First India-Jaipur Edition-15th March 2023

RUSSIAN JET

COLLIDES WITH US DRONE OVER

BLACK SEA: US

Brussels: A Russian Su-27 jet fighter collided with an American MQ-9 Reaper drone over Black Sea on Tuesday. “Our MQ-9 aircraft was conducting routine ops in int’l airspace when it was intercepted and hit by a Russian aircraft, resulting in a crash,” said US AF.

New Delhi: Senior journalist Ved Pratap Vaidik, 78, breathed his last on Tuesday after he reportedly had a fall in the bathroom at his residence. Vaidik was founder-editor of PTI’s Hindi news edition Bhasha.

LIC APPOINTS TABLESH PANDEY AND JAGANNATH AS NEW MDs

MAXIMUM NEWS WIDER REACH!

074 CHANNEL NO

BUDGET SESSION DAY 2: PARLIAMENT ADJOURNED AGAIN

BJP & CONG TRADE ‘SAY SORRY’ JIBE IN RAHUL GANDHI REMARKS

The LS and RS were adjourned soon after they met as heated exchange between BJP and Congress over Rahul’s remarks at Cambridge University in London continued

Moni Sharma

New Delhi: Parliament was adjourned for the day on Tuesday afternoon - till 11 am todayamid a continuing standoff between the ruling BJP and the Congress over Rahul Gandhi’s criticism of the government and PM Narendra Modi. Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha saw protests for a second straight day.

On Tuesday, Piyush Goyal picked up where he, his colleagues left off on Monday, declaring, “Both Houses are part of Parl, which have been insulted. I feel this is 1st time entire Parl was insulted.” P5

MAJOR HAPPENING

 Congress MP Shaktisinh Gohil filed a breach of privilege notice against Piyush Goyal, for violating House rules by making allegations against a member.

PM MODI HOLDS MEETING WITH TOP MINS IN PARL

On Tuesday morning, top ministers attended a meeting in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s office to fine-tune the ruling party’s strategy in Parliament. Union ministers Pralhad Joshi, Anurag Thakur, Piyush Goyal, Nitin Gadkari and Kiren Rijiju attended the meeting to discuss the Parl strategy.

WOULD HAVE BEEN INTO ACTING, IF NOT LAWYER: VP

After India’s glory at Oscars, winners being praised inside RS. “It’s a recognition in which we all must take pride”, VP and RS Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar hailed Naatu Naatu, The Elephant Whisperer’s win at Oscars 2023. “If I hadn’t become a lawyer, I would definitely have been into acting,” he, said.

Man booked for unruly behaviour on flight refuses bail, goes to jail

First India Bureau Mumbai: Man charged for unruly behaviour and smoking on an Air India flight was sent to jail by a court in Mumbai after he refused to pay ` 25,000 for bail, instead cited online ‘search’ to claim fine payable under IPC section was ` 250. A court has granted accused, Ratnakar Dwivedi, a cash bail, but he refused

TTE URINATES ON WOMAN PASSENGER IN AMRITSAR TRAIN, HELD; RLY SACKS HIM

Lucknow: A ‘drunk’ Travel Ticket Examiner (TTE) was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly urinating on a woman’s head in A1 coach of the train going from Amritsar to Kolkata. Accused Munna Kumar hails from Bihar, he urinated on the woman while she was sleeping. Railways ministry has sacked the accused.

to pay. The accused told court he had read online that fine under sec-

OCTOBER 1955 TO MARCH 2023

Kalvi, founder of Karni Sena, dies at 68

Satyanarayan Sharma

Jaipur: Rajput leader and Karni Sena founder Lokendra Singh Kalvi, 68, passed away at a state-run hospital here on Tuesday. Family sources said he suffered a cardiac arrest late in the night and breathed his last. Kalvi was admitted to the Sawai Man Singh Hospital for the past few days. His funeral was conducted at his ancestral village, Kalvi, in Nagaur district.

Governor Kalraj Mishra, Satish Poonia, Vasundhara Raje, Shri Kshatriya Yuvak

Sangh patron Bhagwan Singh Rolsahabsar and other leaders expressed condolences on the demise of Kalvi. More on P10

tion 336 of IPC is `250, which he was willing to pay, but not bail amount.

MIN THAKUR DEMANDS APOLOGY FROM RAHUL

Rahul Gandhi goes abroad and insults the country. He should come to the Parliament and apologise to the nation. He says he is not allowed to speak in Parliament, but his attendance in Lok Sabha is lower than the average attendance of MPs in Parliament, said Union minister Anurag Thakur in Parl on Tuesday.

New Delhi: LIC on Tuesday announced appointment of Tablesh Pandey and M Jagannath as Managing Directors of the corporation. Meanwhile, Siddhartha Mohanty will take over as interim Chairman with immediate effect in addition to his own duties.

SETBACK FOR BHOPAL GAS TRAGEDY VICTIMS

Top Court rejects Centre’s plea for addl compensation

First India Bureau New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected the Central government’s curative plea for enhanced compensation for the victims of the 1984 Bhopal Gas tragedy from US-based firm Union Carbide Corporation, now owned by Dow Chemicals. A five-judge constitution bench headed by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul pronounced the verdict today after reserving the order on January 12. . The bench also comprised of Justices Sanjiv Khanna, Abhay S Oka, Vikram Nath and JK Maheshwari. P6

We are unsatisfied with Union of India for not furnishing any rationale for raking up this issue after 2 decades. We are of the view that curative petitions cannot be entertained.

—Justice Sanjay K Kaul, Supreme Court Judge

The Centre’s curative plea for enhanced compensation for the victims sought a direction to Union Carbide and other firms for over `7,400 crore additional amount over and above the earlier settlement amount of USD 470 million (`715 crore at the time of settlement in 1989) for paying compensation to the gas tragedy victims.

While rejecting the plea, SC said, ‘Dispute can’t be re-opened after final settlement in 1989. Depreciation of rupee since 1989 can’t be a ground to now seek a “top-up” of compensation.” SC also expressed concern over `50 cr undistributed dues, also asked “How can Centre file a “curative” plea directly without filing a review?”

TRIAL IN LAKHIMPUR KHERI VIOLENCE CASE NOT ‘SLOW PACED’, SAYS SC

SC on Tuesday said trial in 2021 Lakhimpur case, in which Union minister Ajay Mishra’s son Ashish is among those facing prosecution, is not “slow paced” and directed the concerned sessions judge to keep apprising it about the future developments of trial.

“We have received 3 letters from trial judge,” SC observed, adding it had gone through contents of letters received from 1st addl district and sessions judge, Lakhimpur Kheri.

Clash in Pakistan as police try to arrest Imran

Khan

Lahore: Pakistani police and supporters of Imran Khan fought pitched battles outside the former prime minister’s home in Lahore on Tuesday, wounding several on both sides, ahead of his expected arrest, a government spokesman and witnesses said.

No outreach by RSS towards Muslims, we respond to their invite, says Hosabale

RSS endorses PM Modi’s ‘panch-pran’ pledge and eco policy

Dimple Sharma

Panipat: RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale on Tuesday said that Rahul Gandhi should speak more responsibly and see the reality of the Sangh’s acceptance in society, after the Congress leader repeatedly targeted

the organisation in his recent speeches. Asked about Gandhi’s recent remarks against RSS, Hosabale

Top Congress leaders in huddle to brainstorm over election roadmap

Yogesh Sharma

Jaipur: The Congress party started its election preparations and the first meeting of 3 veterans regarding election preparations was held at 8, Civil Lines in Jaipur on Tuesday.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, State incharge

Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and PCC Chief Govind Singh Dotasra were present for it during which there was a detailed discussion between the three regard-

ing the roadmap for the election campaign and brainstorming was done on the issues that have to be resolved first. There was also a mutual discussion on Sachin Pilot. Prelimi-

nary talks were also held on the formation of Co-ordination and Political Affairs Committees. Randhawa asked the views of the State Congress leadership and now Randhawa will

give detailed feedback to KC Venugopal in Delhi. Randhawa will also meet Cong Prez Mallikarjun Kharge & will put forward the feedback of Rajasthan leaders in front of Kharge.

said he must be doing this for his “political agenda” but RSS does not work in the political field and he has no com-

petition with the Sangh, Hosabale said at a press conference on the last day of RSS’s ‘ABPS here. Turn to P5

OTHER TOP RAJ

STORIES

GANGSTER LAWRENCE BISHNOI

GIVES TV ‘INTERVIEW FROM JAIL’

Jaipur: Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi gave an interview to a private news channel from a Punjab jail on Tuesday, sources said. However, it is being asked where did Lawrence get phone in prison? He answered this in interview & said, ‘There are loose points & it is managed.” His interview has raised questions about prison admin.

SENIOR JOURNALIST VED PRATAP VAIDIK PASSES AWAY

Proceedings of Rajya Sabha underway during the second phase of the Budget Session of the Parliament, in New Delhi on Tuesday.

Dattatreya Hosabale with Sunil Ambekar during press conference on last day of RSS’s ‘Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha’, on Tuesday.

RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat will launch the first Urdu translation of the Samaveda, one of the four Vedas, at an event to be organised at Red Fort on Friday.

CM Ashok Gehlot Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa Govind Singh Dotasra

BJP MLAs walkout from Assembly over Randhawa’s remark on Modi

BJP’s Madan Dilawar alleges conspiracy to kill PM Modi Randhawa

Naresh Sharma & Aishwary Pradhan

Jaipur: BJP MLAs

staged a walkout from the Rajasthan Assembly and party workers protested in the city Tuesday over Congress state in-charge Sukhjinder

Singh Randhawa’s remark that Prime Minister Narendra Modi must be “finished off”.

BJP MLAs raised the issue during the debate in the House on the demand for grants for the agriculture department.

As soon as the BJP state president Satish Poonia’s speech ended, other MLAs rose from their seats, claiming that the Congress leader had given a call to physically eliminate the PM.

Using the term “terrorist”, BJP MLA

Madan Dilawar said people are terrorised while the state government remains silent on the issue. He alleged there is a conspiracy to kill Modi. Dilawar was backed by other BJP MLAs.

spoke of defeating Modi and saving country: Kalla

Despite Shitalashtami holiday, Assembly to function today

Poonia blames Congress Govt for suicides by youth from rural Raj

First India Bureau

Jaipur: BJP MLA Satish Poonia raised the issue of suicide by farmers and youth during the discussion on the demands of grants of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Department in the Assembly on Tuesday.

Rajsamand Lake, Happy Valley devp soon: Vishvendra Singh

BUDGET SESSION

Deputy LoP Rajendra Rathore announced a walkout over Randhawa’s remark. “The kind of comment Congress in-charge Randhawa made for the PM is condemnable,” he said.

First India Bureau Jaipur: Tourism Minister Vishvendra Singh assured in the Assembly on Tuesday that efforts will be made to increase the sanctioned amount of Rs 1 crore for the development of Rajsamand Lake and expansion of tourism facilities there, after getting it tested. Singh was replying to supplementary questions raised by members in this regard during the Question Hour. He said that the tender for this work approved in the year 2022-23 was cancelled due to technical reasons. He assured that soon action will be taken

TEACHING WORK YET TO BEGIN AT FINTECH DIGITAL UNIVERSITY: KALLA

Education Minister Dr BD Kalla said in the Assembly on Tuesday on behalf of the Information and Technology Minister that the teaching work has not yet started in the Fintech Digital University in Jodhpur. He informed that the Rajiv Gandhi Fintech Digital Institute will be built on the lines of IITs and there is a possibility of a bill for this university coming in this session of the Vidhan Sabha, only then teaching will be started in it. He said that in year 2022-23, a provision of Rs 120 crore was made for this university, which has been increased to Rs 139 crore and the budget will be increased further on the basis of financial requirement.

5,877 cases OK’d for Accidental Insurance, informs Dhariwal

to invite fresh tenders.

Meanwhile, Vishvendra Singh said that the Chashma-e-Noor (Happy Valley) monument in Ajmer is situated in a protected forest area and permission is not granted for development works there. He assured that, the State Government will try to find a solution by writing a letter again to the forest department.

MARKS RELAXATION IN ‘SET’ FOR ‘EWS’ NOT IN STATE’S HANDS: YADAV

Minister of State for Higher Education Rajendra

Singh Yadav said on Tuesday that the State Eligibility Test (SET) is conducted on the basis of criteria set by the University Grants Commission (UGC). UGC has prescribed minimum 55 per cent marks for EWS category. He clarified that it is not possible for the state government to give relaxation of 5 per cent marks to the candidates of this category. MLA Ramlal Sharma had raised the issue.

“10,000 youths of Rajasthan have committed suicide. 70 per cent of these youth are from rural areas who committed suicide due to depression due to one reason or the other, including paper leaks.

The main reason for which is 28 per cent unemployment, for which the Congress government is responsible,” he said.

“The farmers of Rajasthan have to bear the brunt. Neither girdawari nor relief has been given, only

Jaipur: Former Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and senior BJP MLA Kailash Meghwal raised the issue of Naxalism in the State. Meghwal said that the demand for ‘Bhilsthan’ is arising in southern Rajasthan in the State, which is taking a very serious form. Meghwal said that this demand is going to divide Rajasthan, which has now reached the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly as well. “Everyone should think seriously about this idea, why such a demand arose and why a part of colorful Rajasthan wants to separate? Considering this seriously, policies should be made so that a situation of satisfaction is created in the tribal sections,” he said. He said that how much blood was lost due to Naxalism in Bengal is not hidden from anyone. “The seeds of Naxalism and Maoism have now reached even in southern Rajasthan and discontent is increasing among the tribals,” he said.

POLITICAL LUNCH

talk is done. The Government of Rajasthan has disappointed in many places,” he said. Demanding white paper on loan waiver, Poonia said under State Milk Production Scheme, money of about 1,500 farmers of Nagaur is pending.

First India Bureau Jaipur: Parliamentary Affairs Minister Shanti Dhariwal said in the Assembly on Tuesday that 5,877 cases have been approved for payment so far to provide assistance to the insured families under the Chief Minister Chiranjeevi Accidental Insurance Scheme. He said that in these approved cases, the victims are being paid continuously. The Minister was replying on behalf of the Minister of State Insurance and Provident Fund to the supplementary questions during the Question Hour.

He said that it is natural for the payment to take some time. In cases where there is a delay in payment, a dual

BJP protests at PCC over Randhawa statement

Dinesh Tiwari

Jaipur: BJP workers held a demonstration outside the PCC office on Tuesday over the statement of Congress party’s Rajasthan incharge Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa. The protest was led by BJP Jaipur President Raghav Sharma.

Carrying the BJP flag

in their hands, the workers were shouting slogans of Narendra Modi Zindabad and Congress Murdabad. As soon as the workers turned towards PCC from Sansar Chandra Road, the police stopped them.

During this, some workers also climbed the barricades and tried to cross it but the police prevented them from

Babulal new provincial pracharak of Sangh

Dimple Sharma

Jaipur: Babulal has been made the Jaipur provincial pracharak of RSS in place of Shailendra who has been given the responsibility of Uttarakhand provincial pracharak. Babulal is currently on the post of co-provincial pracharak. The announcement was made in RSS meeting on Tuesday. Umesh Kumar

will be the provincial pracharak of South Bihar, Ashish Kumar coprovincial pracharak of South Bihar, Brajkant the provincial pracharak of Mahakaushal region, Sanjay the co-provincial pracharak of Awadh region, Chandrashekhar the co-provincial pracharak of Uttarakhand, Shashank Bhatia the Prant Sanghachalak of Braj region.

moving forward. On this, the workers sat on a dharna there. Later, the dharna was called off.

Randhawa said on Monday during a protest in Jaipur, “If Adani-Ambani has to be removed, Modi should be finished first… then defeat the BJP.”

The statement has evoked a sharp reaction from the BJP.

State local bodies directed to issue leases only after RERA registration

Abhishek Shrivastava

Jaipur: Showing strictness on violation of law, the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) has instructed all Development Authorities, Urban Improvement Trusts and DLB in the state to put a mandatory condition of RERA registration at the time of layout plan approval of plotted schemes.

RERA said that only after this, leases should be issued by the local bodies.

Penalty will be imposed against the Local

body concerned for not placing the condition. It is said in the order that according to the RERA law, it is necessary to register such schemes with RERA but despite this, many local bodies are defying the law. Subject expert and advocate Mitesh Rathore said that the order will protect the buyers from fraud.

system of appeal has been set up to provide relief to the victim. He informed that out of 10,000 applications received under the Scheme, 5877 applications have been accepted , out of which 1155 applications have been rejected due to ineligibility. He informed that 2750 cases are pending due to lack of documents and 218 cases are under process at the departmental level.

Raj leading in millet production, farmers’ income will rise: Kataria

First India Bureau

Jaipur: Agriculture Minister Lalchand Kataria on Tuesday said that Rajasthan is leading in the production of millets in the country and the income of the farmers of the state will increase due to the increase in the demand for coarse grains. He said that to get rid of the problem of ‘Vilayati Babul’ or prosopis

CONG LEADERS READY TO ‘PROPOSE’ RATHORE’S NAME FOR OPPN LEADER

An interesting incident happened in the House regarding Deputy LoP Rajendra Rathore. Minister Lalchand Kataria said that they want Rathore to become the LoP at which Mahesh Joshi said that he is ready to propose his name. Dr Raghu Sharma and some other Congressmen also nodded. Chairman Rajendra Pareek also took a jibe about Rathore and said, “If you all say then I will pass the resolution now.” Rathore smiled with folded hands.

Select panel to finalise draft of Right to Health Bill

Aishwary Pradhan

Jaipur: The meeting of the Select Committee on the Right to Health Bill was held on Tuesday under the chairmanship of Health minister Parsadi Lal Meena. Deputy LoP Rajendra Rathore, Dr Jitendra Singh, Rohit Bohra, Kalicharan Saraf and other public representatives attended the meeting. It was decided to finalise the draft of the Select Committee Bill and consensus was made on some amendments also. The meeting lasted for about 51 minutes and another meeting will be held on Wednesday at 5 pm after the members study the main points.

juliflora, the department will plant fruit trees on the affected land by running a special campaign at the panchayat level.

Kataria was replying to the debate on the demands for grants of Agriculture Department and Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Department in the Vidhan Sabha on Tuesday. After discussion, the House passed the demands for grants of Rs 37.48 billion of the Agriculture department and Rs 14.55 billion of the Animal Husbandry and Fisheries department.

24 INDIRA RASOIS ARE OPERATIONAL IN KOTA NORTH, 19 IN KOTA SOUTH: SHANTI DHARIWAL

LSG Minister Shanti Dhariwal made it clear in the Assembly on Tuesday that 24 Indira Rasois each are approved in Municipal Corporation Kota North and Kota South areas. Of these, at present all 24 Indira Rasois are operational in Municipal Corporation Kota North and 19 Indira Rasois are operational in Kota MC South. A total of 7 Indira Rasois are being operated in Ladpura assembly constituency. Apart from this, no proposal to operate new Indira Rasoi in Ladpura assembly constituency is currently under consideration. He said that due to a stay order given by the High Court in Writ Petition 17248/2022 on December 1, 2022, it is not possible to operate five Indira Rasois approved for MC Kota South falling in Ladpura assembly constituency.

Upen-led delegation meets CMO officials

First India Bureau

Jaipur: A six-member delegation led by State President of Rajasthan Berozgar Ekikrat Mahasangh, Upen Yadav, on Tuesday met Principal Secretary to CM Ashok Gehlot, Kuldeep Ranka, and Secretary to CM, Aarti Dogra, in CMO regarding their various pending demands. After the meeting, Upen Yadav said that it has been agreed to organise a meeting of the delegation of unemployed youths every month

with the officials related to recruitment at the Chief Secretary or DOP level to resolve the problems of the demands of the youths.

“There will be a meeting with the Finance Secretary after March 17 regarding Panchayatiraj JEN recruitment. Similarly, candidates selected for VDO recruitment will be allotted districts and appointment will be given soon,” said Upen Yadav.

Discussions were also held regarding the CHO recruitment exam.

BJP State chief Satish Poonia speaks during Assembly Session.

Shanti Kumar Dhariwal, Parliamentary Affairs Minister

Minister Vishvendra Singh

Lalchand Kataria

Deputy Leader Of Opposition Rajendra Rathore, Ashok Lahoty and other BJP MLAs begin to walk out of the Assembly on Tuesday.

Minister Mamta Bhupesh and BJP’s Anita Bhadel hold talks over lunch during Assembly Session on Monday.

BJP workers make efforts to breach the barricades as police try to stop them outside Congress office in Jaipur on Tuesday. —PHOTO BY SANTOSH SHARMA

‘Naxalism seeds have reached southern Raj’

I’M SHOWN NEGATIVELY IN SOCIETY: LAWRENCE BISHNOI IN TV INTERVIEW

Plan to kill singer Sidhu Moose Wala was not mine, Lawrence tells a news channel

First India Bureau

Jaipur: Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who has vast network in Rajasthan, on Tuesday gave an interview to a private news channel from jail and said that he wanted to present his side as he was shown negatively within society.

Lawrence also spoke on Sidhu Moose Wala’s murder and said that all the allegations leveled against him were baseless. Lawrence accused Goldie of killing Moose Wala.

“The plan to kill Moose Wala was not mine. I got the news of his murder on the phone. When I went on remand, I came to know that Goldie got Moose

BRIEF

JAIPUR FOOT BODY

BMVSS’ EXECUTIVE

CHAIRMAN MEHTA PASSES AWAY AT 90

Jaipur: Virendra Raj Mehta, executive chairman of Jaipur Foot manufacturer Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti (BMVSS), died at a hospital in Delhi on Monday. He was 90. His last rites will be held on Tuesday, according to a statement issued by the BMVSS.The Padma Shri awardee is survived by his wife Vimla, son Shelendra Raj Mehta and daughter Sandhya.

Wala killed,” he said.

Bishnoi said the planning for the murder of Moose Wala was going on for a year and he already knew about the murder plot, but had no

hand in it. “Moose Wala was strengthening our anti-gang. I had told Goldie that Moose Wala is our enemy,” Lawrence said. Lawrence was confronted by vari-

Allot dairy booths in seven days: Govt to collectors

LAWRENCE WAS RECENTLY QUESTIONED BY SEVERAL AGENCIES IN JAIPUR

L

The plan to kill Moose Wala was not mine. I got the news of his murder on the phone. When I went on remand, I came to know that Goldie got Moose Wala killed. Moose Wala was strengthening our anti-gang. I had told Goldie that Moose Wala is our enemy. —Lawrence Bishnoi, Accused gangster

ous officials of four different agencies in Jaipur. According to sources, at first, seeing all the agencies together, Lawrence got nervous, then stayed calm

for a while. During strict interrogation, Lawrence spilt many secrets. He gave information about Hrithik Boxer wanted in G Club firing case.

NEET Aspirant, from Bihar dies by suicide in Kota

awrence Bishnoi was on February 15 brought to Jaipur from Punjab on a production warrant and questioned by Jaipur police and other agencies for over a week in connection with G Club firing and others cases. He was brought from Punjab by Jaipur Police amid tight security and was kept at Jawahar Circle Police Station in Jaipur.First India Bureau

Jaipur: The state govt has directed all district collectors to allot dairy booths to applicants within seven days. The Directorate of Local Self Government (LSG) on Tuesday issued an order in this regard and directed that all dairy booths should be allotted by March 20.

The highest number of applications came from the JMC area where 35,000 people applied for allotment of dairy booths. Out of these 5000 booths, the government has ordered to allot 1000 booths to women associated with self-help groups.

Emergency services at Super Speciality block yet to start

Vikas Sharma Jaipur: The government may have spent more than Rs. 200 crores to build a ‘Super-Speciality’ block near SMS Trauma Centre, but the mismanagement of SMS Medical College is proving costly to patients. The college administration started the super-specialty

block last year, but the emergency services are yet to begin.

Superintendent of Super-Speciality Hospital, Dr Vinay Malhotra, informed that Gastroenterology, Urology, Nephrology and Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic (HBP) Surgery department have been completely shifted to the super-specialty

Dr Kirodi shifts to Delhi for treatment

Jaipur: The festival of ‘Sheetla Ashtami’ will be celebrated with enthusiasm and gaiety today. Under the release issued by the General Administration Department, District Collector Prakash Rajpurohit has declared a local holiday in the Jaipur district. On the occasion of Sheetla Ashtami, fairs will be organized at many places in Jaipur city and rural areas. Responsibilities have been assigned to the officers of the concerned departments to ensure necessary arrangements for the Sheetla Mata fair.

First India Bureau

Jaipur: BJP’s Rajya Sabha MP Kirodi Lal Meena on Tuesday accused the Rajasthan govt of being negligent in his treatment.

Meena, who was undergoing treatment at Sawai Mansingh Hospital in Jaipur, left for Delhi on Tuesday for treatment on his own will.

Talking to reporters outside the hospital, the MP said, “This govt is doing cruelty even in the treatment. The doctors are under the pressure of the govt.” “I have had an injury which has caused swelling of the spinal cord. I am feeling bad and the situation is turning worse. That is why I am going to Delhi on my own wish,” he said.

block. “More than 1000 patients visit OPD, of which, around 300 patients get admitted for

NIA files first charge sheet in Raj PFI case

New Delhi (ANI):

The NIA has filed its first chargesheet in one of its cases against the banned outfit Popular Front of India (PFI) naming two accused from Rajasthan for driving a wedge between different communities in India through radicalisation and arms-training of gullible Muslim youth, training them in handling weapons and explosives and raising funds for carrying out acts of terror. The NIA filed the chargesheet on Monday against Mohammad Ashif alias Asif of Kota and Sadiq Sarraf of Baran.

TWO-DAY MILLETS CONCLAVE CONCLUDES

Production and consumption of millet should be increased: Meena

MILLET CENTRE

Kashiram Choudhary

Jaipur: The two-day ‘Rajasthan Millets Conclave - 2023’ organised by the Agriculture Marketing Department at the State Institute of Agricultural Management in Durgapura concluded on Tuesday.

The chief guest of the concluding ceremony was the Minister of Rajasthan Agriculture Marketing, Murari Lal Meena.

During his address, Murari Lal Meena said that the production and consumption of

millet should be increased.

“With the help of the Indian Institute of Millet Research, a millet centre will be set up at

Gudamalani in Barmer. For this, the state government will provide 40 hectares of land. Millet-based food will also be available in

the mandi premises under the Kisan Kaleva Yojana. Along with this, a millet Venture Start-Up Fund will also be set up,” said Meena.

treatment. Emergency services are needed in the hospital and efforts are being done to start

it soon,” said Dr Vinay Malhotra. Notably, the centre government funded Rs 120 crore, and the state government funded Rs 80 for the construction of the super-specialty block. Officials informed that presently patients are admitted in super-specialty hospital after OPD consultation from 9 am to 3 pm.

Kota (PTI): An 18-yearold NEET aspirant from Bihar allegedly committed suicide by hanging herself from a ceiling fan in her hostel room here on Tuesday, police said.

The deceased has been identified as Shembul Parveen, they said. She came to Kota from West Champaran in Bihar in June last year and enrolled herself in a coaching institute for NEET preparations, they said.

The police is yet to ascertain the reason behind the extreme step as no suicide note was recovered from her room, however, her parents claimed that the girl was upset over scoring low marks in tests, police said. The teen’s parents were in Kota for the last couple of days to find her a new hostel as she had complained about the food being served there, they said.

Deceased’s parents with police in Kota on Tuesday.

INDEPENDENT COUNCILLOR DIES BY SUICIDE IN AJMER

Ajmer: Bhagchand Phulwari, a resident of Fatehpuria city and independent councilor of Ward No. 33 of the city council, ended his life by hanging himself on Tuesday. As soon as the relatives got the information, they informed the city police about it. After getting the information, police reached the spot and took the body in their possession, and kept it in the mortuary of Govt Amritkaur Hospital. On hearing the news of the death of corporator Phulwari, BJP corporators Mangat Singh Monu, Hansraj Sharma, Virendra Singh Rathore, and many other public representatives reached AKH Mortuary.

MINOR ABDUCTED & RAPED IN JAIPUR, ACCUSED

FLED WITH JEWELS & `2 LAKH

Jaipur: A case of abduction and rape of a minor girl has come to light in the city. The accused raped her after taking her hostage in a flat for two days and then fled looting the jewellery and cash worth lakhs. The victim’s father has lodged a report at the Jhotwara police station. The police have started the investigation by registering a report under the POCSO Act. As per the police report, the accused kidnapped and raped his 15-year-old daughter. The minor daughter had met the accused some time back. During the conversation, the accused trapped his minor daughter into a love affair, the complaint said.

Lawrence Bishnoi in Jaipur last month. (Inset) Screengrab of the TV interview.

Image for representational purpose only.

Dr Kirodi Lal Meena interacting with media outside SMS hospital in Jaipur on Tuesday. He accused govt of medical negligence.

Murari Lal Meena addressing the closing ceremony of Rajasthan Millets Conclave-2023 in Durgapura on Tuesday.

NO ONE BUT MODI CAN DO IT!

Reconstructing the Construction Construct: Modi’s Projects are Jan Andolans

The narrator proves to us how “Modi Hai To Mumkin Hai” is hundred percent true when it comes to visualizing and implementing seemingly impossible projects. Be it the Statue of Unity, the Mahatma Mandir, golden jubilee celebrations or any other corporate project, PM Modi sees them right through till the end so much so that one is convinced that “No One But Modi Can Do It!”

My conversation with PM Modi veered off in a direction where I believe I mentioned to him something about having a Sardar Patel statue outside the Mahatma Mandir. He asked me “Harshad bhai!

Tell me what do you know about Sardar Patel? What have you read about him?”

And then his innermost thoughts started pouring out in words that eloquently expressed his reverence for the Iron Man of India. He said

“In Gujarat, I will have this statue overlooking the river basin of the Narmada and have it stand tallest amongst the biggest statues of the world. This will be taller than the Statue of Liberty in New York which people look at and are mesmerized. And we will have it located at the Sardar Sarovar dam. And we will create exceptional and memorable tourism experiences there! We must have airports and airstrips, banquet halls - a convention centre where we can hold international conferences and seminars. There will be light and sound shows in the evening to depict the life and times of Sardar Patel.” This is how Narendra bhai visualized his dream project and we got down to making this

BJP chose Narendra Modi as their Prime Ministerial candidate and he became the most loved PM this country has ever had in 2014!

dream a reality. There were several gray areas that needed to be clarified and at the first instance, any project of this magnitude seems impossible. Sometimes we would be engulfed in a deluge of doubts, if we would be even able to do this much!

Well, BJP came up with its memorable slogan “Modi Hai to Mumkin Hai”. Although this came up later, at that time Modiji proved that indeed if he’s there, everything’s possible. When it was time for real time execution of this project, we had to work through the fund allocation worth ` 300 crore. Whatever we had at that time was way too short for a project of this magnitude. But God had other plans for us!

With the kind of persona Narendra bhai possesses, his vision and the dreams that he watches with eyes wide open, they come true and the goddess of destiny is always by his side. BJP chose him as their Prime Ministerial candidate and he became the most loved PM this country has ever had in 2014!

During the golden jubilee celebrations of India’s independence, Narendra bhai’s emotions towards his country, towards Mahatma Gandhi and his ideology, and his personal feelings for Bapu’s thought were manifested through the construction of such a property in Gujarat that would forever stand as a remembrance for Mahatma Gandhi. He decided to have this Mahatma Mandir constructed right opposite the Gandhinagar Secretariat in

Vidhan Sabha region. Now to get some something constructed is a very simple ask for a CM - all he needs to do is put it in a file, sign it and order the concerned department. But when I had a word with Narendra bhai about this, he said “Harshad bhai! I want the people to own this place and I want the youth to associate with this project. I want school students from all the districts and talukas of Gujarat to come to this place in buses, they should bring water and soil from their villages, and with this soil of our state we should lay the foundation of this memorial. He also envisioned the contribution of the youth and the masses in this project. And this is how Narendra bhai realized this dream by involving the people contributing towards its making. This has been his vision towards almost every development project that he has visualized and brought to life! He believes in shramdaan - shramdaan of his people, of the karyakartas, of the youth - so much so that it almost assumes the form of a Jan Andolan!

With Narendra bhai, it is like this - the project has been laid down and is ready, contractors are also ready; they have been appointed and orders have been issued, but completion of the project within the stipulated timelines and dedicating it to the people, often times feels impossible. For instance, even with companies such as L&T, one often doubts if they would be able to meet the targets within the given deadlines or not. But once Narendra bhai has taken a decision, he sees it through and through by being present at every stage personally and he asks for continuous reports and feedback.

And the Mahatma Mandir that he visualized embodies the spirit of Mahatma Gandhi who picked up a pinch of salt and breathed into the freedom struggle a new life, Narendra bhai infused this same spirit in this Mandir. Look at the exhibition of Gandhiji’s life created with assistance of Birla family! It is a world class experience. Creating such a historical and immortal opus in a time as short as 268 time is something that only Modiji can do - it is indeed laudable and simply remarkable!

The golden jubilee celebrations in Gujarat were going on. I made a presentation running into 60 slides on this

WITH MODIJI, THE PROJECTS MEET THE DEADLINES

W ith Narendra bhai, it is like this - the project has been laid down and is ready, contractors are also ready; they have been appointed and orders have been issued, but completion of the project within the stipulated timelines and dedicating it to the people, often times feels impossible. For instance, even with companies such as L&T, one often doubts if they would be able to meet the targets within the given deadlines or not.

issue and reached the CM office. My counterparts who were with me were slightly busy in a meeting and some senior IAS officers were present outside the office. They asked me “Harshad bhai! How many slides have you prepared?” I replied, “60”. They said “Suppose you have to make a presentation to the chairman of the company you work for, would you still make a presentation this long and will your chairman watch it too?” They continued “He is the CM of Gujarat! He is Narendra bhai!

Minister Narendra Modi

AFFECTION I RECEIVED FROM MODIJI IS THE GREATEST COMPLIMENT EVER

I concluded the golden jubilee presentation telling Narendra bhai that this is what I had in mind about how event must be celebrated and I requested him to pick and choose what he liked. He spoke with affection and his words that day to me, I believe, were greatest compliment or certificate I could have ever received for all my corporate achievements and knowledge. He said “Harshad bhai! This is an extremely professionally crafted and drafted presentation and there is nothing that I wish to delete here! I will implement every single suggestion you have put up to me today!”

Bring down the number of slides to 10 or 12.” But just then I was called into the CM’s office and I went ahead with the presentation I had. Let me tell you - the meeting lasted 4 hours. I spent 1 minute on every slide and Narendra bhai spoke for 3 minutes about each slide. I concluded the presentation telling Narendra bhai that this is what I had in mind about how the golden jubilee must be celebrated and I requested him to pick and choose what he liked. He spoke with affection and his words that day

to me, I believe, were the greatest compliment or certificate I could have ever received for all my corporate achievements and knowledge. He said “Harshad bhai! This is an extremely professionally crafted and drafted presentation and there is nothing that I wish to delete here! I will implement every single suggestion you have put up to me today!”

Prime

ROUNDUP Court

SC TO HEAR PLEA

AGAINST BAIL TO K’TAKA BJP MLA

Process begun for amendments to major criminal laws: Centre

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear plea of Karnataka Lokayukta against grant of anticipatory bail to BJP MLA Madal Virupakshappa, main accused in the Karnataka Soaps and Detergents contract scam. The plea was initially mentioned for urgent listing before a bench headed by CJI DY Chandrachud, who asked the Lokayukta’s counsel to mention the matter before a bench headed by Justice Sanjay Kaul.

PLEA AGAINST USE OF LOUDSPEAKERS

BY MOSQUES IN GUJ

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court has sought the state govt’s reply on a PIL seeking a ban on the use of loudspeakers for reciting ‘azaan’ (call to prayer) in mosques.

A division bench of Acting Chief Justice A J Desai and Justice Biren Vaishnav on Monday allowed Shaktisinh Zala, a Bajrang Dal leader, to join the PIL after the original petitioner Dharmendra Prajapati sought to withdraw it citing threats.

DELHI GOVT TOLD TO CONSTRUCT TOILETS FOR TRANSGENDERS

New Delhi (ANI): The government has initiated the process for comprehensive amendments to criminal laws like the Indian Penal Code, 1860, the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 and the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 in consultation with all stakeholders, Minister of State for Home Ajay Kumar Mishra told the Lok Sabha.

Govt not mulling to create any new state, MoS informs Lok Sabha

Rahul’s remarks don’t require an apology: Tharoor

New Delhi (ANI): As the BJP continues to demand an apology from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his remarks in London on democracy in India, party MP Shashi Tharoor said that Gandhi has not said anything that requires an apology.

NOT RAHUL BUT CENTRE SHOULD APOLOGISE: ADHIR

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has set a deadline of 8 weeks for construction of toilets for transgenders in the city and warned it will order personal appearance of the top officials concerned of the Delhi govt and NDMC in case of non-compliance. Court noted that as per status report filed by the city govt, while the process of construction was stated to be underway, no toilets have been built for transgenders.

BCI: WILL CONSIDER INCLUDING LAW ON RTE IN CURRICULUM

New Delhi: The Bar Council of India on Tuesday told Delhi High Court that it will consider within “reasonable time” the issue of introducing Right to Education Act as a compulsory subject in law colleges. Court was hearing a PIL, which asserted that RTE Act can be implemented in its true letter and spirit only if it is taught as a compulsory subject in the curriculum.

The Minister made the announcement while giving a written reply to the query of a few parliamentarians. Asked whether the government is in the process of review of the existing many criminal laws including the Indian Evidence Act, of 1872, Mishra said the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs, in its 146th Report had recommended that there is a need for a comprehensive review of the Criminal Justice System of the country.

“Earlier, the Parliamentary Standing

Committee in its 111th and 128th Reports had also stressed the need to reform and rationalize the criminal law of the country by introducing comprehensive legislation in Parliament rather than bringing about piecemeal

Karnataka DGP is ‘nalayak’, should be arrested: Shivakumar

Bengaluru (Agencies): Congress’ Karnataka President DK Shivakumar on Tuesday demanded arrest of the state DGP Praveen Sood for allowing erection of an entrance in the name of Nanje Gowda and Uri Gowda, two historical figures who, as per Hindu activists, had killed erstwhile Mysuru ruler Tipu Sultan.

During the visit of PM Narendra Modi to Karnataka to dedicate Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway, Praveen Sood has allowed distortion of history by allowing an entrance to be named after Nanje Gowda and Uri Gowda. A case should be lodged against him and he has to be arrested,” Shiva-

kumar said.

“This DGP is a nalayak (useless). He had heeded the demands of the government. Immediately, a case should be registered against him. The Election Commission should transfer him to a different place. He was there in the post for three years. Why is he still there?” he asked.

amendments in respective Acts,” the MoS told the Lower House.

“With a view to making comprehensive changes in the criminal laws of the country to provide affordable and speedy justice to all, create a people-centric

FROM P1…

No outreach...

The RSS, in its resolution, has endorsed the leadership of PM Modi saying that the “pancha-pran” mantra given by him in his Independence Day speech last year could free the nation from the colonial mindset. Hosabale also said that the RSS agrees with the Centre’s view on samesex marriage, adding that marriage can take place only between two people from opposite genders. On the question of the Sangh’s outreach to Muslims, Hosabale said RSS leaders are meeting Muslim intellectuals and their spiritual leaders on their invitation only. Responding to questions on Gandhi’s remarks in the UK, the RSS leader said, “Those who converted India into a jail have no right to comment on democracy in the country.”

KCR is worried about Congress!

Mahesh Sharma

New Delhi: Bharat Rashtra Samithi leader K Chandrasekhar Rao is still seen fighting with the Congress. But he is also worried about the Congress. KCR knows that if the Congress fights with more vigor in Telangana, it will benefit the BJP. Congress also understands this, so to keep the pressure on KCR, it is holding rallies and programs in Telangana. Whether both the parties will coordinate in the compulsion to stop the BJP or not, is a matter on which decision can be taken later,

but for now, KCR has started showing goodwill. In Delhi, his daughter Kavita asked the Congress to give up its stubbornness and join the alliance. When Kavita asked the Congress to join the alliance, she was not talking about an alli-

ance for the Lok Sabha elections. She meant to come together in the Telangana elections. Keep in mind that Congress has a good presence in Telangana and Asaduddin Owaisi’s party MIM has influence in a large area. In this way three parties Bharat Rashtra

New Delhi: There is no proposal under the Central government’s consideration for creation of any new state, the Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday by the government. Union Minister of State (MoS) for Home Nityanand Rai said this while replying to a written question on whether the government has received any proposal for the constitution of Bundelkhand state.

legal structure, the government has initiated the process for comprehensive amendments to criminal laws like Indian Penal Code, 1860, the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 and the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 in consultation with all

Various steps taken to tackle drug smuggling at border areas: Govt New Delhi: Government has taken various steps to tackle drug smuggling at the border areas. MoS Nityanand Rai said this in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha on Tuesday. Rai said, detailed vulnerability mapping has been carried out along the border to strengthen surveillance by deploying additional Special Surveillance Equipment and other available resources in the vulnerable patches.

stakeholders,” Mishra added. He further said that a committee had been constituted under the Chairpersonship of the Vice Chancellor, National Law University, Delhi to suggest reforms in the Criminal laws.

Tharoor further said that Rahul Gandhi expressed concern about the state of democracy and attacks on it by the practices of the ruling government. “Rahul Gandhi hasn’t said anything that requires an apology. He expressed concern about the state of our democracy and attacks on it by the practices of the ruling government,” he said.

The Congress MP said this is nothing what Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said in foreign countries.

“This is milder than what PM Narendra Modi has said in foreign countries. He has constantly attacked the Congress party, the previous government, and alleged lack of progress before he came to power. This kind of discourse abroad was initiated by PM Modi, not by Congress,” he added.

New Delhi: Lok Sabha MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said the Centre should apologise not Rahul Gandhi. “Govt doesn’t want to run the Parliament. Has it ever been witnessed that all the members of a party in power create a ruckus to halt the Parliament?,” he said.

YOUTH CONGRESS PROTESTS IN DELHI AGAINST ADANI ISSUE

New Delhi: The Indian Youth Congress (IYC) held a protest outside Lt Governor VK Saxena’s office here, demanding an investigation into allegations made against the Adani group in the Hindenburg research report. Several IYC leaders and workers gathered at Civil Lines, holding banners and raising slogans.

LIE-BASED PERSONAL ATTACK: PITRODA ON RAHUL’S CRITICISM

New Delhi: Amid storm over Rahul’s “democracy” remarks, Indian Overseas Congress chief Sam Pitroda on Tuesday said Rahul never invited any foreign countries for help and was being subjected to a ‘well-orchestrated’ personal attack based on “lies and misinformation”.

Samithi, Congress and MIM are doing one vote bank politics. If one vote bank is divided into three parties, then BJP will be benefited. KCR does not want a hung assembly, so, from the beginning, he has been showing harmony with the Congress. His daughter Kavita went on a oneday hunger strike at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on March 10 and praised Sonia Gandhi fiercely. She thanked Sonia that due to her efforts, the Women’s Reservation Bill could be passed in the Rajya Sabha. After this initiative from her side, some interesting changes can be seen.

The proceedings of Lok Sabha underway during Budget Session of Parliament, in New Delhi on Tuesday. —PHOTO BY PTI

Congress MPs stage a protest over various issues including the Adani stocks issue, at Parliament, on Tuesday. —PHOTO BY ANI

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao addressing joint meeting of the BRS Parliamentary Party, Legislature Party and the State Executive, in Hyderabad recently. —FILE PHOTO

CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS IN BHOPAL GAS TRAGEDY CASE

Tragedy claimed over 3,000 human lives and caused huge environmental damage...

m DEC 2-3, 1984: Leakage of toxic Methyl Isocyanate (MIC) gas from the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal.

m DEC 3, 1984: Police register FIR. Arrests Union Carbide India Ltd (UCIL) employees, including Jai Mukund (Works Manager), Satya Chaudhary (Asst Manager), KV Shetty (Plant Supdt) and others.

m DEC 6, 1984: Case transferred to CBI.

m DEC 7, 1984: Chairman of UCIL Warren M Anderson, Chairman of UCIL Keshub Mahindra and Managing Director of UCIL Vijay Prabhakar Gokhle arrested.

m DEC 7, 1984: Warren Anderson released on bail upon a promise to return.

m DEC 9, 1984: CBI takes over the investigation.

m FEB 1985: Indian govt files claim for USD 3.3 billion from UCIL in US court.

m MAR 29, 1985: The Bhopal Gas Leak Disaster (Processing of Claims) Act, 1985 passed.

m MAY 12, 1986: US District Court Judge Keenan transfers all Bhopal litigations to India.

m NOV 30, 1987: CBI files charge sheet in the CJM court, Bhopal, charging the accused under section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and other charges.

m DEC 1987: CBI files charge sheet against Anderson and others on charges of culpable homicide.

m DEC 1, 1987: CJM, Bhopal issues summons against Anderson.

m NOV 15, 1988: CJM, Bhopal issues bailable warrants against Anderson.

m FEB 1992: Anderson declared fugitive by court.

m APR 10, 1992: Bhopal court issues Non-Bailable Warrant against Anderson.

m JUNE 22, 1992: Bhopal CJM commits the case to the Sessions court against the rest of the nine accused.

m NOV 1994: Despite petitions by survivors, the

Stalin seeks PM’s help for release of TN 16 fishermen from Sri Lanka

Chennai (Agencies):

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene in the release of 16 fishermen from Tamil Nadu who were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy.

In a letter to the PM on Tuesday, the Tamil Nadu CM requested him to initiate diplomatic steps to ensure the release of the fishermen.

“This is the third incident of attack/arrest of Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan nationals/Navy within a month and as you are aware, these fishermen are solely dependent on their fishing activity for livelihood and such frequent incidents shatter the livelihood of poor fishermen and also cre-

ate fear psychosis in the minds of poor fishermen from Tamil Nadu.”

He said that 102 fishing boats are in the custody of the Sri Lankan Navy as of date and added that six fishing boats that were released by Sri Lanka are yet to

CRUCIAL READ

be repatriated to India.

Stalin, in the letter, requested the Prime Minister to initiate “necessary diplomatic steps to secure the early release of all 16 fishermen and 102 fishing boats that were apprehended by the Sri Lankan Navy.”

The Chief Minister also recalled his earlier letters addressed to the Union External Affairs minister who had taken up the matter with the Sri Lanka government and despite all the efforts such incidents are continuing.

Chennai: The fishermen association affiliated with the Congress party, All India Fishermen Congress will conduct a protest march in Delhi in April against the Sea Cucumber fishing ban. The Centre banned fishing of Sea Cucumber in 2001 citing it as an endangered species. The fishermen are demanding to lift the ban on fishing this species. Notably, there is almost one case registered on a daily basis on smuggling of Sea Cucumber from India, especially from the Ramanathapuram coast. The farmers urged the Central govt to lift the ban so that the sale of Sea Cucumbers increases, fetching good profits for fishermen.

Supreme Court allows Union Carbide to sell its stake in UCIL to McLeod Russell (India) Ltd of Calcutta.

m SEPT 13, 1996: SC on plea of accused dilutes the charges framed against them by the trial court and upheld by MP High Court.

m MAY 2003:Indian govt formally conveys to the US its request for extradition of Anderson.

m MAY 2004: A US court says it could order Dow Chemicals to clean soil and ground water in the

abandoned factory site if the Indian government provides a no objection certificate.

m JUNE 2004: The US rejects request for Anderson’s extradition.

m OCT 26, 2004: The Supreme Court sets deadline of November 15 to pay out the rest of USD 470 million paid by Union Carbide as compensation.

m JUNE 7, 2010: After more than 25 years, Bhopal CJM holds guilty all 8 accused and sentences them to two years of jail term. All

convicts were granted bail.

m FEB 28, 2011: The Supreme Court decides to hear on day-to-day basis Centre’s plea for restoration of culpable homicide charge.

m MAY 23, 2011: Delhi court allows CBI plea seeking to extradite Anderson from the US.

m APRIL 13, 2011: The Supreme Court questions delay in filing the curative petition.

m MAY 11, 2011: The Supreme Court dismisses CBI’s curative petition but leaves it to Sessions court to consider strict charges against the accused persons.

m JAN 12, 2023: The Supreme Court reserves verdict on Centre’s curative petition seeking enhancement of compensation to victims.

m MARCH 14, 2023: The Supreme Court dismisses Centre’s curative petition seeking enhancement of compensation to victims.

New Delhi (Agencies): India has emerged first responder in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) at global level, said Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, in his virtual message to a Workshop on Humanitarian Assistance, Disaster Relief, Risk Mitigation and Disaster Resilience rganized under the aegis of Integrated Defence Staff (IDS), Ministry of Defence today on 14th March, 2023 at New Delhi. The workshop was organized as part of India’s Chairmanship of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and was attended by speakers from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Belarus, Mongolia, Pakistan and China along with speak-

er from Russia in the virtual mode.

“In keeping with our cultural beliefs of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – the whole world is one family, India has been playing an important role in providing HADR in the region and beyond”, he added, citing the instances such as Operation Maitri – rescue operations during earthquake in Nepal, Assistance to Sri Lanka

in 2016 during Cyclone Roanu, earthquake in Indonesia in 2018, flooding in Madagascar in January 2020, Supply of Vaccines during the COVID 19 pandemic etc. He further said that timely launch of Operation Dost following the recent earthquake in Turkiye is a testimony to India’s willingness to extend help to all possible corners of the globe.

UP: 5

KILLED, 9 INJURED

IN AGRA LUCKNOW EXPRESSWAY ACCIDENT

Firozabad: In a tragic incident on Tuesday, five people including a woman were killed while nine others in a collision between two four-wheelers on the Agra Lucknow Expressway, the police said. An ambulance on its way also collided with the car and leaving those inside it injured, they added. “The accident happened near pillar number 48 of the Agra Lucknow Expressway, near Thana Nasirpur area,” said Ravi Ranjan, District Officer, Firozabad.

Terrorist held in J&K’s Sopore district

Over 900 Omicron sub-variants detected in last 4 months: Govt

‘Vibrant Prog’ for border villages’ development

27-YR-OLD TRICHY

9

HELD IN T’GANA STATE PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION EXAM PAPER LEAK CASE

Hyderabad: Hyderabad police arrested nine people in Telangana State Public Service Commission’s (TSPSC) public examinations question paper leak, officials said on Tuesday. Police said, “Based on the complaint given by Assistant Secretary of TSPSC on March 11, a case was registered. On March 13, the Commissioner’s Task Force and Central Zone team apprehended nine persons accused of stealing and leaking TSPSC’s Assistant Engineer (AE) Exam Question Papers.”

TEACHERS’ SCAM: TMC EXPELS KUNTAL GHOSH, SANTANU BANDOPADHYAY

Kolkata: West Bengal’s ruling TMC on Tuesday expelled youth leaders Kuntal Ghosh (R) and Santanu Bandoopadhyay (L), both arrested in the multi-crore teachers’ recruitment scam in the state. This the second time that TMC has taken such a step in the matter since the central agencies started probing scam. Last July, the party stripped former state Education Minister and Secretary General, Partha Chatterjee of all his ministerial and party portfolios a week after his arrest by ED.

Srinagar: Security forces in Sopore arrested an active terrorist, an official said on Tuesday, adding arms and ammunition were also recovered from him. The terrorist has been identified as Owais Ahmad Mir. Based on specific input regarding the presence of a terrorist in Madina Bagh Moh at Dangerpura area, a joint cordon and search operation was launched by Sopore Police and the Army (22RR).

New Delhi (PTI): Omicron and its sub-lineages are the dominant SARS-CoV-2 variants in India, the govt informed Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

During the last four months, more than 1900 Omicron sub-variants have been detected among the samples analysed by the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) across the country, Minister of State for Health Bharasti Pravin Pawar said in a written reply.

Given the emergence of

MAN DIES WITH COVID SYMPTOMS

variants of Covid-19 virus with variable transmissibility and their possible health implications, INSACOG network laboratories conducts whole genome sequencing of samples for detection of mutant variants of the virus.

Chennai: The sample of a 27-year-old man who died with Covid symptoms in Trichy has been sent for testing to check for the presence of H3N2 virus, officials said on Tuesday. The victim was a resident of Trichy and worked in Bengaluru. Recently, he had gone on a vacation to Goa with his friends, where he fell sick and returned to Trichy on a flight on March 9. He died at GBR private hospital in Trichy on March 10.

New Delhi (ANI): The central government has approved a centrallysponsored scheme ‘Vibrant Villages Programme’ for the comprehensive development of the border villages, said Minister of State for Home Affairs, Nisith Pramanik in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

The programme aims to develop the villages in 46 border blocks of 19 districts in four States and one Union Territo-

ry viz Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand and Ladakh (UT) abutting the northern border. A fund of Rs 4,800 crore has been allocated for the programme for the Financial Year 202223 to 2025-26.

39 of world’s 50 most polluted cities are in India: Report

New Delhi: The Swiss firm IQAir in its ‘World Air Quality Report’ released on Tuesday ranked India the world’s eighth most polluted country in 2022, dropping from fifth place the previous year. In the list of most polluted cities in the world, out of the 50 cities, 39 are in India.

Chad, Iraq, Pakistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Kuwait, India, Egypt and Tajikistan were the top 10 most polluted countries while Australia, Estonia,

Finland, Grenada, Iceland, and New Zealand met the World Health Organization (WHO) PM2.5 guideline (annual average of 5 Aug/m3 or less).

The data from 131 countries was taken from over 30,000 groundbased monitors, govt or non-govt operated.

In India, the transportation sector causes 2035 per cent of the PM2.5 pollution while other sources of pollution are industrial units, coalfired power plants and biomass burning.

After the two top most-polluted cities, Lahore in Pakistan and Hotan in China, Rajasthan’s Bhiwadi is in

THE ‘WORLD AIR QUALITY REPORT’

The report said that worldwide, poor air quality accounts for 93 billion days lived with illness and over six million deaths each year. As per report, 31 cities including 10 cities in Uttar Pradesh and seven in Haryana, have seen a steep percentage decline in pollution levels.

Delhi and New Delhi the capital. Both are in the top 10 and the infamous distinction of being the world’s most polluted capital goes to Chad’s N’Djamena.

third place and Delhi ranked fourth.

Delhi’s PM2.5 level is almost 20 times the safe limit, the report stated.

Delhi has so far been the most polluted capital in the world and the report made a distinction between ‘greater’

National Capital’s peripherals-- Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram and Faridabad have seen a decline in pollution levels. The report said that there is a 34 per cent decline in Gurugram to 21 per cent in Faridabad if compared to the average PM2.5 levels reported in previous years.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin Prime Minister Narendra Modi

TN FISHERMEN RUE BAN AGAINST SEA CUCUMBER FISHING

“India is 1st responder in humanitarian aid globally”

CDS Gen Anil Chauhan addresses workshop on Humanitarian Assistance, Disaster Relief, Risk Mitigation & Disaster Resilience.

Kolkata was ranked the most polluted after Delhi.

business BRIEFS

GOLD CLIMBS `480 PER 10 GM; SILVER ZOOMS `2,150/KG

Govt to make India $5 tn economy

New Delhi: Gold prices climbed `480 to `57,380 per 10 grams in the national capital on Tuesday amid strong global trends, according to HDFC Securities. It ended at `56,900 per 10 grams on Monday. Silver also zoomed `2,150 to `66,900/kg. “Spot gold price in the Delhi markets was at `57,380/10 grams, up `480/10 grams,” Saumil Gandhi of HDFC Securities, said on Tuesday. In the overseas markets, gold and silver traded higher at $1,909/ounce and $20.80/ounce, respectively. —PTI

NTPC MULLS 5.4 MT COAL IMPORT IN 1ST

HALF OF 2023-24

New Delhi (PTI): The government on Tuesday informed the Rajya Sabha that it is taking steps to make India a $5 trillion economy earlier than the International Monetary Fund’s forecast year of 2026-27. The IMF's Outlook earlier said the size of the Indian economy will increase from $3.2 trillion in 2021-22 to $3.5 trillion in 2022-23 and cross $5 trillion in 2026-27.

"The government has been taking steps to make the country a $5 trillion economy at an early date,"

MoS for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary said. Observing that the outbreak of the COVID pandemic in 2020 and the Rus-

sia-Ukraine conflict in 2022 has impacted the world output, increased inflation in several countries and raised uncertainty in the

WPI inflation eases to over 2-year low of 3.85% in February 2023

New Delhi: State-run power giant NTPC is planning to import around 5.4 million tonnes of coal to meet the supply shortage during the first half 202324 fiscal, Parliament was informed on Tuesday.

“NTPC is planning to import around 5.4 million tonnes of coal for its group stations to meet domestic coal supply shortage during the first half of Financial Year

2023-24,” Power Minister R K Singh said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. —PTI

JLR PARTNERS WITH TATA TECH FOR DIGITAL OVERHAUL

New Delhi (PTI): The wholesale price-based inflation declined to over two-year low of 3.85% in February on easing prices of manufactured items, fuel and power, even though food articles remained expensive.

This is the ninth straight month of decline in the rate of wholesale price-index (WPI) based inflation.

The WPI inflation was 4.73% in January and 13.43% in February, last year. "Decline in the rate of inflation in February 2023 is primarily contributed by

OTHER STORIES

fall in prices of crude petroleum & natural gas, nonfood articles, food products, minerals, computer, electronic & optical products, chemicals & chemical products, electrical equipment and motor vehicles, trailers & semi-trailers,"

MOST APAC FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS NOT TO BE IMPACTED BY US BANK FAILURE: MOODY’S

New Delhi: Most Asia Pacific financial institutions are not exposed to the failed US banks and are not as susceptible to large losses from debt security holdings as Silicon Valley Bank was, Moody’s said on Tuesday. On March 12, US regulators closed Signature Bank, just two days after shutting Silicon Valley Bank, following mass withdrawals of customer deposits from these regional banks. Moody’s Investors Service said these events are likely to result in a tightening of liquidity in debt markets globally as investors grow wary. —PTI

the commerce and industry ministry said on Tuesday. The 3.85% WPI inflation is the lowest since January 2021, when the rate of price rise on wholesale basis was 2.51%.

The decline in the rate of price rise was mainly due to a favourable base effect, economists said, adding that going forward, softening commodity prices would help ease WPI inflation further. However, the future course of food inflation would depend on weather related conditions and timely monsoon.

FB parent Meta slashes another 10,000 jobs

New York (PTI): Facebook parent Meta is slashing another 10,000 jobs and will not fill 5,000 open positions as the social media pioneer cuts costs.

First India chip fab set to be launched soon

world economy, he said, "lower uncertainty in the global economic outlook will help India become a $5 trillion-dollar economy earlier".

Some of the important measures taken by the government in the past to boost economic growth include the making of the National infrastructure pipeline of projects, push to capital expenditure, implementation of the PLI scheme, finalisation of the National Monetization Pipeline of public sector assets and formulation of

National Logistics policy.

The minister further said that capital expenditure will be speeded up by PM Gatishakti for integrated planning of infrastructure and synchronised project implementation across all concerned central ministries, departments and state governments.

The Union Budget 202324, Chaudhary said, “further sustains the growth momentum with an increase in capital investment outlay for the third year in a row by 33% to `10 lakh crore (3.3% of GDP)”.

AIR INDIA PARTNERS WITH SALESFORCE

New Delhi (FIB): Air India on Tuesday announced partnership with Salesforce to transform its customer service technology stack.

Through their work with Salesforce, Air India will be able to optimize the customer experience across all key touchpoints. By working with Salesforce, Air India’s customer-facing staff across all touchpoints will be empowered with a unified data platform for its customers and AI-assisted tools to excel in every customer interaction.

The technology being deployed from Salesforce will allow Air India to track customer interactions across its contact centre, mobile, web, chatbot, email, social media and other channels to provide a single source-of-truth of customer asks.

New Delhi (PTI): The first semiconductor fab will be announced in a few weeks, and India is poised for a vibrant chip industry in the next 3-4 years on the back of enabling policies and the government's firm commitment towards growing the manufacturing ecosystem, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Tuesday.

Today, 99% of mobile phones used here are made in India. This is in stark contrast to the situation 10 years ago when out of 100 phones, as much as 99% were imported, the Minister for Electronics and IT said. "And now the ecosystem is also shifting to the country. When it comes to mobile phone manufacturing India is number two in manufacturing, and number three in exports," the minister said.

To spur the supply side, major initiatives have been undertaken by the Centre, including a sharp focus on promoting the ecosystem and ensuring a clearly laid out policy framework that is stable and consistent.

Markets fall for fourth day on the trot; Sensex sinks below 58,000

New Delhi: Tata Motorsowned Jaguar Land Rover on Tuesday said it is partnering with Tata Technologies to accelerate its digital transformation. As part of the collaboration, Tata Technologies will deliver end-to-end integrated ERP to transform Jaguar Land Rover’s manufacturing, logistics, supply chain, finance and purchasing modules by bringing data and knowledge from multiple departments into one single source. The first phase will include JLR UK core production facilities, with solutions subsequently deployed to other global locations. —PTI

DEALS PLUNGE BY 60% TO $1.8 BILLION IN FEBRUARY 2023

IPPB WANTS TO CONVERT ITSELF TO UNIVERSAL BANK: CEO

New Delhi: India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) wants to convert itself to a universal bank as the vast network of post office branches would help in achieving financial inclusion, its MD and CEO J Venkatramu said on Tuesday. He said when the IPPB started operations in 2018, 80% of the transactions would happen in cash. However, with technology adoption, presently only 20% of the transaction happens in cash and 80% digitally. —PTI

FRAGRANCE & FLAVOUR INDUSTRY TO TOUCH OVER $5 BN IN 3-4 YRS

Kolkata: The fragrance and flavour industry of the country is likely to grow around 12% each year and touch over $5.2 billion in three to four years, FAFAI said. This growth will be driven by factors like rising disposable incomes and changing consumer preferences. “The fragrance and flavour industry is growing very fast in the country. The present size of the industry is $3.7 billion in the country”, FAFAI official said. —PTI

OVER A PERIOD OF FIVE YEARS

New Delhi: The deepening funding winter that the startups face and the near dry-up of IPOs singed the deal street as the total value of deals plunged by 60% to $1.8 billion in February. According to Grant Thornton, the industry saw just 89 deals worth $1.8 billion in February, which is 60% lower than the year ago period in value terms and down by 54% y-o-y as investors continued to tread cautiously amid macroeconomic uncertainties. —PTI

The company said on Tuesday it will reduce the size of its recruiting team and make further cuts in its tech groups in late April, and then its business groups in late May.

“This will be tough and there’s no way around that,” said CEO Mark Zuckerberg. “It will mean saying goodbye to talented and passionate colleagues who have been part of our success.”

The Menlo Park, California, company has invested billions of dollars to realign its focus on the metaverse. The company announced 11,000 job cuts in November.

Mumbai (PTI): Benchmark BSE Sensex declined nearly 340 points to close below the 58,000 level on Tuesday, marking its fourth straight day of losses as auto, IT and financial stocks wilted amid concerns over the fallout of failure of two US-based banks.

The 30-share BSE Sensex fell 337.66 points or 0.58% to settle at anew five month low of 57,900.19.

The broader NSE Nifty declined 111 points or 0.65% to end at a five-month low of 17,043.30, with 38 of its scrips ending in the red. M&M was the biggest loser in the Sensex pack, declining nearly 3 per cent, followed by TCS, Bajaj Finance, Wipro, Kotak Bank, Tech Mahindra, HCL Tech and Tata Motors.

VW to invest $193 billion to meet EV target

New Delhi (FIB): Volkswagen plans to invest $193 billion over the next five years in areas including battery production and its North American operations, it said on Tuesday, though the pace of spending will fall from 2025.

The investments come as Volkswagen tries to close a gap with electric vehicle (EV) pioneer Tesla by expanding its slice of the growing market for battery-powered cars.

As it works toward a target of EVs accounting for 50% of its sales globally by 2030, over two-thirds of the

five-year investment budget is allocated towards electrification and digitalisation, up from 56% in a five-

MAJOR HIGHLIGHTS

z The investments come as Volkswagen tries to close a gap with EV pioneer Tesla by expanding its slice of the growing market for batterypowered cars

z The difference from the previous plan is primarily down to more investment in its battery business, raw materials

` FALLS 26 PAISE TO 82.49 AGAINST DOLLAR

Mumbai (PTI): The rupee declined by 26 paise to 82.49 (provisional) against the US dollar on Tuesday amid stronger dollar, negative sentiment in the domestic equity market and unabated foreign fund outflows. At the interbank foreign exchange, the domestic unit opened lower at 82.27 against the dollar and traded between the range of 82.24 and 82.50 during intra-day. It finally settled at 82.49 (provisional) against the American currency. This is the second consecutive day of decline in the Indian currency. On Monday, the rupee settled at 82.23 against the US dollar.

VIA E-AUCTIONS

FCI to sell 10.13 lakh tn of wheat to bulk users

New Delhi (PTI): Stateowned FCI plans to sell 10.13 lakh tonnes of wheat to bulk consumers in the sixth round of e-auction to be held on Wednesday as part of the government's measures to check wheat and atta prices.

year plan it had released a year earlier.

The difference from the previous plan is primarily

down to more investment in its battery business, raw materials, and a $2 billion plant for the Scout brand.

The Centre has announced the sale of 50 lakh tonnes of wheat in the open market to control prices. Of this, 45 lakh tonnes have been earmarked for bulk consumers, including flour millers. Food Corporation of In-

dia (FCI) has sold 28.85 lakh tonnes of wheat to bulk consumers in the five rounds of e-auction held so far. According to a senior official, FCI will offer 10.13 lakh tonnes of wheat to bulk consumers in the sixth round of e-auction to be held on March 15.

‘AT AN EARLY DATE’

400 cops raid premises of history-sheeters, 1 held

Police

seize `44 lakh, 4 cars, other 22 vehicles, weapons, 18 phones etc.

First India Bureau

Jodhpur: In a joint operation by Jodhpur

Commissionerate and Pali Police, nearly 400 policemen on Tuesday morning raided the premises of historysheeter Jhabbar Singh and his brother Bhanwar Singh in the Manihari area of Pali district.

Police informed that the raids were carried out to arrest the three accused involved in the killing of Suresh Singh during police custody.

“Nearly Rs. 44 lakh, four luxury cars, 22 vehicles, sharp weapons, 18 mobiles, illegal liquor, sim cards, two JCB, one Hitachi, four dumpers, seven trac -

ACB

BRIBE

tors and other belongings of Jhabbar Singh and his brother Bhanwar Singh were seized during the raids.

According to the information, the three ac-

Jhalawar: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Tuesday arrested a sarpanch in Jhalawar while accepting a bribe of Rs. 3 lakhs. Police informed that Rambabu Meghwal, sarpanch of gram panchayat Dev Nagar of Jhalawar district, demanded a bribe to pass the bills of the contracting firm. “The complainant stated that construction work was done in Dev Nagar gram panchayat by his firm. However, the sarpanch was demanding a bribe of 7% of total payment to pass the bills. The actual bribe amount was Rs. 3.22 lakh,” police said. “The complaint was verified and a trap was laid. The sarpanch was held red-handed,” police added.

EX-GRATIA OF `8 LAKH TO KIN OF YOUTH KILLED BY SAND MAFIA IN RAJSAMAND

cused, Bharat Singh, Ajay Pal Singh, and Himanshu Meena, were hiding in the premises of Jhabbar Singh. However, the accused managed to flee during

21-year-old girl kidnapped & gangraped in Barmer

Mukesh Mathrani

THREE ACCUSED WERE HIDING IN THE PREMISES

According to the police, the three accused, Bharat Singh, Ajay Pal Singh, and Himanshu Meena, were hiding in the premises of Jhabbar Singh. However, they managed to flee during the raids. According to the information, nearly Rs. 44 lakh, four luxury cars, 22 vehicles, sharp weapons, 18 mobiles, illegal liquor, sim cards, two JCB, one Hitachi, four dumpers, seven tractors and other belongings of Jhabbar Singh and his brother Bhanwar Singh were seized during the raids.

the police raids.

“The Ratanada police have arrested Jhabbar Singh, who is being interrogated,” a police official associated with the case said.

Accessible & affordable education to all: Mishra

Barmer: A 21-year-old girl was allegedly kidnapped, assaulted and gang raped in Barmer district. The ghory incident has been reported from the Dhorimanna police station area in Barmer.

Police said that after the incident, the accused had left the victim at an isolated location & fled.

On Monday the victim approached the police along with her family members and lodged the case. She alleged that accused Ramesh Kumar and Sunil Bishnoi have kidnapped, assaulted and gang raped her. On basis of the complaint, police have lodged the case under section of kidnapping, assault and gang-rape.

Bhanwar S Charan

Kota: Governor Kalraj Mishra on Tuesday said that every possible effort should be made to make affordable education accessible to every section of society through the distance education system.

Addressing the 15th convocation ceremony of Vardhaman Mahaveer Open University Kota, he said that the

Ajmer Dairy increases milk prices

Shubham Jain

Ajmer: Chairman of Ajmer Saras Dairy, Ramchandra Chaudhary, on Tuesday said that to provide relief to cattle owners, milk producers will be paid a purchase price of Rs 9 per fat from April 1.

While addressing a press conference, Ramchandra Chaudhary informed that one lakh

cows will be purchased from Haryana, Gujarat and Punjab and a loan of up to 4% will be giv-

en to cattle owners, whose guarantee will be taken by Ajmer Dairy.

“The 49th Dairy In -

dustry Conference will be held from March 16 to 18 in Gandhinagar of Gujarat.

“Dairy federations from across India and other countries will also participate in the conference and discuss problems being faced in the dairy industry along with suggesting innovations in this field,” said Ajmer Saras Dairy Ramchandra Chaudhary.

importance of distance education is increasing and at the time of the corona pandemic, the centers of distance education were helping the students sitting at home through online books and video lectures.

“In higher education, we have to lay emphasis on socially useful research standards,” he said. Mishra also said that in addition to general courses in distance

education, more emphasis should be laid on teaching vocational and professional courses so that unemployment can be removed through this education.

He said students with technical knowledge should create jobs with their new ‘startups’ and students doing vocational courses should get suitable jobs so that the concept of self-reliant India can be realised.

MODERNISING SYSTEM

CM grants `28 cr for new RSSB bldg

First India Bureau

Rajsamand: After the protest that lasted for 9 hours after a youth was crushed to death, a settlement took place between the police administration and the protestors. After the assurance of the District SP, the relatives undertook the body of the deceased. Earlier, after a dispute over stopping the mining work in a field, the gravel mafia brutally killed a youth named Manish Paliwal by crushing him with a tractor. But finally, the District Collector and the SP reached the spot and held talks with the relatives. Most of their demands were met, which include a contract job to the wife of the deceased, action against the accused, investigation by higher officials, Rs 8 lakh compensation, and other benefits. —Ashish

Udaipur Collector Meena reviews preparations for G20 meeting

One woman among 8 killed in separate road accidents in Rajasthan

Illegal cultivation of opium on rise in Barmer, over 178 plants seized

Mukesh Mathrani

Choudhary

YOUNG MAN SHOT DEAD IN BROAD

Ajmer: A young man died on the spot in the firing in broad daylight in a land dispute in the Sardar-Singhki-dhani area on Tuesday. The sensation spread in the area after the incident of firing in broad daylight. As soon as the information about the firing was received, the police reached the spot and took Ashok Yadav injured in the firing to the Government Yagyanarayan Hospital, where the doctors declared the youth dead. Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Tuesday targeted the state government over the deteriorating law and situation in Rajasthan. The police teams are collecting evidence from the spot.

First India Bureau

Udaipur: The G-20 meeting will be held at Lake City in the coming days. To ensure the smooth hosting of the mega event, the district administration is on high alert. Regarding the meeting, District Collector Tarachand Meena visited the city on Tuesday and took stock of the preparations. The collector visited the airport road from the meeting place and gave necessary guidelines to the departmental officers.

Churu (FIB): In an appalling accident on Agra-Lucknow Expressway in Sujangarh, five people were killed. Four youths of Tada village of Sujangarh died tragically in the accident after an EcoSport car rammed over and killing them on the spot.

All four youths were standing on one side of the expressway. Apart from the death of four youths, a woman in the car also died. The deceased have been identified as Babulal, Kailash, and Nemichandand Rakesh.

All four dead belong to the same family. The four youths were returning from Gorakhpur after attending a relative’s wedding. The Nasirpura police reached the spot after the accident.

3 OF FAMILY DIE AS TRACTOR HITS BIKE IN JHALAWAR

Jhalawar (PTI): Three members of a family were killed after their motorcycle was hit by a tractor-trolley in Aklera town of Jhalawar district on Tuesday. Amarlal Bairwa (55), his brother Shrilal (50) and cousin Phoolchand (62), all residents of Tokra village were killed in the accident, said Laxmi Singh SHO at Aklera police station. The motorcycle was in the service lane when the driver of the tractor lost control of the vehicle and crashed into the trio, he said. Amarlal was killed on the spot while 2 others succumbed to injuries, he added.

146TH ASSEMBLY MEETING OF IPU PARLIAMENT IN BAHRAIN

Diya Kumari makes appeal for gender parity

First India Bureau

Jaipur: Rajsamand MP

Diya Kumari made a global appeal for gender parity for women’s representation in highlevel international bodies. She said there was not enough women representation even in the United Nation General Assembly.

She is a member of the Standing Committee on UN Affairs. Elaborating further, the Rajsamand MP said that

women empowerment and including them in decision-making is the

most effective way to ensure equitable and sustainable develop-

ment across the globe. She further said that under the leadership of

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Government of India has moved women empowerment to the phase of womenled development.

She also said that it is her firm belief that gender equality cannot be achieved without bringing changes in attitudes, mindsets, institutions, and legal frameworks. As a parliamentarian, she said Governments across the globe should have a workforce that reflects gender balance.

Barmer: Along with drug smuggling, smugglers in Rajasthan’s Barmer district also have started illegal cultivation. In the past 2 weeks, police have seized over 800 opium plants that were illegally planted. In the latest development on Tuesday, Siwana police raided the field of Rajuram, a resident of Devpura Dharna. During the raid, police recovered around 178 opium plants and also recovered 80 grams of opium milk from his possession. Police have arrested Raju Ram and initiated a probe in the case. A case under NDPS Act was registered against him.

Jaipur: The new building of the Rajasthan Staff Selection Board will be ready soon. This building will be constructed in front of Aranya Bhawan in Jaipur’s Jhalana Institutional area on new plot number 4 in an area of 2684 sqm.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has approved Rs 28 crore for the construction

of the building. With the decision of the CM, record keeping of various recruitment examinations to be conducted by the board, organization of upcoming recruitment examinations and document verification of successful candidates will be facilitated.

The land has been allotted free of cost by the JDA and handed over to the Board.

CM APPROVES `9.50 CR FOR NEW GUEST HOUSE AT RPSC

Jaipur: There will be many development works on the campus for confidential preparations and successful operations for conducting examinations by Rajasthan Public Service Commission, Ajmer. A new guest house will be built from the point of view of subject experts coming for the interview. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has approved Rs 9.50 crore for the strengthening and modernisation of RPSC which will now have various works including the construction of a separate guest house.

Calendar for auction of major & minor mineral blocks to be made

Nirmal Tiwari

Jaipur: A quarterly calendar of the auction of blocks will be made in the financial year starting from April 1 while making an annual roadmap for the auction of major and minor mineral blocks in the state.

Along with deciding the action plan from preparation of the mining block to auction, effective arrangement and timely monitoring of the auction will also be ensured.A study of

es there can be adopted if found useful in the context of Rajasthan.

Dr

Subodh Agarwal, Additional Chief Secretary

Mines.

Odisha’s system will also be conducted by a team of high-level officials of the department so that the best practic-

Additional Chief Secretary Mines Dr. Subodh Agarwal held a review meeting and said that by adopting innovation, the department has started a series of virtual open dialogues every month regarding special minerals and arrangements so that all the officers of the department can have open discussions and share their experiences with each other.

A police team inspecting the seized cash, mobile phones and other material during the raid on Tuesday.

Rajsamand MP Diya Kumari with the delegates at the 146th assembly meeting at Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Bahrain.

Diya Kumari speaking at 146th assembly meeting in Bahrain.

Governor Kalraj Mishra and others at Vardhaman Mahaveer Open University in Kota on Tuesday.

ARRESTS SARPANCH FOR TAKING

OF `3 LAKH IN JHALAWAR

DAYLIGHT OVER LAND DISPUTE IN AJMER

Chairman Ajmer Saras Dairy, Ramchandra Chaudhary.

Motorcycle hit by a tractortrolley in Jhalawar on Tuesday.

RSSB building. —FILE PIC

Sunlight and shadows make a part of our life, and they teach us to take joy and sadness in our stride.

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

IIT, IIM, AIIMS HAVE COME UP IN RAJ, STATE IS NOW MEDICAL HUB: GEHLOT

Gehlot speaks at opening ceremony of Law College SU

President’s office

Youth Board has been formed at a cost of `500 crore, says CM Gehlot

Bharat Dixit

Jaipur: Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has announced to set up a synthetic track in Rajasthan University at a cost of Rs 6 crore. Gehlot attended the inauguration of the Law College Students’ Union President Himanshu Jeph’s office in Rajasthan University as the chief guest on Tuesday.

Addressing the program on this occasion, CM Gehlot said that the design of the NSUI flag was made by us in the year 1973. “We had targeted youth and students. Decisions have been taken accordingly. Leaking of paper brings defamation to the government, but this is happening all over the

country. Papers from army to court have been leaked. We had made arrangements from bus to food. The paper leak turned everything upside down. We brought laws to stop it. Sent those behind the leaks to jail. We are trying to secure your future. We want that the youth of Rajasthan should not be left behind in country. A medical college is being set up in every district. Knowledge is power. All educational institutions like IIT, IIM, AIIMS have

come up in Rajasthan, State is now a medical hub in country,” he said.

The Chief Minister further added, “Youth Board has been formed at a cost of 500 crores. Along with this, the govt is also working on the youth. Rajasthan is the state where treatment up to 25 lakhs has been started for the people. Mahatma Gandhi wanted that the last man should get the benefits of the schemes. The financial management of our government is excel-

CM reacts on RaGa’s issue in Parliament

First India Bureau

Jaipur: On Tuesday, CM Gehlot tweeted praising Rahul Gandhi’’s yatra through the state and across India.

“The journey that Rahul ji undertook, the way people blessed him in Rajasthan, was unmatched. This was the atmosphere in the whole country on the issue of inflation-unemployment, violence and tension. There should be love and brotherhood and the gap between the rich and the poor should not increase,” he said.

Workshop on Vastu: RHB to come up with vastu based projects

Shivendra Parmar

Jaipur: RHB Commis-

lent. Petroleum is being taken out in Rajasthan today and refinery is being built, which has become possible only because of efficient financial management. The promise made by the PM regarding ERCP has not yet been fulfilled.”

He also said that whenever he gets a chance to visit campuses, he feels good. “I believe that the ultimate victory comes only by fighting. Truth alone triumphs,” CM Gehlot added.

During the programme, Technical Education Minister Dr Subhash Garg raised the demand of the students and said that it has been a long time since the new Central Library was built in the University. “It was inaugurated by the CM gehlot himself, it should be opened 24 hours for the students. The government has started Indira Rasoi at various places in the state. I demand starting Indira Rasoi in the campus as well,” he said and also raised the point of installing CCTVs in the entire campus.

“What has not been raised by Rahulji here and picked up in london? Tell me. The NDA govt, Modiji himself, his warlord, called Rajnath Singh ji inside the parliament said that Rahul Gandhi should apologise. I would like to ask for what should he apologise? Starting propaganda about that personality in this way because they have no shortage of money. It has become a topic of discussion. The country is not going to fall for his words, people have understood his tricks,” he added.

sioner Pawan Arora said on Tuesday that the board will win the trust and confidence of the common people, along with maintaining quality. He said that special attention will be paid to Vastu Shastra in residential and commercial constructions to be made by RHB in future. Arora addressed the state level workshop organized on the topic ‘Vastu Shastra: Utility in Housing and Planning’ at Rajasthan Housing Board HQs ‘Awas

Bhawan’ on Tuesday. He said that the aim of the workshop is to remove misconceptions related to Vastu and increase acceptance of scientific & logical things.

“The Board has always constructed buildings keeping in mind the sentiments of the common man and the changing times and demands. In today’s era, the priority of common people is to buy Vastu based buildings. Keeping this thing in mind, I have discussed extensively with all the officers on Vastu Shastra,” Arora said.

On Tuesday, there was a crowd of people on the help desk throughout the day as a large number of people arrived to get information about the club 21. The RHB clarified that 'Those who have registered but have not paid, will not be considered for membership and registered people will have to pay by tomorrow to subscribe'. There is huge craze among people to subscribe to Club 21 which is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities and will become the new landmark of Jaipur.

Satyanarayan Sharma

Jaipur: Rajput leader and Karni Sena founder Lokendra Singh Kalvi, 68, passed away at a staterun hospital here on Tuesday. Several leaders remembered him a fine man and paid their tributes. His elder son Bhawani Singh lit the funeral pyre at his ancestral village, Kalvi, in Nagaur on Tuesday. Food and civil supplies minister

Pratap Singh Khachariyawas, RTDC chairman Dharmendra Rathore and other leaders paid

floral tributes to Kalvi.

Former CM Vasundhara Raje talked to Kalvi’s son over phone. Former Union Min CR Chaudhary turned emotional during the last rites of Kalvi. He said he lost his best companion today. “Lokendra Kalvi was my student when I was lecturer in Ajmer. Not only the Rajput community but the whole society lost a diamond,” he said.

First India Bureau

Jaipur : CM Ashok Gehlot has sanctioned Rs 38.62 crore for IT Day2023, which will be organised in Jaipur from March 19 to 21. The fest aims to enhance the skills of youth in the field of Information Technology (IT), to create employment opportunities and to find future possibilities. Activities related to IT will

be organised at Rajasthan College, Commerce College and JKK. The fest will also have live pitching sessions for startups along with panel discussions amongst renowned experts of the country.

Around 400 companies to take part in Job Fair with an objective to provide employment opportunities. Fair will be organised in premises of Commerce College.

Mustard, gram to be procured on MSP in Raj: Birla

First India Bureau

New Delhi/Kota: Mustard and gram will be procured in Rajasthan at support price. After a discussion between Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, the Central Govt has issued orders in this regard. The State Govt will

soon produce gram and mustard. In Rajasthan, especially in Hadoti, gram and mustard are cultivated in large quantities. At present, the market prices of both are running less than the support price.

In view of this, Om Birla was trying to get orders issued for the purchase of gram and mustard at the support

price. Birla and Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar held a discussion in this regard on Tuesday. According to the order issued by the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, 15.19 lakh metric tonnes of mustard and 6.65 lakh metric tonnes of gram will be procured in on the support price.

Bhati meets Vaishnaw, seeks railway rakes to transport coal to State

First India Bureau New Delhi: Rajasthan’s Energy Minister Bhanwar Singh Bhati on Tuesday met Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in Delhi and demanded to increase railway rakes for the transportation of coal to Rajasthan.

He said there is a great need for more railway rakes for ensuring adequate coal transportation for coal based power plants in the state. Bhati said that the number of railway rakes currently being received in Rajasthan is not sufficient and it should be increased as per the demand. He said that demand for electricity increases to a great extent during the summer season and to deal with such a situation, there should be adequate supply of coal at the power plants.

Statements of 3 people recorded in Shekhawat’s defamation case

First India Bureau

Rajendra Chhabra

Jaipur: If the police conducted investigation with its potential and with utmost responsibility towards society, then even the biggest criminals can get caught and the biggest cases can get solved. In this regard, the Kota police has conducted an exemplary action.

On 26th February, a major theft was conducted in a museum affiliat-

ed with the erstwhile Kota royal family wherein the thieves fled with ancient and rare artworks, as a result of which, the entire city was shocked. This event posed to be a major challenge before the cops. But the local police took up the challenge and within just eight days of the crime, busted an inter-state gang while arresting two men from Ghaziabad. This arrest can be

termed as good luck of Kota resident and of the royal family too that the post of Kota city SP, which was vacant for 40 days, was filled merely twelve days prior to the incident as IPS Sharad Chowdhary was posted there. And soon after taking reins, Chowdhary displayed his ability, commitment and policing acumen.

It can be imagined that had the theft occurred while the SP’s

chair was vacant, what impact it would have had on the locals and the police as well. Perhaps it is a good omen that the state government posted

Chowdhary to Kota who has served as Kota rural SP in the past from July 2020 to October 2021 during which he learnt about the criminal realm

of Kota region. This information came in handy in the theft case. The SP created a team of 45 experienced cops who were tasked with studying the CCTV footage from 200 houses and 400 shops from Kota to Delhi. The cops were able to put the pieces together under the directions of the city SP and nabbed the men behind the theft from Ghaziabad within eight days. After joining RPS in

“At present, we have more than 165 rakes of coal lying at different sites but we are not able to deliver it to Rajasthan as of now because we are not getting coal rakes from the Railways,” he said. Bhati said that he discussed the issue with the Railway Minister and the minister has assured positive action in the matter. Principal Secretary— Energy Bhaskar A Sawant and Rajasthan’s Resident Commissioner in Delhi Dhiraj Srivastava were also present during the meeting in Rail Bhawan.

New Delhi: In the defamation case filed by Union Minister Gajendra Singh, statements of 3 people have been recorded in Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court so far. Apart from complainant Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, 2 other witnesses have recorded statements in favor of the complainant. Among the witnesses names of Harsha Pichara and Gajendra Singh Yadav have been included. Meanwhile, statements of other witnesses will be recorded in the case on Wednesday at 2.30 pm and after completion of all the statements, the matter will be heard by the court.

1986, Sharad Chowdhary was promoted to IPS in Sept 2019 and his first posting was in Barmer as district SP.

However, he courted controversy there when Nagaur MP Hanuman Beniwal made an issue of an incident that occurred in Baytu in Barmer on November 12, 2019. Beniwal had complained of breach of privilege in the Parliament for the delay in filing FIR. As a result of

this, the DGP, CS, special secretary of CMO and Barmer SP Sharad Chowdhary had to appear before the Parliament committee in Delhi several times. During these ‘hearings’ Chowdhary replied to all questions asked to him by a committee of 15 MPs for over 3 hours. The committee members were so impressed by Chowdhary’s performance that after ‘hearing’ they had tea with him.

EXPERIENCE AND THE WILL TO DO THE RIGHT THING GETS IPS CHOWDHARY IN CONTROVERSY, BUT GETS A PAT ON BACK AS WELL!

CM Ashok Gehlot shares a light moment at Rajasthan University as Mahendra Choudhary, Dr Subhash Garg and others laugh on Tuesday. —PHOTOS BY MUKESH KIRADOO

Ashok Gehlot being greeted during inauguration of student union office of Law College at RU on Tuesday. Also seen here are Mahendra Choudhary, Abhishek Choudhary, Himanshu Jeph and others.

Leaders, family turn emotional during Lokendra Kalvi’s last rites

IT Day-2023 fest in Jpr from Mar 19 -21

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla with Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar in New Delhi on Tuesday.

COUTURE SHOW 2023

TWINKLING STARS!

Tanya Dutta walked for designer Neelja. After this actress, Lisa Malik was seen doing the ramp walk for the Craft Council of Artisans and Weavers. Anirudh

Jaipur Couture Show felt bigger and busier than ever with a jam-packed schedule featuring a restorative mix of fashion collections. The second day of the three-day Jaipur Couture Show, presented by First India and Bharat24-Vision of New India organised at The Palace on Ajmer HighJagdeesh Chandra graced the occasion as the chief guest and congratulated Gaurav Gaur for his great endeavour.

He said "This is the 11th chapter of Jaipur Couture Show 2023 and with each passing year, the benevolence of the fashion show is

growing as the platform to showcase brilliant beauty and talent. We are happy to see the passion and enthusiasm in the participating beauties."

Renowned fashion designers from across the city showcased their collections on the second day of the show. Show Patron JD Maheshwari along with the show's founder Gaurav Gaur, directors Ajit Soni, PN Doody, Ankur Jain, Ronnie Sharma and Nakul Vijay were present. The second day of the show saw a host of Bollywood stars including Bigg Boss fame Tina Dutta, former Mr In-

dia Akash Chaudhary, actor and singer Liza Malik, Bell

Bottom film fame TV actor Anirudh Dave, Bollywood actress Mugdha Godse, The Expose film fame actress Zoya Afroz added to the charm of the show.

The show was inaugurated by designer Anup Choudhary where he made little kids walk the ramp in cute and colourful outfits.

Meanwhile, television celebrity Tina Dutta and former Mr India Akash Chaudhary were the showstoppers for the label Shivayu by Shivani and Aayush Soni.

In the subsequent sequence, actress and model Charvi

Dave, Gaurav Gaur and Akanksha Bhalla were the showstoppers for House of Skull Baba. Followed by an astonishing collection from Ankit Bagra, who showcased party gowns and robes embellished with soft satin and pure silk handwork on the concept bridesmaid theme. Model Sonakshi Channa was the showstopper for designer Daksh Design Studio in Bhubaneswar. Diva Mugdha Godse was the showstopper for renowned fashion designer Seema Kalavadia. Shweta Raje walked for Heena Belani. While Hashtag Blunt showcased the looks of summer makeup and hair trends, whose showstopper was Muskaan Moolchandani. Tanu Choudhary and Karanvig walk the ramp for Ruchi Pathak from Jaipur. The final walk of the second day was made memorable by actress Zoya Afroz's walk for designer Khushi Chauhan from Dehradun.

—PHOTOS BY SANTOSH SHARMA AND MUKESH KIRADOO

UTTKARSHA SHEKHAR uttkarsha.shekhar@firstindia.co.in

Jagdeesh Chandra with Muskan Mulchandani, Sheena Parashar, Kalpana Gupta and Soni Yadav

Showstopper Tina Dutta walks the ramp with desingers Ayush, Shivani, Akash, Yogesh, Nilanjana, Akanksha, Sumit, Tanu, Aastha, Mahima and Khushi

Gaurav Gaur

Clockwise: Tanu Choudhary, Muskan Mulchandani, Akanksha Bhalla, Shweta Raje and Zoya Afroz

With the continuous progress in the road infrastructure, we have a strong road network in the entire country now. More and more highways, state ways and rural roads are coming up in every state. The rural areas consisting of villages, fields and pasture lands are giving way to the highways that cut across the villages at times and mostly pass close to them. This has caused the lifestyles of the rural population to change with more vehicles being purchased and an increase in everyday mobility from the village to the city for work. The city dwellers too are witnessing the same changes with newer roads and huge flyovers cutting across their markets and living spaces. Sure enough, life has become easier and faster. Yet the almost sudden road infrastructure growth has catalyzed people’s aspirations, auto sales, lifestyles and mindsets in a big way. The rich buy faster and sleeker cars. SUVs and motorbikes are not a luxury any more for the middle class. Every teenager aspires to be a rider. With such drastic changes at every level, accidents specifically among the youth are increasing. The Global Status Road Safety Report and the multiple and exhaustive reports of the World Health Organisation tell us 5 to 29 years of young people die on roads due to multiple reasons, one most common being speed. Most gruesome deaths happen due to underage driving by kids that come from the rich, the middle and the poor class. The Global Report lists reasons

DRIVING? OF

for accidents that are fatal or have grievous, life-limiting injuries. Before we go on to understand the law about underage driving, it would be wise to understand the reasons leading to accidents. Young people love speed and are not able to manage speed if they are underage, unlicensed drivers. Underage teens do indulge in drink and driving and drug use at times and they are careless about seat belts and helmets. Distracted driving is common in teens. All these reasons are applicable to adult youth and even middle age groups too. Now to come back to the vital question of AGE and UNDER AGE.

India’s recently amended Motor Vehicle Act 2019 emphasizes un-

tend to 3 years along with a fine of 25, 000/rupees. It further says that such an underage driver will not be permitted to obtain a license till 25 years of age. Now the new laws as stipulated in the MVA are really scary and drastic. A sad fact is in India the laws come into existence yet their applicability remains very low and many times compromised. It is a very sad state of affairs for how can we forget the risk of dangerous and distracted driving when we allow our children under 18 years to drive? The result of accidents by underage drivers is predictably tragic for the child driver, the occupants in the car, and mostly friends of the car driver's child.

rible crash while his companions were injured seriously. Again on 9th February a 17-year-old driving a car crashed against a two-wheeler, a bike and an immobile car causing serious injury to a woman. Now as the law to makes it explicit, it’s the parents who perpetrate such accidents. How very short-sighted to think that handing over a vehicle to an underage is good fun for the child and is safe for him and safe for others.

I guess the price and the sleek looks of the car which is a status symbol for the family, make them go blind, insensitive and totally irresponsible. Public memory has not yet washed away the infamous case of an actor mauling labourers sleeping on the foot-

kind of psyche such parents and such adult perpetrators of crime have. Why should the law condone the guilty parents? Such human tragedies should make us stop and think. Such a lapse takes away the innocent lives of people on the road as well as the life of the juvenile driver too. Do we really want this happening to our child? Or to any other person? We all have to think and think hard about allowing underage driving is the result of a mindset, a psyche, an erroneous idea of the good life and status that results in deaths on the roads. No child and no human being should be losing their life because of the wayward thinking of certain parents. The right to safety on the roads is paramount for all.

DR. MRIDUL BHASIN Social Activist and Writer

NEW TATTOO

Deepika Padukone, the celebrated Bollywood star has created a massive stir on the internet with her stunning debut at the Oscar awards. The Pathaan actress attended the Oscars 2023 event as one of the presenters, to the much excitement of her fans and Indian film fanatics. As always, Deepika Padukone looked simply gor-

geous in her custom-made black Louis Vuitton gown, which she paired with signature diamond jewellery by Cartier. However, it is her new tattoo, which has now garnered the attention of netizens. The Bollywood diva, who shared some stunning pictures of her look for the Oscar 2023 event on her official Instagram handle, is seen flaunting

neck tattoo. Deepika Padukone got the name of her skincare brand, 82°E (a name that is inspired by the meridian that runs longitudinally through India) inked on the left side of her neck, just below her ear. The minimal yet pretty tattoo also represents Deepika’s personality - a rooted Indian woman with global appeal.

ANANYA exudes glam Super Stylish ACTOR

inkvilla Style Icon Awards Edition 2 is happening on 7th April 2023. All the AListers of the fashion industry will put their stylish foot forward at the event. And when we think of these stylish celebs, well, the well-deserving fashionistas get awarded the prestigious Style Icon of the Year Male (Reader’s Choice) and Style Icon of the Year Female (Reader’s Choice).

Since the nominations are already open, we take

TAMANNAAH

REFUTES DATING RUMOURS

Actor Tamannaah Bhatia and Vijay Varma’s equation has been the buzz of the town for some time now. He has used nicknames for her on his social media posts.

The Baahubali actress even revealed how she calls Varma “Tamatar” via an IG story. Now, the actress broke the silence on her romance rumours and dismissed them immediately.

Tamannaah and Vijay were first rumoured to be dating after a video of them kissing at a New Year’s Eve party went viral on the internet. While it has been months, the two stars did not comment on the rumours.

Refuting the rumours, during a recent interview the 33-yearold actress expressed how it has become a part and parcel of her life. Such gossip is always sparked when two people work together. She said, “We have done a film together. Such rumours keep going around. Clarifying all of them is just not necessary. I have nothing more to say about it.”

a look at the last year’s winner of the Super Stylish Actor (Female) Kiara Advani’s fashion sense. Whether it’s a film promotion or a casual day out, Kiara Advani is often snapped cutting a stylish frame. Her sense of style is subtle yet bold which makes her stand out. We have compiled a few of Kiara’s top looks over the last few years that will give you a glimpse of what to expect from the actress at this year’s award.

nanya Panday’s cousin Alanna Panday is all set to tie the knot with her longtime boyfriend Ivor McCary on March 16. The pre-wedding festivities kickstarted a few days ago, with a bridal shower, which was attended by Alanna’s brother Ahaan Panday, her cousin Ananya Panday and others. On Tuesday, Alanna Panday was spotted arriving with her mother Deanne Panday for her mehendi ceremony, which is being held at Sohail Khan’s

Ananya Panday looked breathtaking as she arrived wearing a beautiful pastel pink lehenga, paired with a golden off-shoulder blouse. She was seen posing with her mother Bhavana Pandey, who wore a pistachio green ethnic ensemble. Anurag Kashyap’s daughter Aaliyah Kashyap also arrived with her boyfriend Shane Gregoire, while bride-to-be Alanna Panday arrived with her mother Deanne at Sohail Khan’s residence. Alanna looked gorgeous in a green lehenga, while her mom wore a pastel pink lehenga.

KAREENA TWINS WITH TAIMUR

areena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan, the power couple of Bollywood, were seen jetting off to an undisclosed location with their sons, Taimur and Jeh Ali Khan on Monday morning. The family was spotted at the Mumbai airport along with the nannies in the early hours of Monday. Saif was seen walking with Taimur, Kareena walked alone and the nanny was seen holding little Jeh in her arms as he was sleepy.

In the video, Bebo was seen twinning with her little one Taimur. The mother-son duo wore white t-shirts and black pants styled with grey hoodies. On the other hand, Saif wore a casual t-shirt

paired with a blue overcoat and trousers. He also wore his flat cap to complete the airport look. Baby Jeh was seen covered with a white blanket-like cloth as he rested in his nanny’s arms.

Deepika Padukone Her post...

Kiara Advani

Tamannaah Bhatia

Kareena Kapoor Khan

Ananya Panday

ROYAL FASHION CONCLUDED!

Jagdeesh Chandra greeted by Gaurav Gaur. Also seen are Tanu, Aakriti, Khushi, Radhika, Akanksha, Hema, Deepika and Khushboo L-R: Disha, Tanu, Hina Mathur Radhika, Mona, Shubh Mathur, Varunavi, Ritu

The grand third day of the three-day Jaipur Couture Show, presented by First India and Bharat24-Vision of New India was organised at The Palace on Ajmer Highway on Tuesday. On the last day of the show, renowned fashion designers from across the city showcased their collections. Jagdeesh Chandra graced the occasion as the chief guest and motivated the participants with his encouraging words. Show Patron JD Maheshwari along with the show's founder Gaurav Gaur, directors Ajit Soni, PN Doody, Ankur Jain, Ronnie Sharma, and Nakul Vijay were present. On the concluding day of the show, Bollywood actress Chitrangada Singh did the show closing.

PROMOTING VARIOUS FORMS OF ART

CITY FIRST

BIRTHDAY BASH!

Mayo College Alumni

Artists (MAA) is organising an art exhibition from March 14 to 21 at the Welcome Art Gallery of Hotel ITC Rajputana. The exhibition was inaugurated on Tuesday by former student and actor Rahul Singh. Admiral Madhavendra Singh and the late Ramesh Mathur's wife, Renu Mathur were present as guests of honour on this occasion.

Rahul Singh praised the artists and their artwork and said that this event is a good initiative to encourage artists and provide them with a platform to showcase their art. Such events should be organised every year by Mayo Alumni.

Meanwhile, the organisers of the exhibition, former Mayo students, Dushyant Singh Naila and Hemendra Singh Vedsa, said that this event is being held in memory of former Mayo teacher, the late Ramesh Mathur, who was himself an artist and a former student of Mayo. Paintings made by him are also on

BLESSINGS & GREETINGS!

display at this exhibition. They further added that the purpose of this exhibition is to inspire, promote and support Mayo College artists through a platform. The exhibition features 24 artists displaying watercolours, pen and ink, acrylic on canvas, embroidery on canvas, charcoal, mixed media, and other forms of art.

HEALTH CAMP!

Jagdeesh Chandra paid a visit to Sach Bedhadak News Channel on Thursday. During the day, he inspected the studio and congratulated Vinayak Sharma, CMD of Sach Bedhadak for achieving a milestone in a short span. On the occasion, Vinayak Sharma also expressed gratitude towards him and said that he always gets guidance and inspiration from Dr Jagdeesh Chandra. According to Vinayak Sharma, the Channel will go on air before Rajasthan Day and promises to live up to the expectations of the viewers.

DURING THE DAY!

Women and Child Development Minister Mamta Bhupesh on Tuesday appealed for making the state free from cybercrimes at the Directorate of Women Empowerment. She said that realizing the difficulties faced during menstrual hygiene, IM Shakti Udaan Yojana has been implemented and sanitary napkins are being distributed free of cost to 1.51 crore adolescent girls and women in Rajasthan.

“The honorarium of Anganwadi workers has been increased by 45 per cent. The sex ratio of girls has increased to 947 in the state due to social awareness towards female foeticide,” said Minister Mamta Bhupesh. Similarly, Industries Minister Shakuntala Rawat said that many schemes for women’s welfare are being run by the government in the state. Calling upon women, she said that women can be benefited by joining the schemes of the Industries Depart and Directorate of Women’s Empowerment.

SKIT organised an Alumni Meet at Andaaz Bagh, Jagatpura on Saturday for the graduated students of 2004-2021 batches. The event was coordinated by the Alumni association of the institute. It turned out to be a grand evening with a presence of about 515 alumni who cherished their fond memories and experiences with their teachers and friends. The gathering was welcomed by the Chairman, Surja Ram Meel who congratulated all the alumni for making a mark in their lives.

Manipal University Jaipur (MUJ) in collaboration with Manipal Hospital organised a health camp in Begas, providing free healthcare services to the residents of the village. The health camp was part of the Manipal Foundation’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative and aimed to improve the health and well-being of the local community.

Swati and Naman, the new parents to baby girl Yanaira celebrated the Jalwa Ceremony with much fervour and enthusiasm at Goldstar, Bardia Colony, Jaipur on Tuesday. Jagdeesh Chandra reached to bless the newlyborn and congratulated the family members. Wishes poured in from family and friends. Yanaira is the grand-daughter of Chaman Mehta.

International Conference at JNU

CITY FIRST

Afive-day international conference on "Thermoelectrics and Materials" in collaboration with the Research Society of India Rajasthan was inaugurated at Jaipur National University in which experts from many countries including Canada and America participated on Tuesday. Prof PP Pradyuman graced the event as the chief guest whereas Prof NL Sharma was

Vosa Green Team won the title of ‘Vosa Sports Carnival - 2023’ Champion at the two-day sports carnival organised by Vidyashram Old Students Association (Vosa) on Sunday at Vidyashram Sports Ground.

the guest of honour. The conference was inaugurated by lighting the lamp by the guests including Dr Sandeep Bakshi, Chancellor of JNU and the invited dignitaries. On this occasion, Dr Bakshi said that this will be a lifetime achievement for all of you as well as will set the direction of a new future for the students. He said that open your mind to think because science or thought processes can’t happen without logical thinking.

CONGRATULATIONS!

The Nanakshahi New Year 555, commenced on 1 Chet, Tuesday, March 14. In celebration of the New Year, members of the Sukhmani Sewa society paath group 'Apni Mehar Kar' rendered 148,000 'Mool Mantra Jaap.' In the 'Ardaas' they prayed for everyone's prosperous future and world peace.

Holi Sneh Milan ceremony and annual elections were held in the colony on Sunday by the Saraswati Enclave Development Committee located at Agra Road, in which Suresh Kumar Gupta was unanimously elected as the president and Hetprakash Vyas as the publicity minister. During this, a new executive committee was also formed. Patron to Hanumant Singh, Rambabu Khandelwal, Ashok Goyal, Pradeep Gautam, Co-Patron to Jagdish Sharma, Omprakash Koolwal Senior Vice President, Mahesh Gupta, Vice President, Ankit Sharma, General Secretary, Vishal Sharma, Treasurer, Umashankar Khandelwal, Joint Secretary, Mahesh Sharma, Assistant Treasurer, Kamlesh Khandelwal, Organisation Minister, Vijay Sharma, Cultural Minister, Hemant Khandelwal, Spokesperson were also elected.

—PHOTOS BY SANTOSH SHARMA

—PHOTOS BY SANTOSH SHARMA

A Musical Tribute to lyricist Sahir Ludhiyanvi by Singer duo Dr Gaurav & Deepshikha Jain was organised by Raj.Urdu Academy & Jawahar Kala Kendra on Sunday.

and Riya Mona Gautam during the rampwalk

Rahul Singh, Madhvendra Singh, Dushyant Singh Naila and Hemendra Singh Vedsa with others during the lamp lighting ceremony

Jagdeesh Chandra with (L-R) Naman Mehta, Swati Mehta, baby Yanaira and Rajendra Ahuja Naman Mehta and Swati Mehta with newlyborn Yanaira

Glimpse from the exhibition

Jagdeesh Chandra with Vinayak Sharma and Srishti Sharma

Dr Sandeep Bakshi with others

Hetprakash Vyas Suresh Kumar Gupta

(R-L) Sreya Guha, Avani Lekhara, DN Pandey, Umesh Mishra, Mamta Bhupesh, Shakuntala Rawat, Krishna Poonia and Archana Sharma

The Holi Sneh Milan ceremony was celebrated by the Press Club organisation Chomu on Sunday. The members of the Press Club, along with their families, started the function by applying Tilak with Gulal. Press Club President Jitendra Rangey said that the Press Club aims to get its own building and allotment of residential colony for journalists in Chomu area. Various competitions were also organised in the programme. The winners of the competition were honoured by the members of the Press Club. On this occasion, Madan Bagra, the owner of MB Sweets, was honoured by the Press Club.