First India-Mumbai Edition-12th January 2023

83RD ALL INDIA PRESIDING OFFICERS’ CONFERENCE BEGINS IN JAIPUR

Judiciary expected to follow principle of separation of powers, says Om Birla

Yogesh Sharma

Jaipur: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Wednesday said that the judiciary is expected to follow the principle of separation of powers as defined in the Constitution. He also said there is a need to improve the productivity of the legislature and its image in the eyes of people.

The Opposition parties do their own thing. At such a time, it is very challenging to reconcile by listening to both sides and run the House by doing fair work. The foundation of democracy in the country was laid in such a way that importance is given to the Opposition.

—Ashok Gehlot, Rajasthan Chief Minister

To make sure country’s democracy is strong, we will have to make executive more accountable. I want that there should be an amendment in law so that number of sittings is increased so that scrutiny of executive can be done in a better way.

—Dr CP Joshi, Rajasthan Assembly Speaker

CANNOT BE COMPROMISED

Hit by ED raid, NCP MLA alleges communal bias

DHANKHAR

Presiding over the 83rd All India Presiding Officers Conference here, Om Birla spoke about the need for a harmonious relationship between the legis-

Air traffic in the US was paralysed for over 4 hours after catastrophic systems failure grounded 5,000 flights

Washington: The Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday announced that its NOTAM (Notice to Air Missions) system — which alerts pilots and crew to advisories and information for flights — has been restoring, hours after it experienced a major technical glitch.

Pune/Mumbai: Even as the Enforcement Directorate conducted raids at multiple premises in the state as part of a money laundering investigation against senior NCP leader Hasan Mushrif and others, the former rural development minister alleged that the investigative body was targeting a particular community”.

In a video message, Mushrif, the MLA from Kagal in Kolhapur district, said the ED raided his residence and that of his daughter and oth-

er relatives.

“Earlier it was (NCP leader) Nawab Malik, then it’s me. Kirit Somaiya says (action could be taken against Congress leader) Aslam Shaikh. I wonder if they have decided to target a particular caste or community,” the former Maharashtra rural development minister said. Malik, also a former minister, was arrested last February under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) by the ED in a probe linked to the activities of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim and his aides. More on P2

“Normal air traffic operations are resuming gradually across the U.S. following an overnight outage to the Notice to Air Missions system that provides safety info to flight crews. The ground stop has been lifted,” the agency tweeted.

lature and the judiciary.

“Legislatures in our country have always respected the powers of judiciary. The judiciary is also expected to follow principle of separa-

tion and balance of powers conferred by the Constitution,” Speaker Om Birla said.

He said that all three organs of democracy –executive, legislature

‘HIGH’ TECH GROUNDED!

and judiciary – draw their powers and jurisdiction from the Constitution and they should work in harmony, trust and balance taking care of each other.

Speaking about the India’s G20 presidency, Birla said India will strongly present the country’s solid democratic tradition, cultural diversity.

Released last March, the film reportedly made over ` 1,200 cr at global box office

First India Bureau

Los Angeles: SS Rajamouli’s ‘RRR’s hit track ‘Naatu Naatu’ has won the award for the best original song–motion picture. Film’s Telugu track ‘Naatu Naatu’, composed by veteran music director MM Keeravaani and sung by Kala Bhairava and Rahul Sipligunj, won the

award for best original song. Keeravani accept ed trophy and thanked Rajamouli for his “vi sion”. Music compos er also thanked the team behind track, choreographer Prem Rakshith, lyricist Chandrabose and singers Sipligunj and Bhairava.

T he White House denied it as a case of a cyberattack, but President Joe Biden directed Dept of Transportation to investigate the cause of the disruption. He said that he was briefed by Transportation Secy Pete Buttigieg, who told him they still had not identified what went wrong.

MAJOR HAPPENINGS

l Grounding of all flights across US necessary to avoid any mishap, says expert

l Air Canada says transborder flights impacted by FAA outage

l Shares of US carriers fell in the Wednesday’s premarket trading. Southwest Airlines was

down 2.4%, Delta Air Lines Inc, United Airlines, American Airlines were down about 1%

l The US aviation agency said that cause of the outage is not yet known

l Soon after the outage, flight personnel alert system not processing updates, alerted the FAA

REFORM,

PERFORM

AND TRANSFORM!

First India Bureau

Indore: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the International Monetary Fund sees India as a “bright spot” in the global economy, while virtually inaugurating the seventh edition of Invest MP-Global Investors Summit on Wednesday.

While appreciating country’s “strong macroeconomic fundamentals”, PM Modi said that even World Bank considers India in a better position to deal with the global headwinds than many other countries.

As per Morgan Stanley,

PM MODI SPEAKS TO ISRAELI COUNTERPART

areas.

India is moving towards becoming the world’s third-largest economy in the next 4-5 years, while CEO of McKinsey has said this is not only India’s decade, but India’s century, he added.

First India Bureau

Mushrif said the ED raided his residence and that of his daughter and other relatives. —PHOTO BY BHUSHAN KOYANDE

l Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the incentive scheme for the promotion of RuPay Debit Cards and low-value BHIMUPI transactions (person-to-merchant) for a period of one year from April 2022

l

proposal to constitute the National Cooperative Export Society, National Level Cooperative Society for Organic Products, and National Level Multi-State Seed Cooperative Society was approved.

Film’s Telugu track ‘Naatu Naatu’ was composed by veteran music director MM Keeravaani, he accepts the trophy feeling proud thanking film Director SS Rajamouli for his ‘vision’. Ram Charan and Jr

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot greets Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar as Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla looks on at the 83rd All India Presiding Officers’ Conference, in Jaipur on Wednesday.

Men’s Hockey World Cup, 2023 got underway on Wednesday evening with a spectacular opening ceremony at Barabati Stadium in Cuttack. The event was graced by Union Sports

Minister Anurag Thakur, Odisha

CM Naveen Patnaik and FIH

President Tayyab Ikram. Powerpacked performance by actor Ranveer Singh was a superhit.

CM Ashok Gehlot & LS Speaker Om Birla share a lighter moment Also seen here are Dr CP Joshi and Harivansh Narayan Singh.

THE PARLIAMENT’S SOVEREIGNTY

BY JUDICIARY: V-P

V-P Jagdeep Dhankhar questioned landmark 1973 Kesavananda Bharati case verdict that gave the basic structure doctrine, saying it set a bad precedent and if any authority questions Parl’s power to amend Constitution, it would be difficult to say “we are a democratic nation”. He said Parliamentary sovereignty and autonomy are quintessential for the survival of democracy and cannot be permitted to be compromised by the executive or judiciary.

Failure of a key pilot notification system operated by the FAA disrupted air travel impacting all borders in US early on Wednesday

Moni Sharma

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN DENIES CASE OF A CYBER ATTACK, DIRECTS DEPT TO PROBE

Guyana President Mohamed Irfaan Ali, Suriname President Chandrikapersad Santokhi, Prahlad Singh Patel, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Kumar Mangalam Birla and other present dignitaries listen to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address during MP Global Investors Summit 2023, in Indore, Wednesday.

The IMF sees India as ‘bright spot’ in the global economy, says PM Narendra Modi

P M Narendra Modi on Wednesday spoke to his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu and both leaders agreed on the potential for further strengthening bilateral strategic cooperation in a variety of

CRUCIAL READ

NEW DRUG FOR ADVANCED BREAST CANCER PATIENTS

Mumbai: Sun Pharmaceutical on Wednesday launched its version of Palbociclib under the brand name Palenotm for patients with advanced breast cancer. The generic drug will be available in 75mg, 100mg, 125mg variants, the firm said. Kirti Ganorkar, chief executive of Sun Pharma’s domestic business, said the new drug will be “affordable” but did not specify the price. Palbociclib has been approved by the USFDA, EMA and CDSCO.

MAN SEEKS BRIBE TO PROTECT ‘KIDNAPPER’, HELD

Thane: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has filed a case against a man for allegedly demanding a bribe of Rs2 lakh to prevent the arrest of a person in an offence of kidnapping, an official said on Wednesday. Thane ACB’s Deputy Superintendent of Police Ashwini Patil said that the man allegedly demanded Rs2 lakh on behalf of public servants from the person who was accused of kidnapping over a monetary dispute.

TOWN

Mumbai: A nine-year-old Mumbai boy, who went missing five days ago after his tuition teacher asked him to complete homework, has been traced to Khandwa town in Madhya Pradesh, a police official said on Wednesday. The Mumbai cops got a phone call from their MP counterparts informing of a minor boy from the metropolis in their custody. It is unclear as to how the child reached Khandwa.

DRUNK MAN ASSAULTS GIRL AND HER FRIEND

Mumbai: A girl from Manipur and her male friend were beaten up by a drunk man while they were walking down a street in the Kalina area, officials said. CCTV footage from a nearby building shows an apparently inebriated man appearing drunk girl and her friend, and slapping them. The video was later tweeted to the police. While the accused has been identified, the victims have not yet lodged a complaint.

ED action against Mushrif is PRESSURE POLITICS: Raut

Mumbai: On a day the Enforcement Directorate conducted searches in a money laundering case against former Maharashtra minister and Nationalist Congress Party MLA Hasan Mushrif, Shiv Sena - Uddhav Balasaheb Thackery leader Sanjay Raut dubbed the ED’s action “pressure politics”.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led faction of the Shiv Sena is part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) which also comprises the NCP and Congress. The ED conducted searches at multiple premises in Maharashtra as part of a money laundering investigation against Mushrif and others, understood to be linked to alleged irregularities in the operations of some sugar mills based in the state that are linked to Mushrif, officials said.

“This action is pressure politics but Mushrif will come out of this unfazed,” Raut told reporters.

He said Mushrif is a

leader from the Opposition who is putting up a fight against a particular ideology.

“Be it me, Anil Deshmukh or Nawab Malik (who all were arrested by ED in separate cases)… some BJP leaders had talked about putting Hasan Mushrif behind bars. Such language was used against Bhavana Gawli (MP), Yeshwant Jadhav (both members of the Eknath Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena) and many important leaders who are part of the government now.

“But they get relief and those in Opposition are facing pressure politics,” Raut said, adding Mushrif is a fighter and the entire Opposition is with him.

Notably, the ED had arrested the Rajya Sabha MP in August this year for his alleged role in financial irregularities in connection with the redevelopment of the Patra Chawl (row tenement) in suburban Goregaon. He was released on bail in November, after 100 days in jail.

Senior Congress leaders give state executive meeting a miss

Mumbai: Maharashtra Congress’s extended state executive meeting witnessed absence of several senior party leaders. The prominent leaders who did not appear in the meeting were former state Congress unit presidents Balsaheb Thorat and Ashok Chavan, former cabi -

net minister Yashomati Thakur and former ministers of state Satej Patil and Vishwajeet Kadam.

As per sources, the leaders cited personal health and other reasons for not attending the meeting, which was organized to plan the upcoming ‘Haath se Haath jodo’ campaign, scheduled to begin from January 26.

BREAKING THE LAW?

Thane: A case of theft has been registered against a girl and her boyfriend after she allegedly handed over her family’s jewellery to the boy to fund their common birthday party.

She first tried to frame another boyfriend of hers, a minor, by accusing him of blackmail, Assistant Commissioner of Police Nilesh Sonawane said.

However, the investigation revealed that she and her 18-year-old beau sold the jewels for Rs53,000.

However, party sources said the state leaders were absent as they had not been consulted before finalizing the date of the meeting.

“An extended state executive meeting is unnecessary to plan the details of the campaign. Such a meeting is more about speeches and less about planning,” said a senior party leader.

Dabholkar

murder case: HC asks CBI for status update

20, 2013.

First India Bureau

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Wednesday gave the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) a January 30 deadline to inform it of the status of the investigation into the murder of rationalist Dr Narendra Dabholkar in 2013.

A division bench of Justices AS Gadkari and PD Naik was hearing a petition filed by Dabholkar’s daughter Mukta Dabholkar seeking that the court continue to monitor the investigation.

In 2014, the HC had transferred the probe to the CBI from Pune police following a petition by activist Ketan Tirodkar and later by Mukta Dabholkar. Since then, the HC has been monitoring the progress in the case.

3 of family killed after truck hits motorbike, horse cart in Nashik

First India Bureau

Nashik: A speeding truck hit a horse cart and a motorcycle in Nashik, killing three members of a family and injuring one other, police said on Wednesday.

The accident took place near Igatpuri when a 51-year-old man and his nephew were going home on a horse cart along with his two sons, who were on a motorbike. A speeding truck hit the two-wheeler and the horsecart. While the man received minor injuries, his two sons-Kushal Sudhakar Adole (20), and Prabhakar Sudhakar Adole (22)--and his nephew, Rohit Bhagirath Adole (18), died, an official said, adding that the truck driver fled the crime scene.

The Igatpuri police reached the spot and took the man to a nearby hospital. A case was registered and police are looking for the absconding driver.

We’ll inform people of BJP’s unfulfilled promises: Patole

First India Bureau

Nagpur: Hitting out at the Bharatiya Janata Party, Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole on Tuesday said his party Congress would go before the people and remind of the promises made by the saffron party in the 2014 and 2019 general elections which have not been fulfilled yet.

“The BJP is trying to divert attention from main issues, but we will bring back those issues before the people,” said the Congress leader.

Patole said the state Congress has resolved to reach out to the last man in the line with the message of Member of Parliament Rahul Gandhi and the party’s ideology through its Haath Se Haath Jodo mass outreach campaign slated to begin January 26.

Under the twomonth-long nationwide campaign, the Opposition party will take out padyatra covering all gram pan -

Cong

chayats and booths.

He was talking to reporters here after a crucial meeting of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) which discussed preparations for the ‘Haath se haath jodo’ campaign and approved seven resolutions on different issues.

Patole said one of the resolutions passed

at the meeting thanked common citizens, Congress workers, nongovernmental organizations, civil society members and doctors, among others, for supporting rallies at Nanded and Shegaon which were organized when the Bharat Jodo Yatra passed through Maharashtra in November last year.

Innovative, practical steps needed to improve road safety: Min

Mumbai : State Excise Minister Shambhuraj Desai on Wednesday asked officials in transport and police departments to take innovative and practical steps to improve road safety. He also advised parents to ensure their young children are well aware of traffic rules before giving

them vehicles to drive.

Desai was speaking after inaugurating the 34th Road Safety Drive 2023 at a function at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in South Mumbai. The event coincided with the National Road Safety Week, which is celebrated from January 11 to 17.

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who also holds the transport port-

folio, and his deputy Devendra Fadnavis were slated to attend the function, but they did not turn up for the event.

Chief secretary Manu Kumar Shrivastava also did not attend.

Addressing the function, Desai asked authorities to come out with innovative and practical steps on improving road safety instead of observing the week in a conven-

tional manner.

“This time, some new, different, innovative and practical suggestions should be put forth, to help people take lessons on safe driving,” he said.

Highlighting some recent road accidents involving state leaders, Desai said drivers alone cannot be blamed for such tragedies as politicians make them

drive for long hours, especially at night. “We (politicians) should also show some discipline,” he said.

Veteran politician Vinayak Mete died in a road accident on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway in August last year.

Nationalist Congress Party leader Dhananjay Munde received minor injuries in an accident in Beed district last week.

First India Bureau

MISSING MUMBAI BOY FOUND IN MP’S KHANDWA

GIRL, BOYFRIEND STEAL JEWELS TO FUND B’DAY PARTY

First India Bureau

Excise Minister Shambhuraj Desai.

Former

Maha minister will come out of this unfazed, MVA ally Sanjay Raut says, adds ‘the entire Opposition is with him’

Hasan Mushrif addresses the press on Wednesday.

Sanjay Raut. —FILE PHOTO

—PHOTO

BY BHUSHAN

KOYANDE

Aurangabad (FIB): Reacting to the ED’s raids on his party colleague Hasan Mushrif in a money laundering case, NCP leader Ajit Pawar said ruling parties should not act with “political revenge”. “The law should be equal for everyone. The MLAs of Shiv Sena have also received notices from the Anti-Corruption Bureau. Agencies have the authority to inquire but the ruling parties should not act with political revenge,” Pawar told reporters in Aurangabad.

‘POLITICAL REVENGE’ UNBECOMING OF RULING PARTIES: AJIT PAWAR

Lawyers protest against traffic cops, after one of their colleagues was allegedly manhandled while trying to drive on the wrong-side near the Nagpur district court, in Nagpur on Wednesday.

—PHOTO

BY PTI

First India Bureau

Nana Patole with national Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during the party’s Bharat Jodo Yatra in Akola in November. —FILE PHOTO

has resolved to reach out to the last man, through its Haath Se Haath Jodo mass outreach campaign set to begin January 26

Dr Dabholkar was killed on Aug

—FILE PHOTO

SHRC raps Maha govt for not protecting animals from harm

Issues summons to officials of Home, Animal Husbandry and police depts over Maha Animal Preservation Act

Mumbai: Slamming the state Home Department, police and Animal Husbandry Department, the Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission (MSHRC) has passed severe restrictions against them for not fully implementing the Maharashtra Animal Preservation Act, 1976. It also criticized them for failing to enforce the ban on the slaughtering of cows and its progeny.

The commission has ordered the additional chief secretary (Home), director general of police and the principal secretary of the Animal Husbandry Department to be present at a meeting scheduled for

February 09.

A summons has been issued to officials by Commission Chairperson Justice KK Tated. He has also asked them to file their affidavits with respect to a complaint filed by animal activist Ashish Barik.

Advocate Siddhi Vidya, who appeared for Barik, said no action was being taken against unauthorized slaughter

houses in Maharashtra. She also claimed that police did not take action despite complaints from non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

“Many animal lovers were attacked by owners of illegal slaughter houses and cow smugglers,” she said.

“Unfortunately, no one remained present on behalf of the additional chief secretary (Home),

3 chain-snatching incidents in 30 mins

First India Bureau

Thane: Police are investigating three cases of chain snatching, reported within a span of 30 minutes in Kalyan, officials said on Wednesday, adding that the three crimes occurred within a radius of 7km and followed the same modus operandi.

At 10.25 am on Tuesday, two motorcycleborne men brandishing a knife snatched a 62-year-old woman’s

gold mangalsutra worth Rs64,000, a police official said. They also tried to rob her friend’s gold chain, but managed to pull away only its string.

Barely five minutes

Man attacked, pvt parts injured; case filed against three

later, two men on a motorcycle brandished a knife tried to strangle a 45-year-old woman returning from a temple with her scarf, and snatched her mangalsutra worth Rs70,000, official said.

Ten minutes after that, at around 10.40 am, a 55-year-old woman who was walking along with her friend in Waldhuni area was robbed of her gold chain worth Rs1.60 lakh, the official said.

Mantralaya (state secretariat) despite summons served. Therefore, we are of the opinion that a show cause notice should be issued to the Home Department on why action should not be taken against them,” the commission observed.

The commission also noted that the standard operating procedure does not seem to be implemented in its true

THE CONTENTION

Bundle up! Cold wave set to hit Maha this weekend

spirit. “In December 2022, a party probing a complaint of illegal slaughter was attacked in Malegaon, but officials of the Home and police departments were unaware of the incident,” stated Vidya.

“Such an approach in dealing with a sensitive matter like this deserves to be condemned in strong words,” noted the commission.

Mumbai: Parts of Maharashtra will see a drastic drop in the temperature this weekend, with officials predicting a cold wave on the heels of icy winds blowing in from the Himalayas.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) declares a “cold wave” when the minimum temperature dips to 4 °C or below and/or is 4.5 notches less than normal.

According to an IMD alert, Nandurbar, Dhule, Jalgaon and Nashik will experience the coolest temperatures during the cold wave, since they are lo-

cated in the state’s northernmost end. Districts in central Maharashtra like Aurangabad, Jalna, Beed, Parbhani, Latur and Solapur, will be moderately affected, while Mumbai, Pune, Raigad and Thane will experience minimal effects.

The minimum (night) temperature in several parts of Maharashtra, including Pune, is already being recorded in single digits. “We can expect the mercury levels to dip further between January 15 and 18,” Mahesh Palawat of Skymet Weather Services Pvt Ltd said, adding “The primary cause of the cold wave is the

per the India Meteorological Department , cold wave is when min drops to 4C “and/or 4.5 notches less than normal”

chilly northern winds that have started to blow from the Himalayas towards the western part of the country. The western disturbances are also over, so there is no obstruction for these winds now.”

However, the minimum temperature in Mumbai is expected to hover in the 14-16 °C range during this period.

STP at Thane stn to treat 45KL waste per day

First India Bureau

Thane: In a bid to ensure that the Thane railway complex becomes a “zero-waste” and “zero effluent” facility, the Central Railway has launched a sewage treatment plant on the premises of the Thane station which will treat 45 kilolitres (KL) of waste per day, an official said.

Inaugurated on Wednesday, the plant will treat waste gener-

ated by various facilities on the Thane railway station premises, Railway Colony, offices, a hospital and other institute facilities.

“This plant is part of steps by the Indian Railways towards environment sustainability. The plant aims to make the Thane central railway complex a zero-waste, zero-effluent facility. This complex will no longer burden the already over-stressed

sewage infrastructure of the Thane municipality,” said Amrendra Singh, ADRM (Mumbai Division)

IN & AROUND THE CITY

Central Railway. The new facility will reduce municipal water consumption by up to 60% and produce ap-

Thane (PTI): A case of attempt to murder was registered against three persons after they allegedly attacked a 31-yearold man following a dispute, injuring his private parts in Thane district, an official said.

The incident took place in Kalyan on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday, he said. The accused and the victim were neighbours and worked in the same factory. They had a dispute for a long time, the official from Manpada police station said.

They had a fight at a party after which two of the accused held the victim while the third one allegedly stabbed him with a knife, causing injury to his private parts, he said.

MAN ATTACKED IN PALGHAR OVER ENMITY; 3 HELD FOR MURDER BID

Palghar: A 20-year-old man was attacked with iron rods over an old enmity. Police have arrested three persons in connection with the case, an official said on Wednesday. The accused allegedly attacked the man and his friend, injuring both of them, who were later admitted to a hospital, N Gandat, Assistant Police Inspector, Pelhar police station said. The police arrested the three accused on Tuesday night and booked them on charges of armed rioting and attempted murder, the official said.

The victim was taken to a nearby hospital, where his condition was severe, the police said.

Traffic woes to ease as Milan subway tank work in last phase; tenders worth `23.38

First India Bureau

Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) Storm Water Department (SDM) has undertaken the final phase of construction of an underground water tank near Milan subway in Santacruz. The tank’s holding capacity for storm water is two crore litre. After the approval of Iqbal Singh Chahal, Municipal Commissioner, the civic body has invited tenders worth Rs23.38 crore for it.

Many underground subways in the city have railway tracks and express highways running overhead and during monsoon, these get affected resulting in long traffic jams.

This leads to incontinence for the commuters going to work. The situation is such that sometimes, the water level rises a few metres in height. With the ongoing work in Milan

subway and Hindmata, the traffic woes will ease very soon as both these areas report water logging incidents very frequently.

However, a few years ago, the BMC undertook certain remedial measures, the impact of which was seen in the 2022 monsoon. The BMC installed high capacity pumps at Hindmata and built a huge water collection tank under Pramod Mahajan Udyan and under the St Xavier’s ground.

AFTER LONG WAIT, MALABAR HILL ROAD TO FINALLY BE REOPENED

crore invited

BMC ASKS RACE COURSE TO CLEAR DUES WORTH `5.99 CR

SOON, LUXURY BUSES FROM KHARGHAR TO BKC

Mumbai: Within a week, BG Kher road in the city will be reopened for traffic movement after over two and a half years. The road was closed after a landslide in Malabar Hill on August 5, 2020 and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials hope that traffic congestion will be reduced after the road opens. Additional Municipal Commissioner P Velrasu said BG Kher Road will be opened for traffic in a week. Speaking on why the repair work took long, a BMC official said that the main water pipeline under the road was replaced, and other utilities like the stormwater drain were also replaced. —FIB

Mumbai: The Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC), body in charge of the Mahalaxmi Race Course has been asked by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to clear the due arrears of Rs5.99 crore since 2013. The civic body has sent a letter for the same, also stating that claiming the rent does not mean that lease for land parcel has been renewed. “The lease for the race course got over in 2013 and the last paid rent was Rs56 lakh. However, despite the tenure of the agreement getting over and the BMC not renewing it, the management didn’t vacate the premises and enjoyed the benefits. Therefore, the outstanding arrears for using the plot for the past 10 years now stand at Rs5.99 crore,” said an official. —FIB

Mumbai: Soon, Premium buses to ferry people and ease travel from Kharghar in Navi Mumbai to Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) in Bandra East. The Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST) will soon launch its luxury services on the 36-kilometre route.

The BEST undertaking launched the luxury bus service from Thane to BKC in December and received a good response from the commuters. With the Thane-BKC premium service route, Mumbai became the first city in India to have an all-electric premium city bus service, according to Lokesh Chandra, General Manager, BEST. —FIB

First India Bureau

First India Bureau

The commission has taken cognizance of a complaint filed by an animal activist. —FILE PHOTO

Unfortunately, no one remained present on behalf of the additional chief secretary (Home), Mantralaya (state secretariat) despite summons served. Therefore, we are of the opinion that a show cause notice should be issued to the Home Department on why action should not be taken against them. —Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission

Senior citizens exercise in winter.

—FILE PHOTO

As

proximately 100kg of compost every month for use in gardens and residential colonies, he added.

Plant is launched on premises of Thane station. —FILE PHOTO

MODI: THE PIONEER OF GOOD GOVERNANCE AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN INDIA

From faceless, transparent and non-corrupt governance to being a pioneer of sustainable development in the state, the narrator shares with us how PM Modi has been a Statesman way ahead of his times. He is a true visionary and has the power to transform the lives of his people for the better through his enterprising initiatives and farsightedness

arendra bhai would say 21st century is the century of technology. In 2009, after Deepavali, ministers, members of parliament, members of legislative assembly and members of the sangathan got together for a ‘Sneh Milan’ at a community hall at the ministers bungalow, and Narendra Bhai was part of it. As always, he would share a special message with everyone and use that platform for outreach. This time he wanted me to apprise everyone of the growing influence of social media and the importance of using it effectively through a presentation. Now this was when people had not been introduced to Whatsapp. Whatsapp came to India in 2010 if I am not wrong. Twitter and Facebook too were comparatively newer social media platforms back then. You know, 90% of the audience that day had not even heard of these tools and Narendra bhai said to me, “Social media will be the driving force of 21st century. Human life will revolve around these platforms. And the sooner we master the nuances of han-

dling these tools, the faster and more effective our way of working will become.” He also spoke about how this technology will make “maximum governance, minimum government” a reality by making governance faster, efficient and transparent. He asked everyone to ensure that they start using technology and understanding the finer tools of making e-governance the order of the day.

Post my presentation when I got down from the stage, several senior officials expressed their disbelief about this emerging phenomenon. Some were outright critical and dismissive of the fact that such technology even existed and if it did, they were convinced that politics was not the right place for its usage. They simply dismissed the idea that governance was possible using such tools and said that this was just another fad, a dream! They were of the opinion that the influence of social media was limited to just talk and nothing that was discussed that day will be implemented in practical life. Facebook and Twitter politics was akin to day dreaming at the time.

Today we are in 2023 and every single one of us is making full use of social media platforms and technology has revolutionized e-governance. But Narendra bhai was the sole Statesman who set the narrative for social media being the driving force of politics, effective communication and governance in 2009. What’s more surprising is that usually it is the leadership of the central government that sets the agenda for states and state leadership follows the trends set by the centre. However, this was viceversa. Narendra bhai was CM then and he got about this massive change in the outlook

of politicians with regard to technology and social media tools. Although he was a state leader, people of the country started to follow him as he is indeed a true visionary. People took to using Facebook, Twitter and began to follow Narendra bhai on social media as well. You can see the reality today yourself. All those people who used to treat social media with contempt and laughed at the idea of being active on Twitter today are using the platform with gusto! Narendra bhai turned a new leaf in the chapter of Indian polity by popularizing inclusion of social media for effective communication and effective governance.

What I remember clearly is Narendra bhai telling me that faceless administration is very important for transparent governance. When the applicant and the officer responsible for resolving the applicant’s concern do not interact face-toface, it becomes faceless governance. Sometimes face-toface interaction goes awry as it digresses into areas where it should not and that’s when the applicant feels harassed and disappointed with the system. So when officers do not come to know whose file they are dealing with and the issue gets resolved, a non-corrupt and transparent administration is born. Narendra bhai has been my inspiration and based on

BHAI SAYS

MUST USE TECH EVERYWHERE’ Whatsapp came to India in 2010 if I am not wrong. Twitter and Facebook too were comparatively newer social media platforms back then. You know, 90% of the audience that day had not even heard of these tools and Narendra bhai said to me, “Social media will be the driving force of 21st century. He asked everyone to ensure that they start using technology and understanding the finer tools of making e-governance the order of the day.

‘FACELESS ADMN IMP FOR TRANSPARENT GOVERNANCE’

What I remember clearly is Narendra bhai telling me that faceless administration is very important for transparent governance. When the applicant and the officer responsible for resolving the applicant’s concern do not interact faceto-face, it becomes faceless governance. Sometimes faceto-face interaction goes awry as it digresses into areas where it should not and that’s when the applicant feels harassed and disappointed with the system.

his concept of faceless administration, I introduced several initiatives and tools to make non-corrupt governance a reality in my sector.

United Nations dedicated the period of 2015 to 2030 to sustainable goals in 2015. But Narendra bhai was the actual pioneer of sustainable development in India because in 2010, he began with development work in a place like Dang in Gujarat. I was the Director of Gujarat Tourism then. This place has a huge forest cover and had few options for earning a livelihood. You would have heard about Saputara, the only hill station in Gujarat. Narendra bhai created sustainable develop-

ment goals for Dang and Saputara when the world was yet to begin to think on these lines. He wanted development that would provide the locals better and greater means of earning their daily bread without causing any harm to the ecosystem. He chose development of the tourism industry in these hilly areas to begin the much needed work of sustainable development.

There was a paragliding pilot named Roshan Thakur in Himachal Pradesh and Narendra bhai used to do paragliding in the 90’s with him. Narendra bhai asked me to get in touch with Roshan Thakur and find out what was possible in Saputara. Dang and Saputara are truly beautiful places but the four months of monsoon season would see very little footfall and hotels had less than 10% occupancy during those months. Narendra bhai decided to tap into these four months of monsoon season and develop Saputara and Dang. He initiated the Monsoon Festival in Saputara which resulted in 110-112% occupancy in hotels. Today the traffic has increased so much that there are plans to develop four-lane roads in the area!

Generating employment while protecting the environment has been Narendra bhai’s endeavour in our state and I am fortunate to have been part of such sustainable development initiatives undertaken by him.

Not just this, nobody could have dreamt of something like the Rannutsav in the White Desert. He visualized a threemonth long festival in Kutch and this he did in the 70’s when he used to visit Kutch as a karyakarta. He used to say that there was no place more beautiful than Kutch on the planet and if he ever got the opportunity, he would develop it into a thriving desert. He became CM and did exactly that! Today all big conferences are happening in Dhordo, in Kutch. Rann Utsav is a global tourist destination now, all thanks to Narendra bhai!

COMPILED AND EDITED BY SHASHIKANT SHARMA AND SHWETA SHARMA

‘NARENDRA

WE

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

India about brotherhood & unity: RaGa

Punjab (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday accused the BJP of spreading fear and hatred in the country, even as he asserted that India stood for "brotherhood, unity and respect" and that is why his 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' was "successful."

Gandhi paid obeisance at Gurdwara Fatehgarh Sahib before the start of the Punjab leg of the Yatra. . He later also visited Rauza Sharif dargah.

Addressing a gathering at Sirhind here, the former Congress chief said, "An atmosphere of hatred and violence has been spread in the country. The BJP and the RSS people are dividing the country, pitting one religion against the other, one caste against the other, and one language against the other. And they have spoiled the atmosphere of the country."

Calling media his "friend", Rahul Gandhi rued that the fourth estate was showing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's face round-theclock and not raising issues like unemployment or inflation.

He also said that his Yatra has been receiving an overwhelming public response as it moves from one state to another.

FARMERS’ KILLING TRIAL MAY TAKE 5 YRS: UP GOVT TO SC

New Delhi: The trial in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence, in which Union Minister Ajay Kumar Mishra’s son is an accused, could take around five years to complete, the judge who is hearing the case, told the Supreme Court on Wednesday, in a status report filed by the Uttar Pradesh government. In a letter sent to the top court, the additional sessions judge said there are 208 prosecution witnesses, 171 documents and 27 FSL reports in the case.

LAKSHADWEEP MP SENTENCED TO 10 YEARS IN PRISON

Lakshadweep: A court in Lakshadweep on Wednesday, January 11, sentenced NCP Lok Sabha member Mohammed Faizal from Lakshadweep to 10 years imprisonment in an attempt to murder case. Along with Faizal who is the second accused, two of his brothers, and another person have also been sent to jail in the same case.The case pertains to a scuffle that broke out during the 2009 Lok Sabha election campaign.

ANTITRUST ORDER MAY STALL ANDROID GROWTH IN INDIA: GOOGLE TO SUPREME COURT

New Delhi: The growth of Google’s Android ecosystem is on the brink of stalling in India due to an antitrust order that asks the company to change how it markets the platform, the US company has said in a Supreme Court challenge seen by Reuters. The CCI in October fined Alphabet Inc-owned Google $161 million for exploiting its dominant position in Android, which powers 97% of smartphones in India, and asked it to change restrictions imposed on smartphone makers related to pre-installing apps. Google has so far said the CCI decision will force it to change its long-standing business model, but its SC filing for the first time quantifies the impact and details the changes the company will need to make.

‘UPHAAR CINEMA SERIES ATTACKING MY PERSONALITY’

New Delhi: Real estate tycoon Sushil Ansal, convicted in the 1997 Uphaar cinema fire case, Wednesday contended before the Delhi High Court that web series ‘Trial by Fire’, stated to be based on the incident and scheduled for release on Netflix on January 13, directly attacks his personality. Ansal urged the court to grant an injunction against the release of the web series.

SC AGREES TO EXAMINE PLEA IN CASTE CENSUS

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to examine a plea seeking quashing the Bihar government’s decision to conduct a caste survey in the state, on Friday. A counsel mentioned the plea for hearing before a bench headed by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud. The petition has been filed by one Akhilesh Kumar, a social worker from Nalanda, contending that this decision fell under the domain of the Union government.

HM Amit Shah stresses on armed revolution

Jammu: Extending support to the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra

Wednesday

they will join the march in Jammu. Sahni, president of the J-K unit of Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), praised Gandhi for the initiative and appealed to people to join the march in huge numbers to give a "befitting reply to those who do politics of hatred and religion". We will welcome and join the Yatra on its arrival in the city of temples as per the instructions

Objective of Bharat Jodo Yatra is clear, it's against inflation, unemploymnet and politics of hatred. There is a need to unite opposition to fight against BJP. They are misusing all the agencies for their benefit.

New Delhi (ANI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday stressed that India’s independence would have been delayed by decades if “armed revolution had not started”.

Referring to the Congress-led movement, the Home Minister said that it was successful “only because of” the spark created by the armed revolution by freedom fighters like Bhagat Singh and others. “History is ruthless, it can’t be distorted. It shines like lightning on a dark night and eventually, it comes out and has to be accepted. Nobody can suppress or hide the history of India’s independence,” he added.

Shah’s remarks came at a book launch event by Sanjeev Sanyal titled ‘Revolutionaries (The other story of how India won its freedom).

“When Bhagat Singh

Revolutionaries from every part of India were housed in cellular jail and this proves that the violent revolution against the British was not an isolated effort. Those responsible for writing India’s independence history failed to present the Indian perspective.

—Amit Shah, Home Minister

was hanged by the British, people from Lahore to Kanniyakumari lamented his death. I am not only talking about Bhagat Singh but we need to understand that if the violent revolt against the British hadn’t started independence would have been delayed by decades,” Shah said.

Tamil Nadu Assembly thanks Governor for speech,

on Wednesday moved a ‘Motion of Thanks’ on Governor R N Ravi’s address, with a mention of the word ‘agony’ over his action on January 9.

“...That this House records its agony for the act of Hon. Govenor by omitting and including some portions in

the Governor’s Address which was sent by the Tamil Nadu Government, approved by the Hon. Governor and circulated in the Assembly: That the Members of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly are grateful to the Hon. Governor for the Address, recorded in the House on the 9th January, 2023,” the motion of thanks read.

PCS officers call off mass casual leave protest after Mann’s ultimatum

Chandigarh: The Punjab Civil Services (PCS) officers on Wednesday called off their mass casual leave protest after a meeting with additional chief secretary of chief minister Bhagwant Mann.

The PCS officers will join their duties immediately, additional chief secretary Venuprasad said.

The president of the PCS Officers' association Rajat Oberoi said they would withdraw their call for mass casual leave.

Earlier in the day, chief minister Mann had warned PCS officers, who had gone on mass casual leave, to join duties by 2pm or else face suspension.

The tough stand of the chief minister came after services at administrative offices in the

Suspend officers who don’t join: CM Bhagwant Mann cracks down

Chandigarh (PTI):

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann today warned Punjab civil service officers, who are on mass leave to protest the "illegal" arrest of their colleague, to join duty this afternoon, failing which they will be suspended. "Such a strike amounts to blackmailing and arm-twisting," he said.

The tough stand of Mann came after services at administrative offices in the state were hit as the officers

state were hit as Punjab Civil Services officers went on five-day mass

SEARCH IS ON

went on five-day mass casual leave beginning Monday to protest the arrest of PCS officer Narinder Singh Dhaliwal in Ludhiana by the state vigilance bureau.

casual leave beginning Monday against the arrest of PCS officer Nar-

In a tweet, Mann said, "It has been brought to my notice that some officers are not attending duty in the garb of some strike. They are protesting against strong action taken by the govt against corrupt officers". "Let this be very clear to everyone that this govt has zero tolerance to corruption. Such a strike amounts to blackmailing and arm twisting. It cannot be tolerated by any responsible govt," he said.

Jharkhand's new police chief will be an ex-CBI officer!

New Delhi: Jharkhand Director General of Police Neeraj Sinha’s term is about to end and the state is about to get a new police chief. In Bihar, which is adjoining Jharkhand, firebrand police officer RS Bhatti has recently been made DGP. Similarly, in Jharkhand too, preparations are on to hand over the com -

mand of the police to a flamboyant officer. Keep in mind that last time there were many vicissitudes regarding the post of police chief and extremely high profile and flamboyant officer KN Choubey could not complete the tenure. When Neeraj Sinha was also made DGP, many questions were raised about him and a legal dispute also took place. The govern-

ment is trying to avoid this also.

According to in-

formed sources, the new police chief of the state could be an officer

with CBI experience. Out of the three names for the police chief, two are those who have CBI experience. The names of Additional Director of CBI Ajay Bhatnagar and senior police officer Anil Palta, who was in CBI, are discussed. What will happen if either Bhatnagar or Palta becomes Jharkhand police chief? Will this give some relief to the Hemant Soren govern-

ment of the state? Keep in mind that many cases are going on against him in central agencies. However, earlier the name of SN Pradhan was also discussed, but now it is being said that his name is not in the panel. He is also on deputation to the Central Government. Apart from Bhatnagar and Palta, the third name is that of senior police officer AK Singh.

Punjab: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi paid obeisance at Gurdwara Fatehgarh Sahib Wednesday morning before beginning Punjab leg of the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra'. He sported a turban and wore a half-sleeved T-shirt to the place of worship. Gandhi was accompanied by Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring and other party leaders. Gandhi had on Tuesday offered prayers at the Golden Temple in Amritsar after concluding the Haryana leg of the march in Ambala district. He reached Sirhind in Fatehgarh Sahib Tuesday evening and stayed for the night there.

Sharat K Verma

BJP & RSS people are dividing the country, putting one religion against the other, one caste against other, Rahul added

Rahul Gandhi lead the party’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, at Sirhind, in Fatehgarh on Wednesday. Amrinder Singh Raja and Charanjit Singh Channi also seen. —PHOTO BY ANI

inder Singh Dhaliwal in Ludhiana by the state vigilance bureau.

New Delhi (PTI): In a letter to the presidents of the parties, he said from the beginning of the yatra, the Congress has sought the participation of every like-minded party and on the invitation of Rahul Gandhi, MPs of several political parties have joined it at different stages. “I now invite you to personally join the concluding function of the Bharat Jodo Yatra to be held in Srinagar on January 30 at noon,” Kharge wrote.

which is scheduled to enter J&K next week, Shiv Sena leader Manish Sahni on

said

of party's national secretary and MP Anil Desai.

Karnataka (PTI): Hitting the road in Karnataka, the Congress began its statewide bus tour called ‘Praja Dhwani Yatre’, jointly led by party state unit President D K Shivakumar and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Siddaramaiah. The tour kickstarted at ‘Veer Soudha’, a memorial where Mahatma Gandhi had presided over the Congress session in 1924, after paying tributes to the father of the nation. Randeep Surjewala, and senior leaders including campaign committee chief M B Patil, were among others present.

KHARGE INVITES 21 LIKE-MINDED PARTIES TO JOIN BJY IN SRINAGAR

RAHUL GANDHI PAYS OBEISANCE AT FATEHGARH SAHIB GURDWARA

STATE SHIV SENA UNIT TO JOIN RAGA’S BJY IN JAMMU

CONG KICKS OFF STATEWIDE BUS TOUR AHEAD OF K’TAKA ELECTIONS

Ajay Bhatnagar Anil Palta

—KC Venugopal, Congress leader

Chennai (ANI): Tamil Nadu MLA Thiru. N. Eramakrishnan

but with ‘Agony’

RN Ravi’s remark during his address at the opening session of the House triggered an uproar.

CRUCIAL READ

3 SOLDIERS DIE AFTER SLIPPING INTO A GORGE ALONG LINE OF CONTROL

Srinagar (FIB): Three soldiers, including a junior commissioned officer (JCO), died after they slipped into a deep gorge during patrolling along the LoC in Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir, the Army said on Wednesday. The incident took place in Machil sector when they were on a regular operation task in the forFive CRPF jawans hurt in IED blast : The Maoist ultras on Wednesday made their presence felt by triggering a blast. Five CRPF jawans were injured in an IED blast triggered at a jungle under the Tonto police station area of West Singhbhum dist in Jharkhand.

IAS OFFICER, EXRJD MLA BOOKED FOR GANGRAPE

New Delhi: Senior IAS officer Sanjeev Hans and former RJD MLA Gulab Yadav in Bihar have been booked for an alleged gangrape of an advocate. While Sajeev Hans is posted as principal secretary in the state energy department, Yadav is a former legislator from Jhanjharpur. An FIR was filed after a court ordered the police to register a rape case against the accused.

FATEHPUR: 4 DEAD AS COLD WAVE WREAKS HAVOC

New Delhi: A severe coldwave and a dense fog condition has been prevailing in the entire north Indian belt for the past five days. In just 24 hours, four people, including a PRV constable and three farmers, died reportedly due to the cold wave in UP’s Fatehpur district. Rajendra, a resident of Raghunathganj, was posted to PRV 1181 in Khaga Kotwali area of Fatehpur district.

ANOTHER VANDE BHARAT DAMAGED AFTER COLLISION WITH CATTLE IN MAHA

New Delhi: A Vande Bharat Express from Maharashtra’s Nagpur to Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh was damaged after a collision with cattle on Monday. The animals collided with the train along the Moodhipar Parmalkasa rail section. The accident led to agitation in the area and locals threw stones at the train at several halts. The collision took place around 5:30 pm on Monday, damaging the front part of the train. Following the incident, arrangements were made to send the train back to Nagpur from Bilaspur on Tuesday.

FAMILY OF DELHI POLICE ASI GETS ` 1 CR RELIEF

New Delhi (PTI): CM Arvind Kejriwal announced an ex-gratia of Rs 1 crore for the family of Delhi Police assistant sub inspector Shambhu Dayal, who died after being stabbed by a snatcher.The entire country is proud of him. He did not care for his own life. He martyred. There is no price for his life still we will provide Rs 1 crore to his family in his honour,” said Kejriwal.

JOSHIMATH ‘SINKING’

Government announces immediate compensatison & hotel demolitions

Joshimath (Agencies): In Uttarakhand’s ‘sinking’ town of Joshimath, hotels and other buildings that have developed wide cracks and are on the brink of collapse will be demolished within a week, a top official said today.

Senior officer Himanshu Khurana also told media officials that every affected family will be givenRs 1.5 lakh as immediate compensation for losing their home.

Hundreds protested on the streets and sat guard outside the buildings overnight in the bitter cold. The residents also expressed worry that bulldozers would end up exacer-

bating the damage to neighbouring buildings.

Residents demanded that the state government help relocate them to Badrinath, the

BMRCL suspends 3 officers in Metro pillar collapse case

holy town that draws thousands of pilgrims and big business every year.The adminis-tration met with the residents and assured them relief.

CRACKS FOUND IN THE WALLS OF BADMINTON COURT, SAYS REPORT

Joshimath (Agencies):

At the badminton court, the cracks in the walls are so wide that a human hand can slip in, as per media report.

The floors are sagging, and the windows are askew in the complex.

The doors are barely

Massive cracks have developed in over 700 houses because of years of unplanned infrastructure development, roads & power projects.

hanging off hinges and parts of the roof are crumbling. Some of the rooms are barely standing. The scale of damage is most visible at the Jaypee power plant, currently the most dangerous building in Joshimath.

CRACKS IN TEHRI GARHWAL HOUSES, LOCALS DEMAND GOVT INTERVENTION

Tehri Garhwal (ANI): Uttarakhand’s Tehri Garhwal is also facing land subsidence and locals, in fear of landslides, urged the government on Wednesday to take cognisance of the issue and take necessary action. Landslides are happening in the villages adjacent to Tehri lake and cracks have increased in the houses above and near the Chamba Tunnel, putting over a half dozen families in danger, informed local people.

WILL NAVEEN PATNAIK’S ‘SPORTS DIPLOMACY’ BEAR FRUITS?

Mahesh Sharma

New Delhi: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is engaged in politics through sports diplomacy. Lok Sabha elections are going to be held simultaneously in his state next year.

RITUAL

MINOR BOY KILLED IN ‘HUMAN SACRIFICE’

Silvassa (PTI): A nine-year-old boy was kidnapped and decapitated as part of a “human sacrifice” ritual for getting money and later his body was chopped into pieces, police said on Wednesday. Police arrested two men and detained a teenage boy last week after the headless body was found dumped near a canal at Vapi in Valsad district in neighbouring Gujarat.

IGI AIRPORT: MAN HELD FOR URINATING AT DEPARTURE GATE, RELEASED ON BAIL

New Delhi: An international passenger was arrested from the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport for allegedly urinating in front of the departure gate at Terminal 3 a few days ago, the Delhi Police informed on Wednesday, adding that he was later released on a bail bond.The arrest was in made on the heels of two separate peeing incidents onboard Air India flights.

Bengaluru (Agencies): A day after the under-construction metro pillar collapsed in Bengaluru that took the lives of two people, the BMRCL (Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited) has issued a suspension order to three of its officers. An enquiry has also been ordered by BMRCL on the suspended officers. In a statement, the BMRCL said, “The incharge Deputy Chief Engineer, Executive Engineer and the site engineer are suspended pending enquiry. An internal technical team has been constituted to investigate the cause of the accident and submit the report at the earliest.”

DAUGHTER?: VICTIM’S FATHER

The father of the woman, who was killed along with her toddler son after a pillar fell on them at an underconstruction site asked the Karnataka government to punish those responsible for the accident and said it is not about compensation. “I don’t need their compensation.

I will pay them Rs 1 crore. Can the chief minister bring back my family? It is not about money,” he said.

This means the election year has begun and it begins with the men’s hockey World Cup. This time the Hockey World Cup will be held in two cities of Odisha Bhubaneswar and Rourkela.

It will be held from January 13 to 19 at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar and the Birsa Munda Stadium in Rourkela. Before that, Patnaik announced that if the In-

THE LUXURIOUS JOURNEY

dian team wins the World Cup, then the state government will give one crore rupees to each player.

Naveen Patnaik’s government had started many big projects regarding this event. New aviation service was also started from Rourkela just before this event, which was

flagged off on January 7. It started under the UDAN scheme of the central government but the state government made it its own event.

The picture of Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia was not seen anywhere in the advertisement of this event. Not only this, the name or picture of Prime

Minister Narendra Modi was also not printed. BJP leader of Odisha and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has objected to this. However, it is also being said that Naveen Patnaik has invited all the opposition leaders for the inauguration of the Hockey World Cup event. Mind you, Naveen Patnaik has so far stayed away from efforts to unite the opposition against the BJP. He gave a message of equidistance from the BJP and the opposition but largely continued to provide issue-based support to the BJP central government.

FCI corruption: CBI searches 50 locations; DGM arrested

New Delhi (PTI): The CBI on Wednesday launched a crackdown on alleged corruption in the Food Corporation of India, conducting searches at 50 locations in Punjab, Haryana and Delhi after arresting a DGM-ranked officer, officials said.

The role of officials from technical assistants to executive directors in the FCI are under the agency’s scanner,

underway at FCI offices.

they said. The searches were started after the arrest of a deputy general manager (DGM) while taking a bribe of Rs 50,000, they said.

AROUND ` 60 LAKH RECOVERED

New Delhi (ANI): Central Bureau of Investigation has recovered about Rs 60 lakh so far in the massive operation against the corruption related to the Food Corporation of India (FCI). “Rs 60 lakh(approx) recovered so far in massive operation being undertaken against channelised corruption in FCI procurement, storage and distribution,” CBI informed in a statement on Wednesday.

GLITTERING OPENING CEREMONY HELD FOR HOCKEY WORLD CUP 2023

New Delhi(Agencies):

Lal Bahadur Shastri, the second Prime Minister of the country, was born on 2 October 1904 in Mughalsarai (Uttar Pradesh) in a Kayastha family. His father Munshi Sharda Prasad Srivastava was a teacher in primary school.

His mother’s name was Ramdulari. Being the youngest in the family, Lal Bahadur was called as Nanhe by the family members.

When Lal Bahadur was

only one and a half years old, his father passed away.

After that, his mother took Lal Bahadur to his maternal grandfa -

ther Hazarilal’s house in Mirzapur. While living in Nanihal, he received primary education. After this he did his education at Har-

ishchandra High School and Kashi Vidyapeeth. After receiving the title of Shastri from Kashi Vidyapeeth, he replaced Sriv -

DEATH

of death. The cause of death was reported as a cardiac arrest but the Shastri family claimed it to be poisoned. This year marks the 57th anniversary of the death of Shashtri, and his death remains still a mystery.

astava with Shastri. In the year 1928, Lal Bahadur Shastri was married to Lalita, daughter of Ganesh Prasad, a resident of Mirzapur.

They had 6 children, in which 2 daughters-Kusum and Suman and four sons Harikrishna, Anil, Sunil and Ashok. Lal Bahadur Shastri had an active participation in all the important programs & movements of the Indian freedom struggle and also went to jail several times. He is also remembered for his slogan, ‘Jai Jawan Jai Kisan’.He was greatly influenced by Mahatma Gandhi’s thoughts.

New Delhi: The opening ceremony of the Men’s Hockey World Cup 2023 took place at Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on Wednesday evening (January 11).

The event was witnessed by thousands of hockey lovers from across the country and abroad.

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated the Men’s Hockey World Cup 2023 in the presence of Union Minis -

ter Anurag Thakur. Naveen Patnaik expressed his immense delight with the way the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup has returned to Odisha.

The grand Opening Ceremony of FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2023 was held at Barabati Stadium in Cuttack, Odisha today.

Many Bollywood stars like Disha Patani Ranveer Singh performed at the inaugural under tight security.

Locals shift their belongings after the district administration declared their houses under as unsafe following cracks widening due to land subsidence, at Joshimath, in Chamoli on Wednesday.

LAL BAHADUR SHASTRI’S

L al Bahadur Shastri died on January 11, 1966, in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, just a day after the peace treaty was signed for the end of the 1965 Indo-Pakistan War. Today is the occasion to remember him on his anniversary

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off the ‘world’s longest river cruise’, MV Ganga Vilas, and inaugurate a ‘Tent City’ on the banks of the Ganga river in Varanasi on January 13.

—PHOTO

BY ANI

Raids

STARTUP FUNDING IN INDIA DROPS 33% TO $24 BN IN 2022

‘INDIA’S GROWTH WILL SLOW TO 6.6 PER CENT NEXT FISCAL’

New Delhi: Funding for Indian startups dropped by 33% to $24 billion in 2022 as compared to the previous year though it was nearly double the amount recorded in 2019 or 2020. Global investors were still positive about the Indian startup ecosystem despite the global slowdown, as per the report. “Funding for Indian startups in CY22 was nearly $24 billion, a drop of 33% in comparison to CY21 but was still more than twice the funds raised in CY20 and CY19 each”, it said. —PTI

COMMERCIAL LOAN

ORIGINATION

VOLUMES DIP 4.3%

New Delhi (PTI): India’s economic growth rate will slow to 6.6% in next financial year from an expected 6.9% in 2022-23, the World Bank said in its latest economic update.

The growth rate of 6.9% in current fiscal year (April 2022 to March 2023) compares with 8.7% in the previous year. For 2024-25, the growth rate is projected at 6.1%. “The slowdown in the global economy and rising uncertainty will weigh on export and investment growth,” it said.

The government has increased infrastructure spending and various business facilitation measures. However, it will crowd-in private investment and support the expansion of manufacturing capacity.

“Growth is projected to slow, to 6.6% in FY2023/24 before falling back toward its potential rate of just above 6%,” it said.

MAJOR HIGHLIGHTS

z The World Bank said in its latest economic update on Wednesday said that India’s economic growth rate will slow to 6.6 per cent in next financial year from an expected 6.9 per cent in 2022-23

The GDP expanded by 9.7% on an annual basis in the first half of fiscal year

z India however is expected to be the fastest growing economy of the seven largest emerging-market and developing economies

z The growth rate of 6.9% in current fiscal year (April 2022 to March 2023) compares with 8.7% in the previous year

2022-23, reflecting strong private consumption and fixed investment growth.

Consumer inflation in most of the last year was above the Reserve Bank’s upper tolerance limit of 6%, prompting the policy rate to be raised by 2.25 percentage points between May and December.

India’s goods trade deficit has more than doubled since 2019, and was $24 billion in November, with deficits for crude petroleum and petroleum products ($7.6 bn) and other commodities (for eg, ores and minerals at $4.2 bn) accounting for the widening.

The World Bank said India used its international reserves (at $550 billion in November, or 16% of GDP) to curb excess exchange rate volatility helping to limit the rupee depreciation, and its sovereign spread has remained broadly stable at 1.4% in December, similar to average levels in the five years before the pandemic.

MARKETS END ON FLAT NOTE AFTER CHOPPY SESSION

Mumbai (PTI): In a highly volatile trade, equity benchmarks ended on a flat note on Wednesday amid unabated foreign fund outflows and a weak trend in index heavyweight Reliance Industries.

Continuing its previous day decline, the 30-share BSE Sensex dipped 9.98 points or 0.02% to settle at 60,105.50.

The broader NSE Nifty skidded 18.45 points or 0.10% to end at 17,895.70.

From the Sensex pack, Bharti Airtel, Hindustan Unilever, Titan, Reliance Industries, Nestle, IndusInd Bank, Bajaj Finserv and NTPC were the major lag-

gards. Sun Pharma, UltraTech Cement, Tata Motors, Larsen & Toubro, Tata Consultancy Services, HDFC Bank and Tata Motors were among the winners.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded shares worth ` 2,109.34 crore on Tuesday.

RUPEE GAINS 18 PAISE TO CLOSE AT 81.56 AGAINST US DOLLAR ON WEDNESDAY

Mumbai (PTI): The rupee gained 18 paise to close at 81.56 (provisional) against the US dollar on Wednesday, driven by foreign inflows from bonds selling and overall weakness in crude oil prices. At the interbank foreign exchange market, the local unit opened at 81.73 and touched an intraday high of 81.52 and a low of 81.82 against the greenback. It finally ended at 81.56 (provisional), registering a rise of 18 paise over its previous close.

Mumbai: Commercial lending origination volumes declined by 4.3% to 22.2 lakh loans in the COVID-affected FY22. If one has to look at the originations by value, there was a 73% jump to `66.49 lakh crore, while the portfolio outstanding at the end of the fiscal grew 8.5%, the report by Crif High Mark said. Commercial lending includes a credit of over `10 lakh to any commercial entity and is further classified as micro, small, medium or large exposures. —PTI

HYUNDAI MOTOR DRIVES IN ALL ELECTRIC IONIQ 5

Realty sees surge in setting up of investment platforms: JLL India

Greater Noida: Hyundai Motor India on Wednesday launched its all electric model Ioniq 5 priced at `44.95 lakh (ex-showroom). The model is based on the company’s dedicated battery electric vehicle platform E-GMP. Hyundai, which already sells one EV model, Kona Electric in the country, said the price of Ioniq 5 is introductory and would hold for the first 500 customers. “Ioniq 5 represents our shift towards future mobility with tenets that encapsulate intelligent technology, innovation and sustainability,” Hyundai Motor India MD and CEO said. —PTI

MG MOTOR TAGS

NEXT-GEN HECTOR AT `14.72 LAKH

New Delhi (PTI): Indian real estate saw a surge in setting up of investment platforms in 2022 and an amount of $4.52 billion has been committed, which will be deployed over the next few years, according to JLL India.

Foreign as well as domestic investors tie up with real estate developers to establish an investment platform for the development of different realty projects like warehousing parks, office assets, student housing and data centres among others.

According to the data, platform deals/partnerships worth $1,651 million were announced in 2019, $1,880 million in 2020 and

TOP TALKING POINTS

z Indian real estate saw a surge in setting up of investment platforms in 2022 and an amount of $4.52 bn has been committed, which will be deployed over next few years

z Platform deals/ partnerships amounting to 4,527 million US Dollars were announced during 2022

$3,320 million in the 2021 calendar year.

“Platform deals/ partnerships amounting to $4,527 million were announced during 2022, to be invested in the next few years,” JLL India said.

Greater Noida: MG Motor India on Wednesday announced prices of its next-gen Hector, ranging between `14.72-22.42 lakh. Hector is now available in five variants — Style, Smart, Smart Pro, Sharp Pro and Savvy Pro. SUV is available in five, six, and seven-seater configurations. The nextgen Hector has key safety features such as six airbags and a 360-degree HD camera. Hector was introduced by MG Motor India in 2019.

—PTI

Greater Noida (FIB): India has the potential to become the number one automotive market in the world and small cars have an important role to play in it, Suzuki Motor Corporation Representative Director and President Toshihiro Suzuki said on Wednesday.

He also said electric vehicles alone will not be the solution to India’s quest for carbon neutrality and the company will explore other technologies such as flex fuels, hybrids and CNG.

“I can see that there can be a time when India would be positioned as number

`

2.6K cr perks okayed

to hype RuPay, BHIM

New Delhi (PTI): The Cabinet on Wednesday approved a ` 2,600 crore scheme for promoting RuPay debit cards and low-value BHIM-UPI transactions.

Under the scheme, banks would be provided financial incentives for promoting Point of Sale (PoS) and e-commerce transactions using RuPay and Unified Payments Interface (UPI) in current financial year.

It would help in building a robust digital payment ecosystem.

MSEs corner 55 per cent of total orders placed on GeM portal

New Delhi (PTI): Micro and small enterprises (MSEs) have cornered over 55% of the total orders placed on the public procurement platform GeM since FY 2020-21, a senior government official said.

The Government e-Market (GeM) portal was launched on August 9, 2016, for online purchases of goods and services by all the central government ministries and departments.

GeM CEO P K Singh said

FINANCIAL BIDS FOR IDBI BANK EXPECTED

BY SEPT: DIPAM

New Delhi (PTI): The government is expecting to get financial bids for IDBI Bank’s strategic sale by September, DIPAM Secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey said.

Several global and domestic institutions have expressed interest in buying about 61% of the government and LIC stake in IDBI Bank and had put in preliminary bids, the last date of which was January 7. “Overall, we are looking at financial bids at least before second half of next fiscal year,” Pandey said.

The DIPAM, which manages govt holding in state-owned enterprises, had in October invited bids for selling 30.48% stake in IDBI Bank, along with 30.24% stake of LIC.

‘India can be No. 1 auto market in world’

MAJOR TAKEAWAYS

z Suzuki Motor Corporation Representative Director and President Toshihiro Suzuki said electric vehicles alone will not be the solution to India’s quest for carbon neutrality and the company will explore other technologies such as flex fuels, hybrids and CNG

that the public procurement policy for MSEs mandates 25% of buying of goods and services from these units and 3% MSEs owned by women.

“On GeM, MSEs have se-

OTHER STORIES

New

cured 55.2% (` 1,41,887 crore) of total order value (`2,57,263 crore) and MSEs owned by women have secured 8% (`11,373 crore) of the MSE orders since FY 2020-21 till now. The numbers reflect inclusivity on GeM,” Singh said.

Procurement of goods and services from government portal GeM has crossed `1 lakh crore so far this fiscal on account of an increase in buying activities by different ministries and departments.

GOVT TO INVITE EoIs FOR CONCOR PRIVATISATION

New Delhi: The government will this month invite Expression of Interest or preliminary bids for privatising Container Corporation of India (Concor), an official said on Wednesday. “We are trying hard to issue the Preliminary Information Memorandum inviting Expression of Interest (EoI) for Concor as quickly as possible. It should be issued this month, subject to approval,” the official said.

DOMESTIC CONSUMPTION OF COMPOSITE

one market (of automobiles) in the world. Maruti Suzuki and Suzuki as a group, we would like to cap-

ture this opportunity. We would like to develop technology for providing the right mobility solutions to

this market,” he said. However he declined to share the possible timeline for India to reach the top.

properties. Examples of composite materials are polymer matrix, metal matrix, ceramic matrix composites.

SAYS SUZUKI MOTOR PRESIDENT

NCLAT REFUSES INTERIM RELIEF TO GOOGLE ON CCI’S `936-CR PENALTY IN PLAY STORE MATTER

Delhi: In a setback to Google, the NCLAT on Wednesday declined to grant interim relief to the tech giant seeking a stay on competition watchdog CCI’s `936.44-crore penalty on it for abuse of dominant position with respect to its Play Store policies. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear a plea of Google against a recent order of NCLAT refusing an interim stay on `1,337 crore fine imposed by CCI on the company for anti-competitive practices in relation to Android mobile devices.

MATERIALS TO TOUCH 7.68 LT BY 2027: REPORT New Delhi: The consumption of composite materials in India is expected to witness a sharp uptick and touch 7.68 LT by 2027, led by demand from sectors like RE, EVs, defence, among others. Composite materials or fibre-reinforced plastics help in circular economy as these are manufactured by combining multiple materials with different

22-year-old held for raping paralysed senior citizen

CARE RATINGS: Maha bests

Guj to claim bragging rights

Congress veteran Jaiprakash Chhajed dies of heart attack

First India Bureau

Nashik: A 22-year-old man has been arrested here for allegedly raping a bed-ridden 60-yearold woman, police said on Wednesday.

The woman, who lives alone in her house of corrugated iron sheets in Upnagar area of Nashik city, has been bed-ridden for the last seven years following a paralytic attack. Her brother lives nearby, the police official said.

Around 1 am on Tuesday, the assailant entered the house and allegedly raped her repeatedly after threatening her of dire consequences if she raised an alarm.

He also clicked her photographs before leaving, she reportedly told the police.

The woman told her brother about the incident when he came in the morning to give her tea, following which a police complaint was registered.

Chennai: In the overall ranking list by credit rating agency CARE Ratings, Maharashtra has scored highest on social, financial inclusion and fiscal categories.

It is followed by Gujarat at second rank faring well in economic and fiscal categories, while Tamil Nadu takes third place with an edge in social and governance categories.

According to CARE Ratings, the rankings are based on seven pillars economic, fiscal, social, infrastructure, financial inclusion, environment, and governance. It covers over 46 indicators to rank major states in the country.

The ranking report attempts to provide a comprehensive quantitative evaluation of

states’ performance.

“The state ranking study is aimed at capturing comprehensive performance of the states. This study highlights areas in which they have shown healthy performance and those which need further attention of the policymakers. In this comparative study, the leading states could offer the others a model to follow,” said Mehul Pandya, Managing Director and CEO, CARE Ratings.

Maharashtra, the financial capital of the country, tops the ranking with a favourable score, not just in financial inclusion, but also

in state government’s finances and social indicators, he added.

The state topped the rankings in financial inclusion with best performance in credit/ GSDP ratio, NBFC sanctions and health insurance penetration. It also fared well in mutual fund penetration.

While the Union Territories were excluded from the study, CARE

Ratings had the states into two categories Group A (large states) and Group B (Northeast, hilly and small states).

The ranking covers not just the state’s economic, infrastructure and fiscal performance, but also aspects of sustainability and inclusive growth.

“We have looked at the performance of the

states, not just in terms of economic growth, physical infrastructure and investment, but also, given due importance to social indicators, environmental aspects, governance and financial inclusion. This is with the recognition that inclusive and sustainable growth is the need of the hour,” said Rajani Sinha, Chief Economist, CARE Ratings.

Nashik (PTI) : Veteran Congress leader and Maharashtra INTUC unit chief Jaiprakash Chhajed died at 75 after a heart attack in Nashik city, party leaders said on Wednesday.

Chhajed had been suffering from various ailments. He was scheduled to attend a Congress meeting at Nagpur but his sons asked him not to travel in view of his health, sources said.

On Tuesday evening, Chhajed suffered a heart attack while he was talking to his son. He was rushed to a private hospital in Nashik city where he breathed his last at around 10.30 pm, they said.

The former Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) is survived by his wife and ex-Nashik Deputy Mayor Shobha Chhajed and three sons.

He had worked in the

BJP activist case: Pre-arrest bail denied to BSS leader, wife

First India Bureau

Thane: A court on Wednesday rejected the pre-arrest bail applications of a leader belonging to Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena (BSS), his wife, and a former city councillor booked in connection with the attack on a BJP functionary last month.

Additional sessions court judge AS Bhagwat noted the applicants are not entitled for anticipatory bail currently as it could hamper the probe.

Police on December 31, 2022, registered an FIR against 10 persons, including BSS leader Vikas Repale, his wife, and an ex-councillor for allegedly attacking BJP activist Prashant Jadhav in Thane city over putting up a banner. A cross complaint was

also registered against Jadhav, who was injured in the attack and hospitalized.

In their pleas seeking pre-arrest bail, the couple and the ex-councillor stated they were falsely implicated in the case over political enmity.

The prosecution opposed the applications filed by the trio citing the safety of witnesses.

Advocate Makrand Abhyankar, who appeared for the complainant Prashant Jad-

hav, also opposed the bail applications.

“After considering the FIR, it appears the names of the applicants are prominently appearing in the FIR and specific acts of violence are attributed to them along with other people. The use of weapons has also been alleged along with beating on the head and private parts. Hence a strong prima facie case is appearing against the applicants,” said the court.

HC quashes govt order revoking J&J’s baby powder licence

First India Bureau

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Wednesday permitted Johnson & Johnson to manufacture, sell and distribute its baby powder. It quashed three orders of the state government revoking the company’s licence and asking it to stop the product manufacture and sale, terming them as “stringent, unreasonable and unfair”.

A division bench comprising Justice Gautam Patel and Justice SG Dige also came down heavily on the state Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its delay in carrying out tests on a sample of the company’s baby powder seized in December 2018.

The bench noted that while maintaining standards of quality and safety are of ut-

most importance for cosmetic products, at the same time it does not seem reasonable to shut down the whole manufacturing process when there is a slight deviation in one of the products.

Such an approach would result in considerable amount of “commercial chaos and wastefulness”, it said.

The court also slammed

The orders of suspension and revoking of license were passed based on the report of a lab

which found the powder contained higher pH

level than prescribed. The HC in its order on Wednesday noted

the fresh tests conducted showed all batches of the baby power product were compliant with the norms prescribed.

“The executive cannot use a hammer to kill an ant. Is it always inevitable that when there is a single case of deviation or non-compliance (to prescribed norms) by a product the only option left with the regulatory authority is to cancel or revoke the license of the manufacturing company?” the court observed.

party organization in various capacities. One of the trusted lieutenants of then chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, Chhajed had contested Assembly elections thrice but could not win. He was later elected as member of Legislative Council.

He went on to become the Maharashtra unit president of the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC). During his tenure, he united various unions of Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) workers and fought for their rights.

He was cremated on Wednesday evening.

Court acquits man, mother in abduction, rape case

First India Bureau

Mumbai: Giving them the benefit of doubt, a court in Thane district has acquitted a man and his mother accused in the abduction and rape of a 14-year-old girl in 2011.

In the order passed on January 06, Sessions Judge Dr Rachna R Tehra held that the prosecution failed to prove charges against the accused “beyond reasonable doubt and hence they need to be set free.”

The judge noted that the prosecution examined only two witnesses and that ‘they have not supported the case’

A copy of the order was made available on Tuesday.

The prosecution told the court that on April 29, 2011, the girl left her home in Navi Mumbai and did not return.

Her parents searched for her, but could not locate her whereabouts.

Later, they came to know that a 31-year-old man had abducted her.

“All in all, from the material on record it is crystal clear that the prosecution has failed to establish charges levelled against accused persons,” noted Judge Tehra, while acquitting the man and his mother.

First India Bureau

OTHER STATES

Maha and Guj score well in financial, social markers; third ranked TN does better in social, governance sectors

As expected the top few ranks have been taken by the western and southern states. While the former have scored high on the fiscal and economic category, southern states have outperformed in the social and environmental category.

—Rajani Sinha, Chief Economist, CARE Ratings

CARE Ratings report provides quantitative evaluation of states’ performance. —FILE PHOTO

State Cong chief Nana Patole remembered Chhajed as the leader who always fought for rights of workers

This seems to us as an extreme approach. There seems to be an unfairness and unreasonableness in the executive action.

There is also nothing to show that the FDA has adopted such a stringent approach for any other product of the petitioner company or any other company.

—Bombay High Court

Terms it ‘stringent, unreasonable and unfair’ to the company; says fresh test results compliant with norms

the FDA for delay in testing of baby powder samples seized in December 2018. —FILE PHOTO

Students denounce violence against women. —FILE PHOTO

Rakesh Tikait, National Spokesperson, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), was felicitated during a farmers rally organized by the Bahujan Sangarsha Samiti, in Nagpur on Wednsday. —PHOTO BY PTI

Dressing LIKE WHIPPING Dalgona

Academia style is not unusual for us to be greeted with new trends on social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, or Twitter every other month. City First introduces you to Gen Z aesthetics

Dark academia, in contrast, is based on murky ideas like literary tragedy, life’s purpose, escapism, and death. The desire to learn about traditional literature, music, art, and history unites the two.

People use social media as a platform for self-expression, experimenting with new ideas in hopes of impressing others who share their interest. While certain pandemic lockdown fads, may have come and gone, many aesthetics, including cottagecore, e-girl or e-boy core, and academic aesthetics, flourished throughout this unsettled period. The academic aesthetic has spawned a number of subgenres, including art academia, romantic academia and chaotic academia, and the most well-known of these are dark academia and light academia. The Vou claims that light academia encourages optimism, companionship, drive, and good outcomes over pessimism, melancholy, and sensitivity.

The distinction between light and dark academics in terms of style is made by the colour schemes used. While the light academia gravitates toward lighter and brighter varieties of browns, beiges, and pastels, the dark academia embraces deep browns, grey, and black. To achieve any academic appearance, essential items of clothing like turtlenecks, wool, tweed, or plaid jackets, pleated skirts, and stylish trousers are a must.

The aim, as always, is to appear refined and straightforward. Your allies include wool, tweed, beige, brown, and plaid. White, beige, and brown are the best colour combinations for mild academic settings. With a white shirt, pleated or checkered miniskirt, and a beige coat or cardigan for layering, you may look stylish and feminine. On the other hand, if you like a more

ADITI KUSHWAHA cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

DR TRUPTI SHIROLE cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

Many of us have struggled with sleep during the last few years due to stress and other issues brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to a study published in Sleep Medicine in November 2021 that questioned 22,330 persons from 13 nations, one in three reported clinical insomnia symptoms and over 20% had the conditions for insomnia disorder. These numbers are more than double what they were before the outbreak.

HOW SLEEP DEPRIVATION AFFECTS THE BODY

Sleep deprivation impacts our cognitive and emotional abilities; therefore, insomnia is a cause for concern. According to experts, a person who does not get enough sleep is more likely to be fatigued, easily agitated, aggressive, or unable to concentrate, which reduces productivity and efficiency. If sleep-related concerns are not treated within a few days, they might lead to sleep disorders and have an impact on one's mental health.

l INCREASED USE OF ELECTRONIC DEVICES

Increased reliance on technology for amusement or leisure following the pandemic could be one of the causes of poor sleep. Being on the phone before night may be interfering with your sleep. The blue light emitted by phones interferes with the release of the sleep hormone melatonin. Melatonin is created roughly 2 hours before bedtime,

TOP 10 REASONS WHY YOU CAN’T SLEEP

especially children. Sleeping on an irregular schedule or staying up late can interfere with getting a decent night's sleep. In the long run, it can also harm one's dayto-day activities at work or college, among other things. A regular sleep pattern is useful because it allows optimal performance and decreases stress.

l AGE-RELATED PROBLEMS

Because of age-related ailments such as Alzheimer's disease, senior individuals may have difficulty sleeping. Other causes may include chronic illness-related pain, sleeplessness, or the need to urinate frequently. Some people may find it difficult to fall asleep as they get older. As less time is spent in deep sleep, many people wake up throughout the night or much sooner in the morning. Because of frequent sleep disturbances, elderly persons may feel weary or sleep-deprived even though their total sleep time remains constant. Taking warm milk or avoiding

ping during the day, can help the elderly sleep better.

l CAFFEINE AND ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES

Caffeine or alcohol use should be limited before going to bed. Caffeine should not be consumed six hours before bedtime since it can interfere with the duration and efficiency of sleep. Alcohol can also cause fragmented sleep because excessive consumption does not produce deep slumber that leaves one feeling rejuvenated in the morning. Alcohol drinking before bedtime also interferes with sleep by dehydrating the body.

l SLEEP PROBLEMS

Sleep disorders such as insomnia, parasomnias, and sleep apnea can all significantly contribute to sleep issues. Insomnia makes it difficult to get enough sleep or causes one to get up too

early. Insomnia can also be a sign of a mental health problem such as anxiety or despair. Parasomnias disrupt sleep by causing movements and behaviours such as sleepwalking, sleep talking, sleep terror, and sleep paralysis. Sleep apnea is frequently misdiagnosed. People with sleep apnea frequently have difficulty breathing because it stops and restarts several times during the night.

l STRESS OR MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES

Individuals suffering from mental health concerns such as depression or anxiety may struggle to sleep. They may sleep insufficiently or excessively. Anxiety and sleep are also inextricably linked. While anxiety can interfere with sleep, it is also possible to become worried simply by worrying about not getting enough sleep. Multiple life events, such as relationship or health problems, family disruptions, or professional pressure, can produce stress and make it difficult to sleep well. In response to stress, hormones are generated that increase heart rate and awareness for the body to react to danger, making sleep impossible.

l MEDICATIONS

Some drugs for illnesses such as asthma, heart difficulties,

psychological disorders, thyroid conditions, or cancer can interfere with sleep since the action of chemicals differs from person to person. Betablockers, which are used to treat high blood pressure or angina, may cause sleeplessness. Over-the-counter medications for colds or headaches, as well as pain relievers, can disrupt sleep and make you feel drowsy during the day. Decongestants can cause insomnia whereas anti-histamines might produce drowsiness.

l EXERCISE

A strenuous workout within an hour of going to bed will make it difficult to sleep. Exercise boosts the heart rate and activates the neural system, making it difficult to relax the body. High-intensity workouts near night slow down the relaxation process even more. A 1997 study discovered that jogging in the evening resulted in delayed melatonin generation 24 hours later, influencing sleep the following day.

l POOR SLEEPING CONDITIONS

Noise or light in the bedroom may make it difficult to relax or sleep soundly. Sleep issues might be caused by streetlights, night lights, or even a messy room. Light in the room before

FACEOFTHEDAY

YOUR DAY

ARIES

MAR 21 - APR 20

There is much to achieve today and you will find yourself up to it. Academic front seems favourable. You are likely to buy something you have been longing for. Retailers providers will find their cash registers ringing. You will spend some time in self introspection.

LEO

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

Financial front remains rosy and promises to bring in gains. Good professional guidance may become the key to further your career. A family member may make you proud with an achievement. Spending time with friends is possible. Some of you may decide to take your romance.

SAGITTARIUS

NOV 23 - DEC 22

An outing with family promises much fun. Prepare well for a long journey, if you want to travel comfortably. Shifting to a new house or a new city cannot be ruled out for some. Travel arrangements may be on your mind today. Your romantic nature seems on the ascendant.

TAURUS

APR 21 - MAY 20

Buying something expensive for the house is indicated. Those feeling lethargic and unwell may get back on the path to perfect health. A close friend may motivate you for a vacation, so start applying for leave. You are likely to enjoy the day in the company of beloved.

VIRGO

AUG 24 - SEP 23

Someone’s good advice will help in making the right decisions on the academic front. Things start looking up on the health front as you manage to remain regular in your workouts. Prospects of marriage for lovers are set to brighten.

CAPRICORN

DEC 23 - JAN 20

Meditate to embark on a new spiritual journey. You will be able to regain lost ground on the academic front to come at par with the rest. Excellent showing at work will get you hand-picked for an important assignment. You may long to meet your near and dear ones today.

GEMINI

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

There is a chance of somebody taking you along for a function or a party. Keeping track of something or someone may prove an uphill task. Your standing in your professional circle is likely to get a boost. Not keeping regular in your routine can tell on your health.

LIBRA

SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22

You may want things differently on the domestic front, but will need to convince others about your ideas. A break from the routine is indicated and will give you time to do things you were not getting time. Change of season requires you to take good care of your health.

AQUARIUS

JAN 21 - FEB 19

Expect immediate returns from the investments made by you. Workload is likely to increase on the professional front. This is a fine day on the financial front, as you manage to earn a lot. Good understanding and mutual respect is likely to enhance togetherness for the newlyweds.

bedtime might disrupt the internal clock and make it difficult to fall asleep.

HOURS

l UNUSUAL WORKING

Working odd hours, such as graveyard jobs or early morning shifts, might disrupt one's circadian rhythm. Due to sleeping at strange hours, one's sleep may not be very rejuvenating. Sleeping against the clock or attempting to sleep during the day when the body expects to be up, makes it difficult to achieve a good night's sleep. A normal sleep pattern is impossible to maintain due to frequent or random shift rotations. According to research, proper shift rotation helps employees be more productive and efficient.

l PROTEIN CONSUMPTION CLOSE TO BEDTIME

Meat before night may disrupt your sleep since protein takes a long time and requires more energy to digest. The digestive process of the body slows down by up to 50% when sleeping. Carbohydrates are recommended for excellent sleep because they aid in the release of serotonin, which is proven to aid sleep.

l MAINTAIN APPROPRIATE SLEEP HYGIENE

Putting away phones and other electronic devices allows one to relax and fall asleep sooner. Place your phones outside your room, out of sight and out of mind. If necessary, replace your phone with an alarm clock. To relax, put on a comfy pair of clothes. Make sure the space is at a suitable temperature and that there isn't too much light.

Sorce: https://www.medindia. net/news/lifestyleandwellness/top-10-reasons-why-youcant-sleep-209900-1.htm

CANCER

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

Someone who admires you will leave no stone unturned in appeasing you today. Those unwell are likely to recover soon through regular medication. A solution may be found for a complex problem at work. Those in love will feel much closer now, than before.

SCORPIO

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

An initiative on the health front is likely to give rich dividends. Those involved in a project will be able to give a good account of

PISCES

FEB20 - MARCH 20

Much hustle and bustle can be expected on the social front to your delight.Someone may not agree to your terms but that should not affect your productivity. You will get a chance to tap your potential on the professional front and impress those who matter.

SIMRAN SINGH,

themselves. Someone you despise is likely to turn over a new leaf, so let bygones be bygones. Good news awaits you on the social front.

Horoscope by Saurabbh Sachdeva

HAPPY BIRTHDAY VAMIKA !

A

MOUNI’S pastel-blue dress

Mouni Roy dubbed the "Fashion Icon," has never shied away from trying new looks and has astounded her audience with her fashion choices. The diva looks stunning in every dress, whether it has ornate ethnic clothing or a plunging neckline and thigh-high slits, and she dazzles the fashion police with her array of clothes. Recently, Mouni left the town buzzing as she shot off a casual yet blazing appearance that had everyone in awe. However, Mouni has already ignited the internet with her attractiveness. The actress has

garnered attention for her fashion choices on several occasions.

The actress chose a stunning pastel blue satin dress that looked quite chic on her. Her stylish dress included straps and a backless de sign with tie-knot strings. Mouni dressed up for this avatar by don ning very light nude makeup. She preserved her open, straight hair. Her OOTD was complet ed with a pair of bulky white-rimmed sunglass es. Additionally, Mouni carried a gorgeous Dior Saddle handbag. In no time, Mouni’s

As Dreamy As Her Eyes

Hailing from a royal family, Aditi Rao Hydari is one of the most elegant actresses in Bollywood. Having made her mark on the big screen with unique choices, her radiant beauty and stunning wardrobe make her different from others. The ‘Padmaavat’ actress loves to experiment with her fashion and we can see it on her feed.

Let's seize this moment to admire Aditi Rao Hydari’s casul yet cool fashion sense and her beauty

with straight-fit types of denim and a rose gold watch is simply amazing. The carpet is surely a magical one.

TAAPSEE IN PHIR AAYI HASEEN DILLRUBA

The mystery drama Haseen Dillruba had the audience hooked. The twist, in the end, had everyone shocked. In a fun banter on social media, producer Aanand L Rai, Taapsee Pannu & co-producer writer Kanika Dhillon reveal some

has taken things to the next level. This banter has hinted that the first official poster of the film is going to be out soon. The first part of the film gained immense popularity thanks to the original writing and fresh star cast that added to the

was super unwell”

Waltair Veerayya has been making news ever since its inception. The film will be bringing Chiranjeevi and Ravi Teja onto the big screen. Their recently released song ‘Poonakalu Loading’ featuring them in a dance-off has only added to the anticipation. However, missing from the promotional activity was the leading lady Shruti Haasan.

Shehnaaz sings MOONRISE

hehnaaz Gill, the multi-talented actress and one of the most genuine personalities in the industry, has often proved to be fans' favorite celebrity. Known for her down-to-earth and realistic nature, Shehnaaz has often believed in entertain ing the audience through her talent. Post her Bigg Boss 13 stint, Shehnaaz donned several hats such as modeling, acting, singing, and more, and proved to be a multi-talented star.

The actress has been doing music videos lately, and recently, Shehnaaz took to her Instagram handle and shared a poster of a new song, 'Moonrise', which was released on Tuesday, January 10. The song is receiving great responses from her fans and has become a huge hit.

Shehnaaz sang her newly re leased song Moonrise in her melo dious voice and shared a video of it on her Instagram handle.

Sharing this clip, she wrote, "#moonrise thank you for accompanying me on the guitar @samuelshetty Dekh guru main bhi ho gayi shuru @guru randhawa."

The actress recently revealed that she had to give it a skip owing to health issues. Shruti recently expressed her disappointment over missing out on this important event. She said, “I was so heartbroken that I was not attending the grand launch due to my ill health. I was super unwell and couldn't make it to the launch. It has been an absolute honor to work with Chiranjeevi Garu."

“I

Shehnaaz Gill

Her story... Shruti Haasan

Taapsee Pannu

Mouni Roy

Mouni in pastel blue satin dress

Anushka Sharma

Virushka’s post...

Hrithik talks about his learnings on his birthday

Hrithik Roshan recently celebrated his 49th birthday. The Vikram Vedha star no longer has extensive birthday plans like he once had; instead, he views this day as a time to do things that will make him happy. The ‘War’ actor said: “I used to see it (his birthday) as a fun day but

must celebrate, a must party (event). Birthdays came with a slight sense of discomfort. But today, I see it as an opportunity to spend time doing things that would fulfil me. I may still do the exact same things, but now it’s out of my own desire and sense of fulfilment rather than a selfimposed mandate.”

Talking about his biggest learning in these 49 years, Hrithik Roshan said that at this stage in his life, he considers peace to be of prime importance.

ASHISH TIWARI cityfirst.mumbai@firstindia.co.in

Abhay Deol once billed as the poster boy of indie cinema, says he has become less dissenting with time but more hopeful. A week ago, the trailer of Netflix’s upcoming show, Trial by Fire broke the internet As the release is around the corner, the actor is busy with the promotions of it. During one such stint of his, Abhay opened up about “being a rebel” and how he is not “much of an outcast” in the industry anymore. Abhay Deol who was once billed as the poster boy of indie cinema, says he has become less dissenting with time but more hopeful. Ab

Not much of an outcast now: ABHAY DEOL

raphy lineup over the years from Dev D, Manorama Six Feet Under, Oye Lucky Lucky Oye to Shanghai and now the actor says that the streaming space has made the industry far more demo cratic, which is why there is an opportunity for him to continue to shine. The actor quoted, “I was in a good head space when the show came to me. I was hopeful that change is here, more challenging subjects will be made, and more actors of di verse backgrounds will get a chance. It is already happening, maybe that’s why I got the show because I was in a very positive head space that there is space for someone like me too in my industry,” He added, “There was space for me earlier, but in a more conformist man-

ner and I could have capital-

tion for me the way I am, perhaps the way they wanted me to be. There was a lot of warmth, don’t get me wrong. They were nice, they weren’t rude, they just… I was the rebel rule breaker, and that doesn’t translate very well.

Pneumonia is affecting me: MAHEKK CHAHAL

ahekk Chahal, the actor from Naagin 6, was recently taken to the hospital when her condition deteriorated. She got pneumonia, which led to her admission to an ICU ward. To prevent a relapse, the actress is receiving treatment while still being mon-

itored in the hospital. While revealing further the actress verified the information and thanked the medical professionals for caring for her. When asked what exactly happened, the actress explained, "I collapsed on January 2. I felt like knives piercing my chest..I couldn't breathe. I was admitted to the Holy family hospital. I was rushed to the hospital and had to be kept in the ICU

(Intensive Care Unit) for 3-4 days. I was put on oxygen cylinders even though I am in a normal ward the oxygen keeps fluctuat ing.. “Pneumonia is af fecting me." In the paranormal series Naagin 6, Mahekk por trays a snake with the abil ity to change its shape. She gets along well with all of her co-stars, including Tejaswi Prakash, Simba Nagpal, Sudha Chandran, and Urvashi Dholakia.

The trailer for Tiger Shroff's up coming action comedy "Bade Miyan Chote Miyan" is becoming increasingly popular on social media. Akshay Kumar, who through a difficult period in his career life in 2022, is also a star in the movie.

Tiger may be seen performing his trademark high-octane action stunts and acrobatics in the photos.

In a sleeveless jacket, Tiger looks and acts the part of an action hero with ease.

With "Bade Miyan Chote Miyan" introducing the new squad of Akshay Kumar, Ti ger Shroff, and Prithviraj Su kumaran in some of the largerthan-life graphics, the movie is expected to be one of the biggest movies this year. In the movie, Prithviraj Sukumaran will por tray the antagonist.

RAKHI GETS MARRIED TO BEAU ADIL

or the past few months, Rakhi Sawant has been making headlines for her PDA with her boyfriend Adil Khan Durrani. The lovebirds, who are shutterbugs’ favourites, take social media by storm every time they step out together. However, it now looks like, the couple, who has been painting the town red with the romance, has tied the knot. Yes, you heard that right! A few pictures of Rakhi and Adil have surfaced on the web and it seems like they got married in a court marriage. Rakhi Sawant and Adil Durrani’s photos from their alleged court marriage have surfaced on the web and it sees the

duo sporting a varmala while posing and holding their mar riage certificate. For her dday, Sawant wore a floral print sharara which she paired with a golden du patta. Adil on the other hand kept it casual.

Soon after her photos went viral on social media, congratulatory messages started to pour in. In another picture, Rakhi is seen signing the wedding certificate. However, it appears that the marriage was registered last year, and it’s only now that the photos have emerged online.

In a tweet, Atlee wrote, “Wowww!!!! Stunning pure action entertainer Pathan is gonna be @iamsrk ur a king of mass sir feeling happy and proud to see u in this avatar sir kudos to Sid sir and Adhi sir @ yrf @deepikapadukone kudos to the entire team Pathaan.” Replying to him, Shah Rukh thanked him and called him the ‘king of mass’ films. He replied, “Thank u, sir. U being the king of mass…if u liked it, it means a lot. My love to u.” Shah Rukh has been actively using Twitter ever since he is nearing the release date of Pathaan.

Shah Rukh Khan's eagerly anticipated Pathaan teaser has been out for more than a day, yet it seems like fans are still in awe of it. Late to the party, director Atlee hailed Shah Rukh on Twitter for his action role in the movie. The actor will appear in Atlee's upcoming Jawan after Pathaan.

Directed by Siddharth Anand, the film is slated to release on January 25. It also stars Deepika Padukone and John

SRK responds to Atlee as he praises Pathaan!

Tiger Shroff’s first look

Shah Rukh Khan

Adil Khan Durrani and

Tiger Shroff

Hrithik Roshan Abhay Deol