First India-Jaipur Edition-26th December 2022

074 CHANNEL NO

ATTENDS RSS’S SAURASHTRA MEET, GUIDES ON THE OUTFIT’S EXPANSION

Bhuj: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday attended a meeting of the organisation’s workers at Anjar in Gujarat’s Kutch, where he offered guidance to them on expanding Sangh’s base at the grassroots level, its office-bearer said. Bhagwat is on a visit to Anjar to offer guidance to KutchSaurashtra zone.

AN INDIAN NATIONAL SHOT DEAD IN NEPAL

Kathmandu: An Indian national has been shot dead by 5 unidentified gunmen in Southern Nepal, police said on late Saturday. The deceased has been identified as Shiva Pujan Yadav, 45, a resident of Motihari Chhaudadano. He was shot in Mahagadhimai.

CAF HC SHOT DEAD

BY JUNIOR IN C’GARH

Kanker: A head constable of the Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF) was killed after his subordinate allegedly opened fire at him with a rifle in the state’s Kanker district on Sunday, police said. The incident took place in the morning at a government college in Kanker where CAF’s 11th battalion was deployed.

‘

2022 HAS BEEN VERY INSPIRING’

Enjoy

Moni Sharma

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed 96th edition, the last Mann Ki Baat of the year 2022 on Sunday. PM Modi wished everyone on Christmas and remembered former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his 98th birthday.

He said that the year 2022 was wonderful for the country as it completed 75 years of independence while India progressed rapidly and became world’s fifth largest economy. Modi added that during this year, country achieved more than 2.2 billion vaccinations against Covid and also crossed exports of $400 billion.

PM Modi concluded the podcast by wishing all the best for the next year. While he asked people to enjoy festive season, he cautioned people to be careful. P5

We stand ready: China on ties with India weeks after clash

Beijing: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, on Sunday, said that China is ready to work with India through steady, sound growth of relations, Chinese Foreign Ministry said.

Wang said, “China and India have maintained communication through the diplomatic

and military channels, both countries are committed to upholding stability in border areas.”

RSS & BJP LEADERS WERE ON RADAR: NIA

NIA probe reveals that the Udaipur beheading accused had more plans

Jaipur: The National Invetigation Agency (NIA) chargesheet filed in Kanhaiya Lal murder case reveals that RSS and BJP leaders were on the radar of terrorists Riyaz Attari and Ghouse Mohammad who killed Kanhaiya in his shop in Udaipur in June this year.

As per chargesheet, both accused had started attending BJP events and getting information about BJP’s leadership. Their Pakistani handlers were from Sunni organization ‘Dawat-e-Islami’ and they used to take guidance from Pak agency.

MODI SAYS

successes of India in 2022 have created a special place all over the world

Atal Bihari Ji was a great

countries

Co-star held in Tunisha suicide, they broke up 15 days ago

Mumbai: Sheezan Mohammed Khan, co-star of actor Tunisha Sharma — a television actor who on Saturday allegedly died by suicide on the set of a TV show in Vasai in Maha’s Palghar — was arrested after a case of abetment to suicide was registered against him, police said on Sunday. He was in afternoon sent to fourday police custody by Vasai court in Mumbai.

Post-mortem reports have confirmed ‘hanging’ as cause of death & ruled out pregnancy signs, police said. P5

sion

Maoist chief PKD Prachanda becomes Nepal’s new PM, oath ceremony today

Kathmandu: President Bidhya Devi Bhandari on Sunday appointed Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ , leader of parliamentary party of the Communist Party of Nepal, as the next PM of Nepal. According to a communication from President’s Office,

New

the swearing-in ceremony for Dahal, will be held at 4 pm on Monday.

Jaipur: Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot once again targeted BJP and RSS over the slogan ‘Jai Siya Ram’, chanted during Rahul Gandhi’s

“They have separated Sita from Ram. That’s why we say ‘Jai Siya Ram Bolo’. When we say ‘Jai Siya Ram’, we get overwhelming responses from people,” he said while speaking to the media on the side-

lines

FIR OF TUNISHA’S SUICIDE REVEALS...

hul Gandhi follows the ideals of Gandhi. He conquers fear through love,” said Gehlot.

Gehlot also highlighted the message of love, harmony and brotherhood that Rahul Gandhi is trying to spread through the Yatra. “How BJP wins elections in the name of caste creed and religion, is getting clear to people. BJP and RSS propagate themselves as the torch-bearers of Hinduism. Other people are no longer interested in such names,” he said.

CM PAYS TRIBUTE TO SURAJMAL ON HIS DEATH ANNIV

Bharatpur: CM Ashok Gehlot paid homage to Surajmal, the erstwhile ruler of Bharatpur, on his death anniversary on Sunday, saying he was a great warrior and an excellent diplomat.

“Maharaja Surajmal, the founder of Bharatpur, was a great warrior, proficient in battle as well as an excellent diplomat,” the chief minister said. He said the younger generations should learn from the lives of such great men to move forward in life.

Great men do not have any caste or religion. For them, all communities and religions are equal, Gehlot said. More on P8

BHAGWAT

the festive season but be vigilant, stresses PM Modi as Covid is spreading again in some

statesman who

exceptional leadership to the country

It is our collective responsibility to keep Ganga river clean

Our nation will soon completely eradicate the Kala Azar

has included ‘Namami Gange’ mis-

in world’s top 10 initiatives aimed at reviving the (natural) ecosystem

Bharat Mission’ has become firmly rooted in mind of every Indian today

is increasing in many countries

First India Bureau

Sheezan Mohammed Khan sent to four-day police custody by Vasai court

Love Jihad angle in Tunisha suicide case will be probed properly: BJP MLA Ram Kadam

Tunisha Khan with Sheezan Mohammed Khan.

The FIR of the case revealed that the two actors were in a relationship, and had broken up 15 days ago. Tunisha Sharma was reportedly under stress, and it is being suspected that’s what drove her to the edge. The 20-year-old actress, who was recently seen in Ali Baba: Dastaan-EKabul, hanged herself inside a makeup room in Naigaon.

President Droupadi Murmu, VP Jagdeep Dhankhar, LS Speaker Om Birla, PM Narendra Modi, HM Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh at ‘Sadaiv Atal’ on former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s birth anniversary, in Delhi on Sunday. “Tributes to Atal Ji on his Jayanti. His contribution to India is indelible. His leadership and vision motivate millions of people,” said Modi. (R) VP Dhankhar and PM Modi interacting. P5

PM CONGRATULATES PKD PRACHANDA

Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda” on Sunday on being elected as the new leader of Nepal and said he looks forward to working with him to further strengthen the friendship between the two countries.

First India Bureau

Naresh Sharma

led ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ in Rajasthan.

of launching 167 new ambulances in Jaipur on Sunday.

Gehlot added, people now understood the divisive policies of BJP.

“BJP tries to provoke anger and fear by chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram.’ Ra-

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Parsadi Lal Meena flagging off 167 new ambulances in presence of Govind S Dotasra, Dr Mahesh Joshi, Dr Subhash Garg and others in Jaipur on

New Delhi:

Indian

New Delhi: A 40-year-old China-returnee has tested positive for Covid-19 on Sunday, CMO Agra Dr AK Srivastava said. His sample has been sent for genome sequencing. The man is asymptomatic and is isolated at his residence in Agra. Health dept are tracing other persons who came in contact with him.

CHINA-RETURNEE TESTS +VE FOR COVID IN AGRA

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Mercury drops to 0.5 degree Celsius in Sikar

Jaipur (PTI): Temperature dipped in parts of Rajasthan where Sikar with 0.5 degree Celsius was recorded as the coldest place on Saturday night.

Karauli shivered at 0.7 degree Celsius while the night temperature was 1.7 degrees Celsius in Nagaur, 2.5 degrees Celsius in Churu, 3.4 degrees Celsius in Bikaner, 3.9 degrees Celsius in Pilani (Jhunjhunu), 4 degrees Celsius in Alwar, 4.7 degrees Celsius in Vanasthali (Tonk), 5 degrees Celsius in Bhilwara, 5.3 degrees Celsius in Anta (Baran).

5 miscreants involved in kidnapping, robbery held

First India Bureau

Jaipur: Pratap Nagar

police have arrested five miscreants in the city involved in kidnapping and robbery on Saturday. The arrested accused include Geetaram Gurjar (26), Pehalwan Gurjar (19), Dhara Singh (20), Shobharam (22) and Dilkhush Gurjar (19). All the accused are residents of the Jaipur, Sanganer and Tonk areas.

According to the police, on Friday, information was received from the control room that at 9 pm, 5-6 unknown persons from Bhairav Circle, thrashed a young man and abducted him in a car. Soon after the

information, a team was formed to arrest the accused.

After investigation, it came to light that some youths had beaten a young man and forcibly taken him away in a car. The police learnt about the number plate of the

car during the initial research. After this, the team began chasing the vehicle, when the miscreants got a clue, the victim was thrown on the Haldi Ghati road.

However, police chase continued & five miscreants were caught.

MIN TEMPERATURE IN DIFFERENT DISTRICTS

l Karauli shivered at 0.7°C while the night temperature was 1.7°C in Nagaur

l 2.5°C in Churu

l 3.4°C in Bikaner

l 3.9°C in Pilani (Jhunjhunu)

l 4°C in Alwar

l 4.7°C in Vanasthali (Tonk)

l 5°C in Bhilwara

l 5.3°C in Anta (Baran)

l 5.6°C in Sriganganagar.

l The minimum temperature at other places was above 6°C (Sirohi) and below 11°C (Kota).

Changes made for sports in State will prove to be miletones: Poonia

Delhi woman raped for 5 yrs on the pretext of marriage

First India Bureau

Jaipur: A 35-yearold woman, hailing from New Delhi, was allegedly raped for five years on the pretext of marriage in Jaipur, police said. Police informed the victim met the accused at a program in Delhi, following which, they became friends. “The accused called the victim from Delhi and raped the victim. When she protested, accused promised to marry her. They were live-in partners for the last five years. The woman was repeatedly raped during these five years on the pretext of marriage,” said Jawahar Circle SHO Surendra Kumar Saini.

Jaipur (PTI): The increase in the leopards’ population in two of Jaipur’s forests, one of them Jhalana leopard reserve, has given rise to frequent man-animal encounters in the urban areas.

The leopard count which stood at 12 in 2012 has increased to 40 in 2022, clocking an over 200 per cent growth in a decade. While the increase in population is good news for wildlife lov-

Fire

at Jamdoli mental facility, 1 killed, 2 hurt

First India Bureau

Jaipur: A 16-year-old specially-abled child was killed after the govt-run residential facility for mentally retarded children in Jamdoli, about 10 kms from Jaipur, caught fire on Saturday morning.

“Two children suffered burn injuries

after their room caught fire due to a short circuit in the room heater,” said Kanota SHO Mukesh Kumar.

“An FSL team was called in to collect the samples. Postmortem was conducted and final rites of the deceased were performed,” added SHO.

Abhishek

Jaipur:

ticipation of more than 700 players.

Total of 28 male teams and 25 women teams are participating in the tournament.

championship will witness par-

Sanjay Kumar is Raj BSNL’s new Chief

GM First India Bureau

Jaipur: Sanjay Kumar is now the new Chief General Manager of BSNL Rajasthan. Sanjay Kumar is a senior officer of the 1987 batch of the Indian Telecom Service. Kumar took charge as Chief General Manager of BSNL Rajasthan Circle. Earlier, Sanjay Kumar was working as PGM (Infra/Commercial) in New Delhi. Kumar has also held post of GM Marketing in Rajasthan.

RISE IN LEOPARD COUNT

Man-animal conflict on rise in Jaipur

TWO RESERVES

“Sports are being promoted extensively in the state under the guidance of CM Ashok Gehlot. Under this, Rural Olympics were or-

ganized in the state. Athletes who bring medals at the national level are also given government jobs in state,” said MLA Dr Krishna Poonia.

Secretary of Raj Shooting Ball Association, OP Machra said this tournament is happening after 23 years.

Arun Singh corners State government over paper leak cases, rise in crime

away in their search of food or space.

According to the forest department officials, Jhalana reserve has witnessed the highest growth in the population of leopards because of conservation works. The forest now has too many leopards.

Chittorgarh/Udaipur: BJP’s Jan Aakrosh Mahasabha was organised at the district headquarters of the Chittorgarh Assembly in the city. Addressing BJP Jan Aakrosh Mahasabha, state BJP organisation incharge Arun Singh targeted Congress fiercely.

During this, Arun Singh recalled former Prime Minister Late Atal Bihari Vajpayee and said that whether it is about laying a network of roads in

the country, or issuing Kisan Credit Cards or running a good governance government, Atal Bihari Vajpayee is the only leader that comes to our minds.

He also lashed out at the state government severely in the paper leak episode and the continuous deterioration of the law and order situation in the state. After BJP’s Jan Aakrosh Yatra, Jan Aakrosh Mahasabhas are also being organised. Huge public rally of the BJP was organised.

ers, it has also raised concerns for people living nearby as the shy animal often end up

entering the city. Experts insist that beefing up the prey base in the forests will

help big cats keep to their natural habitats, as they often end up straying far too far

“There are 40 leopards in both Jhalana leopard conservation and Ambagarh leopard conservation,” Janeshwar Chaudhary, a Ranger at Jhalana said.

Officials visit the spot to inspect fire incident in Jamdoli.

The minimum temperature at other places was above 6 degrees Celsius (Sirohi) and below 11 degrees Celsius (Kota)

Sky remained overcast in Jaipur on Sunday. —PHOTO BY SANTOSH SHARMA

Commuters having tough time as thick fog engulfed Fatehpur in Sikar on Sunday morning.

The accused in the custody of Jaipur police.

Arun Singh, CP Joshi and other BJP leaders during the Jan Aakrosh Mahasabha in Vallabhnagar, Udaipur on Sunday.

First India Bureau

Leopard rests at Nahargarh Biological Park. —FILE PHOTO

REMEBERING ATAL BIHARI VAJPAYEE!

Governor Kalraj Mishra paying tribute to Bharat Ratna late Atal Bihari Vajpayee at Raj Bhavan. He remembered his ideals of working with transparency in governance (Inset) Satish Poonia paying tribute to Atal Bihari Vajpayee at the BJP head office on Sunday.

Shrivastava

41st Senior National Shooting Ball Championship began at SMS Stadium on Sunday. Championship was inaugurated by Prez of Raj State Sports Council Dr Krishna Poonia. Three-day

Dr Krishna Poonia felicitated at opening ceremony of Senior National Shooting Ball Championship.

—PHOTO BY RAKESH GURJAR

CHRISTMAS FERVOUR GRIPS CITIZENS!

With the commencement of celebration for the Christmas week, the

Rolsahabsar meets VP Dhankhar & Ministers

Jaipur: Kshatriya Yuvak Sangh patron

Bhagwan Singh Rolsahabsar met vice president Jagdeep Dhankhar during his Delhi visit. It was a courtesy meeting of Rolsahabsar with Dhankhar. The Rajput leader also called on defence minister Rajnath Singh. During the meeting, they

held discussions on various social and political issues. Rolsahabsar strongly advocated for giving the community its due right in politics. He also reached the residence of Narendra S Tomar and held talks on social activities.

Meanwhile, a program of Kshatriya Yuvak Sangh was held at Rajyavardhan Singh’s residence.

Paper leak accused in police custody, 55 held so far; NSA to be imposed

Udaipur: The Police on Sunday said it has arrested 55 people, including seven women, so far in connection with the paper leak of 2nd grade teacher recruitment examination. The examination, which was scheduled for Saturday, has been postponed.

Two separate cases have been registered in Udaipur — one at Sukher police station and another at Bekariya police station — and 55 people have been arrested, Superintendent of Police, Udaipur, Vikas Sharma said. He said the accused were produced before a magistrate who sent 7 women to two-day police custody and the remaining accused to five-day police custody.

Sources informed the paper was leaked by Jalore Gang. The mastermind, Suresh Vishnoi, posted as headmaster in the govt school, Thelia, revealed during investigations, that each aspirant paid an amount of Rs. 10 lakhs to Rs 15 lakh for the paper.

Ajmer : After the paper leak of Senior Teacher Competitive Examination-2022, the RPSC has issued special instructions to maintain sanctity, security and confidentiality of the examination. The administration and the police will ensure security at every level and negligence at any level will be dealt with strictly against the personnel involved in conducting the examination, Commission Secretary HL Atal informed.

Man dies by suicide as wife’s rapist blackmails

Mukesh Mathrani

Barmer: A man had ended his life after the accused who had allegedly raped his wife, blackmailed him. Incident has been reported from Balotra. Police had arrested the accused who is now on two days police remand.

According to police a woman had lodged a complaint alleging that on Dec 16, accused Gaffar Khan forcibly raped her and clicked her obscene photos. The ac-

cused had also threatened her husband, who hanged self on Dec 20.

Police said that on the basis of the complaint they nabbed the accused on Saturday and produced before the court.

SHEKHAWAT, DIYA CORNER RAJ GOVT OVER PAPER LEAK, DEMAND TO FIND OUT EXAM MAFIAS

A ttacking the Congressled state government in connection with the paper leak cases of the recruitment examinations, Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Sunday said that, without the involvement of the government, such paperby-paper leaks cannot happen. He said that all exam mafias have a connection with Congress. Meanwhile, MP Diya Kumari commenting on the state govt said that now there is a discrepancy in the system, because in the hasty manner in which the new date has been announced, it seems that the people responsible want to wash their hands off this paper leak. Expressing doubt on the entire development, the MP said that if the accused have accepted to pay ten lakh rupees in the police investigation, then it is clear that no one will deal only for one paper but for all the papers of the entire examination.

REFINDING REFINERIES IN RAJASTHAN

Jain community takes out peace march to save Sammed Shikhar

Jaipur: People from the Jain community on Sunday gathered at Mahaveer Digambar Jain Senior Secondary School and took a silent march against the government’s decision to turn Shri Sammed Shikhar Ji, one of the foremost Jain pilgrimage centres in the country, into an eco-tourism spot.

People from faraway places, including women and children, came and participated in the rally, which later turned into a silent protest. The community demanded that the government

GAIL to explore oil, gas resources

Jaipur: Exploration of oil and natural gas in 486.39 square kilometer area of Barmer-Jaisalmer will be done by Gail India, a Government of India undertaking. For this, the block has been allotted to GAIL India for 3 years plus 9 months.

This petroleum exploration license has been issued on the recommendation of the Central Government’s Ministry of Petroleum and Gas.

Additional Chief Sec-

retary Mines and Petroleum Dr Subodh Agarwal informed that this block has been allotted to

Agarwal hoped that in 2023, exploration would bring new hope in the petroleum sector in the state. The officer said that Gail India will do exploration for oil and natural gas in this area.

should withdraw its decision immediately to ensure that the environment of the Sammed Shikhar Ji is not disturbed by tourists.

Food and Civil Supplies Minister Pratap

Third FIR on Prof Girish, Dean Gupta suspended

Kota: A third FIR was registered against the former associate professor of RTU, Girish Parmar, for sexually exploiting a girl studying M.Tech in RTU. Kota (SP) Kesar Singh Shekhawat informed that the SIT has registered an FIR after the victim gave her complaint.

Meanwhile, the RTU administration suspended Dean (Academic Affairs) Rajiv Gupta soon after a complaint was

received

too. Sources said that faculty member Rajiv Gupta was removed from his post as he has been accused of molesting a contractual female worker of the university.

Nirmal Tiwari

GAIL India in the seventh cycle under the Open Acreage Licensing Policy. “Chief Minister

Ashok Gehlot has been emphasizing on speeding up mineral exploration and mining work from time to time. On the other hand, mines minister Pramod Jain Bhaya expressed happiness and said that 2022 has brought opportunities for the state,” he said.

Thousands of people from Jain community taking out peace march in walled city on Sunday to register their grief of declaring Sammed Shikhar as tourist spot. —PHOTOS BY SUNIL SHARMA

Dr Rituraj Sharma

Singh Khachariyawas, Malviya Nagar MLA Kali Charan Saraf, Mahaveer School President Umrao Sanghi and other eminent people were also present during the protest.

Police held 45 accused on Saturday. Two separate cases have been lodged in the case so far.

Ravi Sharma

Bhanwar S Charan

against him

UNEMPLOYED FEDERATION WRITES TO CM ASHOK GEHLOT OVER PAPER LEAK

ENSURE SECURITY AT EVERY LEVEL, NOTIFIES RPSC

Showcasing concerns over the recent paper leak cases of recruitment examinations in the state, the Rajasthan Berozgar Ekikrath Mahasangh has written to CM Ashok Gehlot. In the letter written the unemployed’s federation said that National Security Act should be implemented immediately in the paper leak of recruitment exams. And the offenders should be punished harshly and should not get bail for 12 months. Meanwhile, the bus caught in the paper leak should be investigated impartially, as the bus was also used for previous paper exams. All examination papers should be examined without any biasedness. Similarly, the RPSC’s privacy paper centre, printing, and distribution should be investigated fairly.

—SHUBHAM JAIN

Protestors were seen carrying placards to propagate their messages.

Accused Prof Girish Parmar in police custody on Sunday.

Accused Gaffar in police custody.

tourist footfall crossed 53,000 mark in Jaipur. Untill New Year’s eve this number is expected to rise further. X-mas vibes captured through the lenses of Sunil Sharma, Himanshu Sharma and Mukesh Kiradoo

Special Christmas prayers being recited at the St Andrew’s Church at Chandpole Gate, Jaipur on Sunday.

As the festivity and celebration week begin, traffic snarls were witnessed below GT flyover near WTP on Sunday.

Devotees taking selfie with cute ‘Baby Santa’ at St. Andrew’s Church in Jaipur on Sunday.

Candles were lit in a church in Ajmer to mark the occasion.

Bhagwan Singh Rolsahabsar with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi on Sunday.

First India Bureau

Bhagwan Singh Rolsahabsar with Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare Minister Narendra Tomar in New Delhi on Sunday.

NARENDRA MODI

AUDIO CASSETTES OF MODI’S SPEECHES A HIT AMONG ABVP WORKERS IN 90s

Narendra Modi is an oratorical genius and the narrator tells us how Modiji’s speeches had a deep impact on him when he was a student! The excerpts that the narrator shares with us show us how Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not just adept at the usage of the best rhetorical devices, but is a leader who inspires with his persona as well as words!

The release of Modiji’s audio cassettes used to be a big event for us! All the students of Vidyarthi Parishad would collect together to listen to his recording. That was not a digital era and cassettes with recordings of Modiji’s speeches used to be recorded.

Parag Naik, who is in Maninagar, used to get the cassettes to us. Students would get in big groups and listen to his speeches very intently. They used to be so powerful being the great rhetor that he is, and his words would leave an indelible imprint on the listeners’ minds.

Even today I remember parts of his speeches, given that they used to be so high octane and we know Narendra bhai, he has always had a commanding persona. I listen to his speeches regularly but what I heard in those cassettes as a youth left a permanent mark on my memory. In one of the speeches, he asked

the audience “Do you remember the names of 20 MPs from your region?” So people came up with a few responses.

Some could recollect one name or two names but did not remember names of MPs from long ago. Next question “Do you remember the names of the last 20 MLAs of your region?” Nobody could remember. Then he asked “Do you remember the names of past 20 ministers of various departments?” No response.

Modiji then said “You don’t remember names of MPs, MLAs and ministers but can you ever forget the names of saints and other great personalities who lived 200 or 300 years ago? You remember Ramkrishna Paramhans, Mirabai, Bhagat Singh, Subash Chandra even today- but why do you do so ? What did they do?” Then he would say ironically “They only sacrificed themselves. Is that anything great? Why don’t you remember those who reaped the benefits of the sacrifices of these noble people?”

Well, I learned the importance of “tyaag” from Narendrabhai. He laid great emphasis on the spirit of devotion, social service and sacrifice.

There is another memorable excerpt from one of his speeches. He said “When you have food, do you wonder who manufactured the plate for you, the bowl and the spoon?

Wonder who produced the raw material required for the making of these items. All this was transported too, so there was someone who drove the truck. Someone must have built the engine for the truck.

Someone must have grown the food for you. A blacksmith in some faraway village would have built the tools!

Even today I remember parts of his speeches, given that they used to be so high octane and we know Narendra bhai, he has always had a commanding persona. I listen to his speeches regularly but what I heard in those cassettes as a youth left a permanent mark on my memory. In one of the speeches, he asked the audience “Do you remember the names of 20 MPs from your region?” So people came up with a few responses. Some could recollect one name or two names but did not remember names of MPs from long ago.

You are born in a hospital that was built because someone donated towards its creation. Someone has paid the fees for the doctor’s education who is now treating you and somebody paid for his scholarship. Now if there is electricity in the operation theater, someone must have got the coal for its production and someone must have driven the train to supply the coal. So this implies, we all are connected. And whenever you do something for the society, it cannot be termed as samaj seva. It is your payback to the society,

Hada Sangwan

‘I HAVE LEARNT IMPORTANCE OF

Well, I learned the importance of “tyaag” from Narendrabhai. He laid great emphasis on the spirit of devotion, social service and sacrifice. There is another memorable excerpt from one of his speeches. He said “When you have food, do you wonder who manufactured the plate for you, the bowl and the spoon? Wonder who produced the raw material required for the making of these items. All this was transported too, so there was someone who drove the truck.

and even if we devote our entire life for the welfare of our society, we would not be able to repay our society for what it has done for us.

Narendra bhai had a white Maruti car and he used to love driving it. The backseat of the car was always occupied. Who was the permanent occupant of his car? Books. A whole lot of books were always placed on the rear seat of his car. I used to be curious and would peep into his car to see what books he was reading currently and carried along with him. Narendra bhai stayed at

a doctor’s bungalow in Gujarat colony for a while and that time too I observed his car laden with books. His speeches were proof of his erudition and of the fact that he was a voracious reader.

Priyakant Parikh’s 75th book was released by Narendra bhai. The event was a big hit and it is considered to be one of his most famous speeches and was loved by people. And I used to record his speeches in the audio cassettes at that time. Even today I have several rare records of his speeches with me which

are not documented any where. So it was Priyakant’s wish that the 100th book too be released by Narendra Modi. But when his 100th book was ready and the event for its release had been finalized, he met with an accident. It was a minor accident but because he was aged, he got bed-ridden. Now he knew that it would not be possible to go ahead with the book release at the scale it had been planned. But Narendra bhai kept his promise. He had committed to releasing the book and he did it in Piyakant’s drawing room in presence of his family and neighbours. This event became a story, almost a legend in the literary world!

Once trucks carrying relief material had to leave from RSS headquarters in Gujarat after the Latur earthquake in Maharashtra. I too went to RSS office like all swayamsevaks and the speech that Narendra bhai delivered was such a piece of such inspiring oratory that I can never forget the impact it had! Giving a biblical reference, he cited the example of Daniel who left his place to serve the people of another city and heal their suffering. He spoke about how Daniel himself underwent pain while serving his people. It was one of the most eloquent speeches by Narendra bhai and the effect was such, the swayamsevaks who were in the audience that day, as soon as the event ended came up requesting to be sent to Latur to serve their brethren!

Such is the effect of Narendra bhai’s words on his listeners!

COMPILED AND EDITED BY SHASHIKANT SHARMA AND SHWETA SHARMA

‘NARENDRA BHAI HAS ALWAYS HAD A COMMANDING PERSONA’

‘TYAAG’ FROM NARENDRA BHAI’

Murmu, Dhankhar, Modi pay tributes to Vajpayee on his birth anniv

Former PM AB Vajpayee made world aware of India’s potential: Amit Shah

New Delhi (ANI): President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and others on Sunday paid tributes to former Prime Minister Late Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his birth anniversary.

While paying tributes to Vajpayee on his birth Anniversary Home Minister Shah said that

the life of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the pinnacle of Indian politics, was dedicated to taking the country back to its ultimate glory.“By laying the foundation of a new era of development and Good Governance under his leadership, Atal ji made the world aware of India’s potential and instilled a sense of national pride in the public. Today, on his birth

anniversary, I pay my respects to Atal ji,” Shah said in a tweet.

Earlier in morning,

PM Narendra Modi, President Droupadi Murmu and Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankar

BAAT

paid floral tribute to Vajpayee on his Birth Anniversary.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman and Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri were among several dignitaries who paid tribute to the late Prime Minister.

Vajpayee served as the Prime Minister of India from May 16 1996 to June 1 1996 and again from 19 March 1998 to 22 May 2004.

India carved special place for itself in world in 2022: Modi

New Delhi: The outgoing year 2022 has been inspirational and wonderful for India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday as he cited many gains the country made in the period, carving for itself a “special place” in the world.

In his last ‘Mann ki Baat’ episode of the year, PM Modi also cited a Tata Memorial Centre’s research to assert that the country’s traditional methods like yoga and ayurveda are now standing up to the touchstone of evidence-based medicine of the modern era.

An intensive research done by this centre has revealed that yoga is very effective for breast cancer patients, the PM said, noting that it is the first such study.

ART, LITERATURE AND CULTURE ARE COLLECTIVE WEALTH OF SOCIETY: PM

New Delhi (ANI): PM Narendra Modi in his Mann Ki Baat address on Sunday said it is society’s responsibility to take forward its collective wealth comprising art, literature, and culture.“Art, literature and culture are the collective wealth of society; it is society’s responsibility to take them forward,” Modi said in the 96th edition of Mann Ki Baat. The Prime Minister talked about various startups of the countrypersons which have contributed to the Central government’s Vocal for Local campaign.

“UP attracts `77,140 cr investment proposals”

Lucknow (PTI): Uttar Pradesh has attracted investment proposals worth Rs 77,140 crore from Germany, Belgium and Sweden ahead of the state’s global investors’ summit, UP Industrial Development Minister Nand Gopal Gupta said.

Gupta was on a nineday tour to these countries earlier this month along with Public Works Department Minister Jitin Prasada, Additional Chief Secretary Navneet Sehgal, Excise

Commissioner Senthil Pandian C and MSME Secretary Pranjal Yadav. The UP Global Investors’ Summit 2023 will be held in February 2023 in Lucknow. The ministers visited Germany, Belgium and Sweden from December 9 to 14.

GANGE’ INITIATIVE HELPED IMPROVE BIODIVERSITY, SAYS PM MODI

New Delhi (ANI): PM Narendra Modi on Sunday said that the Namami Gange initiative of the Central Government has helped improve biodiversity and is being widely appreciated by the world.“The Namami Gange mission has also helped improve biodiversity. It is our utmost responsibility to keep our rivers like Ganga clean. The mission initiated by the Government is appreciated throughout the world,” PM Modi said in the 96th edition of his radio show-Mann Ki Baat. “With Ganga’s ecosystem being clean, other livelihood opportunities are also increasing. Here I would like to highlight the ‘Jalaj Ajeevika Model’, which has been

prepared for respecting Biodiversity as the number of different species of Hilsa fish, Ganga dolphin and tortoise have significantly increased,” PM Modi said. He expressed his pride as the United Nations recently included the programme of clean Ganga river in the top 10 initiatives of the world for restoring ecosystems and said that it is our responsibility to keep the river clean.

Narendra Modi

@narendramodi

“Tributes to Atal Ji on his Jayanti. His contribution to India is indelible. His leadership and vision motivate millions of people.”

Amit Shah @AmitShah

“Atal

BIHAR CM NITISH KUMAR PAYS MOVING TRIBUTE TO ATAL BIHARI VAJPAYEE

Patna (PTI): Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on Sunday paid a moving tribute to former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, asserting that he could “never forget” the mentorship of the late leader, who had showered on him “ so much of love and affection”.

Kumar was talking to reporters here on the side-

lines of a state function which is organised every year on the late leader’s birth anniversary.“I have deep respect (shraddha) for Atal ji, a reason why we have been observing a state function his birth anniversary. As an MP, I always used to listen attentively to all his speeches. Then I had the privilege of being a minister in his cabinet with three portfolios,” recalled the Bihar CM.

BHARAT JODO YATRA

Walk for an India where no one lives in fear: RaGa

New Delhi (ANI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Central government and said that the Bharat Jodo Yatra is a “walk for an India where no one lives in fear.”

Taking to Twitter Rahul Gandhi said, “We walk for an India where no one lives in fear, and everyone finds a better future.” Gandhi’s mass outreach campaign, Bharat Jodo Yatra, earlier on Saturday, entered the national capital. The party held a mega public rally in front of the historic Red Fort on Saturday.

Actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan had joined Rahul Gandhi during Saturday’s Bharat Jodo Yatra in New Delhi on Saturday.

Love jihad angle will be investigated in Tunisha Sharma death case: BJP MLA

New Delhi (Agencies): Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) MLA Ram Kadam, on Sunday, said that actress Tunisha Sharma’s death case will be investigated properly and her family will get justice. He added that the case will be investigated from a love jihad angle too. “The family of Tunisha Sharma will get justice. We will find out if the case is linked to love jihad or not and if it’s linked, then the

conspirators and organizations behind it will be exposed,” said the BJP leader.

ATTACK ON REGIONAL PARTIES

she died by suicide. Initial reports suggested that she ended her life on the sets, in the makeup room at Naigaon. Tunisha Sharma was rushed to hospital, where doctors declared her brought dead.

After the death of the actress, the police arrested her co-actor Sheezan Mohammad Khan under section 306 (abetment to suicide) under the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Rahul harming his own party’s future prospects?

Shamsher Singh

New Delhi: It is surprising that Rahul Gandhi has once again targeted regional parties. He has said that no regional party has a national vision, they can represent the vision of a community or a state, but not the country. Amongst the opposition, he called the Congress the sole representative of the national vision and idea. He had said this a few days back as well after

which many regional parties had objected to it. But after Rahul made the same statement a second time, everyone is silent. It seems that he did not understand the need to take this matter seriously. In fact, with such talks, Rahul is losing the seriousness of his words on the ground of political ideology.

Does he have any idea what the states’ vision is and how it differs from the national vision? Is the national vision not made in conjunction with the vision of the states? Are the citizens of the states not the citi-

zens of the nation? Does he have no idea as to what harm can be done to the Congress by getting into the debate of the nation? In fact every citizen is a citizen of India, every state is a part of the nation and every regional party represents a national vision. If Rahul Gandhi and Congress are calling tribals the owners of this country, then the entire politics of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha is on this base.

JMM also fights for the

rights of tribal considering them as the owner of water, forest and land. Other regional parties fight the battle of backward and Dalits in a better way than Congress.

Border states have to remain alert for the security of the state as well as national security. As far as fighting the BJP is concerned, most of the regional parties are putting up a better fight than the Congress, challenging the BJP and even defeating it.

“hateful

a press conference here, referred to the purported video in which the Indian Army personnel were seen thrashing the Chinese Army, and said that the Army is giving a befitting response in the Tawang faceoff that took place on December 9. “Rahul Gandhi questioned the Indian Army again today. He’s asking when’ll the land be returned. But when was the land taken? Video shows Army giving a befitting response in Tawang and he says Army ‘pitti hain’. It’s his party’s strategy to make hateful remarks about Army,” Prasad said.

OPS will be implemented in Himachal: CM Sukhu

New Delhi (ANI): Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Sunday said that the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) would be implemented in the state soon and they have called for a meeting regarding the same.

“Old Pension scheme will be implemented. We have called a meeting regarding that. We are going to give the Old Pension scheme to our workers who have contributed to the development of the state,” Sukhu said while participating in the Bharat Jodo Yatra in the national capital. The foot march entered Delhi from Haryana after starting from the NHPC metro station in Faridabad around 6 am on Saturday.

JAIRAM THAKUR ELECTED OPPOSITION LEADER

First India Bureau

The actress was shooting for her TV show, Ali Baba: Dastaan-E-Kabul when

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. —FILE PHOTO

PM Narendra Modi, LS Speaker Om Birla, RS Dy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh, Union Ministers Kiren Rijiju, Hardeep Singh Puri and others after paying tributes to former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi. —FILE PHOTO

ji’s patriotism, dutifulness and dedication will always inspire us to serve the nation.”

96th EDITION OF PM MODI’S MANN KI

‘NAMAMI

“IT’S CONG’S STRATEGY TO MAKE HATEFUL REMARKS ABOUT ARMY”: RS PRASAD

Patna (ANI): Hitting out at Rahul Gandhi over his recent statements on the Indian Army, BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad has said that it is Congress’ “strategy” to make

remarks” about Army. At

Rahul Gandhi carrying a kid dressed as Santa during Yatra.

Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu visits Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum, in New Delhi on Sunday. —PHOTO BY ANI

(L) BJP Leader Ram Kadam and deceased actor Tunisha Sharma

IN HIMACHAL Shimla (ANI): Former Himachal Pradesh CM Jairam Thakur will be the Leader of the Opposition of the State’s newly elected assembly. During Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) legislature meeting, the former CM and six-time legislator Thakur was unanimously named as the Leader of the Opposition in the 68-member Assembly. Following the meeting, Jairam Thakur thanked his party members and functionaries and assured them of executing his duty responsibly. The former Chief Minister tweeted about it on Sunday.

Nadda addresses partymen after PM’s Mann ki Baat.

RISE IN CASES

India logs 227 new COVID-19 cases in last 24 hours: Govt

India’s

New Delhi (ANI): India recorded 227 new COVID cases in the last 24 hours, informed the Ministry of Health and Family Affairs on Sunday.

India’s total COVID-19 vaccination coverage stands at 220.05 crores. 95.12 crore second doses and 22.36 crore precaution doses have been administered so far under Nationwide Vaccination Drive. India’s active caseload currently stands at 3,424, which accounts for 0.01 per cent of the total cases.

The national COVID-19 recovery rate stood at 98.8 per cent, the Health Ministry said.

A total of 198 patients recovered in the last 24 hours and the cumulative tally of recovered patients (since the beginning of the pandemic) was recorded at

4,41,42,989 on Sunday. The daily positivity rate was recorded at 0.18 per cent, while the weekly positivity rate is 0.14 per cent.

The last 24 hours saw a total of 1,29,159 COVID-19 tests being conducted. India has so far conducted over 90.99 crores of cumulative

CRUCIAL READ

PARAGLIDING ACCIDENT IN KULLU KILLS 30-YEAR-OLD FROM MAHARASHTRA

Himachal Pradesh: A 30-year-old man allegedly died due to a fall during a paragliding expedition in the Dobhi region of Himachal Pradesh’s Kullu district on Sunday. The deceased was identified as Suraj Shah, a tourist from Maharashtra’s Satara district. When the paraglider was in the air, his safety belt reportedly gave way, plunging him to the ground. Suraj Shah and the pilot were rushed to Kullu hospital by the locals, where Suraj was declared brought dead and the pilot’s treatment was underway.

3 DEAD IN LUCKNOW

ACCIDENT; CM YOGI EXPRESSES GRIEF

Uttar Pradesh: Three persons died after the driver of a car lost control and the vehicle fell into a drain in the Uttar Pradesh capital on Sunday, as per police sources. The accident took place near Narharpur village in Sairpur Police Station area.

Inspector Sunil Kumar Tiwari reached the spot and led the rescue operation.Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath expressed his condolence over the loss of lives.

Kerala: Christmas day was marred with reports of four youths’ deaths in two separate accidents in Kollam and Kozhikode districts in the wee hours of Sunday. A car carrying four youths crashed into a tree near Kundara in Kollam, leading to the death of two on the spot and the remaining two hospitalised with one of them on a ventilator, police said. An officer of Kundara police station said the incident occurred around 3.30 AM when the youths were coming from Perumpuzha area of Kollam.

tests, said, officials.

Meanwhile, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Saturday decided to hold mock drills at all health facilities across the country on December 27 in the wake of the COVID alarm due to a surge in infection in many countries.

NGT refrains from levying fine on Meghalaya

New Delhi (PTI): The National Green Tribunal has refrained from levying environmental compensation of Rs 109 crore on Meghalaya, noting that the state had already committed the requisite funds for solid and liquid waste management. The NGT is monitoring compliance with Municipal Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016.

A bench comprising Chairperson Justice A K Goel said there were gaps in solid and liquid waste generation and treatment.

Covid tests being done in Bihar daily”

Bihar (ANI): Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday said that the state is on alert amid the global surge in Coronavirus infection and asserted that over 40 thousand tests are being conducted here regularly. “We are conducting Covid tests and giving vaccines. Almost 45,00050,000 tests are being conducted every day.

Bihar is on alert and the patients are being provided treatment. The Center is also careful but we have to be more cautious with the people who are coming from for-

eign,” Nitish Kumar said. Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said that the Air Suvidha form filling to declare the current health status will also be made compulsory for international passengers arriving from these Asian countries.

G20 meet in Srinagar shows return of peace

J&K (ANI): The central govt would conduct one of the G20 meetings in Jammu & Kashmir’s Srinagar in 2023 which advocates for the return of peace and security in the Union Territory.

India assumed the G20 presidency on December 1. During its presidency, India will host more than 200 meetings in more than 50 cities across 32 different workstreams.

The top event of the G20 leader’s summit is slated to be held in the national capital on September 9 and 10, 2023.

From 1990 to 2019, Pakistan and its agents in Kashmir made every attempt to thwart any national or international event held in the Valley, but after the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, the situation changed as the separatists and terrorists who used to hold Kashmir hostage on special occasions have been taken to task.

Mortal remains of soldiers who died in Sikkim reach Lucknow

Uttar Pradesh (ANI):

The mortal remains of four soldiers who died in a Sikkim truck mishap, reached Lucknow airport on Saturday.

The mortal remains of Havildar Charan Singh of Lalitpur, Bhupendra Singh of Etah, Shaheed Shyam Singh Yadav of Unnao and Lokesh Rai of Muzaffarnagar reached Lucknow airport. The mortal remains of the soldiers will be cremated today with state honours.

Earlier on Saturday, Uttar Pradesh Chief

Below freezing point in parts of Kashmir, Dal Lake frozen

Srinagar: Cold conditions intensified in Kashmir as the minimum temperature dipped several degrees below the freezing point and many places experienced the season’s coldest night, officials said Sunday. The valley experienced a dry but colder Christmas this year, the MeT office said. However, there is a possibility of a wet spell next week. The

minimum temperature on Saturday night went several degrees below the freezing point and was below normal across the valley except in Gulmarg, the officials said.

AF WOMEN DECRY UNIVERSITY BAN

COLD WAVE IN

INDIA REVAMPS DEFENCE INFRA WITH ARMY TANK RAMPS

New Delhi (PTI): Indian security agencies have carried out a major defence infrastructure revamp including creation of ramps for army tanks and strengthening of BSF bunkers along the International Border with Pakistan, since the two sides announced a military ceasefire in 2021, officials said. The first phase of the infrastructure renovation and creation of some new ones has been recently completed on a stretch of 26 kilometres.

Srinagar (PTI): A man escaped unhurt after two motorcycle-borne militants shot at him in Jammu and Kashmir’s Shopian district on Sunday, officials said. The militants fired three pistol rounds at Waseem Ahmad Wani (27), resident of Heerpora area of Shopian, the officials said.They said all the three rounds missed Wani and he escaped unhurt. Wani runs a YouTube news channel in Shopian, the officials added.

Guj: Sacked from job, man, his aide kill firm owner

Surat (PTI): A man and his associate allegedly stabbed to death the owner of an embroidery firm in Gujarat’s Surat, his father and uncle on Sunday apparently as he was angry with his former employer for removing him from job recently, police said.

The triple murder took place at the victim’s company, Vedant Texo, located in Anjani industrial area of Amroli area of Surat city, they said.

The Surat Police detained the two accused and formed a Special

Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the case, a senior official said.

“The accused and his associate walked into the company on Sunday morning and stabbed the owner of the unit, his father and uncle to death,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) (Zone 5) Harshad Mehta said. Both the accused have been detained and are being questioned, he told reporters.

The deceased are identified as Kalpesh Dholakia (36), Dhanji Dholakiya (61) and Ghanshyam Rajodiya (48).

‘BEHEADING WOULD’VE BEEN BETTER’

Kabul: Marwa was just a few months away from becoming the first woman in her Afghan family to go to university — instead, she will watch achingly as her brother goes without her.

Women are now banned from attending university in Talibancontrolled Afghanistan, where they have been steadily stripped of their freedoms over the past year.

Women

“Had they ordered women to be beheaded, even that would have been better than this ban,” Marwa told media at her family home in

Af.

Kabul on Sunday. If we are to be so unlucky, I wish that we had not been born at all. I am sorry for my existence in the world.

We are being treated worse than animals. Animals can go anywhere on their own, but we girls don’t have the right even to step out of our homes.

—Marwa

DREAMS CRUSHED

The ban by the hardline Islamist government, which seized power in August last year, has sparked global outrage,

including from Muslim nations who deemed it against Islam.

Neda Mohammad Nadeem, Taliban’s minister for higher education, claimed women students had ignored a strict dress code and a requirement they be accompanied by a male relative to campus. They are also barred from travelling without a male relative and must cover up in public. Women are prohibited from going to parks, etc.

Centre on Collegium: SC gets 3 CJIs, delivers verdicts in 2022

only

The apex court, in its 72-year-long history, saw three Chief Justices of India (CJI) in a year for the second time after 2002. NV Ramana, who became the 48th CJI in April 2021, retired in August 2022, followed by UU Lalit.

Amaravati: President Droupadi Murmu will visit the Srisailam temple in Nandyal district in Andhra Pradesh to inaugurate a project of the Tourism Department ‘Prasad’ on Monday, officials said on Sunday. Murmu will be reaching the temple town in chopper from Hyderabad, they said. She is scheduled to offer special prayers at the Lord Mallikarjuna Swamy and Goddess Bramarambhika temples in Srisailam.

PRESIDENT TO VISIT SRISAILAM TEMPLE IN ANDHRA TODAY

Moni Sharma

banned from attending university in Taliban-controlled

active caseload currently stands at 3,424, which accounts for 0.01 per cent of the total cases

The national COVID-19 recovery rate stood at 98.8 per cent, the Health Ministry said

A healthcare worker collects a nasal swab sample of a passenger for COVID-19 testing at Birsa Munda International Airport, in Ranchi on Sunday. —PHOTO BY ANI

“45,000-50,000

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar

MAN ESCAPES UNHURT IN MILITANT ATTACK IN SRINAGAR

FOUR YOUTHS DIE IN TWO ACCIDENTS IN WEE HOURS OF CHRISTMAS DAY IN KERALA

Minister Yogi Adityanath paid tribute to army personnel who died in the Sikkim truck mishap and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 50 lakh each to the families

of all the deceased.

CM Yogi paid tribute to the four soldiers. He also announced a government job for one family member of each soldier.

INDIA BEAT BANGLADESH

Indian team poses for a group picture with the trophy after winning the 2nd Test match against Bangladesh, at Shere Bangla National Stadium, in Dhaka on Sunday. India defeated Bangladesh by 3 wickets to seal the series 2-0.

Sanjeev Balyan, Kapil Dev Aggarwal and others pay last respects to the mortal remains of army soldier. —PHOTO BY ANI

New Delhi: The MeT department’s predictions for Christmas and the holidays ahead, point to the possibility of dense fog in Chandigarh, Punjab, and Haryana over the next four days. The MeT has issued a warning of severe cold conditions over the next few days in north Rajasthan.

NORTH INDIA

New Delhi (PTI): Amid the feud with the government on the Collegium system, the Supreme Court saw three CJIs in 2022 while it delivered key verdicts upholding the SIT’s clean chit to then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi in the 2002 riots, the contentious money laundering law and 10 per cent EWS quota in admissions and government jobs.

The no-holds-barred attack on the judiciary by the Centre led by

Law Minister Kiren Rijiju on issues ranging from the Collegium system, listing of bail and frivolous PILs to long court vacations elicited sharp response from the top court which not

came down heavily over the delay in clearing names for judgeship to the top couurt but also asserted that if it does not act in the case of violation of personal liberty then “what for” is it existing.

New Delhi: Foreign investors have infused a net `11,557 crore in Indian equities in December so far despite a market correction and increasing concerns over re-emergence of COVID in China and some other parts of the world. FPIs invested a net sum of `11,557 crore in equities during December 1-23. This comes following a net investment of over `36,200 crore in November primarily due to weakening of the US dollar index and positivity about overall macroeconomic trends. —PTI

China ready to work with India: FM Wang

New Delhi (PTI): Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Sunday that China is ready to work with India for the “steady and sound growth” of bilateral ties and the two countries are committed to upholding stability at the border areas where tensions have prevailed since 2020.

Addressing a symposium on the international situation and China’s foreign relations in 2022, Wang said both countries have maintained communication through diplomatic and military-to-military channels.

“China and India have maintained communication through the diplomatic and military-to-military

DPIIT seeks views on retail trade policy

New Delhi (PTI): The DPIIT has sought the views of 16 departments and ministries on its draft national retail trade policy, which is aimed at the overall development of all formats of the sector, an official said.

channels, and both countries are committed to upholding stability in the border areas,” said Wang, who

NEARLY 80% TICKETS SOLD ONLINE: RAIL MIN

First India Bureau

New Delhi: Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday stated that close to 80% of reserved tickets in Indian railways are sold online.

MAJOR HIGHLIGHTS



Addressing a symposium on the int’l situation and China’s foreign relations in 2022, Wang said both countries have maintained communication through diplomatic and military-to-military channels

has been elevated to the ruling Communist Party of China’s (CPC) high-power political bureau during the recent party Congress.

“We stand ready to work with India in the direction toward steady and sound



Wang, along with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, is the Special Representative of the India-China boundary mechanism

 In his lengthy address on China’s diplomatic work, Wang focused more on China’s troubled ties with the US

growth of China-India relations,” he said at the symposium. Wang, along with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, is the Special Representative of the India-China boundary mechanism which has remained

dormant in the present set of border standoffs.

In his lengthy address on China’s diplomatic work, Wang focused more on China’s troubled ties with the US and burgeoning relations with Russia, despite the Ukraine war.

He briefly touched on India-China relations that have been bogged down since April 2020.

The ties between the two countries froze since then, with India making it clear that peace and tranquillity at the border is the sine qua non for the overall development of bilateral ties.

COVID situation in China, global trends to guide markets this week

New Delhi: The combined market valuation of the top 10 valued firms eroded by `1,68,552.42 crore last week, with Reliance Industries taking the biggest hit in an overall weak broader market. Reliance Industries’ valuation tanked `42,994.44 crore to `16,92,411.37 crore.

But in the ranking of top10 companies, RIL retained the title of the most valued firm followed by TCS, HDFC Bank, Infosys, Hindustan Unilever, ICICI Bank, SBI, HDFC, Bharti Airtel and LIC. —PTI

MAXIMUM DELAYED PROJECTS IN ROAD, HIGHWAYS SECTOR

After getting comments from all the departments and ministries, DPIIT would seek approval of the Union Cabinet on policy.

The policy would focus on formulating strategies to provide a globally competitive and sustainable environment for the overall development of retail trade through targeted efforts.

The objectives of the policy include ensuring easy and quick access to affordable credit, facilitating modernization and digiti-

sation of retail trade by promoting modern technology and superior infrastructural support; development of physical infrastructure across the distribution chain; promotion of skill development and improve labour productivity, and providing an effective consultative and grievance redressal mechanism for the sector.

The response from Vaishnaw came as a written reply in Lok Sabha.

“Mobile application on various platforms is also available for booking reserved and unreserved tickets as well as provision of other railway services,” ANI quoted Vaishnaw.

New Delhi (PTI): Global trends and the COVID situation in China would drive the equity markets this week, which may also see volatility amid the scheduled derivatives expiry on Thursday, said analysts.

According to analysts, investor sentiment remained subdued last week amid surging COVID cases in China and a few other nations. Also, stronger US growth data has cemented expectations of the Federal Reserve continuing with its hawkish stance, which added to the muted trend.

Last week, the Sensex tumbled 1,492.52 points.

“The scheduled derivatives expiry of December month contracts would keep participants busy. Be-

sides, the performance of global indices amid the rising fear of COVID cases will further add to volatility,” said Ajit Mishra, VPTechnical Research, Religare Broking Ltd. Movement of rupee, Brent crude oil and foreign fund trading activity would also be watched by investors during the week.

PAST & FUTURE PROJECTION



Last week, the Sensex tumbled 1,492.52 points or 2.43%, while the Nifty tanked 462.20 points.



Mixed bag of job opportunities await aspirants in 2023

New Delhi: The road transport and highways sector has the maximum number of delayed projects at 358, followed by railways at 111 and the petroleum sector at 87, showed a government report. In the road transport and highways sector, 358 out of 769 projects are delayed. In railways, out of 173 projects, 111 are delayed, while in the petroleum sector, 87 out of 154 projects are running behind schedule, as per the latest flash report on infrastructure projects for Nov 2022. MuneerabadMahaboobnagar rail project is the most-delayed project. —PTI

ESIC PLANS TO FILL 6,400 VACANCIES: LABOUR MINISTER

New Delhi (PTI): A mixed bag of opportunities is likely to greet job aspirants in 2023 as telecom and services-oriented sectors are anticipated to accelerate hiring after recent gloomy months of pink slips in the technology segment amid global economic turmoil.

Short-term opportunities will be on the rise and companies will focus on building a work-life integrated culture, nurturing niche talent, enhancing skills and providing flexible work arrangements, experts opined. Experts also said one of the major recruitment trends of 2023 is expected to be companies

SHORT-TERM OPPS ON RISE



Short-term opps will be on the rise and companies will focus on building a work-life integrated culture, nurturing niche talent & providing flexible work arrangements

SHIFT TO AUTOMATIC IN 2023

New Delhi: The Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) plans to fill 6,400 vacancies, including posts for over 2,000 doctors and teaching faculty, wiping out the backlogs for manpower that remained, Labour Minister Bhupender Yadav said. ESIC is also working towards providing skillsbased training programme to workers for paramedical jobs and has launched certificate courses in 10 disciplines, a labour ministry said. —PTI

Movement of rupee, Brent crude oil and foreign fund trading activity would also be watched

looking to boost internal mobility of talent.

After 2022, especially the second half, resonated with reports of mass layoffs and hiring freeze amid the pandemic-related business disruptions, experts said it is not going to be all gloom and doom in 2023.

India need corp mandate on R&D: Zoho

OTHER STORIES

CEO

Kolkata (PTI): India requires a corporate mandate on Research & Development (R&D) similar to CSR to promote a technology innovation culture which will help build critical technologies here in the country, Zoho Corporation’s founder Sridhar Vembu said.

The Padma Shree awardee and CEO of the country’s first billion-dollar IT product company said the country lacks a culture of its own R&D and pointed out that merely having manufacturing facilities of global tech product companies like Apple will not bring “high income jobs” for people at large in India.

Maruti expects auto car sales to accelerate

First India Bureau

New Delhi: With increasing congestion across cities in India, Maruti Suzuki India expects sales of its vehicles with auto gear shift to pick up further in 2023, according to company Senior offical Shashank Srivastava.

The company had introduced the auto gear shift (AGS) technology that relieves drivers from manually changing gears using the clutch, for the first time in 2013-14 on its hatchback Celerio. It has cumulatively sold 7.74 lakh units of

such vehicles across its portfolio so far. “After we introduced AGS, slowly we have expanded it in so

many of our models. We do believe that with increased congestion, especially in urban areas, AGS is a fur-

NINE MODELS IN AGS OPTION

NCLAT SETS ASIDE CCI ORDER ON DELHI LAND AND FINANCE (DLF)

New Delhi: The NCLAT has set aside an order passed by fair trade regulator Competition Commission of India (CCI) with respect to Delhi Land and Finance (DLF) and directed it to examine the matter. The appellate tribunal said CCI was “not authorised to pass an order for further investigation” if once its probe unit - the DG (Director General) has already “noticed the violation” in its first report and “the same cannot be justified”. —PTI

‘BRING DOWN INTEREST RATES FOR RENEWABLE POWER’

New Delhi: Assocham president Sumant Sinha has called for bringing down interest rates for the industry, especially for the domestic renewables sector, which is seeing high rates of 8-10% compared to 3-4% in the western markets. On his expectations from the government for the domestic power and renewable energy sectors in the upcoming budget, Sinha said interest rates should be brought down for the ratesensitive sector. —PTI

GARUDA AEROSPACE RECEIVES QUALITY CERTIFICATION & RTPO APPROVALS

FROM DGCA Chennai: Garuda Aerospace has received the Type Certification and RPTO approvals from the DGCA for the indigenously designed kisan drones. DGCA Type certification is provided on the basis of the quality check and is issued after a rigorous testing process of the unmanned aerial vehicles. The kisan drones are developed for agricultural purposes and with the Type Certification received for the GA-AG model, Garuda Kisan drones were eligible for `10 lakh unsecured loans from the agri-infrastructure fund offered by Centre. —PTI

PIRAMAL

DIRECT EMPLOYMENT IN AVIATION SECTOR IS OVER

2.5

ther addition to the ease of driving. So we believe technology will pick up even further,” he said.

in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). —PTI

New Delhi: Union Minister of State in the Ministry of Civil Aviation Gen (Dr) VK Singh (Retd) said the direct employment in aviation and aeronautical manufacturing sector is nearly 250,000 employees. The figure stated includes pilots, cabin crew, engineers, technicians, airport staff, ground handling, cargo, retail, security, administrative and sales staff. The growth in FY 2021-22 as compared to 2020-21 was 47% (approx). —PTI

MCAP OF 10 TOP FIRMS ERODES BY `1.68 LAKH CRORE

L: MINISTER

‘

CM LAYS FOUNDATION STONE OF DEV WORKS WORTH `333 CRORE IN BHARATPUR

Raj a model State due to health schemes’

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot also dedicated projects worth `95 crore in Bharatpur’s Nadbai

Bharatpur: Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Sunday said that Rajasthan has become a model State in the country due to the schemes in the health sector. Gehlot laid foundation stone of development works worth Rs 333 crore and dedicated works worth Rs 95 crore at Nadbai in Bharatpur.

He said that free treatment up to Rs 10 lakh is being provided under the Chief Minister Chiranjeevi Health Insurance Scheme and the state government is bearing the entire expenditure on heart, liver, kidney transplant and cochlear implant.

“Medicines and tests are being provided free of cost. Along with this, accident insurance of Rs 5 lakh is being provided to support in adverse circumstances,” he said during a programme in Bharatpur’s Nadbai assembly constituency.

“We have provided social and economic support to the common people by implementing budget announcements, public welfare schemes and important decisions on the ground. There has been no shortage of any kind in the development of every sector,” he said.

ATROCITIES AGAINST WOMEN

Poonia writes to NCW, NHRC, seeks directions for State Govt

First India Bureau

Jaipur: BJP State president Satish Poonia has written a letter to the National Commission for Women and the National Human Rights Commission seeking directions to the state government for effective prevention of crime against women.

Citing cases of rape and atrocities against women happened in the state, Poonia said that during the tenure of the state government, more than 8.61 lakh criminal cases have been registered so far out of which more than 1.55 lakh cases are related to atrocities on women.

“Of them, more than 25,000 cases are of rape

and gangrape,” he said. He said that recently, in Bhilwara district of the state, a case of sale and purchase of girls on stamp paper came to the fore. Also, in the districts of Dungarpur, Bharatpur, Sawai Madhopur, etc., cases of forcibly pushing teenage

girls into prostitution and trafficking have also surfaced.

“The image of Rajasthan state has been tarnished by such incidents. Increasing criminal cases against women in Rajasthan state is very frightening and condemnable,” he said.

An ‘excellent diplomat’: CM Gehlot pays tribute to Maharaja Surajmal

First India Bureau

Bharatpur: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot paid homage to Maharaja Surajmal, the erstwhile ruler of Bharatpur, on his death anniversary on Sunday, saying he was a great warrior and an excellent diplomat.

Gehlot also visited Maharani Shri Jaya Mahavidyalaya ground in Bharatpur, where sand art depicting the life of Maharaja Surajmal was on display.

“Maharaja Surajmal, the founder of Bharat-

pur, was a great warrior, proficient in battle as well as an excellent diplomat. For this reason, the princely state of Bharatpur was al-

SET TO BAT

CM flags off 167 new ambulances, launches app

Jaipur: Rajasthan has 90 per cent health insurance coverage as compared to the national average of 41 per cent, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said on Sunday, attributing the success to schemes such as the Chiranjeevi Health Insurance Scheme.

Gehlot said against the national average of 41 per cent, Rajasthan has 90 per cent coverage of health insurance, while the coverage is 15.9 per cent in Uttar Pradesh, 22.4 per cent in Maharashtra and 44 per cent in Gujarat.

“The schemes which we have introduced here are being talked about in the country. I believe that

other states and the Centre would also have to implement (such schemes),” Gehlot told the media here after flagging off 167 new ‘108-emergency ambulances’ from Amar Jawan Jyoti on Sunday. All these ambulances will be included in the fleet in various districts to further strengthen the basic medical services.

Besides this, the Chief Minister also launched the Ambulance Inspection Mobile Application, through which the effective inspection of the movement of ambulances. The CM minister said that excellent management was done during the corona pandemic in the state.

State Cong likely to appoint 400 block presidents in 2023

Yogesh Sharma

Jaipur: The focus of Congress in the new year will be on organisational issues and assembly elections. The party is likely to appoint 400 block presidents. Also, other organisational appointments including that of district president may also be done in the new year.

As per the Udaipur declaration, priority will be given to youth and women in appointments.

Appointment of 34 district presidents is pending. Apart from it, 400 block Congress presidents are to be appointed. This time, mandal and division level presidents will

SIKKIM ROAD ACCIDENT

also be appointed for the first time.

Before the ‘Hath Se Hath Jodo’ campaign starting from January 26, the PCC is planning to focus on organizational appointments.

This is the reason that the announcement of 400 new block presidents will be made before January 26, be-

cause the campaign will start from the block level only.

Women, youth, minorities and SC-ST will be given importance in the list of block presidents.

District presidents in 5 out 13, where the district presidents were appointed, will be changed.

Mortal remains of 3 jawans consigned to flames with military honours

lll

Sixteen jawans had lost their lives when the truck carrying them fell into a gorge while negotiating a sharp turn in North Sikkim on Friday

First India Bureau Jodhpur/Jaisalmer/

The mortal remains of three soldiers, who were among those killed in a road accident in Sikkim, were on Friday consigned to flames with full military honours in their respective villages in Rajasthan, police said.

Subedar Guman Singh, Lance Naik Manoj Yadav and soldier Sukha Ram were from

Jhunjhunu and Jodhpur districts, respectively.

The body of Subedar Guman Singh arrived

air

truck, police said.

A large number of locals reached the air force station and raised slogans like ‘Guman Singh Amar Rahe’ and ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’. His funeral was conducted in the village in the presence of thousands of people.

In Jodhpur, people in large numbers accompanied the military truck in which the body of Sukha Ram was taken from the airport to his village.

Jaisalmer,

at Jaisalmer

force station from Delhi, from where it was taken to Joga village in a decorated military

Speaker Dr CP Joshi participates in the cricket competition organised by Akhil Bhartiya Vaishnav Bairagi Yuva Parishad, Nathdwara, in Bilota, Delwara on Sunday.

Minister Rajendra Singh Gudha pays tribute to jawan Manoj Yadav in Jhunjhunu on Sunday.

CM Ashok Gehlot, Vishvendra Singh, Mahesh Joshi, GS Dotasra, and Bhajanlal Jatav during a programme in Bharatpur’s Nadbai on Sunday.

Ravi Katara

ways one step ahead of the Mughals and the British and the Lohagarh fort remained invincible,” the chief minister said.

CM Ashok Gehlot, Vishvendra Singh, Subhash Garg, Mahesh Joshi look at the sand portrait of Maharaja Surajmal in Bharatpur.

Naresh Sharma

Satish Poonia with Dr Somya, BJP National Secy Vijaya Rahatkar in an event remembering Atal Bihari Vajpayee at Press Club.

Last rites of Subedar Guman Singh and soldier Sukha Ram were performed in Jaisalmer and Jhunjhunu on Sunday.

Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa will hold meeting in Jaipur on December 28. —FILE PHOTO

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Parsadi Lal Meena, Mahesh Joshi, Govind Singh Dotasra during the event on Sunday.

CM GEHLOT MEETS EX-ASSEMBLY SPEAKER GIRRAJ PRASAD IN B’PUR

Bharatpur: Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot paid a courtesy visit to 103-year-old Girraj Prasad Tiwari, ex-Speaker of Rajasthan Legislative Assembly during his visit to Bharatpur and also met the family members and enquired about their health. Ministers Dr Mahesh Joshi, Vishvendra Singh, Bhajan Lal Jatav, Dr Subhash Garg, PCC chief Govind Singh Dotasra were also present.

Tiwari held the post of Speaker of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly from January 1986 to March 1990.

CM Gehlot and Govind Singh Dotasra enquire about the health of Girraj Prasad Tiwari in Bharatpur on Sunday.

he

Mysore Fashion Week Season 6the three-day glamorous fashion event held at Mysore Union in Hebbal Industrial Area from December 9-11 featured some of the noted designers and supermodels displaying magnificent creations to the audience

lored and magnificent range of intricately designed designs.

The three-day mega event exclusively comprised top fashion designers, models, editors, fashion bloggers and key fashion influencers, ensuring every fashion enthusiast gains exposure to a unique audience.

Top designers like Shravan Kummar, Jayanthi Ballal, Daz-

zles

Prada

Other

Indian heritage in their creations.

The finale of Mysore Fashion Week saw veteran actress Jaya

such

Jayanthi Ballal, Founder of Mysore Fashion Week quotes saying “There is so much talent in India but no platform to

The

most opulent fashion event in South Mysuru, Mysore Fashion Week curated by designer Jayanthi Ballal, powered by Blenders Pride Glassware and Co Powered by Timex, Blanckanvas Media was orchestrated from December 9 to 11 at Mysore Union in Hebbal Industrial Area. Mysore Fashion Week was a royal treat for the sore eyes with eminent fashion designers, top models and renowned celebrities in its 6th season glamming Mysore with a beautifully tai-

Studio, Nazim Ali Khan, Felix Bandish, Ramya Santosh, Asif Merchant, Anjalee and Arjun Kapoor, Pankaj Soni, Rina Dhaka, Chaitanya Rao and many known designers spun their magic, setting the colour wheels in motion in royal shades. All the designers drew inspiration from opulent Indian textiles, colours, textures, and handcrafted patterns in order to honour the

walking the ramp draped in the silk saree designed by the event organiser, the city’s ace designer Jayanthi Ballal.

showstoppers

as Dhanya Ramkumar, Gayathrie Shankar, Karunya Ram, Poonam Pandey, Tisca Chopra, Awez and Zaid Darbar also mesmerized the viewers by showcasing stunning outfits by well-known designers.

showcase, Mysore Fashion Week is on a quest to give new talent wings to fly & help them explore their credentials. Our vision is to mentor newcomers looking for that deserving break in the Indian Fashion Industry & give them a platform to show the world their knack for fashion”.

star-studded event was choreographed by Parimal Mehhta, Faheem and Lokesh Sharma.

MRIDULA SHARMA cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

Stunning Poonam Pandey donning the designer outfit by Rina Dhaka

Tisca Chopra in an astonishing saree by Ramya Santosh

Poonam Pandey

Ace actress Jaya Prada donning the beautiful silk saree by Jayanthi Ballal

(L-R) Ravishing Gayathrie Shankar walk the ramp for Chaitanya Rao, Iris Maity in an ashtonishing outfit by Dazzles, Supermodel Sonalika Sahay, Dhanya Ramkumar and Karishma Modi showcases the stunning collection by Felix

Showstoppers Awez and Zaid Darbar walk the ramp for Pankaj Soni

THE RAMP WALK FOR LIFE

ciated the activities of the MOHAN Foundation.

MOHAN Foundation Hyderabad Team celebrated 25 years of saving lives through a unique “Ramp Walk for Life” at Saptaparni, Banjara Hills wherein luminaries from various walks of life walked the ramp wearing Telangana Weaves and spoke about the life-saving cause of “organ donation on December 23, 2022

Prominent doctors, celebrities, transplant recipients and donor families walked the ramp wearing Telangana weaves to create awareness of organ donation. Actor Revathy, who was the first celebrity to pledge to donate organs when the MOHAN Foundation was established, was the Guest of Honour at the event which was held in partnership with Abhihaara Foundation which promotes Telangana Weaves. Revathy flashed her Donor Card and sincerely appealed to everyone to pledge organ donation. She also spoke about her recent ventures i.e Aye Zindagi and Salam Venky, which are based on organ donation

She saluted all the Transplant Coordinators who speak to the family during their darkest hour of grief and highly appre-

Among the luminaries who walked the ramp was Dr Sonali Arora, a Cardiologist who specializes in advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology. Dr Arora, who is incidentally the daughter of former CEC Sunil Arora, completed an Advanced Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplant Fellowship at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City. She developed the advanced heart failure program at Sparrow Hospital in Michigan and was responsible for the initiation of the inpatient heart failure service and the expansion of the heart failure clinic.

She is currently working at KIMS, Heart and Lung Transplant Institute for the last 2 years.

Sunil Arora is also an Advisory Member on the Board of the MOHAN Foundation.

Dr Manjula Anagani, a Gynaecologist, is the Clinical Director and Head of the Department, Obs and Gynae, Care Hospital Hyderabad who received the prestigious Padmashree Award in 2015. She holds the Guinness World Record for the highest number of fibroids removed from a single patient.

From MOHAN Foundation, Lalitha Raghuram (Country Director), K Raghuram (Advisor), and Pallavi Kumar (EDDelhi NCR) walked the ramp with the many other renowned persons from different areas of life, all joined together for the cause of Organ Donation were Swapna Sundari (Anchor), Manju Latha Kalanidhi (Journalist). Hoinhu Rajesh (Lung Transplant Recipient), T

S Sudhir (Journalist), Dr Tapaswi Krishna P (Consultant Pulmonologist), Padma Buggineni (Health Professional), Dr Vineela Katam Reddy (Dentist), Uma Devi Chigurupati ( ED Granules India), Bhargavi ( Radio Jockey), Dr Rama Enganti (MD, DM Nephrology), Uma Sudhir (Executive Editor New Delhi Television), Dr Kola Sasikala (MD, DGO), Madhuri Dasagrandhi (Freelance Journalist), Karuna Gopal Vartakavi (Political leader), Gayatri Bhargavi(Actor), Colonel Vikram Subramanyam, Dr Subhadra Jalali, K. Rama Devi (Founder, ALEAP), Dr Usha Yanamandra, Dr Sandeep Gangaya Attawar Jyotsna

that has the Power to Save many lives.”

MOHAN Foundation, a pioneering NGO with a unique mandate of promoting

nation in the country, was in It took up the cause of orwhen no one in the counabout

nation in the country, was set up in 1997 in Chennai. It took up the cause of organ donation at a time when no one in the country was talking about it and the environment was fairly hostile towards this highly taboo topic and therefore has been a torch bearer in this space.

Its unique mission is to ensure that every Indian that is suffering from end-stage organ failure, be provided with the gift of a new lease of quality life through a lifesaving organ.

Taking a 360-degree approach the Foundation has been relentlessly working to create awareness of organ donation amongst the public & healthcare workers, training medical & paramedical professionals, working with hospitals to set systems to enable organ donation and working closely with State and Central Governments to create a strong ecosystem for organ donation.

Their strength lies in grief counselling and carrying out the unenviable task of speaking to families at the time of the death of a loved one and encouraging them to think about organ donation so that those who are suffering from organ failure can benefit from a lifesaving transplant.

Cheruvu, and Dr Samata

Roshni Padala. Dr Sunil Shroff, Founder of MOHAN Foundation sent out a strong appeal, “ Join us in our endeavour to en-

sure that ‘No Indian dies for want of an organ’. Let us normalise the conversation around this difficult, yet important topic,

deceased organ do-

SRIVIDYA SUBRAMANIAN cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

oped the advanced at Sparrow Hospital responsible for the ini-

Gynaecologist, is the Clin-

highly bearer in this space. ensure that every Indian end-stage organ failure, of a new lease of quality

Revathy with Dr Vaishnavi Raghuram and her daughter Leilani

Dr Sonali Arora walked the ramp and urged the people to pledge for Organ Donation Revathy displays a sample of her Organ Donation card as Lalitha Raghuram looks on smilingly

Dr Sandeep Gangaya with his patients who received organ transplants promotes the cause, also seen is Lalitha Raghuram.

Uma Sudhir with spouse TS Sudhir urging everyone to pledge for Organ Donation

Karuna Gopal Vartakavi walks the ramp

Sudha Rani felicitates Actress Revathy

Subhadra Jalali

Renowned singer Sreenidhi Venkat sings for the cause

Lalitha

K Raghuram and Lalitha walk with their granddaughter Leilani

JOY THE

WORLD!

TOBHARTI SAXENA

Christmas simply lights up every nook, from decorating Christmas trees to creating desserts at home. I spent the day with my students by creating some miraculous artworks related to Christmas. We also offered our prayers to the lord and sang Christmas carols. Honestly speaking, creating the artworks together with the little kids made my day mesmerizing!

Finally, the season of Jingle Bells, carols, gifts, cakes and of course our Santa Claus arrived after a long wait. And just like every year, this year shines as a festival of joy and happiness for everyone. The day commemorates the birth anniversary of Jesus Christ and is observed as a grand celebration by people belonging to different religions. Family gatherings, grand dinners, and gifts exchange form the true essence of this winter festival. People spend time with their closed ones while decorating the Christmas tree in their homes. Kids hang empty socks in their rooms to get gifts from Santa Claus, some clean their chimneys, and some decorate Christmas trees, wreaths etc. My favourite memory of Christmas is singing soulful carols in school with the whole class and visiting our school church to live the vibe of this beautiful festival. Wait, it seems like we all have different ways to celebrate this festival of joy, so let’s discuss your favourite memory or way to celebrate ‘Your Christmas’.

AZMEENA KHAN

My house is under construction so I did not get much time to celebrate, and that is the reason why I ditched the ‘Christmas celebration tgis’ plan I made with my friend. But even in the busiest schedule, we managed to celebrate the day with delicious cake and mouth-watering dishes. But I promise next year for sure I am gonna make up for my mistake and will celebrate the day with my friends.

ASTHA SAXENA

I adore Christmas so much! It’s the best time of the year. For Christmas and New Year’s celebrations, All my family gathered at our house and made gingerbread cookies and my personal favourite, chocolate cake, and decorated our Christmas tree. Following dinner, we all prayed to Jesus and exchanged gifts that we bought for one another.

SUSHMITA AIND

This is the first Christmas that I am spending with my partner Craig and it is pretty amazing. I had the opportunity to sing with the St Francis choir & Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and people from everywhere in the world regardless of any religion gathered together to share the rhythm of glad tidings.

PARUL MAHAJAN

My friends and I planned to visit our school Church but due to a Baby Shower function in the family, I had to stay at home with family and celebrated the day in a totally different way. We celebrated the birth of Jesus with the baby shower function cum Momchelor Party, in which we made many delicious dishes and played various games. At last, we paid gratitude to lord Jesus for blessing us.

HARSHITA SHARMA

My cousins surprised me with gifts and a cute Christmas cum get-together party at home. We really enjoyed the day with playing games and dancing to the tunes of funky music. We also binge watched our favorite series and decorated our house. I also flaunted one of my finest Basket Ball move to them, which I am preparing from so long. My mumma also baked tasty cake for us.

The festival of Christmas is celebrated with great cheer and enthusiasm all over the world. It is also an occasion for a family reunion. City First interacted with a few Christmas birds on how they celebrated their day in their way!

UTTKARSHA SHEKHAR uttkarsha.shekhar@firstindia.co.in

MAHAKUMBH OF GEMS AND JEWELLERY

CITY FIRST

he Jaipur Jewellery Show (JJS) is being organized on the theme ‘Em erald... Time less Elegance’ at the Jaipur Exhibition and Convention Center in Sitapura, proved to be a Super Sunday for the exhibitors of Gems and Jewellery on Sunday.

Indian High Com missioner in Zambia, Ashok Kumar visited JJS and showed interest in Jaipur Gems industry and emeralds. It is noteworthy that visitors from 30 countries have visited JJS in the last three days.

JJS’s biggest inno vation of the year JJS’ new B2B ini-

tiative ‘Pink Club’ continues to be the centre of attraction. Talking about the Pink Club, JJS Secretary, Rajeev Jain

informed that on the demand of the traders, this year ‘Pink Club’ was also added in JJS, so that traders can do their business.

In the same episode, On the eve of the second day of the JJS, a grand networking dinner and a live performance by The Frequency Project Band were organised at Crowne Plaza. This year’s brand ambassador of JJS and actress and model Mehak Chahal was also present at the event. During the event, the exhibitors got an opportunity to network with top retailers and buyers of JJS.

On this occasion, Rajiv Jain, JJS Secretary and Dinesh Khatoria; Vice Chairman were also present.

BAAL PANCHAYAT

HOMAGE TO A GREAT LEADER!

CITY FIRST

Bharat Ratna Mahamana Pt Madan Mohan Malaviyaji’s Jayanti was celebrated on Sunday by Mahamana Malaviya Mission (MMM), Jaipur, at Adarsh Vidya Mandir, Mansarovar, with great fervour. MMM members, ex-BHU students and others participated and paid homage to Maha-

mana Malaviya. The function was inaugurated by Chief Guest, Rakesh Chopra, MD, Rajasthan Electronics & Instruments Ltd (REIL), Jaipur. Dharm Pal Sin-

gh Meena, Addl DG, DRDO, Ministry of Defence, Delhi, Sushri Shridhari, Arun Sharma, Founder, Citizen’s Academy of Leadership & Political Analyst, Pawan Goyal, MD, Sa-

fari Group of Hotels & Social Worker, Mahamandaleshwar Yogini Guru Maharaj Radha Saraswati also participated as special guests. Malviya Sandesh Magazine was also launched during the program.

KK Parashar, Gen Secty, MMM, in his address conveyed at length that Malaviya was a great Spiritual Leader, Educationist, Social Reformer & Freedom Fighter.

A Christmas celebration cum anniversary party of PINT HOUSE took place on Sunday. Jagdeesh Chandra reached to bless the owner Ashish Sharma and congratulated him on completing 4 years. Gaurav Gaur with various models was also present.

Jagdeesh Chandra was greeted by Vishal Mathur, of the First India family as he reached the former’s residence to seek blessings on the occasion of his birthday, which was celebrated recently.

The Jayshree Periwal Group of Schools’ Student Council put up the liveliest carnival ever at the Housing Board Ground, Madhyam Marg, Mansarovar. Right from the morning, the ground was a hub of fun activities, laughter, fanfare and music continuing till night. Foot tapping numbers, joy rides, lucky dip stall and the aroma of multiple cuisines from the different stalls filled the air of celebration with the happy faces of the children.

Under the campaign “Main Bhi Baal Sarpanch” started by Digital Baal Mela and UNICEF, the voice of all the divisions of the state will be raised in Pink City from December 25 to 27. The occasion will be the “three-day Baal Panchayat” to be organised in the capital Jaipur. In this Baal Panchayat, 30 child representatives from 7 divisions of Rajasthan will be included, who were elected by the Baal Panchayat there.

DG ACB BL Soni while releasing the poster of the grand finale of Miss & Mrs India Glam Season-4 to be held in Jaipur with the aim of Women Empowerment said that today’s talented women, have every right to choose their lifestyle and live it in their own way with self-respect. And the Rajasthan Police is always ready and alert for the rights and safety of women. On this occasion, BL Soni was invited by Pawan Tank, Founder Director of Miss & Mrs India Glam. The grand finale of this National Beauty Pageant organised will be held in collaboration with SKJ Jewellers on December 28 at Ananta Spa and Resort, Delhi Road, Jaipur. Media partners of the event are Bharat24- Vision of New India National Hindi News Channel and First India English Newspaper.

Classical singer, Dr Vijendra Gautam enthralled the audience by singing Ragini Mil Mangal Gaawe with the fast bandish raga in one taal on Net Theater program recently. Rajendra Sharma Raju of Net Theat said that Vijender performed the first surasadhe in Raageshwari and a bandish in Raag Abhogi.

MNIT Jaipur Alumni Association and Institute celebrated Alumni Day on Sunday. On this occasion, the Golden Jubilee of Entry Batch 1972 and the Silver Jubilee of 1997 & 98 (Architect) Pass Out Batch were felicitated according to Rajasthani traditions. The chief guest of the program was Dr RK Tyagi. During this, MNIT Alumni Times Magazine was also released.

Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan Vidyashram Pratap Nagar celebrated its 13th anniversary with great enthusiasm. The idea of ‘Bharat Ratna’ was kept as the basis of the programme, out of which more than 400 students of the school participated enthusiastically in selected Bharat Ratnas.

C.B.S.E. Secretary Anurag Tripathi while addressing the educationists present as a special guest at the closing ceremony of the two-day workshop Pulse-22 organised by Seedling School Group at JNU on Saturday, said that following the new education system, teachers should also present themselves with new physical improvements and contribute to the intellectual development of children by making education interesting. Under the program J.N.U. Chancellor Dr Sandeep Bakshi said that if students are given space, time and freedom, then children create new knowledge by connecting and grappling with the information material handed over by elders. With the aim of including creative and preferential power, JNU more than 500 principals and teachers participated in the workshop.

The grand launch of Royal Jaipur, a restaurant took place at Adinath Nagar, Jaipur on Sunday. Jagdeesh Chandra graced the occasion as the chief guest and inaugurated the restaurant by cutting the inaugural ribbon. Royal Jaipur is a Multicuisin Restaurant, which offers a dining experience in a royal atmosphere with art-deco surroundings and lavish interiors. Meals are prepared from local produce to deliver the best regional and Indian dishes, vegetarian and some exclusive heritage cuisine of Jaipur including Kair Sangri, Aloo Pyaaz, Chukhe ki roti, Nagauri Malai Pyaaz, Papad Mangori ki sabzi etc.

—PHOTOS BY MUKESH KIRADOO

—PHOTO BY SANTOSH SHARMA

Gopal Kumar felicitated by Rajiv Jain, Dinesh Khatoria and Mehak Chahal. Also seen is Kamal Kothari

(L-R) Ajay Kala, Gopal Kumar, Kamal Kothari and Rajiv Jain

Model showcasing designer jewellery

Dr Nand Kumar, Rakesh Jain, NP Padhy, Dr RK Tyagi, Devraj Solanki, TS Ranawat, Dr Ashish Dutt, Dr Gurdev Singh Soni and Rakesh Yadav

Jagdeesh Chandra cuts the inaugural ribbon. Also seen are Shaleen Singh, Saloni Singh and Raj Singh

Jagdeesh Chandra greets Ashish Sharma. Also seen are Tripti Arora, Tripti Sharma, Rutvi Tiwari, Akanksha Bhalla, Shrishti Khatri, Gaurav Gaur with Russian models

During the event

Anurag Tripathi, Dr Sandeep Bakshi and Preeti Bakshi with others

Pawan Tank and DG ACB BL Soni