First India-Jaipur Edition-26th April 2023

INDIA SQUAD FOR WTC FINAL

The BCCI has announced a 15-man squad for the much-anticipated World Test Championship 2021-23 final on Tuesday. Rohit Sharma will lead a 15-man squad against Australia in the WTC final, which will be played from June 7 to 11 at the Oval in London.

ROHIT SHARMA (Captain) BATSMAN

SHUBMAN GILL BATSMAN C PUJARA BATSMAN

VIRAT KOHLI BATSMAN

AJINKYA RAHANE BATSMAN KL RAHUL (WK) BATSMAN

KS BHARAT (WK) BATSMAN

R ASHWIN ALL-ROUNDER

RAVINDRA JADEJA ALL-ROUNDER

AXAR PATEL ALL-ROUNDER

SHARDUL THAKUR BOWLER

MOHD SHAMI BOWLER

MOHD SIRAJ BOWLER

UMESH YADAV BOWLER

JAYDEV UNADKAT BOWLER

CBI FILES CHARGESHEET AGAINST MANISH SISODIA RAHUL GANDHI MOVES GUJARAT

New Delhi: The CBI on Tuesday filed a supplementary charge sheet against former Delhi deputy CM Manish Sisodia and three others in excise policy scam.

HIGH COURT

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday moved the Gujarat HC after a sessions court rejected his plea to stay his conviction in the “Modi surname” case.

CM YOGI RECEIVES DEATH THREAT, POLICE FILES FIR

Lucknow: UP CM Yogi Adityanath received a death threat over a call made to toll-free number 112. A case has been registered against caller named Rihan.

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WITH TOP BRASS HITTING STREETS, BJP’S POWER-PACKED DEVELOPMENT WORKS, CAMPAIGNS ARE WELL UNDERWAY

MEGA’ MODI BLITZKRIEG!

PM flags off Kerala’s first Vande Bharat Express train Modi lays the foundation stone of Digital Science Park

PM inaugurates the India’s first Water Metro in Kochi

KOCHI WATER METRO SETS SAIL, A FIRST FOR INDIA!

10 ISLANDS will be connected through KWM in and around the port city

Thiruvananthapuram:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday laid the foundation stone and dedicated to the nation various development projects worth more than Rs 3,200 crore at Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. Addressing gathering, Modi said that country has demonstrated resilience despite a challenging global environment, adding that

Kerala is a State of aware and educated people. Hardwork and humility of people here are part of their identity. Central govt lays emphasis on cooperative federalism. If Kerala develops, India will develop faster.

—Narendra Modi, Prime Minister

India is being seen as a “vibrant spot of development”.

DECEMBER 8, 1927 TO APRIL 25, 2023

Youngest sarpanch, youngest CM, oldest CM...

SAD patriarch Parkash Singh Badal passes away

Mohali: Former Punjab chief minister and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)

patriarch Parkash Singh Badal passed away at the age of 95 on Tuesday. The 95-year-old veteran politician was admitted to the Fortis Hospital in Mohali more than a week ago after he complained of uneasiness while breathing. The five-time former CM of Punjab was hospitalised in June last

Raj police nabs RECORD 9,000 culprits in a day

Shivendra Parmar

Jaipur: Continuing with its crackdown on criminals in the state, the State police held around 9,000 wanted and habitual criminals after late night raids on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday. The police made a record of arresting the maximum number of criminals in a day.

DGP Umesh Mishra said that the action was taken under Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s zero tolerance policy towards criminals. More on P3

year also following complaints related to gastritis and bronchial asthma.

PM Narendra Modi credited trust shown by the world towards India to a decisive govt at Centre that takes quick and firm decisions for welfare of nation, unprecedented investment made in strengthening and modernizing infra of India, investments made towards enhancing the skill set of the youth and finally the commitment of Centre towards Ease of Living and Ease of Doing Business. P6

SHAH PLEDGES TO END MUSLIM QUOTA, SAYS WILL GIVE IT TO LINGAYAT AND VOKKALIGAS

8 ELECTRIC hybrid boats included in the mega Metro project in starting

38 TERMINALS will be included overall in KWM including more than 78 electric boats

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said the BJP government in Karnataka would give quota to Lingayat and Vokkaligas. Earlier, the home minister had said the BJP had put an end to the Congress-initiated four per cent Muslim reservation in the state. Shah said providing reservations on the basis of religion was against the Constitution. More on P5

Wrestlers’ protest takes political colour; Apex Court intervenes

First India Bureau

New Delhi: Several politicians, including former Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda, and ‘khap’ leaders on Tuesday met with protesting wrestlers & extended their support.

Hooda, Udit Raj, another Congress leader, CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat, who was stopped from joining the stir by wrestlers in Jan, were welcomed by wrestlers, a day after they sought support from all leaders.

You will emerge victorious.

—Bhupinder S Hooda, Congress leader

WHY NO FIR AGAINST BRIJ BHUSHAN SHARAN SINGH, SC ASKS DELHI POLICE

Supreme Court bench of CJI DY Chandrachud and Justice

PS Narasimha said matter required intervention of SC and asked Delhi police to respond as to why FIR be not registered against Bhushan. “Issue notice. List it (for hearing) on Friday,” bench said. “The attitude of cops was shockingly rude towards complainants and this is a grave injustice and a clear violation of their basic human rights”, stated wrestlers in petition, adding, that they are being forced to run from pillar to post to get justice.

GEHLOT VISITS MEHANGAI RAHAT CAMPS

Other states will have

Naresh Sharma

Jaipur: Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday claimed that various welfare schemes launched by the Rajasthan government are being discussed all over the country today and reiterated that the central government should adopt them as well.

Gehlot visited Jaipur rural area and inspected Mehangai Rahat

`

20/PAX is the minimum ticket rate for a Kochi Water Metro boat journey

AFTER RECOVERY FROM COVID-19, RAJNATH TO JOIN CAMPAIGN TODAY

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will join the BJP’s campaign in Karnataka for the upcoming state Assembly polls from Belagavi and Bagalkote districts starting Wednesday, sources said.

SC holds Karnataka govt’s scrap Muslim quota order

First India Bureau

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday said Karnataka’s earlier regime granting 4% reservation to Muslims will continue to hold the field till May 9. The top court will hear the batch of petitions just on the eve

of the polling on May 10. The poll results will be declared on May 13.

CASE OF SAMESEX MARRIAGE SC entered day 4 of its hearing on a bunch of at least 15 petitions regarding the demand for marriage equality in India. P5

JOE BIDEN, 80 NOT OUT, AIMS TO WIN AND FINISH 2ND TERM AT 86

Washington: Americans face “exhausting” prospect of a Biden v/s Trump rematch in the 2024 US Presidential election after the incumbent President, 80, formally launched his bid for a second term. VP Kamala Harris, 58, will again be his running mate. He asked Americans to give him more time to ‘finish the job’.

to adopt Raj Govt’s public friendly schemes, says CM Gehlot

We have asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to give gas cylinders for `500. People should also get health insurance up to `25 lakh across country.

—Ashok Gehlot, CM

camps in Gram Panchayat Kaladera, Pachkodia, Bhojpura Kalan and Kalwar and took stock of the works and arrangements. “We have given gas

MALIS’ AGITATION:

MAN HANGS SELF FROM TREE

First India Bureau

cylinders for Rs 500. Every other government in the country is fed up with the Rajasthan government as now even they will have to give cylinders at a cheap price,” Gehlot said, adding that the scheme will prove to be good for the poor people of the country. He also underlined the importance of welfare schemes in light of current inflation rate.

Bharatpur: The body of a man belonging to the Mali community, which has been blocking the Jaipur-Agra NH here demanding a separate 12% quota, was found hanging from a tree near the protest site on Tuesday morning, police said. Police said body was found hanging from a tree 150 meters from the protest site. The man has been identified as Mohan Singh. Meanwhile, representatives held talks with CM Gehlot for more than an hour on Tuesday, after which the agitators had a positive response. P3

Bhupinder S Hooda meets Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat, Sangita Phogat and Bajrang Punia at Jantar Mantar, in Delhi on Tuesday.

Moni Sharma

PM Narendra Modi while flagging off the Thiruvananthapuram Central-Kasaragod Vande Bharat Express train from Thiruvananthapuram Central railway station in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday.

PM Narendra Modi being greeted by Ashwini Vaishnaw in presence of Guv Arif Mohammed Khan, CM Pinarayi Vijayan & Shashi Tharoor.

Amit Shah with Govind M Karjol, Murugesh R Nirani and other leaders during a public meeting in Theradal on Tuesday.

Parshuram Shakti Peeth to be inaugurated on Sept 10

Prez Droupadi Murmu is likely to be invited at the inauguration

First India Bureau

Jaipur: Vipra Foundation’s newly constructed six-storey building, Parshuram Shakti

Peeth, in Jaipur will be inaugurated on September 10. This was announced on Tuesday at the conclusion of Parshuram Jayanti week and Sankalp Sabha and Mahaarti organized at Birla Auditorium on the occasion of Shankaracharya Jayanti.

There will be a huge Shakti Sammelan during the inauguration, in which lakhs of Viprajans will gather from across the country. There will be an open discussion on various issues related to Brahmins airing the Sammelan. Vipra Foundation will also announce new programmes for

social upliftment.

National President of the organization, Radheshyam Sharma Guruji, while announcing to hand over the responsibility of chief convenor of Shakti Sammelan to senior journalist Gopal Sharma, said that President Draupadi Murmu is likely to be invited for the inauguration of Parshuram Shakti Peeth.

Choudhary tells Guv about his research on farmers’ income

First India Bureau

Jaipur: Retired IAS officer and chairman of the trial committee related to promotion cases in the state government, Khemraj Choudhary paid a courtesy visit to Governor Kalraj Mishra at Raj Bhavan on Tuesday.

During the meeting, he apprised Mishra about the findings of his research on the impact of cooperative dairy institutions on farmers’ income in Rajasthan. He said that due to the

BJP empowering women across country: CP Joshi

Aishwary Pradhan

Jaipur: BJP state President CP Joshi participated in Mahila Morcha workshop at the Jaipur BJP office on Tuesday. In the state-level migrant workshop, he said that BJP has done the work of giving reservation to women in every field.

“Today, Draupadi Murmu holds the post of President which symbolises woman power. After the arrival of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, work has been done to involve women in every scheme. For the first time in the BJP rule, the work of giving respect and empowerment to women has been done, but the opposite is being done in Rajasthan,” he said.

Joshi said that cases of atrocities and misconduct against women is increasing in Rajasthan.

JOSHI ATTACKS CM, SAYS GOVT TORTURING

PAKISTANI MIGRANTS IN JODHPUR

R eacting to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s claims of repeating the government, BJP state president CP Joshi on Tuesday said that Gehlot’s mind knows whether the government is repeating itself or not. He surrounded the government for breaking the houses of Pakistani migrants in Jodhpur and said that this has never happened in Rajasthan. “Houses cannot be demolished in Jodhpur without the permission of the Chief Minister. First, they were tortured in Pakistan. Now the state government is torturing here,” he told the media here.

PHED to prepare red list of erring firms

First India Bureau

NEWS DIGEST

untiring efforts of the milk producers, Rajasthan stood first in India in milk production in 2021-22 and by

Pilot getting survey done about his political future!

Yogesh Sharma

Jaipur: An interesting discussion is going on in political corridors of Rajasthan that former Deputy CM Sachin Pilot is getting a survey done about his political future and the responsibility of the survey has been given to a private company. According to the survey, three questions are being asked to

people i.e. Should Sachin Pilot continue in Congress? Should Sachin form his own party? Should Sachin join any other team? The survey report will reveal Pilot’s future!

strengthening the milk processing and marketing system in the state, the milk producers can be benefited more.

Jaipur: Finding negligence in Jal Jeevan Mission and other drinking water projects, a red list will be made of the firms that do not complete the project within the stipulated time. The firms included in this list will not only be withdrawn from the ongoing projects but will also be debarred from tenders for upcoming projects for a period of one to three years. These instructions were given in the review meeting of the department held on

Tuesday under the chairmanship of Additional Chief Secretary, Public Health Engineering, Subodh Agarwal. Representatives of contractor firms working on various mega

Exports from Rajasthan reached record level of `80,000 cr: Arora

First India Bureau Jaipur: Prominent industrial and commercial organizations and industrialists of the state came together at Hotel Hilton, Jaipur on Tuesday evening to discuss the ‘Export Growth and Future Strategy of Rajasthan’. Rajeev Arora, Chairman, REPC and RAJSICO, said that it is

a matter of great pleasure that there has been a significant increase in exports from Rajasthan

in the year 2022-2023. It is estimated that around Rs 80,000 crore have been exported.

projects also participated in the meeting through VC. He directed to prepare a list of projects with least progress made. “Firms will be given opportunity if

there is a reasonable reason for delay in the project, but those firms which have negligently delayed the projects, will be debarred from the tenders of new projects,” he said.

Class 8 student raped in moving car in Jaipur

Jaipur: A case of rape of a school girl in a moving car has come to light in the city. She was abducted by an acquaintance boy and his friend. On receiving the call from the school, the accused left her near the school and fled. The victim’s father has lodged a report at Harmada police station. The police

have started the investigation by registering a report under the POCSO Act. The police said that a resident of Harmada has lodged the report that his 15-year-old daughter studies in class 8 in a private school. The minor daughter is known to the accused boy. It is alleged that on April 18, the daughter went to the school.

First India Bureau

Jaipur: The 12th edition of the GITB 2023 ended with euphoria among the travel trade at Jaipur Exhibition & Convention Centre (JECC) at Sitapura on Tuesday. The ‘buyers’ and ‘sellers’ expressed great satisfaction on the networking opportunities. A total of 283 major inbound Foreign Tour Operators (FTOs) from 56 countries participated as foreign buyers in

this mega event. Speaking about the success of the Mart, Principal Secretary, Tourism, Government of Rajasthan, Gayatri

Rathore said that GITB has been hugely successful in attracting serious buyers and sellers. As many as 11,000 pre-scheduled B2B

meeting were held over the course of two days.

The participation of 9 States including the Host State of Rajasthan shows

CANAL CLOSURE DATE EXTENDED TILL

APRIL 29: CS

Jaipur: CS Usha Sharma’s efforts bore results and the date of canal closure has been extended further and a relaxation of five days has been given. The new date is April 29. The sirhind feeder was damaged from March 26 to April 8. A total of 18500 cusecs of water was not available for drinking purpose. Water had to be used from the IG Main Canal and distributaries. Sharma talked to CS of Punjab in this regard.

ELDERLY COUPLE FOUND KILLED IN ACHROL AREA

Jaipur: An elderly couple was found dead in the Achrol area of Jaipur on Tuesday. They were identified as 75-year-old Kajod Mal Harijan and 70-year-old Manbhari Devi residents of Indira Colony. Prima facie the police suspect it to be a murder by strangulation.

Chandwaji SHO Uday Singh, Achrol police post in-charge Rakesh reached the spot.

Poeple lighting lamp at the conclusion of Parshuram Jayanti week and Sankalp Sabha and Mahaarti organised at Birla Auditorium in Jaipur on the occasion of Shankaracharya Jayanti on Tuesday. —PHOTOS BY SUNIL SHARMA

MP Ghanshyam Tiwari, MP Ramcharan Bohra, Arun Chaturvedi, Dharam Narayan Joshi, Shankar Sharma, Mahesh Sharma, Manju Sharma, Hariprasad Sharma, Vishnu Lata, Manish Pareek, Birdichand Sharma, Dr GL Sharma, Pooja Kapil Mishra, Shailendra Bhargava, and others at the Jayanti event.

BJP is giving reservation to women in every field, says Joshi

C.P. Joshi addressing Mahila Morcha workshop at the Jaipur BJP office on Tuesday. Also seen are Chandrashekhar, Alka Mundra, Pooja Kapil and other office bearers.

Women office bearers and workers at Mahila Morcha workshop.

Khemraj Choudhary presenting his research book to Governor Kalraj Mishra at Raj Bhavan in Jaipur on Tuesday.

Subodh Agarwal in a meeting with representatives of contractor firms in Jaipur on Tuesday.

Rajiv Arora lighting lamp at Hotel Hilton, Jaipur on Tuesday. Dhiraj Srivastava and others are also seen.

First India Bureau

Delegation terms talks with CM positive, waits for letter

Will decide on the future strategy after receiving letter in writing says the delegation

Ravi Katara

Jaipur: The representatives of Mali-Saini, Kushwaha and Shakya Samaj, sitting on the highway in Bharatpur with the demand for 12 per cent reservation, held talks with CM Gehlot at the Chief Minister’s residence for more than an hour on Tuesday, after which the agitators had a positive response. After meeting the Chief Minister, the delegation has also taken a positive stand and said that there has been a positive conversation with the government, now only after receiving the letter in writing, will decide on the future strategy.

Talking to the media after meeting the Chief

Covid: 428 new cases, 3 deaths in Jaipur

First India Bureau

Jaipur: Three more persons have died of corona in the State, the Health Department bulletin reported on Tuesday. The deaths were reported from Jaipur. The State also reported 428 new Covid cases. With this total deaths increased to 9,695. The number of active patients also increased to 3,549 and cumulative positive increased to 13,23,235. Meanwhile, 370 patients also recovered on Tuesday. The new cases include 82 from Jaipur, 52 from Nagaur, 50 from Bharatpur, 39 each from Alwar and Chittorgarh and 26 from Sikar among other places.

On Monday, as per the State bulletin, one person had died in Ajmer due to Covid-19 infection.

Minister, Legal Advisor of Phule Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti, Ram Pratap Saini said that the Government had called us for talks and the talks have been very positive and once we get a written letter of the assurance received from the government, we will go among the

society and then take a decision.

Saini said, “Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has assured that he is writing a letter to the National Commission for Backward Classes keeping in mind the demand of the society, in which the economic condition of the Mali,

COMPENSATION DEMAND RAISED FOR DECEASED

Saini-Kushwah, Shakya community is bad within the caste census. A survey to find the educational condition has also been asserted upon. CM Gehlot has also talked about writing a letter for other castes who should really get reservation who are economically weak.”

Dr Somya picks up broom as sanitation workers go on strike

First India Bureau

Jaipur: As sanitation workers across the State went on strike, Mayor of Greater Municipal Corporation Dr Somya took a broom in her hand and cleaned the Jagatpura and Mansarovar zones. She appealed to the traders to keep garbage containers outside the shops and asked the common people to do shramdaan.

During this, many

people, including Chairman of the Cleaning Committee Ramswaroop Meena and Councillor Omprakash

The Saini community on Tuesday said that their protest over reservation will continue at Jaipur-Agra National Highway-21 despite assurance from the Government. The convenor of Phule Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti, Murari Lal Saini, reached Aroda village and shared the details of the talks held at the CMR. Saini said that the Government has started working on reservation, but the protestors demanded a compensation of Rs 1 crore and a govt job to the family of Mohan Singh, who committed suicide on Tuesday during the protest.

Noose tightenes around offenders with 9K arrests

Action was taken under operation

Vajra Prahar, DGP Mishra said

Shivendra Parmar

Jaipur: Continuing the crackdown on criminals under ‘Operation Vajra Prahar’, the State police arrested around 9,000 wanted and habitual criminals after late night raids on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday. The police

made a record of arresting maximum number of criminals in a day.

The SPs of 30 districts simultaneously raided the hideouts of miscreants on Monday-Tuesday night and seized a number of illegal weapons, drugs and stolen vehicles.

DGP Umesh Mishra said that 4,143 teams of 18,826 police officers and employees raided 12,854 places in all the districts of the state. In which 8,950 persons involved in hardcore,

CITY GEARS UP FOR RR VS CSK

were present. Meanwhile, In a case pertaining to assault and misbehaviour with ex-commissioner of Greater Municipal Corporation, Mayor Dr Somya appeared in the court on Tuesday and presented bail bonds. ACMM Amit Sharma has given May 15 for an argument.

An FIR was registered in Jyoti Nagar police station regarding the incident that took place on June 2021.

Recruitment drive by Health Dept for over 18K posts soon

Vikas Sharma

Jaipur: To fulfil Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s dream of Nirogi Rajasthan, the Health Department will soon carry out recruitment for more than 18,000 posts. The department has started preparations for new recruitment immediately after cancelling the earlier recruitment process.

This time direct recruitment will be held on three times more posts than the posts fixed earlier. Also,

health workers working in Covid will also get additional bonus points. Instead of 6523, recruitment of various cadres will be done on 18,112 posts. Instead of

five, now direct recruitment will be held on eight cadre posts. Applications for recruitment will probably be sought in a phased manner from this week.

Mahesh bags 4th rank among Indian runners

Kashiram Choudhay

Jaipur: Runner Mahesh Dwivedi from Jaipur has achieved success in completing the marathon held in Boston city of America and secured the 4th position among the runners from India.

The Boston Marathon is one of the toughest 6 marathons in the world and it is difficult to qualify for it. Though Mahesh Dwivedi had already qualified for the

marathon two years ago, he could not participate then.

Now in this marathon, despite facing difficult

conditions like storm, rain, he has completed this race. Dwivedi completed the 42.195 kilometer race in 2 hours 53 minutes. About 150 runners from India had participated in this competition, in which Mahesh Dwivedi has secured the fourth position among Indian runners.

From Rajasthan he is the only runner to qualify in this race. Mahesh Dwivedi’s elder brother Suresh Dwivedi always encourages him to race.

wanted criminals, anti-social elements and criminal activities were arrested. ADG Crime Dinesh MN said that under this campaign, 647 accused in NDPS, Excise and Arms Act, 23 in illegal mining, 432 accused in other acts were arrested. A total of 553 permanent warrants, proclaimed offenders and 299 in CrPC, 461 in HS, hardcore and reward, 6834 accused were arrested in various cases and preventive arrests.

Rajasthan Royals batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal is seen practising ahead of the match between Chennai Super Kings and his team at SMS Staduim in Jaipur on Thursday. (Inset) Chennai Super Kings players Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Ajinkya Rahane arrive at Jaipur International Airport on Thursday.

—PHOTOS BY SANTOSH SHARMA

60 Rajasthanis rescued safely from Sudan: Dhiraj

Mukesh Rajkumar

Beawar: Rajasthan Foundation Commissioner Dhiraj Srivastava on Tuesday said that ‘Operation Kaveri’ has begun to bring back Indians trapped in fighting between the army and paramilitary forces in Sudan. The Rajasthan Government is also ready to bring Rajasthanis back home, he added.

Sixty Rajasthani migrants have been rescued and taken to Sudan port. From there, they will be taken to

Notification issued for Northern Ring Road construction

First India Bureau

Jaipur: The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways on Tuesday issued a notification for land acquisition for Northern Ring Road. The notification was issued under section 3A of National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) Act. Under the project, land of more than two dozen villages will be acquired. The ring road will be built from Agra Road to C Zone Bypass.

Tooth cap found in Vishvendra’s laddu, probe on

First India Bureau

Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah and then to New Delhi, he said.

“The Government is taking action to bring the migrants home by establishing better coordination with the Central Government,” added Srivastava.

Jaipur: Negligence of a sweet shop reached a new high on Tuesday when sweets containing tooth caps reached the residence of Tourism Minister Vishvendra Singh. Some people arrived with laddus from Gangaur Sweets located at Bagadiya Bhavan for a courtesy meeting at the minister’s residence. A tooth cap was found inside one of the laddus. Later, a complaint was given to the Food Inspector in this regard.

Court convicts two of smuggling marijuana

First India Bureau

Jaipur: In a case related to smuggling of ganja, two smugglers arrested on December 18, 2017 were sentenced by Judge Pramod Kumar Malik in the special court for NDPS cases on Tuesday.

Bajrang Lal Sharma (36), resident of village Mundiya in Kaladera, was sentenced to 12 years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1.40 lakh while Ahsan Khan (32), a resident of Renwal in rural Jaipur,

was sentenced to 6 years rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 60,000. A team of Kardhani police station had nabbed the duo on Dec 18, 2017 near Kadamb Dungri, Sarna intersection and recovered 06 kg 700 grams of illegal ganja from Bajrang Lal and 09 kg 500 grams from Ahsan Khan.

Movement leaders Murari Lal Saini and Badan Singh Kushwaha urged the agitators to vacate National Highway-21 but the protesters denied and continued the dharna on Tuesday.

Police take into custody around 23 offenders in Gandhi Nagar, Jaipur on Tuesday.

CM Ashok Gehlot, GS Dotasra, Subhash Garg, BD Kalla, Mahesh Joshi, Raghu Sharma and others at ‘Nirogi Rajasthan’ event.

Dhiraj Srivastava

Dr Somya is seen carrying a broom and cleaning the road.

TIME FOR GRASSROOTS CONNECT: TMC BEGINS MASSIVE OUTREACH SHOW

However, political rivals don’t feel that TMC will gain much from this exercise. “Only those who can use force and have a stockpile of crude bombs will be given panchayat tickets to loot the state further for the next five years. The entire party is drowned in corruption,”

BJP spokesperson Shamik Bhattacharya told reporters at a press conference in Kolkata Thursday when asked what he thought of the TMC’s move. Like the BJP, leaders of the CPM also dismissed the exercise

ABHISHEK BANERJEE BEGINS TOUR

ROBIN ROY

With the crucial panchayat elections due in West Bengal especially at a time when TMC party’s bigwigs are under ED and CBI scanner, the party that managed to oust the CPM after its 34-year-old rule, is in a huddle and its latest mantra is to renew its hold on the grassroots connect and organisation and image facelift. With this, the party is also trying to amass public opinion in the “process of selecting” candidates for the crucial rural polls.

After losing its status as a national party, the TMC now plans to hold a secret ballot to select candidates for the upcoming panchayat polls and this crucial exercise will be led by Mamata’s nephew and party national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.

“I had told Abhishek not to conduct this programme, he would fall sick in this weather,” Banerjee told the media even as she announced the decision at the state secretariat on Wednesday. “The workers would also face hardships. But they have decided to connect with the people, they will begin their people connect from April 25 and continue it for the next two months.”

Planned under the banner called TMC’s ‘Gram Banglar Motamot’, or opinion of rural Bengal, the statewide exercise will finally end with the selection of candidates who will be set to contest the elections given the fact that they fulfil all the requirements laid out by the Election commission. An upbeat Abhishek, meanwhile, said this was the first time such an exercise was being con-

Meanwhile, senior TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee on Tuesday said polls to 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal will be held on the issue of development and not on the "communal" narrative propagated by the BJP. Banerjee, who earlier in the day launched a mass outreach campaign ‘Trinamool ey Nabajowar’ (new wave in Trinamool) from Cooch Behar district with an eye on the upcoming rural polls in the state, said that the TMC aims at building people's panchayat in the state. "The next Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal will be held on the issue of development. It will not be held on the issue of communal polarisation, which the BJP wants. They have to be defeated. We will fight for the rights of the people of the state," he said while addressing a rally as part of the campaign. Lok Sabha polls in the country are due in 2024. Banerjee, the TMC's national general secretary, commenced the mass outreach campaign at a temple in the Dinhata assembly constituency. He spoke to locals and heard of their grievances.

ducted in the country.

“Across India, when it comes to deciding candidates for elections, decisions are taken behind closed doors through centralisation of power and are based on the recommendations of district and block leadership,” he said. “For the first time in India, we’ve set out to take the opinion of the people on candidates for gram panchayats to ensure, in the truest sense, a people’s panchayat.”

CRUCIAL JUNCTURE

Political analysts admit that the exercise comes at an extremely crucial time for the party (the TMC) — even as the Election Commission of India withdrew the party national party status

Dharmendra Pradhan @dpradhanbjp

TRAVERSING 3,500 KM...

Abhishek, the nephew of TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee and considered the party’s number two leader, will travel around 3,500 km during the two-month-long campaign and hold more than 250 rallies across the state. He had earlier said that the outreach campaign aims at reaching out to people and empowering them to decide on TMC candidates for the ensuing panchayat polls through secret ballots. “Such an initiative has been taken up for the first time in the country. You will never see a ruling party conducting such a campaign. But we believe that it is the people who are supreme in a democracy. The candidate you select through secret ballots will be given nomination by the party,” he said. During the day, the TMC MP will address two more rallies in the district. Later in the evening, Banerjee will participate in a convention and ‘Gram Banglar Motamot (Opinion of rural Bengal) event, where locals will choose TMC candidates for the rural polls through secret ballots.

Only those who can use force and have a stockpile of crude bombs will be given panchayat tickets to loot the state further for the next five years. The entire party is drowned in corruption.

Shamik Bhattacharya, BJP spokesperson

on April 11, but the party is also fighting a series of graft allegations, such as the alleged irregularities in the recruitment of teaching and non-teaching staff in the state government and aided schools.

This move by the TMC is seen by political analysts as an attempt to gain ground, especially before the 2024 general elections. It may be recalled that the stage is already being set for the crucial Lok Sabha polls even as the Union Home Minister, Amit Shah was in West Bengal recently.

It may be recalled that in the 2019 Lok Sabha election, BJP managed a whopping 18 seats from a mere two seats in 2014. TMC, on the other hand, won 22

India and Singapore together can make welfare of the global community a reality. I am confident that this joint workshop will provide actionable outcomes to create a new model of skilling which will fulfil aspirations and inspire young of the globe. #G20FutureOfWork

Lok Sabha seats in 2019. It may be recalled that TMC had won 34 Lok Sabha seats in 2014. TMC’s latest attempt is being looked at as a move to help Abhishek cement his position as the party’s second-in-command.

The TMC is attempting to change the discourse around graft charges which have been tarnishing the image, more so considering the fact that the TMC had promised zero-tolerance towards corruption when it came to power. Also, with TMC’s latest mission, it will be an attempt to ensure that Abhishek Banerjee’s grip tightens over the party’s grassroots organisation and also the distribution of tickets for the panchayat polls. This

SPIRITUAL SPEAK

Work for work’s sake, not for yourself. Act but do not be attached to your actions. Be in the world, but not of it.

Bhagavad Gita

mission will also serve as a net session for the TMC before the BIG Match slated for 2024.

However, political rivals don’t feel that TMC will gain much from this exercise. “Only those who can use force and have a stockpile of crude bombs will be given panchayat tickets to loot the state further for the next five years. The entire party is drowned in corruption,” BJP spokesperson Shamik Bhattacharya told reporters at a press conference in Kolkata Thursday when asked what he thought of the TMC’s move. Like the BJP, leaders of the CPM also dismissed the exercise.

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

‘Bankrupt’ Cong banking on former BJP leaders to contest polls: Shah

Bagalkote (ANI):

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday strongly hit out at Congress and alleged that fighting the elections by depending on leaders who joined their party after leaving BJP goes on to show “bankruptcy” of Congress.

He also accused Congress of “insulting” the Lingayat community and “disrespecting” the two Lingayat Chief Ministers it had. Addressing a huge public rally in Karnataka’s Bagalokte, Amit Shah said, “Recently, 1-2 leaders left our party. Congress thinks that this will benefit them a lot. I want to tell Congress that this won’t be benefitting them at all. Congress has always insulted the Lingayat community. Congress made only two Lingayat Chief Ministers, S Nijalingappa and Veerendra Patil, and both of them were insulted and thrown out of the party”.

“It clearly shows that there is bankruptcy in your party (Congress) when you fight elections depending on leaders who have joined Congress leaving the BJP,” he added.

Shah further said that voting for the JD(S) means giving the vote to Congress. If you don’t want your vote to go to Congress, then vote for BJP for the overall development of Karnataka. When BJP made Yediyurappa the CM, it was this Congress party which used JD(S) to remove him from the post. Today, again Congress wants to use our leaders for their purpose, but the people of Karnataka will never accept it,” Shah further said.

Recently, 1-2 leaders left our party. Congress thinks that this will benefit them a lot. I want to tell Congress that this won’t be benefitting them at all. Congress has always insulted the Lingayat community. Congress made only two Lingayat Chief Ministers, S Nijalingappa and Veerendra Patil, and both of them were insulted and thrown out of the party. —Amit Shah, Union Home Minister

PM NARENDRA MODI

TO CAMPAIGN IN K’TAKA TILL MAY 7

Bengaluru: The campaign for the Karnataka polls is set to gain momentum as PM Narendra Modi will conduct nearly 15 public meetings, and road shows in six days in the state, giving a significant push to party’s efforts to retain power in state. The PM will begin campaigning on April 28 and will continue till May 7. Terming Karnataka as BJP’s “gateway to the South”, the party is leaving no stone unturned and for that top leaders including Union Home Minister Amit Shah and party president JP Nadda have been aggressively campaigning here. “PM Modi will hold 12 to 15 public meetings/rallies and road shows in six days in the Karnataka elections. PM Modi will campaign on April 28, 29, May 3, May 4, May 6 and May 7, where PM Modi will hold 12 to 15 rallies/public meets and road shows,” sources said on Tuesday.

PEOPLE SHOULD NOT VOTE ON WORDS BUT ON CONSCIENCE: PRIYANKA GANDHI

Mysuru: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on BJP and urged the Karnataka people to not get influenced by their words but rather look at the “conscience” of the leaders seeking the votes. While addressing the gathering in Mysuru Priyanka said, “The Prime Minister came here and said that the leaders of the opposition want to dig his grave, What kind of talk is this? Every citizen of the country would like the health of the Prime Minister to be good.”

“SIDDARAMAIAH AND HDK STOPPED GoI’S SCHEMES”

Chikkaballapur: BJP national president JP Nadda has accused former Karnataka CMs Siddaramaiah and HD Kumaraswamy of creating obstacles to the implementation of Central schemes pioneered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the state. Nadda made the remark during a roadshow at Sidlaghatta in Chikkaballapur district on Tuesday.

Being Lalu’s son helped Tejashwi to get a ‘job’: Kishor

Patna (ANI): Taking a swipe at Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav, political analyst Prashant Kishor on Tuesday said that Tejashwi, who had promised 10 lakh jobs, would not have got a job himself had he not been the son of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav.

Nitish Kumar has ‘langdi sarkaar’ and he must worry about Bihar. The party which has ‘zero’ MP is deciding upon the PM of the country. His party has no hold and now he is trying to unite other parties.

Amritpal quizzed by IB sleuths in Assam jail

Guwahati (Agencies):

BSY IS BJP’S ONLY HOPE OF KEEPING LINGAYAT VOTES

Bengaluru: BS Yediyurappa has been a prominent figure in Karnataka politics for nearly five decades and is known for his hold on Lingayat community, one of the most significant vote banks. BSY’s son BY Vijayendra is fighting from the traditional Shikaripur seat, which BSY represented 8 times. The ruling BJP is relying heavily on BSY’s popularity to win again.

Gangster-turned-politician Anand Mohan to be released from prison

Patna (ANI): Gangsterturned-politician and ex-Parliamentarian

Addressing Jan Suraj Yatra, Kishor said, “Tejashwi talked about providing 10 lakh jobs in the first cabinet meeting itself...Everyone knows he cannot give 10 lakh jobs. If he was not Lalu’s son, he would not have got a job. Then, how can he give a job to others? If Tejashwi was not the son of Lalu Prasad Yadav, what job would he have got in the country?” He said Tejashwi should seek an apology for his lie about providing jobs. On Bihar CM Nitish Kumar meeting several opposition leaders for the 2024 election, Kishor spoke about former

—Prashant Kishor

Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu’s attempt to unify the Opposition in 2019 elections.

In a bid to achieve opposition unity before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Nitish Kumar and Tejashwi Yadav met Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow on Monday.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who is meeting various opposition leaders in an attempt to bring all of them on a single platform, said that whatever the next step of the parties be, will be in the country’s interest.

Anand: 1994 incident was ‘unfortunate’

Ranchi (Agencies):

Days after a purported video of Congress leader and Jharkhand Health Minister Banna Gupta in an ‘obscene’ phone conversation with a woman went viral on social media, the woman on Tuesday said that her photo and video have been edited and used in the clip.

The woman leader of NSUI in Ranchi has alleged that her photo and video have been edited and used in a fake manner in the clip.

She also posted a video message and said that she has neither met Health Minister Banna Gupta nor knows him. Someone has used her face in a conspiracy.

She said: “I had a video-audio chat with my husband, which has been edited by someone and linked to the minister.”

In the video message, the woman is requesting the administration to take action against whoever has done this thing. She also requested social media to delete the video.

In a press conference, NSUI leader Arushi Vandana Singh said: “I tie rakhi to the minister. There is an attempt to as-

sassinate his character.”

Arushi and her husband Indrajeet have demanded strict action by the police in this matter.

Former BJP minister and Independent legislator Saryu Roy said:

“The girl works in a furniture house in Jamshedpur. Police should give security to the woman with whom the minister was engaged in a chat.”

He further said: “I demand a high-level inquiry in this matter.

The obscene video is of three minutes, of which 21 seconds has gone viral.”

Anand Mohan Singh, convicted in the murder of the Gopalganj district magistrate, will soon walk out of jail after the Bihar government amended the prison rules which would allow the release of the former MP and 26 others.

Anand Mohan Singh is out on 15-day parole for his son’s wedding.

On Monday, the Bihar government issued a notification regarding releasing 27 prisoners including Former Lok Sabha MP Anand Mohan Singh from jail.

According to the official notification, 27 prisoners, who have

served 14 years or 20 years in jail, have been ordered to be released.

Anand Mohan Singh, the former MP and murder convict, is serving a life sentence in the 1994 murder of then Gopalganj District Magistrate G Krishnaiah.

Earlier in November, Anand Mohan Singh was serving lifetime imprisonment in Saharsa jail in a case of lynching the District Magis-

PARENTS OF LGBTQIA++ SEEK EQUALITY OF THEIR WARDS’ MARRIAGE

New Delhi: A group of over 400 parents has written to Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud, heading a bench hearing the pleas seeking legal sanction for same-sex marriage, urging that their LGBTQIA++ wards be granted the right to “marriage equality”. The letter by ‘Sweekar-The Rainbow Parents’ assumes a significance as it comes when a five-judge constitution bench headed by the CJI is hearing a batch of petitions seeking legal validation for same-sex marriage for the fourth day.

trate of Gopalganj, G Krishnayya.

As per reports, the case pertains to 1994. Krishnayya was killed when his car was attacked during the funeral procession of a gangster Chotan Shukla. Anand Mohan Singh was part of the procession, and Muzaffarpur police had chargesheeted him for provoking the supporters to commit the crime.

SC ASKS HOW FAR IT CAN GO ON MARRIAGE EQUALITY ISSUE

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked how it can interfere in petitions relating to marriage equality and how far it can go to deal with the issue. The Constitution Bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud is dealing with a batch of petitions pertaining to ‘marriage equality rights for LGBTQAI+ community. Senior Advocate Menaka Guruswamy, appearing for one of the petitioners, apprised the court that in India the parliamentary system is constrained unlike in England.

Patna: A day after the Bihar govt issued a notification for release of 27 prisoners, including Anand Mohan Singh, he on Tuesday said that there were two more victims in the murder case of then Gopalganj

DM G Krishnaiah - Uma

Krishnaiah and Lovely Anand. “The incident that happened in December 1994 was unfortunate. One of the victims of that case was the wife of Gopalganj

DM G Krishnaiah and the other was my wife

Lovely Anand. The former had lost her husband and the latter spent more than 15 years without her husband,” he said.

IN THE COURTYARD

Pro-Khalistan leader Amritpal Singh , who is lodged in Assam’s Dibrugarh jail, was interrogated by Intelligence Bureau (IB) officers on Tuesday, sources said.

The Waris Punjab De (WPD) chief has been kept in a separate cell. Sources said he was not allowed to meet other members of the outfit, including his close aide Papalpreet Singh. Nine associates of Amritpal were lodged at Dibrugarh Central Jail before he was brought there on Sunday. A source revealed that IB officers went inside the prison this morning and that the interrogation of Waris Punjab De chief is underway. Assam police is tight-lipped on the development.

Prasant Kumar Bhuyan, the Inspector General (Law and Order) of the Assam Police, reportedly said, “All central investigation agencies, including IB and RAW, have officers posted in the state. Hence, it is not necessary that somebody from the national capital has to come to interrogate an inmate.” He, however, refused to comment on Amritpal’s questioning.

Chinese defence minister Li Shangfu to visit India this week for SCO meet

Beijing (PTI): China has announced that its Defence Minister General Li Shangfu will visit India this week to attend the meeting of SCO defence ministers from April 27 during which he is expected to hold talks with his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh on ending the prolonged eastern Ladakh standoff which severely strained bilateral ties.

Gen Li’s India visit is regarded significant as it comes amid the vexed standoff between the armies of India and China in eastern Ladakh since May 2020.

“Upon invitation, Chinese State Council-

UCC: DELHI HIGH COURT ASKS LAWYER TO FILE INFORMATION ON SIMILAR PLEAS BEFORE SC

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court said on Tuesday the petition by lawyer Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay seeking implementation of a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) was prima facie not maintainable and asked him to place before it the prayers made by him before the Supreme Court in similar matters. “You file those prayers. We will see. It is prima facie not maintainable. We will first see if it is maintainable,” a bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad

told Upadhyay. The court was informed that in March the top court refused to entertain petitions by Upadhyay in respect of gender neutral and religion neutral laws observing that these fell within the legislative domain and that he had even withdrawn a plea from there in relation to UCC in 2015. The Centre has asserted it will examine in consultation with stakeholders the issue of formulating the Code after it receives the report of the law commission. The matter will be heard next on August 3.

lor and Defence Minister General Li Shangfu will attend the meeting of the Council of Defense Ministers of the Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in New Delhi, India, from April 27-28,” China’s Ministry of National Defence (MND) said in a statement on Tuesday.

NOTICES TO BADALS, PUNJAB EX-DGP IN KOTKAPURA

FIRING CASE

Faridkot: Ten days after the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Punjab Police presented a challan in the 2015 Kotkapura police firing incident before the Judicial Magistrate First Class here, the court on Monday issued notices to former Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Sukhbir Singh Badal, former DGP Sumedh Singh Saini, IGP Paramraj Singh Umranangal, former SSPs Charanjit Singh Sharma and Sukhminder Singh Mann and former DIG Amar Singh Chahal.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah with BJP leaders Govind M Karjol, Murugesh R Nirani and other leaders during a public meeting ahead of Karnataka Assembly elections, in Theradal, on Tuesday. —PHOTO BY PTI

“My photo and video misused in the clip”: claims the woman

Chinese Minister Li Shangfu

Political analyst Prashant Kishor. —FILE PHOTO

PRIME MINISTER NARENDRA MODI IN KERALA

India defying global headwinds to grow: Modi

New Delhi (ANI): PM Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that the country has demonstrated resilience despite a challenging global environment, adding that India is being seen as a “vibrant spot of development”.

PM Modi made the remarks after laying the foundation stone of the Digital Science Park in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday.

While addressing the gathering, he said, “Kerala has been a land full of literacy, hard work, capability and intellect. You all must have been aware of the economic situation of countries worldwide. Despite the global headwinds, India has been globally seen as the vibrant spot of development.”

“Kerala is a state of

literate people. Hard work and humility of people here are part of their identity,” he added. Congratulating the people of the state on the various development projects, PM Modi said, “Today Kerala got its first Vande Bharat train, and today Kochi got the gift of water metro. Along with connectivity, today many other projects related to the development of Kerala have been inaugurated and the foundation stone laid. Many many congratulations to the people of Kerala for all this.”

“Our emphasis is on cooperative federalism. It considers the development of the states as the formula for the development of the country. If Kerala develops, the country's development will be faster,” he added. PM Narendra receives warm welcome from supporters during a roadshow in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday. —PHOTO BY ANI

PM FLAGS-OFF KERALA’S FIRST VANDE BHARAT TRAIN IN THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

Thiruvananthapuram (ANI): PM Narendra Modi flagged off Kerala’s first Vande Bharat Express on Tuesday which will run from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasargod. PM Modi flagged off Vande Bharat Express at Thiruvananthapuram Central Station. Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor and Governor Arif Mohammed Khan were present. The Vande Bharat train will cover 11 districts namely Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Pathanamthitta, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasargod.

Cheetah ‘Uday’

dies

of cardiopulmonary failure at KNP in MP

Bhopal (ANI): The

South African Cheetah ‘Uday’ died due to cardiopulmonary failure at Kuno National Park situated in Madhya Pradesh’s Sheopur district, an official said on Tuesday.

Cheetah ‘Uday’ died on Sunday and its post mortem was conducted on Monday. Uday was among the batch of 12 cheetahs (7 males, 5 females) that were translocated from South Africa to India on February 17, 2023. “According to the preliminary report of the post mortem, Cheetah ‘Uday’ had died due to cardiopulmonary failure. We have sent the sample to Veterinary University, Jabalpur to ascertain the reason behind it. It will be known only after the detailed examination of the sample,”

Principal Chief Conser-

STUDENTS EXCITED, OVERJOYED MEETING

PM MODI ONBOARD VANDE BHARAT TRAIN

Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Parvathy S Nair, a student of a Kenndriya Vidhyalaya school here, is yet to believe that the Prime Minister of the country stood before her and listened patiently to the Malayalam poem which she rendered and lavished praise upon her. So was the feeling of Abhijith Pradeep, another city school student, who had a brief chat in Hindi with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whom he had seen only on television and newspapers so far.

“BEST 45 MINUTES OF MY LIFE”: SAYS MALAYALAM ON MEETING PM MODI

Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Malayalam actor Unni Mukundan had cherished a dream to meet PM Narendra Modi and talk to him in Gujarati since his teenage years. When he got a chance to meet him in person, that too for 45 minutes, in Kochi on Monday night, the “Malikappuram” actor’s joy knew no bounds and said he was yet to recover from the excitement.In a late night Facebook post, Mukundan said this is the “most electrifying post” from his social media handle.

Thiruvananthapuram

(ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a two-day visit to Kerala, laid the foundation stone of Digital Science Park in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday. Union

Railway Minister

Ashwini Vaishnaw, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Thiruvananthapuram

Lok Sabha Member of Parliament (MP) and senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor and others were also present on this occasion. According to Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Digital Science Park is envisaged as a key research facility to develop digital products and services by industry and business units in collaboration with academia.

PM MODI UNVEILS PROJECTS WORTH `4850-CR IN DADRA & NAGAR HAVELI

Silvasa (ANI): PM Narendra Modi on Tuesday targeted the Congress-led govts and said development in the country was weighed on the scale of “vote bank politics” for several decades. PM Modi on Tuesday and unveiled development projects worth Rs 4850 crore in Silvassa. “Now our Silvassa is not the same as before, it has now become cosmopolitan. There will not be any corner of India whose people do not live in Silvassa,” he said.

In crackdown on PFI, NIA conducts raids in four states

New Delhi (ANI): In a crackdown against the cadres of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI), the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday carried out searches at 16 locations in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab and Goa.

vator of Forest (Wildlife) JS Chouhan said.

When asked about how much time it will take for a detailed report, he said the expert of Veterinary University Jabalpur would be able to tell about it.

When questioned about taking advice from the doctors of the Central Government, Namibia and South Africa, he said, “We always take advice.

Whenever there is a new disease or we do something new, then we definitely take advice from them.”

The anti-terror agency conducted these raids at the premises and suspected locations of PFI cadres in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab

UP Board results for class 10 and 12 declared

Lucknow: UP Board Class 10 12 Result 2023: The Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad (UPMSP) on Tuesday announced the classes 10 and 12 results at 1:30 pm. The UPMSP students can check their marks at the official UP Board websites — upmsp.edu.in or upresults.nic.in.

and Goa based on inputs that several Over Ground Workers (OGW) of the outfit indulged in anti-national activities. The places searched include 12 in Bihar, two in UP and one each in Punjab’s Ludhiana and Goa. “Multiple NIA teams are engaged in raids in close coordination with state police forces,” said the sources. Since the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)

has banned the PFI and its top leaders have been jailed, the outfit is

working hard to reorganize and strengthen its cadres.

OPERATION KAVERI!

NIA SP SUSPENDED OVER GRAFT CHARGES

New Delhi: The MHA has suspended an SP rank officer of the NIA on charges of corruption. The SP has been identified as Vishal Garg, who is deputed at NIA’s Delhi headquarters. This is the second time since 2019 that Garg was placed under suspension on charges of corruption. In 2019, Garg along with two other NIA officials— Nishant and Mithilesh— was placed under suspension for allegedly demanding Rs 2 crore from a Delhi-based businessman.

New Delhi: Indians stranded in Sudan have departed from the conflict-torn country in the first phase of ‘Operation Kaveri’, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Tuesday. The third Saryuclass patrol vessel of the Indian Navy, INS Sumedha with 278 people onboard departed from Port Sudan for Jeddah.

—PHOTO BY ANI

As Kedarnath Temple opens, first puja performed in PM Modi’s name

Kedarnath (ANI): As the Kedarnath Dham Temple doors open for pilgrims on Tuesday morning, the first puja was performed in name of PM Narendra Modi. The puja was done by Rawal Bhimashankar Linga and Pujari Shivling and Dharmacharyas. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Tuesday said that every possible effort has been made to ensure the Char Dham Yatra is easy and safe for devotees.

“Every possible effort has been made to make

the Char Dham Yatra of Uttarakhand easy and safe. Social organizations and voluntary organizations have also provided full cooperation for the yatra. Based on the previous year’s experience, work has been done to advance the travel arrangements”, the CM said. He further added, “Yatra is going on smoothly in Gangotri and Yamunotri Dham.

On April 27, the doors of Lord Badri Vishal will also be opened for the darshan of the devotees.”

K’TAKA: 5 OF A FAMILY DROWN IN WATER CANAL

Mandya: In a tragic incident, five members of a family drowned in a water canal while swimming in Mandya district of Karnataka on Tuesday. The deceased have been identified as Mehatab (10), Anisha Begum (34), Tasmia (22), Ashrak (28) and Afeeqa (22). All of them had come to their grandmother’s place from Bengaluru for holidays after Ramzan.

INDIAN-ORIGIN MAN TO BE EXECUTED IN SINGAPORE TODAY

Singapore: An Indian-origin convicted of abetting drug trafficking in Singapore is scheduled to be executed on Wednesday, a media report said as the city-state rejected calls by prominent anti-death penalty campaigners to halt the capital punishment. Tangaraju Suppiah was sentenced to death on October 9, 2018, for attempting to traffic 1 kg of cannabis to Singapore.

FIVE HIV-POSITIVE COUPLES TIE THE NUPTIAL KNOT

Latur: Five HIV-positive couples have tied the nuptial knot at a centre in Maharashtra’s Latur district where they grew up after they were either abandoned or lost their parents to the infection. The couples entered wedlock on April 22 at Hasegaon village where a social worker started a centre called ‘Happy Indian Village’ under a project named ‘Sevalay’.

ANDHRA

MAN DIES AFTER BEING HIT BY THUNDERBOLT

Vizianagaram: A 21-yearold man was stuck by a thunderbolt while playing with friends at Gajularega village in Vizianagaram mandal, leading to instantaneous death, officials said on Tuesday. The victim Pandranki Israel, was a resident of BTR Colony in Gajularega. His friends Boddu Suresh (30) and Althi Akhil (25) escaped with some bruises on Monday.

Centre has banned PFI the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

PM LAYS FOUNDATION STONE OF DIGITAL SCIENCE PARK IN THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

Cong makes false promises to youth and farmers: CP in Ajmer

Shubham Jain

Ajmer: The BJP protested against the State government in Ajmer outside the Information Centre on Tuesday. In a gathering, the BJP state president CP Joshi fiercely targeted the Rajasthan government over false promises.

“This government has come to power by making false promises to the youth and farmers. This government comes at number one in unemployment in the whole country & atrocities against women have increased in the last 4.5 years,” said Joshi.

After the demonstration, a memorandum was handed over to the district collector by CP Joshi and BJP office bearers and workers.

Praising the central government, he said that prime minister Narendra Modi opened Jan Dhan accounts & people got their money directly into the accounts through PM Awas.

BJP holds Jan Aakrosh Mahagherao in Dausa

Laxmikant Sharma

Dausa: The BJP on Tuesday organised Jan Aakrosh Maha Gherao in the Dausa district and protested against the misrule and corrup-

BJP Jan Aakrosh rallies are a flop show: Dharmendra Rathore

First India Bureau

Kumher: Mother, daughter drown in farm puddle

Prakash Katara

Jaipur (PTI): A man allegedly killed his 28-year-old cousin with a sword over an old enmity in Rajasthan’s Jhunjhunu district, police said on Tuesday. The incident happened on Monday night and the accused Kishore Meghwal (40) has been taken into custody, they said. Shankar sustained an injury on his neck following which he was rushed to a hospital where doctors declared him brought dead. “A case has been registered and the accused is being interrogated,” the police said.

Kumher: A mother & daughter died due to drowning in a puddle in the Pachaura village. The woman had gone to the puddle to graze goats with her 2 daughters & brother-in-law’s daughter. When the goats were drinking water, the 13-year-old girl slipped & fell into the puddle. The mother jumped to save her but she drowned. Meanwhile, her elder daughter jumped to save them but she also started to drown but her uncle’s daughter also jumped and saved her.

tion of the Congress government. Former BJP State President Ashok Parnami, TonkSawai Madhopur MP Sukhbir Singh Jaunapuria, and other leaders were also present.

Ajmer: RTDC Chairman Dharmendra Rathore said that BJP’s Jan Aakrosh rallies in Rajasthan are proving to be a flop show. While speaking to media persons in RTDC Hotel in Ajmer, Rathore said, “Most of the chairs were lying vacant in the BJP protest. BJP is not getting the support of the general public and only the BJP workers and elected representatives are taking

part in the protest,” he said. He said that under the Mehangai Rahat Camps, the common public is being made aware of the public welfare schemes of the government.

कारायालर नगरपाललका, मारवाड़ जंक्शन (पाली)

महोि्य, मारवाड़ जंकशन द्ारा माननरी्य मुख्यमंतरी महोि्य के दनिदेशानुसार राज्य करी संवेिनशरील, पारिशशी और जवाबिेह सरकार करी संिादलत जनकल्याण करी दवदभन्न ्योजनाओं, फलषैगदशप ्योजनाओं त्ा राज्य के बज्ट 2023-24 के प्ावधानों को जन-जन

तक पहुंिाने के दल्य दिनांक 24 अप्ल, 2023 से 30 जून 2023 तक ‘महंगाई राहत कैंप एवं प्शासन शहरों

Ashvini Yadav

Alwar: Former Union Minister Bhanwar Jitendra Singh and Cabinet Minister Tika Ram Jully inaugurated the newly-built Luv-Kush Vatika in the Dehra Shahpur area of Alwar district. Singh said that the work

which he could not complete has now been completed by Tika Ram Jully. “This was the old assembly constituency of Bhanwar Singh & I have taken forward the same thought from the point of view of Rajasthan tourism,” said Tika Ram Jully.

Luv-Kush Vatika opens in Alwar; project to boost tourism in the area: Jully

Dharmendra Rathore briefing media in Ajmer on Tuesday.

Tika Ram Jully, former Union Min Bhanwar Jitendra Singh and others during the inauguration of Luv-Kush Vatika on Tuesday.

The barricades being pushed down as BJP workers clash with the police during the protest in Ajmer on Tuesday. PHOTOS BY HIMANSHU SHARMA & ANAND SHARMA

Man kills cousin with sword in Jhunjhunu

Ashok Parnami & Sukhbir Singh Jaunapuria attend protest in Dausa on Tuesday.

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

2ND FRONT

Raj witnesses miraculous devp with govt’s people-centric decisions: CM

Gehlot also visited stalls based on campaigns and schemes of Prashasan Gaon Ke Sang

Naresh Sharma

Jaipur: Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, who visited Jaipur rural area on Tuesday and inspected Mehangai Rahat camps at Gram Panchayat Kaladera, Pachkodia, Bhojpura Kalan and Kalwar, handed over the Chief Minister’s Guarantee Cards after getting the beneficiaries registered in the schemes according to their eligibility. Interacting with the villagers, he appealed to take advantage of the schemes by getting more and more registration done in inflation relief camps. During the dialogue in Pachkodia, an elderly beneficiary expressed his gratitude to the CM and said, ‘Now I feel happy.’ In a public meeting at Kaladera, CM said that unprecedented development has taken place in Rajasthan due to public welfare decisions of the government. “Every section is getting relief from schemes run by govt with the motto, ‘your money for you’. Mehangai Rahat camps will provide relief to people & take govt schemes to them.

BJP’s Dilawar booked for creating ruckus at relief camp

First India Bureau

Pali delegation thanks CM for new districts, Mehangai Rahat Camps

Naresh Sharma

Jaipur: The delegation from Pali district met CM Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday and thanked for the formation of new districts and divisions and the camps organised to provide relief to the people of the state from inflation. Addressing the delegation at the CMR, Gehlot said that creation of 19 new districts and 3 divisions by state government has made people happy. Gehlot said that by making Pali a division, all-round development of Marwar region would be possible. A major portion of Dedicated Freight Corridor to be built under Delhi-

Mumbai Industrial Corridor project will pass through Jodhpur-PaliMarwar & there are huge possibilities of investment, employment & planned development, the CM said.

CM Gehlot to address people in Bikaner’s Jasrasar village today

First India Bureau

Tussle in Congress cadres became public in Chomu on Tuesday. PCC member Rukshmani Kumari’s patience also broke when she was not given a place on the stage. Then CM Ashok Gehlot called her on stage. Rukshmani & former MLA Bhagwan Sahai Saini came face to face. She accused Saini of stopping her from going on stage. “How many places will you stop me? I respect you. Now CM Gehlot has called, what is your respect left?,” she told Saini. There was a lot of discussion among the people of the city on this entire incident.

Kota: BJP MLA Madan Dilawar has been booked for allegedly creating ruckus during Mehngai Rahat Camp in Ramganj Mandi. The MLA has been accused of abusing govt officials & hindering govt work. On Monday night, the

executive officer of Nagar Palika filed an FIR against the MLA and other people.

Chandna launches registration portal for Rural & Urban Olympic Games

Dr Rituraj Sharma

Mayank Jain

Keshoraipatan: LS

Speaker Om Birla visited Kapren and Lakheri in Keshoraipatan assembly constituencies on Tuesday. Birla reached the house of Gunjan Merotha, victim of a road accident at Teacher’s Colony in Kapren and consoled the family and assured all possible help.

After this, Birla reached to condole the death of BJP leader Bal-

ram Rathore’s father.

“We have to work actively to change the condition and direction of rural areas by improving our methodology,” he said while addressing ‘Samvad’ event.

The workers raised problem of closure of ration card portal & demanded development of facilities in Kapren CHC & railway station.

Birla also inaugurated the facility of X-ray and sonography machine at Lakheri CHC.

Jaipur: The entire team can be registered simultaneously this time during the registration for rural and urban Olympic Games so that all the players can play with one team. This time the rural and urban Olympic Games will be organised together. Online registrations have started to participate in the games and these games will start from June 23 and the games will be concluded on August 29, on the occasion of International Sports Day. A budget of Rs 130 crore has been kept for these games, said Sports Minister Ashok Chandna on Tuesday.

Chandna said that seven sports each have been included in the urban and rural Olympic

Ashok Chandna launches web portal for registration of Rajiv Gandhi Urban/ Rural Olympic Games at Secretariat on Tuesday.

‘NOW NO DISPUTE OVER VIP STAND AT SMS’

Regarding the tussle over the VIP stand in IPL, Chandna said that now the dispute is over and the approval process is on for the permanent structure for which there was objection. “They are taking clearance. The request letter has come from Rajasthan Royals. In such a situation, there is no dispute of any kind left,” he said.

Games, in which urban Olympic Games include Kabaddi for boys and girls, tennis ball cricket, kho kho for girls, volleyball for boys and girls, 100 and 200 meters boys and girls athletics,

boys and girls, football and girls basketball. Rural Olympic games include kabaddi, tennis ball, cricket, kho-kho, volleyball, Tug of war in girls category, football in both categories.

Jaipur: CM Ashok Gehlot will address two major events in Bikaner in just four days. During this, he will live among the villagers of four villages. The CM is reaching Nokha’s Jasrasar today, while on April 29 he will attend events at villages in Sridungargarh. However, till now CM’s official

programme has not been released yet. The event in Jasrasar today is believed to be a show of strength by former LoP Rameshwar Dudi. Besides Dudi supporters, a large number of MLAs & Ministers will reach Jasrasar today. 65 Congress MLAs from across the state are reaching Jasrasar. For this, a big tent has been set up in Jasrasar.

State Govt to allot 3,000 bighas of land to RHB

Shivendra Parmar

Jaipur: The State Government will soon provide more than 3 thousand bighas of land to the Rajasthan Housing Board. Along with this, recruitment on 311 new posts will also be done soon by the state government’s examination agency. During a meeting chaired by Principal Secretary, UDH onMarch 16, 2023, whose proceedings were released on April 5, 2023, a decision was taken wherein, State Government will give 1,000 bighas of land in Jaisalmer, 1,000 bighas from Jodhpur Development Authority in Jodhpur, 500 bigha from Udaipur City Development Trust in Udaipur. Similarly, it has been decided to make available 681

311 NEW POSTS TO BE FILLED IN RHB

RHB has decided that recruitment on 311 new posts will be done via any government organisation. An advertisement was issued on April 21, 2023 to select recruitment agency, whose tender will be opened on May 4, 2023 & recruitment will be done after selecting the recruitment agency.

bighas of land in Pali city out of the land available with Municipal Council, Pali. In the meeting, discussion was held on identifying all the land available near Banasthali in Tonk, Bhilwara, Phalodi, Abu Road, Chittorgarh, Bikaner, Tonk and near village Mahala-Jharna in district Jaipur and making it available to RHB soon.

FREE LAND BY GOVT FOR MANDIS

Jaipur: State Govt issued orders for allotting free of cost land to mandis in Raj. As per budget announcement of CM Gehlot, UDH & LSG Depts jointly issued an order in this regard. Land will be allotted by concerned development authority, UIT and local bodies at 25 percent of the reserve price.

Shekhawat’s defamation case against CM to be heard on May 25

First India Bureau New Delhi: In the Union Minister GS Shekhawat ’s defamation case, Delhi Police has sought more time from court to complete probe. The Rouse Avenue Court has thus directed Delhi Police to complete probe while giving one more month & now the next hearing of the case will be held on May 25. Delhi Police will have to submit investigation report to court by May 25. In the last hearing, the court had ordered Delhi Police to investigate and had stressed that Joint Commissioner of Delhi Police will supervise the investigation.

Suspended RAS mark attendance as performers crack whip!

Rajendra Chhabra

Jaipur: The number of suspended RAS, who line up to mark their presence in the attendance register in the Secretariat, has swelled to ten now, with the latest addition being of Ravindra Kumar on April 19. Ravindra was suspended from the post of Deputy Commissioner of Jodhpur

Development Authority, a post which he took over eight months ago

in July 2022.

According to sources, the action has been taken against Ravindra Kumar in a matter related to three bigha land of Narayan Dharmarth Samiti, which the Samiti had sold off to an individual and later the 90-A formalities of the said land were also completed. Ravindra Kumar, at first, issued a lease of this land in October 2022 and then on March 31, he cancelled the

said lease. In taking action, Kumar was irresponsible in checking the documents and records and along with this, he did not pay heed to the point number 34 of Rajasthan Urban Areas (Permission) Rules, 2012. Among the suspended RAS,’ the oldest matter is of Pradeep Balecha, who was suspended for getting embroiled in a criminal case in the year 2015. Then in April 2021, Revenue Board

member Bhanwar Lal Mehra was sent packing after ACB action against him. In April 2021 itself, Pinki Meena and Pushkar Mittal were suspended due to the National Highway

Land Scandal in Dausa.

RAS Sunil Kumar was suspended in March 2021, while serving as SDO Barmer, for irregularities. Then there is Ashok Singhal, who was serving as Settlement

Officer in Alwar, and was suspended after his involvement with Collector Nannumal Pahadia in graft case. Thereafter in April 2022, Ravindra Kumar and Mamta Yadav, who were serving as DC in Jaipur Development Authority were suspended. Moreover, Man Singaram, serving as SDO Jalore, and Pyarelal Sonthwal, serving as SDO Alwar, were suspended in December 2021 and November 2022 respectively.

All these RAS, who are accused of corruption, undue use of position and irregularities, are currently marking their attendance in DoP and as of now, it does not seem that they will be re-instated.

It would be prudent to mention an interesting fact of the post of DC of Jodhpur Development Authority, from which Ravindra Kumar has been suspended. Two IAS were put on APO, while they

served as Commissioner of the Authority. Meghraj Singh Ratnu in October 2020 and Avdhesh Meena in October 2022 were put on APO. Now an RAS is handling the post, as 1997 batch senior RAS Navneet Kumar is currently serving on the post. Interestingly, Navneet Kumar has achieved the target of issuing Rs 25,000 lease deed, a month in advance in February 2023 itself!

Remember, our external life can never be greater than what exists within, focus on the inside to achieve brilliance outside.

CM Ashok Gehlot being extended a warm welcome during the Mehangai Rahat Camp held at Gram Panchayat Kaladera in Jaipur on Tuesday. Also seen here are GS Dotasra and others.

CM Gehlot describes about schemes while giving ‘Mukhyamantri Guarantee Card’ at Mehangai Rahat camp in Pachkodiya.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot affectionately interacts with a girl child during Mehangai Rahat Camp in Bhojpura on Tuesday.

CM Ashok Gehlot addresses the representatives from Pali at CMR on Monday. Also seen are Lalchand Kataria, Neeraj Dangi, GS Dotasra, Mahadev Singh Khandela, Heeraram Meghwal, Khushveer Singh, Niranjan Arya, Badriram Jakhar and others.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot interacts with a resident of Pali at CMR on Tuesday.

Om Birla felicitates Bhimraj Shringi & his wife, Shanti Devi for their resolve of body donation during a programme held in Community Health Centre at Lakheri town in Bundi district on Tuesday.

‘We have to work actively to transform rural areas’

TUSSLE IN CONG CADRES ‘CLEARLY VISIBLE’ BEFORE CM

SHADE OF THE

As the world of fashion continues to evolve, so do the colors that dominate the runways and wardrobes of style-conscious individuals. Among the emerging hues that have caught the eye of many a fashionista is the delicate yet vibrant apricot color.

Apricot, a light orange-yellowish color, exudes a charming and playful quality that has made it a favorite of many fashion designers. Its

joy, youthfulness, and femininity. Apricot is a flattering color that suits a wide range of skin tones, making it a go-to choice for many fashion enthusiasts.

Apricot has also been incorporated into various fashion prints, such as floral, animal, and geometric patterns. Its softness and brightness provide a gentle contrast to bold and intricate designs, making it a complementary color that ac-

Apricot is a versatile and fashionable hue that has become a popular choice for many style-conscious individuals. Its softness, warmth, and femininity make it a go-to color for both casual and formal wear. City First

UTTKARSHA SHEKHAR

Shakespeare’s First Folio turns 400

It has been 400 years since the publication of the first collected edition of Shakespeare’s plays, a volume now known as the First Folio. Prepared by his fellow actors after his death, the book presented 36 plays divided into the genres of comedy, history and tragedy.

Without it, 18 of Shakespeare’s plays that had not previously been printed would have been lost, among them Macbeth, Julius Caesar, Twelfth Night and The Tempest. No “friends, Romans and countrymen”, no “brave new world”, no “double, double toil and trouble”.

But what would really be different if this book had never been printed at all?

Most significantly, there wouldn’t be the cultural icon we know as “Shakespeare”. Those works that do survive would be scattered across numerous flimsy early editions, rath-

er than gathered in this imposing and serious volume.

Without the weight – cultural as well as literal – of the collected edition, it’s possible few would care about these surviving plays. Something similar happened to other play wrights of the period, whose work was not given the authority of a collec tion. We’d also have an idea of Shakespeare as more inter ested in histories and com edies than tragedies. Mac beth, Antony and Cleopatra, Coriolanus, Julius Caesar and Timon of Athens would be lost without the First Folio. Since some of these early editions did not name Shakespeare on their title pages, the authorship of plays such as Romeo and Juliet, Titus Andronicus and Henry V would be un-

certain. Conversely, title pages identify Shakespeare as the author of The London Prodigal (1605) and A Yorkshire Tragedy (1608), which most modern scholars do not attribute to Shakespeare. In part, this is due to

Shakespeare’s plays was a significant practical factor in getting him back into the theatres when they reopened at the Restoration of Charles II in 1660. This large collection of Shakespeare’s works took up visible space on the shelf. Had he not come back into prominence at that important moment – and had the newly revived theatre looked elsewhere for their dramatic scripts – Shakespeare’s reputation might well have been permanently lost.

If Shakespeare had not been revived in the later

that they are not included in the First Folio. With out it, the canon of Shake speare’s plays would have decisively shifted. This different canon would have prompted a dif ferent historical response.

The convenience and ready availability of the First Fo lio as a repository for

ing Shakespearean actor of the 18th century – would have had an entirely different career (as, in later periods, would other actors like Laurence Olivier and Judi Dench).

SHAKESPEARE’S INTERNATIONAL REPUTATION

This much-depleted Shakespeare would hardly have galvanised outrage about the sale of his Stratford birthplace in the 19th century. Perhaps modern Stratford-upon-Avon would now simply mark its playwright son with a blue plaque (rather as Shakespeare’s

Without the First Folio, there would be no dedicated Shakespeare theatre in Stratford, or at Shakespeare’s Globe on Bankside. There would be no Shakespeare festivals around the world, such as that in Stratford, Ontario.

In fact, Stratford, Ontario, named in the 19th century for Shakespeare’s hometown, would now have a different name entirely, as would Stratfords in Ohio, Connecticut, Wisconsin, New Jersey and New Zealand and Australia.

Halloween would be quite different without Macbeth, which popularised a trio of witches around a cauldron performing a spell.

Shakespeare reduced in national prestige would not have been sufficiently prominent to be translated. Without German Shakespeare, we might never have had Freud’s version of the Oedipus complex, which he understood through his reading of Hamlet.

Karl Marx would not have conceptualised his theory of capital via Timon of Athens. And translations around the world –into more than 100 languages – would not have established Shakespeare as a global author.

There are other, more serious consequences of this fancy. Colonial rule in India would not have relied on the Shakespearean study as the central text of the empire. Othello’s murder of Desdemona might not have left its long shadow of prejudice about interracial marriage.

Perhaps the Confederate actor John Wilkes Booth would not have shot Abraham Lincoln at DC’s Ford’s Theatre, in April 1865 since he wouldn’t have been steeped in the role of the assassin Brutus in Julius Caesar.

FACEOFTHEDAY

YOUR DAY

Horoscope by Saurabbh Sachdeva

ARIES

ing the 18th. No statue in Poets’ corner, no arguments between the literary figures of the day about the best way to edit his plays.

David Garrick – the lead-

MAR 21 - APR 20

Fortunes are set to rise for those in trade and business. You love to live close to your family. You are a child at heart and never let this child die. You have a big heart and you always help someone if you can. Expected payments are likely to get released soon.

LEO

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

This is the best time try something new with life give yourself a new purpose. You will feel amorous towards your wife. Work on your limitations, there can be no better time than this. You have more opposite sex friends than the same and you may be judged sometimes.

SAGITTARIUS

NOV 23 - DEC 22

Your spouse is someone who can do anything for your happiness. You are happy spending whole day at home. Tensions on the family front are likely to get sorted out. Help your mothers at home today and give them a reason to smile. You are opportunist and this will make you successful one day.

bered in his hometown of Rye). There would be no birthday parade, no Othello taxi firm, and no tourist industry. No one would care if his wife, Anne Hathaway, had a cottage.

TAURUS

APR 21 - MAY 20

Family will be supportive of your ideas, but only to an extent. You give tough competition to people. Many people get inspired by you. You will get special treatment from your dear ones. Good health is assured through own efforts. Meet people you get along with well.

VIRGO

AUG 24 - SEP 23

Some family issues may need urgent resolution, so don’t neglect them. Some of you are likely to enjoy an excursion with friends.You will feel financially comfortable. Your personality will attract many eligible bachelors. Spend time talking with likeminded people.

CAPRICORN

DEC 23 - JAN 20

You must create an environment of understanding at home. Your regular exercise routine promises to keep you fit and energetic. You will succeed in any sort of examination if you put your heart and soul to it. You need a break from day to day tensions.

tine’s cliches of romantic love are unthinkable without the popularity of Romeo and Juliet. No sporting fixture between England and France would reach for the lines about Agincourt from Henry V. A

GEMINI

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

You are very fortunate to have a great friend circle.

Whatever you have in mind, you will manage to implement it at work. You are likely to feel much healthy and energetic today. You want to have your own house and you will work hard to make your dream come true.

LIBRA

SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22

Today is a favourable day for business.Listening to someone’s advice on the professional front will be in your interest. You are very generous by nature and also you are the backbone of your family. Be careful of the words that come out of your mouth.

AQUARIUS

JAN 21 - FEB 19

Pending paperwork concerning a property will be completed. Your spouse may make you spend more than you expected. Admit your faults in relationship. Fantastic day for investing money in stock market as you can make fortune. You miss your parents a lot and somewhere fear to loose them.

The First Folio’s aftereffects are far-reaching indeed, touching fields of human psychology and geopolitics as well as literature, culture and theatre. No First Folio means no Shakespeare. And, whether you enjoy his works or not, that’s a hard reality to imagine.

Source: https://theconversation. com/shakespeares-first-folio-turns400-what-would-be-lost-withoutthe-collection-an-expert-speculates-202998

CANCER

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

You make sure to make things work your way. You are most wanted by your friends. You can have romantic affair in office and a serious one. You will invest money in clothes and accessories today. You are a God fearing person. Never demotivate someone.

SCORPIO

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

You will enjoy good health by remaining regular in your workouts. It will be in your interest to guide a family youngster on the academic front. Scrumptious food is what you are craving for today. You may start a side business to earn extra money. You are a very grounded person.

PISCES

FEB20 - MARCH 20

Don’t make friends for money and status rather make friends who will stick with you forever. You care about you lover but somehow hesitate in expressing that care. On social front, you may have to spend some extra money in buying gifts for someone for some specific occasion.

If Shakespeare had not been revived in the later 17th century, it is hard to see how he would have become the national poet during the 18th. No statue in Poets’ corner, no arguments between the literary figures of the day about the best way to edit his plays.

EMMA SMITH

Professor of Shakespeare Studies, University of Oxford

Fake and cringe

Samantha Ruth Prabhu recently attended the premiere event of Citadel in London and grabbed all the attention. However, a few also trolled her for her accent while addressing the media during the event in London. Her accent has received mixed reviews

videos of her speaking at the premiere have gone viral. A clip of Samantha talking about her role in Citadel to the media has emerged online and her accent has received mixed reactions. She is seen talking about being part of the Indian version of Citadel, and how she’s excited to be

CASUAL AND SPORTY

Actress Deepika Padukone returned to Mumbai recently post shooting for Fighter in Bhutan. After taking a few days off, the actress was seen making heads turn at the Mumbai airport a while ago. This time, she ditched the oh-so-glam look and opted for a sporty outfit. In the video, Deepika is seen sporting a

yellow jersey-like t-shirt with a pair of blue joggers. She completed her look with open tresses, minimal makeup, white sneakers and a stylish handbag. The actress dished out major cool and chic

ples for the camera. Soon after her video was shared online, her fans went gaga over her new look. A fan commented, "SO PYAARI." Another fan wrote, "OMGGGGG." One of the comments

‘PREGGY PERKS’

Actress Ileana D'Cruz left everyone surprised after she announced her first pregnancy recently. She took to social media and shared adorable pictures to announce the good news. A while ago, mommy-to-be Ileana took to her Instagram story and offered a glimpse of her 'preggy perks'. Ileana shared a picture of a black

‘Aarya Season 3’

The International Emmynominated Hotstar Specials’ Aarya, shows the meticulous actor preparing for a sword fight as she returns in an action-packed avatar. Talking about her return to the sets of ‘Aarya Season 3’, Sushmita said, “Aarya for strength and her unabashed spirit is now an inevitable part of me. Now that we’ve seen her ace the game, it’s time to take things up a notch higher.

With the third chapter in Aarya’s life, the audience will see her in a whole new action-packed avatar.”

The team of Aarya season 3 is currently shooting in Jaipur.

QUICK TRIP

ooja Hegde is one of the top actresses, who is busy with back-to-back movies. After the release of Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan, the actress took a break and made a "quick trip" back home. She shared a few glimpses of her visiting hometown Mangalore and looks like one happy kid who is back home. Pooja Hegde took to Instagram and shared a few glimpses as she visited her hometown Mangalore. In the pics, the actress

BodyCanvas Incredible art!

UTTKARSHA SHEKHAR

As the movie Pathaan scored rave reviews, actor John Abraham’s sexy, bad-boy role in the Bollywood biggie also caused quite a stir! The Twitterati cannot get enough of the actor’s sassy tattoos that were created especially for the movie by BodyCanvas Tattoos & Piercing. City First inter-

acted with celebrity tattoo artists Vikas and Micky Malani, founders of BodyCanvas Tattoos & Piercing, who shared their experience of working for Pathaan, “For the first meeting, we had brought quite a few references according to the description that was given to us about John Abraham’s character in the movie. We were pleasantly surprised

to see that John’s team had also brought in quite a lot of options. So, all of us joined forces to finalize distinctive designs that haven’t been seen before in a Bollywood movie!”

The actor sported a compass on his right forearm with the coordinates for the city of Mumbai and on the other hand, there was ‘Family’ with a heartbeat motif to show

forest cake on her Instagram story made by her sister. She went on to call it 'preggy perks'. Along with it, she also wrote, "Especially because your sister makes the best Black Forest cake ever" followed by several emojis. She also shared a picture of a piece of cake and wrote, "Come to mama."

wore a beautiful ethnic blue suit with a heavy embroidery dupatta and accessoried with bindi, gajra and perfect makeup and looked absolutely stunning. "A quick trip to Mangalore and a quick hunt for pejakai," Pooja Hegde captioned the post. The Radhe Shyam actress also gave a sneak peek of spending time with her dad on an ice cream date.

what family meant to him and a cross on his finger. The ‘PATRIOT’ emblazoned on his neck to reference his past as an agent and his love for the country. For his massive sleeve tattoo there is a clock, eagles and roses design that depicts his strong, macho persona in the movie. BodyCanvas team –Daksh Bhanushali, Shyam Wahgmare, Sudhir Rao, Santosh Solanki, Nilesh Janathe, Gaus Hashmi and Himanshu Lokhande were the creative forces behind

John’s latest avatar. The Malani duo also complimented Yash Raj Films’ production for their professionalism. “We have been providing tattoo services for over two decades. However, this was the first time BodyCanvas Tattoos & Piercing and the entire team have been mentioned in the film credits. We want to thank YRF for giving us a platform that makes us and our work feel respected and valued.”

uttkarsha.shekhar@firstindia.co.in

Deepika Padukone

Her story...

Ileana D’Cruz

Sushmita Sen

Samantha Ruth Prabhu Pooja Hegde Her post...

John Abraham with tattoo artists Vikas and Micky

FASHION FOR ALL!

CITY FIRST

In recent years, the fashion industry has made significant strides towards embracing gender-neutral clothing.

This movement towards inclusivity has given rise to a new wave of fashion, one that is not limited to traditional gender norms. City First brings to you a photo shoot that was created for gender-neutral fashion.

The concept of this photo shoot was to showcase how Western outfits can be worn in a gender-neutral manner. The art director of the shoot, Shaad, came up with the idea of combining different Western outfits with jewellery made of stone, pearl, and oxidised silver.

The idea was to create a fusion of Western and traditional elements, which would result in a unique and exciting look.

The shoot took place in a studio, which was

DURING THE DAY!

Dr BD Kalla, Education Minister launched the poster of ‘Nrityam’ presented by Agarwal Educational Cultural and Welfare Society in collaboration with the Department of Art and Culture, Government of Rajasthan. The event will be organised on April 29, World’s Dance Day. In this program, senior Kathak guru Dr Shashi Sankhla and her disciples will present the Kathak dance and Padmashree Jairam Rao and his disciples will present the Kuchipudi dance.

Indo-Western Folk Fusion band Swaraag has recently released their next independent single ‘Yun Sawarna’. After traveling the length and breadth of the country for their gigs the band is all set to take the indie music circuit by storm. The band has planned a string of releases and ‘Yun Sawarna’ is the first in the lineup. The track is sung soulfully by the lead singer of the band Asif Urra and it features model-actor Arbaz Patel and Akanksha Bhalla. The song also has an amazing music video shot in some exotic locations of Rajasthan.

set up with different backdrops to complement the outfits and jewellery. The models were carefully selected to represent a diverse group of individuals who could showcase the versatility of gen der-neutral clothing.

The clothes were cho sen to reflect the latest trends in Western fash ion, with a focus on comfort and style. The jewellery used in the photo shoot was an essential compo nent of the overall look which added a touch of elegance and sophistication to the out fits which were chosen to comple ment the clothes, without overpower ing them.

One of the most important aspects of this photo shoot was the message it con veyed. By show casing genderneutral clothing, the shoot

aimed to promote inclusivity and acceptance. It demonstrated that fashion is not limited by gender norms, and anyone can wear what they feel comfort-

ENTERPRISING WOMEN!

CITY FIRST

Rajasthan government’s work from home scheme along with other ambitious entrepreneurial schemes were discussed in a Power Brunch session organised under the joint aegis of Sapiens Group and Saksham Sanchar Foundation at Hilton Jaipur.

Speaking on the occasion, Ajay Aswal, Joint Secretary, Government of Rajasthan explained in detail about the process of work from home scheme launched by the Government of Rajasthan and said that it caters to both employees and entrepreneurs.

Dr Somya, May-

or, Nagar Nigam Greater Jaipur said on the occasion that Women in India have been empowered for centuries. However, medieval India made women weak. Now women are again coming to power and are holding each other’s hands to come forward.

Himanshi Gehlot, founder of the NGO and daughter-inlaw of CM Ashok Gehlot, narrated how her mother-inlaw, Sunita Gehlot, who was fond of singing, recently launched her album on YouTube after taking music classes. Archana Sharma, convener of Saksham Sanchar Foundation, said that women should dream high and work towards achieving their goals, but without falling into the trap of perfection.

Pratap Singh Khachariyawas and Justice GK Vyas during the lamp lighting ceremony

A felicitation ceremony titled ‘Kalavid’ was organised by Rajasthan Lalit kala Akademi at the Akademi Sankul, Jaipur on Tuesday.

Pratap Singh

FICCI FLO Jaipur started the initiative of Skilling in Digital Literacy, under the Chairpersonship of Neha Dhadda at Pt. Nawal Kishore Sharma School, Dausa on Tuesday. She expressed that the new revolution has begun and the Internet is the new Era, so this shall be our Initiative to empower Women on Digital Literacy. Nidhie A Data , Past Chairperson explained the importance of Digital Literacy for everyone. She further explained them how to download DIGI DOST- A product of Data Ingenious Global Private Limited to help understand digital platform well, which was followed by an interactive Q&A round.

The Motor Car Expedition ‘SAM NO VARUNAH’ reached Chittorgarh on April 22, covering the entire Indian coastline. The Navy Welfare and Wellness Association (NWWA) undertook an awareness drive along the route about various career opportunities on Agnipath Scheme in the Navy and also at Sainik School, Chittorgarh in Rajasthan. The outreach program was conducted at Bhagwati Seva Evam Shikshan Sansthan where the members of NWWA interacted with the staff & children and distributed daily essentials. The day ended with a visit to the iconic and breathtaking Chittorgarh Fort, a UNESCO heritage site and one of the largest forts in India. The expedition showcased ‘Nari Shakti’ through the participation of serving women officers and naval wives to motivate the young generation to join the Indian Navy. They also interacted with Naval Veterans and Veer Naaris. The Motor Car expedition will culminate in New Delhi on April 26.

Khachariyawas, Cabinet Minister (Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Dept) graced the occasion as the chief guest while Justice GK Vyas was present as the special guest and inaugurated the event by lighting the lamp. During the occasion, Laxman Vyas, President, of Lalit Kala Akademi was also present. Various artists doing impeccable work in the field of art were felicitated on the occasion.

ADAY TO REMEMBER

National award-winning director Sudhanshu Saria’s upcoming film ‘Sanaa’ starring Radhika Madan has been selected for the official competition at the 23rd New York Indian Film Festival which is North America’s oldest film festival showcasing cinema from India and the Indian diaspora. Expressing his excitement and gratitude for being part of the Festival, director Sudhanshu Saria said, “This festival has been a champion of independent cinema from the Indian Diaspora, and we are thrilled to have our film showcased alongside such compelling works.” The festival celebrating cinema from the global Indian community will take place from May 11 to 14, 2023.

CITY FIRST

Supermodel and Mrs India 2018 Swati Jangid and Prakash Jangid commemorated their 5th wedding anniversary and also celebrated the baby shower of their son Dakshit Jangid. The grand event took place at the Fomo Banquet, Jodhpur on Tuesday.

The evening was filled with laughter, love, and happiness as friends and family gathered to bless the couple and their baby boy. The banquet hall was beautifully decorated with balloons, streamers, and flowers, adding to the festive atmosphere. The event was graced by several prominent person-

alities from the city, including RCA President Vaibhav Gehlot, Gaurav Gaur, Director Elite Miss Rajasthan, PN Doody, JD Maheshwari, along with supermodels Akanksha Bhalla, Tanu Choudhary, Himakshi Choudhary, Soni Kumari, Riya Sain and

Riya Suledia, who congratulated the couple and showered them with blessings. Swati and Prakash expressed their gratitude to their loved ones for their unwavering support and presence on their special day.

cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

CLOCKWISE: Mansha Parnami, Rajat Kharakwaal, Chitrakshi Parihar and Pawan Karadiya

Dr Somya and Himanshi Gehlot with others during the Power Brunch Session

(R-L) Tanu Choudhary, Himakshi Choudhary, Swati Jangid, Soni Kumari, Riya Sain and Riya Suledia

Vaibhav Gehlot with Swati and Prakash Jangid

Prakash Jangid, Swati Jangid, JD Maheshwari and PN Doody

Swati Jangid and Prakash Jangid with their babyboy Dakshit Jangid

Gaurav Gaur, Akanksha Bhalla, Swati Jangid and Prakash Jangid

Mansha Parnami and Chitrakshi Parihar