degrees Celsius, three notches below the season’s normal, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). This is the lowest temperature recorded so far this season. The Palam airport logged the lowest visibility level of 200 metres at 5.30 am. Visibility dropped to 500 metres at Safdarjung airport at 5.30 am.

JNU’s Umar Khalid released for a week to attend sister’s wedding

New Delhi (PTI): Former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student Umar Khalid was released from the Tihar jail here on Friday after he was granted interim bail for a week to attend his sister’s wedding, officials said.

According to prison officials, Khalid was released on Friday morn-

ing. Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh

Rawat granted the relief to Khalid, who was arrested in a case related to the February 2020 northeast Delhi riots. Khalid has been granted bail till December 30. The former student leader had moved an application seeking interim bail for two weeks to attend his sister’s wedding.

declared them dead," the official said.

According to police, the two probably died of asphyxiation.

Aaftab’s voice sample test on 26

New Delhi (PTI): A Delhi court directed Aaftab Amin Poonawala, accused of killing his live-in partner Shraddha Walkar, to give his voice sample for taking forward the probe in the “sensitive case”, rejecting vehement claims by his counsel that a copy of the application and the time to consult the accused be given before ordering such a test.

The court said a fair probe is also required in the larger public interest.

Referring various judgments, the court said the consent of an accused is only required for tests like narco anal-

ysis, brain mapping and polygraph and that the right to refusal was not available when a voice sample has been sought.

“True, fair trial is right of an accused but it is also true that fair investigation is also required in the larger public interest as the offence cannot escape and

crime cannot go unnoticed merely because accused is not ready to aid in the investigation. Thus, the application moved by investigation officer seeking nod for voice sampling test of accused is allowed,” Metropolitan Magistrate Vijayshree Rathore said.

New Delhi (PTI): The Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Rohini on Friday submitted the narco test report of Aaftab Poonawala to the case’s investigating officer, officials said. Police had earlier said that according to the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) report, the blood samples recovered from Poonawala’s house were of Shraddha Walkar’s. The report of Poonawala’s polygraph test has already been submitted to police by the FSL. According to police sources, the DNA evidence will prove to be a critical evidence in the case.

People without face masks at a crowded Sarojni Nagar Market in New Delhi on Friday. —PHOTO BY PTI

Umar Khalid —FILE PHOTO

According to ED, the scam also involves RJD MP Amarendra Dhari Singh

A man warming himself near a bonfire on a cold winter morning, on banks of Yamuna in New Delhi on Friday. —PHOTO BY ANI

Ghaziabad (ANI): A fire broke out at a marriage hall in Ghaziabad on Friday, informed the fire department. "We received information about the fire in a marriage hall. Six fire tenders reached the spot. The fire has been completely doused. There has been no loss of life. A lot of material has been burnt in the fire," said Rahul Kumar, CFO.

Locals at the site on Friday. —PHOTO BY PTI

FIRE BREAKS OUT IN MARRIAGE HALL IN GHAZIABAD

Man kills wife over infidelity suspicion; held

Narco test report given to police by FSL

STICKING WITH PLAN

And this leads us to a major task for any future Twitter CEO – and perhaps the heart of the problem with Twitter. Musk changes his mind frequently –sometimes within hours, as we saw recently when he appeared to walk back a policy change regarding users’ ability to link to other social media accounts. He may rethink stepping down, or even appoint someone only to sack them

In a strong response to a recent Twitter poll posted by Elon Musk, users of the platform have called for him to relinquish his position as CEO. Musk has responded that he’ll step down when he “finds someone foolish enough” to take over as CEO, saying he will run the software and server teams instead. But any replacement will need to be able to steer Twitter back to calmer waters, with Musk remaining majority owner.

It’s been a tumultuous year for Twitter and Musk. He began building up shares in the company in January 2022 and his US$44 billion (£36 billion) bid to buy the platform was accepted in April. He then tried to pull out of the deal in July, before finally taking ownership in October.

Since then he has made – and sometimes walked back – numerous changes to the popular social media platform.

Indeed, Musk’s reaction to finally getting his hands on Twitter has been reminiscent of Christmas morning, when children rip open presents, display initial excitement and then quickly lose interest. Musk may have imagined that owning the website would be fun and make him feel powerful.

But the reality has been rather different. He has been criticised and abused, both online and in real life and now 57.5% of more than 17.5 million Twitter users have

DON’T FEAR, THERE’S HARMONY IN INDIA

3

LEADERSHIP QUALITIES

Musk’s replacement as Twitter’s CEO will need to have

IN-DEPTH

BHARAT JODO YATRA IS SET TO ENTER A DIFFICULT TERRITORY

Musk has responded that he’ll step down when he “finds someone foolish enough” to take over as CEO, saying he will run the software and server teams instead. But any replacement will need to be able to steer Twitter back to calmer waters, with Musk remaining majority owner

voted for him to stand down as its CEO.

There has been some speculation that Musk has come under pressure from other Twitter shareholders and lenders to move on. Further, Musk has been selling billions in Tesla stock and its share price is down by over 60% this year. Shareholders in the car firm would probably like their hitherto successful CEO back full time.

So, if Twitter wants to find a new CEO, what sort of person should the troubled social media platform be looking for? As a student of leadership, I can see three key requirements for anyone considering – or being considered for – this role right now:

Once again the issue of Muslims’ insecurity has cropped up. This time it has been raised by Rashtriya Janata Dal’s senior leader Abdul Bari who said that he has asked his children to find a job abroad and, if possible, settle there as Muslims were insecure in India. Bari said that his son was studying at Harvard University and his daughter was a graduate of LSE and it was hard for him to ask his children to leave the country.

His worry was that his children may not be able to adjust in the prevailing insecure environment. The BJP spokesman Nikhil Anand responded that Bari should go to Pakistan if he felt sup-

1. CONFIDENCE AND INDEPENDENCE

A new Twitter CEO will want assurances that they will be free to take decisions about the direction of the business without being second-guessed by Musk as the majority owner. So the new CEO will need to be confident, perhaps even arrogant, and ready to stand their ground.

2. THE ABILITY TO FACE FACTS

The new leader will have to “confront the brutal facts” of the situation – according to management expert Jim Collins, this is how to begin productive change. Twitter is struggling financially.

Musk paid US$44 billion to

Once again the issue of Muslims’ insecurity has cropped up. This time it has been raised by RJD’s senior leader Abdul Bari who said that he has asked his children to find a job abroad and, if possible, settle there as Muslims were insecure in India

pressed and called his comments an insult to the Hindu community.

In 2015 actor Aamir Khan had also raised the issue of growing intolerance in the country and his wife Kiran

buy it, perhaps twice what it was worth. He has borrowed huge sums and sold large tranches of Tesla stock to help fund the acquisition. But he could now face interest payments to lenders of up to US$1 billion a year unless Twitter’s financial health can be turned around. These are the brutal facts a new leader must confront.

3. AN IMAGINATIVE APPROACH TO MANAGEMENT

The social media platform’s current position leads on to a third requirement for the new leader: imagination. Twitter is a resounding practical success. It is influential and powerful. It has certainly sped up the flow of information (admittedly, inaccurate information as well as the useful kind).

And it can be a force for good – for example providing data and advice during the COVID-19 pandemic or helping to highlight the failings of politicians or the media –even with the unpleasantness and abuse that seem to be an unavoidable part of tweeting.

This brings us to a very valuable leadership lesson that the maverick Musk has taught everyone in recent months: we should hesitate before labelling forceful people as great leaders in any setting until we have seen what their long-term impact has been.

SOURCE: THE CONVERSATION

Rao wondered if they should move out of the country. Like Bari he was also to either do ghar wapsi (convert to Hinduism) or go to Pakistan.

To malign the actor a fake video was also circulated showing him in the company of two Pakistani terrorists.

There is indeed increased intolerance. Early release of Bilkis Bano’s rapists from prison and the warm welcome they were given, the Dharma Sansad’s call to violence against Muslims did not evoke a feeling of safety in the minority community and with bulldozer becoming a new symbol of democracy the community’s feeling of insecurity was heightened.

Despite all this there is harmony in the country and there’s no reason to emigrate.

Bharat Jodo Yatra may not achieve its goal(s) but it continues to roll on. From Haryana it is expected to enter Delhi on Saturday and reach the Red Fort unmindful of the Covid-19 warning issued by the Union Health Ministry. Masks are on but social distancing is not possible when a crowd accompanies a leader. It will be interesting to see if the marchers are allowed to enter Delhi while Covid-19 protocols are not in place. There is apprehension that it may be stopped. Will the Congress gain any political mileage if it is?

That may not happen and the BJP may not lose any brownie points either as it is too strongly placed. It is the outcome of any political move that eventually decides its success or failure. The Yatra’s objectives of fighting fear, bigotry and prejudice are laudable but the acceptability of those objectives by the masses is doubtful. That will make Yatra’s unspoken agenda of Congress revival difficult.

SPIRITUAL SPEAK

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. Bible

May

Anurag Thakur @ianuragthakur

l Vol 2 l Issue No.115

l RNI TITLE NO. DELENG/2021/19840

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

Amit Shah

@AmitShah

Former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh ji fought for the interests of farmers throughout his life. He believed that prosperous farmers and strong agriculture system are the foundation of bright India. Remembering Chaudhary Saheb on his birth anniversary, I bow down to him and wish everyone a Happy Farmer’s Day.

The news of the casualties of jawans in a road accident in Sikkim is extremely distressing. My heartfelt condolences are with the families of the victims. I wish speedy recovery of the injured.

God give place to the departed brave souls at his holy feet. Om Shanti!

Premature adjournment of LS is with consensus of all political parties: Birla

First India Bureau

New Delhi: The Winter Session of the Lok Sabha was adjourned sine die on Friday.

On this occasion, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, who was Presiding the House, said that during the 10th session of the Lok Sabha, 13 sittings were held and Lok Sabha sat for 68 hours and 42 minutes. The productivity of the House during the Session was 97 per cent and many important legislative businesses were transacted.

During the Session, 09 Bills were introduced and 07 Bills were passed.

Some of the important bills which were passed are: The Anti-Maritime Piracy Bill, 2019; The Appropriation (No.4) Bill, 2022; The Appropriation (No.5) Bill, 2022; The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth) Amendment Bill, 2022; and The Repealing and Amending Bill, 2022.

Supplementary Demands for Grants - First Batch for 2022-2023 and Demands for Excess Grants for 2019-2020 which were passed on December 14.

IMPORTANT BILLS WHICH WERE PASSED

z

The Anti-Maritime Piracy Bill, 2019;

z The Appropriation (No.4) Bill, 2022;

z

The Appropriation (No.5) Bill, 2022; z

The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth) Amendment Bill, 2022;

The Repealing and Amending Bill, 2022

z

QUESTION HOUR

Speaker Om Birla said that

56 Starred questions were orally answered in the House during the Session. Answers to 2760 Unstarred Questions were laid on the Table of the House. Besides, 298 matters of public importance were raised under Rule 377. Members raised 374 matters of urgent public importance during Zero Hour.

New Delhi (ANI): The Rajya Sabha was on Friday adjourned sine die seven days ahead of the scheduled completion of the 258th session. Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar adjourned the house sine die and said he felt privileged to be part of the August House. The Chairman extended his greetings to the members of the House for the upcoming festivals, including Christmas, Pongal, Lohri and others, and suggested that there is a need to be vigilant of the rising cases of Covid pandemic and take necessary precautions. “This session was marked with a display of wit, sarcasm, humour and intellect. I hope to experience more of it with greater indulgence from experienced members,” Dhankhar said.

MPs PAY TRIBUTES TO CHAUDHARY CHARAN SINGH ON HIS BIRTH ANNIV

Charles Sobhraj deported to France on release from jail

Kathmandu (PTI):

Charles Sobhraj was deported to France on Friday, hours after being freed from a Nepalese prison where he served most of his sentence for a string of murders of backpackers across Asia in the 1970s.

Sobhraj, 78, was released from the Central Jail in Kathmandu on Friday morning and taken in a heavily guarded police convoy to the Department of Immigration.

According to Sudesh Subedi, one of Sobhraj’s lawyers, his mother and daughter were waiting for his arrival in Paris.

Sobhraj flew to Doha on Qatar Airways flight QR647 and will then leave for Paris.

Although his socalled spouse Nihita Bishwas, whom he reportedly married in the

jail in 2008, was present at the immigration office, she was not allowed to meet Sobhraj.

Sobhraj arranged money online for his air ticket.

Fanindra Mani Pokharel, the joint secretary and spokesperson of the Ministry of Home Affairs, said Sobhraj will be barred from entering Nepal for the next ten years, The Kathmandu Post newspaper reported.

CRUCIAL READ

4 DEAD, 4 INJURED AFTER VEHICLE FALLS INTO DEEP DITCH IN CHHATTISGARH

Kabirdham: Four people were killed while four got injured after the vehicle in which they were traveling in fell into a 40-feet deep ditch in Chhattisgarh’s Kabirdham district, on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday.

The police said that there were a total of eight passengers, including the driver in the car during the time of the incident.Those who died were identified as Fagu Yadav (60), a resident of Sakin, Sati Bai (35), a resident of Sakin Damakheda, Kaushalya (70), a resident of Sakin Kusmi and Malti (45), a resident of Sakin Bhanpuri.

BSF FOILS PAKISTAN DRONE BID TO SMUGGLE DRUGS, ARMS INTO PUNJAB

Chandigarh: The BSF in Punjab on Friday foiled Pakistan’s attempt of smuggling drugs and weapons across the border through a drone. The BSF personnel deployed at the border heard the buzzing sound of a flying object from Pakistan entering Indian territory near Mullakot village in Amritsar district. As per the drill, the troops tried to intercept the drone by firing. The area was cordoned off and the security agencies were informed.

SEARCH ENGINES LIKE GOOGLE CANNOT CLAIM TO BE 'CONTENT-BLIND': KERALA HC

Kochi: The Kerala High Court has held that search engines like Google cannot claim to be mere intermediaries with no control over the content that appears in search results. This came in a judgment by a division bench of Justices Muahmed Mustaque and Shoba Annamma Eapen on the right to be forgotten and the manner in which it applies to publication of court judgments and proceedings, in the absence of any specific legislation. The bench observed that even though making court judgments available in search results cannot be faulted, it cannot be said that Google has no control over the information that gets thrown up in search results.

New Delhi (ANI): The NIA on Friday carried out searches at 14 locations in Jammu and Kashmir against people involved in the spreading of terrorist activities by various proscribed terrorist outfits in the UT by targeting minorities and security personnel. The search operation was conducted by the NIA in Kulgam, Pulwama, Anantnag, Sopore and Jammu districts. Various incriminating materials such as digital devices, SIM cards and digital storage devices have been seized from the searched premises, the NIA said in a statement.

Has Rahul undergone Covid test yet? asks Thakur

New Delhi (PTI): Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Friday sought to know whether Rahul Gandhi had got himself tested for COVID-19 as Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, who had walked “arm-in-arm” with the Congress leader during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, was infected with

the virus.

“The Himachal Pradesh chief minister has tested Covid positive during the yatra.

That day, Rahul Gandhi was walking arm-inarm with the chief minister. Did Rahul get himself tested for Covid,” Thakur told reporters here.

The Union minister

Cabinet approves MSP for copra for 2023 season

First India Bureau

New Delhi: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by PM Narendra Modi has approved Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) for copra for 2023 season.

The approval is based on recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices and views of major coconut growing states.

MoS JITENDRA SINGH TO CII

First India Bureau

New Delhi: Union Minister of State (MoS) Dr Jitendra Singh on Friday urged the industry body, CII to come forward in a big way to promote Start-ups in Jammu and Kashmir to provide gainful employment to youth.

Dr Jitendra Singh said, J&K has huge unexplored potential of Agri-tech Start-ups as the geography and climatic conditions here

The MSP for Fair Average Quality of milling copra has been fixed at Rs 10860 per quintal and for ball copra at Rs 11750 per quintal for 2023. This is an increase of Rs 270 per quintal for milling copra and Rs 750 per quintal for ball copra over the previous season. This would ensure a margin of 51.82% for milling copra and 64.26% for ball copra over all India weighted average cost of production, Union Minister Anurag Thakur said.

sought to know whether other participants of the Bharat Jodo Yatra had got their Covid tests done.

“Will the Congress not adhere to Covid protocols? Is one family or one party above Covid protocols,” Thakur asked. He said leaders of the Congress will be held responsible if

there is a fresh spread of Covid in the country.

“Have Congress leaders decided to continue spreading misinformation about Covid as they did about the vaccines,” Thakur asked. “The health infrastructure of the country has to bear the brunt when several people get admitted to hospitals.”

We have administered 220 cr Covid vaccine doses till date, says Scindia

New Delhi (ANI): Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Friday highlighted the ongoing vaccination drive, launched by the Centre government, against Covid-19 amid the fear of a covid surge.

Addressing a press briefing on the BJP government’s efforts towards a ‘Healthy India’ on Friday, the Union Minister said that 220 crore doses of vaccine have been administered till this Monday. “The

forward to promote start-ups in J&K’

favour the cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants. He said, the success of Aroma Mission or ‘Purple Revolution’ bears testimony to the win-win proposition for both farmers and youth entrepreneurs.

Interacting with J&K Chapter of Confederation of Indian Industry, Dr Singh said, the real stakeholders from all walks of life should come out with an open mind for overall development of the UT. The

Minister recalled that Prime Minister Modi last year, while meeting

the political representatives from J&K called for removing Dilli ki

Doori (the distance from Delhi) as well as Dil ki Doori (the distance from the heart). He said, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi took oath for the second term, ‘Mission J&K’ was strongly emphasised, of which one of the important steps taken has been the extensive public outreach program involving Union Ministers, apart from several important developmental projects and new investments bestowed on the

newly created UT. Sayed Ehsan Javaid, Chairman of CII UT Council, J&K said, since the abrogation of article 370 post august 5th 2019, they have adopted the theme “Making J&K an Aspirational Destination” by playing a proactive role as a catalyst for sustainable development of the UT and making it an aspirational destination for Investments, Quality Education, and Advanced Infrastructure.

focus of our government is to transform health care into holistic health care. Following the PM's vision of ‘One Nation One Health’, we collectively handled Covid. 220 crore doses of vaccine have been

administered till this Monday,” he said.

Shedding a light on the Modi govt’s steps in providing medical facilities in far-flung areas, the Civil Aviation Minister said, “drones are being used for the delivery of blood, vaccines, and medicines in remote areas. In 2014 there were only 6 All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and today we have 22 AIIMS in the country,” the Union Minister added.

CBI lodges FIR over `4,037 cr bank fraud

New Delhi (PTI): The CBI has filed an FIR against Abhijeet Group promoted company Corporate Power Limited and its directors for alleged bank fraud of Rs 4,000 crore, officials said on Friday.

The agency on Thursday searched 16 locations in multiple cities, including Nagpur, Mumbai, Ranchi, Kolkata, Durgapur, Ghaziabad, and Vishakhapatnam, in connection with the case, they said.

Corporate Power Limited, a Kolkatabased special purpose vehicle promoted by Abhijeet Group for setting up a power plant in Jharkhand, allegedly committed a bank fraud of Rs 4037.87 crore involving a consortium of 20 banks, according to a complaint filed by Union Bank of India.

Officials said several companies of Abhijeet Group are facing CBI probes in connection with coal scam cases.

‘Come

Minister of State (MoS) Dr Jitendra Singh during the meeting with the CII representatives on Friday.

NIA raids 14 locations in J&K in case linked to terror activities

During the Session, 13 sittings were held and Lok Sabha sat for 68 hours & 42 minute, says LS Speaker

MPs in the Lok Sabha during the Winter Session of Parliament, in New Delhi on Friday. —PHOTO BY PTI

New Delhi (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress MP Sonia Gandhi and other leaders on Friday attended the customary meeting at Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla’s chamber at the end of the Winter Session. Among leaders who attended the meeting included Union Minister Rajnath Singh and other top leaders. The Lok Sabha was adjourned sine die on Friday, six days ahead of the schedule.

New Delhi (FIB): LS Speaker Om Birla led MPs in paying floral tributes at the portrait of former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh in the Central Hall of Parliament House on his Birth Anniversary, on Friday. Defence Minister Raj Nath Singh; Minister of Commerce Piyush Goyal; Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi; Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha Harivansh; other Ministers, MPs and former Members also paid floral tributes to Chaudhary Charan Singh. A booklet containing the profile of Chaudhary Charan Singh, brought out in Hindi and English by the Lok Sabha Secretariat, was presented to the dignitaries who attended the function.

RAJYA SABHA ALSO ADJOURNED SINE DIE 7 DAYS AHEAD OF SCHEDULE

Jyotiraditya Scindia

CORPORATE POWER LTD

Nepal police escort Charles Sobhraj (in brown cap) to the immigration office in Kathmandu on Friday. —PHOTO BY PTI

Nihita Bishwas, whom Sobhraj married in jail in 2008, was at the immigration office but was not allowed to meet him

Union Minister Anurag Thakur speaks during launch of Khelo India dashboard on Friday.

Avoid wrong practices to sell insurance’

New Delhi: Concerned over rising incidence of mis-selling, the finance ministry has directed heads of public sector banks to put in place strong mechanisms to avoid unethical practices for selling insur-

LATEST IRDAI ANNUAL REPORT

New Delhi: Buoyed by 5G push and a high installed base, the India smartphone market is projected to grow 10 per cent in 2023 to reach 175 million units, a report showed on Friday. India currently has more than 600 million smartphone users, a number which is expected to grow over time as more feature phone users migrate to smartphones. The replacement demand from these users will drive the market in 2023 and beyond, as per Counterpoint Research.

Bengaluru: Walmartowned e-commerce platform Flipkart and digital payments platform PhonePe, on Friday announced the full ownership separation of PhonePe as the company gears up for initial public offering. As part of this transaction, existing Flipkart Singapore and PhonePe Singapore shareholders, led by Walmart, have purchased shares directly in PhonePe India. Walmart will remain the majority shareholder of both business groups. —PTI

India economic growth ‘extremely fragile’, needs all support: RBI MPC

New Delhi (PTI): India’s economic growth is now ‘extremely fragile’ and needs all the support that it can get, as private consumption and capital investment are yet to pick up, RBI Monetary Policy Committee member Jayanth R Varma said on Friday.

Varma also said out of the four engines of growth for the economy, exports and government spending supported the Indian economy through the pandemic, but other engines need to pick up the baton now.

“

I like to think in terms of the four engines of growth for the economy: exports, government spending, capital investment and

private consumption. “... While exports cannot be the main driver of growth because of the global slowdown, government spending is necessarily limited by fiscal constraints. The critical question is whether the fourth engine of private consumption will remain buoyant after the pent-up demand dissipates over the coming months. ,” he said.

z On the advice of IRDAI, insurers have also been taking the issue of mis-selling seriously by doing a root cause analysis to identify the major causes and have taken suitable steps to prevent mis-selling

public sector banks said.

There have been instances where life insurance policies were sold to customers aged above 75 years in Tier II-III cities. Usually, branches of the banks push products of their subsidiary insurers. When resisted by customers, bank officials would sheepishly convince that they are under pressure. Insurance products are pushed when customers go to seek any kind

z The mis-selling cases stood at 23,110 in 2021-22. The number of mis-selling complaints per 10,000 policies sold was at 31 during the year

z No. of complaints disposed in favour of complainant has increased from 24% in 202021 to 27% over in 2021-2022

of loan or buy a term deposit. In this regard, it said, the department has already issued a circular wherein it has been advised that a bank should not adopt restrictive practices of forcing customers for getting insurance.

Also, the Central Vigilance Commission has raised objection, as incentives for selling insurance products bring not only pressure on the staff but the core business of banking also gets affected and quality is may get compromised.

GIVE LOANS AT LOWER RATES TO THOSE WANTING TO BUY CLEAN ENERGY VEHICLES: NITIN GADKARI TO BANKS

Thane (PTI): Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Friday asked banks to give loans at reduced interest rates to those seeking to buy vehicles that run on clean energy, including flex fuel, electricity and hydrogen. Speaking at the golden jubilee celebrations of a cooperative bank in Kalyan in Maharashtra’s Thane district, the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways said it was his dream that vehicles running on diesel and petrol get phased out in the next four to five years. He said banks must rate industries based on thee performance on various parameters over the past five years and give those scoring high marks loans within 24 hours, adding credibility and goodwill would be the biggest capital in the 21st century.

Gadkari said 406 projects with a total outlay of `3.85

in April-September

New Delhi(PTI): India received foreign direct investment (FDI) worth $3.21 million in defence industries during April-September period this fiscal year, Parliament was informed today.

The sector had attracted $2.36 million foreign investment in 2021-22, $0.63 million in 2020-21, $2.20 million in 2019-20, $2.18 million in 201819 and $0.01 million in 201718, according to data provided by Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Som Parkash. He said to promote FDI, the government has put in place an investorfriendly policy, wherein most sectors, except certain strategically important ones, are open for 100% FDI under the automatic route.

California: Facebook owner Meta has agreed to pay $725m to settle legal action over a data breach linked to political consultancy Cambridge Analytica. The long-running dispute accused the social media giant of allowing third parties, including the British firm, to access Facebook users’ personal data. The proposed sum is the largest in a US data privacy class action, lawyers say. Meta, which did not admit wrongdoing, said it had “revamped” its approach to privacy over the past 3 years. The company said settling was “in the best interest of our community & shareholders”. —AGENCIES

lakh crore have stalled due to wrong decisions, but the minister went on to add that not taking any decision for fear of it going wrong is also undesirable. “Bal Thackeray once gave me a quote written in acrylic. It said I like people who can get things done. I like honest people who take the wrong decisions. I am even ready to appreciate people who are dishonest and take wrong decisions. I dislike people who don’t want to take decisions,” Gadkari said.

NDTV founders Roys to sell most of their stake to Adani Group

New Delhi (PTI): NDTV founders Prannoy Roy and his wife Radhika Roy on Friday said they will sell all but 5 per cent of their remaining shareholding in the news broadcaster to Adani Group for up to Rs 647.6 crore. Roys, who founded New Delhi Television Ltd (NDTV) as India’s first and largest private producer of news current affairs and entertainment television, lost their status of being the company’s largest shareholder in recent weeks.

This follows Adani Group becoming the majority shareholding of NDTV after first buying out a company backed by the founders and then acquiring more shares from the open market. Now,

SENSEX FALLS ABOUT 1,000 PTS AS COVID CONCERN DAMPENS INVESTORS SENTIMENT

New Delhi (ANI): The losses in the domestic stock indices widened as the session progressed on Friday and they settled sharply lower, tracking weak global cues as the fear of the Covid surge kept investors at bay.

The benchmark indices extended losses for the fourth straight session and marked the sharpest singleday fall in about three

IMF WARNS OF HEADWINDS

Mumbai: The International Finance Corporation has extended a $400 million loan to mortgage major HDFC for financing green affordable housing units, as part of their efforts towards supporting climate goals. This loan will help improve access to climatesmart affordable homes by boosting green housing, which will support the country’s shift towards a more sustainable growth path, creating jobs and ensuring long-term business growth. —PTI

months. Sensex closed the session at 59,845.29 points, down 980.93 points or 1.61%, whereas Nifty closed at 17,806.80 points, down 320.55 points or 1.77%. Among the Nifty 50 stocks, Adani Ports, Adani Enterprises, Hindalco, Tata Steel, and Tata Motors were the top five losers.

As many as 47 of Nifty 50 stocks declined today. Cipla, Divis Labs, and Titan

were the only gainers.

“European stock markets edged higher Friday in thin holiday-affected volumes while most Asian markets indexes fell after forecastbeating US data fuelled expectations that the Federal Reserve will lift interest rates well into next year,” said Deepak Jasani, Head of Retail Research at HDFC Securities.

Roys are selling 27.26 per cent out of their remaining 32.26 per cent shareholding in NDTV, according to stock exchange filings by the company.

The sale will happen on or after December 30 in one or more tranches, it said without disclosing the price. The volume-weight-

ed average market price of NDTV in the last 60 trading days is Rs 368.43, the filing said. Based on this price, the sale of 1.75 crore shares would fetch Roys up to Rs 647.6 crore.

Post acquisition of the founders’ stake, Adani Group will control 69.71 per cent of NDTV.

OTHER STORIES

GAUTAM ADANI’S GROUP ENTERS WAREHOUSING BUSINESS, SIGNS AGREEMENT WITH DA GROUP

New Delhi: Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone has entered the business of warehousing. It announced that its subsidiary, Adani Logistics, has signed a joint venture agreement with DA Group and its affiliates. The joint venture is a 50:50 partnership, and it will develop and operate logistics and warehousing parks in Ahmedabad and Kolkata, according to the statement from Adani Ports shared with stock exchanges on Thursday evening. Adani Logistics will nominate three directors to its board while DA Group will send two directors for the joint venture.

India should hike rates carefully: IMF

New Delhi: India’s future interest rate hikes should be carefully calibrated and its intervention in the foreign exchange market should be limited to managing volatility, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Friday. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has raised its key policy rate by 225 basis points since May, taking the rate to the highest in over three years.

“Inflation pressures have led to an appropriate shift towards policy tightening,” IMF said in an annual consultation report. The report

is prepared by IMF staff in accordance with its Article IV of Agreement, which requires the fund to hold annual consultations with officials from member states about economic develop-

ment and policies.

“Additional tightening should be carefully calibrated and communicated,” it added. Last week, minutes of the RBI’s monetary policy meeting

31,

showed a majority of ratesetters were concerned about elevated inflation and felt the central bank could not afford to prematurely pause its rate tightening cycle. —AGENCIES

at $500.125 billion during the week to Dec 9, Weekly Statistical Supplement by RBI. —PTI

AIRLINES TO COMPENSATE PASSENGERS FOR TICKET DOWNGRADE, SAYS AVIATION WATCHDOG

New

tary

will

DGCA preparing to put in place new norms. Once the norms come into force, the airline concerned will have to refund the full value of such tickets, including taxes, and also the affected passenger will be flown free of cost in the next available class, according to DGCA.

‘GDP TO GROW AT 6.8% THIS FY’

The IMF projected inflation at 6.9% for the current fiscal year that ends on March

2023 and said price gains would moderate gradually

Uncertainty around outlook is high, with risks tilted to the downside, the IMF said

Delhi: Passengers

soon be compensated for any involun-

downgrade of their tickets for a particular class by an airline, with aviation regulator

‘

Govt asks banks to desist from using unethical practices to sell insurance policies

India received FDI worth $3.2mn in def industries

Jayanth R Varma, Member, RBI Monetary Policy Committee (MPC)

COMMANDOS PERFORM

STRENGTH AND SKILL

‘BHARAT JODO YATRA’ IN DELHI TODAY

Likely to join: Kamal Haasan, families of freedom fighters

New Delhi (PTI): Actor-turned-politician

Kamal Haasan, family members of freedom fighters and top Congress leaders are expected to join Rahul Gandhi in the Delhi leg of his Bharat Jodo Yatra on Saturday, party sources said.

Delhi Congress president Anil Chaudhary said at least 40,000 to 50,000 yatris are expected to participate in the yatra in the national capital.

“Senior Congress leaders and parliamentarians, families of freedom fighters and Makkal Needhi Maiam (MKM) president Kamal Haasan are likely to join the Bharat Jodo Yatra in the national capital,” a party source told PTI on Friday.

Addressing the MKM office-bearers last week, Haasan had said he has been invited by Rahul Gandhi and that, he would par ticipate in the Bharat Jodo Yatra on December 24 in the national capital.

“People from different fields will be joining the yatra that will enter Badarpur border at 6

will rest for a while. We will resume our

Thereafter, Rahul Gandhi and some of the yatris will visit Rajghat, Veerbhumi and Shantivan by car and pay floral tributes.

After a short break beginning Saturday night, the yatra will resume from January 3 from Uttar Pradesh, then again head to Haryana in the second phase and then to Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir.

CAG flags financial ‘irregularities’ in Central govt’s Lalit Kala Akademi

New Delhi: The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has flagged serious financial “irregularities” in the Lalit Kala Akademi, according to officials.

The audit observation of LKA, a prestigious art institution under the Culture Ministry, by the CAG for a period from 2016-17 to 2021-22 points out various anomalies in violation of the government’s financial rules.

z

z Irregularities in hiring and deployment of vehicles worth Rs 54.76 lakh from 2016-17 to 2021-22.

DMK leader Kanimozhi joins

Presidential Campaign:

“Kandhamal and Puri are the two Lok Sabha seats in Odisha and Nilgiris and Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu zeroed down for the visit of Nadda,” the sources said.

“During the visit, the party’s national president will meet the Mandal and booth president, parliamentary team handling these seats, and other organisational meetings are on the agenda,” the sources said.“The visit for Tamil Nadu is slated for December 27 and Odisha will be on December 28,” the sources further said. The BJP was focusing on 144 weak Lok Sabha seats initially but that has now been expanded to 160 seats. The additional seats are from Maharashtra, Bihar and Bengal.

“Out of 160 weak seats, half will be covered by national president JP Nadda and the other half of seats will be covered by a combination of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister

PURI VISIT ON DAY OF BJD FOUNDATION SILVER JUBILEE

Rajnath Singh,” the sources said.

The idea of the saffron party is to focus on booth strengthening, increasing the presence of party leaders, taking central govt schemes to the public, among other things.

Several union ministers including Dhar-

Dehradun (ANI): All the three accused, including expelled BJP leader’s son Pulkit Arya, in the Ankita Bhandari murder case on Thursday refused to undergo narco and polygraph tests after filing of the charge sheet.

The counsel appearing for the accused said in the Judicial Magistrate Court in Kotdwar that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) did not explain why it wanted to conduct narco and polygraph tests after filing the charge sheet. After the disagreement by the accused, the Judicial Magistrate, Kotdwar, Bhavna Pandey has fixed the date of January 3, 2023, for the next hearing.

5 cops arrested for smuggling drugs into Kashmir

Srinagar (PTI): Five cops were among 17 persons arrested as a major narcotics smuggling module, originating from Pakistan, was busted in Kupwara district of J&K, police said on Friday.

“In one of its biggest successes against drug smuggling and peddling in the district, Police has arrested 17 persons, including five policemen, a political activist, a contractor and a shopkeeper from different areas of the districts of Kupwara and Baramulla, unearthing anoth-

er narcotics smuggling module originating from Pakistan,” a police spokesman said.

“On a tip-off, one Mohammad Waseem Najar -- a poultry shop owner and a resident of Darzipura, Kupwara, was arrested with some quantity of narcotics from his residential house,” the spokesman said. After preliminary investigations, Najar admitted to be a part of a big group of drug peddlers and disclosed names of some of his associates, the spokesman said.

FATHER & SON MAIN OPERATIVES

z Shakir Ali Khan, a Pakistan-based terrorist handler originally hailing from Keran, has surfaced to be the main supplier of narcotics to his son Tahmeed Khan on this side of the Line of Control.

z Shakir Ali Khan first crossed LoC in the early 1990s. After obtaining training, he infiltrated back and remained one of the top active terrorists of Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) in Keran.

z Feeling the heat from security forces, Khan again crossed the LoC and is now a top terrorist handler, who is involved in pushing arms, ammunition and narcotics.

Delhi Police commandos perform a live demo during the inauguration of newly constructed ‘Commando Obstacles’, at Parade Ground, New Police Lines, in New Delhi on Friday. (Centre) Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora felicitates an awardee during the inauguration of ‘Commando Obstacles’ in New Delhi. —PHOTOS BY ANI/PTI

am. We will then walk towards Ashram via Apollo hospital and thereafter, the yatris will have a lunch break and

yatra at 1 pm

head towards Nizamuddin and then to the India Gate Circle ITO Delhi Cantt-Darya Ganj and before heading towards the Red Fort.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi leading a sea of padayatris during the party’s Bharat Jodo Yatra in Gurugram on Friday. —PHOTO BY ANI

Faridabad: DMK MP Kanimozhi joined the Congress’s Bharat Jodo Yatra here on Friday and said she was delighted to be a part of the foot march that celebrates India’s diversity. “I was delighted to take part in the Bharat Jodo Yatra, which celebrates our diversity, in Haryana today. Mr @RahulGandhi’s vision of uniting India is an idea which will be taken forward by the people of India,” the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader wrote on Twitter and posted pictures of her with the former Congress chief on the microblogging website. The yatra resumed on Friday from Kherli Lala in Gurugram’s Sohna on the third and last day of its Haryana leg in the first phase, before entering Faridabad.

ANKITA BHANDARI MURDER: ALL ACCUSED REFUSE TO UNDERGO NARCO TEST

Jeevan Prakash Sharma

Ramakrishna Vedala, secretary (in-charge) of LKA, travelled to Mexico in 2019 without any approval.

z Irregularities in appointment of an assistant programme officer (APO) who doesn’t fulfil the eligibility conditions.

Among the arrested were 5 policemen who were identified as special police officers (SPOs) Haroon Rasheed

Bhat, Irshad Ahmed Khan, Sajad Ahmad Bhat, Zahid Maqbool Dar and Constable Abdul Majeed Bhat.

The arrested accused in police custody on Friday, among them five Special Police Officers (SPOs). —PHOTO BY ANI

mendra Pradhan, Smriti Irani, Kiren Rijiju, Arjun Ram Meghwal, Pralhad Joshi are among ministers who are part of the committee looking at the weak Lok Sabha seats. Vinod Tawde is the convenor and CT Ravi the co-convenor of the committee. —ANI

FROM P1…

The BJP president’s visit to Puri Lok Sabha seat is considered to be politically significant as Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will address his BJD party leaders and workers at the pilgrim town on December 26, when the BJD will hold its silver jubilee foundation day function and Patnaik will set the ball rolling

for the party’s campaign for the 2024 Lok Sabha and state Assembly polls. Nadda had last visited Odisha in September this year and addressed a public meeting in Bhubaneswar. The December 28 visit will be Nadda’s first trip to the state after the BJP retained its Dhamnagar assembly seat in a by-poll.

Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik launching a book at Adivasi Exhibition Ground in Bhubaneswar on Friday. —PHOTO BY ANI

ABSTRACT OR ITTY-BITTY LOGOMANIA

ADITI KUSHWAHA cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

The popular shouty logo fad from the 1990s, known as logomania, is returning. Numerous high-end companies, like Fendi, Gucci, Burberry, Valentino and others have discovered a method to connect with millennials. The favoured method of appealing to a generation that thinks “if you’ve got it, flaunt it” is to emblazon big, bright brand logos on clothing. One of the main forces behind well-known logos making a comeback in the fashion world after a 20year absence is social media. For a generation that is dominated by social media, starting new trends or reviving existing ones is not difficult. Logos are a status symbol and a means to demonstrate your fashion know-how whether worn on tshirts or even skirts.

The best approach for companies to make money and promote themselves is to prominently display their logo. It has evolved into a tool for celebrities to spread the word about the company while growing their fan bases. Logos are a sta tus symbol and a means to dem onstrate your fashion knowhow whether worn on t-shirts or even skirts. The best ap proach for companies to make money and promote themselves is to prominently display their logo. It has evolved into a tool for celeb rities to spread the word about the company while growing their fan bases. As a fashion statement, people cover themselves from head to toe with their opulent in signia. Aside from social me dia, we also saw logo fe ver at Milan Fashion Week, not just on ap parel but also on footwear and socks.

Kylie Jenner, an American TV personality, offered a great example of how drawing attention to yourself by putting the insignia of popular businesses on your clothing. More than a million people liked Kylie’s Instagram image of her wearing a branded Fendi outfit.

The second use of large, strong logos is to signify a partnership, like in the instance of Fendi, which uses a soft F to signify its partner ship with the sportswear company Fila. Thirdly, wearing the brand you decide to represent yourself by wearing has always been a status signal.

Fashion is defined by what you purchase whereas style is defined by what you do with it. City First brings to you some amazing array of Logomania fashion!

How much new (different) is the subvariant BF.7?

BF.7 is accounted for more than 5 per cent of Covid-19 cases in the US and 7.26 per cent in the UK in October 2022. Cases of this variant are on raising hand from the last 3 months. BF.7, short for BA.5.2.1.7, is a sub-lineage of the OMICRON variant BA.5. BF.7 is believed to have an R0, or basic reproduction number, of 10 to 18.6. BF.7 carries a specific muta tion, R346T, in the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 (a protein on the surface of the virus that allows it to attach to and infect our cells). This mutation, which we also see in BF.7’s parent variant BA.5, has been linked with enhancing the capacity of the virus to escape neutralising antibodies gen erated by vaccines or previous infection. Since the COVID variant OMICRON emerged in late 2021, it has rapidly evolved into mul tiple subvariants. The subvariant, BF.7, has been identified as the main variant spreading in Beijing and is contribut ing to a wider surge of COVID infec tions in China.

Reports of 2 patients in Gujarat are coming in showing they re covered at home. Does it make the sub-variant less fatal? BF.7 is believed to be less fatal as compared to the previous deadly delta variant and other sub-variant of omicron. The symptoms of an infection with BF.7 are similar to those associated with other omicron subvariants, primarily upper res piratory symptoms. Patients may have a fever, cough, sore throat, run ning nose and fatigue, among other symptoms. A minority of people can also experience gastrointestinal symptoms like vomiting and diarrhoea. BF.7 may well cause more serious illness in people with weaker immune systems.

Is it more infectious than before? The BF.7 variant is reportedly more infectious than the other variants of coronavirus known so

far. The R0 value of this mutant as per studies is approximately 10-18.6 which means that any infected individual can infect 10-18.6 people around him. Reports from China indicate BF.7 has the STRONGEST INFECTION ABILITY out of the omicron subvariants in the country, being quicker to transmit than other variants, having a shorter incubation period and with a greater capacity to infect people who have had a previous COVID infection, or been vaccinated or both. To put this into context, BF.7 is believed to have an R0, or basic reproduction number, of 10 to 18.6. This means an infected person will transmit the virus to an average of 10 to 18.6 other people. Research has shown omicron has an average Ro of 5.08. The high transmission rate of BF.7, taken with the risk of hidden spread due to the MANY ASYMPTOMATIC CARRIERS, is understood to be causing significant difficulty in controlling the epidemic in China.

How immunity will play its role with the new BF.7 variant?

Compared with the BA.1, BA.2 and BA.5 variants detected previously, Omicron BF.7 has more immune escape capability, a shorter incubation period and a faster transmission rate. These mutations give BF.7 some immune-evasive abilities, which means it can escape immunity from the vaccine or previous infection.

How India can buckle up before the situation goes out of hand?

India with its focus on the five-fold strategy of testtrack-treat-vaccination and adherence to COVIDappropriate behaviour has been able to restrict the transmission of the coronavirus. BF.7 has been detected in several other countries around the world including INDIA, the US, the UK and several EUROPEAN COUNTRIES such as Belgium, Germany, France and Denmark. Despite BF.7’s immune-evasive characteristics, and worrying signs about its growth in China, the variant seems to be remaining fairly steady elsewhere. Outside of India, mRNA vaccines like Pfizer and BioNTech’s Bivalent vaccine and Moderna’s vaccine are being used from the point of view of boosting. India needs to buckle up. BF.7 may well cause more serious illness in people with weaker immune systems. At present, no vaccine being used in India is a bivalent vaccine. India needs BIVALENT vaccines, which target omicron alongside the original strain of SARS-CoV-2.

What age group is highly sensitive to this new sub-variant? Old age people, immunocompromised patients, pregnant females etc. are more prone to the infection by this variant.

Should India impose early restrictions on international flights?

BF.7 is highly infectious and has high transmissibility, hence to prevent the spreading of this highly contagious disease international travelling should be monitored carefully. The situation looks different ONLY IN China. BF.7’s high R0 might be due in part to a LOW LEVEL OF IMMUNITY in the Chinese population from the previous infection, and possibly vaccination too. However, we should be cautious about the data from China as it’s based on reports, not peer-reviewed evidence yet.

Dr Sudhir Bhandari

GAJRAJ SINGH BHATI cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

JEWELS OF THE STARRY NIGHT

The grand launch of the brand named ‘Its Ish’ took place with much fervour at Nebula, the rooftop lounge at Hilton Jaipur on Thursday. Rajiv Arora, Chairman of Raj Small Industries Corporation graced the occasion as the chief guest and launched the brand. Rishee Miglani, brand ambassador, First India Fashion Connect hosted the glamorous evening. Brand owner, Ishita Gupta is an aspiring fashion designer and soon will make her place in the heart of fashion lovers through her lovely brand. Various people from all spectrums kicked off their day with signature delicacies from Nebulae, Hilton.

Sonkiya and Khushi Jain

Nishchay, Shaina and Ishita

Vatsal Goyal, Rishee and Ayan

Sidharth and Garima

Anjana and Hemant

Sudhir, Vijaylaxmi and Devraj

Rishee, Ishita and Raj Bansal

Manish and Dushyant Rishee, Ravi and Kapil Himmat singh and Rishee

Enthralling performance by Iliyas Khan

Vinay Gupta, Samita Gupta, Ishita, JD Maheshwari and Rishee

Lokesh Sharma and Rishee Miglani

Suvrat Jain

UNIQUE FOOD TRAIL EVENING

H PROUD MOMENT!

CITY FIRST

Dev Priya, a final year B.Tech student of IIT Delhi, scored 99.99 percentile in the Common Admission Test (CAT) 2022, the results of which were announced on Wednesday, December 21.

Dev is the son of ADG Jyoti Narayan and he aspires to get a seat in the Indian Institute of Management and excel in a combination of B.Tech with management. Sharing his secrets of scoring 99.99 percentile the scholar replied, “The CAT is highly competitive. This year, for instance, logical reasoning was very tough. My CAT exam day strategy

was to remain calm. I believe in hard work & consistency. I think my consistent hard work is behind this success. Furthermore, the support that I got from my family, friends, and teachers helped me stay motivated throughout my CAT preparation.” A total of 11 students have scored the perfect 100 percentile in Common Admission Test 2022. Dev claims that his parents were supportive throughout his journey and always motivate him. He said, “They never pressurized me for marks and motivated me to prepare with positivity”. He claims that he used to do self-study for 6-7 hours daily.

CITY FIRST otel Crowne Plaza in Greater Noida recently hosted a unique Food Trail evening for its patrons, guests and localities from Delhi/NCR region. The idea was to showcase and traverse the entire spectrum of CPGNs food and beverage offerings.

The trail began with the traditional lighting of the lamp, the ritual showcased the Indian values of "Atithi Devo Bhava", the integral part of CPGN's experience with fire representing energy, passion and transformation.

The food trail journey with General Manager, Sharad K. Upadhayay, Director of Food and Beverage, Amit Chawla, Executive Chef, Chef Saurabh Chandel and Director of Sales & Marketing Rishabh Jain was nothing short of an unforgettable journey, showcasing their passion for F&B and class of hospitality for their patrons and guests.

Talking about the initiative Sharad K. Upadhyay, said, 'Being in the hospitality domain, it's always a pleasure to host such evenings, where we are able to showcase the best of the best we have for them. At CPGN, we believe in providing the best possible hospitality to everyone and this food trail was an idea to introduce them to the available extravaganza at our Hotel, where they can choose from a wide variety of cuisines and drinks at ease. I would like to thank our partners, guests and friends for being there with us at the launch of the series. We celebrated fine art, exquisite food and an ex-

traordinary beverage experience here.

At CPGN, we have 6 restaurants with a wide variety of Indian and International cuisines, each one having its own speciality and taste. Led by our executive chef Saurabh Singh Chandel, we try to put in great efforts to deliver an extinguished food experience to all, said Amit Chawla.

‘PURITY OF SOUL’

CITY FIRST

Satyug Darshan

Sangeet Kala Kendra celebrated their fourth annual day 'Aatm Chetna' on December 16 at the Air Force auditorium.

The program commenced with the ceremony of lighting the lamp by the Sajanji (Prime Mover), Rashma Gandhi (Managing Trustee), Anupama Talwar (Chairperson), Mike Berry (President CistulaTulip, film producer and critic), Shankar Sahni (Celebrity Singer) and Deependra Kant (Principal).

The program began with the performance of the welcome dance presented by Ayushi Bhatnagar and the song prepared by the students of Satyug

Teachers and students of Satyug Darshan Sangeet Kala Kendra beheld the eyes of spectators by showcasing their talent through the medium of Kathak Bharatanatyam and Vividh dance performances.

Furthermore, The Chairperson Anupama Talwar who herself is an adept singer and dancer briefed the audience that Sangeet Sadhna helps celebrate life's natural flow with no inhibitions and is the easiest way to connect with our innate supreme which can never be attended through prevalent mundane practices so carrying forward this divine foundation of music Satyug Darshan Sangeet Kala Kendra was established under the aegis

MOMENT TO SHINE!

of Satyug Darshan Trust Vasundhara, Faridabad back in 2005 and successfully running its 19 branches across North India. In addition, she mentioned that SDSKK is affiliated with Prayag Sangeet Samiti, Prayagraj teaching music since 1926 and happens to be the most venerated Institute.

The main aim of this

institute is to instil human virtues that are contentment, endurance, truthfulness, contentment, equanimity, selflessness, and benevolence. Deependra Kant (Principal) later expressed how he applauded the efforts of volunteers for providing students with a big platform to perform in front of such celebrated personalities.

Apeejay Stya Art Festival

un-

CITY FIRST

An ongoing art exhibition titled 'Apeejay Stya Art Festival' by Apeejay Education has been organised at Lalit Kala Academy, New Delhi from December 17 to December 22. The exhibition is a joint venture of three prominent Institutions of Apeejay Education namely Apeejay Stya University (Gurugram), Apeejay College of Fine Arts, (Jalandhar) and Apeejay Institute of Design, (New Delhi).

The exhibition was inaugurated by Sushma Paul Berlia, Chairman of Apeejay Education and Rishi Vashisht, Director of the Centre for Cultural Resources and Training.

It is an art exhibition which celebrates a vibrant galaxy of

art forms including Paintings, Sculptures, Tapestries, Terracottas, furniture, Digital Art and Photography. The exhibition has showcased a rich variety of

media

originality

the works on display

provide a peep into the

and messages

by

WHAT’S HAPPENING!

CITY FIRST

of Apeejay

"this exhibi-

a wide spectrum of

Artistic

Aditi Jaggi Rastogi, an internationally famous designer, who showcased her collection in India and well as Dubai Fashion Week launched her upcoming collection with showstopper PCS ADM Ritu Suhas, Mrs India 2019 walking the ramp in her designer outfit in Lucknow Times Fashion Week held at The Centrum, Lucknow on Wednesday, December 21. Her astonishing collection attempts to promote sustainable fashion.

The very unique organic dying procedure from AMA herbals is applied to

all the sustainable fabrics by designer Aditi Jaggi Rastogi. The breathable fabrics and extraordinary properties of herbal dying are put together to make a collection fresh, young, soulful and Commercially Viable. The designer and the herbal duo are looking forward to starting a Global friendly Trend! Aditi's experience varies from Pret, Luxe Fashion and sustainable fashion to Bollywood Designing. The designer is currently working towards the globalization of Khadi and skill training of weavers and artisans to help them generate employment.

During the specially curated food trail even-

ing, seen enjoying were the guests, members and patrons that included; Shamita

Sharma, Prathip Thyagarajan, Sudeep Jain, Vishvapreet Singh Cheema, Samir Kalia,

Nathan Andrews, Kim Sungi, Jose Marcos, Crystel Wang, Chris Read, among others.

Darshan Sangeet Kala Kendra.

used by the artists to

leash their imagination. Marked with innovations and

of expressions,

would

impressions

conveyed

the artists subtly and creatively endowed with finesse. Sushma Paul Berlia (President

Education) said

tion celebrates

vibrant

Creations by the upcoming and established artists of Apeejay Institutions. The exhibition would contribute in spreading the blissful wonders of Art, especially amongst the younger generations and help provide them the marvellous sensitizing moments to ponder over some of the issues grappling society or their sensitive minds."

Priya Singh, the first woman bodybuilder from Rajasthan won the gold medal in the International Bodybuilding Championship held in Pattaya, Thailand. After her magnificent win, she was also provided with a Pro card.

Noida Power Company Limited in association with the Sharda Welfare Foundation organised a free health check-up camp for government school children in Greater Noida on Friday as a part of its CSR initiative. NPCL has selected 12 government schools in Greater Noida where free health check-ups will be conducted. Some of these schools are Upper Primary School, Junpat, Composite School Pipalka, Daudpur etc. Children from class 1 to 10 will be provided with a free health check-up in all these schools.

(L-R) Vishvapreet Singh Cheema, Nathan Andrews, Captain Sanjeev Bhalla, Sudeep Jain and Sharad Upadhyay

(L-R) Sharad Upadhyay, Amarjit Bhatia, Krishna Kumar and Sudeep Jain

(L-R) Sagar Kumar, Prathip Thyagarajan and Rishabh Jain Sharad Upadhyay (R) with guests during the program

Abhijit Ray and Nathan Andrews Chris Read with Prathip Thyagarajan

ADG Jyoti Narayan with son Dev Priya

Glimpses of the event

(L-R) Rishi Vashisht, Sushma Paul Berlia and Dr Sucharita

(L-R) Rishi Vashisht and Sushma Paul with others during the lamp lightning ceremony

Ritu Suhas with Aditi Jaggi Rastogi