First India-Jaipur Edition-28th February 2023

IRCTC SCAM CASE: LALU YADAV AND RABRI SUMMONED BY DELHI COURT

MLC POLLS ANNOUNCED IN ANDHRA, TELANGANA, BIHAR

New Delhi: The EC on Monday announced MLC polls in 14 constituencies in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Bihar in March, besides a bypoll in Bihar. EC said the term of office of 10 Members of Legislative Councils (MLCs) — 7 in Andhra Pradesh and 3 in Telangana — was due to end on March 29.

MEGHALAYA AND NAGALAND ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS

NE BATTLE EN ROUTE TO 2024 POLLS!

Moni Sharma

Shillong/Kohima:

The percentage of voter turnout in the Nagaland Assembly Elections was higher than Meghalaya at 82.42%, Meghalaya recorded

OZ’S DEAKIN UNI TO BE 1ST VARSITY TO SET UP CAMPUS IN INDIA

ticularly young & firsttime voters — in both States to come out and vote in record numbers. In Nagaland, over 13 lakh voters decided the electoral fate of 183 candidates contesting 59 out of a total of 60 seats. In Meghalaya, over 21.6L voters sealed fate of 369 candidates.

IF YOU DON’T SCORE IN INDIA, YOU WILL GET

JAIPUR l TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2023 l Pages 12 l 3.00 l RNI NO. RAJENG/2019/77764 l Vol 4 l Issue No. 263 www.firstindia.co.in I https://firstindia.co.in/epapers/jaipur I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR & MUMBAI

New Delhi: Australia’s Deakin University is set to become first foreign university to enter India via an independent campus in the Gujarat’s GIFT City. Announcement likely during Australian PM AN Albanese visit to Ahmedabad on Mar 8.

CONG LEADER SHOT DEAD BY WOMAN FOR PERSONAL REASONS

Tarn Taran: Cong leader

Major Singh Dhaliwal was shot dead by a woman in Punjab’s Tarn Taran on Monday. SSP Gurmeet Chauhan said the woman was related to Dhaliwal and allegedly killed him due to personal reasons.

RS PRIVILEGE PANEL SEEKS RESPONSE FROM PATIL AND OTHER MPs

New Delhi: The Privilege Committee of RS has sought a written response from suspended Cong MPs, Rajani Patil and others who have been named for creating a ruckus in Upper house of Parl in recently concluded 1st part of Budget session.

MINOR GIRL KILLED IN ROAD ACCIDENT, IAF OFFICER’S SON HELD

New Delhi: A three-andhalf-year-old girl was killed after being allegedly hit by a car driven by a senior Indian Air Force officer’s son in southwest Delhi’s Cantonment area, police said on Monday. Accused is arrested, police said.

First India Bureau

NAGALAND MEGHALAYA

82.42% 74.32%

THE COUNTING OF THE VOTES FOR THE 2 STATES (NAGALAND, MEGHALAYA) INCLUDING TRIPURA, WHICH VOTED ON FEB 16, WILL BE HELD ON MARCH 2

‘TOP’ COURT ORDERS OF THE DAY

SWEET ‘18’!

First time voters shows their ink-marked fingers after casting their votes for the Meghalaya Assembly Election, at a polling station, in Ri Bhoi district on Monday.

Court sends Sisodia to CBI custody till March 4

New Delhi: Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court on Monday sent deputy CM Manish Sisodia to CBI remand till March 4.

Special judge MK Nagpal allowed the CBI’s plea for the custodial interrogation of Sisodia. The AAP is staging protests across the country against Sisodia’s arrest on Sunday in connection with the alleged Delhi liquor excise policy case on Sunday. The party also staged protests at the BJP’s headquarters at the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg in Delhi on Monday. Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal on Monday claimed that Sisodia was arrested due to political pressure on the CBI. More on P5 Probe agencies acting lawfully against corrupt, the AAP believes in neither court nor law. —BJP

Most of the agency officers were against arresting the AAP leader but they were “under pressure” from their political bosses.

—Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi Chief Minister

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia being taken to the CBI headquarters, in New Delhi on Monday. (Right) AAP’s Manish Sisodia sitting inside the car accompanied by the CBI officials.

INTERIM BAIL OF KHERA EXTENDED BY SC TILL MAR 3

Supreme Court extended the period of interim bail granted to Congress leader Pawan Khera in a case related to his alleged objectionable remarks against PM Modi till March 3.

A 3-judge bench headed by CJI DY Chandrachud took note of submissions made by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who appeared in court on behalf of Assam govt, that the state police wanted to file its reply.

PRESIDENT VISITS RASHTRIYA SANSKRITI MAHOTSAV

We should be proud of art and culture of India: Murmu

Laxman Raghav

Bikaner: Prez Droupadi Murmu inaugurated nine-day Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav in Bikaner on Monday. She said, ‘Art, culture change with time. We all should be proud of culture, arts of India. In 21st century, it is not easy to take art to people. I want to hand over responsibility to the artists that they should go to villages to find art and bring it back,’ she said. More on P8

President Droupadi Murmu being presented a memento by Guv Kalraj Mishra, Union MoS Arjun Ram Meghwal and State Minister Dr Bulaki Das Kalla during the inauguration of ‘Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav 2023’, at Karni Singh Stadium in Bikaner on Monday.

AGNIPATH SCHEME: HC ISSES PETITIONS, SAYS INTRODUCED IN ‘NATIONAL INTEREST’

Delhi High Court upheld the constitutional validity of the government’s military recruitment scheme Agnipath, saying it does not find any reason to interfere with the scheme. ‘Agnipath scheme was introduced in national interest and to ensure that armed forces are better equipped,’ bench said.

PIL FOR ‘RENAMING’ PLACES DISMISSED NEET PG EXAMINATION IS NOT POSTPONED!

SC dismissed a PIL seeking constituting of a ‘renaming commission’ to restore “original” names of ancient and religious places “renamed” by invaders, saying India can’t be a prisoner of the past. Bench of Justices KM Joseph and BV Nagarathna questioned motive of PIL by lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay, saying it will bring alive those issues, “which would keep country on boil”.

OLD IS GOLD!

A 103-year-old voter named Jonathan Sekhose shows his ink-marked finger after casting vote for Nagaland Assembly elections in Chumoukedima on Monday.

59: Total Assembly seats in Meghalaya and Nagaland 60: Total seats in Tripura FULL REPORT P5 Tripura Meghalaya Nagaland BJP IN NAGALAND & TRIPURA; TOUGH FIGHT IN MEGHALAYA NDA (BJP+IPFT) NDA (BJP+NDPP TMP NPP BJP OTH CONG NPF OTH CONG SDF OTH 32 12 22 5 30 43 3 6 9 1 15 1

Kisans get Holi bonanza!

 PM Modi releases over `16,000 crore to 8 crore farmers under PM-KISAN

First India Bureau

 Eligible farmer families to get `6,000 per year in three installments of `2,000 each

FROM ‘HAWAI CHAPPALS’ TO ‘HAWAI JAHAZ’...

SC dissmissed the petitions seeking NEET PG 2023 postponement. It refused to entertain any pleas submitted for postponement of the National Eligibilitycum-Entrance Test 2023.

Justices Dipankar Datta and SR Bhat was informed by ASG Aishwarya Bhati, representing NBE, that NEET PG admit card 2023 have been released on Monday.

Belagavi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday released the 13th instalment of over `16,000 crore, under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PMKISAN), through direct benefit transfer to more than 8 cr beneficiaries. During the programme, PM Modi also dedicated the redeveloped Belagavi Railway Station building, to the nation. The railway station has been redeveloped at an approximate cost of about `190 crore to provide world-class amenities to the passengers. PM Modi also laid the foundation stone of six multi-village scheme projects under the Centre’s Jal Jeevan Mission in Belagavi. More on P5

PM Narendra Modi with Pralhad Joshi, Basavaraj Bommai, BS Yediyurappa and other dignitaries during the inauguration of the Shivamogga Airport on Monday. —PHOTOS BY ANI

 Those wearing ‘hawai chappals’ should travel in ‘hawai jahaz’. I’m seeing it happening”, PM Narendra Modi said India’s aviation market is growing rapidly.

 Inauguration of the airport coincided with 80th birthday of Karnataka BJP

strongman and four-time CM BS Yediyurappa, who hails from Shivamogga.  Airport has been developed at a cost of around `450 crore. The passenger terminal building of the airport here can handle 300 passengers per hour.

Centre should listen to Opposition, says Gehlot

Ramesh Sharma

benefits,” BSE SENSEX 59,288.35 175.58 | NSE NIFTY 17,392.70 73.10

Sikar: Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Monday fired salvos on the central government.

Central govt is misusing govt agencies. There is anarchy in country. Writers and journalists are being arrested, which is not good. The religion politics of Centre will not work anymore.

‘MANY SISODIAS’ BEHIND BARS IN COUNTRY: GEHLOT

M Ashok Gehlot said

C

“many Sisodias” have been arrested in the country but people don’t get to know about them. There is “terror” of CBI, ED, and IT department in the country, while judiciary and EC are under pressure.

from which the general public The public is watching everything and will bless us again, CM stresses Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot at the wedding ceremony of the son of Fatehpur MLA Hakam Ali Khan in Rolsabsar on Monday. Also seen here are Govind Singh Dotasra, Dr Amit Yadav and others.

many in Sikar on Monday where he blessed the bride and groom at the wedding ceremony of the son of Fatehpur

public welfare MLA Hakam Ali Khan. During this, people associated with religious, political and social organizations were

schemes, also present along with the CM, PCC Chief Govind Singh Dotasra and Sikar City MLA Rajendra Pareek. Turn to P8

The AAP workers carried out nationwide protests against Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia’s arrest in the Delhi liquor scam casePrime Minister Narendra Modi dedicates multiple development projects to the nation in presence of Narendra Singh Tomar, Pralhad Joshi, Basavaraj Bommai and others in Belagavi on Monday.

—Ashok Gehlot, CM

JMCG BULLDOZES 40 PERMANENT ENCROACHMENTS AT TONK PHATAK

State Assembly to resume with no LoP and Chief Whip today

Naresh Sharma, Yogesh Sharma & Aishwary Pradhan

BJP TO MEET AHEAD OF ASSEMBLY SESSION TO CHALK OUT STRATEGY

Bharat Dixit

Jaipur: The bulldozers of Jaipur Municipal Corporation Greater demolished around 40 houses and shops, marked as permanent encroachments, on Tonk Pulia’s slip line, Madhuban Colony on Tonk Road.

The Vigilance branch of the Corporation took the action after the order of JMCG Commissioner Mahendra Soni. The teams under the leadership of Deputy Commissioner Vigilance Setharam Banjara and Deputy Commissioner Malviya Nagar Zone Mahesh Chandra Mann carried out the action of demolishing the encroachments.

Setharam Banjara said that about 30 to 40 residents of Tonk Pulia’s slip line, Madhuban Colony, Tonk

Road, which is about 40 feet, had made permanent encroachments by

Vigilance branch took action after Commissioner Soni’s order Conflict? Raje’s b’day and BJYM’s protest clash on March 4

Aishwary Pradhan

Jaipur: The politics in the Bharatiya Janata Party is showing different colours in the month of March. On March 4, Vasundhara Raje camp has decided to celebrate her birthday with a bash at Salasar while BJYM has decided to hold a protest and gherao of Assembly on the same day. BJP workers and leaders are also in a state of confusion due to 32 big events on a single day in view of the upcoming assembly elections. Raje’s birthday falls on March 8, but in view of Holi and Dhulandi, it has been decided to celebrate her birthday at the famous pilgrimage Salasar Dham under Dev Darshan program like every time. In this series, the leaders of Raje camp including Ashok Parnami, Rajpal Singh Shekhawat, Kalicharan Saraf, Pratap Singh

Singhvi, Yunus Khan, Prahlad Gunjal and others are busy in preparations for the birthday and a series of meetings are going on by the pro-Raje leaders in every district and the preparations are in the final stage.

This is also important because in the district where Raje is demonstrating her strength, Deputy Leader of Opposition Rajendra Rathore is MLA from Churu, as well as BJP state president Satish Poonia is also originally from Churu.

constructing pucca houses, shops etc. which were demolished

and the land was rebroadened. He said that such actions will be im-

plemented from time to time in future against encroachments.

Jaipur: After a break of about 1 week, the Assembly proceedings will resume from Tueday. But in the midst of all this, a big question remains about the appointment of the Leader of the Opposition, the Chief Whip and the Dy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly. LoP Gulab Chand Kataria resigned after he became Governor of Assam while Chief Whip Mahesh Joshi resigned from the post. The post of Dy Speaker is continuously lying vacant since the formation of the govt. Now the exercise to fill all these three posts is going on. It has been discussed that the BJP may give the responsibility of LoP to Dy LoP Rajendra Rathore. However, in this list, there is some possibility of some other senior MLA getting a chance. For Chief Whip, there is a strong possibility that Dy Chief Whip Mahendra Choud-

BUDGET SESSION

Rajendra

Jaipur: The meeting of the BJP Legislature Party will be held on Tuesday in the assembly. The meeting will be held without the Leader of the Opposition as the post has been lying vacant ever since Gulab Chand Kataria became the Governor of Assam. BJP has not been able to decide the name of the leader of the opposition. In such a situation, Dy LoP Rajendra Rathore and BJP State Prez Satish Poonia will give directions to the MLAs in the meeting. Discussions on demands for grants are to be held in the assembly session. The party has made a plan to corner the state govt and instructions in this regard will be given to the MLAs in the meeting.

DGP TAKES MEETING OF COORDINATION COMMITTEE, DISCUSSIONS TODAY

 DGP Umesh Mishra took a meeting of the coordination committee on Monday including all ADGs. Discussion on the demands of the police protection in the Assembly will be held on Tuesday.

 Energy Min Bhanwar S Bhati will present the report of Akshay Urja Nigam Limited in the assembly on Tuesday.

hary will be promoted.

For Dy Speaker of the Assembly names of Rajendra Pareek and Dr Jitendra Singh are doing the rounds.

Question Hour will begin at 11 am. There will be condolence on the death of former MLA

RAJ AAP PROTESTS OVER SISODIA’S ARREST

They want to stop Kejriwal, says Pathak

First India Bureau

Jaipur : Aam Aadmi

Party’s Rajya Sabha

MP Sandeep Pathak alleged that the main objective of the arrest of Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia is to prevent the Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal from moving ahead in politics. He said that AAP is a national party and the manner in which Manish Sisodia has been

arrested, it is clear from that the aim of the Center is to somehow stop Kejriwal from

moving forward. Pathak said that BJP’s objective is to spoil the governance of Delhi.

Police nabs 2 in connection with Bhankrota firing, pistols recovered

First India Bureau

Jaipur: The police have arrested 2 miscreants in the case of shooting and injuring two persons due to a dispute over an escort service. The incident is on Ajmer Road, Bhankrota in the city. The police recovered pistols and cartridges from their possession. Two people injured by the bullets of miscreants are undergoing treat-

ment at SMS Hospital.

According to police, on Feb 26, adjacent to the Shivam Hotel near service line, Vedprakash Saini and Kamlesh

PRESS PREMIER LEAGUE - 2023

Sharma, in a Toyota Fortuner, hit Sonu Sharma, Dharmendra, Dayaram Gurjar and Bharat in a Mahindra Thar, while fleeing, accused Vedprakash and Kamlesh fired with the intention of murder. After registering the case, the police gathered important clues by scanning the CCTVs. Police added that the clash took place over the jurisdiction of escort service in Jaipur.

“Various tactics are being adopted to achieve this,” he said. Pathak said that ear-

OBC

First India Bureau Jaipur: Various decisions were taken in the first full commission meeting of the Rajasthan State OBC Finance and Development Commission. The meeting was held at the commission’s office at Nehru Sahakar Bhavan.

In the meeting chaired by Chairman Pawan Godara, decisions like formation of

First India Blue crushes Chowk Media in first game



Gigantic partnership between openers Garvit

Narang (138*) and Pawan Bagra (60*) crushed the hopes of the Chowk Media

First India Bureau Jaipur: The much awaited Press Premier League 2023 began on Monday with the first match between Dainik Bhaskar and Media XI followed by the mega clash between defending champions First India Blue and Chowk Media. Former champions posted a massive total of 235 runs with no loss of wickets.

The magnanimous partnership between

 Minister of State for Higher Education Rajendra Yadav will also table the report of National Law University Jodhpur, Mohanlal Sukhadia University of Udaipur.

 Cooperative minister Udaylal Anjana will table reports of Tribal Regional Dept Cooperative Federation Ltd, State Cooperative Federation Jaipur and Co-operative Consumers Federation Limited.

Harish Kumawat and notification of Agriculture Marketing Dept will be laid on the table of the House. UDH Min Shanti Dhariwal will keep annual report and accounts and separate reports of CAG will be placed on the table of the House.

ly Satyendar Jain was arrested and now it is Sisodia. “Sisodia’s case will be dismissed in the court,” he added.

Meanwhile, AAP on Monday also held a protest against the Centre over the arrest of Delhi Dy CM Manish Sisodia by CBI in liquor row. The protest march started from Narayan Singh Tirtha and moved towards the BJP office.

Advocates to gherao State assembly on March 10

First India Bureau

Jaipur: Advocates will hold a demonstration outside the state assembly on March 10 to press for their demand of making advocate protect law.

openers Garvit Narang (138*) and Pawan Bagra (60*) crushed the hopes of the opponent, with Narang hitting the ball in every corner of the KL Saini Stadium in Mansarovar, Jaipur.

Narang also took 4 wickets that shattered the hopes of Chowk Media, which collapsed at the team total of 192 runs. For Chowk Media,

In

BACK TO BACK RECORDS FOR FI

T he First India Blue, leaving no stone unturned made sure that they offer a new pair of openers, Garvit Narang and Pawan Bagra to the opponents in the first match of this edition. Both the batters posted a record partnership of more than 200 runs. In the

partnership

district level coordination committees for the upliftment of OBC community, provision of honorarium for participants of OBC community in various workshops organized by the Commission, appointment of consultant in the commission were taken. It was also decided to organize dialogue camps for dissemination of schemes and loans for OBC.

The decision was taken in the meeting of the Sangharsh Samiti of advocates. The lawyers are agitating since Feb 20. The meeting of the sangharsh samiti was held today which was attended by the bar president and main convener Kamal Kishore, general secretary Manoj Sharma, district bar president Vivek Sharma, former president Shrawan Singh, Rajasthan Bar association Jaipur president Mahendra Shandilya, Jodhpur president Ranjit Joshi and the office bearers of bar associations of all districts. Meanwhile, the judicial work will be affected on Tuesday in all the courts of the state including the High court.

Pushkar Holi fest to be held from Mar 4-7

First India Bureau

Jaipur: On the initiative of RTDC Chairman Dharmendar Rathore, a grand international Holi celebration will be held in Pushkar town from March 4 to 7.

CM Ashok Gehlot, Tourism Minister Vishvendra Singh, Minister of State Murari Meena and several other leaders have been invited for the festival. Maha

Aarti will be held on March 4 at 6:30 pm at Brahma Ghat which

will be followed by a bhajan evening in Brahma temple from 7 pm.

A camel show and Gulabo’s Kalbelia dance performance will be held at Mela Ground on March 5 while Anuradha Paudwal’s bhajan performance will be held at the fair ground at 8 pm.

(Clockwise) Bulldozers of JMCG removing the illegal construction of houses near slip lane of Tonk Phatak Puliya on Monday. A shop also being demolished. Commuters seeing the JMCG in action from the fly-over. Labourer at a construction material shop removing the remaining items. —PHOTOS BY MUKESH KIRADOO

First full

commission meeting held in Jaipur

Sachin (91*) scored the highest runs.

the other match Dainik Bhaskar defeated Media XI.

First India Blue’s Mahipal Singh, Kartikey Dev Singh, Vinod Kumar Sharma, Garvit Narang, Bharat Dixit, Gajraj Singh Bhati, Pawan Bagra, Devendra Singh, Mukesh Bagra, Nirmal Tiwari, Vikas Bagra, CP Bagra and Indraraj Gurjar after registering a thumping win in their

game of PPL-2023 on Monday.

last edition, Kartikey Dev Singh and Vinod Sharma also posted a record opening

of 217 runs and pushed the Blue’s to clinch the title.

JHALANA-AMAGARH LEOPARD RESERVES

NOW 21ST CONSERVATION RESERVE

Regular monitoring and initiatives by the forest officials proved effective

Nirmal Tiwari

Jaipur: Taking another big step in the forest sector, the state forest department has notified Jhalana and Amagarh as conservation reserves that it is now the 21st Conservation Reserve in the state. There was a wave of happiness in the department. More excitement was seen among the the officers associated with Jaipur and the range officer of Jhalana, Janeshwar Chowdhary. The trio of Additional Chief Secretary Shikhar Aggarwal, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and HoFF Dr

Forensic report confirms burnt bodies were of

Junaid & Nasir

FLOURISHING FLORA AND FAUNA IN JAIPUR

MAIN OBJECTIVE TO STRENGTHEN FOREST & WILDLIFE PROTECTION

Jaipur (PTI): The report of forensic science laboratory has confirmed that the charred bodies and the blood stains found in the SUV recovered from a cow shelter in Haryana’s Jind were of Junaid and Nasir, a Rajasthan police officer said.

The bodies of Bharatpur-based men, who were abducted, were found inside a vehicle in Haryana’s Bhiwani district on February 16.

The families of the deceased alleged that they were beaten and murdered by members of the Bajrang Dal.

Police said the burnt vehicle matched the chassis number, but the bodies left inside could not be identified. Police said the report has now confirmed the identity of both bodies.

DN Pandey, and PCCF and Chief Wildlife Warden Arindam Tomar is

taking initiatives for the Forest department. Despite being in mid-

dle of the capital & the movement of over 60 leopards in both the

leopard reserves, no untoward incident has happened.

According to the notification issued on Monday, the area of the JhalanaAmagarh Conservation Reserve is about 3507 hectares. Block A of the Conservation Reserve has been scheduled as Band Ki Garhi Amagarh, Lal Beri, and Block B as Kho Nagoriyan and Jhalana Dungri. With the formation of this conservation reserve, not only will forest and wildlife protection be strengthened, but both leopard reserves will also develop rapidly. Continuously new grasslands were created here, and water points, fire lines, new routes, and loops were constructed. Regular monitoring by DN Pandey and Arindam Tomar also proved effective.

Block development officers in ACB net for taking 45K bribe

Navin Sharma

Jaipur: The ACB team on Monday arrested Additional Block Development Officer Pawan Kumar Saini and Assistant Block Development Officer Gokul Chand Verma of Panchayat Samiti Jobner red-handed while taking a bribe of Rs 45,000 in Jaipur. ADG ACB Hemant Priyadarshy(Addl.

charge of DGP ACB) informed that the bureau received a complaint that Pawan Kumar Saini and Gokul Chand Verma

Teachers’ Exam: Internet restored after 12 hours

were demanding bribe of 50K for sending a report in favour of complainant in the matter of issuing fake leases. The complaint was verified by DIG ACB Kaluram Rawat & ASP Himanshu Kuldeep of ACB Jaipur City-III unit. The accused was caught taking a bribe of Rs 45,000 & are being questioned under the direction of IG ACB Sawai Singh Godara.

T-84 returns to forest after three days in durg area

HC RESERVES VERDICT ON PETITION OF NIMBARAM IN BRIBERY CASE

Jaipur: Rajasthan HC has reserved the judgment on the criminal petition of RSS Pracharak Nimbaram in the case related to demanding a bribe of Rs. 20 crore from BVG company in lieu of getting the company’s pending dues cleared. The bench of Justice Farzand Ali heard the arguments of all the parties and reserved the decision. The petition is for getting the FIR against the petitioner Nimbaram quashed. During the hearing, the ACB produced the factual report and the pendrive containing a recording of the conversation in the High Court. Written arguments were also presented in the single bench on behalf of the petitioner. It was also said that the audio, video, and transcript being narrated have been edited. —Kamal Kant

Udaipur: Kingpin Bhupendra Saran was produced in the court in the paper leak case in Rajasthan. The court has sent Saran on police remand for nine days. Rajeev Upadhyay, who was brought on a production warrant from Jaipur, also appeared in the court. The court sent Rajeev Upadhyay on PC remand for 4 days.

Saran had given information about Upadhyay during an interrogation. Earlier, the court had sent Saran on police remand till February 27, for which the

Udaipur: The accused Bhupendra Saran had given information about accused Rajiv Upadhyay to the police during an interrogation. The court has sent Saran on police remand for 9 days and Rajeev Upadhyay on PC remand for 4 days.

term expired on Monday. Saran was arrested by the SOG (Special Operations Group) from Bengaluru, after which the investigating agencies are continuously interrogating him.

First India Bureau

Jaipur: Under the Primary School Teacher (General/Special Education) Direct Recruitment Examination-2022 in Jaipur on Monday by the Rajasthan Staff Selection Board, examination for Sanskrit (LevelII) was held in the first shift and English (Level-II) in the second shift.

Meanwhile, internet service, which had been shut down for this, resumed after 12 hours for

which people struggled to make online payments & for booking cabs.

District Collector Prakash Rajpurohit said that a total of 1 lakh 18,183 candidates were registered for the first shift and second shift on the third day of the examination. Out of these, 91.24% candidates appeared in the first shift and 96.80% in the second shift. 63,153 candidates were registered in the Sanskrit Level-II examination.

TO REDUCE PLASTIC CONSUMPTION

First India Bureau Jaipur: The T-84 Arrowhead Tigress turned back to the forest on Monday after spending three days in the durg area. The tigress has been homeless since the battle of the territories. There is also some movement observed of daughter Siddhi and T101 in this area. In such a situation, Arrowhead’s life is also in danger from other tigresses. The war of territory has happened twice even after the daughter’s growth. Meanwhile, FD Seduram Yadav and DCF Mohit Gupta have increased the monitoring of the T84 Arrowhead tigress.

Municipal Corp Heritage installs cloth bag vending machines in all five zones

First India Bureau

Jaipur: In a step towards making the city free of single use plastic, the Municipal Corporation Heritage installed automatic cloth bag vending machines like the ATMs in all the five zones of the corporation. This has brought smiles to many shoppers, who forget to carry their bags.

jar

jar and other officers were also present.

One has to insert coins to get the bags.

The machine has sensors that work when two coins of Rs 5 or Rs 10 or a greater amount is put into the machine.

The machine has the capacity to store about 100 bags at a time. When there are no bags in the machine, the users will get back their money.

Ravi Sharma

Police taking accused Bhupendra Saran and Rajeev Upadhyay to the court on Monday.

2 accused appear before court; sent to police remand

Pawan Kumar Saini Gokul Chand Verma

Candidates coming out after attempting exam from a centre in Gandhinagar, Jaipur on Monday. —PHOTO BY MUKESH KIRADOO

Munesh Gurjar and others inaugurating vending machines at Badi Chaupar, Jaipur on Monday. —PHOTO BY MUKESH KIRADOO

SARAN GAVE INFO ABOUT UPADHYAY

A tiger taking rest inside an enclosure at Nahargarh Biological Park in Jaipur on Monday. —PHOTOS BY HIMANSHU SHARMA

India’s Secularism Needs Better Interpretation to Retain Relevance

The second of this three-part article examines Indian secularism and its unique characteristics. The article makes the case that this secularism must be relevant in the context of a formerly colonized Hindu-majority country

ward, embrace the Sufi beliefs of the subcontinent, reject ghettos and divisive ideas, come down firmly on Jihadism, adopt modern education, and compete openly for the top positions in India’s corporations. Currently, the Muslim community, 75% of whom are Dalits, lags on every socio-economic development indicator, especially in the Hindi heartland. It is true that with partition the political and intellectual elite class of Muslims mostly migrated to Pakistan and there is a real scarcity of leadership. As a result, Madrassa-educated clerics with a limited worldview have ruled the roost.

IN-DEPTH

FOR THE CONGRESS ONE ‘UNIFYING’ YATRA IS CLEARLY NOT ENOUGH

Lastly, to help dispel fears that the RSS is a Hindu supremacist and patriarchal body, it would do well to actively recruit prominent Muslims into its Muslim wing and prominent women into the women’s wing. They should be given a seat at the table to chart a common course for Indian society based on shared values. Let some of these discussions be telecast live so that Indians can see the synergies

Jawaharlal Nehru’s secular India was largely derived from our colonial masters and only took root in larger cities. It was incompatible with a Hindu-majority population that had been ruled by foreigners—Islamic invaders, and the British—for 1200 years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi refers to this as “the slave mentality of 1,200 years.” Hence, secularism must recognize the legitimate and unmet needs of its majority Hindu population.

Contrary to what The New York Times consistently argues, Narendra Modi’s BJP is correcting Nehruvian excesses instead of imposing majoritarianism.

How to Make India’s Secularism Work: The idea of secularism enshrined in the Indian constitution is admirable. It means that all religions are treated equally under the eyes of the law. Secularism does not, however, imply that all philosophies are equal. Jihadism obviously cannot be accepted as it poses serious threats to the way of life of the Hindus, the Sufi Muslims, and all other nonMuslims. Legally it falls under “hate speech”, “sedition” and likely even “treason”.

SC ORDER MAY NOT STOP NAME CHANGES

It needs to be monitored and nipped in the bud wherever it rears its ugly head, particularly in mosques and madrassas. In this regard, AIbased monitoring technology should be utilized, including online tools. Wahhabism/ Salafism has nearly eradicated Sufism from the Kashmir valley. This needs immediate attention as well. Select Indian Sufi saints should be recognized as ‘Cultural Icons’ and Sufism should be recognized as “India’s Islam”. YouTube videos on Indian Sufism, incorporating Rumi and Imam Ali’s teachings, should be disseminated freely.

Also, the Supreme Court has ruled that politicians cannot use religion or caste to seek votes. This is secularism in practice. Similarly, the exchange of confidential matters of the state (if at all) between the unelected RSS and the elected BJP, would be legally incorrect. Compliance can only be achieved if it is self-enforced by both parties.

The Tricky Issue of Conversion and Freedom of Religion: Religious conversion has always been a sensitive topic in caste-ridden Hindu rural India. According to Article 25 of the Indian constitution, “all persons are equally entitled to freedom of conscience and the right freely to profess, practice and propagate religion.” In 1977, the Indian Supreme Court ruled that the “right to propagate” refers to a right to transmit or spread one’s reli-

Supreme Court’s order dismissing lawyer Ashwini

Upadhyay’s PIL on constituting a renaming commission to restore the original names of historical and religious places should put a stop to the renaming culture. But will it? The petition sought a renaming commission which was not granted. State governments may still have the freedom to rename “cultural and religious places” and cities after Hindu gods, kings and luminaries. There are several proposals in the pipeline to remove the name of invaders and it will have to be seen if the Supreme Court’s order will prevent governments and religious fundamentalists from imple-

Nehru’s secular India was largely derived from our colonial masters and only took root in larger cities. It was incompatible with a Hindu-majority population that had been ruled by foreigners—Islamic invaders, and the British—for 1,200 years. PM Modi refers to this as “the slave mentality of 1,200 years.” Hence, secularism must recognize the legitimate and unmet needs of its majority Hindu population

gion but not a “right to convert.” This has been the standard since.

In 1999, Graham Stuart Staines with his two young sons were gruesomely murdered in Odisha. According to right-wing activists, Staines and his family were allegedly converting Adivasis to Christianity under the guise of his missionary activities. He had been working in India since 1965.

Muslims in Secular India Need to Change: For secularism to be effective, it needs two hands to clap. Muslims in India must come for-

Supreme Court’s order dismissing lawyer

Ashwini Upadhyay’s PIL on constituting a renaming commission to restore the original names of historical and religious places should put a stop to the renaming culture

menting their plans.

Justices KM Joseph and BV Nagarathna found the petition to be against the secular principles enshrined in the Constitution. “You are relooking at the past selectively. India is today a secular country. Your fingers being pointed at a particular

K Rahman Khan, a member of the Indian National Congress, says in his book, Indian Muslims: The Way Forward, that Indian Muslims have “an emotional, rather than a rational,” approach to issues. Many suffer from “superficial religiosity” and have an “uncompromising attitude and lack of an accommodative approach”.

“Religious superiority” is a feature among some. Certain sections uphold “exclusivist and narrow thinking” that is completely unacceptable, especially in a plural society.

Khan comes down heavily on Muslim clerics for wasting two decades defending Triple Talaq. He makes the point that “Muslims cannot progress if they remain wedded to some centuries-old interpretations, notions, and practices that are not in accordance with the spirit of Islam and that impede their creative presence in the contemporary world.” He asks Muslims to adopt genuine spirituality with a focus on humanity and human values. He asks Muslims to learn about democracy and duties as a citizen in a plural society and to set up interfaith dialogues.

Muslims should ask themselves what makes small minorities like the Sikhs and Parsis so successful in India. Sikhism is also a very conservative religion. Yet Sikhs are openly felicitated for their contribution to nationbuilding. The Parsis survived for over 1000 years and built modern India. These are extraordinary stories worthy to study and emulate. At the core of both these stories is the message of service to society irrespective of religion. Islam has always had that tradition. It’s time that Muslims adopted it.

SOURCE: FAIR OBSERVER

community, termed barbaric. Do you want to keep the country under boil,” Justice Joseph asked.

Importantly, the court said that Hinduism has no place for bigotry as it is a great religion. “Perhaps Hinduism is (the) greatest in terms of metaphysics. Please do not belittle it,” Justice Joseph said as he asked the petitioner not to use it for a particular purpose. Indeed, the Supreme Court has said in several of its previous judgments also that Hinduism is a way of life which does not allow bigotry. It is a fact which some forces need to be reminded of repeatedly. If only a better sense prevails and the forces for name change give up attempts at creating schism in society!

The electoral dividends of Bharat Jodo Yatra are still awaited but that hasn’t stopped the Congress from planning another march--from Arunachal to Gujarat. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said that the party was considering the East to West yatra from Arunachal Pradesh to Porbandar. The timing of the yatra is not yet confirmed as it could happen before June or November this year. The yatra would be multi-modal. The hope is that this second yatra would further invigorate the party before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

At the plenary, Rahul Gandhi described the Bharat Jodo Yatra as a “four-month tapasya” which brought the party alive and requested party president Mallikarjun Kharge to plan a “tapasya ka programme”. Despite its previous attempts to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it continues to attack him in the hope of making political gains. The Bharat Jodo Yatra’s version of inclusive politics may still be unacceptable to most electorates who are strong adherents of Modi’s ideology.

SPIRITUAL SPEAK

Detachment

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TOP TWEETS

Nitin Gadkari @nitin_gadkari

The new India is flying high!! Under the leadership of PM Shri @ narendramodi Ji, 74 new airports have been developed in the past 9 years. This not only lessens the distance but also generates new opportunities.

Dharmendra Pradhan @dpradhanbjp

The #ShivamoggaAirport is a gift from Hon. PM @narendramodi ji to the people of Malnad region. Its inauguration today will boost air connectivity, unfold opportunities and propel Karnataka’s growth. Gratitude to PM Modi for fulfilling dreams and aspirations. @BSBommai

ROHAN BEDI

The writer is a consultant, former banker based in Singapore

Exit Polls: BJP winning Tripura & Nagaland; hung House in Meghalaya

First India Bureau New Delhi: The BJP will easily gain majority in Tripura and its alliance government will come to power in Nagaland, exit polls have predicted. The race for Meghalaya will be tight, with Conrad Sangma’s NPP likely to emerge as the single largest party.

An aggregate of two exit polls indicate that the BJP may get 35 seats — a shade above the majority of 31 in 60-seat assembly. The Left, which ruled the state for more than 30 years, is likely to get only 12 seats — the Congress, its unexpected ally for this election, unlikely to add anything to the tally.

Tipra Motha, the new

BIG INFRA PUSH FOR POLL-BOUND KARNATAKA

PM MODI INAUGURATES NEW AIRPORT IN SHIVAMOGGA

First India Bureau

Shivamogga: In a major infrastructure push, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone and inaugurated multiple development projects worth more than Rs 3,600 crore at Karnataka’s Shivamogga on Monday.

PM Modi inaugurated the Shivamogga Airport and took a walkthrough of the facilities.

According to Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the new airport is developed at a cost of around Rs 450 crore.

The Passenger Terminal Building of the airport can handle 300 passengers per hour and will improve connectivity and accessibility of Shivamogga and other neighbouring areas in the Malnad region.

Referring to the newly inaugurated airport in Shivamogga, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the needs of the citizens have been fulfilled today after a long time.

Shivamogga: PM Narendra Modi, in a special gesture towards BS Yediyurappa who is celebrating his 80th birth anniversary on Monday, asked the people to turn on the flashlights of their mobile phones to extend birthday greetings to the former chief minister. “Today is special for one more reason. It’s the birthday of Karnataka’s popular leader BS Yediyurappa. I pray for his long life. He dedicated his life to the poor and farmers’ welfare,” the Prime Minister said.

MP annual budget on March 1; session begins

Bhopal: The Budget session of the Madhya Pradesh Assembly began on Monday with Governor Mangubhai Patel addressing the session, during which he praised the BJP-led state government’s relentless efforts to make the state self-reliant.

The Guv said PM Narendra Modi has set off on a mission to make India “prosperous, self-reliant and developed” and MP was moving ahead towards fulfilling this resolve step-by-step with Cen-

Himachal CM wants timely clearances for devp projects

New Delhi (Agencies): Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder

Singh Sukhu on Monday urged Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav for timely forest clearances for expediting ongoing development projects in the state.

party floated by erstwhile royal Pradyot Kishore Debbarma with the core demand of Greater Tipraland -is likely to bag 12 seats. Exit polls, though, can often get it wrong. The BJP, according to India Today, will win between 36 to 45 seats in Tripura. Zee NewsMatrize predicts the BJP would get 29-36

seats, and a slightly better scenario for the Left Front -- 13-21 seats.

Zee News-Matrize has also predicted the BJP-NDPP (Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party) alliance will win 35-43 of Nagaland’s 60 seats.

In Meghalaya, Conrad Sangma’s NPP is likely to emerge as the single largest party

with 21-26 seats, predicted Zee NewsMatrize. The BJP, which won only two seats in the state in 2018, will expand its tally with 6-11 seats. New entrant Trinamool Congress will open its account with 8-13 seats. The counting of votes for all three states will take place on March 2, Thursday.

arrested to divert attention from Adani issue”

tre. “My govt is committed to make Madhya Pradesh self-reliant.

The Global Investors Summit (GIS)-2023 (held in Indore last month) was a milestone. Investment proposals to the tune of Rs 15.42 lakh crore.”

PM NARENDRA MODI ADDRESSES BUDGET

WEBINAR ON ‘REACHING THE LAST MILE’

New Delhi: PM Narendra Modi on Monday addressed a Budget Webinar on the subject of ‘Reaching the last mile’. It is the fourth of a series of 12 post-budget webinars organized by the govt to seek ideas and suggestions for the effective implementation of the initiatives announced in the Union Budget. While acknowledging the importance of debate on Budget, he said that the govt has gone a step further and for the last few years have started the new tradition of brainstorming with the stakeholders.

‘PM HAS BECOME A TOURIST’, SAYS CONGRESS AS MODI VISITS K’TAKA

Bengaluru: The Congress on Monday took a jibe at PM Modi over his visit to the poll-bound southern state, saying the PM has become a tourist. The Congress said: “He never bothered to visit when Karnataka faced the flood fury. When the lives of people were affected, and properties were damaged, PM Modi did not bother to turn towards the state and did not care to release a single rupee to the state. Thanks to elections, PM Modi has become a tourist in the state.”

Sukhu urged him to ensure early forest approvals in a time-bound manner for construction of heliports and green corridors as mandated by the state government for making Himachal ‘Green Energy State’ by 2025 and other major ongoing projects.

New Delhi (PTI): Senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh on Monday lashed out at the BJP and the Centre and alleged Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia’s arrest was “nothing but the BJP’s dictatorship” and that it was done to divert the public attention from the Adani issue. “The leader who has been working hard for the development of poor children has been arrested by the CBI. Manish Sisodia’s house was thoroughly raided but nothing was found. This is happening to divert the attention of the public from the outrage over Adani,” Singh said.

BJP to strengthen 10 lakh booths across country as it gears up for 2024 LS polls

New Delhi (ANI): A high-level organizational meeting of the BJP national general secretary was chaired by BJP national president JP Nadda was held at BJP headquarters to review the implementation of the public outreach programme to strengthen all the booths at the grassroots level as it gears up for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

As per a senior BJP source, the main agenda and focus were on strengthening the organization at the grass-

roots level and strengthening the booth and reviewing the upcoming six state elections. According to a senior BJP source, the party is going to strengthen 10,000,000 booths across

G20 COMMITMENTS

the country. Along with this, President Droupadi Murmu’s pre-budget speech would be narrated in 2,00,000 Shakti Kendras in the second week of March, party sources added.

BJP’S ‘PRAGATHI RATHA’ FLAGGED OFF IN K’TAKA’S MANGALURU

Mangaluru: The ‘Pragathi Ratha’ yatra of the BJP Dakshina Kannada district unit was flagged off from Kadri grounds here on Monday by BJP district chief Sudarshan Moodbidri and Vedavyas Kamath MLA. The yatra is aimed at creating awareness among the people about the achievements of the BJP govts at the Centre and State ahead of the Assembly polls, Moodbidri said.

India will counter corruption globally: Dr Singh

First India Bureau

New Delhi: Union Minister of State for Personnel and Public Grievances, Jitendra Singh on Monday said that India will reaffirm unified action to ensure zero tolerance against corruption and deepen G20 commitments towards countering corruption globally at the first AntiCorruption Working Group Meeting (ACWG) of G20, being held at Gurugram, Haryana, from

March 1-3.

In a statement issued ahead of the first ACWG, Singh added

The first AntiCorruption Working Group Meeting of G20, is being held at Gurugram from March 1-3

ic outlook, India has emerged as a bright spot as described by the IMF and other global agencies and therefore, India will play its rightful role to bridge the North-South divide on contentious issues.

that India’s G20 presidency is marked by unprecedented economic, geopolitical and climate

challenges. The Minister, however, said that amid the global gloomy econom-

tailed deliberations on strengthening international anti-corruption mechanisms.

The Union Minister added that during the three-day event at Gurugram, more than 90 delegates from 20 member countries, 10 invitee countries and nine international organisations will engage in de-

“GIVE ME CBI, WILL ARREST MODI, ADANI WITHIN 2 HOURS”, SAYS SANJAY SINGH

New Delhi: AAP MP Sanjay Singh, who was released from detention on Monday, said the BJP was trying to sully the image of Arvind Kejriwal, claiming further that he would have PM Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and industrialist Gautam Adani “arrested within two hours” if the ED and the CBI were with him.

CHANDIGARH: AAP LEADERS PROTEST OUTSIDE BJP OFFICE

Chandigarh: AAP leaders held a protest outside the BJP headquarters on Monday against the arrest of senior AAP leader and Delhi’s Deputy CM Manish Sisodia. AAP leaders and workers, including Punjab government ministers Harpal Singh Cheema, Anmol Gagan Mann, Lalchand Kataruchak, among others, participated in the protest.

KERALA CM VIJAYAN CONDEMNS SISODIA’S ARREST BY CBI

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday taking to Twitter, said, “The arrest of @msisodia by CBI is another example of how @ BJP4India misuses the Union Government’s agencies to intimidate the opposition.”

IN THE COURTYARD

EXTENSION OF ED CHIEF’S TENURE ILLEGAL, AMICUS CURIAE TELLS SC

New Delhi: Senior advocate KV Viswanathan, the amicus curiae in the petitions challenging the extension of the tenure of Director of Enforcement Directorate (ED) Sanjay Kumar Mishra, told the Supreme Court on Monday that the extension was illegal. He cited the apex court’s decisions in Vineet Narain & others Vs Union of India and Common Cause Vs Union of India to support his contention. He submitted that the issue was not about the in cumbent Director at all, rather it was about the principle.

8 YRS AFTER FIR, MAN ACQUITED IN MOM’S MURDER

New Delhi: A local court here has acquitted a man accused of murdering his mother in 2014, saying the guilt of the accused could not be inferred from the evidence and that the prosecution failed to prove its case. The court was hearing a case against Vinod, who was accused of assaulting his mother Maya Devi with a hammer on July 15, 2014, at Tigri jhuggi jhopri (JJ) camp in South Delhi.

The delegates will experience India’s culture through specially curated yoga sessions, visit to historic sites, cultural events and local cuisine.

Dr Singh said that since its inception in 2010, G20 ACWG has been at the forefront of guiding the anti-corruption initiatives of G20 countries.

HC: SEIZE TMC LEADER’S ALL PROPERTIES

Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Monday directed the CBI to confiscate all properties in the country and abroad of Trinamool Congress legislator and former president of the WBBPE Manik Bhattacharya, who is serving judicial custody in the multi-crore teachers’ recruitment scam case. The court took a strong note of the event of Bhattacharya missing the deadline of paying the penalty of Rs 7,00,000.

DELHI COURT SUMMONS LALU PRASAD, RABRI DEVI IN LAND-FOR-JOB SCAM

New Delhi: A Delhi court on Monday summoned former railway minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, his wife and former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi and 14 others in connection with the alleged landfor-job scam. The case relates to alleged appointments made in the railways in return for land parcels gifted or sold to Prasad’s family when he was the minister of railways between 2004 and 2009. Special judge Geetanjali Goel directed the accused persons to appear before the court on March 15.

PM Narendra Modi being presented his portrait at the foundation stone laying and dedication to the nation multiple development projects, in Belagavi on Monday. —PHOTO BY ANI

Security personnel detain an AAP supporter during a protest against the arrest of Manish Sisodia, in New Delhi, on Monday.

Punjab Minister Harpal Cheema being detained in Chandigarh.

Dr Jitendra Singh with British delegation led by Christina Scott at 4th WCSSP-India Annual Science Workshop in New Delhi on Monday.

ON BSY B’DAY, MODI ASKS PEOPLE TO FLIP ON MOBILE TORCHES TO GREET HIM

“Sisodia

Guv Mangubhai Patel being welcomed by CM Chouhan.

Himachal CM Sukhu with Union Minister Bhupender Yadav in Delhi, on Monday.

BJP chief JP Nadda interacts with Delhi University students on Monday. BJP leaders Anil Baluni and Rakesh Sinha also present.

Election officials return along with EVMs after conducting voting in Meghalaya.

ANGER AGAINST TERRORISM

PROTESTS AGAINST KASHMIRI PANDIT’S KILLING IN PULWAMA

ACCUSED WILL BE PUNISHED SOON: LG ON KP’S KILLING

Pulwama (ANI): Dogra

Front organised a protest on Monday against the killing of 40-year-old Kashmiri Pandit here.

Scores of people participated in protest demanding justice and strict action against Pakistani terrorists. “We’re protesting in thousands demanding strict action against the culprits involved in the murder of Pandit Sanjay Sharma. We request the Lieutenant Governor administration to arrest the accused,” a local said.

Another local, Asim Masudi said, “We’ve always lived in unity in Jammu and Kashmir and today we protest against the killing of Sanjay Sharma. No matter what the reli-

(Clockwise from top) Last rites of Kashmiri Pandit Sanjay Sharma being held in Pulwama; Shiv Sena Dogra Front protest against Pakistan & BJP supporters burn an effigy during a protest on Monday.

gion or caste of the poeple being killed is, justice must be served.”

Earlier on Sunday, terrorists attacked and fatally shot Sanjay Sharma when he was

Accused in Umesh Pal murder case killed in encounter

on his way to a local market in Pulwama.

his bullet injuries. PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti slammed the BJP at the centre over the killing of the Kashmiri Pandit in the Pulwama district.

Srinagar: J&K Lt Guv Manoj Sinha has condemned the targeted killing of a Hindu Kashmiri pandit by terrorists. While talking to the media JK LG Sinha said, “I condemn this act. Those who have done this will be punished soon.” LG Sinha stated that security forces are currently working on a strategy that will help them neutralize such events in near future. “For those who have committed this act, our security forces will be after them. Our forces are also working on a 360-degree security approach in this regard,” Sinha said.

Dehradun (PTI): A police constable was allegedly run over by a tractor trolley engaged in illegal mining in a forest in the Jaitanwala area here, leaving him critically injured, the police officials said.

The incident occurred on Sunday, the police officials added.

Uttarakhand’s Director General of Police (DGP) Ashok Kumar on Monday ordered the immediate removal of the Cantonment police station in-charge as the incident took place under his jurisdiction. The DGP also ordered the arrest of the four people identified for fatally attacking constable Manoj. He asked Dehradun Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Dalip Singh Kunwar to conduct a probe into the

Congress leaders and workers ready for Bharat Jodo Yatra 2.0

Raipur (PTI): Their bags are packed and they’re ready to go, waiting just for a signal to begin walking the breadth of India. With Bharat Jodo Yatra 2.0 appearing a distinct possibility, several Congress leaders and workers say they are raring to get back on the streets to quickly take forward the gains from the first one.

A poster of Congress’ “Bharat Jodo Yatra” in Patna.

WE HAVE GOT NEW DIRECTION, SAYS DK SHIVAKUMAR

incident and submit a report soon.

Police said Manoj, who was posted at the Cantonment police station, received a tip-off on Sunday that a mining mafia was getting illegally-mined material loaded on a tractor trolley in the Jaitanwala area.

He rushed to the spot and asked the tractor trolley driver, Vaseem, to come to the police station along with him.

As the driver refused to oblige, the constable alerted the Cheetah police unit, which deals with street crimes, and asked its personnel to rush to the spot, the po-

lice officials said. When the Cheetah personnel arrived at the spot, they found Manoj lying on the road with a bleeding injury. The constable was allegedly pushed to the ground and run over by the tractor trolley. He sustained injuries on his head and feet. He was rushed to a hospital where his condition continues to be critical, police said. Taking serious note of the incident, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami asked the DGP to take immediate action in the matter and bring the culprits to book.

READ

GUJARAT: WOMAN ATTEMPTS SUICIDE AFTER POISONING TWO DAUGHTERS

Surat: A woman allegedly attempted suicide after poisoning her two daughters in Surat, an official said on Monday. The woman identified as Asmita, on Sunday afternoon, first poisoned her two daughters — Ritanshu and Divya, and later herself consumed poison. The woman and her two daughters have been admitted to a Surat hospital. The Pandesara police have booked the woman in an attempt to murder case and have started investigating the matter.

MINOR KILLED AFTER SODOMY, ACCUSED HELD

5, INCLUDING 2 MINORS, HELD FOR RAPING GIRL

Prayagraj: A shooter involved in Umesh Pal murder case has been shot dead by the police after an encounter.

The Special Operations Group of the UP Police and the district police shot the accused, identified as Arbaz, at the Nehru Park in Prayagraj on Monday.

Umesh Pal, the prime witness in the 2005 BSP MLA Raju Pal murder case, was shot dead on Friday evening at his residence in Prayagraj.

Umesh Pal was shot dead by an unidentified man while he was getting out of the backseat of an SUV in Prayagraj. Pal was rushed

to Swaroop Rani Nehru Hospital, where he succumbed during treatment. Pal’s autopsy report revealed that he was shot seven times.

Following the murder, Umesh Pal’s wife Jaya Pal approached police and filed an FIR.

A case under IPC and Explosives Act was registered against former MP Atiq Ahmed’s brother, wife Shaista Praveen and his sons and several others.

There has been talk of another Bharat Jodo Yatra ever since the Kanyakumari to Kashmir campaign ended in Srinagar. The buzz escalated on Sunday when former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi appealed to party president Mallikarjun Kharge at the plenary session here to formulate a new plan to carry forward the “tapasya” (penance) undertaken through the march.

“The Bharat yatris, as those who completed the entire journey are known, are ready. Our bags are packed and we will leave as soon as we get orders from the party,” said Vaibhav Walia, AICC delegate and one of those who walked 4,000 km from India’s southern tip to Kashmir.

WEATHER FORECAST

Raipur (PTI): To step up its attack on the govt over the Adani-Hindenburg issue, the Congress has asked its state units to hold press conferences on the issue across states and subsequently organise protests at various levels. In a statement, Congress general secretary in-charge organisation KC Venugopal said the party has decided to intensify its agitation and take the issue directly to the people. All Pradesh Congress Committees (PCCs) have been asked to arrange press conferences in all districts which will be addressed by senior state leaders, and subsequently, all state units will organise the agitational activities at various levels, he said. Block-level agitations will be organised in front of offices of public banks and LIC between March 6 and 10 all over the country, he said.

“Many of us now wish for a second phase of the yatra so it can go to states it hasn’t been to,” Walia said.

Lhinkim Haokip Shingnaisui of Manipur, the only woman from the northeast who participated in the Bharat Jodo

Cold may grip Himachal again: MeT

lll

Met Dept said heavy rain may occure in some districts on March 1. The accused was hurt during an exchange of fire and was brought to the SRN Hospital where doctors declared him dead.

Shimla: Cold is likely to grip Himachal Pradesh again with heavy rain forecast in the next two days by the Met office on Monday. “Some areas in the state are likely to experience rainfall or thunderstorms with squall or hail from February 28,” a Meteorological Department official said. He said chances of heavy rainfall and snowfall likely to occur in the districts of Chamba, Kan-

gra, Kullu, Mandi, Shimla and LahaulSpiti on March 1. The Met depart -

ment’s forecast said the western disturbances — storm systems originating from

the Mediterranean Sea and moving across the Afghanistan-Pakistan region — would remain active in the region till March 1. Meanwhile, Keylong in Lahaul-Spiti district was the coldest town in the state with a low of minus 5.1 degrees Celsius. The minimum temperature in Shimla was 8.2 degrees, while it was 1.8 degrees in Manali and 11.2 degrees in Dharamsala. Shimla saw a high of 16.6 degrees.

Bengaluru: Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar on Monday said that the Raipur convention has given a new direction to the party, with discussions on how the opposition should move unitedly and how to prepare for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Speaking to media, Shivakumar stated the convention has also been discussed to implement decisions taken during the Bharat Jodo Yatra. “But, the matters related to Karnataka were not discussed. The focus was on the policy of the party at the national level,” he said. He said that senior high command leaders will come down to Karnataka for campaigning.

Yatra, said there is a lot of enthusiasm among the northeast people after Rahul Gandhi’s comments on Sunday.

Gurugram: A 24-yearold man has been arrested here for allegedly kidnapping, sodomising and killing a 10-year-old boy, the police said on Monday.

The arrested individual has been identified Prince. He used to earlier reside near the victim’s house. The boy’s body was found in the bushes in the IMT Manesar area on the intervening night of Sunday, the police said.

Ranchi: The Jharkhand police on Monday arrested five persons, including two minors accused of gang raping a minor girl when she was returning from a wedding in Dewaki village of Gumla district. Three of the accused have been sent to jail while the two minors have been sent to a juvenile home on the complaint of the victim lodged at the Ghaghra police station.

J&K L-G MANOJ SINHA SAYS 40% PEOPLE TO PAY NO PROPERTY TAX

Srinagar: J&K Lt Governor Manoj Sinha said on Monday that 40 per cent people in the Union Territory will have to pay no property tax. Talking to reporters on the sidelines of an official function here on Monday, Sinha said that the amount of property tax fixed in J&K is 10 times less than that of Dehradun, Ambala and Shimla. “Shopkeepers will have to pay nominal property tax annually. People must come forward to build a better J&K,” Sinha said.

Master chef Sanjeev Kapoor hits out at Air India over flight meals

New Delhi: Renowned chef Sanjeev Kapoor on Monday hit out at Air India after he was served unsatisfactory meals on a Nagpur-Mumbai flight.

He shared photos of his meal, describing the food items as “cold” chicken tikka, sandwich with very little filling and a dessert terming it “sugar syrup”.

“Wake Up @airindiain. Nagpur-Mumbai 0740 flight. Cold Chicken Tikka with watermelon, cucumber, tomato & sev Sandwich with minus-

Kapoor had shared photos of his meals on the flight.

Sanjeev

cule filling of chopped cabbage with mayo Sugar syrup Sponge painted with sweetened cream & yellow glaze,” Kapoor

tweeted.

“Really! Is this what Indians should eat for breakfast?” he said in another tweet.

CONG TO STEP UP ATTACK ON GOVT OVER ADANI-HINDENBURG ISSUE

People demand justice and strict action against Pak terrorists

Raj police taking stern action against criminals

Shivendra Parmar

Jaipur: The Rajasthan Police is now answering the criminals in their own language and handling them with a stern hand.

In December last year, CM Ashok Gehlot had a meeting of police officers at the police headquarters given instructions to work with the policy of zero tolerance to catch and deal with criminals in the state.

Now Rajasthan Police under the leadership of DGP Umesh Mishra is on the front foot these days and

ARREST OF CRIMINALS ONE AFTER THE OTHER

Raju Thehat’s killers were arrested in less than 24 hours. Two miscreants were shot in the legs in retaliatory firing by cops. Dholpur police caught dacoit Keshav Gurjar through a special operation. Jaipur police arrested miscreants from Uttar Pradesh who fired outside GClub. They fired at the cops but the team nabbed them. Gangster Vinod Thena and his accomplices, who created terror by firing in Bharatpur, were arrested in Haryana.

seems to be united even for quick arrests. There was a time when crimi-

nals used to go underground comfortably after committing big

Gajendra Shekhawat gets Champions of Change Award

First India Bureau

Jodhpur: Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat was given the prestigious Champions of Change Award.

As Shekhawat is in the US for the World Bank Water Week conference, Naunand Kanwar received the award from former President Ramnath Kovind. Sharing the photo of Naunand Kanwar receiving the award, Shekhawat said that the award will strengthen my resolve for public service. “This achievement will continue to inspire change for development,” he said.

247 students benefited from Rajiv Gandhi Scholarship

Approximately Rs 46 cr spent by Raj govt to provide financial assistance to students since the launch of the scheme in 2021

First India Bureau

crimes in Rajasthan and it took a long time for Rajasthan Police to find them, but now the image of the police is changing.

According to sources, DGP Umesh Mishra has given a free hand to all Superintendents of Police and Range IGs to arrest and deal with criminals.

Jaipur: In a unique initiative an online interaction was organised by Dhiraj Srivastava, Commissioner, Rajasthan Foundation with the beneficiaries of the Rajiv Gandhi Scholarship For Academic Excellence. The interaction was attended by Rajasthan Chief Secretary Smt Usha Sharma, Rajasthan Foundation, ACS (Industries &Commerce) Veenu Gupta,

Lakhs of devotees visit Khatu Shyam Ji

Bhawani Singh Detha, Principal Secretary, Higher Education, students along with their parents, NRR Mitras and government officials. The online interaction was primarily to connect the beneficiary students of RGS scheme who have gone abroad to pursue their dreams with their counterpart Pravasi families.

Under this scheme, all those students of the

Man, woman die by suicide in Bharatpur

Bharatpur (PTI): A man and a woman allegedly committed suicide by hanging themselves from a tree in Bharatpur on Monday, police said.

Shekhawat thanked the members of the jury and the organizer Nandan Kumar Jha for the award. Shekhawat is successfully implementing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitious Jal Jeevan Mission and Namami Gange Mission. When

the tap water scheme was implemented in the year 2019, then 3.24 crore rural households in the country used to get tap water. Today after 38 months, more than 11.29 crore rural households in the country have got tap connections.

Water Week: Min Shekhawat meets Indian diaspora in US

Rajeev Gaur

Jodhpur: Union Jal

Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat is currently in the US for the World Bank Water Week conference. He met the Indian diaspora at the Embassy of India in Washington. Shekhawat said that there was a discussion on India’s global progress.

Shekhawat told the NRIs, “Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to fulfill the

dream of a developed India with the help of every Indian. Everyone praised India’s progress and India’s growing influence in

the world. Overseas Indians are cultural ambassadors of the country, who can better tell the world about the New India.”

First India Bureau Sikar: More than 9 lakh devotees have so far visited the annual fair of Khatu Shyamji in the Sikar district.

On Monday alone, nearly 50 to 60 thousand devotees reached Baba Shyam’s darbar and had darshan.

At the same time, Ekadashi will be celebrated on March 3 in

1st convocation of Haridev Joshi Univ on March 2

Kota: The first convocation of Haridev Joshi Journalism and Mass Communication University will be held on March 2 at the auditorium of RA Poddar Institute of Management, JLN Road in presence of Governor Kalraj Mishra and Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. Vice-Chancellor of the University Prof Sudhi Rajeev said that 79 students of various PG courses will be given degrees.

the temple of Baba Khatu Shyam. Most of the devotees will reach the temple on this day to have darshan. Even though the maximum of 4 lakh devotees have visited the Khatu Shyam Mela on Sunday, the zigzag line of Charankhet and Lakhdatar ground has not been started because the administration.

state who desire to pursue their higher education at a foreign university will get monetary help. With the initiative of the Rajasthan Foundation, a constructive dialogue was held between officials and the students who had joined from numerous countries including the USA, UK, Canada, Germany, Australia, Netherlands, Singapore, Hong Kong, etc.

The bodies were found hanging at the Saharapur village of the district following which locals informed the police, Nagar Station House Officer Harlal Singh said. The deceased have been identified as Khemraj (25) and Mausam (18).

He said preliminary investigation revealed that they wanted to marry each other, but their family members were opposed to it. The bodies have been handed over to the family members, police said, adding that the matter has been registered under CrPC section 174.

3 killed, 2 injured after being run over by truck in Banswara

Banswara (PTI):

Three people were killed and two others injured after being run over by a container truck in Banswara district on Monday, police said. The incident took place at Chirola village on NH-56, they said.

Two bikes collided with each other following which the riders were run over by a container truck, killing three people, Station House Officer Kapil Patidar said. He said two others were injured in the accident and taken to a hospital for treatment.

Father, one-year-old die in accident in Alwar

A car accident took the lives of a father and a one-year-old son near

THREE OF FAMILY DIE IN HANUMANGARH

Hanumangarh: A speeding car hit a bike late Sunday night in the town area. In the accident, a bike-ridden elderly couple and their granddaughter died. The elderly couple on a bike were heading to the Tibbi area from the town with their granddaughter. After the accident, all three were taken to the hospital, where doctors declared all three brought dead. The police received information that three people were severely injured in a car collision near Nandram-ki-Dhani.

the Dholidub on Behror road in the city. The car first hit the divider and then smashed the roadside footpath. At the accident spot, the locals saw three people bleed-

ing inside the car. The couple left their residence in Shalimar, a residential society in Alwar city, and the accident happened about five kms away.

Firing on trader: Udaipurwati market shutdown; protest against Gudha, cop

First India Bureau

Udaipurwati (Jhunjhunu): After a failed attempt to rob a businessman at the bus stand, the furious traders took out an outrage rally on Monday against the working system of CI Brajendra Singh.

During the rally, all the shops in the market were kept closed. The rally reached the police station passing through the main market. Here,

First India Bureau

Bhilwara: Targeting political parties without naming anyone, former Assembly Speaker and 89-year-old BJP

MLA Kailash Meghwal has stated that the parties treat Scheduled Caste (SC) people like slaves and they do not have the freedom to speak freely.

The statement is being seen as politically

significant in the backdrop of BJP’s formula of no ticket to leaders above 70 years.

“If someone speaks openly, his ticket is cut,” Meghwal said while speaking at a programme in Bhilwara’s Shahpura.

A six-time MLA, Meghwal, who represents Shahpura constituency, is one of the big faces of SC in Rajasthan BJP. “This is

I have no hesitation in saying in today’s politics that political parties keep people of scheduled caste like slaves. They don’t have the freedom to speak freely, and if they do so, then their ticket gets cut.

BJP MLA

—Kailash Meghwal,

my constituency. This constituency was backward, and it was back-

ward because since 1952 it was reserved for SC,” he said. “...and I

have no hesitation in saying in today’s politics that political parties keep people of scheduled caste like slaves. They don’t have the freedom to speak freely, & if they do so then their ticket gets cut,” he said. He was the Assembly Speaker during the previous BJP govt rule. On the other hand, many meanings of the remark are being fetched.

under the leadership of former MLA Shubhakaran Chowdhary, a memorandum was giv-

en demanding the arrest of the accused.People angry with the episode gathered at the

spot on Monday and slogans were raised against CI Brajendra Singh and local MLA Rajendra Gudha. There were hundreds of businessmen including former MLA Shubhkaran Chowdhary present on this occasion.

Former MLA Shubhkaran Chowdhary said that public representatives have been before as well, however, this type of open loot has never happened.

T-108 and T-99 spotted mating in forests of Ranthambore

First India Bureau

Sawai Madhopur: Tiger T-108 Jai and tigress T-99 Aishwarya were spotted mating in the dense forests of Ranthambore. Tourists had spotted the two together in Zone 10 on Sunday as well. Southern movie star, Allu Arjun, had also spotted the two mating on Saturday. T-108 and T-99 were spotted together many times. Both were also seen walking together on Sunday and a video

of this has also surfaced. In the video, both were seen together in the forest area near the dargah of Zone 10.

The tigress gave birth to three cubs about two-

and-a-half years ago. South star Allu Arjun had come to Ranthambore with his family. He also saw tigress T-99 Aishwarya and male tiger T-108 Jai mating.

Political parties treat SC people like slaves & they do not have the freedom to speak freely: Meghwal

Former President Ramnath Kovind giving Champions of Change Award to Gajendra Singh Shekhawat’s wife Naunand Kanwar in New Delhi on Monday.

Speeding car hit a bike late Sunday night in Hanumangarh

A large number of enthusiastic devotees were seen at the Khatu Shyam ji temple in Sikar on Monday. —PHOTO BY KHUSHAL

Usha Sharma, Dhiraj Srivastava, Veenu Gupta, Bhawani Singh Detha interacting with the scholars on Monday.

Rajasthan police arrested 4 accused including gangster Vinod Thena from Gurgaon.The police shot him in the leg. —FILE PIC

Gajendra Singh Shekhawat addressing the opening session of World Bank Water Week conference in the US on Monday.

Hundred of people protested raising slogans against Rajendra Gudha and CI Brajendra Singh at Udaipurwati on Monday.

We all have been given priceless gifts and talents- so not squander them on a life of below average efforts.

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

Youth should understand importance of India’s ‘invaluable legacy’: Murmu

GS Dotasra during the Padyatra under Cong’s ‘Haath Se Haath Jodo’ campaign in Laxmangarh. —FILE

PHOTO

Mins, MLAs to conduct Padyatrasin their areas after Budget session

Laxman Raghav

Bikaner: President Droupadi Murmu while addressing a gathering at the 14th Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav in Bikaner, said on Monday, that it is necessary for the youth and children to understand the importance of the country’s “invaluable legacy.” “We should be proud of our rich culture and our youth and children should understand the importance of invaluable legacy of the country, it is important,” Murmu said. She further said, “Change is the rule of life but some basic values and principles should be passed on from generation to generation to keep the Indianness alive.”

Murmu also said there is a need to identify arts and artisans in villages, which have a plenty of them, and

bring them to limelight.

The 14th edition of Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav is being organised from February 25 to March 5 at Karni Singh Stadium in Bikaner by the Union Ministry of Culture.

The nine-day cultural extravaganza will see participation of artistes from across India. This festival is a unique effort to bring recognition to India’s various arts, cuisines and handicrafts at one place.

“The talent of new and young artists is also spreading to every nook and corner of the country through the internet. We can spread the country’s art, traditions, and culture widely by using new technology,” she said.

The programme was addressed by Governor Kalraj Mishra, Union Minister Arjun Meghwal and Rajasthan Culture Minister B D Kalla.

President Droupadi Murmu inaugurates the 14th Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav by beating a ‘Nagara’ at Dr Karni Singh Stadium in Bikaner on Monday. Also seen here are Guv Kalraj Mishra, Arjun Ram Meghwal, Dr BD Kalla, Mayor Sushila Kanwar Rajpurohit & others.

Jaipur: The Ministers and Congress

MLAs in Rajasthan will undertake ‘ Padyatras’ in their respective constituencies after the Budget session.

President Droupadi Murmu being extended a warm welcome by Governor Kalraj Mishra upon her arrival in Bikaner on Monday. Also seen here is Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal.

Colorful cultural diversity is an invaluable heritage of India. Our culture with diverse traditions showcases Unity in Diversity.’ A form of ‘Mini India’ has come alive in Bikaner through Mahotsav. Such events strengthen our culture of mutual interaction.

—Kalraj Mishra, Governor

—Droupadi Murmu, President

Meritorious girls from Pali call upon CM, thank for schemes

First India Bureau

Jaipur: Ten meritorious girls of Pali district met CM Ashok Gehlot and interacted with him at CMR on Monday. The Chief Minister encouraged them and wished them a bright future. District Collector Namit Mehta had announced free air travel for 10 meritorious girl students who excelled in the 10th Board Examination of the session 2021-22 to encourage girl students. While discussing with the girls, the CM said that State govt is running schemes like Mahatma Gandhi English Medium School, Rajiv Gandhi Scholarship for Academic Excellence in

3

10 meritorious girls of Pali district call upon CM Ashok Gehlot at Chief Minister’s Residence in Jaipur on Monday.

the field of education.

Thanking the CM for Udaan Yojana, the girls said that this scheme has improved the health management of women & girls of Raj.

Earlier these girl students enjoyed free air travel from Jodhpur to Jaipur. and their standard of living has improved.

The girl students visited various historical and scenic places of the city including Indira Gandhi Panchayati Raj Sansthan, Birla Mandir, Jaldhara, Central Park, Albert Museum.

They also paid a courtesy visit to the Chief Secretary Usha Sharma and other senior officers.

HOUSE THAT!

About 1,000 artistes are showcasing their art in the 9-day long cultural extravaganza, Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav. There are various cultural specialties of Bikaner division and artistes of the region have significantly contributed to the world of arts.

—Arjun Ram Meghwal, Union MoS, Culture

Dudi and Danish Abrar flew to city

Yogesh Sharma and Kashiram Choudhary

Jaipur: Three special friends got place in CM Ashok Gehlot’s plane! Chetan Dudi, Rohit Bohra and Danish Abrar got place when CM Gehlot was returning to Jaipur from Raipur session by special plane on Sunday evening.

11 other people could come in the plane with CM and apart from CM’s staff, Rajasthan in-charge Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, PCC Chief Govind Singh Dotasra, Gujarat in-charge Dr Raghu Sharma and Ministers Mahendrajit Singh Malviya, Dinesh Khodania and Pri-

Dhariwal to launch RHB’s housing schemes

Shivendra Parmar

lll

1,332 houses to be built in sectors 22-23 and 26 in Pratap Nagar of Jaipur, 1,090 houses to be built in Jodhpur, says Pawan Arora

about this, RHB Commission-

Informing Nagar sector 22-23 and 26 of Jaipur, 1,090 houses will be built in

Jodhpur’s Badli. Similarly, 10 in Churu, 175 in Khoda of Kishangarh, 45 in Dhaulpur, 317 in Lakheri of Bundi, 77 in Niwai of Tonk, 504 in Hanumangarh, 189 in Abu Road, 22 in Bhinder, 16 in Salumbar, 38 in Patel Nagar of Bhilwara, 46 in Shahpura, 71 in Nimbaheda of Chittorgarh, 74 in Badisadadi, 80 in Banswara’s Paratapur, 63 in Durgapur and 24 in Hiranmagari, Udaipur.”

During these ‘Padyatras,’ they will emphasise on the promotion of the state budget and will give information about budget announcements for the area. During the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Rajasthan, Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi had given instructions that all Ministers and Legislators

would undertake a ‘Padyatra’ in their area once a month.

After this, PCC asked the legislators to follow the instructions. In the meanwhile, Assembly’s Budget session of started and the yatras were stopped.

PCC has again issued instructions that as soon as the Assembly session is over, the MLAs should prepare and send a programme of ‘ Padyatras’ in their areas to the Party. For this, a route chart will also have to be sent to the party office. The budget session of the assembly is likely to be adjourned sine die after March 15 and it is believed that after March 20, the Ministers and MLAs of the Congress will again enter the field.

CM Ashok Gehlot returns to Jaipur after attending Cong’s 85th Plenary Session in Raipur in a special plane. Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, GS Dotasra, Mahendrajeet Singh Malviya Dr Raghu Sharma, Danish Abrar, Rohit Bohra and Chetan

Dudi, Dinesh Khodaniya, Priyaranjan accompanied the Chief Minister.

KHERA REACHES JAIPUR WITH CM GEHLOT

Jaipur: Congress leader Pawan Khera reached Jaipur amid arrest controversy, having attended the party’s Raipur session. Assam Police had arrested Khera a few days back, although later the court granted bail to Khera. After this, he participated in Raipur session and on Sunday evening, when CM Ashok Gehlot returned from Raipur to Jaipur, Pawan Khera came to Jaipur along with the CM.

yaranjan Singh reached Jaipur. Also 3 MLAs, Rohit Bohra, Chetan

Dudi and Danish Abrar returned to Jaipur by special plane with CM.

COURTESY MEET

CONG

TO FORM ‘VANGUARD SQUAD’ FOR THOSE NOT FIGHTING POLLS

Jaipur: In what could be termed as a major news from Cong’s 85th Plenary Session, there is an huge opportunity for those leaders who don’t contest polls! Congress will form a ‘vanguard Squad’ which is being planned at national level. The squad will work at state & district levels & will have those who will neither ask for tickets nor have the thought of contesting polls. They will fulfill task given by the party. Soon names will be asked from state units in this regard and a separate cadre will be formed. This cadre won’t fight polls but will help leaders fight polls and also give grassroots reports.

Assam Governor Gulab Chand Kataria and his wife Anita Kataria, call upon former President Ram Nath Kovind and Savita Kovind at their residence in New Delhi on Monday. “Former President’s long experience and guidance gave me new energy to work for

the welfare of the people of Assam,” tweeted Kataria after the meeting.

President Dropuadi Murmu inspects an art exhibition being held during the Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav in Bikaner. Also seen here are Guv Kalraj Mishra, Arjun Ram Meghwal and Dr BD Kalla.

n The 14th edition of Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav is being organised from February 25 to March 5 at Karni Singh Stadium in Bikaner by the Union Ministry of Culture n President Droupadi Murmu won the hearts of the locals them with ‘RamRam Sa’ before starting her speech

Life and time of today’s people are running at a very fast pace. That’s why it is not easy to pass on the heritage of our art and culture to the coming generations. I want to hand over this work to the great personalities, scholars, art lovers and artists present here.

First India Bureau

Rohit Bohra, Chetan

About 4,300

Centre should... Gehlot also stressed on the excellent management done by the government during Corona pandemic. “During lumpy disease issue, we worked to save the cattle. Today insurance has been started for the livestock as well. The public is watching everything. The public has understood that they have to bless us again.

Floating in a turquoise sea

TURQUOISE IS A STUNNING BLEND OF FOUR COLOUR WHEEL BEAUTIES AND HAS GREEN, BLUE AND YELLOW TONES. LET’S DIVE INTO THE WORLD OF TURQUOISE FASHION WITH CITY FIRST

The stone of the same name inspired the colour turquoise. Turquoise radiates the serenity of blue, the growth of green, and the vibrancy of yellow. It is a calming, amiable, and happy hue. Moreover, turquoise can encourage calm and clear thinking. In addition to being a gemstone, turquoise also serves as a vernacular name for the Caribbean seas.

Every lady may be decorated with a stunning, distinctive, and slightly enigmatic hue of turquoise. Based on the other colours in a design, turquoise can have a warming or cooling impact. Turquoise comes out as a strong, bright accent when used with greys, subdued yellows, and pinks. For a striking combo, it can also be used with dark orange, which will make you stand out from the crowd, be more noticeable, and draw interests. The colour turquoise is stunning in all of its manifestations and comes in a variety of tints, from deep azure to delicate aquamarine.

There are a few combinations you can try to make your-

MRIDULA SHARMA cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

Organisational behaviour (OB) is the study of individual and group behaviour in organisational settings. OB looks at organisations as entities, the forces that shape them, and their impact on organisational members. The study of the OB involves the Individual, the Group or Team and the Organisation.

The OB is a very important phenomenon that facilitates the development of healthy relationships among employees and employers in any organisation. In present times, issues relating to organisational behaviour have influenced the performance of employees and their relationship with their employers.

The issues need timely redress so that organisations enjoy success occasioned by healthy association among employees and the management. The OB is about people in organisations and it covers a wide spectrum of human conduct with an ultimate eye on high productivity and ef ficiency in any organisation.

The individual level in volves organisational psy chology and understanding human behaviour and incen tives. The groups or teams involve social psychology and sociological insights into hu man interaction and group dynamics. The organisation al level undertakes systemslevel analyses and the study of how firms engage with one another in the marketplace.

The OB examines

Individual and Family Behaviours:

SEEDS OF ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOURS

attitudes, social climate, and performance within organisations by examining both individual and group behaviour on a regional, national, and global level. Researchers examine why people (individually or in groups) behave the way they do and how to manage these behaviours so that the organisation can achieve optimal performance. The take-off point is individual and each has a different level of education, background, abilities and beliefs. The individual personality and character traits are prime ingredients to their likely organisational behaviour. It’s the people within an organisation who are primary influences on the OB. Individual employees respond differently to various methods of communication and behave in certain ways due to the structure of the workplace and the organisa tion’s culture, values, and goals. They tend to align better with teammates and managers who mirror

sonalities are bound to have an impact on the OB and organisation environment. On the other hand, learning about organisational behaviour enables individuals to understand their own behaviours, attitudes, ethical views, and performance, as well as those of the people with whom they will be working.

The OB has its roots in the dynamics of any family life in our culture. Individual or collective personality, values, emotions and moods, motivation and communication are all visible and active in any Indian family. The OB investigates the impact that individuals, groups, and structure have on behaviour within organisations for the purpose of applying such knowledge toward improving the organisation’s effectiveness.

It is here that the family

ARIES

MAR 21 - APR 20

You are very generous by nature and also you are the backbone of your family. Today is a favourable day for business. You may postpone your study plans. You are very fortunate to have a great friend circle. Be careful of the words that come out of your mouth. Your lover may say yes to get married.

TAURUS

APR 21 - MAY 20

You need a break from day to tensions and the way to cope up with stress is to meditate. You must create an environment of understanding at home. You will succeed in any sort of examination if you put your heart and soul to it. Promotion can be expected even if other are not.

GEMINI

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

on the behaviour of individuals within families towards improving the family’s effectiveness.

LIBRA

SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22

Visit a doctor if you have any doubts about your health. Don’t attack stress even if you don’t have any. Let go of things that are not in your control. You want to have your own house and you will work hard to make your dream come true. Do not overthink about something not important.

SCORPIO

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

You make sure to make things work your way. Never demotivate someone even if someone is not capable of doing something. 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.

SAGITTARIUS

NOV 23 - DEC 22

behaviour or environment which also deep impact on any individual in our society are two major contributors to the OB and the shape it takes to better the organisational effectiveness. The similarity is at times so visible in any or-

All individuals come into the world with diversities and their own personalities with important similarities and variations. Some are born rich, diverse, interesting, frustrating, humorous, demanding, difficult, and delightful and the job of parents or teachers/instructors is to accept the diversity and the personality characteristics of individuals and help them to learn about the world, teach them good values, and provide a paternal or supervisory cradle in which they can develop. The family and organisation are almost inclusive in their roles of shaping an individual’s life and bringing out the best in him or her. An employee's personality plays a critical role in deciding their workplace behaviour and interaction. It also decides an employee's ability to produce highquality work. Using the OB, companies can understand a candidate's personality and determine whether they are a good fit for the organisation and value the organisational culture, value and mission. It is not the skill or the intelligence of the employee alone that is important for the growth of the organisation. The personal life of the employee, his emotions, feelings etc. are equally important to get the best out of him. The manager cannot separate or isolate the home life of employees from his official life. It, therefore, goes without saying that unless steps are taken to satisfy the total individual, it is not possible to benefit fully from his potential. An organisation is a conglomeration of individuals who work for a common goal. The activity of each individual affects and is affected by

Your spouse may make you spend more than you expected. Fantastic day for investing money in stock market as you can make fortune. You need help on academic front and you should not shy away from asking. You miss your parents a lot and somewhere fear to loose them. Admit your faults in relationship.

CANCER

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

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

LEO

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

You love to live close to your family. Best day to buy gold and silver or any precious metal for investment sake. 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. Video gathering is possible as you miss your social circle like anything.

VIRGO

AUG 24 - SEP 23

You are a pro in your field and none can beat you. You give tough competition to people. Many people get inspired by you. You will get special treatment from your dear ones. Take stand where you need to, don’t run in the same direction where everybody else is going.

YOUR DAY

Horoscope by Saurabbh Sachdeva

Your spouse is someone who can do anything for your happiness. You are opportunist and this will make you successful one day. There may be delays in property possession and it won’t effect you. You are happy spending whole day at home. Help your mothers at home today.

CAPRICORN

DEC 23 - JAN 20

Scrumptious food is what you are craving for today. You always maintain cordial relationship with everyone. You workout daily to keep yourself fit. You may start a side business to earn extra money. You are not a jealous kind and you feel happy for others. You are a very grounded person.

AQUARIUS

JAN 21 - FEB 19

You will feel amorous towards your wife. This is the best time try something new with life give yourself a new purpose. 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 but don’t care.

PISCES

FEB20 - MARCH 20

Spend time talking with likeminded people as it will make you feel good for now. Boisterous behaviour is what everyone needs right now, do whatever you can do to cheer everyone up. You will feel financially comfortable and in position to invest money in some new venture.

FACEOFTHEDAY

HIMANSHI, Influencer

RAJESH BHUKAR cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

GLAM-PACKED PARTY LOOK

Radiant morning selfie

Thirteen glorious years!

Samantha Ruth Prabhu has completed 13 glorious years in the film industry. She entered the world of cinema with the romantic drama Ye Maya Chesave in 2010 and since then, there has been no looking back. Sam is being showered with immense love and best wishes on social media as she celebrates this special occasion. She even received a bunch of flowers from The Family Man 2 makers Raj and DK.

Anushka Sharma is one of the most loved actresses in Bollywood and all eyes are on her ever since she announced her comeback film, Chakda Xpress. The actress is currently in Indore and keeps sharing pictures from her trip. On Monday, she blessed our feeds with a gorgeous selfie of her and wished all her fans a good morning from Indore. We have to admit that the actress looked flawless without makeup and you would find it difficult to take your eyes off her. Taking to her Instagram handle, we can see Anushka Sharma looking radiant in a selfie.

‘To an amazing career and an incredible journey,’ wrote Raj and DK as they posted a photo of

them with Samantha on Instagram. Sam also penned a gratitude note that read, “The older I get… the farther I go… I just feel deeply thankful for all the love and affection… and for each new day and all the good things it brings. So many things that used to affect me… don’t anymore. Just a wave of love and gratitude every day. Thank you.”

Alia raises the glam quotient

Alia Bhatt, who welcomed her first child with Ranbir Kapoor in November 2022, has been dishing out some amazing post-pregnancy looks.

Alia Bhatt was clicked at the award function, and for the occasion, she wore an opulent evening gown from the Resort 2023 collection of the fashion house Costarellos. The pistachio green georgette gown looked absolutely flattering on Alia and has an A-line silhouette. The fabric has an iridescent sheen that adds to the glam look and has a knot-like detail-

SONAM WISHES MOTHER-IN-LAW

ing at the waist that forms cut-outs on each side of the waist. Adding to the sultriness is the plunging neckline, and the daring side slit of the outfit. The billowing cape sleeves add a bit of drama, and the silhouette of the gown looked interesting. The gown is available on the Costarellos website, for 1,965 euros, which is approximately rs, 1,71,740!

humi won everyone’s hearts with her classy performance as an overweight yet supremely confident girl, Sandhya. On Monday, Bhumi took to Instagram and penned a beautiful note as she recalled the memories. She also wrote “Firsts are always special. Can’t believe it has been 8 years already! I was so fortunate to have started my career as an actor with a film that broke the stereotype of how heroines were presented in Indian cinema. Body shaming is a big social evil. Let’s celebrate every human being’s right to individuality. #8YearsOfDumLagaKeHaisha.”

he Bollywood actress dared to flaunt a stunning look as she rocked a Hana gown. Made in the Albanian world, Kiara Advani’s look for an awards event was styled by Tanya Ghavri. We cannot

Tescape its sexy thigh-high slit, embellishments, and semi-sheer bodice. Her corseted, off-shoulder attire bore long sleeves and a train. Corsets of 2023 are just as fabulously modern as these were in 2022, new waves of abuzz are

adding up to the list. Kiara Advani’s latest look too brought its sunshine and vibrant rays. We caught it with her strappy metallic stilettos too. The 30-year-old’s look had no emphasis on accessories. A ring became a talk of shine here. You cannot convince us that a sleek hairdo and peach makeup are never perfect.

‘Firsts are always special’

Anushka Sharma

Kiara Advani

Samantha Ruth Prabhu

Her

Alia in an opulent evening gown

Alia Bhatt

Bhumi and Ayushmann from a still of the movie

Sonam Kapoor

Kiara dons the outfit

THE GRAND LAUNCH

CITY FIRST

The grand poster launch ceremony of the Beauty of Rajasthan, presented by Mali Ram and Son Entertainment took place at Hotel Ramada by Wyndham, Sikar Road, Jaipur on Monday. The

founder and director of Mali Ram Entertainment Gourav Yogi and co-founder Ravikant Sharma informed that a grand event of Beauty of Rajasthan season will be held in Jaipur on April 1 to give a new identity to the talent in Ra-

jasthan. The program was inaugurated by Yogesh Mishra ----- Beauty of Rajasthan, Manoj Aman, Ishwar Yogi, KN Bhati, Gourav Yogi, Ravikant Sharma, Dr Hansraj Sharma, Prerna Mandloi, Kapil Sharma and Kamal Lunawat.

The program was graced by the Acid survivor, Laxmi Agarwal and Bollywood actor Pradeep Kabra as the guests of honour and launched the poster of the grand event. They also shared that the event will be held in April. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

COLOURS OF DEVOTION

CITY FIRST

Proud Moment

CITY FIRST

The MNIT Jaipur, one of the oldest NITs in India, recognized the efforts of its 1976 batch alumni who initiated ‘I³’ to bridge the gap between Industry and Academia. Today Industry needs Institute as much as Institute needs the industry. The felicitation ceremony took place during the Industry-Academia interaction program I3 hosted by MNIT Jaipur. Suresh Roy, an MNIT Jaipur alumnus from the 1976 batch was present at the event and expressed his gratitude and said, “MNIT

BY SUNIL SHARMA

Jaipur has always been a beautiful campus and the right platform for the talent pool for many global and national companies. The outstanding professors bring varied sector experience and are transforming students into fine engineers. Since global economies are marching towards challenging times, our Institute requires Industry support for inculcating a new pool of talent. Core members of I3 have strategized the four phases of addressing this challenge – Interaction, Collaboration, Partnership and Knowledge Sharing.”

SURGICAL SKILLS & TECHNIQUES AT JNU

CITY FIRST

Atraining workshop on basic surgical skills and techniques was organised Department of General Surgery, JNU of Medical Research. The purpose of this training workshop is strongly recommended for all trainees who are about to learn their first lessons of surgery. The workshop was inaugurated by JNU Chancellor Dr Sandeep Bakshi by presenting a bouquet to the

chief guest Dr NL Vyas and lighting the lamp.

On the occasion, Dr Bakshi said that the objective of this workshop is to focus on basic surgical skills and updated techniques.

He said that trainees in surgery need basic knowledge of practical skills to take good care of their patients. Although many of these skills are the same as those used in the 20th century, today’s apprentices need to keep pace with rapidly changing ad-

WHAT’S HAPPENING!

vanced technologies that were not available even 10 years ago. In the field of surgery, JNU has emphasized practice and training since its inception, which has led to hands-on workshops and applications of the latest techniques being used in the country and the world. In the end, the workshop was concluded by giving thanks to the present trainees and wishing them a bright future. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

Govind dev ji temple’s flamboyance connected with devotion and an old-world charm pulls in devotees from all across the globe. To celebrate the same charm, a fourday Holikotsav started celebrated started on Monday at Govind Devji Temple with much zeal and enthusiasm. During the occasion, Temple Mahant Anjan Kumar Goswami and administrator Manas Goswami inaugurated the festival by worshipping Thakur in Satsang Bhawan. After this, the artists were felicitated. Various dance performances around the theme of Holi were showcased during the event, setting the mood for this festival of colours and joy, includ-

THE DAY!

On the death anniversary of the late Ramkishan Siyag, a Megha Blood Donation Camp was organised under the leadership of Congress leader Bishnaram on Saturday. Divisional Commissioner Neeraj K Pawan also donated blood on the occasion. Around 800 people donated blood to the camp. A large number of dignitaries including Corporation Commissioner Gopalaram Birda and ACB SP Rajneesh Punia Swami Rameshwaranand were present.

ing Kunj Bihari

Jaju’s magical compo sitions of Arji Mhari Ji Holi Kelan Ki Marji Tha ri Ji Falguni in the Dhun dhari language. Pt Jag dish Sharma recited Pachha Se Matki Fodi or Kain Ki Hori composed by devotee poet Yugal after Ganesh Vandana. Sangeeta Dangi who came from Ajmer recited the composition

in Raag Kafi. The artists of the troupe of senior Kathak dance guru Shashi Sankhla won the applause of the people with their dance.

Kathak dancer Swati Garg and her troupe presented a Kathak dance on the post ‘Ari Aaj Hori Main Khelungi Dut’. After this, his disciples presented a dance to the song on Rang Darungi Nand’s Lalan.

The much-awaited performance of ‘Phoolon ki Holi captivated the audience with the sheer energy and beauty of the dance sequence. The shower of flowers and the love of Lord Krishna accompanied by traditional songs made it a memorable occasion forever. The flowers showered across were a symbol of the spirit of togetherness imbued in every minute of the show.

Social worker Gokul Maheshwari took orphan children to the movie theatre to bring smiles to their faces on Monday. For the first time in their life, the children watched a movie in a movie theatre. Social worker Gokul Maheshwari shared that under the auspices of Sonal Charitable Trust, every day some efforts are made to put a smile on the faces of poor people and taking the same link forward today orphan children have been brought to see the Rajasthani film, Bahubal. The message has been given through the film that renouncing violence and moving forward on the path of non-violence, for the first time in their life, the children’s faces beamed with joy after reaching the movie theatre. Children thanked him after watching the Rajasthani film Bahubali.

Under the program ‘Go Mata Ko Godd Lena Hai’, a yatra all over India was carried out on Sunday in the city to awaken the sense of service towards Gau Mata and to take a pledge to adopt stray cows roaming in the streets for their service. Jagatguru Santoshi Baba, who is doing the work of inspiration, said in an event held at Nachiketa Gurukul during a one-day visit to Jaipur that where the mother cow is insulted and disrespected, there is no prosperity because cow is our mother, who has immense love for us.

Prateek Parashar, a student of Jaipur was awarded by the Union Minister of Labor and Employment Bhupender Yadav for preparing the best plan and design of an upgradeable ESIC hospital from 350 to 500 beds. On the occasion of ESIC Foundation Day, Prateek was honored with a cheque of one lakh rupees and a citation as the first prize at a grand function organized at Dr. Ambedkar International Center, New Delhi. Based on this design of Prateek, a hospital will be built in Sanand Nagar, Gujarat in next days.

A three-day national-level inter-university sports competition ‘Sphoorti-2023’ was inaugurated on Monday by Apex University at Apex Campus, Sitapura. Inaugural Para Olympic Gold Medalist Abhinav Sharma, VC of the University Prof. OP Chhangani, Director Vedanshu Juniwal and Registrar Pankaj Sharma lit the torch. Players from about 40 colleges are participating in this Mahakumbh of sports. Chief Guest Abhinav Sharma said that sports have great importance in a person’s life. Sports have a huge contribution in making the youth mentally, physically and spiritually strong for a strong nation. VC Prof OP Chhagani said that by working hard and always being aware of your goal, you will definitely get success in life.

Rajasthan Wushu Association President Hiranand Kataria and Indian Wushu coach Rajesh Kumar Taylor

—PHOTO BY SANTOSH SHARMA

—PHOTO BY MUKESH KIRADOO

—PHOTOS BY MUKESH KIRADOO

—PHOTOS BY MUKESH KIRADOO

Parveen, Mahi, Tanu, Ravikant Sharma, SP Jodha, Gourav Yogi, Pardeep Kabra, Laxmi Agarwal, Yogesh Mishra, Manoj Aman, Prerna Mandloi and others

Glimpse from the mesmerizing dance performance

Dr Sandeep Bakshi with others

(L-R) Rakesh Jain, Dr NP Padhy and Suresh Roy