First India-Mumbai Edition-29th December 2022

‘PEACEMAKER’ SHAH!

Moni Sharma

New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday chaired a high-level meeting on J&K over security-related issues and said the terror ecosystem that aids terrorist-separatist campaign needs to be dismantled. Amit Shah also asked J&K administration officials to follow the policy of zero tolerance against terrorism, an MHA statement said.

Shah also directed the officials to strive their best to achieve 100% saturation of the beneficiaries under various schemes and ensure benefits of development reaches every section of society,” MHA statement said. The meeting came on a day four terroristswere killed. Seven AK assault rifles, one M4 rifle, three pistols and a large quantity of ammunition were recovered from the slain terrorists. Security forces have been put on high alert across the Jammu region, particularly on the highway, after the incident. Shah also reviewed the developmental works being implemented in J&K.

4 HEAVILY-ARMED TERRORISTS TRAVELLING TO KASHMIR

A terror ecosystem comprising elements that aid, abet and sustain the terrorist-separatist campaign to the detriment of the well-being of the common man requires to be dismantled.

—Amit Shah, Union Home Minister

PM Modi meets ailing mother Heeraben in Ahmedabad hosp

First India Bureau

Ahmedabad: PM Narendra Narendra Modi on Wednesday visited his mother Heeraben Modi who is in a hospital in Ahmedabad since Tuesday night. Having flown in from Delhi around 4 pm, he left the hospital just before 5.30 pm, spending over an hour with his mother.

A statement from UN Mehta Institute of Cardiology and Research Centre said the condition of Heeraben Modi — who turned 99 in June this year — is stable. The hospital has not shared any other information. PM visited her recently when he was in Gujarat to campaign for the recently held Assembly polls.

DUO, PRICELESS BOND: RAHUL WISHES HEERABEN SPEEDY RECOVERY

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday wished speedy recovery to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mother, Heeraben, who was admitted to a hospital in Ahmedabad following health issues. “The love between a mother and a son is eternal and priceless,” Gandhi tweeted in Hindi. “Modi ji, my love and support is with you in this difficult time. I hope your mother gets well soon,” Rahul said.

killed.

“major

“The

BORDER ROW

Mumbai belongs to Maharashtra, not to anyone’s father, says Devendra Fadnavis

Nagpur: Maharashtra

Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said Mumbai belongs to the state and “not to anyone’s father” while strongly condemning remarks made by some Karnataka leaders amid the raging boundary dispute between the two states.

Speaking in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, Fadnavis said the state’s feelings will be conveyed to the Karnataka government and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Raising the issue in the House, Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar (of Nationalist Congress Party) claimed

Karnataka CM and ministers have been hurting Maharashtra’s pride by their remarks and the Maharashtra government’s response is not in the same coin.

The NCP leader demanded that the chief minister condemn this

Mumbai belongs to Maharashtra and not to anyone’s father. We will not tolerate anyone staking claim over Mumbai and we will put forth our feelings before the Karnataka government and Union home minister.

—Devendra Fadnavis, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister

in strong words.

Fadnavis said, “Mumbai belongs to Maharashtra and not to anyone’s father. We will not tolerate anyone staking claim over Mumbai and we will put forth our feelings before the Karnataka government and Union

home minister.”

He said Union minister Shah will be requested to reprimand such “motormouths”.

“The comments by Karnataka MLAs or the Karnataka Congress president are contrary to what was decided. Will not tolerate any claim staked on Mumbai. We condemn this.

We will send a letter (to Karnataka government) condemning these statements,” Fadnavis said.

“(These comments) are not in line what was decided in the meeting with the Union home minister. It will be brought to the notice of the Union home minister,” Fadnavis added.

Maha lacks will power to fulfil hopes of Marathis in Belagavi: Kiran Thakur

Thakur claimed that those in power at the Centre kept the issue unresolved under the belief that it would die its own death

First India Bureau

Mumbai: Maharashtra lacks the will power to fulfil the aspirations of Marathispeaking people in Belagavi and other areas in Karnataka and the politicians in the state have surrendered themselves to the rulers in Delhi, Kiran Thakur, a leader of the Maharashtra Eki-

karan Samiti (MES) alleged on Wednesday.

Thakur also claimed that those in power at the Centre kept the issue unresolved under the belief that it would die its own death.

The long-drawn border dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka is a fight for the linguistic rights of the Marathi-speaking people, Thakur said.

“For last 66 years, 865 villages of Belgaum (Belagavi), Kar-

war, Bidar, Nipani, Supa, Halyal, Khanapur and surrounding Marathi-speaking areas (in Karnataka) are fighting for linguistic rights in a democratic manner,” he said.

These areas were taken from the Bombay Presidency and put into Karnataka during the linguistic reorganisation of states. The stand of the leaders in Delhi has been to keep the issue lingering as they feel it will die its own death, Thakur said.

A suspicious movement of a truck, that was moving towards Kashmir, was observed. It was followed and stopped near Sidhra check point, but its driver escaped on the pretext of attending the call of nature. Efforts on to nab truck driver who has fled.

—Mukesh Singh, ADGP, Jammu zone

Reliance registers double-digit growth with Mukesh at helm for two decades

Mumbai: Reliance Industries Chairman and MD Mukesh Ambani has completed 2 decades at the helm of Reliance Industries in 2022. The CMD took the reins of the company after the demise of his father and Reliance founder Dhirubhai Ambani on July 6, 2002. In his ongo-

REMEMBERING

ing tenure of 20 years, the company has managed to achieve consistently strong double-digit growth across revenues, profits, net worth, assets as well as market capitalisation. With Mukesh Ambani at the helm, Reliance also started Jio operations in 2016, & Retail in 2006.

DHIRUBHAI

THE MAN, THE LEGEND!

Anita Hada

Mumbai: was still under the 'British Raj', the econ omy was barely crawl ing, the world had un dergone the first world war, there were mur murs of another similar war and India was gearing to throw the yoke of British Imperialism. It was a time when people of great character and foresight steered the larger will of the people to bring about a larger good. But men of such great character, often

the psyche of common Indian was not to take risk and be safe from financial jolts. But the 'revolutionary' Dhirubhai did just the opposite.

The first office of the Reliance Commercial Corporation was set up at the Narsinatha Street in Masjid Bunder. It was a 350 sq

Nathdwara

Mukesh

reach Nathdwara

with his family on Thursday. Nita Ambani, and Akash Ambani will also reach Nathdwara while Anant Ambani reached Nathdwara on Wednesday late evening.

RELIANCE STANDS COMMITTED TO EDUCATING THE FUTURE GEN

come from hard places and having faced hardships and ordeals in life, carry out such roles in their own lifetime that echo for generations.

The day was December 28, 1932 when Dhirajlal Hirachand Ambani, later popularly addressed to as Dhirubhai Ambani, was born in Chorwad in Gujarat. Having worked abroad, the man, in 1966, started on a journey that not only changed his own

ft room with a telephone, one table and three chairs. During this period, Ambani and his family stayed in a two-bedroom apartment at the Jai Hind Estate in Bhuleshwar, Mumbai.

By the time of his death, Reliance had become a behemoth that was powering the nation and its aspirations, only because one man, stood dauntless against odds and defied them at every phase of his journey.

On the occasion of the 90th birth anniversary of Dhirubhai Ambani, Founder - Chairman of Reliance Industries Limited, Reliance Foundation announced that it will significantly strengthen its commitment to youth, awarding 50,000 scholarships over the next 10 years for students pursuing higher education in India. For the academic year 2022-23, Reliance Foundation will be awarding up to 5,000 merit-cum-means undergraduate scholarships of up to Rs. 2 lakh and up to 100 merit-based postgraduate scholarships of up to Rs. 6 lakh, both for the entire duration of study.

But perhaps a befitting ode to a legendary business leader could only be given by a leader of similar stature and repute. Thus, former Prime Minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee summed up

Dhirubhai's passing away - "The country has lost iconic proof of what an ordinary Indian fired by the spirit of enterprise and driven by determination can achieve in his own lifetime."

JIO LANCHES 5G SERVICES IN 11 CITIES

Reliance Jio on 28 December announced that it has launched the largest launch of its 5G services across 11 cities. The cities where 5G services are launched include -- Lucknow, Trivandrum, Mysuru, Nashik, Aurangabad, Chandigarh, Mohali, Panchkula, Zirakpur, Kharar, and Derabassi. Jio users in these cities will be invited to the Jio Welcome Offer, to experience Unlimited Data at up to 1 Gbps speeds, at no additional cost, starting Wednesday. "We are proud to roll out Jio True 5G in these 11 cities and make it one of our largest launches since we started rolling out True 5G services. This is a tribute to the millions of Jio users in these cities who will now commence 2023 by enjoying the transformational benefits of Jio True 5G technology," a Jio spokesperson said in a statement.

The country has lost iconic proof of what an ordinary Indian fired by the spirit of enterprise and driven by determination can achieve in his own lifetime.

—Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Former Prime Minister of India

MES leader Kiran Thakur

AMBANIS TO VISIT SHRINATH JI TEMPLE TODAY

(Rajsamand): Reliance Group Chairman

Ambani will

along

Shah asks J&K administration to follow the policy of “zero tolerance” against terrorism

HM reviews various developmental works being implemented in Jammu and Kashmir

KILLED IN ‘CHANCE ENCOUNTER’

Jammu: Four heavilyarmed terrorists, travelling in a truck to Kashmir after infiltrating from Pakistan, were killed in a “chance encounter” with security forces here early Wednesday morning, a police officer said, terming it as a

success” ahead of Republic Day. Getting suspicious, ADGP said, police started searching the truck but came under heavy fire from inside. An encounter ensued during which the truck caught fire, he said, adding the terrorists were

ADGP Mukesh Singh of Jammu Zone said that the ultras were heavily armed and were on their way to Kashmir when they were intercepted.

identity and group affiliation of the terrorists is awaited,” he said.

Union HM Amit Shah with J&K LG Manoj Sinha and Union Home Secy Ajay Kumar Bhalla during high level meeting on the developmental projects and security-related issues in J&K, in New Delhi on Wednesday.

Security personnel during an encounter with terrorists at Sidhra area in Jammu on Wednesday.

PM Narendra Modi with his mom Heeraben in Gandhinagar on Dec 4.

MOM-SON

‘Nobody can take Mum from Maha’

Aaditya Thackeray dismisses K’taka min UT remark on city, calls for peace on border dispute

Nagpur (PTI): Shiv Sena – Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray leader Aaditya Thackeray on Wednesday asserted that Mumbai is part of Maharashtra and nobody can take it away from the state.

He was talking to reporters in the Vidhan Bhavan premises in Nagpur in response to a query over Karnataka Law Minister JC Madhuswamy’s statement that Mumbai qualifies to be a Union Territory.

The Winter Session of the Maharashtra legislature is currently underway in Nagpur.

“I feel that we should not give importance to such ministers. Mumbai is part of Maharashtra and no one can take it away from Maharashtra,” said Thackeray. Thackeray, a former state minister, also said that it is necessary that

peace should be established between Maharashtra and Karnataka and law and order should be maintained.

“Maharashtra has

been maintaining patience,” he added.

The Sena (UBT) leader also sought to know why Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj

Bommai was taking such an aggressive stand on the border issue.

“Assembly elections are nearing in Karnataka and they (ruling Bharatiya Janata Party) are staring at a defeat. But is it right to create a rift between two states on these lines?” he asked.

Amid the raging border dispute, both Houses of the Maharashtra legislature on Tuesday

unanimously passed a resolution to “legally pursue” the inclusion of 865 Marathi-speaking villages in Karnataka into the western state.

Talking about the political scenario in Maharashtra, the Yuva Sena chief said not only allegations, but proof (of irregularities) are also coming out against every new minister in the state.

“If this illegal gov-

Oppn demands Sattar ouster

Nagpur: The Maharashtra government told the Legislative Council that it has asked the district administration to submit a proposal to rename Ahmednagar as ‘Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Nagar’, Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar said in reply to a query during Question Hour.

He told that the directives were issued on September 07 to the Ahmednagar district collector as well as the concerned divisional commissioner.

The minister added that the commissioner of the Ahmednagar municipal corporation, divisional railway manager, senior postmaster and tehsildar have also been asked to send such proposals. However, it was not specified whether the government intended to rename the city of Ahmednagar in central Maharashtra or the district of which it is the headquarters or both.

After receiving the proposal, it will be presented before the state cabinet for approval and later forwarded to the Union government for the final decision, Kesarkar said.

Nagpur (PTI): Opposition members staged a protest in the Maharashtra legislature complex in Nagpur on Wednesday and reiterated their demand for Agriculture Minister Abdul Sattar’s resignation. They raised slogans accusing him of indulging in corruption.

Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Ajit Pawar and other legislators including Chhagan Bhujbal, Rohit Pawar and Bhaskar Jadhav raised slogans outside the House demanding the resignation of Sattar. They have been demanding the minister’s ouster since Monday.

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.

The opposition members, who were carrying oranges in their hands on Wednesday, also demanded bonuses for paddy farmers.

Incidentally, Nagpur, where the Winter Session of the state legislature is currently underway, is famous for orange cultivation.

SATTAR’S DAUGHTERS DID NOT GET JOB THROUGH TET: FADNAVIS

Nagpur (PTI): Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday came out in defence of state Agriculture Minister Abdul Sattar, saying that none of the daughters of the latter got a job through the Teachers’ Eligibility Test (TET). Fadnavis made the statement in the state Assembly after the opposition sought clarification from the government over the TET scam and alleged that Sattar’s family members got undue benefits and linked his daughters to it.

Fadnavis hit back at the opposition and said the exam took place when the Maha Vikas Aghadi government was in power

(till June-end this year).

“Abdul Sattar’s daughters have not got any job through TET. The TET commissioner had clarified that they were disqualified,” he said.

The names of Sattar’s daughters had appeared in the list of the 7,880 candidates who were disqualified and banned in connection with the alleged rigging of the TET 2019-20.

The opposition also staged a walkout over the issue.

SATTAR CLARIFIES LAND CASE ALLEGATIONS IN MAHA ASSEMBLY

First India Bureau

Nagpur: Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Abdul Sattar on Wednesday said that there was “no ulterior motive” in his order for ‘regularisation’ of land reserved for public ‘gairan’ (grazing) in favour of a private person in the face of a civil court order, and said his decision has not caused any loss to the government exchequer.

Making a statement in the state Assembly, an emotional Sattar said whatever decision the high court gives in the matter will be acceptable to him.

Last week, the Nagpur bench of the HC issued a notice to Sattar who had ordered ‘regularization’ of the possession of land reserved for public ‘gairan’ (grazing) in Washim in favour of a private person in the face of a civil court order. Sattar has also been accused of malpractices in the TET scam to secure employment for his daughters.

MAHA-K’TAKA BORDER ROW

ernment had courage, it would have removed these ministers,” he said.

The opposition parties in the state have been demanding the resignation of Agriculture Minister Abdul Sattar over the allotment of land reserved for public ‘gairan’ (grazing) in Washim, and accused Industries Minister Uday Samant of irregularities in some mega projects.

Nitin Deshmukh booked after scuffle with cops

First India Bureau

Nagpur: Sadar police has booked MLA Nitin Deshmukh of Shiv Sena(Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) from Balapur in Akola district, for allegedly assaulting a police sub-inspector at Civil Lines.

Deshmukh is accused of assaulting PSI Sakharam Kamble on Ravi Bhavan premises and an FIR has been registered against him.

The incident is of Tuesday evening at around 6.10 pm when PI Sharad Kadam, PSI Kamble and others were deployed at the entry gate of Ravi Bhavan.

They were checking the vehicles entering the premises, stopping the ones without passes at the gate itself.

“At this time, a white Innova stopped at the entry gate and around five

to six people got down. They approached PI Kadam and started questioning him why the cops were stopping vehicles,” said Kamble in his FIR.

“When I tried to intervene, the man identifying himself as MLA Deshmukh thrashed me. His supporters too created ruckus,” he added.

The senior PI explained that it is for security purposes of VVIPS entering the premises. One of the men threatened the PI of taking action against him as he is an MLA.

Maha passes Lokayukta Bill; brings CM, min under its ambit

First India Bureau

Nagpur: Maharashtra Assembly on Wednesday passed the Lokayukta Bill 2022, which brings the chief minister and council of ministers under the ambit of the anti-corruption ombudsman.

The bill was passed without discussion as the opposition had staged a walkout over the alleged scam in the Teachers’ Eligibility Test (TET).

Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis termed the bill a historic legislation, adding Maharashtra is the first state to have such a law.

Fadnavis, who is also the state Home Minister, said discussion had taken place on the bill with the opposition.

“The chief minister and (council of) ministers were not part of the earlier Lokayukta law. The governor could only recommend action against any minister. Now, the chief minister, ministers and public representatives have been brought under the ambit of Lokayukta,” he said.

As per the draft bill, prior approval of the Assembly has to be ob-

tained and the motion has to be placed before the immediate session of the House before initiating any inquiry against the chief minister.

Such a motion shall be passed by not less than two-thirds of the total members of the as-

sembly, states the bill, which was tabled in the House on Monday.

On the appointment of the ombudsman, the draft law states the Lokayukta shall consist of a chairperson who is or has been the Chief Justice of the High Court, a judge of the Supreme Court or a judge of the Bombay High Court.

“...Such number of members, not exceeding four out of whom, two shall be judicial members,” it said.

“No appointment of the chairperson or a member shall be invalid merely by reason of any vacancy in the selection committee,” the draft bill further said.

Centre should declare disputed area as UT, says Jayant Patil

According to the legislator, LS has the power to take a decision, hence, the BJP leaders should immediately approach the Union government

First India Bureau

Nagpur: Legislator Jayant Patil has said that the Centre should immediately intervene into the border row between Maharashtra and Karnataka and declare the disputed area as a Union Territory.

Patil was speaking in the Maharashtra

Legislative Council during a discussion on Wednesday.

His demand came a day after the Maharashtra legislature unanimously passed a resolution to “legally pursue” the inclusion of 865 Marathi-speaking villages in Karnataka into the western state.

“The Centre took an

Karnataka

“The Centre took an immediate decision on J&K and divided it into UTs. PM Narendra Modi should take a stand and declare the disputed area (pertaining to Maharashtra-Karnataka border row) as a UT.”

—Jayant Patil, NCP leader

declare the disputed area (pertaining to Maharashtra-Karnataka border row) as a Union Territory,” Patil said.

He further added that the Lok Sabha has the power to take a decision.

Therefore, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders should immediately approach the Union government.

The Karnataka Legislative Assembly last Thursday unanimously passed a resolution on the border row with Maharashtra, resolving to

protect the southern state’s interests and not to cede even an inch of land to its neighbour.

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

Maharashtra has laid claim to Belagavi, which was part of the erstwhile Bombay Presidency, as it has a sizable Marathispeaking population.

It also laid claim to more than 800 Marathispeaking villages which are currently part of Karnataka.

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

First India Bureau

Nitin Deshmukh —FILE PHOTO

TALKING POINTS

“I feel that we should not give importance to such ministers. Mumbai is part of Maharashtra and no one can take it away from Maharashtra.”

—Aaditya Thackeray, Yuva Sena chief

Members of MVA coalition demonstrating outside state legislature.

immediate decision on Jammu and Kashmir

and divided it into Union Territories. Prime Minister Narendra Modi should take a stand and

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

Jayant Patil

—FILE PHOTO

Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis —FILE PHOTO

Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis termed

the bill a historic legislation, adding Maharashtra is the first state to have such a law

Ahmednagar to be named as Ahilyadevi Nagar?

Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray arrives for Winter Session proceedings at Vidhan Bhavan in Nagpur on Wednesday.

Maha to set up corporation to procure meds for govt hosps

Delays by Haffkine Biopharma Corp

medical facilities

Nagpur: The state government has said it is planning to set up a new corporation for the procurement of medicines and medical equipment. The decision comes due to delay in procurement by the state-owned Haffkine Biopharmaceutical Corporation, which is creating shortages at government hospitals.

State Medical Education Minister, Girish Mahajan, gave the information in the state Legislative Council on Tuesday while replying to a calling attention motion by Bharatiya Janata

NCB seizes charas worth `8 L from duo at Thane station

Party’s Pravin Datke.

“The Haffkine Corporation did not utilize Rs650 crore out of the budgetary allocation of Rs1,500 crore this year.

As a result, many government hospitals are running out of medicines and equipment,” said the minister.

To tide over the situation, the government has authorized hospitals to spend 30% of their budget on the purchase of medicines and equipment against the usual 10% allocation, Mahajan said. He also underlined the problems of human resource

crunch at Haffkine and said its chairman was transferred 11 times in the past three years.

A total of 24 permanent and 109 contractual employees are working at the Haffkine Corporation, he stated. Earlier, Datke said government hospitals are facing a se-

rious shortage of medicines and equipment.

The Mayo Hospital in Nagpur is running short of medicines, surgical equipment, X-ray and pathology kits, and poor patients are being asked to purchase these kits from medical shops, he claimed.

TEENAGE GIRL GANGRAPED IN PUNE; 6 HELD

First India Bureau

Pune: A 15-year-old year was allegedly raped by six men in Pune city, police said on Wednesday.

The accused were arrested on Tuesday and a case was registered against them on the complaint of the victim’s mother.

According to the police, the victim and one of the accused knew each other. The accused allegedly kidnapped the victim at knifepoint and they raped her at a lodge here sometime between June and December this year.

They asked her not to inform about the incident to anyone while threatening to share her nude photographs on social media, police officials said.

They have been booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexu -

Advocate's wife, 4-yr-old daughter killed in mishap

al Offences (POCSO) Act, the police said, adding that an investigation was on into the case.

This is the second such incident that happened in Maharashtra in this month.

On December 18 when a minor girl was raped by eight men at a village in the Palghar district.

The police arrested eight men for raping a teenage girl.

The accused raped the girl at an unoccu-

kidnapped victim and raped her at a lodge between June and December

pied bungalow in their beach village before taking her to the seashore, where they again sexually assaulted her.

CRUCIAL READ

RALLY HELD WITHOUT OFFICIAL PERMIT, POLICE REGISTERS CASE IN THANE DIST

Mumbai (PTI): The Narcotics Control Bureau has exposed an inter-state drug network with the arrest of two persons in Thane and the recovery of 4 kg charas worth about Rs8 lakh from them. Drugs are sent in large quantities to Mumbai and Goa during New Year, said an NCB official.

The NCB official said the network was sending drugs from Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand to destinations across the country. The anti-drug agency had got inputs about a carrier coming to Mumbai with a drug consignment, said the NCB official.

On Tuesday, NCB learnt that the carrier was heading to Thane station on a train to hand over the drugs to a local distributor. A team of NCB officials reached station to intercept the carrier. They also learnt that a local distributor was on his way to the railway station.

The carrier arrived at Thane station on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday.

Mumbai (PTI) : A 35-year-old woman and her four-year-old daughter died while her husband and other daughter suffered serious injuries in an accident on the newly opened Samruddhi Expressway in the early hours of Wednesday, a police official said.

The family was returning after visiting a shrine when they met with the accident in Washim on the high-

speed carriageway, he said. Washim Superintendent of Police (SP) Bacchan Singh said, “The incident took place at around 2 am when Advocate Ajay Joshi along with his wife and two daughters was on his way to Nagpur from Tuljapur.”

Citing preliminary investigation, the SP said Joshi, who was at the wheel, might have dozed off. His car

swerved to another lane before turning turtle. His wife and daughter died on the spot, he said. Joshi, who practices in the Bombay High Court, and his other daughter are recuperating in a hospital, said the official.

The police have registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR) and further investigation is underway, the official added.

Fire erupts in 20 shops; no casualty

Mumbai: A fire broke out in around 20 shops where scrap material and vehicle spare parts were kept in Kurla area of Mumbai on Wednesday, a civic official said.

The fire brigade received a call at around 2.30 am about the blaze in the shops located near a bus depot in Kapadia Nagar. There was no report of injury to anyone, he said.

The fire was confined to the electric wiring and installations, scrap material and vehicle spare parts in an area of 400 to 500 square feet in 20 to 25 shops. Eight fire

Eight fire engines were rushed to the spot and the blaze was doused by around 8.30 am

engines and other fire fighting equipment were rushed to the spot and the blaze was doused by around 8.30 am. The cause of the fire is not known yet.

Chemical tanker catches fire on Mum-A’bad hwy

First India Bureau

Palghar: A chemicalladen tanker caught fire on MumbaiAhmedabad highway in Palghar district, disrupting traffic movement on the busy route for a couple of hours, police said.

No one was injured in the blaze, which erupted at around 3.30 am in the tanker in Medhvan Khind area, a police official said.

The vehicle’s driver and cleaner jumped out to safety. Local fire personnel

No one was injured in the blaze, which erupted at around 3.30 am in the tanker in Medhvan Khind area

rushed to the spot and doused the blaze in about two hours.

The tanker was completely destroyed, the official said, adding it was not yet known which chemical the vehicle was carrying. The cause of the blaze was yet to be ascertained.

Mumbai: Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal has issued an order amending a provision of the Development Control Promotion Regulation (DCPR) allowing offices in residential buildings.

According to Vilas Nagalkar, member of Practising Engineers, Architects and Town Planners Association (PEATA), apart from the ground floor of many residential buildings, shops were allowed up to second floor as per the development control regulations DCPR2034.

Sexual harassment case: TVF founder Kumar gets relief

Mumbai (PTI): A magistrate court has acquitted The Viral Fever (TVF) founder Arunabh Kumar in a sexual harassment case of 2017, ruling that there was an "unexplained and unreasonable" delay in filing the First Information Report (FIR). It can be said the complaint was filed out of a "grudge" or business rivalry, the court noted.

Based on complaint of former employee, the Andheri police had in 2017 registered a case against Kumar under Indian Penal Code Sections 354 A (causing sexual harassment) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman).

Metropolitan Magistrate (Andheri court) A I Shaikh acquitted Kumar in September this year. A

detailed order was available recently. As per prosecution, alleged incident took place in 2014.

The complaint was filed three years after the incident as the complainant came across other women making similar allegations on social media.

The magistrate in order held that "there is no concrete evidence produced by the prosecution". "There is material

discrepancy and contradiction. There is even unreasonable and unexplained delay in filing the

There is material discrepancy and contradiction. There is even unreasonable and unexplained delay in filing the FIR, which raised clouds on the case of the prosecution. —Court

FIR, which raised clouds on the case of prosecution," the court said.

It can even be said

the complaint is "filed out of grudge or rivalry on reason of business" between the accused and the informant, the court further said. All witnesses are "interest witnesses". They are involved in same industry where accused is also doing business. Therefore, prosecution failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt, the magistrate said.

Thane: A case has been registered against a man and some other persons for allegedly organizing a rally in Bhiwandi

PATIENT DIES, DOC COUPLE HELD FOR MED NEGLIGENCE

Thane: Police have arrested a doctor couple who ran a clinic in Thane district on the charge of medical negligence leading to the death of a patient, an official said on Wednesday. Based on a complaint by Bhiwandi Nizampur Municipal Corporation’s medical officer, the police investigated the death of a 52-year-old man and found that he was treated by the duo between August 01 and 10, 2022. The treatment was allegedly found to be faulty after which they were arrested, the police said.

MAN DEAD, SON HURT TRYING TO ‘STOP’ ATTACKERS

Thane: A 33-year-old man was killed and his son injured after he tried to prevent a man from entering their housing complex on Tuesday night, police said. Victim spotted accused Sultan Ahmed Shaikh at society gate around 10 pm and inquired about his visit. While Sultan left spot, he returned within half an hour with his brother and picked up a fight with Imtiaz. Sultan pulled out a knife and was about to stab Imtiaz when the victim’s son Ayan intervened and suffered injuries. Later Sultan stabbed Imtiaz dozen times police said.

WORKER DEATH: CONTRACTOR GETS 3-MNTH JAIL FOR NOT PROVIDING SAFETY GEARS

Mumbai: In a rare instance where a contractor was punished for not providing safety gear to a worker resulting in his death, a city magistrate court, observing that his negligent act has taken the life of the deceased, has sentenced the sub-contractor to three months of rigorous imprisonment. The painter had fallen to death from a highrise in 2014. On November 25, 2014, Vaibhavkumar Bharti was working as a painter under sub-contractor Nitin Palkar on a 12-storey highrise Victoria Towers in Worli.

NEWBORN GIRL FOUND DEAD IN THANE VILLAGE

Thane: The body of a newborn girl was found at a village in Thane district, a police official said on Wednesday. A passer-by spotted the body wrapped in a white cloth, lying in bushes behind a factory in Khoni village of Bhiwandi town and alerted the police, the official said. The Nizampura police have registered a case against an unidentified perpetrator under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Section 318, the official said.

UNDERTRIAL FOR RAPE, 19-YR-OLD ENDS LIFE IN JAIL

Thane: A 19-year-old undertrial lodged in the Taloja central jail hanged himself on the jail premises on Wednesday morning, the Navi Mumbai police said. The deceased, Karan Serian had been arrested over a rape case and brought to the Taloja jail on December 22, said senior inspector Sandeepan Shinde. He used a piece of cloth to hang himself and commit suicide. He was declared dead on arrival at a nearby hospital, said police.

PARTS OF PUNE TO FACE WATER CUTS TODAY, RELIEF LIKELY BY TOMORROW

Pune: As the Warje Water Centre prepares to install a flow metre on the main water line delivering water to the Kothrud region of the Gandhi Bhavan tank and the Bavdhan part of the Chandni Chowk tank, portions of Pune may experience water shortages on Thursday, December 29. On December 30, there may be low water pressure and In the morning, the water may return with low pressure. The water delivery will begin in the morning with minimal pressure.

town of Thane district without permission from authorities, said an official on Wednesday. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal had sought permission to organize a ‘Shourya’ parade but police refused to approve it. Despite the denial, some people took out the rally, in which around 600 people participated, said the official from Narpoli police station said. A case has been lodged against the rally organizer and others under relevant provisions of the law, he said.

First India Bureau

STAFF CRUNCH

The Haffkine Corporation did not utilize Rs650 crore out of the budgetary allocation of Rs1,500 crore this year. As a result, many government hospitals are running out of medicines and equipment.

—Girish Mahajan, Maharashtra Medical Education Minister

has created shortages in state-run

Govt has authorized hospitals to use 30% of total budget on meds and equipment. —FILE PHOTO

Accused allegedly

Now, BMC allows offices in residential buildings

First India Bureau

First India Bureau

Arunabh Kumar

DIGITAL INDIA IN 2023...

THE WAY FORWARD

ovid rocked the world. It almost took away two years from us but if I see the silver lining in this pandemic that will be Digital Adoption by the mass population. India has taken huge advantage of digital technologies not only to test, track and trace but also for vaccination and awareness. In my opinion, Covid has shrunk 10 years of digital adoption in two years. Digital India has become a life-saving initiative for the country and in my option will continue to make an impact in people’s lives.

On the other side, the crypto crash has wiped out more than $2 trillion in wealth. As per Crunchbase, venture capitalbacked companies absorbed $2.9 billion in the third quarter of 2022, down 66% sequentially and 81% year-on-year. We have the ongoing Big Tech downsizing, with tens of thousands of job losses. Now with 2023 upon us, this is an opportune moment to reflect upon this tumultuous year, learn lessons and start looking ahead.

BEST INTERNET EVER

caregiver for the geriatric. They’ll also perform complex tasks in warehouses and factories as they work alongside humans in manufacturing and logistics. Elon Musk revealed 2 Optimus humanoid robot prototypes and said company would be ready to take orders within next 3 to 5 years.

DRIVERLESS VEHICLES

CRYPTO CRASH WIPED OVER $2 TN IN WEALTH

I am sure in the future there will be 2 kinds of organizations, 1) Technology Businesses and 2) Technology Enabled Businesses/ Organizations, without that it will be difficult to sustain for the long term and make an impact on any business or Government. I believe technology has aided civilization in a variety of ways, the most notable of which are health care, education, and communication. It has also changed the way people enjoy themselves, participate in politics, and work. Society and technology are inextricably linked and will continue to evolve

In 2023 we could look at mass impact through 5G adoption. High throughout and low latency have made 5G an exciting trend to watch out for in 2023. In October 2022, the Prime Minister of India Sh. Narendra Modi ji launched 5G in the country and unveiled various 5G use cases of various Telecom Service Providers in education, health, worker safety, smart agriculture, etc. For enterprises, both large and small, 5G will play a vital role in extracting value in sectors like manufacturing, automotive, gaming, education, and industries through digital twins, smart manufacturing, immersive content, etc.

HUMANS LIKE ROBOTS

We have heard of social robots and Cobots or collaborative robots who can work just like your colleague in the office. 2023 will see robots becoming more like humans. You should not be surprised when you see a robot taking on the role of check-in executive, bartender, concierge, or

It’s hard to move to a new city without Mapmyindia or google map app on mobile. These maps are now powered with AI and automobiles to take us to the destination we want, without any directions from Drivers. Driverless cars and trucks are already getting permission and soon that will be a reality in India too.

DIGITAL HYGIENE

Digital Hygiene is a phrase that refers to the practice of maintaining your tech devices, protecting your digital information, and safeguarding your electronic assets. Digital hygiene will be more important than ever for everyone including architects, designers etc. I have many reasons to believe that cyber attacks will increase in 2023 and people need to protect themselves more than ever before. Even MSMEs/ SMEs will be targeted and may face huge cyber threats. Most of these attacks take advantage of known vulnerabilities that have not been remediated.

T

he crypto crash has wiped out more than $2 trillion in wealth. As per Crunchbase, venture capital-backed companies absorbed $2.9 billion in the third quarter of 2022, down 66% sequentially and 81% year-onyear. We have the ongoing Big Tech downsizing, with tens of thousands of job losses. Now with 2023 upon us, this is an opportune moment to reflect upon this tumultuous year, learn lessons and start looking ahead.

AI AND PREDICTION

In 2023, more technology teams will focus on putting data and actionable insights in the hands of the entire workforce. AI will process the enormous amount of data generated by every organization, external data sources will be leveraged to gain even more insight and data governance will become a priority for more organizations. Even the AI projects by GoI like Bhashni will make a huge impact on people’s life.

DIGITAL INDIA ACT

A significant amount of work has been done on the proposed Digital India Act, and the draft legislative framework to support ‘India’s Techade’ is expected by early 2023. The upcoming Digital India Act will report-

India has taken huge advantage of digital technologies not only to test, track and trace but also for vaccination and awareness. Covid has shrunk 10 years of digital adoption in two years. Digital India has become a life-saving initiative for the country and in my opinion, will continue to make an impact in people’s lives

edly classify various online intermediaries such as social media platforms, e-commerce, and factchecking portals as different categories and come out with specific regulations for each of these categories. The new law is likely to prescribe different kinds of intermediaries because their regulation has to be different.

DIGITAL CURRENCY

Imagine your all currency notes get converted into digital form. That will be the norm soon by our RBI because of CBDC. Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) pilot launched by RBI in the retail segment has components based on blockchain technology. CBDC is a legal tender issued by the RBI in digital form. It is the same as the fiat currency and is exchangeable one-to-one with the fiat currency.

Only its form is different — it is not paper (or polymer) like physical cash. It is a fungible legal tender, for which holders need not have a bank account. Some might confuse it with UPI, but let me tell you, it’s different. A CBDC is a digital currency that can be used for various financial transactions, while a UPI is a payment system that enables digital payments between participating banks and financial institutions.

MULTILINGUAL INTERNET

Multilingualism becomes an extremely crucial aspect to bring the next one billion users onto the network. There are more than 7,000 languages used across the globe. In India, we have 22 scheduled languages. Govt of India has prepared a policy for Multilingual Internet and Universal Acceptance. Localized domain names and email addresses are the key pillars. On my idea to promote Universal Acceptance in the world, ICANN along with UASG are going to celebrate UA-Day every March 28 and the first-ever UA-Day is going to be celebrated globally in the year 2023 with the main event in India. This will accelerate the process to bring the non-English population online. All businesses, websites, and services have to accommodate email addresses in different languages, for instance, अजय@डाटा.भारत (email ID in Hindi).

PEOPLE FACING COVID VACCINE SHORTAGE

With the Central government sounding alerts about a possible Covid-19 comeback there’s a natural rush for the booster shot which, incidentally, is in short supply at government hospitals at some places including Delhi and Ahmedabad. In Ahmedabad the demand has gone up from 300 doses per day to over 5000. The government is putting a mechanism in place to improve supplies with around two lakh vaccines being dispatched soon. In Delhi’s RML Hospital and LNJP Hospital vaccines were not available, though dedicated Covid beds and other clinical requirements have been

put in place to meet any eventuality. So far the Covid case load in India has been negligible but with 39 travellers testing positive of BF.7 variant at airports, its spread cannot be ruled out.

With the Central government sounding alerts about a possible Covid-19 comeback, there’s a natural rush for the booster shot which, incidentally, is in short supply at government hospitals at some places including Delhi and Ahmedabad. In Ahmedabad, the demand has gone up from 300 doses per day to over 5,000

It is the second outbreak in China and the US that has sent people running to hospitals for a booster dose only to return disappointed. There is also some doubt about the number of boost-

er doses one must have to remain immune to Covid-19 virus and its variants. A booster dose has been recommended every six months by some experts, which suggests that one must get used to living with the virus. A booster dose is aimed at improving the immunocompromised people’s response to the earlier

doses but a fifth and sixth dose makes the immunisation efforts daunting.

The good news on the vaccine front is the inclusion of intranasal vaccines in the immunization programme. The painless shot, ideal for children and those scared of injections, will be available from the last week of January, 2023.

SPIRITUAL SPEAK

The world is afflicted by death and decay. But the wise do not grieve, having realized the nature of the world. Buddha

Jagat Prakash Nadda @JPNadda Visited the Isha Foundation’s Yoga Centre in Coimbatore & felt a deep sense of calm and serenity on its premises. Met @SadhguruJV Ji there and had engaging discussions with him over various topics and issues.

Kiren Rijiju @KirenRijiju Remembering & offering my heartfelt tributes to late Arun Jaitley Ji on his Jayanti. An exceptional orator with gifted personality, he was a leader who adorned every responsibility to perfection. His knowledge and wisdom will keep inspiring us.

TOP TWEETS

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

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

Co-Chair

CM Jagan Reddy meets Modi; discusses Polavaram project

New Delhi (PTI):

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and discussed several state issues and reiterated the release of pending funds for the Polavaram irrigation project.

In the nearly 50 minute-long meeting held at Modi’s residence at Lok Kalyan Marg here, Reddy underlined that his state has already spent about Rs 2,900 crore on the Polavaram project

COURTYARD in the

so far which the central government has not yet reimbursed. He said his government is facing resource crunch and requested the Centre to provide Rs 10,000 crore fund on an ad hoc basis for early completion of the project, official sources said.

The Andhra Pradesh chief minister also sought early approval of the revised cost estimate of the Polavaram project pegged at Rs 55,548.87 crore. Besides this, the sources said he dis-

cussed the issues related to the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act and demanded inclusion of

more beneficiaries in the southern state under the National Food Security Act, nod for 12 more

medical colleges and allocation of mine ore and beach sand mineral areas to state-run Andhra Pradesh Mineral Development Corporation (APMDC).

Later, Reddy also met Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav. He is scheduled to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah later in the evening. The Andhra Pradesh chief minister has met Modi several times during the year, reiterating the above mentioned demands.

BJP has huge washing machine, biggest stains come out clean’

New Delhi: The SC is scheduled to hear plea on Jan 2 seeking directions to the Centre and states to take stringent steps to control fraudulent religious conversions by “intimidation, threatening, deceivingly luring through gifts and monetary benefits”. A bench of Justices M R Shah and C T Ravikumar is likely to take up the plea filed by advocate Ashutosh Kumar Shukla which has also sought creation of a special task force to keep check on deceitful religious conversions. Contending that the State is obliged to protect fundamental rights of the citizens, the plea said the right to propagate one’s religion does not give a right to convert any person to one’s own religion.

New Delhi (PTI): Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi who has found his been the subject of scrutiny for choosing to don a Tshirt even during the ongoing cold wave in North India, was once again spotted wearing a tee shirt at the party’s 138th Foundation Day celebrations in the national capital.

“T-shirt hi chal rahi hai aur jab tak chal rahi hai chalayenge…” (Will wear it as long as I can), Rahul was head responding to a question by a reporter at the venue.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has sought a response from the Centre and others on an appeal challenging a Madras High Court order which held that the Volleyball Federation of India (VFI) can select and send teams from states to the national games held in Gujarat.

A bench of justices Ajay Rastogi and Bela M Trivedi issued notices to the Ministry of Youth Affairs And Sports, the Volleyball Federation of India and others while seeking their replies. The National Games were organised from September 29 to October 12 in Gujarat. The top court was hearing a plea filed by the Tamil Nadu State Volleyball Association (TNSVA).

Meanwhile, attacking the BJP, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday said the ruling party at the Centre has a “huge washing machine” that can clean even the “biggest stains”. During an event celebrating the 138th Foundation Day of Congress, he said, “BJP has a huge washing machine that can clean even the biggest stains. When people are put into this machine they come out clean. We all have to fight together to save democracy. It is a government of liars at

“WE HAVE NOT RECEIVED IT,” YECHURY ON BJY INVITATION

New Delhi: CPI (M) leader Sitaram Yechury denied on Wednesday having received an invitation from the Congress party to join Rahul Gandhi-led ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ in Uttar Pradesh. He said, “We have not received it.” Earlier Senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid said, that opposition parties will be invited to Uttar Pradesh for joining the Yatra. He said, “From today till 3 January, we will be waiting for Rahul’s visit. He has not come across UP during the stretch of his yatra. But we have planned about the three districts, he will cover soon.”

the Centre.” Referring to the party’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, Kharge said the mass outreach march was an attempt to counter the “hatemongering” by the BJP.

NOT RAM, BJP FOLLOWING PATH OF RAVANA’

New Delhi: Congress leader Salman Khurshid, who recently triggered a controversy by comparing party MP to Rahul Gandhi with Lord Ram, added fuel to the fire as he said that “Rahul Gandhi is not Lord Ram but the BJP is following the path of Ravana.” “Rahul Gandhi is not Lord Ram, but he can follow the path shown by Lord Ram. They (BJP) are saying that you do not have the right to walk on it. We have objection as they are following the path of Ravana instead of Ram,” said Khurshid.

Today India has progressed as Congress has taken the courage to break the shackles of Dalits, poor…

To keep democracy strong, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru appointed five nonCongress ministers in his cabinet. It shows the principle of taking everyone along.

MALLIKARJUN KHARGE, PARTY PRESIDENT

“Bharat

him that such events should not be held due to COVID-19 but Prime Minister is attending many public events,” added Kharge.

Earlier on Wednes-

CONG HAS NOT LOST ITS RELEVANCE OR IMPORTANCE: M K STALIN

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president M K Stalin on Wednesday said he does not believe that ally Congress has lost its relevance or importance at the national level, and batted for a “national alliance” that also includes the grand old party to take on the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. “Congress getting back on track is what India needs now,” Stalin said. Stalin also heaped praise on “brother” Rahul Gandhi, saying he is the “ideal antidote” to the BJP’s “parochial” politics.

LARGEST MULTI-STATE ROLLOUT

“I’ve

Does Rahul want to vitiate atmosphere in Kashmir: Thakur

New Delhi (PTI): Does Rahul Gandhi want to vitiate the atmosphere in Kashmir, Union minister Anurag Thakur asked on Wednesday about the Congress’ plans to unfurl the tricolour in the Valley and stressed that the situation in Jammu and Kashmir has improved significantly under the Modi government.

An estimated 1.6 crore tourists have visited Jammu and Kashmir in one year, which is a record in itself, the minister told reporters.

“Now tourists can visit every corner of Jammu and Kashmir. This shows that the situation has improved in Jammu and Kashmir. There are no stone pelting incidents. Does Rahul Gandhi want to

go there to spoil the atmosphere?” “Today, anyone can unfurl the tricolour in any part of Jammu and Kashmir because the Narendra Modi government has ended Article 370 and Article 35A in J&K,” he added.

Thakur reminded him of the Ekta Yatra undertaken in 1992 by then BJP president Murli Manohar Joshi and Narendra Modi, who had unfurled the national tricolour at Lal Chowk in Srinagar.

Make the most of G20 events, Yogi tells officials

day, he targeted the BJP govt during his address at the party headquarters in New Delhi and said the basic principles of India are being constantly attacked.

PROVIDE SECURITY TO KASHMIRI PANDIT EMPLOYEE: CONGRESS

Srinagar: Amid protest by Kashmiri Pandit employees of the Jammu and Kashmir administration and Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha’s tough stance on it, the Congress party has said they should either be transferred to Jammu or provided security in Kashmir. A large number of the community was forced to leave Kashmir Valley in 1990s because of terrorism. The return of targeting killings in the past two years have again plunged Kashmiri Pandits in Kashmir in insecurity.

Jio launches true 5g services in 11 cities

Chandigarh: After the successful launch of 5G networks in India in October 2022, Reliance Jio has now launched TRUE 5G services in 11 cities as a New Year tribute to Jio users, the company said in a statement.

These 11 cities are -Chandigarh, Mohali, Panchkula, Zirakpur, Kharar, Derabassi, Lucknow, Trivandrum, Mysuru, Nashik, and Aurangabad. Jio has become the first and the only operator to pro-

vide 5G services in these cities.

According to the announcement from the telecom major, the users will be able to enjoy unlimited 5G data with upto 1gbps+ speed, at zero additional cost.

Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited, a subsidiary of Jio Platforms Limited, has built all-IP data-strong future-proof network with 4G LTE technology. It is the only network conceived as a Mobile Video Network

from the ground up. Commenting on the occasion, a Jio spokesperson said that the company is proud to rollout Jio True 5G in

these 11 cities and make it one of their largest launches, since they started rolling out TRUE 5G services.

The spokesperson

also added, “These cities are important tourism destinations as well as key education hubs of our country. With the launch of Jio’s True 5G services, consumers of the region will not just get the best telecommunication network but will also get infinite growth opportunities in the areas of egovernance, education, automation, Artificial Intelligence, gaming, healthcare, agriculture, IT, and SMEs.”

Lucknow (PTI): Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday said the G20 events in the coming year are a great platform to introduce “Brand UP” to the world and told officials to make the most of them.

The chief minister chaired a high-level meeting on Wednesday and directed the officials to make preparations for conferences to be held next year during the run-up to the G20 Summit.

India holds the presidency of the influential group from December 1, 2022 to November 30,

2023.

“This global event has brought immense possibilities for Uttar Pradesh. This event is a great platform to introduce ‘Brand UP’ to the world,” an official release quoted Chief Minister Adityanath as saying in the meeting.

Civil aviation sector witnessing V-shaped recovery: Scindia

New Delhi (PTI): The country’s civil aviation sector is witnessing a very strong V-shaped recovery with encouraging domestic passenger numbers, and the growth will continue in the coming years, Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Wednesday.

After being signifi cantly hit by the corona virus pandemic, the sector is on the recov ery path and the daily domestic air passenger traffic has been above

the 4-lakh mark for the past few weeks.

Against the backdrop of congestion at airports that has now eased, the civil aviation minister also said efforts have been made to ensure that airport operators put in place steps that

will allow the decongestion of airports.

I“I believe that the civil aviation sector has rebounded and what we in economic parlance say V-shaped recovery. A very strong V-shaped recovery. I do believe that (with the) value proposition that airlines and airports offer our customers, we are seeing greater participation and a greater desire to travel by air which is why we are looking at these very very high numbers,” he said.

YS Jagan Mohan Reddy calls on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday. —PHOTO BY ANI

PM TO INAUGURATE JOKA-TARATALA CORRIDOR OF KOLKATA METRO ON FRIDAY Kolkata: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Joka-Taratala metro corridor in southwestern Kolkata on Friday, an official said. The prime minister will first flag off West Bengal’s first Vande Bharat Express from Howrah to New Jalpaiguri, connecting the state’s two most important cities – Kolkata in the south and Siliguri in the north. He will then virtually inaugurate the much-awaited Joka-Taratala stretch of the Joka-Esplanade metro project (purple line) from the Howrah station, the metro official said. Trial runs on the 6.5 km stretch are being held since mid-September and it received the mandatory Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) clearance in November.

SC TO HEAR PLEA ON FORCED RELIGIOUS CONVERSIONS

SELECTION OF TEAMS FOR VOLLEYBALL: SC NOTICE TO CENTRE

Jodo Yatra is an attempt to fight against the atmosphere of hate being created by them (BJP) in the country. A notice was sent to Rahul Gandhi telling

Mallikarjun Kharge addressing a rally during the event celebrating the party’s 138th Foundation Day, at Somaiya Ground, in Mumbai on Wednesday. (R) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi shares a joyful moment with his mother in New Delhi on Wednesday. —PHOTOS BY ANI

‘RAGA

IT’S MY DUTY: MEHBOOBA MUFTI ACCEPTS RAGA’S INVITE

Kashmir: Former Jammu & Kashmir CM and People’s Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday said that she will join the Congress’s Bharat Jodo Yatra when it reaches the Union Territory”. Accepting the the Congress’s invitation to join the Yatra, the PDP chief said that it is her “duty to stand with someone who has the courage to challenge fascist forces”.

been formally invited to join Rahul Gandhi ji for his Bharat Jodo Yatra in Kashmir today. I believe it is my duty to stand with someone who has the courage to challenge fascist forces, Mufti said in a tweet.

Jab tak chal rahi hai chalayenge: Rahul Gandhi on T-shirt comments

100 flights disrupted due to dense fog in North

New Delhi (ANI): As many as 100 flights have been disrupted in New Delhi alone as the city continues to reel under severe cold conditions with a thick layer of fog over it again on Wednesday. “Due to bad weather (fog) for three days, over 100 flights are reported delayed from & to Delhi airport, some have also been diverted to the nearest airport,” airport official said.

Even as the congestion at airport in New Delhi was being tackled amid a busy year-end holiday season, problems of air travellers increased with dense fog covering most parts of north India.

Poor visibility affecting northern parts of

country over past few days, once again disrupted flight movement.

According to Delhi

CRUCIAL READ

BIHAR CM NITISH KUMAR TO SKIP ‘NAMAMI GANGE’

Patna (ANI): Bihar CM Nitish Kumar will skip National Ganga Council meeting to be chaired by PM Modi in Kolkata on Dec 30. In place of Kumar, his Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav will attend the event. CMs of all northern and eastern Indian states have been invited to the ‘Namami Gange’ meeting. “Last time when it happened in UP, Sushil Modi attended it as he was seeing concerned department. This time Tejashwi is handling,” said Kumar.

Kerala: CBI has given a clean chit to senior Congress leader and former Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy in the sexual exploitation case related to the solar scandal that had rocked the previous Congress regime in 2013. CBI, which took over the probe in 2021, submitted a report before the chief judicial magistrate court here on Tuesday, exonerating Chandy. The complainant had alleged that Chandy had abused her at Chief Minister’s residence.

airport official, another reason for delay in flights is some airlines have not deployed CATIII-compliant pilots yet.

WAVE TIGHTENS GRIP IN KASHMIR, SNOWFALL LIKELY FROM TOMORROW

NEHRU RESPONSIBLE FOR KASHMIR SITUATION: BJP

New Delhi: The BJP has deemed the country’s first PM, Jawaharlal Nehru, responsible for the situation in Kashmir, and said that Valley was divided in 1948, because of Nehru. The BJP, on Wednesday, shared a date-wise description of related events on its Twitter handle and wrote, “Nehru took the Kashmir issue to the UN, leading to breaking of Kashmir.” Party shared a poster with a picture of Nehru, & stated that tribals with support of Pak’s Army invaded Jammu & Kashmir.

JAISHANKAR TO VISIT CYPRUS FROM DEC 29 TO JAN 3

New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will visit the Republic of Cyprus and Austria from December 29 to January 3, an official statement said on Wednesday. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), in the statement, said the minister will be in Republic of Cyprus (RoC) from December 29 to December 31, 2022. This year marks 60 years of diplomatic relations between India and Cyprus. During his visit, Jaishankar will meet Minister of Foreign Affairs of RoC.

NORTHWEST INDIA MAY SEE RESPITE FROM TODAY

New Delhi: As severe cold wave conditions continued across northern India on Wednesday, IMD forecast has said that there will be a gradual rise in minimum temp over the plains of Northwest India in the next two days. Temp is expected to again fall by 2-4 degrees Celsius thereafter.

US WINTER STORM KILLS OVER 60

Buffalo: The ‘very severe’ snowstorm across the United States has so far killed more than 60 people, with the maximum deaths reported from Buffalo. According to the national disaster response agency, as many as 26 people are still missing. Nearly 4,00,000 people were affected.

Three Indian-Americans die after falling in frozen lake in Arizona

Washington (ANI): Three Indian Americans, including a woman, have died after falling through ice while walking on a frozen lake in Arizona, the Coconino County administration announced in

Next 40 days crucial as India may see surge in Covid cases in Jan: Official

New Delhi (PTI): The next 40 days are going to be crucial as India may see a surge in COVID-19 cases in January, official sources said on Wednesday citing the pattern of previous outbreaks.

“Previously, it has been noticed that a new wave of COVID-19 hits India around 30-35 days after it hits East Asia.... This has been a trend,” an official said.

The Health Ministry sources, however, said the severity of the infection is less. Even if there is a wave, deaths & hospitalisation will be very low, they said.

Union Health Min Mansukh Mandaviya to visit airport to take stock of testing, they said.

Ready to assist in probe: WHO to Uzbekistan govt

New Delhi (ANI): As many as 18 children died of acute respiratory disease after having a cough syrup manufactured by Indian pharmaceutical firm named Doc-Max, Health ministry of Uzbeskistan has claimed. WHO said, “WHO is in contact with health authorities in Uzbekistan and is ready to assist in further investigations in this matter.” Earlier, 66 children had died in Gambia due to this syrups.

TO BOOST MORALE

2 MORE RETURNEES TEST +VE IN CHENNAI

ACTIVE CASES IN COUNTRY RISE TO 3,468

New Delhi(PTI): India logged 188 new coronavirus infections, while the active cases increased to 3,468, according to Union Health Ministry data updated on Wednesday.The Covid case tally was recorded at 4.46 crore (4,46,77,647). The death toll stands at 5,30,696, data updated at 8 am stated. Daily positivity rate was recorded at 0.14 per cent, while the weekly positivity was pegged at 0.18 per cent, ministry said.

New Delhi (PTI): Several countries are administering a third and even fourth Covid booster shot but India, where many fully vaccinated individuals have not taken even one, is not there yet, say experts while stressing on need for a structured and systematic response. As Covid gets back on radar with a surge in China and people worry about another wave in India and whether government should now allow a second booster shot to add to two-jab protection, some scientists call for a reality check. A fourth shot of a Covid preventive is unwarranted at the moment as most people in country are yet to receive a third dose and there is no data available on the utility of a second booster, they said.

7 IPS transferred in UP ahead of NY

Ahtesham Siddiqui

Lucknow: In the bureaucracy of Uttar Pradesh, 7 IPS officers were transferred before the new year on Wednesday whereas the IPS officiers - who were removed a long time ago after having served as Commissioner of Varanasi and Noida- have also been given posting.

The Police Department of Uttar Pradesh has posted IPS Piyush Anand, currently posted as ADG GRP, to ADG Administration, DG Office. IPS Premchand

Meena has been made ADG Bareilly Zone while IPS Prem Prakash has been removed as ADG Prayagraj and posted as ADG in DG Headquarters. He is going to retire this month.

Meanwhile, IPS Alok Singh, who was removed from Noida Police Commissioner, has been made the new ADG of Kanpur Zone.

Hockey India announces cash prize

Rourkela (ANI): The Indian men’s hockey team are eyeing a historic campaign at the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela in January and in a bid to motivate them further, Hockey India on Wednesday announced cash prizes for the team and the support staff.

The National Governing Body for hockey will reward the members of the Indian team led by Harmanpreet

event while the members of the support staff will be honoured with INR 5 Lakhs each.

Pakistan in the Final held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

A Silver medal would see the players walk away with INR 15 Lakhs while the support staff would be awarded INR 3 Lakhs for their role in the campaign. And a Bronze Medal feat by Harmanpreet and Co will see them being awarded INR 10 Lakhs each, while the support staff would be entitled to a prize of INR 2 Lakhs.

IPS A Satish Ganesh, who was removed from Varanasi Police Commissioner, has been made the new ADG Railways of UP. Along with this, IPS Bhanu Bhaskar has been removed from ADG Kanpur and has been appointed as ADG Prayagraj zone.

Knowledgeable sources say that the another transfer list of IPS officers is yet to come because some IPS officers have got promotions in the new year while some IPS officers are still waiting.

a statement.

The incident took place at Woods Canyon Lake and the bodies have been recovered. The deceased men have been identified as Narayana Muddana, 49 and Gokul Mediseti, 47.

The woman has been identified as Haritha Muddana. Deputies used a boat to conduct an expanded search of the area, Coconino County Arizona announced in a statement about the bodies found.

Actor Sheezan Khan sent to two-day custody for further interrogation

Mumbai (ANI): The Vasai Court on Wednesday sent Sheezan Khan, the accused in the Tunisha Sharma death case, to police custody for two days.

Earlier in the day, Sheezan was presented in the court by the Waliv police, which sought to get his remand extended. Notably, Sheezan’s police custody was supposed to have ended today. But, the police have not completed the interrogation and investigation with him, so they sought to get his remand extended. It is pertinent to note that the Waliv Police have taken statement from 18 people so far in the death of Tunisha Sharma, who died allegedly by suicide.

Tunisha was found dead on the sets of her ongoing TV show Alibaba - Dastaan-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 before she died by suicide. Sharma was also reportedly hospitalized after she suffered anxiety attacks a few months ago. The actress suffered from depression around 2018.

Palghar (ANI):

POLICE SCANNING

Mumbai (ANI): To find out the reality of what transpired between the deceased Tunisha Sharma and Sheezan Khan, accused in Tunisha’s death case, Waliv Police in Maharashtra has started to scan through the conversation between the two over social networking site WhatsApp. Police recovered the chat of around 250 to 300 pages from June to this December through which they are trying to know the real reason why they decided to part ways.

3 members of family found dead under mysterious circumstances

Balrampur (UP) (PTI):

A 38-year-old woman and her two minor children were found dead under mysterious circumstances while her husband was was found in a subconscious state inside their house in a village here, a senior police official said on Wednesday.

SP Rajesh Saxena said bodies have been sent for postmortem examination and the cause of death will be cleared once we get its report.

Singh with INR 25 lakh each for a gold medalwinning feat at the prestigious quadrennial

India last stood on the World Cup podium in 1975 where they lifted the coveted title beating

ACTOR STARTED WEARING HIJAB, SAYS HER UNCLE

SHEEZAN KHAN’S CHATS FROM JUNE

FORMER KERALA CM CHANDY GETS CLEAN CHIT ‘FOURTH VAX DOSE

In an intriguing new development in the Tunisha Sharma death case, lending further credence to love jihad claims, uncle of the actor, Pawan Sharma, has claimed that she even started wearing a ‘Hijab’ after meeting Sheezan Khan, the accused in the Tunisha Sharma death case.

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Former MP Chief Minister and BJP leader Uma Bharti has hit the headlines after making a remark that she never tells people belonging to Lodhi community, which is the core vote bank of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), to vote for the BJP. Bharti made the above remark while addressing a program Yuvak-Yuvati Parichay Sammelan organised at Manas Bhawan in the state capital, Bhopal recently. Nonetheless, a purported video of the incident has gone viral on social media.

Srinagar (PTI): Cold wave conditions intensified in Kashmir as the mercury fell across the Valley and settled several notches below the freezing point, even as there is a possibility of intermittent light to moderate snowfall at scattered places over two days from Thursday, officials said. The intense cold led to water supply lines freezing in several areas. The interiors of Dal Lake and several other water bodies in the Kashmir Valley also froze, the officials said on Wednesday.

Chennai(PTI): 2 more passengers, who returned from Dubai & Cambodia, tested positive for COVID-19 at airport here on Wednesday, taking number of returnees so far in Tamil Nadu to four. Confirming that two passengers had tested positive, state Health Minister Ma Subramanian said a woman and her six-year-old daughter, who returned from China via Colombo, too, had tested positive on Tuesday.

Howrah: An actress from Jharkhand was shot dead after she allegedly thwarted a highway robbery attempt in West Bengal’s Howrah district on Wednesday, police said. Riya Kumari, a YouTuber and actress along with her husband Prakash Kumar, a film producer, and their two-year-old daughter were heading to Kolkata. A gang of three men attacked him, trying to rob his belongings. They shot her & fled spot, police said.

NEVER SAY THAT YOU ARE LODHI, YOU VOTE FOR BJP, SAYS UMA BHARTI

COLD

JHARKHAND ACTRESS SHOT DEAD IN HIGHWAY ROBBERY BID IN HOWRAH

Second practice match between Indian junior hockey team & South Korean junior hockey team.

TUNISHA SHARMA DEATH CASE

A woman covers her child inside a blanket in Dehradun. —PHOTO BY ANI

Search operation at Woods Canyon Lake in Coconino County, Arizona.

Healthcare worker collects sample from a prisoner in Patna.

Police at crime spot in Balrampur (UP).

—PHOTO BY ANI

BRIEFS

‘

Mumbai: Toyota Kirloskar Motor on Wednesday said the new hybrid version of its multi-purpose vehicle Innova will be available at a price starting from `18.30 lakh (ex-showroom). The Bengalurubased auto major unveiled Innova HyCross in November and it will be available at the dealership from mid next month. The self-charging hybrid version of the vehicle has been priced between `24.01-28.97 lakh while the gasoline version will come in the range of `18.30-19.20 lakh. —PTI

HOUSING SALES UP 19% IN OCT-DEC ACROSS 8 CITIES

Not the time for fiscal consolidation’

New Delhi (PTI): The government should not go in for an ‘aggressive fiscal consolidation’ in the upcoming budget as global risks have not abated, RBI Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) Member Ashima Goyal said on Wednesday.

Goyal further said subsidies are expected to come down as food and energy inflation moderates. WPI inflation in food articles in November was 1.07% against 8.33% in the previous month. In the ‘fuel and power’ basket, inflation was 17.35% last month.

“Given fears of a global slowdown, this is not the time for aggressive

consolidation.”

“Sticking to small preannounced steps on the path will minimise growth sacrifice, while moderating demand and the current account deficit, thus lowering the risk premium that keeps spreads high and raises the cost of government and private borrowing,” she said.

India’s fiscal deficit, the gap between expenditure and revenue, is projected to come down to 6.4% in current fiscal ending March 2023, from 6.71% in 2021-22.

The government has set a consolidation target under which it aims to reach a fiscal deficit level below

Small towns saw highest rise in room bookings: OYO

New Delhi (PTI): India’s small towns like Hathras, Sasaram, Karaikudi, and Tenali witnessed the highest increase in room bookings in 2022, according to hospitality and travel-tech firm OYO’s annual data.

4.5% by FY26. Fiscal consolidation refers to ways and means of narrowing the fiscal deficit.

Goyal was asked whether the finance minister

‘GOVT SHOULD NOT GO FOR...’

z The government should not go in for an ‘aggressive fiscal consolidation’ in the upcoming budget as global risks have not abated, RBI MPC Member Ashima Goyal said

z India’s fiscal deficit, the gap between expenditure and revenue, is projected to come down to 6.4%

when expenditure rose with tax revenues, should be avoided.

“Well-integrated components of the current macroeconomic policy strategy have delivered and should continue given global risks have not abated,” she opined.

According to Goyal, the strategy includes prioritising investment while giving essential support for the vulnerable.

should go for fiscal consolidation or fiscal expansion in her upcoming budget.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Union 2023-24

Budget in Parliament on February 1.

The eminent economist said expenditure must be counter-cyclical and the mistake made in the 2000s,

“Better composition of government expenditure and other supply-side action has enabled excellent monetary-fiscal coordination that has strengthened Indian macros,” she said.

Trade agreements with Aus, UAE to help boost exports: Export Promotion Councils

New Delhi : Housing sales increased 19% yearon-year to 80,770 units during the Oct-Dec period across eight major cities on better demand, according to PropTiger. Sales of residential properties stood at 67,890 units in the corresponding period of the last year. According to PropTiger. Com’s report Real Insight, the housing sales rose 50% to 3,08,940 units during this year across eight major cities as compared to 2,05,940 units sold in 2021. —PTI

GOLD PRICE FALLS

`5; SILVER ALSO SHEDS BY

`332

New Delhi: Gold price fell by `5 to `55,124 per 10 gram in the national capital on Wednesday amid a fall in precious metal prices in overseas markets, according to HDFC Securities. In the previous trade, the yellow metal had settled at `55,129 per 10 gram. Similarly, silver also slipped `332 to `70,048 per kilogram.

“Comex gold price edged lower in the Asian trading hours due to an uptick in US Dollar,” said an analyst at HDFC Securities. In the international market, gold was quoting lower at $1,807 per ounce while silver was down at $23.93 per ounce. —PTI

NON-BASMATI AND BASMATI RICE EXPORTS UP 7.37%

With travel bouncing back strongly after the pandemic, OYO Travelopedia 2022 found that Hyderabad, Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata, and Chennai emerged as the most booked cities in India for business travel.

“Uttar Pradesh became the most visited state in 2022. Smaller towns and cities such as Hathras (UP), Srinagar in Uttarakhand, Sasaram (Bihar), Karaikudi (TN) and Tenali (Andhra)

observed the highest increase in bookings in 2022 versus 2021. June 4, 2022, was the most booked day in 2022,” OYO said.

While Hyderabad, Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata, and Chennai are the most booked cities for business travel, OYO said Jaipur, Goa, Kochi, Varanasi and Visakhapatnam topped the charts as favourite leisure destinations in 2022.

Kolkata (PTI): Various export promotion councils (EPCs) on Wednesday lauded the trade agreements signed by India with the UAE and Australia, saying the pacts will help the country in boosting exports by granting preferential access to those markets for Indian products.

Engineering Exports Promotion Council (EEPC) said that the country has benefited from preferential market access provided by the UAE on over 97% of its tariff lines which account for 99% of Indian exports to the region in value terms.

Eastern regional chairman of EEPC, B D Agarw-

Sensex, Nifty close marginally down

Mumbai (PTI): Benchmark Sensex and Nifty closed marginally down in a range-bound trade on Wednesday due to profit taking by investors after two straight days of gains amid mixed global trends and foreign fund outflows.

The 30-share Sensex declined 17.15 points or 0.03% to settle at 60,910.28. During the day, it declined 213.66 points or 0.35% to 60,713.77.

The broader NSE Nifty closed lower by 9.80 points or 0.05% to end at 18,122.50.

From the Sensex pack, Bharti Airtel, Axis Bank, Bajaj Finserv, Tata Steel, UltraTech Cement and Tata Motors were the major laggards. Titan, Mahindra & Mahindra, Power Grid and Maruti were among the winners.

Mumbai (PTI): The rupee gained 7 paise to close at 82.80 (provisional)

the US dollar on Wednesday, as softening crude oil

in the global markets boosted the local currency. At the interbank foreign exchange market, the local unit opened at 82.84 and touched an intra-day high of 82.80 and a low of 82.93 against the greenback. It finally settled at 82.80, registering a rise of 7 paise over its previous close of 82.87.

MAJOR HIGHLIGHTS

New Delhi: India’s aromatic basmati and nonbasmati rice exports rose 7.37% to 126.97 lakh tonnes during the AprilOctober period of the current fiscal, despite restrictions on the shipments, according to industry data. Exports stood at 118.25 lakh tonnes in the same period during the previous fiscal. Out of total exports, basmati rice exports rose to 24.97 lakh tonnes during the AprilOctober period of the 2022-23 fiscal. —PTI

al, said that this trend has emerged after signing of the India UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) which became effective from May one, 2022. The India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA), which will come into force from December 29, is expected to create 10 lakh jobs, and raise Indian merchandise exports to Australia by $10 billion, he said.

According to him, the ECTA will also allow zero duty on 100% tariff lines, and provide cheaper raw materials to steel and aluminium sectors.

Progressive taxes key to make Ind global gaming hub: Experts

New Delhi (PTI): A clear and consistent approach to personal taxation is necessary for realizing India’s vision of making AVGC (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics) a highgrowth sector, experts said. A high incidence of Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) to the tune of 30% on gaming income is creating an incentive for offshore platforms that are not under any regulatory obligations and where no taxes need to be paid, to thrive in India, they said. Such evasion of taxes will be a huge loss to the government and will eventually even kill the domestic industry.

Appliances industry aims double-digit growth

New Delhi (PTI): Bolstered by premiumisation trends, pent-up demand and policy initiatives, the country’s appliances and consumer electronics sector expects to continue on the double-digit growth trajectory in 2023, as companies seek to expand capacity and roll out new-age smart products.

Leading companies in the sector are focusing on enhancing production capacity as well as domestic supply chain to reduce dependence on imported components. All said, geopolitical developments and

rupee depreciation could have an adverse impact on companies.

CEAMA is “optimistic

about good growth in 2023 as well” and expects to almost double the value of the industry in the next

OPTIMISTIC ABOUT GROWTH

z Appliances & Consumer Electronics (ACE) industry body CEAMA is “optimistic about good growth in 2023 as well” and expects to almost double the value of the industry in the next three years to `1.48 lakh crore by 2025, as well as make the country an alternative hub for exports

three years to ` 1.48 lakh crore by 2025, as well as make the country an alternative hub for exports.

OTHER STORIES

TELECOM DEPARTMENT DISCUSSES SERVICE QUALITY ISSUES WITH TELCOS

New Delhi: The telecom department on Wednesday met operators to discuss rising instances of call drops and service qualityrelated issues, as it deliberated on policy measures that can be considered for improving call quality. The meeting, which comes amid the rollout of massive 5G networks in the country, was chaired by Telecom Secretary K Rajaraman and attended by telecom service providers, including Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea. The discussion focused on identifying policy and operational measures that can help telcos to improve the quality of telecom services in the country, according to DoT sources.

GOVERNMENT’S MFG PUSH NOT YIELDING RESULTS: AGENCY

Mumbai: Despite government’s high-octane push to boost manufacturing through the ‘Make in India’ initiative, foreign investors continue to chase bets in the services sector, a domestic rating agency said on Wednesday. India Ratings and Research also said a bulk of the FDI in manufacturing is not greenfield or fresh investments which should otherwise be the aspirational aspect. It said services sector FDI increased to $153.01 billion in the services sector during April 2014 to March 2022 from $80.51 billion during to April 2000 to March 2014. —PTI

NET LEASING OF OFFICE SPACE FALLS 31% IN DECEMBER QUARTER

New Delhi: Net leasing of office space fell 31% in the December quarter to nearly 8 million square feet across seven cities as corporates delayed their expansion plans amid global headwinds. The absorption of office space, however, rose 46% in the entire year to 38.25 million square feet on lower base and improved demand after the Covid cases fell sharply. Net leasing or absorption, which is calculated as the new floor space occupied minus floor space vacated, fell to 7.99 million square feet in the fourth quarter of this calendar year from 11.55 million sq ft.

likely

levels in the current financial year. However, on an overall basis passenger traffic is expected to surpass the pre-Covid level by 1.12 times in the fiscal year starting April 2023, it said. —PTI

TOYOTA LAUNCHES INNOVA HYCROSS AT `18.30 LAKH

INDIAN RUPEE RISES 7 PAISE ON WEDNESDAY TO 82.80 AGAINST AMERICAN CURRENCY

against

prices

Border row resolution began with ‘weak mindset’, says CM

the border dispute with Karnataka in the last six decades.

Nagpur (PTI): Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday told the Legislative Council that the state’s attempt to resolve the border dispute with Karnataka started with a “weak mindset”. The resolution tabled by first CM Yashwantrao Chavan demanding merger of Marathi-speaking villages from the neighbouring state did not

Custody of

specify the deadline for it, he said.

Shinde’s statement appears to be in sync with the Bharatiya

Janta Party’s (BJP) stand, which has been blaming the previous state governments for failing to resolve that

Speaking in the Upper House of the state legislature, CM Shinde said, “The first resolution in Maharashtra Assembly was tabled by the then chief minister Yashwantrao Chavan demanding that Belgaum (Belagavi), Karwar and other villages be merged with Maharashtra. In his resolution, Chavan did not specify the deadline to resolve the issue. Maharashtra’s struggle for resolving the border dispute started with such a weak mindset.”

“Chavan did mention that he wanted to have a

Tunisha Sharma case should be probed from ‘Love Jihad’ angle, says Maha BJP MLA

Mumbai (PTI): A special Central Bureau of Investigation court on Wednesday extended till December 29 the CBI custody of former ICICI Bank CEO and MD Chanda Kochhar, her husband Deepak Kochhar and Videocon group founder Venugopal Dhoot in connection with a loan fraud case.

Nagpur (PTI): Bharatiya Janta Party MLA from Maharashtra Atul Bhatkhalkar demanded that a probe be conducted from a “Love Jihad” angle into the case of actor Tunisha Sharma’s death, in which her costar Sheezan Khan has been arrested.

solution based on justice and through talks, but he also mentioned that he wants time to solve the problem,” Shinde added.

Notably, the BJP was in power in the state with the Shiv Sena during 1995-99 and later from 2014 to 2019. Currently, the party is sharing power with the Shinde-led Sena faction since June end this year.

The chief minister also condemned the statements made by the Karnataka minister CN Ashwatha Narayan and legislator Laxman Savadi that the Centre should declare Mumbai as a Union Territory.

Karnataka minister Narayan lays claim to Mumbai as UT

First India Bureau

Mumbai: With the Maharashtra-Karnataka border dispute simmering, provocative statements from the neighbouring state government have continued. On Wednesday, Karnataka Higher Education Minister CN Ashwath Narayan said if a new union territory is to be formed, then Mumbai will have to be unionized first.

His statement comes after Shiv Sena – Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray chief Uddhav Thackeray called for designation of disputed region on the border between Maharashtra and Karnataka be declared a union territory.

Shooting down Thackeray’s remark, Narayan said, “If you ask Uddhav Thackeray how many Marathi people live in Mumbai, he will find it difficult to answer (the question). I don’t know how it came to them that Belgaum and other areas should be union territories. Uddhav Thackeray should

Former min Anil Deshmukh released from jail in Mumbai

First India Bureau

think before making any statement.”

Over 20% Kannadaspeaking citizens live in Mumbai. Therefore, if a new union territory is to be created, it should be done in Mumbai,” added Narayan.

The minister also accused Thackeray of playing up the border issue for political reasons.

Shinde asks Shambhuraj Desai to visit Belagavi

Mumbai: More than one year after he was arrested in an alleged corruption case, former state Home Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Anil Deshmukh was released from Arthur Road jail in Mumbai on Wednesday.

First India Bureau

CBI

The probe agency arrested Kochhars last Friday after questioning them briefly. Dhoot was arrested on Monday. All three were produced before Special Judge SM Menjoge at the end of their earlier remand on Wednesday.

The CBI, represented by special public prosecutor A Limosin, sought their custody for another two days for further probe into the case. After hearing both sides, the court extended the custody of Kochhars and Dhoot till December 29.

The CBI had named the Kochhars and Dhoot, as accused in its FIR registered in 2019.

The demand comes days after state minister and BJP leader Girish Mahajan alleged the death of Sharma was a matter of “Love Jihad” and that the state was planning to bring a strict law to curb such incidents. “The police should probe the matter from the angle of Love Jihad,” Bhatkhalkar said at the

Sharma, 21, who acted in the show “Ali Baba: Dastaan-E-Kabul”, was found hanging in the washroom on the set of the serial on Saturday.

Khan (27) was arrested on Sunday on the charge

Nagpur (PTI): Shiv Sena - Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray leader Sanjay Raut targetted Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders over corruption cases in his interaction with the media on Wednesday.

Raut said that BJP and Sena faction led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde were running the government together.

“Be it Maharashtra, Delhi or other states, corrupt people do not resign,” said Raut.

“It will be difficult for Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis and BJP to run away with this scourge of corruption.

All these people are ‘Alibaba aur chalis chor’.

The cases of corruption of 40 MLAs will come out gradually,” he said.

of abetting her suicide. Sharma’s mother on Monday alleged Khan had cheated and “used” her daughter for three to four months.

The deceased actor had featured in the TV show “Bharat Ka Veer Putra Maharana Pratap” and films like “Fitoor” and “Baar Baar Dekho”.

On Tuesday, the Bombay High Court had refused to further stay its order granting him bail in a corruption case registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

He was released after formalities for his release were completed and sureties furnished.

The 73-year-old Na-

tionalist Congress Party (NCP) leader was greeted by senior leaders of his party as he walked out of the Arthur Road prison around 4.45 pm.

“I have full faith in the judiciary....the high court has observed

that I was implicated in a false case,” Deshmukh said, as NCP leaders Ajit Pawar, Jayant Patil, Supriya Sule, Dilip Walse-Patil and Chhagan Bhujbal besides hordes of party workers welcomed him.

Bawankule takes a jibe at NCP’s Ajit Pawar

First India Bureau

Mumbai: The ruling dispensation of Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition have been levelling accusations against one another this Winter Session.

On Tuesday, Leader of Opposition in Assembly Ajit Pawar spoke about the “cor-

rect programme of the ruling party” while speaking to the media in Nagpur.

Taking a jibe at Pawar, BJP state President, Chandrasekhar Bawankule, on Wednesday responded to the statement in stern words. “It is the public that decides whose ‘programme’ should be correct. Despite the alliance between Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the latter has never had more than 75 members

in the Assembly. What will they do?” asked Bawankule.

Claiming that people in Pawar’s constituency of Baramati were unhappy with leader, the BJP chief issued a challenge to Ajit Pawar. “He (Pawar) should not challenge us in Vidarbha (region). We are ready to accept their challenge at any level,” he said.

Nagpur: Congress legislator Shashikant Shinde on Wednesday asked Maharashtra Excise Minister Shambhuraj Desai to visit Belagavi, the Karnataka city that the state claims, and “not return midway”.

Speaking in the Legislative Council on the border dispute with Karnataka, he also said the minister earlier lost an opportunity to become a hero by visiting the disputed areas in the southern state.

“Go and visit Belagavi and meet the Marathi-speaking people there. But do not return midway,” Shinde said.

Desai, who belongs to the Eknath Shindeled Shiv Sena faction, had announced that he was going to attend a meeting of the ‘Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti’ on December 06. But he dropped the plan later.

Thackeray, Shinde factions of Shiv Sena face off at party office in BMC

First India Bureau

Mumbai: (PTI) The rival Shiv Sena factions led by Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde came face to face at the party’s office at the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) headquarters in south Mumbai on Wednesday evening.

Tensions prevailed for an hour on the premises till the police intervened.

The face-off took place after North Cen-

tral Mumbai MP Rahul Shewale, former standing committee chairman Yashwant Jadhav and former corporator Sheetal Mhatre, all belonging to the Shindeled Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena, entered the party office at around 5 pm.

Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) faction’s former corporators including Ashish Chemburkar and Sachin Padwal objected to their presence, leading to heated exchanges, sources said.

When we visited the office, we found a sticker covering the name of

Tension prevailed for nearly an hour with workers from both sides shouting slogans before the police stepped in and removed everyone from the office.

Both factions claimed that there was no attempt by any side to stake claim to the party office, contrary to some reports.

The civic headquarters has offices of all major political parties on the ground floor of the heritage building.

Shewale told PTI that

they had not gone to stake any claim over the party office but were in the BMC building to meet the municipal commissioner.

“When we visited the office, we found a sticker covering the name of Yashvant Jadhav on the name plate. Because of his efforts, this office was set up. So we removed the sticker and garlanded the bust of Shiva Maharaj which is inside,” he said.

Speaking in Nagpur, Maharashtra minister and Shinde faction

leader Deepak Kesarkar said the office belongs to the Shiv Sena, and their faction was the authentic Shiv Sena as their claim has been accepted by the Maharashtra Assembly too.

“They (Thackeray faction) should realize that they have already lost their majority everywhere... They should accept that they have given up the ideology of Balasaheb Thackeray and Hindutva and they are in minority,” he added.

Vidhan Bhavan complex in Nagpur where the Winter Session of the state legislature is currently underway.

Yashvant Jadhav on the name plate. Because of his efforts, this office was set up. So we removed the sticker and garlanded the bust of Shiva Maharaj which is inside.

—Rahul Shewale, North Central Mumbai MP

Former state Home Minister and NCP leader Anil Deshmukh walks out from Arthur Road Jail, after being released on bail in a money laundering case, in Mumbai on Wednesday.

PHOTO BY BHUSHAN KOYANDE

Shinde blames first Maha CM Chavan for not setting deadline for merger of K’taka villages

Kochhars extended till December 29

‘Corruption in BJP runs deep, all are Alibaba aur 40 chor’

Free yourself from the burden of the people who hurt you this year- Forgive them.

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

In his resolution, (first Maha CM) Chavan did not specify the deadline to resolve the issue. Maharashtra’s struggle for resolving the border dispute started with such a weak mindset.”

—-Eknath Shinde, Maharashtra Chief Minister

had arrested Kochhars last Friday after questioning them briefly

K’taka Higher Edu Min CN Ashwath Narayan —FILE PHOTO

Chandrashekhar Bawankule

After cotton, jute, commonly referred to as the golden fibre and is the second-most significant plant fibre. The jute’s quality improves with shine. Because jute is biodegradable, it is a fibre that is environmentally beneficial.

Nowadays it is far more utility thanks to artisans, that their work is starting to receive attention and becoming increasingly in demand among customers. Many different things, including textiles, home furnishings, jewellery, bags and clothes are available in the market.

Both handlooms and factories are used for the spinning and weaving of high-quality yarns into a lightweight, fine-textured textiles with uniform composition in lovely colours and patterns.

This is the reason it is called one of the finest fibres. It has an extremely strong, coarse, and inflexible thread. To create purses, caps, skirts, and even tapestry accessories out of golden thread, many jute clothing are delicately hand- or crochetembroidered.

Jute textiles have several advantages, including being fully biodegradable and having antistatic and insulating qualities. It is very hygroscopic and simultaneously has poor heat conductivity and moderate humidity retention.

Jute clothing has a high tensile strength and a low extensibility coefficient, which contribute to its durability.

This type of clothing is new and many celebrities are already a fan of jute fashion. Due to its high quality, it is highly in demand. Apart from that, a wide range of female clothing such as skirts, one-pieces, coats and tops are obtainable in the market for purchase. If we talk about makeup shimmery bronze, nude or natural makeup with a good amount of highlighter and cheekbones and forehead would suit the

best with jute-style clothes and will make you the highlight of the party.

MRIDULA SHARMA cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

Jute is used to make stylish, environmentally friendly clothing that falls under the category of natural fibre clothing. Let’s explore the world of Jute fashion with City First

City

CITY FIRST

Winter has finally arrived, and who wouldn't enjoy cosy evenings at home or the festive occasions that go along with them? It is impossible to have a holiday celebration without tasty snacks that are easy to prepare, nutritious, and delicious, and you can never do that without tasty delicacies that are simple to prepare, and meet the criteria for the celebration, ready to cook delicacies are surely proving to be the most ideal choice during winters.

Previously, ready-tocook food contained preservatives, but those days are long gone. In order to dispel certain myths associated with frozen food and highlight how ready-tocook options have emerged as the healthiest and most convenient options during winter, a tasting ceremony was organized in Delhi and Chandigarh. At a tasting ceremony hosted by Meatington and Grab a Green, some easy-to-cook and delicious winter snacks were presented to food aficionados. Meatington Co-founders Neeta Malik and Ashutosh Malik and Co-Founder Entrepreneur Chef Sachin

Ready to Cook food myths busted DURING WINTER FOOD FEST

A live demonstration of ready-to-cook delicacies was given by Sachin Sah gal, and the vast variety of food included kebabs, tik kas, Rumalis, tikis, patties etc. These delicacies were served with a variety of breads and rumalis, mak ing them an ideal choice for winter celebrations.

Neeta Malik elaborated on the reasons why readyto-cook meals are an ideal choice for winter and bust ed myths about them. In regards to the same, she stated, "When you have a busy

ARIES

MAR 21 - APR 20

Your efforts at work will be richly rewarded. Getting quality time at home will help in focussing on activities that appeal to you. A balanced diet will be the first step in achieving good health, so stick to it. Help people out as much as you can as monetarily you face no problems.

LEO

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

Good opportunities are likely to appear on the academic front. Some of you may feel the home environment serene and restful. There is a fair chance of some property getting allotted to you. A healthy bank balance will allow you to buy a major item.

SAGITTARIUS

NOV 23 - DEC 22

Things are likely to move favourably on the professional front. Health may become a concern. You will need to muster all your persuasive powers to swing a deal in your favour. Good negotiating skills are likely to bring a lucrative deal within your grasp on the professional front.

TAURUS

zen food combinations, making your winter evenings wholesome and enjoyable. And to get this experience you only need to open your box of ready-tocook food and heat it up, saute it or microwave it.

Frozen foods have a longer

Sachin Sahgal, there are many brands who are no longer using artificial essences, colours or preservatives in their frozen food and insted opting for herbal ingredients to keep the food fresh and nutrition rich. Furthermore, freezing food preserves micro and macro nutrients, preventing harmful bacteria from growing. Using hightech packaging innovations and natural herbs, Meatington keeps food intact without the use of preservatives, concluded Sachin Sahgal.

CAPRICORN

GEMINI

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

You may need to monitor your finances closely. Praise of a family member by someone will make you proud. Getting unwell due to changing weather cannot be ruled out for some. You are likely to win the day on the professional front by your original ideas.

LIBRA

SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22

You may find it difficult to convince a family member regarding something you want to achieve. Clarity of mind and retentive power will help you forge ahead on the academic front. Some of you can safely say goodbye to depression, as positivity enters your life once again.

AQUARIUS

JAN 21 - FEB 19

K Someone close may pay you a visit and brighten your You will get the opportunity to acquire new property at a good price.Think twice before

CANCER

JUNE

Opportunities

physical fitness. Financial scene is likely to stabilise once you review your investment options.

SCORPIO

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

PISCES

FEB20 - MARCH 20

Will power, will be your key to remain in shape. Do not misunderstand the motives of someone trying to help you. A friendly bet with a friend or a colleague may turn into a fight, so be careful. An exciting time lies ahead as travelling with friends is foreseen. You are set to grow professionally.

You will come out with flying colours in a competitive situation on the academic front. Positive steps may be required to be taken to restore perfect health. It will be in your interest to speed up a financial transaction. Appreciation for the work done.

Horoscope by Saurabbh Sachdeva

Sahgal organised this event.

Meatington's delightful ceremony featured a variety of readyto-cook snack options for the winter season.

First brings highlights the journey so far!

(R-L) Neeta Malik, Ashutosh Malik and Sachin Sahgal

The term “cinema” seems inclusive (or nebulous) enough to encompass the essence of the medium, whether we use it to specifically refer to that arthouse movie or the more widespread creation and consumption of films, TV shows, videos, interactive games, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), or other new media that facilitate our interaction with moving images. Cinema is an embracing and immersing medium that conveys what it means to be a human in a particular moment and place. Because the moving picture is what all of the aforementioned things eventually share. In that regard, cinema occupies a unique space at the nexus of art and technology. Cinema is an embracing and immersing medium that conveys what it means to be a human in a particular moment and place. Cinema has a syntax and grammar that have evolved through time. They develop and change as a result of repetition within and among generations.

JURASSIC WORLD: DOMINION

Dominion, a film in one of the most successful Hollywood franchises ever, is called Jurassic World. With a run of more than three decades, it must both serve the long-time viewers of the series as well as the new audience that has joined them.

Jurassic World: Dominion appears to make an evident attempt in that area, it only seems fair to comment. While it is wonderful to see Laura Dern, Sam Neill, and Jeff Goldblum again, it is also great to meet a new group of carnivorous monsters who are even more terrifying than before.

THE BATMAN

The superhero movie The Batman was written and directed by Matt Reeves, and it was made by DC Films. Robert Pattinson plays the title role in the movie, while the supporting ensemble also includes Zoe Krav itz, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright, Andy Serkis, and others. Michael composed the score, while Greig handled the filming. It almost feels like the Batman saga is being rewritten from scratch thanks to Matt Reeves’ new revamp of the brand. He has a lot of unanswered questions and no idea who killed his par ents. In contrast to most superhero mov ies, when the enemy has introduced right away and the hero and villain play a game of cat and mouse, the filmmakers decided to make this movie a crime thriller. Batman is therefore more than simply an action figure in this story.

KGF CHAPTER 2

KGF Chapter 2 (also known as KGF 2), a period action movie written and directed by Prashanth Neel, is a follow-up to the popular film KGF. In addition to Achyuth Kumar, Malavika Avinash, Anant Nag, Vasishta N. Simha, Ayyappa P. Sharma, B Suresh, and many more playing supporting parts, the film stars Yash and Srinidhi Shetty as the leads. KGF 2 picks off just where the first film leaves off, but there’s a twist: Prakash Raj steps in for Anant Nag. Although both actors are superb, the replacement, or at least the brief moment of perplexity, felt a little like a break. In the movie, Rocky (Yash)

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY HOLIDAY SPECIAL

One of the greatest pieces of entertainment Marvel Studios has produced in a long time, his “Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special” is filled with amusing, heartwarming Christmas

precisely like a “Guardians of the Galaxy” film, replete with Gunn’s wacky, laugh-out-loud humour. Additionally, it honours the classic Christmas special clichés that make you want to curl up

KATHIAWADI

The chapter titled “The Matri

S

AWADI. The narrative is compel ling and brings up some signifi cant topics. The script by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Utkarshini Vashishtha is exciting and dra matic. The lifestyles of prosti tutes have already been explored in many movies. But the creators make sure that seeing these movies again won’t be famil iar. Both Gangubai’s charac ter and the supporting cast members are extremely nicely developed. The dis cussion between Prakash

A nice place to start learning about the moving picture is with the “recording of movement.” City First introduces you to the blockbuster movies of 2022

gets control of Kolar Gold Fields and establishes his vast empire, but destiny has other things in store for him since Garuda’s brother Adheera (Sanjay Dutt) enters the picture, clearly with a grander scheme. The main conflict of the plot is how Rocky deals with the dangerous Adheera, Ramika Sen, the then-prime minister of India.

arch Of Kamathipura” in

Hus sain Zaidi’s book, “Mafia Queens Of Mumbai” served as the inspi ration for GANGUBAI KATHI

Vicky drops holiday pics from Rajasthan

Vicky Kaushal has shared a few stunning pictures of himself from Rajasthan, where he is on a new years’ vacation with actor and wife Katrina Kaif. The actor posed with the sun in the background as they went on a jungle safari in a jeep. Fans on social media are convinced the couple is vacationing in Jawai Bandh, a village located in the Pali district of Rajasthan. Sharing some pictures of himself and the scenery, Vicky Kaushal wrote on Instagram, “Here’s to rising in 2023!” He is seen in a

black jacket and a woollen cap. Vicky had also shared a picture of the leopard from the safari. Katrina and Vicky celebrated Christmas with family before leaving for Rajasthan for their New Year vacation. Their Christmas celebrations were all about the “Christmas lunch, pyjama parties and movie nights” as Vicky’s par ents Sham Kaushal and Veena, brother Sunny Kaush al and Katrina’s sister Isa belle Kaif joined them and their bunch of friends

‘Male actors are more uncomfortable’

Tamannaah Bhatia has opened up about shooting intimate scenes in films, the presence of intimacy coordinators, and the constant barrage of questions they are normally subjected to. Tamannaah said that male actors are far more awkward than women while shooting such scenes.

In an interview, the actress recently shared that men are more awkward with intimate scenes because they are also worried about how

men or women.

While speaking on that there is always a sense of nervousness and discomfort before an intimate scene is shot, Tamannaah answered, “I have seen more men being uncomfortable or being awkward with intimate scenes.

It’s basically about understanding that actors are just human, it’s not about men or women. Sometimes guys are a lot shyer and they’re a lot more worried about how the woman is going to feel.”

‘2022 HAS GIVEN ME THE BIGGEST HIGHS

OF MY CAREER’

Tahir Raj Bhasin has had a fantastic year workwise, we all know and even the actor is super happy with the way the year has panned out for him. Tahir Raj Bhasin had three major OTT releases

ing three back-to-back releases - Ranjish Hi Sahi, Yeh Kaali Kaali Aankhein and Looop Lapeta in 2022. I have been fortunate to have had big hits and I would like to thank everyone for their love and appreciation for my performances. 2022 has given me one of the biggest highs of my career and it has been an unforgettable year filled with many successes.”

He adds, “Audiences are thirsty for clutter-breaking content and powerful performances and I couldn’t be more thankful to my producers and directors for allowing me to deliver the goods on screen with these three projects. I believe that 2023 will turn out to be a bigger and better year for me, given the exciting projects that I’m currently shooting. I hope to live up to the expectations that the industry has on me, do good work and further cement my place in this indus-

Rightly put by Tahir, some stories might be better for big-screen but some are just better on OTT. Tahir has a lot of unique projects coming up in 2023 and he is looking forward to sharing the same with his fans.

KANGANA’S REQUEST

angana Ranaut took to Instagram stories and shared her thoughts on the recent death of ac-

In a long note, Kangana used the hashtag ‘Tunisha Sharma’ and wrote, “A woman can

easy target for exploitation, her reality was not the same as the other person who was in it only to use and abuse her phys ically and emotionally.”

Kangana went on to call this situation ‘murder’ and contin ued, “She can’t trust her own perception in such a state one feels no difference in being alive or dead after all life is just our perception and if she decides to end her life…please know she didn’t do it alone… it’s a murder.”

“I request honourable Prime minister @nsrendramodi ji… Like Krishna rose for Draupadi like Rams took a stand for Sita, we expect you to make strong laws against polygamy without con sent, acid attacks against women and of course chopping them into many pieces should amount to an immedi ate death sentence without trial,” she also said in her next post.

Manushi on having a splendid 2022

Ethereally gorgeous actor Manushi

Chhillar made a sparkling debut on the big screen with Samrat Prithviraj and she won appreciation as the best debutant of the year for her charming screen presence.

Manushi is not from the film fraternity but landed herself a YRF three-film contract and also became an artist that YRF manages purely on merit. So, for this former Miss World,

2022 was a ‘very special year!’

Manushi says, “2022 has been a very special year for me because my debut film Samrat Prithviraj released. Being someone who is not connected to the film industry and then seeing yourself and having your family see you on the big screen for the very first time, is a special experience. I think that was the highlight of the year. I did finish shooting another movie.”

Just like their industry colleagues, Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli also left for their New Year vacation. The couple was spotted at the Mumbai airport Wednesday morning and posed together for the paparazzi with a smile. It seems they left for a colder destination.

Virat was in a white sweatshirt and black pants paired with a white cap and white shoes. He kept his hand around Anushka’s shoulder as they took a few minutes to patiently pose for the paparazzi. Anushka was in a black high-neck and denim paired with a woollen cap and held a white jacket in her hand. They also wore masks as they entered the airport. Anushka recently wrapped up the shooting for her upcoming film Chakda ‘Xpress, a biopic on former Indian cricket captain Jhulan Goswami

on the festival.

Vicky Kaushal’s post...

Manushi Chhillar

Tahir Raj Bhasin

Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma

Virushka at Mumbai International airport

Kangana Ranaut

Tamannaah Bhatia

ASHISH TIWARI cityfirst.mumbai@firstindia.co.in