First India-Jaipur Edition-31st January 2023

NOW, PM MODI’S

59 KILLED, OVER 100 INJURED IN PESHAWAR MOSQUE BLAST

Peshawar: An explosion in a mosque killed at least 59 worshippers and wounded over 150 in Pakistan’s Peshawar, a hospital official said. Many of casualties were police officers who had gathered for the daily prayers, agency reported, citing city police chief.

G’NATH TEMPLE ATTACK: DEATH SENTENCE TO ABBASI

Lucknow: A special NIA court on Monday awarded death sentence to Ahmad Murtaza Abbasi, arrested in connection with an attack on security personnel stationed at UP’s Gorakhnath temple in April last year. Prashan Kumar, ADG (Law and Order), said that the accused was handed the death penalty.

New Delhi: A Delhi court on Monday reserved its order on the bail plea of Shankar Mishra, who is accused of urinating on an elderly female co-passenger in a drunken state on a New York-Delhi Air India flight last November, until Tuesday.

ASARAM BAPU CONVICTED OF 1 MORE RAPE BY GUJARAT COURT

Gandhinagar: Court in Guj’s Gandhinagar on Monday convicted Asaram in a woman disciple rape case registered against him in 2013. Court reserved order on quantum of sentence for today, acquitted 6 other accused, including Asaram’s wife, due to lack of proof.

MAHATMA GANDHI’S LEGACY HONOURED ON MARTYRS’ DAY!

CULMINATION OF THE 136-DAY BHARAT JODO YATRA OF CONGRESS

SNOW FALLS, RAHUL RISES, YATRA ENDS

Srinagar: Congress on Monday took out a rally to mark the culmination of its Bharat Jodo Yatra in J&K amid heavy snowfall. The rally began from the Sher-e-Kashmir Cricket Stadium and was joined by representatives from DMK, NC, PDP, CPI, RSP and IUML.

Speaking at the rally, Rahul said he was warned that he might be attacked in Kashmir but, “people here did not give me hand grenades but hearts full of love”.

He spoke about pain of losing someone while remembering his father Rajiv’s assassination, saying that he understood the pain of those who lost their kin in Pulwama attack. Gandhi also said the RSS and BJP were targeting the liberal and secular ethos of country by inciting violence. More on P5

I have not done this (Bharat Jodo Yatra) for myself or for the Congress Party but for the people of the country. Our aim is to stand against the ideology that wants to destroy the foundation of this country.

—Rahul Gandhi, Congress leader

AMID FEUD WITH US SHORT-SELLER

‘Didn’t wear sweater because ...’: Rahul

A mid talks raging about his wearing a T-shirt despite the winter chill during Yatra, Rahul on Monday narrated a story of 4 kids whom he met during BJY, they were beggars who did not wear sweaters, shivering in winters, which inspired him not to do same during the yatra.

Adani firms lose $65 bn in value

l Adani Enterprises FPO garners 3% on Day-2

New Delhi (FIB): Most Adani group shares extended their sharp falls on Monday as Indian conglomerate’s rebuttal of a US short-seller’s criticism failed to pacify investors, driving stock market losses for the companies to $66 billion over 3 days.

Adani, led by Asia’s richest man Gautam Adani, has locked horns with Hindenburg Research and on Sunday it had hit back at the US short-seller’s report.

l IHC throws `3,200 crore lifeline

HINDENBURG REJECTS ADANI CHARGE, SAYS FRAUD CAN’T BE OBFUSCATED BY NATIONALISM

A SNOWBALL FIGHT BETWEEN BRO-SIS DUO

Budget session from today

l President Murmu to address jt sitting of Houses l Economic Survey 2023 to be tabled in Parl today l FinMin to present the Union Budget tomorrow

Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra broke into an impromptu snowball fight during the last leg of the party’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, in Srinagar on Monday.

MAJOR HIGHLIGHTS

l Prime Minister Narendra Modi unfurled India’s tricolor during the BJP’s Ekta March led by Murali Manohar Joshi in 1992 at Lal Chowk in Srinagar l BJP leaders said Rahul could unfurl the tricolour at Srinagar’s Lal Chowk only because PM Modi

revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and abrogated Article 370 l After PM Modi, Rahul Gandhi became second leader to unfurl Tricolour at Lal Chowk. 75 yrs ago, India’s first PM Jawaharlal Nehru also unfurled India’s flag at Lal Chowk

Ashok Gehlot @ashokgehlot51

Due to getting infected with pneumonia on January 26, I am not able to attend any public event. I had a heartfelt desire to attend the concluding program of #BharatJodoYatra in Srinagar today but could not go there due to doctors’ advice. I congratulate Mr. Rahul Gandhi and all the Yatris for the successful organization of #BharatJodoYatra again. This visit is a new beginning in the politics of India which will lead to major changes in the country.

Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Piyush Goyal, Pralhad Joshi and Arjun Ram Meghwal at all-party meeting in New Delhi on Monday.

First India Bureau

New Delhi: The Budget session of Parliament begins on Tuesday with the maiden address of President Droupadi Murmu to the joint sitting of both Houses.

While the government’s priority will be to seek approval on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address and the Finance Bill, the Opposition is raring to corner it on a range of issues, including the Adani-Hindenburg row, a nationwide castebased economic census and the women’s reservation bill.

The Economic Survey will be tabled on Tuesday after the Presi-

CROP DAMAGE DUE TO RAIN AND HAILSTORM

CM Gehlot orders early girdawari for immediate relief to farmers

Naresh Sharma

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

l LIC said it will talk to management of Adani Group within days after US short-seller Hindenburg Research accused the conglomerate of high debt levels, use of tax havens

l IHC, the diversified Abu Dhabi-based conglomerate, said it would invest $400 mn into Adani firms

cr.

Gautam Adani

ALL-PARTY MEET HELD IN PARL, CONG MISSES IT

Ahead of Budget Session, an all-party meeting was called by government on Monday. Deputy Leader of House Rajnath Singh, Parl Affairs min Pralhad Joshi, Leader of House Piyush Goyal, MoS Parl Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal and V Muraleedharan were present in meet. However, Congress leaders were absent in the meeting. P5

dent’s address. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the last full-fledged Union Budget of the Modi govt before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections on Wednesday.

Waste of time: Rijiju on BBC docu ban cases

First India Bureau

Jaipur: Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Monday instructed officials of the Revenue and Agriculture Dept to get an early assessment of damage caused to crops due to hailstorm and cold wave across State. He said that the work of girdawari is being done at a fast pace by Revenue Dept and State govt will extend all possible help to farmers in this disaster.

Out of the total sown area of 109.55L hectare in January, there are reports of 2 to 65% crop failure in about 14.92L hectare area due to frost

and cold wave, said Agriculture minister Lal Chand Kataria in the House on Monday.

All District Collectors are asked to send report of special Girdawari to Disaster Management Dept. LoP Gulab Chand Kataria demanded in House that govt should take steps to provide relief to the affected farmers soon.

Dr CP Joshi asked govt to involve public representatives in process of special Girdawari. P2

New Delhi: Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday described as “waste of the Supreme Court’s precious time” petitions challenging the ban on a BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and 2002 Gujarat riots. SC hearing next week

The SC will hear pleas challenging the Centre’s decision to block a BBC documentary on the 2002 Gujarat riots on Monday next week.

(From Left) President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Ministers Rajnath Singh and Hardeep Singh Puri and other dignitaries at Gandhi Smriti to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his death anniversary, in New Delhi on Monday. President Droupadi Murmu pays tribute to Mahatma Gandhi by saluting him at the Rajghat. LS Speaker Om Birla pays floral tributes to ‘Father of Nation’ at Rajghat. PM Narendra Modi performs parikrama on Monday. Martyrs’ Day, also known as Shaheed Diwas, is observed in India on January 30 to commemorate assassination of Mahatma Gandhi in 1948. More on P5

Was warned, I might be attacked in Kashmir, but people here gave me love, not hand grenades, says Rahul Gandhi

Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Priyanka Gandhi, KC Venugopal, Omar Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti at the concluding event of the party’s Bharat Jodo Yatra amid heavy snowfall, in Srinagar on Monday.

Moni Sharma

DAUSA

GOVT COMMITTED TO PROVIDE PROPER COMPENSATION TO FARMERS: AGRI MIN

Govt

has instructed the collectors to assess the damaged crops due to hailstorm, says Lalchand Kataria

Yogesh Sharma and Naresh Sharma

Jaipur: Agriculture Minister Lalchand Kataria on Monday has said that the state government has given instructions for special Girdawari to all the district collectors to assess the damage caused to rabi crops due to hailstorm, frost and cold wave. He said that the state govt is committed to provide proper compensation to farmers.

Kataria was giving a statement on behalf of the government in the Vidhan Sabha on Monday regarding the situation arising out of frost and cold wave. He said that in 2022-23, Rabi crop has been sown in 109.55 lakh hectare area. According to preliminary estimates, out of 29.65 lakh hectare sown area of wheat crop, about 42,000 hectare, out of 4.08 lakh hectare sown area of barley crop, 19,000 hectare, 20.57 lakh hectare of gram crop were sown. Out of the area of 2.25 lakh hectare, 2 to 40% has been damaged.He said that out of the total sown area of 39.36 lakh hectare of Mustard and Taramira, 2 to 65% damage has been done in 9.83 lakh hectare area.

Lumpy: No proposal yet for easy loan to cattle rearers

First India Bureau

Jaipur: There is no proposal under consideration yet for giving loans on easy rates to cattle rearers whose animals died due to lumpy skin disease, Rajasthan Agriculture Minister LC Kataria said on Monday.

Speaking during the Question Hour, he said that 76,030 cattle died due to lumpy skin disease in last year. However, there is no proposal under consid-

NEWS DIGEST

SWACHH SURVEKSHAN-23: JMCG MAYOR HONOURS THOSE WHO MADE CITY CLEAN

The people who made the city beautiful in Swachh Survekshan were honored at the JMCG Headquarters on Monday. Greater Mayor Dr Somya and Commissioner Mahendra soni felicitated the sanitation soldiers, councillors, hotels and NGOs.

BACK TO BACK ROBBERY IN BKN, `1.5L LOOTED FROM AGENT OF GAS AGENCY

Bikaner: The incidents of loot have no stopping in the Bikaner city. The fourth robbery in just span of the 24 hours have been reported in which now Rs 1.5 lakh has been looted from the agent of the gas agency. The gas agency agent was returning with his daily cash collection, where two bike-ridden youths snatched his bag away, which contained about Rs 1.5 lakh. As soon as the information about the incident was received, the Nayashahar police also reached the spot. The CCTVs are being scanned.

eration for giving loans on easy rates to the cattle rearers to purchase new cattle, he said.

DEVNANI DEMANDS CANCELLATION OF LAND ALLOTMENT OF TELANGANA HOUSE

The issue of allotment of land for the proposed Telangana House-minority hostel at Kotra in Ajmer has now reached the Vidhan Sabha. Ajmer North MLA Vasudev Devnani raised the issue and demanded cancellation of allotment of land. Devnani, while addressing under Rule 295, said that the said land is in Haribhau Upadhyay Nagar, a residential colony and doing such a move would disturb the peace here. “Besides, there is the ancient Chamunda Mata Temple, Devnarayan Temple and other religious places, whose purity might get diminished” he added.

Congress MLAs corner own govt during debate over Guv speech

First India Bureau

Jaipur: During the debate on the Governor’s address in the Assembly, the Congress MLAs surrounded the government on the issues of electricity, water, education and corruption.

Congress MLAs Suresh Modi and Harish Meena questioned the government on many issues.

Meena questioned the government’s claim of zero tolerance towards corruption. Raising the issue of farmers not getting electricity, Suresh

Modi put a question mark on the claims of surplus electricity. “I have been making continuous efforts for the last four years for

two 33 KV grid sub-stations at my place. Approval was also received, but it is not known where the file is stuck, where its orders are buried,” said Suresh Modi. Suresh Modi said that farmers should be given electricity for at least six hours. During the debate, BJP MLA Gyanchand Parakh surrounded the government over various issues. BJP MLA Vasudev Devnani targeted the govt over the camps of CM Ashok Gehlot and former deputy CM Sachin Pilot.

PHED MIN CORNERED OVER DELAY IN WATER PROJECTS, MINISTER SAYS ‘ACTION TAKEN’

The issue of delay in water projects echoed in the House on Monday. PHED Minister Mahesh Joshi was cornered in the House by CM advisor Ramkesh Meena and Jaitaran MLA Avinash. The SPML company is accused of not taking action and the projects started in 2005 are not yet completed. Mahesh Joshi said that action has been taken against the company as per rules. Taking forward the work of the project, water will be provided to the concerned villages.

DISTRIBUTION OF FOOD GRAINS TO START FROM MARCH 2023, REPLIES PSK

F ood and Civil Supplies Minister Pratap Singh Khachariawas said in the Vidhan Sabha on Monday that the state govt has opened a portal to add new names to the Food Security Scheme. The Minister assured that no farmer having joint khatedari would face problem in getting the benefit of the Food Security Scheme. He was giving reply to the question asked by MLA Balwan Poonia. He assured that distribution of food grains would be start from March, 2023.

ISSUE OF CRIMINAL BACKGORUND PEOPLE INTO WAQF BOARD RAISED

Issue of appointing people with criminal tendencies as members of Waqf committees came up during the question hour in the State assembly on Monday. BJP MLA Pratap Singh Singhvi, while raising the matter of constitution of Chhabra Committee, said that on the basis of wrong affidavit some criminals have been included in the committee. On behalf of the government, Minister Saleh Mohammad said that an inquiry would be conducted after complaints.

HOUSE TURN UPROARIOUS OVER MP KIRODI’s DHARNA ON GRADE 2 PAPER LEAK ROW

Uproarious scenes were also witnessed on the issue of dharna by BJP’s Rajya Sabha MP Dr. Kirodi Lal Meena. Deputy leader of opposition Rajendra Rathore said, “A Rajya Sabha MP is sitting on a dharna but the government is not bothered.” Speaker Dr CP Joshi interrupted the opposition and said this way is not good. “Opposition should raise its point according to the rules. Let the discussion on the Governor’s address go on meaningfully,” Joshi said. Independent MLA Baljeet Yadav raised the issue of paper leak. He said that ‘big sharks’ will have to be caught.

Congmen pay tributes to Mahatma Gandhi

First India Bureau

Jaipur : The PCC observed the death anniversary of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi on Monday. Also known as Martyr’s Day, on this occasion, the National Anthem was sung and the tricolour was hoisted in the State Congress office in the state capital.

Minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas remembered Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi on his death anniversary and fiercely targeted the BJP.

Pratap S Khachariyawas, Khanu Khan Budhwali, Jyoti Khandelwal, and several other congress leaders paying homage to martyrs and Mahatma Gandhi on the occasion of Shaheed Diwas on Monday.

proves that India is the land of Ram. According to him, the time has come to pass a bill in the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha that if any party tries to come to power by creating religious conflicts, it should be barred from politics.

SMART HEALTH SCHEME

BD KALLA TARGETS BJP FOR DOING

POLITICS ON MAHATMA GANDHI’s NAME

E ducation Minister BD Kalla targeted the BJP during a programme organized on the Martyr’s Day at Secretariat by saying that those who were with Godse are today doing politics in the name of Mahatma Gandhi. “The Rajasthan govt has created a peace and non-violence department. There is no peace and nonviolence department anywhere in the country. The work of Gandhi Museum and Research Institute is going on. Similarly, the state government is organising many programmes related to Mahatma Gandhi,” he said. —Dr Rituraj Sharma

Employees to get RGHS benefit through Biometric



Daily 1,200 to 1,300 patients are getting treatment under RGHS scheme, and vigilance has become important, therfore biometric will be implied

Vikas Sharma

Jaipur: The Government employees and pensioners will get treatment through biometric system. The effort has been made to stop forgery in Rajasthan Government Health Scheme (RGHS).

In an exclusive interview with First India, Project Director Shipra Vikram said that thousands of patients are getting free treatment from the scheme. Daily

T

1,200 to 1,300 patients are getting treatment after getting admitted in hospitals. While about 1,2000 patients in OPD

are taking free treatment under the scheme.

Seeing so many eligible beneficiaries, vigilance has also become

14HOSPS IN RGHS

very important. In such a way soon a ‘biometric’ system will be implemented in OPD-IPD so as to completely prevent

Businesswoman robbed in ATM booth in city

Jaipur (FIB) : A businesswoman was robbed in an ATM booth by an unknown miscreant on January 27, police informed Monday. The miscreant pointed a pistol at the businesswoman. By threatening to kill, the accused took away Rs 1 lakh withdrawn from the ATM. Vaishali Nagar police station got the blockade done on the information, but there was no clue of the robber. The police are scanning the CCTV footage installed in ATM booth.

As per the police, the robbery incident took place with Nikhat Parveen (32), a resident of Narayanapuri Khatipura.

Rukshmani Kumari joins BJY in Srinagar

First India Bureau

any possibility of fraud. RGHS was implemented to fulfill Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s intention of free treatment. All government employees and pensioners will have to register biometric identity in hospitals so that there is no delay in the treatment due to any kind of fraud. After the instructions of the Finance Department, now the RGHS administration has started work in this direction.

Srinagar: State President of All India Professionals’ Congress Rukshmani Kumari joined the closing ceremony of Bharat Jodo Yatra in Srinagar on Monday. Rukshmani met Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi. During the meeting, Rukshmani told Priyanka Gandhi about the incident of the martyrdom of her husband Martyr Major Aditya Singh in Srinagar in the year 2011. At this, Priyanka

Gandhi hugged Rukshmani. “Priyanka Gandhi’s hand on my shoulder was an intimate relationship and an unforgettable moment for me,” said Rukshmani.

Following the hailstorm across Rajasthan, the standing rabi crops have got damaged causing tensions for the farmers.

Suresh Modi put the demand of 33KV GSS for Neem Ka Thana.

BD Kalla interacts with media.

LC Kataria, Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Minister

Officers and employees of Rajasthan Housing Board paid tribute to the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi by observing two minutes of silence at 11 am on Monday. Alpa Choudhary, Sanjay Sharma, GS Baghela and others were present on the occasion.

QUESTION HOUR

RAJE, DIYA SEEK RELIEF FOR CROP DAMAGE; MERCURY DIPS IN STATE

New Delhi (ANI): An Ahmedabad-bound Vistara flight from Delhi was diverted to Rajasthan’s Udaipur due to low visibility, officials said on Monday. The flight is now scheduled to arrive in Udaipur at around 9.10 am, informed Vistara.

“Flight UK959 from Delhi to Ahmedabad (DEL-AMD) has been diverted to Udaipur due to low visibility at Ahmedabad Airport and is expected to arrive in Udaipur at 9:10 am,” Vistara said.

Highest rainfall at 78 cm was recorded in Bhilwara and Nagaur Moisture is settling on the top of Aravali & is being lifted up instantly

First India Bureau

Jaipur: Expressing concern over the damage caused due to rain, BJP leader Vasundhara Raje tweeted, “Rain continues in various parts of Rajasthan. Hailstorm has damaged crops of mustard, gram, barley, and wheat in Udaipur, Sirohi, Bundi, Bhilwara, Chittorgarh, and Jodhpur. The state govt

70 SHEEP DIE DUE TO HAILSTORM IN BIJOLIA

Bhilwara: About 70 sheep died due to cold and hailstorm in the Tikhi forest area of the Bijolia region on Sunday night. About the same number of sheep have fallen severely ill. A team of veterinary doctors reached the spot on information and conducted the post-mortem of the sheep. The ailing sheep which were nearing death due to extreme cold were treated

should immediately get Girdawari done and provide financial assistance to the farmers.”

MP Diya Kumari also demanded compensation for the heavy loss caused to the farmers

Nayla allottee journalists protest at Gandhi circle

First India Bureau

Jaipur: Allottee journalists of Pink City Press Enclave, Nayla, staged a silent protest in front of the statue of Mahatma Gandhi at

Gehlot govt will be back in power: Rathore

Tanuj Lata

Sujangarh: Chairman of Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation

Dharmendra Rathore during his one-day tour to Sujangarh on Monday, claimed that the Ashok Gehlot government would be back in power and Mission 156 would be accomplished. On his way to Gopalpura, Rathore was welcomed by Cong workers and office bearers under the leadership of Sujangarh MLA Manoj Meghwal on Salasar Road.

Gandhi Circle on Monday and paid tribute to the Father of the Nation. 571 journalists are not being given possession letter and JDA leases despite allotment of plot 10 years ago.

on the spot. The sheepherders who came from the Marwar region to the plains of Bijolia had cut and separated the wool from

due to unseasonal rain and hailstorm. “This time is very sensitive for the farmers. The process of compensation should be started immediately,” she demanded. Meanwhile, widespread rain-

the bodies of the sheep 3-4 days ago. Because of this, the sheep could not bear the harsh cold and the hailstorm, resulting in death.

fall and hailstorm at a few places during the last 24 hours hit daily life in Rajasthan. The hailstorm hit Udaipur and surrounding areas, according to the Met department.

Another NEET aspirant dies by suicide in Kota

Gul Mohd

Kota: Another coaching student died by suicide by hanging himself in Kota. The incident that occurred under Kunhadi police station came to light when his family members reached Kota and went to his hostel.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Shankarlal said that Ranjeet, hailing from Uttar Pradesh, was preparing for NEET in Kota. He was living in a hostel room at Land

Mark City.

As per the primary investigation, Ranjeet was under stress for some time and his family members were also aware of this. He had also prepared for NEET in Kanpur for two years but did not get selected. A letter also recovered from the room in which he has written many spiritual things. In this letter, the student has written that he is a part of Vishnu and going to meet God, said the police.

New Delhi (ANI): As many as 13 trains are running late due to low visibilty and rains, informed Railway officials on Monday.According to railway officials, Darbhanga-New Delhi Clone Special, Gaya-New Delhi Mahabodhi Express, Malda Town- Delhi Farakka Express, Banaras- New Delhi Kashi Vishwanath Express Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus-Amritsar Express, Dr,Amdedkar Nagar-Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Malwa Superfast Express & others are running late owing to rainfall and poor visibility.

Aishwary Pradhan

Jaipur: BJP MP Kirodi Lal Meena continued to protest for the seventh day on Monday over demand for CBI probe into a paper leak. Talking exclusively to First India, Meena said that his workers are fully involved in the preparations for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting to be held at Nangal Pyariwas on February 12, which will be made a historic meeting. People and workers of 40 assembly constituencies will reach there.

Jaipur MP Ram

Charan

Bohra, former BJP state president Ashok Parnami, and former minister Dr. Rohitashv Sharma also reached Meena’s dharna. Sharma also reached with

several packets of bananas for the youth. Parnami mentioned former CM Vasundhara Raje supporting Kirodi’s dharna and also cornered the state govt.

Identifying single-use plastic industries: CS

First India Bureau

Jaipur: JDA has issued a legal notice to Bhupendra Saran and his brother Gopal Saran, the main accused in the senior teacher recruitment exam paper leak case. In this notice issued on Monday, JDA has written that deposit the amount Rs 19.11 lakh in advance within a week, otherwise, the plot will be attached and auctioned to recover the amount, said Chief Controller of Enforcement Branch Raghuveer Saini on Monday.

First India Bureau

Jaipur: Showing seriousness on the singleuse plastic ban, Chief Secretary Usha Sharma on Monday directed strict action by identifying single-use plastic manufacturing industries and their hotspot areas within the next 15 days.

CS said that plastic is harmful to humans and animals, so it should be completely controlled. Chairing the fifth review meeting of the Special Task Force formed regarding single-use plastic, she instructed the concerned officials to identify the manufacturers and sellers of single-use plastic.

—PHOTO BY SUNIL SHARMA

Usha Sharma chairing the fifth review meeting of STF on Monday.

Ashok Parnami, Ram Charan Bohra & Dr. Rohitashv Sharma reached the dharna site and Kirodi Lal Meena on Monday.

RPSC paper leak: MP Kirodi’s dharna continues for 7th day

JDA’s recovery notice to paper leak accused

Dharmendra Rathore at Balaji Gaushala, Salasar.

ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF C hat GPT ude

THE PROFOUND BANALITY OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TRIES TO CONQUER THE MAGICAL REALISM OF THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE IN THE FORM OF ChatGPT

IN-DEPTH

POLITICAL PARTIES THROW CAUTION TO WIND ON OLD PENSION SCHEME

Despite warnings of disastrous financial consequences, restoring the old pension scheme has become the favourite of political parties in election-bound states. The promise did not work for the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party in Gujarat elections, but it is credited for Congress win in Himachal Pradesh. Congress is repeating the promise in Rajasthan and Karnataka. More interesting is the case of Maharashtra where Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said in December 2022 that “the government will not revive the old pension scheme” as it will put an additional burden of Rs 1.10 lakh crore on the state. One month later Fadnavis said that the “government is positive about the old pension scheme for teachers and government employees…” Fadnavis changing his stand on the old pension is significant as the Central government has repeatedly pointed to the acute financial challenge it will pose for the exchequer. If the states want to bet on the old pension scheme despite their weak financial position they are in for trouble.

On another level, as the euphoria subsides and people at large start searching for the next supposedly game-changing invention, ChatGPT will certainly creep into our daily lives. It will make some jobs redundant and be a godsend for those who dread the thought of writing a story. Even those who struggle with a writer’s block or small businesses with no marketing budgets will benefit from it. At the same time, it will supercharge the deadly social media driven propaganda machines, which we have accepted as a part of life, with little accountability

any years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendia was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice,” Gabriel Garcia Marquez used this iconic line to embark on a tour-de-force on human nature in his literary masterpiece One Hundred Years of Solitude. Had Gabo, as his adoring fans call him, been alive today, he would have begun with ‘A few days later, as he put a gun to his head, Colonel Aureliano Buendia was to remember his lonely midnight doomscrolling that introduced him to ChatGPT.’

The famous opening line, juxtaposing the macabre realities of life with the sense of wonder that comes with appreciating human ingenuity, draws readers into a wild journey of exploration. Not just of human existence and their place in it, but also the

YATRA ENDS, GOAL UNACHIEVED

fertile nature of the human mind that can conjure up imaginary worlds to convey profound insights. And then, there is ChatGPT. No matter which line one prompts the machine with, it spits out a few paragraphs mimicking the human mind.

Magical Realism and AI

Gabo makes us marvel at the human ability to understand our origins, internalize our journey through civilizations, observe the mundane, day-to-day life, and convey a deeper sense of meaning and belonging that fills our hearts with contentment when we turn the last page. Ironically, ChatGPT uses similar means to achieve fairly pedestrian ends. The Generative Pretrained Transformer (GPT) – built on something called a large language model – takes in everything ever written in a particular language, calculates the probability of any word following a given word, and strings together humansounding sentences. Gabo playfully mocks the cyclical nature of human endeavors in the hope of liberating our souls. ChatGPT exploits the cyclical math of words to

ahul Gandhi’s long march concluded in Jammu and Kashmir amidst heavy snow blizzard in Srinagar. The end of Bharat Jodo Yatra on January 30 coincided with Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination on this day 75 years ago. Was it Rahul’s coming of age moment? The Mahatma laid down his life for the country’s unity and Rahul’s march was also undertaken to unite the nation. How far he will be successful in achieving that goal only time will tell, but the Congress scion must gear up for a long and tougher journey that lies ahead along with mountain high challenges.

The challenge is to unite the opposition parties to put up a joint front against the BJP in

Had Gabo, as his adoring fans call him, been alive today, he would have begun with ‘A few days later, as he put a gun to his head, Colonel Aureliano Buendia was to remember his lonely midnight doomscrolling that introduced him to ChatGPT’

keep us trapped in a linguistic status quo.

Where will it take us?

ChatGPT evokes fatalism of a completely different kind. At one level, it is just another, and utterly predictable, step in the long march of technological progress. The geek in me asks: If an assembly line can automate and obviate physical labor, what is wrong in ChatGPT automating the mental labor of stringing together words? Who are we, if not elitists, to benefit from the efficiencies assembly lines bring and lament the banality of the language ChatGPT

The end of Bharat Jodo Yatra on January 30 coincided with Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination on this day 75 years ago. Was it Rahul’s coming of age moment?

The Mahatma laid down his life for the country’s unity and Rahul’s march was also undertaken to unite the nation

2024. That being the probable purpose of the Yatra, he would be embarking on that journey with a handicap. Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, West Bengal’s Mamata Banerjee and Delhi’s

spits out without even a moment’s worth of ‘thought’?

While the world is still in thrall of the capabilities of the latest version of ChatGPT, the perils of using such AI for automating writing are already staring at us. A recent report in the Washington Post summarizes how AI created a journalistic disaster for a media outlet, forcing it to issue countless corrections. Soon enough, pitfalls of such advances will sow socio-political divisions, prompting ethicists and politicians to call for meaningful regulations. As this author has argued before, AI engineers will have to grapple with issues of technology for its own sake vs. the democratic systems that enable free inquiry, challenging authority, and maximizing human capital.

Whatever the future holds, it will certainly chip away at our sense of what it means to be human. The fatalist in me even wants to believe that one hundred years of ChatGPTude will produce a masterpiece like Gabo’s. The radical and romantic in me is screaming inside, begging me not to bet on it!

SOURCE: FAIR OBSERVER

Arvind Kejriwal have expressly distanced themselves from the Yatra and the Congress. How will Rahul reach out to these leaders and convince them that joining ranks is the only way out and that also will decide the success or failure of Yatra. That will require making Congress acceptable to all, which is another challenge.

As for the Yatra’s stated objective of ending hate between people of different faiths there is no scope for disagreement. But it is easier said than done. It is undoubtedly the most desperately needed medicine for the country at this hour and it is also difficult to administer because of rabid elements’ constant attempts to subvert all attempts at harmonious co-existence.

There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting. Buddha

TOP TWEETS

Had an insightful interaction with Hon.@Kinana_Abdul Vice Chairperson of @ccm_tanzania along with his colleagues today at the BJP HQ. We had detailed discussions, which spanned different topics, from enhancing party-to-party cooperation to the BJP’s role in India’s success story.

Nitin Gadkari @nitin_gadkari

Going to be inaugurated by PM Shri @narendramodi Ji on 4th Feb, the Sohna-Dausa stretch of the #Delhi_ Mumbai_Expressway will facilitate commuters to reach Jaipur from Delhi in two hours. Covering a distance of 1,450 km, the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway is a true example of worldclass highway construction.

MAUKTIK KULKARNI

The writer is a neuroscientist, backpacker, author, entrepreneur, public speaker and a film maker

Tricolour hoisted at Cong office in Srinagar, Yatra culminates

Srinagar (ANI): Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday hoisted the National flag at the party office in Srinagar.

The Tricolour was hoisted in the presence of Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi as the Bharat Jodo Yatra ended.

Srinagar had received heavy rain and snowfall on Sunday night and photographs from this morning showed the Gandhi siblings playing with snow at the Congress party headquarters.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh shared a photograph of himself with party colleague Digvijay Singh.

Ramesh tweeted, “The Do Bechare... residents of Container #12 and #14 saying farewell at the end of #BharatJodoYatra in a snowy Srinagar to their abodes for the last 135 days.”

DK Shivakumar plotted sex CD against me: Jarkiholi

Belagavi (ANI): Karnataka BJP leader and former state minister Ramesh Jarkiholi, who resigned from the Cabinet after a sex video of him surfaced in the state two years ago, attacked state Congress president DK Shivakumar on Monday and accused the latter of hatching a conspiracy against him in the sex CD case.

At a presser here, former minister Jarkiholi said that DK Shivakumar and Congress leaders including Belagavi

Rural MLA Lakshmi Hebbalkar are behind the video. “They are hatching a conspiracy to discredit me,” he said. He also demanded an inquiry by the CBI into the matter. The case had come to light on March 2, 2021, when Kallahalli, a social activist, lodged

IN THE COURTYARD

GODHRA CASE: SC SEEKS GUJARAT GOVT’S

REPLY ON SOME CONVICTS’ BAIL PLEAS

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday sought the Gujarat government’s response on the bail pleas of some convicts sentenced to life imprisonment in the 2002 Godhra train coach-burning case. A bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud was told by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who appeared in the matter on behalf of the Gujarat government, that it was not “merely a stone-pelting” case as the convicts had bolted a bogey of the Sabarmati Express, leading to the death of several passengers on the train.

SC JUDGE RECUSES FROM PLEA AGAINST BAIL TO MAJITHIA

New Delhi: Supreme Court judge Justice Surya Kant on Monday recused himself from hearing an appeal filed by the Punjab government against the high court order granting bail to SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia in a drug case. As a bench took up the appeal of the Punjab govt, Justice Kant said he was part of the high court bench which had directed the setting up of a special task force to probe the case.

Oppn raises Adani stocks, BBC documentary issues

NO OPPN UNITY AS KEY LEADERS SKIP BJY’S CONCLUDING EVENT IN SRINAGAR

Srinagar: As Congress’ Bharat Jodo Yatra officially came to a conclusion here on Monday, absence of several top Opposition leaders from its closing event raised eyebrows on the Opposition unity. The top leaders of political parties including the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), TMC, and JD(U) did not turn up at final event of Rahul Gandhi-led the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Srinagar on Monday.

SEE A RAY OF HOPE IN RAHUL, SAY FORMER J&K CMs

Srinagar: Former chief ministers of J&K Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah said here on Monday that they see a ray of hope in Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. The two leaders also invoked Mahatma Gandhi on his death anniversary.

BUDGET SESSION

“WHAT GODSE IDEOLOGY SNATCHED FROM J&K...” MUFTI

Srinagar: PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti on Monday hailed Congress MP Rahul Gandhi. “I hope what the Godse ideology snatched from J&K and from this nation, Rahul Gandhi will restore it,” Mufti said in her brief speech at the Yatra.

UNION MINISTER THRASHES RAHUL FOR “VIOLATING” FLAG CODE IN SRINAGAR

New Delhi: Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Monday lambasted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for “violating” the Flag Code by putting his own cutout overwhelming the Tricolour while unfurling the flag at Srinagar’s Lal Chowk on Sunday, and said that the move demonstrates the “psychology of a dynast”. Rahul had unfurled the Tricolour at Lal Chowk in Srinagar on Sunday.

a complaint with the police and demanded a probe into a sex scandal against Jarkiholi, while he was Karnataka’s Major and Medium Water Resources Minister.

“The victim woman was offered a job in the Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Ltd. Upon reaching the pre-decided location, the woman was sexually assaulted and now is being threatened by the minister and his people,” Kallahalli had stated earlier.

HC QUASHES SEXUAL HARASSMENT FIR AGAINST 2 PERSONS

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has quashed an FIR against two employees of a leading automobile company on allegations of sexually harassing an intern working with the firm, noting that the duo was exonerated by an Internal Complaints Committee. The court said if the consequential proceedings arising out of the FIR are allowed to be continued, it will be a “misuse of power and an exercise in futility”.

INTERFAITH MARRIAGES: SUPREME COURT

TO HEAR BATCH OF PLEAS ON FEBRUARY 3

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday said it would hear on February 3 a batch of pleas challenging controversial state laws regulating religious conversions due to interfaith marriages. A bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and justices PS Narasimha and JB Pardiwala noted that a transfer plea was mentioned in the morning. “We can list it, issue notice and hear it together. The transfer petition will also be numbered by then. The attorney general can also examine. We will hear all on Friday,” the bench said.

New Delhi (ANI): An all-party meeting called by the govt brought up issues like Adani stocks, BBC documentary ban and governors’ interference in states ruled by Opposition parties, ahead of the Budget Session of Parliament that commenced on Monday morning. Several opposition parties raised critical issues, including the recent stock market matter concerning Adani Group stocks. MPs asked the government to hold a discussion on the matter as it concerns the economy of the country, and therefore concerns the people at large.

SOME MATTERS CAN’T BE DISCUSSED, GOVT SAYS AT MEET

New Delhi: The govt on Monday said that matters regarding Chinese intrusion can’t be discussed in Parliament as it concerns the security of the country. According to the sources, in the all-party meeting held on Monday, the Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party raised the issue of the Chinese intrusion and asked for a discussion in the Parliament. “To this, the Government responded by saying that some matters can’t be discussed on the floor of the house as it concerns security,” the source said.

Land issue: Didi stands by Amartya

Kolkata: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee on Monday stood by Nobel laureate economist Amartya Sen after Visva Bharati University Vice Chancellor Bidyut Chakraborty accused him of unauthorised possession of university land at Bolpur-Santiniketan in Birbhum.

Chakraborty alleged that Sen is in possession of 1.38 acres of land which is excess of his legal entitlement of 1.25 acres. The Nobel laureate, however, has denied the charges. On Monday afternoon, the CM, after reaching Bolpur-San-

tiniketan, went to the residence of Sen. There she handed over the land holding records of the state Land & Land Reforms Department, which shows his legal entitlement over the en-

U’Khand CM Dhami attends BJP state working committee meeting

Dehradun (ANI): Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami attended the BJP’s State Working Committee meeting, here on Monday.

The two-day meeting which started on Sunday has been called for brainstorming on the strategy for the upcoming Lok Sabha and the local body polls in Uttarakhand. BJP’s State in-charge Dushyant Gautam, co-in-charge

Rekha Verma along with state president Mahendra Bhatt and all the prominent leaders of the party are present in this meeting of the two-day state work-

ing committee.

In the meeting, discussions will also be held on the formation of Shashakta Mandal, active booth and Panna Committee.

State President Mahendra Bhatt had told ANI on Sunday that the strategy for the Lok Sabha and local body elections to be held this year will be discussed in the working committee meeting.

tire 1.38 acres of land that he is occupying.

“Allegations made by the university of illegally occupying 13 decimals of land was totally false and meant to malign the image of the

MAMATA TO LEAVE FOR 3-DAY TOUR TO WEST BENGAL DISTS

Kolkata: West Bengal CM

Mamata Banerjee will leave for a three-day tour of Birbhum, Malda and Purba Bardhaman districts on Monday to review the administrative works there, an official said. She will also speak to Trinamool Congress workers during her tour, he said.

great educationist. We will take whatever legal action required in this regard also which I will not disclose now. But I will not tolerate insult of the Nobel laureate at any cost,” Banerjee said.

“Paroles to Ram Rahim spreading disharmony”

New Delhi (Agencies): Senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and former Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Monday said repeated paroles to convicted rapist Gurmeet Ram Rahim by the ruling dispensation were spreading communal disharmony in the region.

Harsimra Kaur, while giving her views at the all-party meeting on the eve of the budget session of Parliament, said

MARTYRS’ DAY

YSR CONG CALLS FOR CASTE-BASED ECO CENSUS

New Delhi: The YSR Congress demanded a nationwide caste-based economic census at the meet. It is necessary to know the economic status of backward castes who are “lagging behind” on social and development indicators, it said. YSR Congress leader Vijaysai Reddy said backward castes are over 50% of total population and census will help find their economic status. The ruling party in Andhra has joined the JD(U) and the RJD, both of which have demanded a caste census.

Odisha Guv, CM pay last respects to minister Das shot dead by cop

Bhubaneswar (ANI):

Odisha Governor Ganeshi Lal and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday paid his last respects to the state Health Minister Naba Kishore Das at the minister’s residence here. The mortal remains of the senior BJD leader were brought to his official residence in the early hours today. Das succumbed to bullet injuries hours after he was shot at by a policeman at pointblank range in broad daylight in Jharsugud district.

A team of doctors led by Dr Debashish Nayak immediately attended to and operated on him.

It was found that a single bullet had entered and exited the body, injuring the heart and left lung and causing massive internal bleeding and injury, officials said.

“there should be one law for all”. She said the select manner in which paroles and remissions were being granted to rapists and murderers was disturbing.

They added that steps were taken to improve the heart pumping and he was provided urgent ICU care. However, despite their best efforts the minister succumbed to his injuries.

PM Modi, Amit Shah pay tributes to Mahatma

New Delhi (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi on his death anniversary and also remembered those who sacrificed their lives in the service of the nation.

The Prime Minister said that the sacrifices of the martyrs will keep strengthening the country’s resolve to strive for a developed India. “I bow to Bapu on his Punya Tithi and recall his profound thoughts. I also

pay homage to all those who have been martyred in the service of our na-

tion. Their sacrifices will never be forgotten and will keep strength-

“BAPU TAUGHT THE COUNTRY TO LIVE WITH LOVE...” RAHUL GANDHI YOGI ADITYANATH PAYS TRIBUTE TO GANDHI ON HIS DEATH ANNIVERSARY

Srinagar (ANI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi on his death anniversary and said that ‘Bapu’ taught the nation the equality of all religions and to fight for the truth. “Bapu taught the whole country to live with love, equality of all religions and to fight for the truth. I salute the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi on his martyrdom day,” Rahul Gandhi said in a tweet.

ening our resolve to work for a developed India,” PM tweeted.

Lucknow (ANI): Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi as the nation remembered him on his death anniversary. The Chief Minister offered floral tributes at the statue of Bapu at GPO in presence of school children who also paid their respects to the Mahatma through recitation of bhajans. Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak was also present at the event.

VP Dhankhar & PM Modi after paying tribute to Mahatma Gandhi.

Mamata Banerjee at International Kolkata Book fair, in Kolkata.

....it happened just as I expected, the people of J&K didn’t give me a grenade but only love.

—Rahul Gandhi, Congress leader

Rahul Gandhi during the flag hoisting ceremony at the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ camp site in Srinagar, on Monday. —PHOTO BY PTI

WINTRY WEATHER TRIPURA ELECTIONS

Snow covers Kedarnath Temple

Dehradun (ANI): Kedarnath Dham got wrapped in a blanket of snow after receiving snowfall, officials informed on Monday.

Snow has accumulated up to 4 feet. There has been continuous snowfall in the Kedarnath region since Sunday night.

Heavy snow can be witnessed on the premises of the Dham and on the surrounding hills, they said. Meanwhile, the Uttarkashi Police in the state issued an advisory for the citizens, alerting them to travel with caution through the various highways.

The Uttarkashi Police in a tweet said, “Due to rain and snowfall, the Gangotri National Highway is obstructed above Sukki Top due to debris coming near Dharasu band and Bandarkot.

The Yamunotri National Highway is blocked above Jankichatti and Radi Top. Roads are

Top BJP, Congress leaders file papers

Agartala (Agencies):

Top BJP, Congress, CPIM leaders including Tripura Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister, state Congress President submitted their nomination papers on Monday, the last day of filling candidatures.

AVALANCHE WARNING ISSUED FOR DIFFERENT AREAS IN JAMMU & KASHMIR

Srinagar: The authorities on Monday issued avalanche warning for different areas of the UT and advised people in these areas not to venture out unnecessarily.“High danger level avalanche is likely to occur 2,500 metres above sea level over Doda, Kishtwar and Poonch districts in next 24 hours,” it warned, adding a “medium danger level avalanche is likely to occur above 1,500 to 2,500 metres over Bandipora, Baramulla, Ganderbal, Kupwara, Kulgam & Ramban in next 24 hours”.

blocked in other places as well. Please travel with caution.”

CRUCIAL READ

TAMIL NADU: 10 PASSENGERS RECEIVE BURNS AS BUS CATCHES FIRE IN SALEM

Coimbatore: The passengers of a Bengaluru-bound private bus had a miraculous escape, as many of them managed to jump out of the vehicle that caught fire near Mettur in Salem district of Tamil Nadu in the early hours of Monday, police said. However, 10 passengers, including a few women, sustained burn injuries while jumping out from the window to save their lives, police said. They have been rushed to the government hospital in Mettur where they are being treated.

Notably, the doors of Kedarnath Dham will open on April 26 and

UTTARAKHAND’S GANGOTRI TEMPLE ENVELOPED IN THICK BLANKET OF SNOW

Uttarakhand: Gangotri Temple premises were covered in a thick blanket of snow on Monday amid fresh snowfall in the region. The Gangotri Dham, part of the ‘Char Dham’ pilgrimage yatra located along the river Bhagirathi was seen enveloped in snow. The idols in the temple premises, the entrance and the pathway leading to the temple have been completely covered in white snow as the mercury dropped to -14.8 degrees Celsius, the India Meteorological Department said.

those of Gangotri and Yamunotri will open on April 22, after winter

Leprosy rate down since 2014: Minister

New Delhi (PTI): The prevalence rate of leprosy in the country has come down from 0.69 per 10,000 population in 2014-15 to 0.45 in 2021-22, Union (MoS) Health Bharati Pravin Pawar said on Monday.

fight leprosy and make leprosy a history”.

break, informed the temple committee. The doors of Shri Badrinath

Dham will open the following day, on April 27.

Preparations for the ‘Char Dham Yatra’ also started as soon as the date of opening of the doors of Kedarnath, Yamunotri and Gangotri was fixed.

The shrine is one of the four ancient pilgrimage sites referred to as ‘Char Dham’ which also includes Yamunotri, Gangotri and Badrinath.

Chief Minister Manik Saha, who was elected to the state assembly in the June 2022 by-elections after former Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb was removed from the top post in May last year, submitted his nomination paper in the Bordowali constituency here.

Manik Saha would take on Congress candidate Ashish Kumar Saha, who was elected to the assembly as BJP nominee in 2018 assembly elections. Ashish Kumar Saha quit BJP in January last year and joined Congress next month.

EXCISE RAIDS TO CURB ILLICIT LIQUOR AHEAD OF POLLS

Agartala: Ahead of Assembly polls in Tripura, the State Excise Organization has been conducting raids to curb illicit liquor selling, manufacturing and transportation on daily basis. The raids are conducted as per the direction of the Election Commission of India (ECI). As per the report, the Excise Organization seized 225.705 litres of illicit liquor on Sunday throughout the State whose value stands at Rs 83,338. Two cases have been registered for violation of Excise law.After the date of announcement of the poll ie on January 18, the State Excise Organization seized a total of 6446.175 litres of illicit liquor so far the value of which stands to total Rs 13,98,600.

HM inaugurates eye hospital in Ujjain

Poor eye patients will be able to get affordable treatment at this 50-bedded hospital built at a cost of ` 15 crore, says Union Home Minister Amit Shah

First India Bureau

MAN

ENDS LIFE WHILE ON VIDEO CALL WITH WIFE

Kolkata: In a shocking incident, a middle-aged man committed suicide on Monday while he was on a video call with his wife, who is currently staying in Ahmedabad.

The police later recovered the hanging body from his rented accommodation at Garfa in South Kolkata.

The deceased has been identified as Prasun Bandopadhyay (47), who worked as an officer with a private sector bank.

POLICE, MAOISTS EXCHANGE FIRE IN RANCHI DISTRICT

Ranchi: A gunfight broke out between the police and Maoists belonging to the banned Tritiya Sammelan Prastuti Committee (TSPC) on Sunday night in the Budhmu police station area of Ranchi. During the encounter, more than 100 rounds were fired by both sides. Police said that four extremists were injured in the gunfight, but they managed to escape into the thick forest.

CENTRAL TEAM VISITS SCHOOLS IN WEST BENGAL TO REVIEW MIDDAY MEAL SCHEME

Kolkata: A 13-member central team on Monday started a review of the midday meal scheme in schools in West Bengal, a senior official said. The joint review mission consisting of Union education ministry officials, one nutritionist, and a representative of Unicef along with the director of PM Poshan Scheme, V Bhaskar, also held a meeting with state education department officials. The officials, who are scheduled to conduct their review till February 6, visited several schools in North and South 24 Parganas districts on Monday.

Further, the annual new case detection rate per 1,00,000 population has come down from 9.73 in 2014-15 to 5.52 in 2021-22, Pawar said at an event to observe National Anti-Leprosy Day here. The theme of this year was “let us

Protest against eviction drive rocks Jammu

Jammu (PTI): Scores of people staged a protest in Sunjwan-Bathindi on city’s outskirts against J&K administration’s ongoing anti-encroachment drive to retrieve “illegally occupied” land. The authorities have served notices to violators and ordered them to remove illegal constructions within seven days. The protesters, including women and children, poured onto the main road in driving rain and tried to march towards the Civil Secretariat against the eviction order, the officials said.

“India is making progress and new leprosy cases are declining year after year. With the whole of government, whole of society support, synergy and cooperation, we can achieve the target of ‘Leprosy Mukt Bharat’ by 2027, three years ahead of the SDG (Sustainable Development Goal),” Union Minister for Health Mansukh Mandaviya during his video address at the event.

Ujjain: Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated SGML Eye Hospital built by Shri Swaminarayan Sansthan Vadtal in Ujjain, through video conferencing. Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan was also present. Shah said that Ujjain Dham has always been the centre of faith for crores of devotees of the country and the temple of Lord Mahakal has

COURTESY MEET!

been very important in the history of our country since the time of the Vedas. He said that many temples in Ujjain have become the centre of attraction for the whole

world and recently PM

Narendra Modi has inaugurated the grand corridor of ‘Mahakal Lok’ to restore the grandeur of Ujjain and its faith. With the construction of

Mahakal Lok, the centre of devotion of crores of people across India. He said an eye hospital is being inaugurated here today. He said that Bhagwan Swaminarayan came from Uttar Pradesh to Gujarat and resided there permanently and by roaming all over the country, he gained knowledge and propagated among people through ‘Vachanamrit’ and he did a lot of work for the welfare of the whole world.

EC withholds Lakshadweep LS bypoll after HC order on MP

New Delhi (PTI): The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday withheld the Lakshadweep Lok Sabha bypoll after the Kerala High Court suspended the conviction and sentence of Mohammed Faizal, the MP representing the constituency who later stood disqualified, in an attemptto-murder case.

The poll panel had announced the bypoll recently and it was to be held on February 27.

The gazette notification, kicking off the nomination process, was to be issued on

NATIONAL WORKSHOP ON LiFE

Tuesday. The bypoll was announced following Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Faizal’s disqualification on the ground of his conviction by a sessions court in Kavaratti.

Mohammed Faizal had approached the high court against the order. The high court has suspended the conviction and sentence imposed on him.

Need to shift from spreading information to awareness: Yadav

Union Minister

Releases new logo of EIACP and an Infographic Booklet ‘Lexicon of LiFE: A-Z of Sustainable Lifestyle’

While addressing the ‘National workshop on LiFE’ Yadav said everyone has to introspect on whether his/her actions are LiFE-conscious. He highlighted

the need for environmental sense on the lines of civic sense and moral sense. He said

there is imminent necessity of social consciousness around LiFe actions. The workshop

saw participation of about 60 ‘Environmental Information, Awareness, Capacity Building and Livelihood Programme (EIACP) Centres across the country. The Minister acknowledged the work done by the Centres for promotion of Mission LiFE.

The new logo of EIACP as well as an Infographic Booklet ‘Lexicon of LiFE: A-Z of Sustainable Lifestyle’ was also released by the Union Minister.

YADAV MEETS GERMAN DELEGATION TO EXPLORE PATHWAYS TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

New Delhi: A bilateral meeting was held between the Indian delegation headed by Union Minister Bhupender Yadav and the German Delegation headed by Ralph Brinkhaus for the German-Indian Parliamentary Group of the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag) here on Monday. Yadav said our conversation focused on exploring pathways to sustainable development,

particularly focusing on circular economy, tackling single-use plastic, forest management and climate resilience. The German delegation raised issues

relating to impact of climate change on forests, trilateral cooperation in Africa on environment and climate, circular economy, alternatives for plastics.

Union Minister Bhupender Yadav speaking on the occasion.

Kedarnath Dham is covered in snow after heavy snowfall, in Rudraprayag on Monday. —PHOTO BY ANI Snow-clad Gangotri Temple after heavy snowfall on Monday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the President of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Csaba Korosi during a meeting, in New Delhi, on Monday. —PHOTO BY PTI

Union HM Amit Shah virtually inaugurating the hospital on Monday.

Police nab dacoit Keshav

Gurjar following encounter

The police have also recovered a weapon from Keshav’s possession

Shivendra Parmar, Satyanarayan Sharma and Vinod Tiwari

Dholpur: Police nabbed notorious bandit Keshav Gurjar on Monday after an encounter. Keshav was injured due to a bullet injury in his right leg. His 2 other accomplices escaped from the Dang area.

The police have also recovered a weapon from Keshav’s possession. The police admitted the injured to the a district hospital for treatment. The entire operation was led by Superintendent of Police Dharmendra Singh.

The SP said that on

Sunday, information was received about Keshav hiding in the Sone Ka Gurja area. After this, Bari Circle Police,

IN THE COURTYARD

SC upholds Raj HC’s decision over functioning of police

First India Bureau

New Delhi: Police had filed a complaint against Ajmer real estate businessman Jaswant Chaudhary. The Rajasthan high court had reprimanded the police while raising a question mark on the functioning of the police. It was challenged in the Supreme Court by Surjeet Singh and others. Advocate Namit Saxena, counsel for

HC seeks reply over division of ex-servicemen into caste

First India Bureau

Jaipur: Rajasthan High Court has sought a response from the state government and others in 4 weeks in a case related to the division of ex-servicemen into caste and class.

Chief Justice Pankaj Mithal and Justice Shubha Mehta issued notices. The state government had on December 7, 2022, issued the notification which was challenged in the high court by Bharatpur’s Dharmendra Singh, Sushil Swami, and others. Advocate Kunwar Ashok Veer Singh Nirvana, Aslam Khan, and Dashrath Singh Shekhawat argued in the matter.

Slogans trigger scuffle at Ajmer Sharif Dargah

HIGH SECURITY

240 PILGRIMS FROM PAK REACH AJMER

Ajmer (PTI): A scuffle broke out between the khadims of Ajmer Sharif dargah and followers of Barelvi sect of Islam during the Urs of Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti.

Shubham Jain

Jaswant Chaudhary, argued in the division bench of Justice Ajay Rastogi. The Supreme Court agreed on the arguments and upheld the decision of the Rajasthan High Court.

POCSO court sentences rapist to 20 years in jail

Ramesh Sharma

Sikar: A POCSO court in Sikar has awarded 20 years of rigorous imprisonment to a man for raping a girl. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 5.15 lakh. After the incident, the victim delivered a baby girl. 5 lakh of the compensation amount will be given to the baby girl while Rs 15000 will be given to the victim.

The court gave RI of 20 years to Shimbhu Ram, a resident of Jaitpura. The court also found a lapse in the investigation of the case and wrote a letter to DGP for taking action against 3 police officers- the then SHO Lal Singh, ASI Prabhu Dayal Meena, and SI Jai Singh.

DST and other police teams launched an intensive search operation and had an encounter with Keshav on

Monday and several rounds of firing took place.In this encounter, he was injured by being shot in his leg.

The fight was triggered around 3 am Sunday when the group raised some slogans inside the dargah, an act which was objected to by the khadims, Dargah Police Station SHO Amar Singh said. No FIR has been registered so far in connection with the matter, he said. Additional police was deployed to quell the fight and prevent any further flare ups. Accordion to the khadims, who are attendant of the shrine, the group from the Barelvi sect was told not to raise certain slogans.

Ajmer: On the occasion of the 811th Urs of Khwaja Garib Nawaz, 240 pilgrims from the neighbouring country Pakistan reached Ajmer. Pakistani pilgrims paid their attendance together at the dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti (RA) on Monday. The pilgrims gathered at the Central School located in Naya Bazar and reached the dargah of Khwaja Garib Nawaz by walk. The pilgrims were brought together to the dargah amid tight security. After reaching the dargah, the pilgrims offered flowers and a velvet chadar of devotion on the grave of Khwaja Garib Nawaz.

Youth kills brother over minor issue

Hanspal Yadav

Baran: A youth attacked his elder brother over a minor argument, which resulted in the death of the latter. The incident took place in the Bamori village of the Sarthal area in the district.

After the attack, the injured brother was admitted to Jhalawar Hospital, where he died during treatment. The

3 shooters of

‘Lawrence

gang’ held

First India Bureau Jaipur: The Jaipur police on Monday arrested 3 persons in connection with firing outside a club in the Jawahar Circle police station area late on Saturday.

The accused has fired 18 rounds indiscriminately and ran away on the bike. Hrithik Boxer, a member of the Lawrence Vishnoi gang, has taken responsibility for the firing in his Facebook post. The post also mentioned that everyone’s number will come. According to the police, the miscreants came around one o’clock late in the night and fired. This created panic among the people outside the club. Employees working in the club informed the police. Police officers reached the spot and blocked the area but the miscreants could not be nabbed.

‘LOKOTSAV’ IN GOA

police reached the spot and post-mortem of the deceased was conducted was and handed over

the dead body to the family members. The police started the investigation by registering

a case of murder.

According to the police, Jagdish Singh (55), a resident of Bamori was at home on Monday. Outside the house, there was an argument with his brother Devi Singh over a trivial matter. As the matter escalated, he and 3-4 family members attacked elder brother Jagdish Singh with sticks, stones and rods and he was badly injured.

Niwai Municipality auctions 32 plots

First India Bureau Tonk: Niwai Municipality organised a twoday auction of 32 plots in the Shastri Nagar Residential Scheme. The auction witnessed a large crowd of bidders thronging the auction site. Giving information, Chairman Dilip Israni said that on

Police Comm Ravidutt Gaur holds meeting ahead of G-20 Summit

—Representational Image

Rajeev Gaur

Monday, 32 plots in Shastri Nagar Residential Scheme are being

auctioned at the auction site in the presence of Executive Officer Mahima Dangi, Vice President Jitendra Jain Chanwaria, Senior councillor Om Prakash Gupta and all the councillors of the municipality. A lot of enthusiasm among the bidders regarding the auction was witnessed.

Jodhpur: The G-20 Summit will be held from February 2 to 4 in Jodhpur in which many foreign guests would come to Jodhpur. The entire Jodhpur has been decked up and preparations of all the departments, including the district administration, have been completed.

Two thousand policemen will be deployed across the city. To en-

sure that there is no security lapse at the international-level event, police Commissioner Ravidutt Gaur gave necessary guidelines regarding behaviour, uniform, and vigilance during a meeting of officers and policemen. He instructed the officers to take their team for trial. DCP East Amrita Duhan, DCP West Gaurav Yadav & Vineet Kumar Bansal were also present at the meeting.

Four die in trailer-car collision in Bikaner

First India Bureau

Bikaner: Four people died in a road accident in Rajasthan’s Bikaner district after a collision between a trailer and a car late on Sunday. The injured have been admitted to a hospital. The accident happened near Jaipur Road. According to Napasar police, the deceased were residents of Bikaner and were going towards Sridungargarh

—Representational Image

when their car collided with the trailer. The local people informed the police and the injured were taken to the hospital but four died before

Folk artists nurture noble traditions: Guv

Mishra was speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the 10-day folk arts fest ‘Lokotsav 2023’ organized by the Government of Goa in Panaji

First India Bureau

Jaipur: The chairman of West Zone Cultural Center and Rajasthan

Governor Kalraj

Mishra President has called upon the people to adopt folk arts and handicraft products in their daily life for the preservation of folk culture.

He said that folk artists nurture noble traditions and cultural values related to life and it is the collective duty of all to encourage them.

Mishra was speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the ten-day folk arts festival ‘Lokotsav 2023’ organized by the Government of Goa

and West Zone Cultural Center at Dariya Sangam Kala Academy Complex, Panaji in Goa.

He said that today when everything is be-

coming mechanical, folk artists and craftsmen are playing an effective role through their beautiful and attractive arts to keep the common people connected with the folk culture.

The Governor said that cultural events like Lokotsav are important from the point of view of spreading the Indian culture of unity in diversity, in which the collective culture and rituals of the people can be seen.

reaching the trauma centre. All four were the residents of Tilak Nagar in Jaynarayan Vyas Colony area of Bikaner.

3 DIE IN PALI

A car and a van collided late Sunday evening on the highway of the Sojat area in the district resulting in the death of three people. In the accident five got injured, while one was severely injured and was referred to Jodhpur.

UNKNOWN VEHICLE CRUSHES 2 YOUTHS IN ROAD ACCIDENT IN RAJ’S JALORE

Jalore: An unknown vehicle crushed 2 youths resulting in their spot death in the Sanchore area. The two were on their way to meet their relatives. The police reached the spot and sent both bodies to the mortuary of the city’s government hospital. As per the information, the deceased are identified as Dashrath Bhil and Padmaram Bhil, both residents of Luniasar village, who were heading on a bike to Sanchore to meet their relatives. During this, an unknown vehicle hit their bike a few kilometres away from the village, and the two succumbed to grave injuries. After the accident, a crowd of people gathered on the spot.

NO SIGN OF FILLING UP OF VACANCIES

Doesn’t the state Energy Department need experienced technocrats?

The posts of “Director” in power companies are vacant for a long time and the posting of officers is awaited on more than half a dozen technical posts. Vacant posts include Director Technical-Operation in Rajasthan Vidyut Prasaran Nigam, Director Project-Technical in Rajasthan Vidyut Utpadan Nigam, and

Director Power Trading in Rajasthan Urja Vikas Nigam. Apart from this, the post of Director Technical is also vacant in all three Discoms. In the Utpadan Nigams, the posts from CMD to Di-

rectors are vacant. Due to the vacancy of key posts in the midst of the energy crisis, problems abound in departments as analysis of information and monitoring of fieldwork is getting suffered. The Energy Department has sent detailed information on vacant posts to “High-level” but the question is, when the work will be conducted on the basis of vacant posts?

—Vikas Sharma

Keshav Gurjar in police custody after an encounter on Monday.

Satish Poonia & team of BJP Minority Morcha pose with the Chadar.

Bidders at Niwai auction camp for 32 plots on Monday.

SATISH POONIA SENT CHADAR TO DARGAH

Editor-in-Chief,

be

81 CONG MLAS’ RESIGNATION

Assembly Secretary to HC: MLA s withdrew resignations willingly

names of 5 MLAs who had given photo copy of resignation letter & not the original. He said that 5 MLAs were those trying to please both Gehlot & Pilot camp.

Unwell CM skips RaGa’s BJY

Kamal Kant

Jaipur: Rajasthan HC has been informed by Assembly Secretary on Monday in reply to a writ petition that the resignations of 81 MLAs given to Assembly Speaker on Sept 25 weren’t voluntarily and have been withdrawn. The reply states, “The MLAs have voluntarily withdrawn their resignations as per Rule 173 (4) of the procedure and conduct of business of Rajasthan Leg-

Rajendra Rathore interacts with the media outside the Rajasthan High Court in Jaipur on Monday. Also seen here is Advocate Hemant Nahata and others.

islative Assembly, in such a situation the resignations of the MLAs have become non est in the eye of law.”

On Sep 25 last year, 81 MLAs had submitted their resignations to Assembly Speaker CP Joshi. The move was

aimed at opposing the CLP meet called to determine Gehlot’s successor as CM as Gehlot was the frontrunner for the post of Congress President at that time.

Later, Dy LoP Rajendra Rathore filed PIL in HC seeking direction to

Assembly Speaker to decide on resignations.

“Only 81 MLAs submitted resignation letters out of which, 5 were photocopies. The resignations were presented by 6 MLAs,” the reply said. He said that reply also mentions the

Resignation letters of Amit Chachan, Gopal Meena, Chetan Chaudhary, Danish Abrar & Suresh weren’t original but photocopies. Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, on behalf of Speaker, presented the case via VC, while advocate Prateek Kasliwal was present on the Speaker’s behalf.

In the meanwhile, Advocate General Mahendra Singh Singhvi was present on the behalf of the Assembly Secretary.

RHB’s Club 21 leads the pack in membership registration!

First India Bureau

Jaipur: The number of registrations for membership in world class NRI ‘Club 21’, which will be constructed by RHB in NRI Colony’s Raj Aangan Society in Pratap Nagar, is continuously increasing.

Vaibhav Gehlot addresses the gathering during a programme held to mark the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi at DCC office in Jodhpur. Also seen are Sangeeta Beniwal & others.

Rajeev Gaur

Jodhpur: All India

Congress Committee member and RCA President Vaibhav Gehlot stood for social cause during his stay in the city. Vaibhav Gehlot reached the residence of SS Sankhla, convenor of the Ad-hoc Committee of Jodhpur Cricket Association on Monday, and condoled the demise of Sankhla’s mother. He offered floral tributes to the departed soul and consoled the family members. During this, State Commission for Protection of Child Rights

Chairperson Sangeeta

Beniwal and MLA Manisha Panwar accompanied Vaibhav Gehlot

and paid tributes to Sankhla’s mother.

Besides, former Student Union President Sunil Chaudhary, Congress leader Anuja Bishnoi, student leader Harendra Chaudhary, social workers Jagdish Panwar, Indrajeet Singh Tak and Jugal Gehlot were also present.

Earlier during the day, Vaibhav Gehlot reached the Congress office and participated in the flag hoisting programme of the District Congress Committee. Flag hoisting was conducted to mark Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra. Alongside, tributes were also paid to the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi on his death anniversary.

People are immensely excited to enrol for membership the fee for which is Rs 3 lakh for associate members and Rs 5 lakh for corporate members.

There is also a 20 % discount on member-

ship fee for Central & State Govt employees, and 10% discount is being given to RHB allottees. The membership of state-of-the-art and world-class club will be given on the basis of

First Come, First Serve’.

Notably, 25 rooms will be built in Club House 21, which will be developed on international standards with various facilities.

Jaipur: Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Monday, while taking to Twitter, informed that he was suffering from pneumonia and thus, was unable to attend the closing ceremony of the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Srinagar. Gehlot tweeted in Hindi, “Due to getting infected with pneumonia on Jan 26, I am unable to attend any public event. I had a heartfelt desire to attend closing ceremony of #BharatJodoYatra in Srinagar today but couldn’t go there due to doctor’s advice.”

“I once again congratulate Shri Rahul Gandhi & all yatris on successful conduct of #BharatJodoYatra. This visit is a new beginning in Indian politics, which will lead to major changes in the country.”

Sanyam reacts to Acharya Pramod’s ‘controversial’ tweet

Acharya Pramod Krishnam Sanyam Lodha

First India Bureau

Jaipur: Former Dy CM Sachin Pilot’s supporter Acharya Pramod Krishnam and CM Ashok Gehlot’s advisor MLA Sanyam Lodha clashed on Twitter on Monday. In fact, CM Gehlot was supposed to attend the concluding programme of Bharat Jodo Yatra in Srinagar on Monday, but he didn’t go due to ill

Malaseri Dungri trust to invite Prez Murmu

Naveen Joshi

Bhilwara: After 3 days of PM Modi’s visit, discussions are still going on in political circles of the textile city, as Gurjar community and Malaseri Dungri were expected to get some special package during PM’s visit, but nothing was announced. Gurjar leaders associated with Congress have called PM ‘s visit a hoax.

Priest Hemraj Poswal told media that his family has been working as a priest at the temple for last 1000 years. “Our

Bhandari bats for Rajasthani as official language, RYC writes to CM Gehlot

Shiv Prakash Purohit

Jodhpur: The demand to make Rajasthani the official language has gained momentum. On Monday, RANA President Prem Bhandari and former JNVU Students’ Union President Ravindra Singh Bhati held a joint press conference in Jodhpur while Rajasthani Youth Committee has warned of a dharna and hunger strike if Rajasthani is not made the official

language.

On behalf of the institute, youths from every district have given a memorandum in the name of CM Ashok Gehlot to the Collector

and called upon them to meet the committee by February 3. Bhandari said that the issue of recognition of Rajasthani language is related to the pride of all

Rajasthanis for which they have been struggling for years, but the politicians haven’t addressed this.

Ex- Students’ Union President RS Bhati said that panel has sought an appointment to meet CM. “The committee has vowed to protest in Jaipur to make Rajasthani the official language. 160 MLAs of Raj govt have written a letter in this regard, whose copy has been sent to CM many times.”

work is to worship Lord Devnarayan. I don’t want to join politics. My aim is that history of Lord Devnarayan should be recognised globally.”

On being asked about calling any big leader, he said temple trust is planning to invite Prez Draupadi Murmu on Bhadavi Chhath.

health & tweeted about it. Acharya made a controversial remark on CM’s tweet to which Sanyam Lodha reacted saying that the person who has completed 50 years in public life, has served Raj thrice with many PMs, & despite Corona foiled the attempt to topple people’s government, as such comment on health of such a person does not suit an Acharya.

PRN Scheme: UDH cuts down in facility area

Abhishek Shrivastava

Jaipur: UDH Department has issued an order for cutting down the facility area in Prithviraj Nagar scheme. Last year in November, the UDH had issued an order where, facility area was to be left in plots larger than 1,000 square yards. Now, the department has issued another order which says that option will have to be given for 10 % reserve land. JDA will give option to applicant to buy 5 percent of this land.

THDC & RREC sign a share holding agreement

Vikas Sharma

Jaipur: A Joint Venture cum Share Holding Agreement was signed between THDC Limited, a Mini Ratna A-category company of Government of India, and Rajasthan Renewable Energy Corporation (RREC) on Monday in Jaipur.

THDC and RREC will have a stake of 74:26 per cent respectively in the joint venture company.

RREC chairman Ashutosh AT Pednekar

said that renewable energy projects of 10,000 MW capacities would be developed in different places of the state in a phased manner by this joint venture company, which would provide cheap renewable energy.

According to him, the establishment of these ultra mega renewable energy projects will prove to be a unique initiative of this kind for the development of renewable energy in the State.

OFFICIAL ELOPES WITH A MARRIED WOMAN; RAJCOMP, DELHI POLICE

The complainant has thus, appealed to the DoP that legal action be taken against this official according to the service rules

Rajendra Chhabra Jaipur: The DoP has received a serious complaint of misconduct against a senior officer of RajCOMP which is under the IT department. A resident of Delhi has written his ‘pains’ and requested to terminate the official from service.

According to the complainant, the official concerned is married and has a son from wed-

lock. Despite this, the official eloped with the complainant’s wife and even married her. On the complaint of the complainant, the Rohini police station of Delhi registered an FIR under half a dozen sections on December 16, 2022 and is in search of the official.

are in an

wife, both Thar, Porche Cayenne S, Honda NX 650. He has purchased various immovable and movable properties in his name and ‘benami’ transactions.”

relationship for the last number of years. My

The High Court has listed the matter for hearing on February 13

First India Bureau

YOU READ IT IN FIRST INDIA ON JAN 21, 2023

Vaibhav attends various programmes during Jodhpur visit

—Rajendra Rathore, Deputy LoP

According to the complainant, the official concerned is married and has a son from wedlock. Despite this, the official eloped with the complainant’s wife and even married her. On the complaint of the complainant, the Rohini police station of Delhi registered an FIR under half a dozen sections on December 16, 2022 and is in search of the official.

East Asian dresses like Kimonos, Hanbok and Hanfu enjoy greater prominence and influence in the world of fashion than ever before. There was a time, though, when the

ger of disappearing from the daily wardrobe of East Asian women, relegated to rare outings and special occasions for formal events such as weddings, comingof-age days, and tea ceremonies. However, in recent years these traditional dresses have enjoyed a renewal, gaining attention both in their respective countries and abroad as a sophisticated and elegant form of dress suitable for everyday and formal occasions.

These traditional dresses are colourful outfits which are now modernised to give a new touch. The kimono or Hanboks have influenced the ideas of many designers,

tional garments have

inspired designers to the degree that the kimono and Hanbok have.

Many members of K-pop groups like BTS, SHINee, and Exo in recent years have donned many modern combinations of Hanbok and initiated the trend.

Despite the integration of Asian elements in current high fashion, there is still work to be done to ensure that kimono crafting traditions survive and even thrive.

On account of the growing Hanbok fashion, famous designer Leesle Hwang, the designer of the company Leesle, reported a surge in sales after BTS’s Jimin wore one of her hanbok ensembles at the 2018 Melon Music Awards in Seoul. “It’s astonishing how many people met Leesle because of that one performance,” she added. Another business, A Nothing, garnered 8,000 followers when another BTS member, Jungkook, donned its clothing.

As European demand for these modified kimonos and Hanbok (also known as nightgowns, though they were not intended to be worn while sleeping) outpaced Japanese & Korean artisans’ production times, the Dutch turned to artisans in India and, later, European tailors to replicate the garments in textiles sourced from various countries.

CITY FIRST BRINGS TO YOU SOME ASTONISHING FASHION ITEMS INSPIRED BY EAST ASIAN CULTURE THAT GIVE OUTFITS A NEW AESTHETIC!

UTTKARSHA SHEKHAR uttkarsha.shekhar@firstindia.co.in

SUPERBIKE RALLY BY MOTO BRIDGE INDIA

ARIES

MAR 21 - APR 20

Happiness in the domestic sphere will only come with a changed mind set. Some of you are likely to become a part of an overseas official trip. Better to consult an expert in financial matters before making an investment. Harsh words may create a rift in your romantic relationship; be careful.

TAURUS

APR 21 - MAY 20

It’s a very good day to take calculated risks in financial matters. Your efforts on the professional front will be recognised. Opting for some healthy choices will ensure you remain in perfect health. You will feel much happy and contented on the family front. Today you will enjoy the trust of senior management.

GEMINI

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

LIBRA

SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22

Despite hectic schedule you will manage to find time for family. Seek the opinion of your family before finalizing a property deal. Your bold initiatives on romantic front bring back passion and spark in romantic relationship with your lover. Overall health remains fine.

SCORPIO

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

Following a health diet will be a good idea. Luck favours you today on the professional front. Focussing on health now will help you in keeping physically fit. Clarity of mind and retentive power will help you forge ahead on the academic front. Frustration on the romantic front is possible.

SAGITTARIUS

NOV 23 - DEC 22

CITY FIRST

ASuperbike rally is being organised by Moto Bridge India to promote tourism in Rajasthan and create awareness about road safety rules. The rally started from Amar Jawan Jyoti in which riders and bikers groups like Triumph, BMW, JSB and Suzuki from different states along with Rajasthan participated. Rally coordinators Abhishek Chaudhary, Raunaq Tank, Imran Khan, Nishant, Rakesh and Yash, the members of the organising committee informed the media that a distance of about 50 kilometres was covered by more than 125 bike riders. Then the super rally reached Daulatpura via Ambedkar Circle, Panchbatti, Sanganeri Gate, Ramgarh Mode, Kooks, Achrol, Chandwaji, Manpura, Macheri, Choup and ended at The 6th Farm. Bike riders were given a grand welcome on reaching. Where on one hand the bike riders visited tourist places, during this they gathered information about

ABOUT:

MOTOBRIDGE India is a community started to satisfy every rider's raving to socialise with fellow riders with a vision to gather them together on one platform to share their passion for riding and their unique experiences and knowledge. MOTO-

riding opportunities within the community. The event will feature multiple automotive brands at the venue to experience their products along with Test Drives, Riding Gears & Accessories accompanied by onstage entertainment, with Snacks & Refreshments.

Launching The Pilot Project in our pink city Jaipur will be followed by more destinations across India, from coastal regions to the plains to the mountains. Keeping it real and exclusive within the community, all entries shall be limited to pre-registra-

You will succeed in resolving an issue with family members, normalizing ties. Despite your misgivings, you retain good health. You will do much to bring peace and harmony at home. You will remain much in demand on social front. Some of you can get romantically involved.

CANCER

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

A friend or colleague may motivate you to take up a healthy activity. Parents may appear more than happy with what you deliver. Plans for overseas travel are likely to materialise. You are likely to get clearance or approval for your construction plans. You find things moving in the way you want them.

LEO

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

Gifting something to your beloved is likely to make the day memorable. Matrimonial match for siblings will bring happiness for entire family. You will get a good price for your property. Those awaiting results are assured of succeeding with fl ying colours.

VIRGO

AUG 24 - SEP 23

Using your initiative at work will be much appreciated. You may get a chance to pursue old hobby. Health tips from an expert will enable you to get closer to your fitness goals. Your generous behavior would enable to enjoy some lovely moments with family. Day will favour your luck in love.

Your intuition will save you from a tricky spot today. Yoga would help in raising energy levels and improve your metabolism. You will manage to achieve your aim through travel at right time. This is a great time on the academic front, when you mange to render your best.

CAPRICORN

DEC 23 - JAN 20

Family will be most supportive, when it really matters for you. Some of you may add to your list of properties by booking a new one. It is good day to confess your love as stars appear favourable for positive reply. A long drive is likely to help you get over mental tiredness.

AQUARIUS

JAN 21 - FEB 19

Avoid raising controversial issues at home to maintain harmony. Successful implementation of new ideas and projects would add to your prestige on the professional front. It is a wonderful day to build new connections. Your relationship requires you to be tactful.

PISCES

FEB20 - MARCH 20 Distant relatives may drop in for a surprise visit. On professional front, recognition for good work would motivate you to work harder. Those awaiting an affirmation on romantic front are likely to get lucky today, as partner responds positively. You will get golden time to spend with your partner.

Model

Horoscope by Saurabbh Sachdeva

Burhan and Abhishek Choudhary

Mudit Asthana

Jaipur Super Bikers

Lt Col. Sambhit Pattajoshi

Jaipur Super Bikers

Sonam drops a major throwback PIC

SHAHID GRACES SHEHNAAZ’S CHAT SHOW

BShehnaaz Gill is among the multi-talented actress and one of the most genuine personalities in the industry. Shehnaaz is riding high on success, and there is no doubt about it. Along with acting, Shehnaaz also turned into a host for her newly launched chat show named ‘Desi Vibes

With Shehnaaz Gill’ which streams on her YouTube channel. Shehnaaz took to her social media handle on Monday and shared a glimpse of the upcom ing episode of her chat show ‘Desi Vibes with Shehnaaz Gill’. In Shehnaaz’s Instagram post, we see the actress having a fun time with her special guest Sha hid Kapoor. For the un versed, Shahid will be gracing the show to pro mote his upcoming web

Kareena opens up about her character

Kareena Kapoor Khan is one of the most loved actresses in Bollywood. Fans love to see her on the silver screen and she is all geared up to thrill us in Hansal Mehta’s next. The actress had been shooting for this film in London a couple of months ago and kept sharing glimpses from the sets raising the excitement level of all the fans. Recently, she opened up about her character in the film which is inspired by Hollywood actress Kate Winslet.

Kareena plays a mother and a detective who has to look into a murder in a

GORGEOUS IN GREEN

Bhumi Pednekar is known for portraying powerful female roles from her very first movie, and she looks stunning in any type of attire. The celebrity has carved out a niche for herself in the fashion industry, wearing both ethnic and western clothing. Although fans have seen the 30-yearold actress on-

FLORAL CHARM!

managed to woo the fashion police with her stylish outfits whether she was on the red carpet or the ramp.

We’ve got a pocketful of sequin glamour and can’t wait for you to shine on. Priyanka Chopra’s latest selfie of her ‘fit’ is brighter than the sun and that is a clear trailer of a very fashionable 2023 to us.

small town in Bucking hamshire. The working title for the upcoming film is The Buckingham Murders. Talking about her role the ac tress further said, “I love Mare of Easttown and when Hansal came to me, I said this is something that I’ve re ally been dying to do. So we’ve molded a little bit on those lines, she plays a detective cop in that. It’s the first time that I’ve dabbled in that.”

BEACHWEAR GOALS!

Tara is a rising star who surely does make almost every man go weak on their knees with her stunning bikini pictures on Instagram and her recent picture is surely giving us beach wardrobe goals. Her most recent photo is giving us major beach outfit aspirations. Tara’s swim wear at the

beach is a perfect example of the monochrome trend. It features a tie-up back, a monochromatic twotone, and a severe plunging neckline. She completed the perfect beach babe appearance by pairing it with silver hoops and a golden tan. Tara posed for the sun-kissed photo with her bare feet in the sand and gazed

out to the expansive blue waves of the sea.

“Summer sun, something’s begun. But oh! Oh, those summer nights,” the actor captioned her picture. Tara kept her hair in place as she posed for the cameras while wearing her hair neatly bunned. Tara looked as stunning as ever with her natural makeup look.

Bhumi stands apart from other people in terms of her persona. Her acting prowess and superb sense of style have persuaded us. With her most recent appearance, the actress has since swept the Internet. She graced an awards ceremony in a gorgeous Gretelz Milano emerald cut-out gown. In a beautiful em erald hue, Bhumi’s backless satin gown has a cutout pattern, a halter neck, and a full-length wraparound skirt.

Priyanka’s sheer dress was a dazzling piece with long bishop sleeves and multicolored and floral sequin embroidery with deep green adding contrast so gorgeously. The compilation of a shirt and pleated skirt made from a triple team consisting of polyester, silk lining, and polyamide-nylon looks so effortless here. Her tulle dress worth Rs. 2,22,985.04 (approx.) is something you can consider with Rs. 1,36,768.78 bomber jacket.

Maeve Reilly gave a nice tip to top off with, that is, to style the dress with a raglan-sleeved jacket which was intricately embroidered and came with a zip. A few elements that got to work to curate this oversized jacket are polyester, cupro, virgin wool, and viscose rayon.

Priyanka’s OOTN was accessorized with mini drop earrings and pointedtoe monotone satin purple pumps. Also, too epic was her eyeliner that didn’t miss to compliment. Apart from her astonishing outfit, her heavy mascara, eyebrow powder, a satin-ish pink lipstick and a side-part hairdo were served up.

Shehnaaz Gill

Sonam Kapoor

Tara Sutaria

Priyanka Chopra

Bhumi Pednekar

Kareena Kapoor Khan

Shehnaaz with Shahid during the show

Behind the scene from the movie ‘The Buckingham Murders’

Her post...

Her post...

Her story...

Her posts...

CITY BUZZ

DIYA’S DAY CELEBRATED!

MP Diya Kumari and a member of the erstwhile royal family of Jaipur celebrated her birthday with children on Monday. Incidentally, the day also marked the Palace School’s Foundation Day. On the occasion, the school organised a ‘Bal Mela’ for the students of ‘Rajasthan Netraheen Kalyan Sangh’ and ‘Disha Foundation’. A rousing welcome was given to MP Diya Kumari, who was the Guest

of Honour by the Principal, Urvashi Warman, teachers, members of Interact Club and Council Members of the school. Also present

DURING THE DAY!

To pay tributes to the martyrs on Martyrs’ Day and the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, a seven-day workshop was organised by the Department of Social Science and Research, Rajasthan University, in which Professor Ramesh Kumar Arora gave a lecture as a special speaker in the workshop. Rajiv Arora, Chairman of Raj Small Industries Corporation graced the occasion as the chief guest. While paying tribute to freedom fighters and describing the role of today’s youth and students as paramount, he said that Mahatma Gandhi’s principles of harmony in the 21st century were said to be an important need for the development of the world and India. Vice Chancellor Rajeev Jain, Professor SL Sharma, Dr Shalini Chaturvedi and Prof Anil Mehta were also present on the occasion.

on the occasion was Executive Trustee, Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum Trust and Board Member of The Palace School Educational Soci-

BIRTHDAY BASH!

ety, Rama Datt. MP Diya Kumari interacted with the students from ‘Rajasthan Netraheen Kalyan Sangh’ and ‘Disha Foundation’. She inspired the students with her invigorating words of wisdom about living life. The students enjoyed the games and sumptuous snacks on the occasion. Later, a large number of BJP workers and wellwishers also extended their birthday greetings to the MP. Earlier in the day, she took the blessings of Moti Dungri Ganesh Temple and Govind Dev ji Temple. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

BEAUTY OF SPRING

CITY FIRST

The two-day ‘Basant Parv’, organised by JKK, started on Monday to highlight the importance of the spring season. Dr BD Kalla, Cabinet Minister for department of EDUCATION (Primary & Secondary) Sanskrit Education, Art, Literature, Culture & ASI, Center’s Additional Director General Priyanka Jodhawat and Ikram Rajasthani along with other senior poets and poets started the program by lighting the lamp. On the first day, in the poetry seminar called ‘Sahitya Mein Basant’, the speakers painted everyone in the colours of Basanti. In the evening, the audience was seen dancing to Rajasthani songs in the performance of Mand Gayaki by Ustad Ali-Gani.

Ustad Shujaat Hussain Khan will grace the gathering with sitar playing and singing on Tuesday. JKK’s excess. Director General

Priyanka Jodhvat said that an attempt was made to show the beauty of spring by bringing literature and music on one platform. He said that the basic element

of every art is literature, and every section of society should be involved in such programs. Ustad Ali-Gani, who has brought laurels to Rajasthan in the country and abroad, decorated the gathering of Mand singing. The audience enjoyed the Rajasthani songs on a chilly evening. He started the performance with Saraswati Vandana.

DANCE RANBHOOMI I IN THE CITY!

To provide a high platform to dance skills, a grand National Dance Competition is being organised today in Pink City Jaipur named Dance Ranbhoomi. The poster of this National Dance Competition was released by the India Glam Organisation promoting the country’s talent.

The grand birthday celebration of Riya Singh Ratnu took place at TOKIO, Roof Top Bar and Lounge at Sahakar Marg, Jaipur on Sunday. Jagdeesh Chandra reached to bless the birthday girl on the occasion and wished her a huge success. Riya Singh Ratnu is the daughter of Shaleen Singh Ratnu and Saloni Singh Ratnu (owners of Royal Jaipur, JLN Marg).

Anurag Thakur, Union Minister for I&B and Youth Affairs & Sports; Gajendra Singh

Shekhawat, Union Minister of Jal Shakti and Pankaj Chaudhary, Union Minister Of State For Finance were greeted by Upendra Rai, Chairman, MD and Editor-in-Chief, Bharat Express News Network, as the latter reached their residence recently to invite them at the launching ceremony of the news channel on Feb 1.

ICICI, Banks recruitment and training partner NIIT were organised in a campus drive for recruitment to the post of Relationship Manager at Commerce College of the University of Rajasthan recently. NIIT team members Sumit Mudgal and Sonu Srivastava were present. Principal Prof inaugurated the program, Abhay Upadhyay encouraged the students and wished them a successful future. 280 students participated in the programme. 92 students were shortlisted. The program was coordinated by Dr Mohit Jain, Coordinator of the Placement and Counseling Cell.

FELICITATION LOVE FOR GOLF...

Pawan Tank, director of Miss and Mrs India Glam, Miss India Glam 2023 runner-up Deepika Singh, director of Dance Rannbhoomi, Divya Pabdi while releasing the poster said that a large number of dance talents from all over the country are participating in this dance competition. Its semifinals will be held in Jaipur on January 30 and the final on January 31 at Railway Auditorium. Many famous dance experts including dance guru Akshay Kundu will be present as judges in the finale.

DURING THE DAY!

The wedding ceremony of Zubiya Khan, daughter of Shaheen Parveen and Zahooruddin with Mohd Yaqoob son of Yasmeen and Fida Hussain was solemnized at Patel House, Opp Bliss School Jaipur Road

The reception ceremony of Ramprakash, son of Mohini Devi and Badri Ram Jakhar with Ritu daughter of Varju Devi and Navalkishor Godara was solemnized at Mahadev Farm House on Sunday, January 29. RCA President Vaibhav Gehlot, Former Rajya Sabha member Ramnarayan Dudi, Sangeeta Beniwal, Chairperson, Rajasthan State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, MLA Manisha Pawar and various Congress leaders reached to bless the couple and wished them a happy married life ahead.

WHAT’S HAPPENING!

JITO Jaipur Youth Wing arranged a workshop under JITO Professional Forum where they had a session educating members about ‘MSME & Digital Real Estate’. The chief guest of the event was Mahendra Kumar Parakh IAS, (Commissioner, industries, commerce and corporate social responsibility). He talked about how the government wants to empower entrepreneurs in their journey to create from Micro and small to large enterprises. The event was attended by dignitaries including Chairman Nitin Jain, Chief Secy Rajeev Palawat, Vice Chairman Sunil Jain & CA Vikas Jain, Directors Vimal Singhvi and Ravi Borad Jain.

Jaideep Kumar, an established automobile dealer in Rajasthan was honoured at a function held in New Delhi on the occasion of Republic Day 2023 for his active role in social causes along with being a successful businessman. His name comes in the category of successful young entrepreneurs of Rajasthan whose aim is not only to earn money but to help the exploited and deprived sections of society. At the age of 15, Jaideep started a small automobile business.

Some more glimpses from the tenth Shashi Kuchhal Memorial Golf Tournament organised on Sunday at the Rambagh Golf Club, Jaipur. This tournament has been instituted in the memory of Late Shashi Kuchhal, who was an avid sportsperson.

on Sunday. Zubiya Khan is the sister of Ziauddin Khan, of the First India family.

Annual Sports Day and felicitation ceremony for the employees of Women’s Ethnic Wear Yufta were celebrated with pomp recently in Jaipur. Various sports competitions were held among the young employees including Cricket, for which all the staff members were divided into 6 teams, out of which 4 teams were boys and 2 teams were girls. During this match, the team named Yufta Warriors emerged victorious in boys and the team named Yufta Queens emerged victorious in girls.

Kalicharan Saraf inaugurated

MP Diya Kumari and Rama Dutta with students

During the celebration

Dr BD Kalla during the lamp lighting ceremony of Mand singing

Vocal performance by Ustad Ali Ghani

Rajiv Arora during the lamp lighting ceremony

Riya Singh Ratnu cuts the cake, as Jagdeesh Chandra looks upon smilingly. Also seen are Shaleen Singh Ratnu, Saloni Singh Ratnu, Sheena and Rudr Pratap

Jagdeesh Chandra greets Riya Singh Ratnu

Upendra Rai with Anurag Thakur

Upendra Rai with Gajendra Singh Shekhawat

Upendra Rai with Pankaj Chaudhary

Vaibhav Gehlot, Ramnarayan Dudi, Sangeeta Beniwal, Manisha Pawar, newlyweds Ramprakash & Ritu with others Ramprakash and Ritu

Newlyweds Zubiya Khan & Mohd Yaqoob

(L-R) Divya Pawdi, Pawan Tank and Deepika Singh

(L-R) Manisha, Dheerja, Avneet, Naveen, Kapil and Manoj

(L-R) Apra, Ritu and Meera (L-R) Vishal, Ritu, Hardeep & Arjun