First India-Mumbai Edition-28th December 2022

INDIA PLANS $2 BN INCENTIVE FOR GREEN HYDROGEN

COVID-19 PAN-INDIA MOCK-DRILL INDIA BATTLE READY FOR ‘CHINA WAVE’!

New Delhi: Mock drills were held at several places in India on Tuesday to check preparedness to deal with any potential surge in Covid-19 infections. Amid Covid-19 surge in China and elsewhere, States and UTs swung into action, with directives being issued to check availability of oxygen and prices of essential drugs. As a part of govt’s measure to rein in Covid-19 infection in case of a possible upsurge in aftermath of the global rise in cases.

Biotech’s iNCOVACC, the first intranasal Covid-19 vaccine approved for mix-and match booster inoculation, is priced at Rs

per dose for private market and at Rs 325

large-volume government procurement. The vaccine is available on the government’s CoWIN website and it will be in the market by the fourth week of January, said the Hyderabadbased company. Health Ministry sources said that no decision has been taken on whether to procure the nasal vaccine for the national Covid-19 vaccination drive.

BOMBAY HC REFUSES ANY INTERIM RELIEF TO KOCHHARS

MAHARASHTRA-KARNATAKA BORDER ROW MAHA FOLLOWS K’TAKA’S LINE, PASSES BORDER RESOLUTION!

Kartikey Dev Singh

Nagpur: The Maharashtra Legislative Council on Tuesday unanimously passed a resolution to “legally pursue” inclusion of 865 Marathi-speaking villages in Karnataka into the western state and that the Centre should ask the southern state to guarantee the safety Marathi people living in the border areas. The resolution moved by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in both Houses of the Ma-

darity with the people living in the boundary areas.

“The state government will legally pursue in the Supreme Court the case to include (in Maharashtra) inch and inch of land of Belgaum, Karwar Bidar, Nipani, Bhalki cities and the 865 Marathi-speaking villages in Karnataka,” the resolution said.

It said the central government should urge the Karnataka government to implement the decision taken in a meeting with the Union Home Minis-

ter (over the border dispute issue).

The central government should give directives to the Karnataka government to guarantee the safety of the Marathi people in the border areas, it added.

The border issue dates back to 1957 after the reorganisation of states on linguistic lines.

The Karnataka Legislative Assembly last Thursday unanimously passed a resolution on border row with Maharashtra, resolving to protect the southern state’s interests and not to cede an inch of land to its neighbour.

The resolution had also condemned the border dispute “created” by Maharashtra.

Maharashtra laid claim to Belagavi, which was part of the erstwhile Bombay Presidency, as it has a sizable Marathi-speak-

Is BJP behind allegations against Shinde camp ministers, asks Uddhav

ing population. It also laid claim to more than 800 Marathi-speaking villages which are currently part of Karnataka.

Karnataka maintains the demarcation done on linguistic lines as per the States Reorganisation Act and the 1967 Mahajan Commission Report as final.

‘Nehru behind Maha-K’taka border row’

First India Bureau Nagpur: On Tuesday, BJP MLA Sudhir Mungantiwar sparked a fire when he held Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru responsible for the dispute between the two states.

Targeting the country’s first PM, Mungantiwar said, “Due to the mistake of Pandit Nehru, Marathi speak-

ers were forcibly included in Karnataka. It was then included in the Mysore province and later became the state of Karnataka. Late Yashwantrao Chavan moved the first resolution in this regard on March 11, 1960,” Mungantiwar said.

The BJP MLA claimed that “Nehru asked both the then

Chief Ministers to sit together and resolve the issue instead of helping them resolve the issue as the Prime Minister.

Even after that matter was not resolved. Since March 11, 1960, several resolutions have been passed in Vidhan Sabha. Unfortunately, PM Manmohan Singh also gave a wrong affidavit in the Supreme Court in 2010. The Mahajan Commission also created a feeling of doing injustice to Maharashtra,” he said.

First India Bureau

Nagpur: Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday wondered whether the BJP is behind the allegations being levelled against ministers belonging to the Shiv Sena faction led by Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde.

Thackeray also took a dig at pictures of Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray being used on posters by CM Shinde and MLAs of his camp, saying they were clicked by him (Uddhav).

“They don’t even have the brains to use pictures and they are governing the state,” Thackeray said in a jibe

“What is the original discussion? So how the plot worth 83 crores was sold for two crores? Why did the BJP MLAs mark this question as an asterisk? Today in the House four ministers were asked to conduct an inquiry. This put four ministers in danger. These four ministers belong to Shinde group. It means team BJP is systematically troubling Chief Minister Eknath Shinde group ministers. BJP state president Chandrashekhar Bawankule had said 10-15 days ago that we want to make Fadnavis the chief minister. That conspiracy is being executed once again in a planned manner. Devendra Fadnavis’ policy of inciting discussion here and plotting there is commendable”, said Sushma Andhare.

directed at Shinde.

Thackeray, an MLC, alleged some ministers indulged in scams.

“Every day there are scams. There has to be some morality. I sacked a minister. So have all the scamsters switched sides to hide their scams?” the former chief minister asked.

“We will burst these

bubbles (rebel MLAs of the Shinde faction). But is the BJP using a pin to burst these bubbles because the way the corruption is coming out, they pertain to the same ministers (of the Shinde faction),” Thackeray added.He said elections could be announced anytime in the New Year.

Dibrugarh: Severe hailstorm wreaked havoc in several places in Assam’s Dibrugarh district. According to reports, over 500 houses have been damaged in the district due to the hailstorm. The video of the hailstorm lashing the Moran area in Dibrugarh is doing rounds on social media.

The hailstorm lashed Moran, Tingkhang, Lahowal, Lekai, Naharkatia and other areas on Monday late night and Tuesday early morning, A senior official said. There has been no report of any casualty.

Mum Police did not allow Bihar Police to investigate: Ex-DGP

First India Bureau

Patna (ANI): A day after the mortuary unit of Cooper Hospital in Mumbai claimed that the actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death did not appear to be a suicide, Bihar’s former Director-General of Police Gupteshwar Pandey exuded confidence the

truth may come out with the support of the current government in Maharashtra.

“Now the government there (Maharashtra) has changed, hope the truth comes out,” said Pandey.

Former DGP Gupteshwar Pandey was in-charge of the probe team of Sushant Singh Rajput’s death case before turning into a reli-

gious preacher. He further alleged that during the investigation the Mumbai Police did not cooperate with the team of officers sent from Bihar.

“Mumbai police’s behaviour towards a team of officers sent from Bihar was unethical and it was then that I believed they were hiding something.

An IPS officer was sent who was kept under house arrest,” he said.

He said that the Crime Branch Investigation (CBI) should share the details with SIT so that justice is served.

“My team and I did not get enough time for investigation. If I would have got 15 days the case would have been solved and the

case would not have been handled the way it is being done,” said Gupteshwar Pandey.

Earlier on December 26, Speaking to ANI, Roopkumar Shah, Mortuary Servant, at Cooper Hospital, Mumbai said, “When I saw Sushant Singh Rajput’s body, it did not appear to be a case of suicide. Injuries marks were

there on his body. I had over 28 years of experience. I went to my senior but he said we will discuss it later.”

Actor Sushant Singh Rajput (34) was found dead at his Bandra residence on June 14, 2020, which created a lot of controversies.

His postmortem report stated the cause of death was asphyxia.

Nagpur: Shiv Sena leader Sushma Andhare made a shocking claim on Tuesday that it was a conspiracy by Devendra Fadnavis to land four ministers of the Shinde group in trouble.

DYCM LOOKING TO LAND SHINDE’S MINISTERS IN TROUBLE: ANDHARE

The state govt will legally pursue in the Supreme Court the case to include (in Mahar) each and every inch of land in Belgaum, Karwar Bidar, Nipani, Bhalki cities and the 865 Marathi-speaking villages in Karnataka.

—Eknath Shinde, Maha CM

Entire Karnataka and Congress party strongly condemns their resolution about inclusion of our villages into Maharashtra. We express our opposition to it. We are not ready to give even a single village from Karnataka and we don't want theirs. Our borders are fixed and people are living.

—DK Shivakumar, Karnataka Congress Chief

Hailstorm wreaks havoc in Assam, hits over 500 homes

First India Bureau

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya urges people to wear masks and follow the guidelines related to Covid-19 and be alert

First India Bureau

The way Covid-19 is making an upsurge across the world, Centre is working to not let the disease spread in the country. PM Modi has directed that we have to be alert and ready. Elaborate discussions have taken place with IMA & health ministers of all States and mock drills was conducted in the country —Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Health Minister

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya reviews Covid mock drill conducted at Safdarjung Hospital, in New Delhi on Tuesday.

A health worker collects the sample for testing during a mock drill for Covid-19 preparedness at CV

Raman General Government hospital in Indiranagar, Bengaluru on Tuesday. PHOTO BY PTI

Mumbai: Chanda Kochhar and her husband Deepak approached the Bombay HC alleging illegal arrest by CBI in Videocon case. While they sought urgent hearing for interim relief of release, the vacation bench said to approach regular court on January 2.

PM MODI’S BRO PRAHLAD MODI, FAMILY INJURED IN CAR CRASH

Mysuru: Prahlad Modi, brother of PM Modi, met with an accident in Mysuru while traveling with his family on Tuesday. The local police informed that the members of the family have suffered minor injuries and are admitted to the nearest hospital.

New Delhi: 180-billion ($2.2 billion) incentive aims to reduce the production cost of green hydrogen by a fifth over the next five years, said a senior government official and an industry manager working in renewable energy. It would do this in part by increasing the scale of the industry, they said.

OPPN ‘SINGS’ CORRUPTION TALES AT PROTEST

Din in Council as Oppn raises ‘insult’ to iconic figures issue

Nagpur (PTI): Opposition members staged a demonstration by taking out a foot march like ‘warkaris’ in the Maharashtra legislature complex on Tuesday and accused the Eknath Shinde-led state government of indulging in corruption.

On Tuesday, opposition members led Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Ambadas Danve took out a foot march like ‘warkaris’ do while setting out on a pilgrimage to a temple of Lord Vitthal in Pandharpur town.

They rang bells and chanted slogans, accusing Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and some state ministers including Sattar of indulging in corruption.

Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Ajit Pawar, Shiv Sena – Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray legislator Aaditya Thackeray, Congress leader Nana Patole and others joined the demonstration.

“We have all the documents and evidence to prove his misdeeds - be it the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) scam or objectionable remarks against Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MP Supriya Sule,” said

Aaditya Thackeray.

On Monday, both Houses of the Maharashtra legislature were adjourned for the day after the opposition stalled the proceedings demanding Agriculture Minister Abdul Sattar’s resignation over a land ‘regularization’ order passed by him when he was a minister in the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.

The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court last week issued a notice to Sattar who had ordered ‘regularization’ of the possession of land reserved for public ‘gairan’ (grazing) in favour of a private person in the face of a civil court order.

Earlier, the opposition members had also

Pawar accuses govt of ‘fiscal indiscipline’

Nagpur (PTI): Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Ajit Pawar on Tuesday accused the state government of “financial indiscipline” after it tabled a more than Rs52,000 crore supplementary demand last week. “You have breached fiscal discipline,” Pawar said.

Devendra Fadnavis, his successor in the Finance Ministry, presented his first supplementary demand of Rs25,000 crore in an earlier session and the second demand of record Rs52,000 crore last week, Pawar pointed out.

If a third demand is tabled, the total could go up to Rs1 lakh crore or around 20% of the original budget tabled in March, he said.

“You (Fadnavis) keep talking about fiscal discipline, and it should be

demanded Chief Minister Shinde’s resignation after a Nagpur bench of the HC on December 14 ordered status quo on a decision taken by him of allotment of land

Danve seeks resignation of mins Sattar and Samant

size

followed. You have violated fiscal discipline. You tabled a record supplementary demand,” said Pawar.

Fadnavis presented a supplementary demand of Rs52,327 crore on December 19, of which, Rs8,945 crore were earmarked for the Urban Development Department.

“The Rs15,856 crore is for capital cost and Rs36,000 crore is to take care of 40 MLAs,” Pawar said, in a veiled reference to the 40 legislators of the Shiv Sena which broke away under Shinde’s leadership to topple the previous MVA government.

Nagpur (PTI): Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Council, Ambadas Danve, on Tuesday demanded the resignation of state ministers Abdul Sattar and Uday Samant over alleged irregularities in the land allotment and a few mega projects.

Speaking to reporters outside the Vidhan Bhavan complex, Danve said the Bombay High Court has reprimanded Agriculture Minister Sattar over the allotment of land reserved for public gairan’ (grazing) in Washim and asked him to pay a penalty of Rs50,000, which proves he is in the “wrong”.

He is a “habitual offender” in such cases, Danve alleged. The opposition leader also accused state Industries Minister Uday Samant of irregularities in some mega projects, without elaborating.

meant for slum dwellers to private persons when he was a minister in the previous Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA.

Shinde had denied any wrongdoing and

Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra Legislative Council witnessed uproar on Tuesday over alleged controversial comments made by state Governor BS Koshyari, state minister Chandrakant Patil and some other leaders in the recent past.

Following the uproar over the issue and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ attack on Rahul Gandhi for his remarks against freedom fighter VD Savarkar during the ongoing ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, the Upper House of the state legislature was adjourned for the day.

A discussion was initiated by Leader of Opposition Ambadas Danve who objected to comments made by Koshyari regarding Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. He also objected to remarks by cabinet minister Chandrakant Patil about social reformers BR Ambedkar and Jyotiba Phule besides some other leaders.

The government should introduce a bill to punish those who insult iconic personalities by making absurd statements.”

Responding to it, Fadnavis referred to the remarks made by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi against VD Savarkar when ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ was passing through Maharashtra.

Rahul had said Savarkar had helped the British and also wrote a mercy petition to the then rulers.

varkar. Why did no one from Shiv Sena condem Gandhi’s words?” he asked.

Irked by Fadnavis’ statement, Congress MLCs asked Deputy Chairperson Neelam Gorhe to intervene, but she refused to interrupt Fadnavis.

“I am ok if you do not give Bharat Ratna to Savarkar but at least stop insulting him,” said Fadnavis.

The Opposition and treasury benches indulged in a war of words when Fadnavis targeted Gandhi.

the HC on December 22 accepted the withdrawal of the order of regularization issued by the CM recently and observed it was treating the matter as closed.

Shiv Sena - Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray faction leader Anil Parab said, “Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is the greatest personality of Maharashtra.

“I was surprised Shiv Sena leaders like Danve and Anil Parab didn’t say a single word against Rahul Gandhi who had allegedly insulted Sa-

BJP legislators attend Sangh programme

Nagpur (PTI): Bharatiya Janata Party legislators on Tuesday attended the Sangh Parichay Varg (an introduction to the RSS) programme in Nagpur city, where the Winter Session of the state legislature is currently underway.

Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who was among those

who participated in the programme, later told reporters that the legislators were also given the book ‘Bhavishya Ka Bharat’. It is a compilation of the lecture series of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat.

“Since the last 25 years, BJP legislators have been visiting me-

MAHA-K’TAKA BORDER ROW

Nagpur (PTI): Former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday said the state government should request the Supreme Court that all disputed regions be declared as a Union Territory as long as the Maharashtra-Karnataka border issue is pending before it.

Speaking to reporters here, Thackeray congratulated the Maharashtra government after both Houses of the state legislature passed resolutions on the border dispute.

“We will support every measure that is in Maharashtra’s interest,” he said.

Both houses unanimously passed the resolution moved by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde which said the state will “legally pursue” the inclusion of 865 Marathi-speaking vil-

lages which are presently part of Karnataka, in Maharashtra.

The Maharashtra government should file a fresh writ petition in the SC and demand UT status for the disputed area pending the legal resolution, said the Shiv Sena (UBT) chief.

morials and attending the Sangh Parichay Varg during the winter session in Nagpur as this is our place of inspiration. We get the energy of nationalism from here,” Deputy CM Fadnavis said after attending the programme held at Dr Hedgewar Smruti Mandir in Reshimbagh.

Oppn to target entire cabinet, not just

couple of mins: Raut

Nagpur (PTI): Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Tuesday said the Opposition would be cornering the entire Maharashtra cabinet over corruption and not just one or two ministers.

He feels sympathy for Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis who has to defend his “corrupt” colleagues, Raut said while speaking to reporters.

“The Opposition is not going to target only a couple of ministers in the Eknath Shinde-Fadnavis cabinet, but the entire cabinet is going to be in trouble. I am sympathetic to Fadnavis because he has to defend those who are mired in corruption,” the Rajya Sabha MP said.

Earlier, Raut’s comment that his party “would drop a couple

of bomb-shells” during the ongoing Winter Session had gone viral.

The Sena (UBT), NCP and Congress targeted Agriculture Minister Abdul Sattar after the Bombay High Court last week issued him a notice over the transfer of 37 acres of common village land to a private person in Washim district. A similar allegation was also levelled against minister Sanjay Rathod. But Fadnavis termed the allegations as “minor firecrackers”.

Responding to Fadnavis’s remark, Raut said, “Chief Minister Shinde himself is involved in the NIT land scam, and you call it a minor firecracker? I am sympathetic to Fadnavis that he has to defend corrupt ministers.”

Amid sloganeering from both sides, Deputy Chairperson Neelam Gorhe adjourned the proceedings for the day.

Awhad seeks action against IAS under the SC/ST Act

Nagpur (PTI): Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Jitendra Awhad on Tuesday demanded action under the SC/ ST Act against an IAS officer posted in Palghar district of Maharashtra.

Speaking to reporters at the Vidhan Bhavan Complex here, Awhad said project director Ayushi Sinha forced tribal girls to chant “Radhe, Radhe” saying they will get salvation by doing so.

“Tribal communities have their own lifestyle and culture. They are forced to chant ‘Radhe Radhe’. This is a very serious matter as a probationary IAS officer is involved. I raised a demand in the Assembly seeking action under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against that IAS officer in Palghar,” said Awhad.

‘Maha should move SC for UT status of region’

Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray and other MVA MLAs during their ‘bhajan andolan’ (hymn protest) demonstration outside Vidhan Bhavan in Nagpur on Tuesday. —PHOTOS BY ANI

Takes out unique foot march at Maha legislature with chants, cymbals and sloganeering

Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis —FILE PHOTO

Targets Deputy CM Fadnavis over

of `52,000 crore supplementary demand

Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray welcomes Maha Assembly resolution for legal measures

Uddhav Thackeray

Ambadas Danve —ANI PHOTO

Jitendra Awhad

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat

MUM HOSPS ‘ON ALERT’ FOR NCOV SURGE

State, civic-run facilities check health infra preparedness to tackle influx of cases with mock drills

Mumbai (PTI): Civic and government hospitals in Mumbai conducted mock drills on Tuesday to check their COVID-19 wards and facilities available for patients in the wake of a spurt in cases of the viral disease in China and other countries.

A doctor from the government-run JJ Hospital in Mumbai said they checked the preparedness of their COVID-19 ward, medicine, X-ray and oxygen supply units. A doctor from the civic-run Seven Hills Hospital said as part of the drill, they “checked everything right from the process of admission of patients, shifting them to the Intensive Care Unit, following the ICU processes, and checking whether they had taken single, double or booster doses of vaccine.”

The hospital’s oxygen pipeline, ICU equipment and manpower

preparedness were also checked during the exercise, the doctor said.

Dr Chandrakant Pawar, Medical Superintendent of the civic-run Kasturba Hospital which treats patients with infectious diseases, also said they checked

YouTubers held for making stunt video

their readiness to handle any situation. JJ Hospital’s Dean Dr Pallavi Saple said that they conducted the mock drill as per the instructions from health authorities.

Among the COVID-19 facilities in Mumbai,

the Seven Hills Hospital has 1,700 beds, Kasturba Hospital has 35 beds, government-run Cama Hospital (100 beds), St George Hospital (70 beds), Tata Hospital (16 beds) and Jagjivan Ram Hospital-(12 beds).

The hospitals have

PRECAUTIONARY

tories, according to the release. Also, the stock of medicines like Remdesivir, Tocilizumab, Methylprednisolone, Dexamethasone, Amphotericin B Deoxycholate and Posaconazole is available.

“The medicines will be procured and made available in future if cases increase,” the release said, adding that PPE kits, N-95 masks, nebulizers and pulse oximeters are available in adequate quantity.

FIRE ERUPTS IN INDUSTRIAL ESTATE IN ANDHERI EAST, NO CASUALTIES REPORTED

Mumbai: A fire erupted in a ground-plus-two building in an industrial estate in Marol Naka area of suburban Andheri East on Tuesday evening, a civic official said. There were no reports of anyone getting injured, he added. The fire broke out in building number 5 at Mittal Industrial Estate on Andheri-Kurla road around 4.45 pm. Eight fire engines and other vehicles were rushed to the spot and a dousing operation is underway, the official said.

CENTRE APPROVES `150 CRORE FUND TO DEVELOP PORT

BULLET TRAIN: 98% LAND ACQUISITION DONE

Mumbai (PTI): Two Russian YouTubers Maksim Shcherbakow (25) and Roman Proshin (33) have been arrested for allegedly entering a 60-storey twin tower complex in Tardeo to shoot a stunt video, police said on Tuesday. The duo was arrested late on Monday night and an offence under section 452 (house trespass) and other relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code was registered against them, an official said.

The Russian embassy was informed about the incident after the First Information Report (FIR) was registered, he said.

The accused had allegedly sneaked into The Imperial, a plush twin tower complex, to

shoot a stunt video and were spotted in the CCTV cameras by the on-duty security guards, who immediately informed the police and cornered them, the official said.

During the probe, it was found that the duo had climbed up to the 58th floor of one of the towers using the staircase and had allegedly intended to ascend from the outside and record a video while performing the stunt, he said.

been asked to upload all reports collected during the drill on the Union government’s dedicated portal for COVID-19.

To diagnose and track COVID-19 cases, the city has a daily testing capacity of 1,35,035 at 34 hospitals and 49 labora-

Further, the city has 859 functional oxygen concentrators and 2,933 oxygen cylinders, apart from 79 Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) oxygen plants of 1,468 metric tons capacity and liquid medical oxygen of 268 metric tons capacity, it added. Mock drills to assess preparedness for treating COVID-19 cases were conducted at about 1,300 health facilities in state, the state health department said.

Doctors’ body warns of strike from Jan 02 over posts, pending dues

Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra State Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) has warned of going on strike from January 02 if their demands of filling vacant posts and clearing pending dues from 2018 are not met.

In a letter to state Medical Education Minister Girish Mahajan on Monday, MARD President Dr Avinash Dahiphale has demanded the creation of 1,432 posts of senior resident doctors and payment of pending dues of dearness allowances from October 16, 2018. “The creation of 1,432 posts of senior res-

ident doctors is our first demand. If the proposal for the same is still pending with the state government, then why did it have the policy of bonded service for resident doctors passing out from

government-run colleges,” stated the letter.

The association has also demanded clearing pending dues of dearness allowances from October 16, 2018, it said. “There is also no parity

Fake call centre busted in police raid at DLF Park; case against six involved

First India Bureau

Mumbai: Six people were arrested on Tuesday for allegedly operating a fake call centre and duping people to the tune of Rs4 crore in the western suburb of Goregaon.

The Mumbai police’s crime branch raided an office at DLH Park on S V Road

on Monday night, said an official.

The accused were allegedly operating a call centre called One 721 Global Service Ltd

and used to contact people in Mauritius and in Gulf countries, asking them to invest in commodity trading. They would pose as experts on social media and lure people into depositing 200 USD to start trading. It was revealed that the accused have duped people of around Rs4 crore.

INFRA FACELIFT

in salaries of senior resident doctors across the state. The state should intervene and bring parity in the salary structure,” said the letter.

The MARD further claimed that the posts of associate and assistant professor are vacant in most of the medical colleges and they need to be filled to ensure that students are not affected.

Palghar: Palghar district MP Rajendra Gavit’s continuous pursuit has paid off as the Central government has approved a fund of Rs150 crore for the Satpati Fishing Port. The fund is to be utilized for infrastructure development and fishing facilities at Satpati and has been granted by the Union Minister for Port Development and Fisheries Purushottam Rupa, in the recently held 15th meeting of the Central Sanctions and Control Committee at New Delhi. A proposal for the development of this Port was submitted to the government by Fisheries Development Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar and Commissioner of this department Dr Atul Patne.

Palghar: Nearly 188 hectares of land, required for the bullet train project has been acquired which amounts to about 98% of the 191.54 hectares. 109 km of bullet train will run in the Palghar district and the acquired land with the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) and renumeration for about 54 hectares is to be given to these landholders. The land required for the bullet train has a span width of 17.5 meters and the award for the said land has been declared and only 3.54 hectares of land is yet to be acquired. The remuneration of 133.85 hectares of land, which amounts to about 70%, is paid to the beneficiaries.

BIDS FOR WAYSIDE AMENITIES ON SAMRUDDHI EXPRESSWAY POSTPONED

Mumbai: The due date to submit bids for establishing, operating and maintaining wayside amenities along the Mumbai-Nagpur Super Communication Expressway (Samruddhi Expressway) has been extended to January 09 by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC). Earlier, the bid was to be opened on Monday at a reserve price of Rs235.40 crore for all locations. The highest bidder will be handed over the contract to manage the amenities.

EIGHT SPECIAL LOCAL TRAINS TO RUN ON NY’S EVE

Mumbai: Keeping in view the rush on the occasion of New Year’s eve, Western Railway will run eight special local train services between midnight of December 31, 2022, and January 01, 2023, said a senior officer of Western Railway. This will include four trains from Churchgate to Virar, at 1.15 am, 2 am, 2.30 am and 3.25 am on January 1 and four in from Virar to Churchgate at 12.15 am, 12.45 am, 1.40 am and 3.05 am, he added.

133 BIOGAS UNITS TO BE SET UP IN RAIGAD DISTRICT

Alibag: At least 133 biogas units will be set up in the Raigad district under the National Biogas Management Programme, an official said. The Raigad Zilla Parishad is planning on stable consumption of Biogas and slurry from these units to be used as fertilizer, agriculture officer Milind Chaudhari said. An assistance of Rs10,000 to Rs70,000 per unit will be provided by the centre. At least 17 units attached to toilets will be set up in several areas, he added.

Hackers take over traffic board to display abusive messages

First India Bureau

Mumbai: A case was registered against unknown hackers for taking over and displaying abusive messages on a digital traffic advisory in the Dindoshi area, a police official said.

The city civic body had installed smart traffic poles near a mall in Goregaon on which two LED screen boards for

displaying traffic-related advisory were placed.

At 9.10 pm on Thursday, an abusive message was displayed on the LED screen which remained there for more than an

hour, the official said on Monday.

Power supply to the board had to be cut off in order to take down the questionable message, he said. The contractor in charge of installing the boards told officials he was not aware of the incident. He relayed the possibility of the system having been hacked in order to relay the message.

Work on three bridges at Usha Nagar nullah to begin soon

Proposal approved by civic body in Oct 2021, but work delayed; now expected to be finished in 22 months

First India Bureau

Mumbai: Soon, the demolition and reconstruction work of three bridges on Usha Nagar nullah in Bhandup East will be carried out by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

The approval of the proposal was given by the civic body in October 2021, but the work

was delayed for the alternative arrangements in the area. The estimated cost of the work is around Rs30 crore and is expected to be completed in 22 months (excluding monsoon). The work of widening various nullahs in the city has been carried out by the civic body for the last few years. The project is part of the BMC’s Bri-

after

the

regular desilting work of the nullah is carried out by the BMC premonsoon. Other than the widening of nullahs, the civic body had also conducted a structural audit of the bridges. Accordingly, a consultant appointed by the BMC inspected the three bridges on the Usha Nagar nullah at Veer Savarkar Marg in 2019.

”The bridges were in a dilapidated condition and an earlier structural audit suggested its demolition. The pillars of all

three were in poor condition. The contractor has made the alternative arrangements so the demolition work of the bridges will be carried out soon,” said the civic official.

The BMC has instructed the contractor to take necessary precautions so that the pedestrian movement in the area is not affected during the entire construction period. Hence,the contractor will have to provide barricading, signals, warning signals, etc for the same.

Health workers take part in a mock drill conducted as part of preparedness against COVID-19, at St. George Hospital in Mumbai on Tuesday. —PHOTO BY BHUSHAN KOYANDE

hanmumbai Storm Water Disposal (Brimstowad) project, launched in 2005 to prevent floods.

Bhandup has also been one of the flooded areas

Kurla in

eastern suburbs and so,

Medical personnel await action in the ongoing Winter Session of the Maha legislature in Nagpur. —FILE PHOTO

Russian YouTubers Maksim Shcherbakow and Roman Proshin being produced before the court.

One of the accused in police custody.

The association has demanded clearing pending dues of DA from October 16, 2018

FOR MONSOON

—PHOTOS BY BHUSHAN KOYANDE

PULLING THE PLUG ON LIFE…TOO EARLY

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

Rampant suicides and especially the recent spate of suicides in the country and at the cine world has shocked and numbed the nation. Even the Union government informed Parliament on Tuesday that 115 daily wage earners and 63 women died by suicide every day in 2021.

A total of 42,004 daily wage earners and 23,179 housewives died by suicide in 2021, said Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai in response to a question in Lok Sabha. Citing data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Rai present the following numbers for suicides in India in 2021:

l Self-employed: 20,231

l Salaried: 15,870

l Unemployed: 13,714

l Students: 13,089

l Business: 12,055

l Private sector: 11,431

l Farming: 10,881 (5,563 labourers+ 5,318 farmers)

Men were the overwhelming victims of suicide, as per the NCRB Crime in India 2021 report. Of the 1,64,033 persons who died by suicide last year, 1,18,970 were men and 45,026 were women. The suicide data for 2021 is in line with that of 2020 as daily wage earners, selfemployed persons, and the unemployed had topped the suicide victims that year as well.

Officials last year had said that pandemic-induced economic hardships were a driving factor.

per WHO.

Classes for five days a week, weekend offs and not more than two internal tests in a week chorus for these demands is growing among JEE and NEET aspirants recently after three students died by suicide this month allegedly due to academic stress. Often bogged down with the fast-paced curriculum and the programme structure, students say they are always racing against time and even a day’s break can push them behind thousands of other students.

However, the recent cases of student suicides have brought back the focus on fixing the schedule to make it more student-friendly. After the cases of three students dying by suicide last week came to light, the district administration issued fresh directions to ensure that there is a stress-free environment for students and that at least one weekly off is granted to them.

As per the World Health Organisation, globally, close to 8,00,000 people die by suicide every year; that’s one person every 40 seconds. For each suicide, there are more than 20 suicide attempts. The global body goes on to say suicide is serious public health issue in India

TINSEL TOWN TRAUMA

THE DISTURBING NEWS OF SUICIDES FROM THE TELEVISION AND BOLLYWOOD WORLD KEEP POURING IN RELENTLESSLY

TUNISHA SHARMA

SAMIR SHARMA

However, the recent cases of student suicides have brought back the focus on fixing the schedule to make it more student-friendly. After the cases of three students dying by suicide last week came to light, the district administration issued fresh directions to ensure that there is a stress-free environment for students and that at least one weekly off is granted to them

As per the World Health Organisation, globally, close to 8,00,000 people die by suicide every year; that’s one person every 40 seconds. For each suicide, there are more than 20 suicide attempts. The global body goes on to say suicide is an emerging and serious public health issue in India. However, it is preventable with timely, evidence-based and often lowcost interventions. The suicide mortality rate per 1,00,000 population in 2016 was 16.5, while the global average was 10.5 per 100 000. The most vulnerable are the 15-29 year old’s, the elderly, and persons with special needs – as

Students, however, feel that it isn’t enough. Of the three students who died by suicide last week, NEET aspirant Ankush Anand (18) from and JEE aspirant Ujjwal Kumar (17) both from Bihar were found hanging from ceiling fans in their respective rooms at their paying guest (PG) accommodation on December 12, according to police.

The third student, Pranav Verma (17), a National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) aspirant from Madhya Pradesh, allegedly consumed a poisonous substance in his hostel on December 11. No student suicide was reported in 2021 when the coaching centres here were shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic and students attended online classes from their homes.

VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

TV actor was found hanging on the sets of a serial in Mumbai last week, one more instance of a showbiz aspirant allegedly taking the extreme step. The death of the 21-year-old “Ali Baba: Dastaan-E-Kabul” actor has arrest of her co-star Sheezan Khan for abetment to suicide. Here are some similar deaths in the entertainment industry that shocked us all:

VAISHALI THAKKAR

On October 16 this year, the Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai actor was found dead in her Indore home. Police officials claimed they have enough evidence against Thakkar’s former boyfriend Rahul Navlani, filed an abetment of suicide case. Asif Basra Known for starring in movies such as Jab We Met, Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai and Kai Po Che!, Basra was found hanging in a pvt property in Nov 2020 in Dharamshala. He was 53. He was last seen in “The Family Man-2” and “Sooryavanshi”.

He was found hanging from the fan of his kitchen on August 6, 2020 in the Mumbai suburb Malad where he lived alone. His credits include hit TV shows Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi and Left Right Left.

SUSHANT SINGH RAJPUT

The death of the Chhichhore star, who was found hanging in his Bandra home on June 14, 2020, continues to cast long shadows over the industry.

KUSHAL PUNJABI

Tuesday will be the third death anniversary of actor-model Kushal Punjabi, who was hanging in his Bandra apartment on December 27, 2019. Known for films such as Kaal, Lakshya as well as reality show Fear Factor, actor left behind a suicide note in which he said nobody should be held responsible for his death.

YOGI PROPOSES, HC DISPOSES

n a setback to reservation politics, the Allahabad High Court has derailed the Uttar Pradesh government’s quota politics by rejecting reservation of Other Backward Classes (OBC) in urban local body elections. The high court ordered the State Election Commission to notify the elections without further delay. The term of several municipalities has already ended while that of others will end by December 31, 2022.

To garner support of the OBCs the government had come up with a draft notification on December 5 reserving mayoral seats in Aligarh, Mathura- Vrindavan, Meerut and Prayagraj

for OBC candidates. In the case of Mathura-Vrindavan and Aligarh the seats were reserved for OBC women. The draft policy

In a setback to reservation politics, the Allahabad HC has derailed the UP government’s quota politics by rejecting reservation of OBC in urban local body elections. The HC ordered the State Election Commission to notify the elections without further delay

reserved for OBC candidates.

should not exceed 50 percent of total seats reserved for SCs, STs and OBCs.

She became a household name through Balika Vadhu was found hanging in her Mumbai apartment on April 1, 2016. She was 24. Her boyfriend Rahul Raj is accused of abetting her suicide.

PREKSHA MEHTA

“Crime Patrol” actor was found dead in her home in Indore. The 29-year-old, who hanged herself, left a suicide note.

JIAH KHAN

British American actor, known for films such as Nishabd and Ghajini, was found hanging at her Mumbai residence on June 3, 2013 by her mother Rabiya Khan. She was 25. Her death was deemed suicide and reconfirmed as a suicide in 2016. Her boyfriend Rahul Raj is accused of abetting her suicide.

KULJEET RANDHAWA

In 2006, model-turned television actor, 25, known for starring in the high-school drama Hip Hip Hurray!, suspense serial Kohinoor and crime thriller drama Special Squad, allegedly died by suicide by hanging herself in her room in Juhu.

provided for OBC reservation on 54 chairpersons’ seats in 200 municipal councils. In the 545 nagar panchayats 147 seats were

A clutch of PILs challenged the draft notification for violating the triple test formula set by the Supreme Court for OBC reservations. The triple test formula mandates setting up of a commission for an empirical inquiry into the nature and implications of backwardness within the state local bodies; specifying the proportion of reservation required… and it

The UP government told the high court that the survey of OBCs conducted in 2017 can be considered as the basis of the proposed reservation. Not convinced, the court quashed the notification, upsetting Yogi Government’s plans. Apna Dal was unhappy with the court’s order. Samajwadi Party called it a BJP government’s conspiracy.

SPIRITUAL SPEAK

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Bible

Anurag Thakur @ianuragthakur Get ready for the biggest hockey event of the year 2023! The #HockeyMensWorldCup2023 is coming to Steel City, Rourkela, Odisha and we are pumped to host the best teams in the world. Let’s cheer @TheHockeyIndia and make this a tournament to remember! RourkelaMC

TOP TWEETS

Kiren Rijiju @KirenRijiju

India has a robust Parliamentary Democracy. Our Govt will always function as per the spirit of the Constitution of India. Nobody can accuse our Govt of undermining the independence of Judiciary.

and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Dangat Media Pvt Ltd, No.22, Dighe MIDC, Vishnu Nagar,

Editor-In-Chief: Dr Jagdeesh Chandra Editor: Kartikey Dev Singh responsible for selection

THE

PRATYUSHA BANNERJEE

BJP’s ‘Mission 2024’ to start from UP in January

New Delhi (Agencies):

The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) will begin its ‘Mission 2024’ (General Election or Parlimentary elections) for Uttar Pradesh from January.

The party’s exercise to win maximum seats from Uttar Pradesh in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections will begin when BJP President JP Nadda,General Secretary BL Santhosh and Union Home Minister Amit Shah visit the state next month.

“The programmes of these leaders are being finalised for January.

The process of a constituency wise assessment and, thereafter, candidate selection will begin,” said a party functionary. The party, according to sources, will be replacing a number of sitting MPs who have crossed the age limit of 75 years.

Those who have been found to be under-performers are also likely to be replaced to counter the anti-incumbency factor. The BJP leadership, apparently, wants to ensure that there is no rebel candidate when elections finally take place.

Bengaluru (Agencies):

Karnataka’s ruling BJP is worried over mining baron Gali Janardhana Reddy’s newly-launched Kalyana Rajya Pragati Paksha (KRPP) party, to affect its prospects in the state, especially in the border region with Hyderabad. According to BJP insiders, although senior leaders have rubbished the development, they have taken a serious note and are strategising against Reddy’s move. The opposition Congress is already in a celebration mode, as Reddy’s KRRP would split the BJP’s vote, which would ensure the victory of Congress

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan meets PM Modi in Delhi

Not shocked, says Mehbooba on Pragya’s ‘knives’ remarks

Srinagar (PTI): PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday said she was “not shocked” at BJP MP Pragya Thakur’s remark made at an event in Karnataka exhorting Hindus to keep at least kitchen knives “sharp” to respond to any attack.

Speaking at the Hindu Jagarana Vedike’s South Region annual convention at Shivamogga in Karnataka on Sunday, the BJP MP from Bhopal told her audience to give a befitting reply to anyone who “infiltrates our house”.

“Keep weapons in your homes, if nothing else, at least knives used to cut vegetables, sharp...Don’t know what situation will arise when....Everyone has the right to self protection. If someone infiltrates our house and attacks us, giving a befitting reply is our right,” she had said.

Futuristic avenues created by

GoI: MoS

First India Bureau

Amroha: MoS Dr Jitendra Singh said on Tuesday that the Narendra Modi government has, in the last over 8 years, created futuristic avenues for India’s youth.

New Delhi (PTI): Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday met with PM Narendra Modi at the latter's office where the southern state's COVID-19 related preparedness and development project's pending approval of the Centre were discussed.

The state government said, in a release, that the looming threat of another wave of COVID-19 and Kerala's preparedness to deal with it were discussed in the meeting.

Besides that, Vijayan and Modi also talked about strengthening Centre-

Addressing “A Dialogue with New Young Voters” at the Venkateshwara University here, Dr Singh said, the forward-looking reforms unleashed by Modi Govt has given a new hope to the youth.

He said, India’s reputation has grown in the Global Club of Na-

tions and the whole world is now keen to understand and connect with India.

Quoting PM Modi when he said at a Youth Convocation that “The whole world is looking at India’s youth with hope. Because you are the growth engine of the country and India is the world’s growth engine”, Dr Singh said, the New India is open, futuristic and known for its progressive views and the development of our country is on the shoulders of the youth.

BJP raps Khurshid as he likens Rahul to Ram

Moradabad (PTI): Senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid has likened Rahul Gandhi to Lord Ram and described him as “superhuman” and a “yogi doing tapasya” as he lauded the former party chief for his Bharat Jodo Yatra, evoking sharp criticism from the BJP.

Slamming the Opposition party leaders for their show of “sycophancy”, the BJP said comparing a person out on bail in a corruption case, a reference to the National Herald probe, to a God worshipped by so many people not only hurts the feelings of Hindus but also the entire society.

Khurshid, however, remained unfazed and defended his remarks. “No one can replace God but everyone can try to walk the path shown by him,” he said.

New Delhi: After Salman Khurshid compared party

to Lord Ram, BJP leader Dushyant Gautam said that Congressmen should roam naked as Lord Ram’s ‘sena’ did. Gautam said, “If he is Ram’s avatar, then Rahul should tell his ‘sena’ what he consumes that he doesn’t feel cold.”

(ANI):

Rama. BJP National Spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia on Tuesday said that the Congress can do any kind of politics to get votes. “It is in the DNA of the Congress party. If they want votes, they can do any kind of politics and this is the reason behind Salman Khurshid comparing our adorable deity Lord Shri Ram with such a person (Rahul Gandhi) who is out on bail and the people of India

Bhatia.

New Delhi: Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge has appointed appointed observers for the ‘Hath Se Hath Jodo Abhiyan’, which will be a follow-up activity of the Bharat Jodo Yatra. The ‘Hath Se Hath Jodo Abhiyan’ will commence on January 26 and continue for next two months. In total, 26 observers have been appointed including Milind Deora (Gujarat, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman amd Diu); Subhash Chopra (Haryana); Prithviraj Chavan (Karnataka); Deepender Hooda (Uttar Pradesh); Ajay Kumar Lallu (Uttarakhand); while Ghulam Ahmad Mir has been appointed observer for West Bengal amd Andaman & Nicobar, among others.

Rawat stages dharna, demands CBI probe into Ankita murder

Jammu (ANI): Congress general secretary Incharge Organisation KC Venugopal and AICC Incharge Jammu and Kashmir Rajani Patil on Monday met Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to discuss about the upcoming Bharat Jodo Yatra led by Rahul Gandhi. KB Byju security advisor to Rahul Gandhi accompanied them.

After meeting with the Lt Governor, they left for Srinagar.

The meeting was in connection with the Bharat Jodo Yatra in the third week of January. The meeting lasted for over half an hour.

state relations and steps to be taken for speedy completion of projects.

PRESIDENT’S PEP TALK

Earlier AICC leaders were received at the airport by JKPCC President Vikar Rasool Wani, Joint Secretary AICC Manoj Yadav, Working President Raman Bhalla, Former minister Yogesh Sawhney, Arti Gupta and others.

Dehradun (ANI): Senior Congress leader and former Uttarakhand CM Harish Rawat sat on a 24-hour dharna with several congress supporters and leaders at Gandhi Park in Dehradun, demanding a CBI inquiry into the Ankita Bhandari murder case and disclosure of the names of VIPs involved.

Rawat said, “The public wants to know on whose orders a bulldoz-

er was fired at the resort, why the resort was not sealed, how the fire broke out twice despite the presence of the police in the resort.

The body of 19-yearold Ankita Bhandari, who worked as a receptionist at a resort run by Pulkit Arya, the son of expelled BJP leader Vinod Arya, was recovered from Chilla canal in Rishikesh on September 24.

Murmu urges students to read more to widen understanding

lll

Hyderabad: President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday urged students to read more in order to improve their understanding and widen their perspective.

Addressing the students and faculty of the Keshav Memorial Educational Society here, she emphasized on the importance of reading.

President Murmu said that the habit of reading is one of the

most effective means for self-development. It is a skill that would serve students well throughout their life. She said that this is an age of internet and social media when attention span is getting shorter and communication is limited in characters.

She also interacted with students and inaugurated a photo exhibition on ‘Hyderabad Liberation Movement’ showcasing contributions of regional free-

dom fighters. She said that education is the foundation

upon which a nation is built. It is the key to unlocking the full poten-

tial of every individual.

She was happy to note that the activities of Keshav Memorial Educational Society have grown manifold “from a small school in 1940 to a premier educational centre with nine different colleges, enrolling over 11,000 students.

Noting that celebrations of the 75th anniversary of the Liberation of Hyderabad are being held as part of the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’, she said that this

holds great significance for the people of this region and for the nation as a whole. She paid tributes to the brave leaders who fought for the liberation of Hyderabad, including Ramji Gond, Turrebaz Khan, Komaram Bheem, Suravaram Prathap Reddy and Shoyabulla Khan. She said that their valour and sacrifice would always be remembered and honoured.

“As we celebrate the historic milestone of

Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, it is important for us to remember that our independence is not just about the liberation from oppressive rulers of the past. It is also about ensuring a bright future through well conceived steps taken today. As we move into the future, it is upto the young people of India to ensure that we build upon the foundations laid by our forefathers and take our nation to new heights,” she said.

Kerala CM Vijayan calls on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in New Delhi on Tuesday. —PHOTO BY ANI

First India Bureau

President Murmu addresses students and faculty of Keshav Memorial Educational Society, Hyderabad

The saffron party is trying to win maximum Lok Sabha seats in UP

candidates.

Chennai (Agencies): BJP President JP Nadda commenced his election campaign for the 2024 general elections from Coimbatore on Tuesday. Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai, speaking to media after having darshan at the Sangameswara temple, said that Nadda’s move to launch his election campaign from Coimbatore has enthused the party cadres, adding that the party cadres are working hard to make the programme a success. Noting that the BJP has an MLA from the Coimbatore constituency, Annamalai said that the party has a strong presence in the area which is known for nationalism.

J REDDY'S NEW PARTY TO HIT BJP'S PROSPECTS IN KARNATAKA

BJP PRESIDENT NADDA BEGINS 2024 ELECTION CAMPAIGN FROM TAMIL NADU

JP Nadda being welcomed at Coimbatore International Airport to kick off BJPs Mission Tamil Nadu 2024, in Coimbatore on Tuesday.

CONG APPOINTS OBSERVERS FOR ‘HATH SE HATH JODO ABHIYAN’

New Delhi

BJP lashed at Congress leader Salman Khurshid on Tuesday for comparing Rahul Gandhi with Lord

will give him the answer,” said

BJP LASHES OUT AT RAHUL GANDHI, CALLS HIM HYPOCRITICAL HINDU

CONGMEN SHOULD ROAM NAKED AS LORD RAM’S ‘SENA’ DID: BJP LEADER

Salman Khurshid

leader Rahul Gandhi

KC Venugopal meets J&K LG in connection with RaGa’s BJY

President Murmu,Telangana Governor Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan and Union Minister G Kishan Reddy at the event. —PHOTO BY ANI

Senior Congress leader Harish Rawat with party workers at a dharna over Ankita Bhandari murder, in Dehradun, on Tuesday.

MoS Jitendra Singh at Venkateshwara University, Gajraula.

Mehbooba Mufti

Mallikarjun Kharge

Thiruvananthapuram (ANI): Kerala BJP Chief K Surendran on Tuesday demanded a probe into the allegations of corruption against Left Democratic Front (LDF) convenor EP Jayarajan, levelled by P Jayarajan, a senior leader of CPI(M) from Kannur last week during a party meeting. In a major embarrassment for the CPM in Kerala, senior party leader P Jayarajan has reportedly levelled corruption charges against LDF convener EP Jayarajan. During the meeting, P Jayarajan made allegations against EP Jayarajan related to a financial irregularity in an ayurvedic resort.

PROBE CORRUPTION ALLEGATIONS AGAINST LDF CONVENOR: KERALA BJP

K’taka govt’s advisory on new virus

State’s Health Minister

Bengaluru (PTI): The BF.7 variant of COVID-19 is highly transmissible but it does not have much virulence (severity of a disease), Karnataka Health Minister K Sudhakar said on Tuesday.

He urged elderly, children and pregnant women to follow COVID precautions and remain vigilant. He further said that the virulence is slightly high among the elderly population and those with co-morbidities, citing reports from other countries.

“BF.7 is a sub-variant of Omicron, but the only difference between other variants and this is that the rate of its spread is high, but does not have much virulence,” he told media.

“That’s the reason in

advises

that

children,

elderly people, pregnant women must remain cautious

ANDHRA CM HOLDS MEETING TO CHECK PREPAREDNESS OF VILLAGE CLINICS

Amaravati (ANI): CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Monday held a review meeting on the prevailing Covid situation and decided to write a letter to the Centre seeking to reduce the gap for administering a ‘precautionary dose’ from the existing nine months to six months, CMO said in a statement. The CM directed the Medical and

Health Department to fill the existing vacancies of doctors and para-medical posts by January 26 besides providing accommodation and other necessary facilities to staff members working in the Department in agency areas. CM held a review meeting on the Covid new variant BF 7 challenge, on the construction of village clinics.

4 FLYERS FOUND COVID+ IN B’LURU

Bengaluru: 4 passengers who came to Bangalore Airport have tested positive. Four of 200 individuals who underwent testing, found Corona positive. Their sample has been sent for genome sequencing. The Central govt works with state govt. Amidst the surging cases of Covid-19 cases in China, wearing masks will not be made mandatory in India.

EC starts process for delimitation of LS & VS seats in Assam

New Delhi (ANI): The Election Commission of India on Tuesday said it has initiated the process for delimitation of Assembly (Vidhan Sabha) and Parliamentary (Lok Sabha) Constituencies in Assam.

The process of delimitation was in pursuance of the request received from the Union Ministry of Law and Justice.

the guidelines, we have given importance to them (old and co-morbid) and have advised them to avoid places or activities where a large crowd gathers and wear masks if unavoidable. Similar is the case with pregnant women and children,” he added. So far, four cases of

the BF.7 variant have been reported in India – two from Gujarat and two from Odisha.

In view of spurt in COVID-19 cases globally, Karnataka govt ramped up its preventive measures, making use of masks at cinema theatres and educational institutions mandatory.

FREE TREATMENT FOR BF.7 VARIANT INFECTED PATIENTS IN

Bengaluru: The state govt has announced free treatment for people with confirmed cases of the new SARS-CoV-2 variant - BF.7. “All the suspected Covid cases will be admitted and isolated at Bowring Hospital in Bengaluru and Wenlock

Hospital in Mangaluru for both observation as well as treatment purposes. All

Kin, friends bid final goodbye to Tunisha

Mumbai (ANI): The last rites of Actor Tunisha Sharma, who died allegedly by suicide on the sets of a TV serial, were performed on Tuesday at Mira Road cremation ground in Mumbai.

Tunisha’s mother Vanita Sharma broke down when her last rites were being performed, and she was seen inconsolable.

Actors- Kanwar Dhillon, Reem Shaikh, Ashnoor Kaur, Avneet Kaur, Siddharth Nigam, Abhishek Nigam, Shivin Narang, Vishal Jethwa and others attended the cremation of the late actor.

TV actor Tunisha Sharma was found dead on the sets of her ongo-

ing TV show AlibabaDastaan-e-Kabul on Saturday. A day later, her ex-boyfriend and co-star from the show, Sheezan Khan was arrested on charges of abetment to suicide. If reports are to be believed, Khan and Tunisha broke up 15 days ago.

SHEEZAN’S MOTHER, SISTER ATTEND TUNISHA’S FUNERAL SHEEZAN KHAN BREAKS DOWN DURING INTERROGATION

Mumbai: Tunisha Sharma’s co-star Sheezan Khan’s mother and sister also came to the cremation ground to pay their last respects. Sheezan, who worked with Tunisha in ‘Ali Baba Dastaan-E-Kabul’, was arrested on Sunday on charges of abetment of suicide.

BSF soldier killed for objecting against daughter’s obscene video

Ahmedabad (ANI): As many as seven persons have been arrested for allegedly lynching a BSF personnel in Gujarat for protesting against an obscene video of his daughter. The soldier, Melaji Vaghela (45), was allegedly attacked with sharp weapons and sticks by the family members of the boy whom he approached for uploading the video of his minor daughter online. DSP of

Nadiad VR Bajpai said that Vaghela, his son and relatives went to the house of one of the accused Shailash Yadav to speak with him and his family over the video.

REACHES

Ahmedabad: The BSF has reached out to the family of its trooper Melajibhai Vaghela who was murdered in Kheda district last week when he went to reprimand a youth who allegedly uploaded videos of his minor daughter online. The BSF said it is providing all help to them, including immediate financial assistance.

K’TALA

the confirmed cases with new variants will be provided with free treatment at these two hospitals,” revenue minister R Ashoka said. This apart, a highlevel committee has been constituted in every district to visit every hospital and supervise preparedness.

Delimitation falls under Section 8A of the Re Representation of the People Act, 1950.

“The Commission led by Chief Election Commissioner Shri Rajiv Kumar and Election Commissioners Shri Anup Chandra Pandey and

Leopard on run injures 13 in Assam’s Jorhat

Jorhat (PTI): At least 13 people, including children and forest officials, were injured in an attack by a leopard prowling in Jorhat district of Assam on Monday.

The leopard was spotted around the campus of the Rain Forest Research Institute (RFRI) in Chenijan area of the district since early morning. The residents informed the foresters about the leopard.

As many as 10 residents of the campus, including women and children, and three forest personnel were attacked in the last 24 hour by the big cat, which later fled the spot.

In a horrifying video, widely circulated on so-

cial media, the leopard can be seen jumping over a barbed wire fence and pouncing on a car before running away from the area.

A forest official told PTI that they tried to tranquilise the leopard several times, but in vain. He said that efforts are underway to track and capture it.

UP: 118 IAS officers to get Spl Secy ranks

Ahtesham Siddiqui

Lucknow: The Yogi Government of Uttar Pradesh is going to give the gift of promotion to 118 IAS officers in the new year in which 9 IAS officers will be promoted from Special Secretary rank to Secretary rank from January 1. There is a huge shortage of secretary rank officers in the bureaucracy of UP due to which one officer has dual responsibility. Also some officers have

CHILL SETS IN

been given the responsibility of secretary before time.

In the IAS service, there is a system of giving super time pay scale on continuous service

of 16 years. IAS Sheetal Verma — Director of Census Operation/ Director of Citizen Registration News Delhi - is the first name among those who will become

Cold wave conditions likely to continue in Jan: MeT

lll

The weather office said that a layer of dense fog and moderate icy cold winds from the North were responsible for this steep fall in the temperature

New Delhi (Agencies):

The northern parts of the country will witness fresh cold wave conditions from December 31 onwards, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Tuesday.

RK Jenamani, senior scientist at the India Meteorological Department, said cold days and severe cold days are mainly over south Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh.

“The cold to severe

cold wave is expected to continue over Punjab, Haryana, north Rajasthan and Delhi.

Dense to very dense fog will continue to prevail in the belt. From December 28, there will be

COLD WAVE INTENSIFIES IN KASHMIR

Secretary from Special Secretary in UP. Another important name in this connection is that of IAS Alok Tiwari, Private Secretary to Defense Minister of the country, Rajnath Singh, who will become secretary after getting promotion on January 1. Alok Tiwari, who was DM of Kannauj, Mathura and Kanpur, is considered a very honest and hardworking officer and is currently posted in New Delhi.

Shri Arun Goel has directed the Chief Electoral Officer of Assam to take up the matter with State Government to issue complete ban on creation of new administrative units w.e.f. 1st January 2023 till the completion of delimitation exercise in the State,” an official statement said.

Census figures of 2001 will be used for the purpose of readjustment of Constituencies in the state.

4 KILLED, 1 INJURED IN FIRE ACCIDENT AT AP PHARMA UNIT

Visakhapatnam: Four workers died and another suffered severe burn injuries following a fire that broke out at a pharmaceutical firm located inside Jawaharlal Nehru Pharma City in Anakapalle district of Andhra Pradesh, police said on Tuesday. Anakapalle Superintendent of Police Gowthami Sali confirmed the fire accident that happened at Unit-III of Laurus Labs Limited on Monday night.

ASSAM POLICE RESCUE CATTLE FROM TRUCK IN BISWANATH

Guwahati: At least 28 cattle heads were rescued by Assam police from a 12-wheeler truck at Jorabat junction under Basistha PS in East Guwahati Police District. The accused were trying to smuggle the cattle heads into Byrnihat, which were brought from Bezera, Kamrup. One Md Rajmul Ali, a local of the Sipajhar region, was arrested in connection to this.

BIHAR: MISCREANTS HYPNOTIZE WOMAN, ROB JEWELLERY

Patna: Two unidentified men hypnotized a woman and made off with her jewellery in Kankarbagh, police said on Tuesday. The incident took place when Ranju Prasad wife of a retired professor was going to a doctor’s clinic for a medical check-up.

As she reached the Shivaji Park three-wheeler stand, a man approached and offered her a camphor, which appeared to be a part of prasad.

K’taka CM Bommai calls on Amit Shah in Delhi

New Delhi (ANI): Ahead of the Karnataka assembly elections scheduled next year, CM

Basavaraj Bommai meet Union Minister Amit Shah in Delhi.

in Srinagar settled at minus 4.8 degrees Celsius — down from minus 3.5 degrees on Sunday.

improvement due to western disturbance and on December 29, fresh snowfall is expect-

ed in Jammu & Kashmir, Leh and some parts of Himachal Pradesh,” said Jenamani.

The meeting took place at Shah’s residence in which BJP chief JP Nadda was also present.

The meeting went on for over four hours, according to the sources. “The meeting was to discuss the upcoming assembly elections in Karnataka, Cabinet expansion and 2024 Lok sabha elections

also,” the sources said. They further said that former ministers KS Eshwarappa and Ramesh Jarkiholi are also likely to be reinducted into the cabinet.

“With pressure mounting from former ministers KS Eshwarappa and Ramesh Jarkiholi, who have demanded that they be reinducted into the cabinet, the issue is likely to come up for discussion when Bommai meets senior BJP leaders in Delhi,” sources said.

A street is covered in snow after hailstorm in Sivasagar district.

Mortal remains of Tunisha Sharma before her cremation.

Tunisha’s mother Vanita Sharma mourns actor’s death.

Mumbai: Actor Sheezan Khan, arrested for allegedly abetting the suicide of Tunisha, on Tuesday broke down during his interrogation and has denied allegations that he had been dating several girls while he was in a relationship with the deceased actor.

The leopard attacking a car in Jorhat district of Assam.

IAS Alok Tiwari IAS Suhas LY

BSF

OUT TO FAMILY OF ‘LYNCHED’ TROOPER

Srinagar: Coldwave conditions gripped Kashmir as the mercury fell by a couple of degrees across the Valley to push the minimum temperature further below freezing point, officials said on Tuesday. The minimum temperature on Monday night fell by one to two degrees compared to the previous

night. The intense cold led to water supply lines freezing in several areas. The interiors of Dal Lake and several other water bodies in the Valley also froze, the officials said. The minimum temperature

A health worker puts up a poster for Covid-19 test at CV Raman Govt hospital in Bengaluru, on Tuesday. —PHOTO BY PTI

New Delhi: Hindustan Power Exchange (HPX) on Tuesday said it has reached the milestone of one billion units of power traded within six months of its launch. With more than 360 market participants, HPX has also raced to register participants comprising 80% buy volume of overall DAM; 90% sell volume of Green DAM and 70% buy of RTM.

HPX — promoted by PTC India, BSE and ICICI Bank — has reached the milestone of 1 bn units of power traded within six months of launch.

India’s total debt rises to `147 lakh cr in Q2

First India Bureau

New Delhi: The total liabilities of the government increased to ` 147.19 lakh crore at September-end from ` 145.72 lakh crore at the end of June this fiscal year, according to the latest data on public debt.

In percentage terms, it reflects a quarter-on-quarter increase of 1% in second quarter of 2022-23.

GOLD RATE SEES

AN INCREASE OF `173; SILVER ZOOMS `926

Public debt accounted for 89.1% of total gross liabilities at September-end 2022, up from 88.3% as on June 30, the quarterly report on public debt management released by the finance ministry on Tuesday said. Nearly 29.6% of the outstanding dated securities had a residual maturity of less than 5 years, it said.

New Delhi: Gold price

rose `173 to `55,074 per 10 grams in the national capital on Tuesday amid gains in precious metal internationally, according to HDFC Securities. The yellow metal had ended at `54,901 per 10 grams in the previous trade. Silver also zoomed `926 to `70,205 per kilogram.

“Gold price continue to trade higher, helped by a softer dollar,” Navneet Damani, Senior VP –Commodity Research at Motilal Oswal Financial Services, said. —PTI

AIRBAG INDUSTRY TO GROW TO ` 7K CR IN INDIA BY FY27: ICRA

During the second quarter, it said, the central government raised ` 4,06,000 crore through dated securities, as against notified amount of ` 4,22,000 crore in the borrowing calendar, while repayments were at `92,371.15 crore.

The weighted average yield of primary issuances hardened to 7.33% in Q2 FY23 from 7.23% in Q1 FY23, it said, adding, the weighted average maturity

OTHER STORIES

DATA IN NUMBERS

z The total liabilities of the government increased to `147.19 lakh crore at September-end from `145.72 lakh crore at the end of June this fiscal year

z Public debt accounted for 89.1% of total gross liabilities at Sept-end 2022, up from 88.3% as on June 30, the quarterly report said

of new issuances of dated securities was lower at 15.62 years in Q2 as compared to 15.69 years in Q1.

During July-September 2022, the central government did not raise any amount through Cash

POWER MINISTRY, DRDO INK PCT FOR EARLY WARNING SYSTEM FOR HYDRO PROJECTS

New Delhi: The Power Ministry on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) for the implementation of an early warning system for vulnerable hydro projects or power stations. The ministry and the DRDO will jointly work towards developing suitable mitigation measures against avalanches, landslides, glaciers, glacial lakes and other geo-hazards, an official release said. The expertise of the DRDO will also be utilized in developing comprehensive Early Warning System for vulnerable hydro projects/ power stations in hilly regions. PTI

Management Bills.

The Reserve Bank did not conduct Open Market operations for government securities during the quarter. The net daily average liquidity absorption by RBI under Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF) including Marginal Standing Facility and Special Liquidity Facility was at ` 1,28,323.37 crore during the quarter, it said.

The yields on government securities in secondary market hardened in short-end curve due to near-term inflation and liquidity concern though softening of yield was observed for the longer tenure securities during the second quarter, it said.

New Delhi: The industry size of airbags, a key safety feature in vehicles, is expected to grow to up to `7,000 crore by FY2027 in India, from the current levels of around `2,500 crore, according to ratings agency Icra.

The growth in the airbag industry, which is one of the fastest growing auto component segments, is expected to be fuelled by the increase in content per vehicle arising from higher regulatory requirements and voluntary increase in the number of airbags per vehicle for enhancing safety, Icra said in a statement. —PTI

RELIGARE FINVEST LTD ON TRACK TO RESTART

ITS BUSINESS

New Delhi: Debt-ridden Religare Finvest Ltd (RFL) is hopeful of restarting its business operation in the New Year following the company’s proposal of `2,300 crore OTS finding favour from most of the lenders. Once the OTS process is completed, RFL will come out of the CAP imposed by the RBI in January 2018 due to its weak financial health. 14 out of 16 lenders have signed the OTS agreement and the remaining two are expected to sign in a day or two. PTI

INDIA EMERGES AS TOP INVESTMENT DESTINATION: REPORT

New Delhi: India emerged as one of the leading investment destinations for billionaires across the world, as per the UBS Billionaire Ambitions Report 2022. Billionaires around globe are looking to put more of their money in India due to the strong growth of the region’s economy, according to the report. Among sectors, the billionaires favour energy, possibly due to today’s supply constraints and the accelerating secular transition to renewables. FIB

HOTEL BOOKINGS SPIKE 100%

New Delhi: Digital ad spending in India is likely to reach $21 billion by 2028, a report showed on Tuesday. This can be attributed to surge in mobile and Internet usage.

Notedly, growth in UGC will empower individual creators and influencers to build their digital identity, which brands can leverage for digital ads.

This strong ecosystem of 2.5 to 3 mn creators is expected to drive marketing spending of $2.8 bn$3.5 bn by 2028. —FIB

Startups will likely attract significant FDI in 2023:

DPIIT

India-Australia FTA to help increase apparel exports: Trade Council

New Delhi (PTI): The country’s startups will attract significant foreign direct investments (FDI) in 2023 on account of steps being taken by the government to strengthen the ecosystem for budding entrepreneurs, a top government official has said.

Secretary in DPIIT Anurag Jain said India has the third largest startup ecosystem in the world and the way startups here are performing; soon the country will become a top ecosystem globally.

“Number of recognized startups is increasing significantly, the FFS and Startup India Seed Fund Scheme are doing good. Startups too will attract significant FDI in 2023,” Jain said.

Presently, India has one of the most liberalized FDI policies wherein very few sectors require govt approval, he said.

New Delhi (PTI): Customs duty advantage under the India-Australia free trade agreement will help Indian apparel exporters get greater market access in that country as compared to their competitors, AEPC said on Tuesday. The agreement is coming into force from December 29.

Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) Vice Chairman Sudhir Sekhri said Australia is the largest importer of garments in the southern hemisphere.

While China’s share in import of apparel into Aus-

INDIA-AUS TRADE PACT

z Customs duty advantage under the India-Australia free trade agreement will help Indian apparel exporters get greater market access in that country as compared to their competitors, APEC said

tralia is more than 70%, India’s share is less than 5%. “With the India-Australia ECTA (Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement ) getting operationalised, India will have a slight duty advantage over Vietnam and Indonesia for imports in the Australian market,” he said.

India’s ready-made garment exports to Australia have seen a growth of an average of 11.84% over the last 5 years, which is “purely on account of China Plus One strategy adopted by most countries,” he added.

z India’s ready-made garment exports to Australia have seen a growth of an average of 11.84 per cent over the last five years

z AEPC Vice Chairman Sudhir Sekhri said Australia is the largest importer of garments in the southern hemisphere

Fair work conditions: Ola, Uber, 3 others score nil

New Delhi (PTI): Five digital platforms -- cab aggregators Ola and Uber, grocery delivery app Dunzo, pharmacy platform PharmEasy and Amazon Flex — have the lowest scores in a rating of digital platforms on the basis of providing fair working conditions for gig workers.

The rating of 12 digital platforms was done by a

Fairwork India team in association with the Oxford University. Fairwork eval uates the work conditions of digital labour plat forms internation ally.

Fairwork In dia Ratings 2022 Re port, which as sessed plat

forms against five principles: Fair Pay, Fair Conditions, Fair Contracts, Fair Management, and Fair Representation, found that Amazon Flex, Dunzo, Ola, PharmEasy and Uber scored zero out of 10

MARKETS CLIMB FOR SECOND DAY ON FIRM GLOBAL CUES

Mumbai (PTI): Equity benchmarks Sensex and Nifty closed with gains on Tuesday, following a firm trend in the global markets.

Extending its previous day’s rally, the 30-share BSE Sensex jumped 361.01 points or 0.60% to settle at 60,927.43.

During the day, it rallied 420.26 points or 0.69 % to 60,986.68. The broader NSE

Nifty climbed 117.70 points or 0.65% to end at 18,132.30. From the Sensex pack, Tata Steel, Tata Motors, Larsen & Toubro, Asian Paints, Wipro, Bajaj Finance, ICICI Bank, Tech Mahindra and Titan were the major winners.

Hindustan Unilever, ITC, Mahindra & Mahindra and Nestle were the laggards.

` FALLS 20 PAISE TO CLOSE AT 82.85 AGAINST US DOLLAR

Mumbai (PTI): The rupee declined 20 paise to close at 82.85 (provisional) against the US dollar on Tuesday. The rupee opened lower at 82.71 against the greenback and witnessed an intraday high of 82.69 and a low of 82.87. It finally settled at 82.85, down 20 paise over its previous close of 82.65.

Domestic tourism bounces back to pre-Covid times

New Delhi (ANI): A demand for domestic air travel and hotel bookings which has increased more than pre-Covid times has given a great sense of relief to the domestic tourism sector as the demand for these services has now crossed the pre-pandemicperiod.

On December 26, around 4,23,000 domestic passengers travelled in the country that breached the preCovid high of 4,20,000. On December 24, the number of domestic travellers who took to flight was 4,35,500.

Experts in the tourism

industry said that the surge in domestic travel had been witnessed because of various restric-

tions and procedures on international travel as many countries are still coping with Covid.

PREFERRED DESTINATIONS

“This year, no platform scored more than seven out of the maximum of ten points, and none scored all the first points across the five principles,” the report said. The Fairwork India Ratings 2022 evaluated 12 platforms, including Amazon Flex, bigbasket, Dunzo, Flipkart, Ola, PharmEasy, Porter, Swiggy, Uber, Urban Company, Zepto & Zomato.

India’s housing sale hits all-time high in 2022

Vipul Prakash, COO, MakeMyTrip, said, “Domestic leisure traffic has recovered more than 100%

of pre-pandemic levels and remains strong. We are observing solid trends for the upcoming new year-end weekend. Goa, Jaipur, Shimla, Udaipur, and Manali lead the pack of the most booked destinations on the platform. We have also observed a robust uptick for Wayanad, Mysore, Ooty, Coorg, Gangtok, Dehradun, Agra, Dharamshala, and Darjeeling. People are opting for longer duration stays in premium properties, indicating a higher propensity to spend as they seek luxury-led experiences.”

New Delhi (FIB): India’s housing sales recorded an all-time high in 2022 breaching the previous high of 2014 on the back of strong demand for residential properties despite a hike in mortgage rates, according to a report by Anarock.

In 2022, the housing sales were nearly 3.65 lakh units across seven major cities. The prices of residential properties have risen in the range of 4-7% which can be attributed to surge in the input costs and demand comeback post-Covid, said the report. Anarock said that the housing sales rose 54% this year to 3,64,900 units across the seven cities -- Delhi-NCR, Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Chennai, Kolkata, B’luru, Hyderabad and Pune.

Karnataka is not the city of gold, you wont get everything there’

865 villages of Karnataka have been wanting to join Maharashtra, said Suresh Khade

Nagpur: Guardian Minister of Sangli district Suresh Khade congratulated the ShindeFadnavis government after the Maharashtra government passed a proposal for Marathi speaking people in the border areas of Karnataka. On this occasion, Suresh Khade questioned about the ‘invisible hand’ that has a role in the boundary issue of 40 villages in Jat taluka of Sangli district. On this occasion, he highlighted how serious the water problem is in Jat taluka and also informed about how the Mhaisal scheme is being implemented.

After informing the

Maharashtra government about the decision of 40 villages of Jat taluka of Sangli to go to Karnataka, we have discussed with those villages and decided to provide facilities to them.

“865 villages of Karnataka, which have been struggling to

Maha’s border resolution irresponsible & against federal structure: Bommai

come to Maharashtra for the last few days, have not been successful so far. Similarly, the villages of Jat taluka, that had decided to go to Karnataka, will not be cleared immediately in a few days. Karnataka is not the city of gold, nor will you get everything by going

there,” Khade said.

“Jat taluka has always been drought affected. That’s why various schemes are being run for water by the Shinde-Fadnavis government. Due to severe drought in Jat taluka, a water scheme worth Rs 2,000 crore has been approved. Therefore there

will be no question of these villages going to Karnataka,” he said. Meanwhile, Khade has also demanded from the Chief Minister that the Maharashtra government should implement various schemes for the drought-affected villages in Jat taluka of Sangli district.

HC refuses to extend stay on Anil Deshmukh’s bail

Mumbai: Former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh is likely to walk out of jail on Wednesday as Bombay High Court on Tuesday refused to extend its stay on an order granting him bail in a corruption case registered by CBI.

Terming Maharashtra Legislature’s resolution on border issue as “irresponsible and against federal structure,” Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday once again asserted that not even inch of the state’s land will be ceded.

He also expressed confidence about getting justice in the Supreme Court, as Karnataka’s stand on the issue is both legal and constitutional.

“We strongly condemn Maharashtra’s resolution, it has been so long since the State Reorganisation Act 1956 came in, and people on both sides are living peacefully.

Maharashtra has the practice of making such statements and resolutions for the sake of their politics,” Bommai said.

Speaking to reporters here, he said Karnataka is firm and clear on its stand that it will not cede even an inch of land, and that his government is committed to protect the interest of Kannadigas on the other side of the border.

“Look at the difference between our resolution and theirs,

we are saying that we will not cede our land, while they want to take our land. There is no meaning to such things when matter is before the Supreme Court. We are confident about getting justice as our stand is both constitutional and legal,” he added.

The Maharashtra Legislature today unanimously passed a resolution to “legally pursue” inclusion of 865 Marathispeaking villages in Karnataka into the western state, amid the raging boundary dispute between the two states.

The resolution moved by CM Eknath Shinde in both Houses of the Maharashtra legislature said the Karnataka Legislature had passed a resolution on the issue to purposely fuel the border row and condemned southern state’s stand.

Stating that Karnataka’s resolution was constitutional and legal, Bommai said, “Maharashtra’s resolution is opposite to it. The whole nation is watching. It is against the federal structure. It is irresponsible and we condemn it.”

Justice MS Karnik had granted bail to the 73-year-old Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader on December 12 but stayed the order for 10 days as the CBI sought time to challenge it in the Supreme Court. The probe agency moved the apex court but the appeal would be heard only in January 2023 as the court is closed for vacation.

Last week, the high court extended the stay till December 27 on the CBI’s request. On Tuesday, the central agency sought another extension. Deshmukh’s lawyers Aniket Nikam and Inderpal Singh claimed that the CBI was trying to “overreach” the earlier order of the HC

which had stated that under no circumstances another extension will be granted.

“They are failing to make out any urgency in the Supreme Court and coming here seeking a stay. This cannot be permitted,” Nikam

argued. The vacation bench of the High Court, after hearing the arguments, said that “no further extension can be granted”.

With the court refusing to extend the stay, Deshmukh could be released on bail on Wednesday, his lawyers told PTI. The high court, while granting bail to Deshmukh, had noted that except for dismissed police officer Sachin Waze’s statement, no testimony recorded by the CBI indicated that money was being extorted from bar owners in Mumbai at the behest of the NCP leader.

LOAN FRAUD CASE

Kochhars approach HC against their arrest

First India Bureau

Mumbai: Former ICICI Bank CEO and MD Chanda Kochhar and her husband Deepak Kochhar on Tuesday approached Bombay HC, calling their arrest by CBI in a loan fraud case illegal.

The court, however, refused to grant urgent hearing and directed Kochhars to mention the matter before regular bench once it resumes after vacation.

A lawyer representing the Kocchars said that no prior sanction, as required under law, was obtained by CBI before their arrest.

The probe agency arrested the Kochhars on Friday night after questioning them briefly. It alleged that they were evasive in their responses and did not cooperate in the in -

COVID SCARE

Will help govt if required,

says Tope

Mumbai: The number of patients affected by the corona virus is increasing in countries like China, Japan, America, Brazil etc. Due to this, once again the fear of corona wave is being expressed. Against this backdrop, State Health Minister Tanaji Sawant also reviewed the health system in the state through review meetings. Now, former Health Minister and NCP MLA Rajesh Tope has said that protocols for covid should be followed.

“The protocols that are being told should be followed. I think we should follow whatever the central government says,” said Rajesh Tope. When asked if the current health minister would be able to handle if such a situation arises, Tope said, “I think it will not be right to talk about others. I am ready to help. Public is ours. We work for public. This is my experience. Using all that experience, I can go in a minute and help in public interest, anytime.”

PARTY RESPONSIBLY

PERMIT GRANTED

A court here on Tuesday permitted former ICICI Bank CEO and MD Chanda Kochhar, her husband Deepak Kochhar, and Videocon group founder Venugopal Dhoot to use special beds and mattresses while in the custody of CBI in connection with a loan fraud case. They were

vestigation.

The CBI has alleged that ICICI Bank had sanctioned credit of Rs3,250 crore to companies of the Vid-

also permitted to have home-cooked food and medicines. The Kochhars and Dhoot had sought permission to use a chair, special beds, mattresses, pillows, towels, blankets, and bed sheets citing their medical conditions. The court permitted them to use these items at their own cost.

eocon Group promoted by Dhoot in violation of Banking Regulation Act, RBI guidelines, and credit policy of the bank.

Dont know if its Shinde or Fadnavis running the govt: Ambedkar

Mumbai: With the issue of alleged insult to historical icons on Maharashtra gaining traction in the public, the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi took our a march towards Vidhan Bhawan to protest against the insult of great men. Addressing the workers on this ocassion, Prakash Ambedkar attacked the state government to make changes and bring forth a better state.

“I don’t see what is true about this government. Inhuman people are sitting in power who do not care about humanity and human life. Power and strength are useful to them. But, power comes and goes. Power is generated through the ballot box, and it is for five years. Power is not an immortal stone, but the work is going on to make it immortal,” the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi leader said.

“First Congress and now BJP, RSS are say-

ing, no one can rule without us. Even if the donkey comes to power tomorrow, there will be no change until the tyrants are removed. However, it is not known whether the present government is being run by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde or Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis,” Prakash Ambedkar said, and further added, “As long as we fight, we will not keep our rights intact. Till then the power will not be under the control of the giver. Otherwise you will be purchased by the highest bidder. This is dangerous for democracy,” he said.

1.65 lakh liquor licenses issued by Excise dept in Pune

First India Bureau

Pune: 31st December, the last day of the year is always full of frolic and parties and hence the day to welcome the New Year is everyone’s favorite day. While people celebrate in their own unique manner, there are some who look forward to consuming the most exotic of liquors.

Every year Pune welcomes the new Year in style and pomp.

However, now it seems that Punekars will be having more ‘fun’ as compared to previous two years that went uner corona. State Excise Department has given one day permit to 1.65 lakh citizens of Pune district to drink liquor. These licenses are given to hotels, bars and restaurants etc.

So far this year, 1 lakh 65 thousand liquor licenses (domestic and foreign liquor) i.e.

Rs 5. Consumption or sale of liquor without license is punishable as per the rules of the State Excise Department. Hence, keeping this in mind, this year, 10 special teams of State Excise will keep a close watch in Pune district on 31st December.

“Night patrolling will be conducted and unauthorized dhabas, farm houses and suspicious vehicles will be checked,” said

According to the information given by the State Excise Department, 240 cases have been registered in connection with the illegal sale of liquor in the month of December this year and 17 vehicles have been seized in the ongoing month. The state’s Excise Department has also seized goods worth Rs 50 lakh.

‘

“one day permits” have been issued in

Pune district. The cost of a one-day permit is

Charan Singh Rajput, Superintendent, State Excise Department.

Basavaraj Bommai —FILE PHOTO

GRASS IS GREENER

VIGILANT GOVT

Justice MS Karnik had granted bail on December 12 but stayed the order as CBI sought time to challenge it in SC

Belagavi:

Prakash Ambedkar

—Dr

—FILE PHOTO

Suresh Khade —FILE PHOTO

Anil Deshmukh

—FILE PHOTO

www.firstindia.co.in I https://firstindia.co.in/epapers/mumbai I twitter.com/ thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09

BE A DIAMOND-STUDDED

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impossible to be sad when you think of the sparkly, glittery beauty.

Unicorn-inspired fashion is conquering the world with its cuteness and comfort level.

JK Rowling once said “We do not need magic to change the world; we carry all the power we need inside our-

HOLOGRAPHIC MINI SKIRT

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STYLISH PANTS

Unicorn-shaped hoodies and unicorn tricolours inspired colours in nail paints, bags and dresses are not only ruling the fashion world by living rentfree in our brains. Here are some Unicorn-inspired fashions to make your day a little more magical.

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FAIRY DRESSES

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UTTKARSHA SHEKHAR

uttkarsha.shekhar@firstindia.co.in

henever I appear to give interviews, lectures and discourses among enlightened people eager and willing to craft a different world to live in, they almost always throw a penetrating question: what is the hope for wilderness in Rajasthan? Here, I answer that question in some detail for a wider audience.

The answer is also a narration of the hope I carry in my heart and mind. A hope that has the promise to bring smiles to the face of people! A hope that harbours dream of bringing back a biodiverse landscape on the face of the Earth. The answer is also a warning to the entire humanity in Rajasthan that there is no second chance for failure in places like Sariska.

We as a human society have encroached upon a majority of wilderness and forests of Rajasthan: to grow our food, to live

our lives, and to do things that we ought not to do, yet we do. Our domination of nature for a long time has resulted in the extinction crisis that is a testament to human impacts on forests and wilderness. So, what is hope? The only hope I cherish is that we shall be able to retain a biodiverse ecological system in Rajasthan. Indeed, we must begin to learn how to coexist with and leave space for, other species such as, for example, leopards of Jhalana and Amagarh or an array of desert animals in Tal Chhapar. That calls for continuing investments in rewilding that we have initiated, and that has emerged as a robust intervention for returning wilderness to biodiversity whose home we have altered beyond measure.

Why an emphasis on Sariska? Indeed, Sariska exemplifies reserves that lost their tiger population in the recent past. Human greed coupled with the failure of scientists and practitioners made Panna and Sariska bereft of tigers. They are an example of a disaster that protected areas can suffer regardless of the world’s best conservation legislation. Sariska and Panna are among the most studied tiger reserves in India. Notwithstanding the production of a large amount of scientific

THERE IS NO SECOND CHANCE FOR SARISKA

knowledge, it could not save the tiger from local extinction. Sariska has also been an example where scientists and practitioners remained engaged all through its life since it was declared as a Tiger Reserve. Yet, they could not see the impending disaster that befell the reserve. The reasons are simple. Ignoring the flawed conclusions from faulty research, predator depletion in Panna and Sariska was solely human‐induced. After the reintroduction of tigers in Panna and Sariska, there has been an appreciable increase in research. Nevertheless, scientists must note that the knowledge they produce now must become immediately usable on the ground.

The luxury of doing science for its own sake—to satisfy curiosity alone—is not available.

Sariska also provides a management warning. Rumours abound that there may be a lobby that doesn’t like Sariska to flourish, for they have invested hugely in money-spinner tourism infrastructure near another tiger reserve. Thus goes the conspiracy theory that the mafia may have sponsored local extermination. Be that as it may, gossips continue to proliferate. There seems no lesson here except that managers should continuously and carefully enhance the management effectiveness of all the tiger reserves, including Sariska, in Rajasthan.

What about the villages

inside? People and parks can co-exist, but prerequisites under which such relationships sustain are non-existent in Sariska. As long as a large number of villages continue to live and exploit already severely-stressed ecosystems deep inside the forests, wildlife has no chance of long-term survival. There were 29 villages inside. Out of these, just 3 could be relocated—albeit partially— over more than a decade. Recently, efforts of the team Sariska led by Field Director Roop Narayan Meena has succeeded in relocating 3 villages—Dabli, Panidhal, and Loj—just within two years. In addition, parts of Haripura and Sukola have also been shifted. Next in the process are Nathusar, Deori and Bera. This a remarkable feat given that Sariska has a deficit of about 60 per cent of staff currently. As the recruitment has already happened, we are in the process of filling these posts over the next 6 months to two years depending upon the training period.

There are other indicators of success evident in

Sariska. After the first spell of reintroduction of tigers starting in 2008 through 2013, nine adult tigers were re-established. To cut the story short, Sariska now has 25 tigers, the highest number in the known history of the tiger reserve. One-third of this number has grown during the last two years, including a new reintroduction in 2022. Yet, I must restate here that Sariska has no second chance for failure. If it fails again, it fails permanently. And, if it did fail ever, then a very large number of people living on the arc of Delhi-Jaipur would certainly become impoverished of ecosystem services including biodiversity conservation, ground-water recharge, clean water and clean air. There would also be a loss of the enchanting experience of wilderness available at the accessible doorstep. Indeed, if Sariska goes, the entire landscape continuum from Sariska in the National Capital Region through JamuaRamgarh, Nahargarh, Amagarh and Jhalana would lose an opportunity

of rewilding in near future. That would be a monumental loss to the ecology, economy and society of Rajasthan.

Why does this landscape matters in the contemporary world? It is not just a regenerating and rewilding multifunctional landscape that has come back from the brink of devastation, it is also an example of ongoing rewilding in tropical dry forests amidst global defaunation. This landscape is an example of evident success. There is hope, as noted earlier because we never had as many tigers in the recorded history of Sariska as we have today. They are breeding and living well! There is hope because villagers have started moving out of Sariska! There is hope because team Sariska has shown exemplary performance. At least some villages are slowly realizing that life outside Sariska can be more meaningful and more fulfilling. My cherished dream is that Sariska will continue moving on a path towards sustainability, where conservation and livelihoods would flourish side by side in times and life ahead.

What investment should be envisioned over the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration? The most important investment has to be in rewilding the entire landscape starting Sariska through Jamua Ramgarh, Nahargarh, Amagarh and Jhalana. As we celebrate the 50th year of project Tiger in India,

we must invest in the restoration and rewilding of the flora and fauna to their full potential. As Rajasthan celebrate the declaration of its fourth Tiger Reserve—Ramgarh Vishdhari—and prepares for the fifth one in Dholpur, we must not forget our failure in Mukundra where all reintroduced tigers were decimated. We have now started rebuilding the Mukundara population. But it will require another decade to reach a respectable place in the conservation arena.

A long-term extensive implementation to restore and rewild forests of Rajasthan is underway. Some of the recent examples are. As noted earlier, include Jhalana, Amagarh, Tal Chhapar (examples of passive rewilding), Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve, Dholpur (examples of passive & active rewilding), and the new reintroduction of a tiger at Mukundara Tiger Reserve—an area that has a complex history of initial failure of rewilding. It must be cautioned here that all these initiatives will succeed only if adequate and appropriate investments are made continuously over the long term. Rewilding is not an event; it is a very long-term process that can take up to 120 years or more!

Environmental ignorance is the mother of economic and social disaster. Thus, robust rewilding would not just entail trophic levels, corridors and well-functioning ecosystems. It would also necessitate environmentally literate politicians and bureaucrats, who must learn new lessons of conservation. There is no future for humanity without wilderness. Attempt to grow the economy and society would never succeed in the long term without a vibrant wilderness around. We hope Rajasthan will continue to succeed brilliantly in con-

servation endeavours.

DR DEEP NARAYAN PANDEY IS IN THE INDIAN FOREST SERVICE; WAS AWARDED THE HIGHEST NATIONAL HONOUR IN FORESTRY— THE IPVM AWARD FOR THE YEAR 1994 AND; THE DHANVANTARI AWARD OF THE DEPARTMENT OF AYURVEDA, GOVERNMENT OF RAJASTHAN FOR HIS CONTRIBUTIONS TO AYURVEDA. HE HAS MORE THAN 38 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS. THE VIEWS EXPRESSED HERE ARE PERSONAL AND DRIVEN BY THE PRINCIPLE OF THE GLOBAL COMMON GOOD. THEY DO NOT IN ANY WAY REPRESENT THE VIEWS OF THE INSTITUTION OR SERVICE TO WHICH THE AUTHOR BELONGS.

DR DEEP NARAYAN PANDEY

PCCF (HoFF), Rajasthan

All photographs by Pushp Deep Pandey

Tiger at Sariska captured by Dr Deep Narayan Pandey

Tiger Cubs Ranthambore June 2022 captured by Dr Deep Narayan Pandey

MRIDULA SHARMA cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

It seems like music videos become larger, better, and crazier with each passing year. You may put it down to technological advancements like CGI did, after all, assist create a lot of amazing visuals this year, such as Grimes' glittering "Shinigami Eyes" but in 2022, a sizable number of videos also managed to push the boundaries of real-life alterations. Flash mobs

“THAT THAT” - PSY

With the anticipated release of his first single and music video in years, “That That,” Psy attempted a second “Gangnam Style.” The music video was still a visual feast, even though it didn’t quite pull it off. This time, it had a Western theme, complete with fringe & cowboy hats.Psy usually makes hilarious and enjoyable music videos and “That That,” is no exception. When That That’s production leans into its Zumba groove and joyous brass stabs, it is at its finest.

BE T SONGS OF 2022 THE

“NO ONE DIES FROM LOVE” - TOVE LO

Tove Lo has always been a master of images, but her most bizarre and aesthetically spectacular video to date is “No One Dies From Love.” The retrofuturistic AI soap opera boasts gorgeous buildings, technicolour-drenched imagery, and an endearing robot lead.

“USED TO KNOW ME” - CHARLI XCX

Charli XCX’s Crash came with a slate of great music videos, but “Used To Know Me” stood out for its ambitious styling and wealth of cultural touchpoints. In the just under three-minute visual directed by Alex Lill, Charli switches through a series of tableaus ranging from sexy nun to glam aerobics instructor to campy Vegas girl to Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette. Each one is brought to life meticulously and ends up being wholly convincing.

“OUT OF TIME”

- THE WEEKND

The Weeknd’s strange “Out Of Time” video, which also stars Jung Hoyeon from Squid Game, begins innocently enough with the singer and model enjoying a wonderful night out singing karaoke.

Then, things start to get strange: reality starts to warp around him, the dinner table filled with blood, and all of a sudden, Abel is laying on an operating table with Jim Carrey serving as his doctor.

Horror turns in music videos have become sort of a given, but Clique pulls this one off flawlessly.

“DREAMERS” – JUNGKOOK OF BTS

South Korean singer Jungkook, a member of the boy band BTS, released the song “Dreamers” in 2022. This is a pretty straightforward song in that its intent is to serve as a shoutout to the type of people whom Jungkook refers to as “dreamers”. As put forth, these are the likes of those who are not afraid to pursue their passions.

“ESTILAZO”MARSHMELLO & TOKISCHA

One of 2022’s most surprising, greatest collaborations featured a strain of Marshmello’s instantly engrossing EDM beat together with Tokischa’s witty and astute rap-sung dissertations on sexuality. Lyrically, the song promotes homosexuality, promiscuity, and, to put it simply, being a dog, which Tokischa refers to as “suciedad divinidad,” or heavenly dirty language. When the two first met in 2021, it seemed the musical gods had this one perfectly planned out. Emcleen Lumzila Caraballoe.

"SHUT DOWN"- BLACKPINK

Blackpink, a South Korean girl group, released "Shut Down" on September 16, 2022, as the second single from their second studio album, Born Pink, via YG Entertainment and Interscope Records. The song was written by Teddy, Danny Chung, and Vince, and it was produced by Teddy and 24. It is categorised as a hip-hop track with strings. Commercially successful, Hip-hop-based Shut Down has strings and a bass that won’t quit.

angels, a laser tunnel,

IN 2022, NEW MUSIC WAS DESPERATELY NEEDED, IN RETROSPECT THIS WAS ANTICIPATED. BELOW, WE HONOUR 9 OF THE FINEST MUSIC VIDEOS FROM THIS YEAR

Tunisha Sharma: The Final Goodbye

The unfortunate passing away of Tunisha Sharma sent a shock wave through the industry. The news broke the hearts of her millions of fans, industry well-wishers and her closest friends.

The 20-year-old actor breathed her last on the sets of her television show, Ali Baba DaastanE-Kabul. Her family issued a statement in which they informed her fans, followers and well-wishers about her funeral and last rites.

Tunisha’s funeral procession began at 3 PM and was cremated at the Mira Road cremation ground. Tunisha’s heartbroken mother could be seen sitting numb during her final procession. Completing every mother’s dream of seeing her daughter as a bride, the devastated mother bid her daughter adieu in a red bridal suit.

Vanita Sharma had accused Tunisha’s co-

star, Sheezan Khan of her daughter’s death. It led to four-day custody for Sheezan who will be presented in front of the Vasai after Wednesday. Meanwhile, her last rites were attended by some of her closest friends and well-wishers from the industry.

Tunisha’s co-star and close friend, Siddharth Nigam was seen consoling Tunisha’s mother who was sitting numbly on a chair at the crematorium. Siddharth and Tunisha worked together in the television show Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat. While Siddharth played the titular character, Tunisha portrayed the role of Rajkumari Ahankara.

Actor Vishal Jethwa, who was one of Tunisha’s closest pals in the industry too came in to bid his friend a final goodbye. The actor looked visibly heartbroken as he arrived at the crematorium.

Kanwar Dhillon who is seen in Star Plus’ renowned daily soap, Pandya Stores was among the earliest ones to arrive for the funeral. Shivin Narang too came in for the funeral to pay his respects to his Internet Wala Love co-star. Filmmaker duo AbbasMustan who were gearing up to work with Tunisha in their upcoming film also arrived at the funeral to pay their last respects to

the actor.

Other industry friends of Tunisha who attended the funeral to pay their respects to their dear friend were Reema Shaikh, Sayantani Ghosh, Avneet Kaur, Ashnoor Kaur, Abhishek Nigam, Shareeb Hashmi, ChinkiMinki, Bhavin Bhanushali and Mallika Singh.

Sheezan Khan’s mother and sisters came in for Tunisha’s funeral despite all the backlash Sheezan has been getting for being the reason behind the demise of his co-star. Sheezan and Tunisha were revealed to be in a relationship before Sheezan broke up with her 15 days before her

death. The actor allegedly committed suicide after being stressed by her break-up.

Tunisha Sharma was born in Chandigarh on January 4, 2002. After the death of her father at a young age, Tunisha was raised by her single mother. The actor started working at the age of 14 and had an extensive career where she worked in films as well as television. She was seen portraying the younger version of Katrina in Baar Baar Dekho and Fitoor. She was also seen in some prominent roles in several hit television shows including Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat and Bharat Ka Veer Putra – Maharana Pratap.

JOHN AS JIM

Anurag-Alaya set the mood

Apart from launching the quirky track, a fusion of mod ern and desi beats, the makers also showcased the film’s teas er, both of which were met with massive excitement and applause.

Says director Anurag Kashyap, “I am really ex cited to launch ‘Woman Desi’ at Mood Indigo because ‘Almost Pyaar with DJ Mohabbat’ and its youthful music and vibe has a very strong connection with young audiences. Their reaction to the tracks cements our belief of bringing them unique content that speaks to them in the language and manner they best understand and connect with.”

The audio of Zee Music’s ‘Almost Pyaar with DJ Mohabbat’ album is out now along with the music video of the track ‘Woman Desi’.

Pathaan is being touted as India’s biggest-ever action spectacle that audiences have ever seen on the big screen. The visually spectacular Yash Raj Films’ action extravaganza, Pathaan, is part of Aditya Chopra’s ambitious spy universe and has the biggest superstars of the country Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone and John Abraham in it.

The makers are constantly dropping breadcrumbs to the fans and audiences so that they are constantly discovering new information about this most antici-

pated film in recent times. It looks like YRF released the jukebox of Pathaan on Friday and it interestingly has a Pathaan theme track and a Jim theme track which led to fans figuring out that John, who plays Pathaan’s arch-enemy, is going to be called Jim! Director Siddharth had earlier revealed that he will present John in a super slick avatar in Pathaan. He said, “I have always believed in the fact that the villain’s projection should be as big. Only when the villain is massive, can the tussle between them be spectacular.”

SRK-SALMAN SHARE A WARM HUG AT THE LATTER’S BIRTHDAY

PARTY

Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan Salman Khan, who celebrates his 57th birthday today, hosted a party for his family and friends from the film industry. Shah Rukh Khan, who arrived fashionably late, led the celebroll call at the party. Photos and videos of the actors hugging at the party are trending big time and have been curated by several fan pages dedicated to both the actors on social media. Notably, Shah Rukh Khan arrived in style for the bash and hugged the birthday boy. SRKSalman’s strong camaraderie stole the show as they shared a warm hug.

Several photos

While

said it was the perfect moment, others called it Karan- Arjun Milan. Both the actors twinned in black outfits and posed together for the pictures. While the Dilwale actor sported a half-sleeve roundneck black t-shirt and cargo pants, the Sultan actor wore a black full-sleeved t-shirt with leather pants and Chelsea boots. Reacting to their viral pictures, one Insta user wrote, “Love their friendship.”

DECEMBER TO REMEMBER

CITY FIRST

‘D

ecember to Remember’, an initiative to bring cheer to underprivileged children across India, saw Reliance volunteers reach out to Anganwadis, schools and underserved communities. In its 10th year now, the initiative imbibes Reliance’s philosophy of ‘We Care’ through volunteering and reached over 8100 children aged 3-12 years in 2022. ‘December to Remember’ included celebrations at Jio Presents Hamleys Wonderland in Mumbai on December 26 with over

1400 children from marginalised backgrounds getting a special treat while experiencing a unique event of rides and entertainment activities.

“Christmas is a time to share joy and merriment. At Reliance Foundation, for over a decade now,

I have cherished celebrating Christmas with children,” said Nita Ambani, Founder and Chairperson, of Reliance Foundation.

“This year as well, children from marginalised backgrounds came together to enjoy fun and games at the Hamleys

Wonderland in Mumbai, and at venues across the country.

Hundreds of Reliance volunteers made this a truly magical experience by distributing gifts, sharing love, and spreading smiles all around, making it a December to Remember! Here’s wishing that the coming

year brings tremendous hope and opportunity for all our children,” she further stated.

Starting in the first week of December in Mumbai, the December to Remember activities took place across Thane, Kolkata, Varanasi, Ahmedabad, Silvassa (Dadra and Nagar Haveli), Bhubaneshwar, Bhopal, Shahdol (Madhya Pradesh), Delhi, Ranchi, Chennai and Bengaluru.

The activities were a mix of celebrations, where Reliance employees and their families engaged in entertaining children and distributing gift bags. The bags contained age-appropriate fun and educa-

tional toys from Hamleys, nutritional snacks and festive items. Employees also engaged children in games, teaching crafts and motivating them to spread happiness. Together, employees contributed over 1500 volunteering hours to bring cheer to the children. A raffle contest was also held at every location where a child with the winning ticket got to make a wish.

The celebrations at Jio Presents Hamleys Wonderland in Mumbai were a fun extravaganza for underprivileged children from different NGOs and other organisations that work with Reliance Foundation.

Isha and

ASHISH

Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, along with actors Alaya F and Karan Mehta brought the house down at ITT’s annual ‘Mood Indigo festival as they launched ‘Woman Desi’ the eccentric and offbeat track from Kashyap’s next directorial ‘Almost Pyaar with DJ Mohobbat’.

of Shah Rukh hugging and holding Salman’s hand have surfaced online and fans are going all gaga over the actors.

some netizens

Siddharth Nigam consoling Tunisha’s mother

Tunisha’s funeral procession

Late Tunisha Sharma

Ashnoor Kaur with her father Pallavi Gupta

Sheezan’s sister Shafaq with mother Kehekshan Parveen Avneet Kaur

Salman and Shah Rukh Khan

Karan Mehta, Alaya F and Anurag Kashyap

John Abraham as Jim in the movie Pathaan

Cheerful underprivileged children during December To Remember campaign