First India-Mumbai Edition-19th March 2023

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday announced that PM MITRA mega textile parks would be set up in Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. P6

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Patna: Former Bihar CM Jitan Ram Manjhi triggered a fresh row on Friday saying that Ravan was a greater character than Ram. Manjhi, however, said that Ram and Ravan were imaginary characters in Ramcharitmanas and Ramayana.

FARMERS’ MARCH

ICC ISSUES ARREST WARRANT AGAINST PUTIN

The Hague: The International Criminal Court on Friday issued an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia’s presidential commissioner for children’s rights for “unlawful deportation” of Ukrainian children.

350/ quintal for onion growers, panel for forest land claims: Shinde

First India Bureau

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has accepted most of the demands made by farmers who are marching from Nashik to Mumbai and onion cultivators will be given financial relief of Rs 350 a quintal, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde told the state Assembly on Friday and urged the protesters to end their nearly weeklong stir.

Earlier in the day, representatives of the agitating farmers and tribals said their 200km ‘long march’ has been halted for now, but they will resume their walk to Mumbai if the state government does not come out with concrete steps to address their demands.

The foot march by thousands of farmers and tribals, which started from Dindori town in Nashik district in North Maharashtra on Sunday last, has reached Vasind town, around 80km from Mumbai

The chief minister informed the House that he had held discussions with a farmers’ delegation over 14 points, including forest rights, encroachment of forest land, transfer of land belonging to temple trusts and grazing grounds to cultivators for farming.

Appealing to the farmers to withdraw their long march, Shinde said the decisions taken will be implemented immediately.

Onion growers, facing losses due to low

prices of the commodity and damage to crop by unseasonal rains, will be given Rs 350 per quintal as financial relief, he said.

Shinde said a cabinet sub-committee will be set up to monitor appeals and claims related to the demand of forest land up to four hec-

tares in possession of cultivators. The panel will prepare a report in a month.

The panel will monitor the pending claims of farmers under the Forest Rights Act, Shinde said, adding former MLA Jeeva Pandu Gavit and sitting MLA Vinod Nikole,

both belonging to the Communist Party of India (Marxist) will be part of the committee.

The farmers’ protest was non-political in nature and they had genuine demands, the chief minister said.

Earlier, CPI(M) MLA Nikole said the march of farmers and tribals

PARLIAMENT ADJOURNED TILL NEXT WEEK AMID UPROAR

BJP is demanding apology from Rahul Gandhi over his remarks in the UK

First India Bureau

New Delhi: The budget session of Parliament on Friday was adjourned till next week amid an uproar over Rahul Gandhi’s remarks at Cambridge University. The BJP is demanding apology from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his remarks in the United Kingdom and the Opposition parties are pressing for a joint parliamentary committee probe into the Adani row.

The second part of budget session had begun on March 13.

The tussle also played outside the parliament with Rahul Gandhi stating that he wants to respond to the ministers who had made allegations against him in the two Houses.

WON’T LET RAHUL SPEAK IN LS WITHOUT APOLOGY: BJP

New Delhi: Amid chaos in Parliament, leading to adjournment of both houses for the second consecutive day, sources in the BJP on Friday said they won’t let Rahul Gandhi speak in the house unless he apologises for his remarks on Indian democracy in London. Both Houses were adjourned again on Friday.

RaGa’s ‘UNFORTUNATELY I’M MP’ REMARK GETS MIN’S DIG

New Delhi: Taking a jibe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s over his “unfortunately I am MP” remark, Union I&B Minister Anurag Thakur on Friday said that sometimes truth comes out and it is really “unfortunate” that he is an MP.

FACING FLAK?

CONG’S BREACH OF PRIVILEGE NOTICE OVER PM’S REMARKS

New Delhi: Congress leader KC Venugopal on Friday gave Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar a breach of privilege notice against PM Narendra Modi over his remarks on why former PM Jawaharlal Nehru’s family did not use his surname. The PM’s remarks were made during his reply to the motion of thanks on the President’s address.

has been halted after assurance from the government, but the agitation will resume if they do not see any concrete steps to address their issues.

“We have halted the long march. But we need to see concrete action from the government that our issues will be addressed or else we will head to Mumbai,” said the legislator. He said the agitators will stay put till the government issues official order on their demands.

The cultivators started their march in support of their demands, which included Rs 600 per quintal relief to onion farmers, 12-hour uninterrupted power supply to farmers and waiver of farm loans, among others.

Is Maha govt sensitive to farmers? CM says yes

Mumbai (FIB): Maharash-

tra Chief Minister Eknath

Shinde on Friday said panchnamas are being prepared to assess crop losses caused due to unseasonal rains and his government is committed to the welfare of farmers.

Speaking in the Assembly, Shinde said he has spoken to the collectors of Nanded and Nashik districts to take stock of the extent of losses caused due to unseasonal rains on Thursday.

He said the panchnamas pertaining to crops destroyed by untimely showers last week are almost complete. The issue was raised Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar who asked whether the government was sensitive to the hardships of the farmers.

“There is a yellow alert in the state. The climate is gloomy. Farmers are feeling the pinch of the damage to their standing crops due to

unseasonal rains, which is leading to growers ending their lives,” Pawar said. He added, “Agriculture minister Abdul Sattar speaks insensitively about the hardships faced by the farmers. The situation needs to be taken seriously by the Assembly. The state will survive if farmers live.”

Earlier in the day, members of the Maha Vikas Aghadi, the opposition bloc of the Uddhav Thackeray group, Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party, staged a protest on the stairs of Vidhan Bhavan and shouted slogans demanding compensation for farmers who have lost their crops.

“What is the use of this government if they can’t give adequate price to farmers for their crops,” asked the legislators led by leaders of opposition In both houses Ajit Pawar and Ambadas Danve.

Court extends Sisodia’s

ED

custody for five more days

First India Bureau

New Delhi: Manish Sisodia’s custody was extended by five days on Friday by a local court after the ED sought a week more to investigate allegations against him linked to the Delhi liquor case.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader had argued that the ED questioned him “only for 30 minutes to one hour every day” and did not need to keep him in jail any longer.

Earlier, Sisodia had complained to the court that the CBI asked him the “same questions everyday”, after which the agency was ordered not to repeat its questions.

The court also allowed the former Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi to sign cheques for household expenses.

Sisodia has been in jail since February 26, when he was arrested by the CBI over alleged corruption linked to a new liquor policy that was scrapped within nine months. MORE ON P6

HC quashes CM Shinde’s decision over recruitment in co-operative bank; slams him for interference

First India Bureau

Mumbai: The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court has quashed the decision of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to stay the recruitment process of a co-operative bank, noting that the CM has no powers to review or modify the calls taken by the minister concerned.

A division bench of Justices Vinay Joshi

and Valmiki SA Menezes in its order of March 3 termed Shinde’s decision “wholly unwarranted and without authority of law”. The order was passed on a petition filed by Chandrapur District Central Co-operative Bank Ltd. and a businessman named Santoshsingh Rawat, who had been elected as its chairman, opposing Shinde’s decision.

WANT TO CONFRONT SISODIA WITH 1.23 LAKH EMAILS: ED’S LAWYER TO COURT

New Delhi: Seeking further seven days custody of Manish Sidodia, ED’s lawyer Zoheb Hossain stated that the AAP leader needed to be confronted with his secretary C Arvind, senior excise policy officials, and with over 1.23 lakh emails and other digital data. “There are some fresh findings pertaining to parts of investigation revealed by one Alok Srivastava from the excise department. Sisodia needs to be confronted with C Arvind. He needs to be confronted because of new revelations made by Srivastava. We have taken multiple statements of Sisodia, confronted him with officials who were present in all Group of Ministers (GoM) meetings,” Hossain told the court.

Mail dump of 1.23 lakh mails needs to be analysed and confronted with the arrestee.

—Zoheb Hossain, ED’s lawyer

Online trolling of CJI: Oppn leaders seek urgent action

According to the plea, the CM’s order was passed at the behest of local politicians. The court held that the chief minister has no independent power assigned under the “Rules of Business and Instructions” to review or modify the decision taken by the in-charge minister.

“The intervention of the Chief Minister is wholly unwarranted and without the author-

ity of law. The Chief Minister has no independent power under the Business Rules and Instructions to interfere into the subject which was allocated to the Incharge-Minister,” the court said in the order.

The CM was not the head of the “Cooperation Department”, but the said department was assigned to a separate minister, the bench said.

New Delhi: Alleging interference with the course of justice, 13 Opposition leaders wrote to President Droupadi Murmu requesting immediate action against the online trolling of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud.

The letter is written by Congress MP Vivek Tankha and is supported by party MPs Digvijaya Singh, Shaktisinh Gohil, Pramod Tiwari, Amee Yagnik, Ranjeet Ranjan, Imran Pratapgarhi, Aam Aadmi Party’s Raghav Chadha, Shiv Sena (UBT) mem-

CJI DY Chandrachud

ber Priyanka Chaturvedi and Samajwadi Party’s Jaya Bachchan and Ram Gopal Yadav. Tankha has also separately written to Attorney General of India R Venkataramani on the same issue.

Protesting farmers below a flyover.

—FILE PHOTO

MANJHI CLAIMS RAVAN WAS GREATER THAN RAM

Opposition MPs during a protest over the Adani issue at Parliament House complex in New Delhi, on Friday. —PHOTO BY PTI

Former Delhi deputy CM Manish Sisodia after appearing before Rouse Avenue court in the Delhi excise policy case after the 7-day ED remand expired, in New Delhi, on Friday. —PHOTO BY PTI

DCM was target: Police to court on designer case

Anishka Jaisinghani sent to police custody till March 21 for offering bribe to Fadnavis’s wife Amruta

First India Bureau

Mumbai: While seeking the custody of designer Anishka Jaisinghani, police told a Mumbai court on Friday that the ultimate aim of the conspiracy was to “fix”

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

Jaisinghani is accused of offering bribe to Fadnavis’s wife Amruta. She was produced before Additional Sessions Judge DD Almale who remanded her in

CRUCIAL READ NO TOILETS FOR WOMEN: 31 HOTELS TO FACE ACTION

Latur: Seven petrol pumps and 31 hotels along important roads in the Latur district will face action for failing to provide separate toilets for women, an official said. Following a plea by a women’s organization to Collector Prithviraj BP, the district administration had ordered an inspection of such establishments along prominent roads, the official said. Officials inspected 81 hotels and 56 petrol pumps of which 31 eateries and 7 fuel stations were found either with no toilets for women or with toilets in unhygienic condition, he added.

WOMAN DIES BY SUICIDE AT GOVT HOSP IN AKOLA

Akola: A 25-year-old woman who recently gave birth to a baby girl was found dead in an alleged suicide at a government hospital. The incident occurred two weeks after the birth and the infant was admitted to the hospital’s critical care unit due to health complications. The woman had been missing since March 15 and was found hanging in a locked toilet attached to a hospital ward. The police are investigating the matter. The woman was identified as Godavari Khillare and was a resident of Washim.

7 YEARS ON RUN, MURDER ACCUSED NABBED IN UP

Thane: A 41-year-old man involved in the killing of three persons in Thane district was arrested from a village in Uttar Pradesh after being on the run for seven years, police said on Friday. Acting on a tip-off, the Kashimira police apprehended the accused from a village in UP on March 13, an official said. The accused had killed three persons over previous enmity in July 2016 and had been on the run ever since, said SI Aviraj Kurhade. Earlier. cops had arrested the three accused involved in the crime, he said.

MMRDA TO BUILD PROTECTION WALL

NR AIROLI HILLOCK

Mumbai: The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority is set to build a protection wall near the Airoli Katai Naka hillock to prevent landslides during monsoon. The agency has consulted with IIT-Bombay for the project, which will cost an estimated Rs73 crore and is expected to be completed in nine months. The wall will be built as a part of the Mumbai Urban Transport Project, which includes the construction of a 12.3 km long elevated road that will reduce travel time between Katai Naka and Airoli by half an hour.

police custody till March 21.

The accused tried to extort Rs10 crore from Amruta by “threatening to circulate morphed videos”, and hence they invoked Indian Penal Code (IPC) Section 385 (putting person in fear of injury in order to commit extortion) against Anishka Jaisinghani and her father Anil Jaisinghani, the police said.

Anishka was arrested on Thursday while her father, also an ac-

cused in the case, is still at large. The Malabar Hill police station had registered a First Information Report (FIR) in

the case on February 20 on Amruta Fadnavis's complaint.

The FIR was registered under IPC section

120-B (conspiracy) and sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Chief Public Prosecutor Jaysing Desai told

the court that photos, videos and other material evidence shows there was a conspiracy to fix “the informant (complainant Amruta Fadnavis) and ultimately the public servant” (Devendra Fadnavis). The accused wanted to

IN MAHARASHTRA ASSEMBLY SESSION...

NCP objects to Karnataka CM’s

‘anti-Maharashtra’ remarks

Hold local body polls immediately: LOP Ajit Pawar in state Assembly

First India Bureau

Mumbai: Terming comments of Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai as “anti-Maharashtra”, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) legislator Jayant Patil on Friday asked the state government to take note of it.

The NCP leader told the Maharashtra Assembly that after the government announced its plan to extend health insurance scheme Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Arogya Yojana to the 865 Marathi-speaking villages in pollbound Karnataka, Bommai has been targeting the neighbouring state.

“What is the problem if the health insurance scheme is provided to common citizens in the 865 villages?” he asked.

Patil told the House that Karnataka CM Bommai has called the Maharashtra government’s decision an “unpardonable offence”.

The NCP leader said, “He (Bommai) also said Karnataka would give grants to the Pandhar-

CM Bommai has asked Maha to withdraw its health insurance scheme

pur and Tuljapur temple trusts.”

The Karnataka CM on Thursday urged the Maharashtra government to immediately withdraw its order on implementation of the health insurance scheme in the Marathispeaking villages on Karnataka’s side of the border, and said he would be raising the matter with Union Home Minister Shah.

The Eknath Shinde government recently announced the allocation of Rs54 crore for the health insurance scheme so that benefits could be extended to the border villages in Karnataka that Maharashtra has been laying claim to.

The border dispute dates back to 1957 after the reorganization of states on linguistic lines.

Mumbai (PTI): Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Ajit Pawar on Friday demanded that long-due elections to the local bodies in the state be held immediately. Elections to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), other municipal corporations and local bodies are due for several months now. Initiating a debate on the issues of urban development, housing, public health and medical education, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader alleged that due to

interference of the state government through administrators of local bodies, crores of rupees are being wasted.

Funds of local bodies are being used to publish advertisements of the chief minister, Pawar claimed. “Due to the

stay on old projects and development works, there is resentment among the public,” he said.

There are no elected representatives in municipal corporations for the last two and a half years and they are being run by administrators, he said, adding that the Eknath Shinde-led government did not seem to desire early elections.

In the absence of elected representatives in the Mumbai civic body (BMC), big projects should not be taken up as per the convention, Pawar said.

Honorarium for ASHA workers up by `1.5K; MLAs say not enough

First India Bureau

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has raised the monthly honorarium for ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) workers by Rs1,500, state Health Minister Tanaji Sawant told the Assembly on Friday, but members called it not enough.

Women selected as ASHA workers are the interface between the community and the public health system.

“Earlier, ASHA workers used to get Rs6,500 a month. Now, they will get Rs8,000. In addition to that, they get Rs200Rs3,000 in lieu of 56 activities they work on,” said Sawant during the Question Hour. He said additional funds for this have been provided in the recent budget.

Besides, they also get insurance cover, mobile bill recharge and pension, the minister said.

Several members from the opposition and

FARMERS’ PROTEST

“use of the office of public servant”, he added. Morphed photos and three or four videos were created to blackmail, the prosecution said. After Amruta blocked her number, Anishka demanded Rs10 crore to delete everything she

had and threatened to circulate those videos if Amruta did not pay, the prosecution claimed.

Anishka was in constant touch with her father who is facing 17 criminal cases, the police said while seeking Anishka’s custody for seven days. Advocate Milan Hebale, questioned why, if the FIR was registered on February 20, the arrest was made only now. Anishka’s law exams were going on, he said, praying for a short police custody. The court after hearing both the sides remanded Anishka in police custody till March 21.

Lawyers stage protest at courts over attacks

Mumbai (PTI): Members of the Bombay City Civil and Sessions Court and All India Federation of Advocates and Associations (AIFAA) on Friday held a peaceful protest against attacks on advocates, including the recent attack on lawyer Prithaviraj Zhala.

Over 300 lawyers in Mumbai and suburban areas held a protest on Monday, requesting judges not to pass adverse orders. The protest was organized by the All India Federation of AIFAA, which also undertook a signature campaign for the passing of

the Advocates Protection Act. Led by AIFAA president advocate Ravi Prakash Jadhav and other prominent lawyers, the advocates gathered peacefully to voice their concerns and demand better protection for themselves and their colleagues.

An advocate, Prithviraj Zhala was on Tuesday allegedly assaulted at Kandivali police station, where he had gone with a client, following an altercation with assistant police inspector (API) Anant Gite. In light of the incident, AIFAA decided to hold the protest.

` 260 cr furniture ‘scam’: Aaditya

First India Bureau

treasury benches felt the increase in honorarium was mearge. Congress legislator Nana Patole said the hike should be more, especially in mobile recharge, while his party colleague Varsha Gaikwad demanded a Diwali bonus considering the good work done by the ASHA workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Bharatiya Janata Party legislator Rahul Kul also said the hike was less.

Mumbai: Shiv Sena - UBT MLA Aaditya Thackeray on Friday alleged a nearly Rs260 crore worth of “scam” in the Mumbai civic body’s plan to buy street furniture, including benches. He hit out at the Eknath Shinde-BJP government in the Maharashtra Assembly, calling it pro builders and contractors.

Speaking in the Assembly, the Opposition MLA from Worli in central Mumbai called the ShindeBharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government as “unconstitutional”.

“Earlier a ruling party MLA also had raised the issue (of alleged irregularities in street furniture project) via a letter, but the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) administration seems to have the backing of the unconstitutional government for corruption,” Thackeray alleged while participating in a debate on urban issues.

‘Have halted march, but will head to Mum if demands not met’

First India Bureau Mumbai: The long march of farmers and tribals has halted after assurance from the government, but their representatives on Friday said they will continue to head to Mumbai if they see no concrete steps from the government to address their issues.

“We have halted the long march. But we need to see concrete action from the govern-

ment that our issues will be addressed or else we will head to Mumbai,” Vinod Nikole, Communist Party of India (Marxist) MLA said. His party colleague and former MLA Java Gavit is spearheading the long march comprising thousands of farmers who started their walk from Nashik. He said till the time the government does not issue orders to officials

Farmer organizations warn of agitation if govt fails to make good on promises

on ground, they will stay put. Their demands range from Rs600 per quintal relief to onion farmers, 12-hour unin-

terrupted power supply to farmers, and waiver of farm loans.

The march is currently at Vasind, around 80 km from Mumbai.

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde led the talks with Deputy Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday. The government on Friday accepted most of the demands made by farmers.

Onion cultivators will be given financial relief of Rs350 a quintal.

Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis and wife Amruta. —FILE PHOTO

NCP leader Jayant Patil

—FILE

PHOTO

Leader of Oppn in Assembly Ajit Pawar —FILE PHOTO

CITIZENS SHOULD NOT SUFFER: COURT

Pulls up Maha govt over its action to ‘curb menace’ of illegal strikes

First India Bureau

Mumbai: Amid the statewide agitation launched by government employees, the Bombay High Court on Friday pulled up the state over steps it was taking to “curb the menace” of illegal strikes.

A division bench of Acting Chief Justice SV Gangapurwala and Justice Sandeep Marne was hearing an application filed by advocate Gunratan Sadavarte. It sought immediate withdrawal of ongoing strike of state government employees, including teaching and medical staff.

The state government employees declared an indefinite strike from

EX GRATIA OR FAMILY PENSION: GOVT

The govt on Friday decided to give the option to avail one-time ex gratia or family pension to its employees in case of their death while in service. The decision was taken in a cabinet meeting chaired by CM Eknath Shinde here, official sources said.

March 14, seeking restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) that was scrapped in 2005.

Advocate General Birendra Saraf told the court that the strike was “illegal” and assured that the state government was making

Teacher booked for beating up Class VIII student

all endeavours to ensure that no person suffers due to the strike.

The bench asked the government to categorically say what steps it was taking to ensure that basic amenities and essential services are provided to the public.

—PHOTO BY BHUSHAN KOYANDE

“Our anxiety is that the common citizens should not be deprived of essential service.

Common citizens should not suffer. We want to know what steps the state is taking to curb this menace. What are modalities and steps government is taking to ensure basic amenities and essential services are made available to people,” court said. While posting matter for further hearing on March 23, the bench noted that people have the right to protest, but, the government has to ensure steps are taken so that no one suffers.

Sadavarte submitted to court that he was not against any person’s fight for their rights, but he was concerned about the lakhs of students, especially during board exams, and other persons facing difficulties due to the non-availability of health and teaching staff.

Strike may delay evaluation of Maharashtra board exams

Pune (PTI): With teachers joining the ongoing strike of government employees in Maharashtra, the evaluation of answer-sheets of Class X and XII examinations of the state board could be affected, union leaders said on Friday.

While the Class XII exam conducted by the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education ended on Friday, the Class X exam would end in the last week of March.

The strike of government employees and teachers’ unions who want restoration of the OPS began on March 14.

Santosh Phasge, President of the Junior Teachers' Federation, said all teachers’ unions have lent support to the demand for the OPS restoration.

NOTORIOUS CRIMINAL DETAINED FOR ONE YEAR IN NASHIK PRISON, IN THANE DISTRICT

Thane: A 27-year-old criminal involved in several serious crimes has been detained for a year by the police in Thane district, an official said on Friday. The accused has been detained under the Maharashtra Prevention of Dangerous Activities (MPDA) Act and was sent to Nashik Central prison on Thursday, he said. The accused has six cases to his name at MFC police station and one at Bazarpeth police station in Kalyan, senior inspector AB Honmane said.

THREE KILLED AS CAR RAMS INTO STATIONARY TRUCK

FIVE OF FAMILY ATTACK RELATIVES OVER DISPUTE

First India Bureau

Thane: An offence has been registered against a teacher of a private school for allegedly beating up a 14-year-old student in Maharashtra's Thane district, police said on Friday.

Based on a complaint lodged by the Class VIII student's parents, the police have registered a case under section 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) of the Indian Penal Code and under Juvenile Justice Act and Right to Education Act, senior inspector Ghanshyam Adhav of the Vashind police station said.

As per the complaint, the incident took place on March 14, when the teacher allegedly slapped the boy for returning late from the washroom and proceeded to beat him on the back and pull his ears, he said. The boy complained of pain and

SCHOOL TEACHER HELD FOR SEXUALLY ABUSING TEEN

Palghar (PTI): A 41-yearold teacher of a school has been arrested for allegedly sexually abusing a teen student in Maharashtra’s Palghar district, police said on Friday.

The accused, who is from Nalla Sopara, was arrested on Thursday evening under section 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code and relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, an official said. While the incident took place last month and the girl informed her parents about it recently, following which a complaint was lodged, he said, adding that further probe is underway.

there was swelling near his eyes, the official said, adding that a notice has been served to the teacher.

“Teachers’ unions have stated that they would not let the ongoing board examinations be affected due to the strike. But it has been decided that after the exams, all academic work including evaluation of papers will be stopped, which will affect the (declaration of) results,” he said. Anuradha Oak, Secretary of the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE), said the immediate priority was to conduct the exams smoothly.

Lalbaug murder: Cops recover pieces in residence drain, carton

First India Bureau Mumbai: In the shocking Lalbaug murder of a 55-year-old woman, Kalachowkie police have found some pieces of her body in a carton and also in the residence’s drain.

Cops have arrested the victim, Veena Jain’s 24-year-old daughter Rimple for allegedly murdering her mother and storing her dismembered body at their Lalbaug home.

According to police sources, Rimple tried to

dispose of tiny parts of her mother’s body in a drain a day after allegedly killing her, which left a stench in her house.

Her boyfriend—the manager of an eatery in the area—got her a drain suction cup after she told him that the clogged drain was

2 AIR QUALITY STATIONS RENAMED IN MUMBAI

First India Bureau

Mumbai: Anid the rising pollution concerns in the city, the System of Air Quality Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) has now renamed two of its monitoring stations at BKC and Chembur.

The development has come three months after the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) said that its monitors did not accurately reflect Mumbai’s base-

line pollution levels and must be relocated to cleaner locations.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)’s environment department had requested SAFAR to rename its BKC monitor as ‘Kalanagar, Bandra East’ and its Chembur monitor as ‘Pa-

tilwadi, Govandi East’. Though it initially refused, citing issues with data management, later it agreed to a compromise, the official stated.

The ‘BKC’ monitor is located just outside BKC at Kalanagar, which is in Bandra East. The Chembur monitor is located on the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) campus at Patilwadi, Govandi East, which is close to Chembur, official added.

SIGH OF RELIEF

stinking. Cops said they have also recovered hand gloves covered in maggots along with the carton box.

The Kalachowki police suspect involvement of others, too, and are questioning people from the locality. Teams have been dispatched to Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal to bring two suspects, they said. Police have also questioned the manager of Flavours of China eatery, who they believe is Rimple’s boyfriend.

Pune: Three persons died after the car they were travelling in crashed into a stationary truck on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway on Friday morning, said an official. Police said that the incident took place around 7.30 am near the Talegaon toll plaza. The impact was so powerful that the car nearly went under the truck. “The car was travelling from Mumbai to Pune. All three occupants died,” said an official.

Thane: Five persons have been charged with attacking and injuring their relatives over a dispute in Devripada of Mumbra, Thane district. The incident occurred on Wednesday night when a man, his parents and siblings attacked his wife’s family after she went to her parent’s house following a dispute. Some persons were injured in the attack and were admitted to a hospital.

MAN GETS 5 YEARS RI FOR INVOLVEMENT FOR DISPOSING MURDER VICTIM’S BODY

Thane: A man has been sentenced to five years of rigorous imprisonment for disposing of the body of a murder victim by a court. Kamlesh Sukuman Bansal was found guilty of charges under section 201 of the Indian Penal Code. The other two accused were sentenced to life imprisonment for murder and disposing of the victim’s body. The accused killed Katrikumar Indushankar Jaiswal in 2015, cut his body into pieces, packed it in plastic bags, and dumped it.

WOMAN LOSES MORE THAN `12L TO CYBER FRAUD

Thane: A 36-year-old woman was allegedly defrauded of over Rs12 lakh by cyber scammers. The victim was befriended by one of the accused on social media, claiming to be working in the UK. The victim was informed that she had received a gift, and a woman posing as a customs official called her to demand payment for the release of the parcel. The victim paid Rs12.47 lakh in bank transactions but never received the gift.

TWO HELD WITH DRUGS WORTH MORE THAN `10L

Palghar: Two persons were arrested with mephedrone and charas worth more than Rs10 lakh in Palghar district, police said on Friday. The police arrested two people in Nalla Sopara after receiving a tip-off. The accused were caught with 50 gm of mephedrone and 08 gm of charas, worth Rs10 lakh and Rs64,000 respectively. Senior inspector Sahuraj Ranavre confirmed the arrest and seizure of drugs.

MAN BOOKED FOR CHEATING AUTO DRIVER OF `9 LAKH ON PRETEXT OF JOB

Thane: A man from Kolhapur has been accused of cheating an autorickshaw driver in Thane city of Rs9 lakh on the pretext of helping him get a job at Mumbai airport. The complainant paid the accused Rs10.16 lakh in instalments, but when nothing happened, he asked for his money back. The accused returned only Rs1 lakh, and after several attempts to collect the remaining amount, the complainant approached the police. A case has been registered.

Relief to teen after Bombay HC rejects father’s plea for DNA test

First India Bureau

Nagpur: A Bombay High Court has dismissed a father's plea to conduct a DNA test on his teenage son to prove paternity, stating that children have the right to not have their legitimacy questioned in court.

The petitioner, employed with Western Coalfields Limited (WCL), had married a woman from the same company in 2006, and their son was born in 2007. However, the couple separated due to dispute, and woman approached the man for

maintenance of Rs5000, which he refused, alleging that the boy was not his biological son.

The Chandrapur district court had earlier quashed the order directing the DNA test.

Following this, the petitioner approached the high court seeking a DNA test of the boy.

While hearing the case, Justice Sanap observed that children have the right not to have the legitimacy of their births questioned frivolously in courts of law. Simply saying that the applicant (boy) is not his son will not be sufficient. In his cross-examination, he denied the suggestion that after the birth of the boy, he suspected his wife's character, the court said. Father, gainfully employed, is trying to avoid his liability to pay maintenance to unfortunate child, court observed.

After 12 years, Panvel tribal family gets back their land

Bizman from Rajasthan took it illegally, denied them access

First India Bureau

Navi Mumbai: A tribal family, hailing from the Panvel taluka has got back its nearly 3,200 square metre of land from an outsider after the intervention of Vijay Talekar and several members of an NGO Uran Samajik Sanstha (USS).

As per reports, the land was taken illegally in 2011 from the illiterate tribal family on a lease of 99 years by a man from Rajasthan who did business in the village for decades. He also denied the family access to their land since that time. The land is owned by one Ananta Pokla and

family. The businessman from Rajasthan Surendra Singh had first illegally done a

lease agreement with the parents of Pokla and took over the possession. Tribal-owned

ILLEGAL ARRANGEMENT

In 2016, the businessman had illegally entered into a sale agreement of the land with one of his tribal aides Hiraman Ughda. Singh further constructed houses for his crusher workers, opened a garage, and kept cows and buffaloes on the land taken by him illegally.

land cannot be transacted without obtaining due permissions. In 2016, Singh had il-

legally entered into a sale agreement of the land with one of his tribal aides Hiraman

Ughda. Singh further constructed houses for his crusher workers, opened a garage, and kept cows and buffaloes on the land taken by him illegally.

Ananta Pokla said, “Our Chirner Ashram school teacher Mahadev Doiphode had asked me to meet Prof Rajendra Madhavi, Sudhakar Patil and others from USS.

Thereafter, I complained to Panvel taluka police station and tehsil-

dar. The USS even bore the expenditure for paper works. We had suffered a lot being poor.”

The local circle officer Santosh Kachare had filed a report to Panvel tehsildar and the Panvel taluka assistant police inspector recorded the statement of all parties. Tehsildar Vijay Talekar finally ordered that the land transaction is illegal after a three-month hearing process.

Cama Hospital staffers demand restoration of OPS outside the premises gates in Mumbai on Friday.

Students appear for their Class XII board exam. —FILE PHOTO

The chawl, where the mother-daughter duo lived.

—PHOTO BY BHUSHAN KOYANDE

AI INFORMATION RETRIEVAL

The prominent model of information access before search engines became the norm –librarians and subject or search experts providing relevant information – was interactive, personalized, transparent and authoritative. Search engines are the primary way most people access information today, but entering a few keywords and getting a list of results ranked by some unknown function is not ideal.

A new generation of artificial intelligence-based information access systems, which includes Microsoft’s Bing/ChatGPT, Google/Bard and Meta/LLaMA, is upending the traditional search engine mode of search input and output. These systems are able to take full sentences and even paragraphs as input and generate personalized natural language responses.

Thanks to training on large bodies of text, finetuning and other machine learning-based methods, this type of information retrieval technique works quite effectively. The large language model-based systems generate personalized responses to fulfill information queries. People have found results so impressive that ChatGPT reached 100 million users in one third of time it took TikTok to get to that milestone. People have used it to not only find answers but to generate diagnoses

At first glance, this might seem like the best of both worlds: personable and custom answers combined with the breadth and depth of knowledge on the internet. But as a researcher who studies the search and recommendation systems, I believe the picture is mixed at best.

AI systems like ChatGPT and Bard are built on large language models. A language model is a machine-learning technique that uses a large body of available texts, such as Wikipedia and PubMed articles, to learn patterns. In simple terms, these models figure out what word is likely to come next, given a set of words or a phrase. In doing so, they are able to generate sentences, paragraphs and even pages that correspond to a query from a user. On March 14, 2023, OpenAI an-

IMRAN KHAN & HIS TOSHAKHANA GIFTS

nounced the next generation of the technology, GPT-4, which works with both text and image input, and Microsoft announced that its conversational Bing is based on GPT-4. Thanks to the training on large bodies of text, finetuning and other machine learning-based methods, this type of information retrieval technique works quite effectively. The large language model-based systems generate personalized responses to fulfill information queries. People have found the results so impressive that ChatGPT reached 100 million users in one third of the time it took TikTok to get to that milestone.

People have used it to not only find answers but to generate diagnoses, create dieting plans and make investment recommendations.

OPACITY AND ‘HALLUCINATIONS’

However, there are plenty of downsides. First, consider what is at the heart of a large language model – a mechanism through which it connects the words and presumably their meanings. This produces an output that often seems like an intelligent response, but large language model systems are known to produce almost parroted statements without a real understanding. So, while the generated output from such systems might seem smart, it is merely a reflection of underlying patterns of words the AI has found in an appropriate context.

This limitation makes large language model systems susceptible to making up or “hallucinating” answers. The systems are also

Finally, this new way of accessing information also can disempower people and takes away their chance to learn. A typical search process allows users to explore the range of possibilities for their information needs, often triggering them to adjust what they’re looking for

not smart enough to understand the incorrect premise of a question and answer faulty questions anyway. For example, when asked which U.S. president’s face is on the $100 bill, ChatGPT answers Benjamin Franklin without realizing that Franklin was never president and that the premise that the $100 bill has a picture of a U.S. president is incorrect.

The problem is that even when these systems are wrong only 10% of the time, you don’t know which 10%. People also don’t have the ability to quickly validate the systems’ responses. That’s because these systems lack transparency – they don’t reveal what data they are trained on, what sources they have used to come up with answers or how those responses are generated. For example, you could ask ChatGPT to write a technical report with citations. But often it makes up these citations – “hallucinating” the titles of scholarly papers as well as the authors. The systems also don’t validate the accuracy of their responses. This leaves the validation up

to the user, and users may not have the motivation or skills to do so or even recognize the need to check an AI’s responses.

STEALING CONTENT –AND TRAFFIC

While lack of transparency can be harmful to the users, it is also unfair to the authors, artists and creators of the original content from whom the systems have learned, because the systems do not reveal their sources or provide sufficient attribution. In most cases, creators are not compensated or credited or given the opportunity to give their consent. There is an economic angle to this as well. In a typical search engine environment, the results are shown with the links to the sources. This not only allows the user to verify the answers and provides the attributions to those sources, it also generates traffic for those sites. Many of these sources rely on this traffic for their revenue. Because the large language model systems produce direct answers but not the sources they drew from, I believe that those sites are likely to see their revenue streams diminish.

TAKING AWAY LEARNING AND SERENDIPITY

Finally, this new way of accessing information also can disempower people and takes away their chance to learn. A typical search process allows users to explore the range of possibilities for their information needs, often triggering them to adjust what they’re looking for. It also affords them an opportunity to learn what is out there and how various pieces of information connect to accomplish their tasks. And it allows for accidental encounters or serendipity.

These are very important aspects of search, but when a system produces the results without showing its sources or guiding the user through a process, it robs them of these possibilities.

Large language models are a great leap forward for information access, providing people with a way to have natural language-based interactions, produce personalized responses and discover answers and patterns that are often difficult for an average user to come up with. But they have severe limitations due to the way they learn and construct responses. Their answers may be wrong, toxic or biased. While other information access systems can suffer from these issues, too, large language model AI systems also lack transparency. Worse, their natural language responses can help fuel a false sense of trust and authoritativeness that can be dangerous for uninformed users.

—THECONVERSATION

Imran Khan who faced imminent arrest after a local court turned down the former Pakistan prime minister’s plea for suspension of his non-bailable arrest warrants in the Toshakhana case got a reprieve when the court in Lahore postponed his arrest until Friday. The leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party finally appeared in the Lahore court to avoid incurring the court’s wrath.

Imran is facing a criminal case for not paying for most of the gifts he took home from the government’s Toshakhana, the official treasure house where gifts received by Pakistani leaders and other dignitaries are kept. As per Pakistan Elec-

Imran is not the only Pakistan PM who faced arrest either after demitting office or after being removed from power. Former PM Nawaz Sharif also spent time in jail after his removal

tion Commission’s estimate, Imran made PKR 104.78 million by selling jewel-studded watches he got as gifts in his capacity as Prime Minister. Pakistan’s Prime Minister and president can keep gifts which are worth Rs 30,000 or pay a certain portion of the actual cost in case of costlier items. For making false statements regarding the

IN-DEPTH

ONION PRICES MAKE NASHIK FARMERS UNDERTAKE LONG MARCH TO MUMBAI

When cut, onions bring tears. In the case of Nashik farmers, however, onions have brought tears because the prices of their produce have fallen steeply. Thousands of onion farmers are marching from Nashik to Mumbai, a distance of about 200 km, after they were reduced to a state of penury because of the fall in prices. They are demanding Rs 600 per quintal immediate relief for farmers. The government is offering them Rs 300 per quintal instead. The farmers did not find the offer acceptable as it was a pittance compared to their heavy losses this season and below their expectation. They are also demanding uninterrupted power supply for 12 hours and waiver of agricultural loans.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his deputy Devendra Fadnavis are trying to resolve the issue, while the march continues. The opposition pitched for a Rs 500 to Rs 700 compensation. Besides onion, farmers are demanding a remunerative price also for cotton, soyabean and tur.

SPIRITUAL SPEAK

Sever the ignorant doubt in your heart with the sword of self-knowledge. Observe your discipline. Arise. Bhagavad Gita

TOP TWEETS

Extremely grateful to PM @ NarendraModi ji for this mega push for Textiles sector. We are all inspired by your 5F vision (Farm to Fibre to Factory to Fashion to Foreign) which will make India a global supplier & a hub for investment, manufacturing and exports. #PragatiKaPMMitra

Dharmendra Pradhan @dpradhanbjp

presents, the Election Commission of Pakistan barred Imran from holding any public office for five years.

Imran is not the only Pakistan Prime Minister who faced arrest either after demitting office or after being removed from power. Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif also spent time in jail after his removal. Ex-Presidents

Pervez Musharraf, Zulfiqar

Ali Bhutto both were incarcerated while the latter who also served as prime minister was hanged. Pakistan remains a dangerous place for politics as the army and ISI keep lurking in the shadows.

The attempt by Imran’s supporters to prevent his arrest by organizing widespread violent protests will fail if the court so decides.

A historic day in India’s development journey! PM MITRA mega textile parks in Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat, MP and UP will be a game-changer in creating an integrated textiles value chain and in strengthening India’s position on the global textiles map.

400057.

Chandra

A search engine researcher explains the promise and peril of letting ChatGPT and its cousins search the web for you

Cong protest after chaos in Parliament over Rahul Gandhi’s remarks in London

Amid ruckus over Cong leader’s remarks in UK, both Houses of Parliament have been adjourned till Monday

New Delhi (Agencies):

Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun

Kharge joined a party protest near the Mahatma Gandhi statue in parliament today. The protest began soon after both Houses were adjourned for the day in a standoff over Rahul Gandhi’s “democracyunder-attack” remarks in London.

Sonia Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge sat on chairs as the MPs protested holding placards and chanting slogans pressing for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) inquiry into the AdaniHindenburg row.

Parliament has been repeatedly stalled with the ruling BJP demanding an apology from Rahul Gandhi for his remarks in London, and the opposition aggressively pushing for a Joint Parliamentary Committee inquiry into the allegations of US short-seller Hindenburg against the Adani Group and the fallout of the subsequent fall in Adani stocks.

BJP sources have said they won’t let Rahul Gandhi speak in the House unless he apologises. The audio of the proceedings in parliament were muted this morning.

After about 20 min-

utes of chaos, Speaker Om Birla adjourned Lok Sabha for the day. Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and several other Union ministers were present in the House.

The Congress, re peating Rahul Gandhi’s charge that the mics of opposition leaders were muted, took a swipe at PM Narendra Modi.

“Earlier, the mic used to be turned off, today even the proceedings of the House were muted. The house is mute for PM Modi’s friend,” the Congress tweeted.

IN THE COURTYARD

TOP COURT TO HEAR MUSLIM WOMAN’S REQUEST FOR EQUAL PROPERTY SHARE

New Delhi: The Supreme Court agreed to hear a plea filed by a Muslim woman who claimed the provision of Shariat law to the extent of not giving equal share to a female compared to a male is “discriminatory” and violative of the rights guaranteed under the Constitution. A bench of justices was hearing the appeal against the Kerala High Court’s January 6 order filed by Bushara Ali.

SHAKTI BHOG FOODS MD GETS BAIL IN MONEY LAUNDERING CASE

New Delhi: The Delhi HC on Friday granted bail to Shakti Bhog Foods chairman and managing director Kewal Krishan Kumar in connection with a money laundering probe arising from an alleged multi-crore bank loan fraud. Justice Jasmeet Singh granted relief to the 70-year-old on account of his health condition while observing that he had been in custody for over 18 months and although the charge sheet was yet to be filed, the investigation against him was complete.

COURT AWARDS COMPENSATION OF `1 CR TO GIRL WHO LOST LEG IN ACCIDENT

New Delhi (ANI): A Delhi Court on Friday awarded a compensation of more than `1 crore to a resident of Haryana’s Gurugram, who met with an accident in December 2016 and had multiple injuries all over the body. She lost her right leg in the accident caused by the negligent driving of the DTC bus driver. She has suffered 80 per cent permanently disabled in her right limb after the accident.

MAN SEEKS GIRLFRIEND’S ‘CUSTODY’ FROM HER HUSBAND, HC FINES HIM

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat HC fined a man Rs 5,000 for seeking custody of his girlfriend from her husband on the strength of their live-in agreement. The man stated that he was in a relationship with the woman whose custody he was seeking. She was forced to marry someone else against her will, and the couple did not get along. The woman abandoned her husband to live with him after which they stayed together & signed a live-in relationship agreement.

RAHUL GANDHI NEVER DEMANDED FOREIGN FORCES TO SAVE OUR DEMOCRACY, IT’S NONSENSE: SHASHI THAROOR

New Delhi (ANI): With the continuous demand of the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) for an apology from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his remarks in London on democracy in India, party MP Shashi Tharoor has said that the Wayanad MP never demanded foreign forces to save our democracy. “Rahul Gandhi never demanded foreign forces come to our country to save our democracy. He hasn’t said anything he should apologise for. It’s nonsense,” Tharoor told ANI on Friday. “Democracy, in our country, is in danger and everyone should know about it. I didn’t hear anything wrong in it”, added Congress MP Tharoor.

BJP IS BRILLIANT AT POLITICS: THAROOR ON RAHUL GANDHI’S LONDON REMARKS

New Delhi: Asked about the ruling BJP demand for an apology from Rahul Gandhi over his comments, the MP from Thiruvananthapuram said he does not think the former Congress chief has got anything to apologise for. “I think that is the amazing thing about them. The BJP is brilliant, I must say, at politics, and one of the things they have done is that they have blamed him (Rahul Gandhi) for something he has not said and then managed to stick that charge on his neck and demand that he apologise for something he has not said,” Shashi Tharoor said.

AP CM meets PM, seeks resolution of pending issues

New Delhi: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister

YS Jagan Mohan Reddy today met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi to discuss various issues regarding his state, including special state status, pending funds from the Centre, and his intervention in clearing dues with neighbouring Telangana. He requested the PM to expedite work on several issues that are pending even nine years after the bifurcation of the state. He also met Union Home Minister Amit Shah later to discuss the same.

Congress, AAP slam BJP's Kirron Kher over ‘Laanat Hai’ remark

Chandigarh (PTI): The Congress and the AAP slammed BJP MP from Chandigarh Kirron Kher, accusing her of using “inappropriate” words while referring to her constituents at an event here, and demanded that she apologise.

They claimed that Kher, a second-time MP from Chandigarh, used words such as “laanat hai” and “chittar ferne chahiye” while referring to voters. Kher was addressing an event in Kishangarh and she talked about the development works done for the residents of the Deep Complex locality.

In a video, the MP is purportedly heard saying that “agar Deep Complex mein ek bhi banda mere ko vote na

CONG MUST SMELL POLITICAL COFFEE AFTER BJP'S POLL RESULTS IN NE: IRANI

BY ANI

dale toh phir bade laanat ki baat hai…jaakar chittar ferne chahiye unko, kyon ki itne paise deke maine unki sadke banvayi (If not even one from Deep Complex votes for me, then it is a highly shameful thing… they need to be beaten up with slippers)”.

The Chandigarh Mahila Congress demands that “she apologise to people because of whom she is the MP”, Cong leader said.

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s comments in the UK did not come due to his concern over India but for his political legacy, Union minister Smriti Irani said on Friday, stressing that the opposition party should take a hint from the recent poll results in the northeast and “smell the political coffee”. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) retained power on its own in Tripura and with its senior ally, Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP), in Nagaland. “Let us keep the 2014 and 2019 (Lok Sabha) elections aside. The Congress should take a hint from the recent poll results in the northeastern states of Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya, where the BJP did fairly well, and smell the political coffee,” the Union minister for women and child development and minority affairs said at the India Today Conclave here.

RaGa

is a part of ‘Anti-Nationalist Toolkit’: Nadda

New Delhi (PTI): BJP president JP Nadda alleged on Friday that Rahul Gandhi has become a “permanent part of the toolkit” working against India and said the Congress leader will have to apologise for seeking “interference” from foreign powers in India’s internal affairs.

Nadda said anti-India forces have always had problems with a strong India, its robust democracy and decisive government. By criticising the state of democracy in India and seeking the intervention of the United States and Europe on foreign soil, Gandhi has attacked the country’s sovereignty, he added.

“Rejected repeatedly by people, Rahul Gandhi has become a permanent part of the ‘toolkit’ working against India,” Nadda said. He accused the former Congress chief of insulting India, its

New Delhi: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday responding to BJP national president J P Nadda attack on Rahul Gandhi terming him as a “permanent part” of the “anti-nationalist toolkit” stated that the BJP, which had never taken part in the country’s freedom movement were anti nationals themselves.

Parliament, its democratically-elected government and people in Britain, a country that ruled over India for long, the BJP president said.

Mamata, Akhilesh Yadav agree on 2024 fight without Congress

Kolkata (Agencies):

The Congress’s plan to put up a united fight along with other Opposition parties against the BJP in 2024 seems to be dwindling as both Mamata Banerjee and Akhilesh Yadav have said that they would keep away from the Grand Old Party in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. This came after SP chief Akhilesh Yadav met the West Bengal CM in Kolkata on Friday.

“The Trinamool Congress will go its own way, maintaining distance from both the Congress and BJP,” senior Trinamool Congress MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay said adding that Mamata Banerjee will meet powerful regional parties to fight the BJP.

Increase in dowry, rape complaints: Govt

New Delhi (PTI): There is an increase in the number of dowry, rape, and attempt to rape complaints received in the National Commission for Women in the last three years, the Union Women and Child Development Ministry said.

Responding to a question in Lok Sabha, WCD Minister Smriti Irani gave data as per which 357 complaints

of dowry were received in 2022, 341 in 2021, and 330 in 2020. “There is

an increase in the number of complaints received/registered in

the Commission under categories ‘Dowry and Rape/attempt to Rape’ during the last three years and current year,” Irani said in a written response.

The NCW received 1,710 complaints of rape and attempt to rape in 2022, 1,681 in 2021, and 1,236 in 2020, according to the data. More than 1,98,000 cases are still pending in these courts, she added.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee greets SP chief Akhilesh Yadav in Kolkata on Friday. —PHOTO BY TWITTER YADAV SLAMS GOVT

FOR

ABUSE OF POWER

New Delhi (Agencies):

Akhilesh Yadav slammed the BJP-led government at the Centre for misusing central agencies to “harass leaders and public representatives of opposition parties”, who pose a threat to the saffron camp.

“The ED, CBI, & Income Tax are political weapons of BJP.

In UP, several of our leaders & MLAs, are in jail in false and fabricated cases,” he said.

MAIN TARGET IS TO

OUST BJP IN 2024: SP

New Delhi (Agencies):

The one and only target of Samajwadi Party is to oust BJP from power in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections at any cost, the party chief and the Leader of Opposition in Uttar Pradesh Assembly Akhilesh Yadav said on Friday. The Union government is not ready to discuss burning issues like inflation, unemployment and farmers’ plight.

Allow elected govt to function, says Kejriwal

New Delhi (ANI): As the budget session of the Delhi legislative assembly commenced on Friday, Delhi CM

Arvind Kejriwal said that the Aam Aadmi Party-led government has performed despite several “roadblocks”.

“I believe that democracy should be respected, and if 2 crore people have elected a government, it should be allowed to function. Cre-

Arvind Kejriwal

ating roadblocks in its working is not right,” Kejriwal said adding that Delhi is progressing rapidly because of AAP.

Opposition MPs create a ruckus in the Lok Sabha over the Adani-Hindenburg issue and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s democracy remark during the second phase of the Budget Session of the Parliament, in New Delhi on Friday.

—PHOTO BY ANI

Kirron Kher

BJP National President JP Nadda speaks on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on democracy in India, on Friday.

BJP THEMSELVES ARE ANTI-NAT’LS: CONGRESS CHIEF

—PHOTO

Mega textile parks will be set up in 7 states: PM Modi

PM asserts that they will attract massive investments & create lakhs of jobs

New Delhi (ANI):

Prime Minister Naren-

dra Modi on Friday announced that PM MITRA mega textile parks would be set up in Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh & Uttar Pradesh.

Taking to Twitter, PM Modi said, ‘’PM MITRA mega textile parks will boost the textiles sector in line with 5F (Farm to Fibre to Factory to Fashion to Foreign) vision.

Glad to share that PM MITRA mega textile parks would be set up in Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat, MP & UP.’’

He added, ‘’The PM MITRA mega textile parks will provide state-of-theart infrastructure for the textiles sector, attracts investment of crores and create lakhs of jobs.

It will be a great example of ‘Make in India’ and ‘Make For the World’.’’ Investments to the tune of about Rs 1,536 crore have been made so far in

PM MITRA PARKS TO DEVELOP

WORLD-CLASS INFRASTRUCTURE

Iran-Saudi Deal’

New Delhi (PTI): The China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to revive diplomatic ties should not be a matter of concern for India as the pact would provide regional stability and would be beneficial for New Delhi's interests as well, Iranian ambassador Iraj Elahi said on Friday.

New Delhi (PTI): Senior AAP leader Raghav Chadha on Friday claimed that the central probe agencies only have "malicious and fabricated stories" against former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who has been arrested in a money laundering case related to the Delhi excise policy, and have been asking him the same questions.

SISODIA’S BUNGALOW ALLOTTED TO DELHI’S NEW MINISTER ATISHI

Congress

F

urther, the Government had approved the setting up of 7 (seven) PM Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel (PM MITRA) Parks to develop world-class infrastructure with an outlay of Rs 4,445 crore for a period up to 2027-28. "The guidelines in respect of the scheme have been published and there have been multiple interactions with State Governments for inviting proposals. In response 18 proposals from 13 States have been received," the ministry said in the year-ender review.

the textiles industry under the ProductionLinked Incentive, said the Ministry of Textiles.

CM focuses on ‘Green Himachal’ in his first budget

Shimla (ANI): Reading out his first Budget in the Vidhan Sabha, Himachal Pradesh

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Friday announced a slew of green energy schemes, aiming to promote green energy and curbing illegal mining.

During his speech, the CM said Himachal Pradesh will be developed as a “Model State for Electric Vehicles”. Electric vehicles will be encouraged in a phased manner with the collaboration of private and public sectors.

Sukhu also announced Rs 50 lakh subsidy to the youth in the state to purchase ebuses. He said 500 e-

HIGHLIGHTS

l Implementation of the Green hydrogen policy

l Aim to develop green state by March 2026

l Solar power projects ranging from 500 MW to 1 KW to be set up

l 40% subsidy to youth for setting up small hydropower projects of 200 Kw to 2 MW

l Rs 1,000 crore for the conversion of 1,500 diesel buses into electric buses in a phased manner by the Himachal Road Transport Corporation

buses would be bought for the state transport and the state would establish 12 bus stations.

As part of its Atmanirbhar plan, the Government launched Production Linked In-

centive (PLI) schemes in varied sectors to make Indian manufacturers globally competitive, attract investments, enhance exports, integrate India into the global supply chain and reduce dependency on imports. For the textile industry, the government has launched the scheme with an approved financial outlay of Rs10,683 crore for textiles to achieve size and scale and to become competitive.

Under the deal, Iran and Saudi Arabia last week announced the full-fledged restoration of their diplomatic relations, seven years after severing the ties following a bitter row.

"I think agreemen should not be a concern for India. It would be of benefit since it would help & intensify the stability & peace in the Persian Gulf region," the envoy said adding that it would be of benefit to India despite what has been done at the mediation of China," he said.

Manish Sisodia's custody was extended by five days today by a Delhi court after the Enforcement Directorate sought a week more to investigate allegations against him linked to the Delhi liquor case.

He also said that ED officers have questioned Manish Sisodia for only 15 hours during his 7-day remand.

Addressing a press conference, Mr Chadha claimed the CBI and the ED don't have any evidence against Mr Sisodia and he is behind bars as a result of BJP's "politics of revenge".

"The BJP is scared of AAP and has started

Delhi L-G underlines govt’s works for edu

New Delhi (Agencies): As the budget session of Delhi Assembly began on Friday, Delhi Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena in his inaugural address underlined the work of the AAP government in the education sector.

Saxena said that due to the Delhi government's keen focus on the education sector, the students have performed well.

"Despite the Covid pandemic, Delhi's economy has been doing well. The government

New Delhi (PTI): Over a fortnight after his arrest by CBI in the Delhi excise policy case, former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia's bungalow has been allotted to Atishi, who was inducted into the Cabinet earlier this month. According to an official letter by the Public Works Department on March 14, Atishi has been asked to give her acceptance within eight days of the issuance of the letter. Sisodia had been staying at the AB-17 bungalow on Mathura Road, which was earlier with former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. The bungalow was allotted to Sisodia in 2015, when the AAP government came to power in Delhi. "It is a routine exercise. Since Sisodia had resigned, his bungalow will be reallotted to Atishi," said an official. Sisodia has been asked to vacate the bungalow on or before March 21, according to the letter.

politics of revenge. CBI and ED don't have any evidence against Manish Sisodia. They only have concocted stories against him. When court said that CBI took Sisodia in remand, interrogated him and did not find anything

against him, they got ED to frame more false cases against him," Raghav Chadha alleged. "The agencies don't have any evidence against Sisodia. They only have malicious and fabricated stories against him," he alleged.

CRUCIAL READ

ABOUT

20,000 ROOMS WERE MADE IN GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS: SAXENA

New Delhi (PTI): In the area of infrastructure, Delhi L-G said, several underpasses, flyovers have been constructed in Delhi. Total 1,35,000 CCTV cameras have been installed across the city. Total 500 national flags were put up all over Delhi on the 75th Independence Day. About 20,000 rooms were made in the government schools. The Kejriwal government laid a new pipeline of 34 km, WTP scheme of Chandrawal and Wazirabad which is about to be completed.

worked in construction, real estate, electric vehicles and other sectors. The government

has performed well in the field of quality of education. In 12th and 10th classes, 98 and 97

Conman who posed as PMO official, got Z-plus cover, bulletproof car; held

New Delhi (Agencies): An alleged conman from Gujarat with a verified Twitter handle and over a thousand followers posed as an additional director for strategy and campaigns at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). He managed to travel to several tourist places in Kashmir and claimed that he was sent to improve facilities at hotels for tourists. He was finally arrested when details of the case came to

CONGRESS DEMANDS RESPONSE

FROM PM MODI ON GUJARAT CONMAN

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat Congress held a press conference in Ahmedabad on Friday, calling for strict action against conman who visited Kashmir in the guise of an official from the PM's Office and moved with Z-plus security. Gujarat Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi said, "When information about Kiran Patel's visit to the extremely sensitive region of Jammu and Kashmir as a PMO official came to light, it raised major concerns for everyone, especially on the nation's security.

light. Identified as one Kiran J Patel , the man convinced authorities to

A SWEET INTERLUDE IN KERALA

provide him with Z-plus security cover, a bulletproof car for traveling.

Prez stops convoy to distribute chocolates

lll

A video of the President stepping out of her official vehicle and giving the children chocolates here has gone viral on social media

Kollam (PTI): A group of school children who waited on the wayside in this southern district of Kerala to greet President Droupadi Murmu on Friday during her maiden visit to the state were in for a treat when she stopped the convoy and distributed chocolates to them.

A video of the President stepping out of her official vehicle and giving the children chocolates in Karunagappally here in the morning

has gone viral on social media platforms. Seeing the excited

children waving at her car, the President stopped the convoy sud-

denly on the coastal highway. To the children’s surprise, they saw the President walking towards them with a smile.

In the video, she could be seen distributing sweets to all the children gathered there. She spent a few minutes with them and then walked back to her vehicle bidding them goodbye.

The happy children could be heard shouting “Thank you” in unison.

per cent results came for students. A separate education board of Delhi has been created. Delhi has performed well in the education sector in the past five years," said L-G Saxena in his address.

He added, "In the field of social security, the government is working for inclusive development. A total of 4.08 lakh people have been given pension under old age assistance scheme. Financial assistance has been provided to 3.50 lakh distressed women."

10% reservation for Agniveers in CISF, says govt

New Delhi (Agencies):

The Central government has announced 10 per cent reservation for exAgniveers in vacancies within the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). Along with this, the ex-Agniveers of the first batch will be given a relaxation of five years in the upper age limit. The notice issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs also stated exAgniveers will get age relaxation of 3 years.

2 TEACHERS BEHIND CLASS 10 PAPER LEAK, SAYS POLICE

Guwahati: Two teachers have been identified as the masterminds of the Class 10 question paper leak, Assam Police said on Friday. One of them has been detained, while the other accused is still missing, and “we are confident of nabbing him soon”, police said. Pranab Dutta, the headteacher of a High School has been detained, the police added.

New Delhi (PTI): Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Friday said the city government has directed authorities to conduct early screening to detect cases of influenza in the national capital.

Addressing a press conference, he said though the peak of seasonal influenza is usually over by March, many cases are being registered this time in parts of the country.

Bharadwaj also said that the city govern-

UP COLD STORAGE ROOF COLLAPSE DEATHS

RISE TO 10

Lucknow: The death count in a roof collapse incident at a cold storage in Sambhal district climbed to 10 on Friday and state CM Yogi Adityanath formed a committee to probe the reasons behind it. These 10 were among the 21 pulled out from the rubble at the cold storage located on Indira Road under Chandausi police station limits, as per police.

13,525 POSTS LYING VACANT IN DELHI POLICE, SAYS PARLIAMENT PANEL

New Delhi: As many as 13,525 posts are lying vacant in the Delhi Police which is around 14 per cent of the sanctioned strength of 94,254, a Parliamentary panel has noted. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs, headed by BJP MP Brijlal, noted that the recruitment process to fill the 3,861 posts is going on and recommended that the hiring process should be completed within a fixed timeframe. The panel recommended that the remaining 9,664 vacancies may also be filled as planned by the Delhi Police.

INDIA TO HOST NINE-DAY MEGA MILITARY EXERCISE

New Delhi: The Indian Army will hold a nine-day mega military exercise with militaries of over 20 African countries from March 21 in Pune with an aim to significantly boost overall cooperation, amid China’s persistent efforts to expand its strategic influence in the continent.

Many army chiefs will be attending the conclave.

ment has no plan for making masks mandatory. The focus is on taking precautionary

UP BOY STAGES HIS OWN KIDNAPPING TO BUY IPHONE

New Delhi: A Class 9 student in UP’s Sitapur staged his own kidnapping to buy an iPhone with the ransom money that he planned to collect from his father. He took the step after his father, who owns a small garment store, expressed his inability to buy him the device. The boy used his friend’s phone to make a ransom call.

Delhi HM

such as avoiding public places, washing hands etc, Bharadwaj added.

Probe agencies have only ‘fabricated’ stories: AAP

Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu during the Budget Session of the State Assembly, at Vidhan Sabha, in Shimla on Friday.

Not many influenza cases but will conduct early screening:

‘India shouldn’t be concerned over China-brokered

Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj during the surprise inspection at a Hospital, in New Delhi. —PHOTO BY ANI

—PHOTO

BY ANI

PM Narendra Modi

HC IRKED WITH MAHA’S QUOTA STAND FOR ABANDONED KIDS

Urges it to work as ‘protective umbrella’ while hearing petition filed by local NGO

First India Bureau Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Thursday was irked with the Maharashtra government’s persistent stand that the reservation benefits given to orphans cannot be extended to abandoned children. The state should instead be working as a “protective umbrella” for such kids, it remarked.

The state government offers 1% reservation in education to orphaned children.

However, it refused to extend such a benefit to children who have been abandoned by their parents as they are not “orphaned” as per the definition of the term.

A division bench of Justice Gautam Patel and Justice Neela Gokhale had taken up the issue after a petition was filed by a city-based NGO seeking reservation for two girls, aban-

‘SCURRILOUS AND REPREHENSIBLE’

The bench also expressed its anguish at the affidavit filed by Sharad Ahire, joint secretary of the Women and Child Development Department, justifying the government’s stand. The bench said the affidavit was scurrilous and reprehensible. The affidavit had said that parents/guardians abandon or surrender their child intentionally or deliberately to a childcare institute and misuse the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, so that schooling, boarding, lodging and all other facilities are provided.

doned by their parents.

After being slammed by the court, the government had agreed to provide “orphan” cer-

tificates to the two girls so that they could seek reservation. However, it had clarified that its stand was that there

Maha records 197 new nCoV cases, one fatality

single matter the government operates with contradiction.

“Why this attitude of we have to combat...we have to oppose? When will this government wake up to the realisation that it is not the only one right and is most often wrong,” the court said.

Questioning if the government understood under what dire circumstances a parent abandons a child, Justice Patel said, “The gender may hinder me from understanding the plight of a mother abandoning a child. Even as a father, it is unimaginable.”

new COVID-19 cases.

was a difference between orphaned and abandoned children.

Irked with this stand, the court said in every

The court added that the state government ought to act as a “protective umbrella” for all such children instead of creating a distinction between orphaned and abandoned children.

The court said it would pass its judgment on the issue on March 31.

Lawyer, wife ‘mistreated’ by staff on Cathay Pacific flight

First India Bureau

First India Bureau

Mumbai: On Friday, the state recorded 197 new COVID-19 cases and one death due to the infection, an official from the state Health Department said.

With this, the tally of infections has risen to 81,39,252, while the toll stood at 1,48,427, he added. The state had on Thursday reported 226

As per the Health Department’s report, the state has 1,029 active cases, of which the highest number of 312 infections was in Pune district, followed by 200 cases in Mumbai and 172 cases in Thane.

Of the latest cases, Pune circle reported the highest 74 infections, followed by 69 in Mumbai, 24 in Nashik, 14 in Kolhapur, eight cases in Akola, five in Aurangabad, two in Nagpur circle and one in Latur.

The lone fatality in the state was reported from Kolhapur circle, it

Journalist Warishe was killed in an orchestrated accident, says Fadnavis

First India Bureau

Mumbai: In a major development in the Class XII Board Mathematics paper leak case, the Mumbai Crime Branch team has uncovered that Physics and Chemistry papers were also leaked by the management staff.

According to the police, the Physics paper was leaked on February 27 and the Chemistry paper on March 01, both shared via WhatsApp an hour before the exam students.

The management staff of Matoshree Bhagubai Bhambare Agriculture and Science Jr College in Ahmednagar have been arrested and their mobile phones have been seized. The police have found evidence of two more pa-

pers being leaked.

“The police received enough evidence when the WhatsApp data of the arrested staff from the management and the teachers of the college was recovered from their phones,” said a Crime Branch official.

The Mathematics paper leak was caught on March 03, leading to the arrest of several people. This revelation has widened the scope of the investigation and raised concerns about the integrity of the HSC exams.

Mumbai: A city based lawyer expressed his resentment recently over the treatment with him and his wife on a Cathay Pacific flight en route to Hong Kong. He alleged humiliation and stated that they were deplaned and the passports were taken away as well.

Taking to Twitter, senior lawyer Divyakant Mehta, said that he and his wife were scheduled to fly to Hong Kong on March 14. However, they were deplaned for carrying a Federal Aviation Administration approved portable oxygen concentrator for his ailing wife.

Elaborating on the incident, he tweeted, “My wife and I were publicly humiliated, harassed and threatened by the ground

DUAL EXISTENCE?

RANCHI-PUNE INDIGO FLIGHT

DIVERSION: PASSENGER DIES

Nagpur (PTI): A Ranchi-Pune IndiGo flight made an unscheduled landing at the Nagpur airport after a passenger had a medical emergency, an airport official said here on Friday. Flight 6E 672 was diverted to the Nagpur airport at 10 pm on Thursday, he said, adding that the passenger was rushed to a hospital for medical assistance where he was pronounced brought dead.

staff and eventually offloaded from the plane.

Reason: we had a FAA approved Philips Portable Oxygen Concen -

trator in our hand luggage as my wife is suffering from a lung condition of Pulmonary Fibrosis.”

No relief to man with Belgian citizenship who visited other nations using Indian passport

The court refused to accept Shah’s contention that he had made an innocent mistake

First India Bureau

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court has upheld the Central government’s decision to ban entry to India for a man, who secured Belgian citizenship but used his Indian passport to travel to other nations. It also noted that the same

IN VIOLATION

The Union Home ministry had told the court that Shah had violated provisions of the Citizenship Act and the Passport Act by using his Indian passport to procure visas to travel to other countries on multiple occasions. Shah acquired Belgian nationality in May 2015 but did not surrender his Indian passport till September 2020

was not arbitrary and does not violate his fundamental rights. A division bench of Justices Gautam Patel and Neela Gokhale, in its order of March 14, re-

fused relief to the man, Vikram Shah, who had filed a petition against the Centre’s decision.

The court refused to accept Shah’s contention that he had made

an innocent mistake. Shah in his plea sought a direction to the Union government to issue him a visa to travel to India or an Overseas Citizenship of

India (OCI) card.

“If, having obtained Belgian citizenship, he (Shah) still travelled on his Indian passport anywhere, then that had to be a deliberate and conscious act and cannot possibly be a mistake or inadvertence. This is a clear violation of law,” the court said.

“There is no question of violation of any fundamental rights simply because the petitioner is not an Indian citizen and fundamental rights are available only to Indian citizens,” it said.

Mumbai (PTI): Rajapur-based journalist Shashikant Warishe was brutally killed in an accident that was carried out deliberately, said Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday.

Warishe, who had written against a proposed refinery in the coastal Ratnagiri district, was mowed down by an SUV, allegedly driven by a local real estate dealer, last month.

In a written response to a question about the incident in the Legislative Council, Fadnavis, who holds the home portfolio, said probe was on to ascertain whether it was preplanned murder.

“Journalist Shashikant Warishe was brutally killed in a deliberately orchestrated accident,” Fadnavis’s re-

Shashikant Warishe

ply said. Warishe had written against the accused which angered him, it added.

A Special Investigation Team headed by an officer of the deputy superintendent rank is probing the case, the deputy CM said.

Warishe (48), a journalist with Mahanagri Times, was mowed down by the SUV allegedly driven by land dealer Pandharinath Amberkar at Rajapur, 440 km from Mumbai, on February 06. He died in hospital the next day.

—FILE

said. Mumbai city on Friday saw 36 new cases, which took its tally to 11,54,780, including 19,747 fatalities. The count of recoveries has risen to 79,89,796 after 93 patients were discharged from hospitals in the last 24 hours, the report stated. Maharashtra’s recovery rate now stands at 98.16% and fatality rate is 1.82%.

Thane Municipal Commissioner Abhijit Bangar on Friday held a meeting with top officials of the civic body to review the coronavirus situation in the city.

Meet passes resolution ‘to save’ democracy

First India Bureau

Wardha: The 48th Sarvodaya Samaj Sammelan has passed a resolution to participate in every struggle to “save democracy, Constitution and secularism”. The three-day conference on Gandhian thoughts held at Sevagram Ashram in Wardha concluded on Thursday. Nearly 1,200 delegates from 22 states, including 400 Sarvodaya and Gandhian activists from Maharashtra, participated in the event.

Chinmay Mishra, President of Sarvodaya Mandal, who read out the resolution, said, it was based on Mahatma Gandhi’s message that “real swaraj (self-government) will come not by the acquisition of authority by a few but by the acquisition of the capacity by all to resist authority when abused.”

Women to get 50% concession on state-run MSRTC buses

First India Bureau

Mumbai: The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) has announced that female passengers will now get a 50% concession on tickets on all types of buses from March 17.

The benefit will be extended under the Mahila Samman Yojana and the state government will reimburse the concession amount to the corporation, said a press release by MSRTC on Friday morning.

Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also holds the fi-

nance portfolio, while presenting the state's budget for 2023-24 on March 09, announced a 50% concession to all women passengers on the buses of the public transport body.

Every day, more than 50 lakh passengers are transported by MSRTC's fleet of over 15,000 buses. It now offers 33% to 100% concessions on tickets to various social groups, said a press release.

Women passengers expected to be 35-40% of total bus users.

As many as 7,115 swab samples tested in past 24 hours. —FILE PHOTO

Abandoned kids do not strictly fall under category of children who are orphans, as per govt policy.

Active tally at 1,029 as highest no. of infections reported in Pune

Maha HSC paper leak: Physics, Chem papers also compromised, says police

BOWS FOR FAME NOT TO AIM

The bow, as a statement of femininity, is one of the most common fashion icons. City First brings to you the significance of the accessory which enhances and lends charm to the outfits.

Perhaps no other fashion symbol is as divisive as the bow. Some ribbons suggest saccharine girlishness, while others suggest prim prep style, but the bow is a silhouette that

ming. Bows enhance and lend charm to completed garments. Bows draw focus to the garment and give variation. The appeal of this embellishment has persisted, with bows adorning everything from dresses to shoe buckles this season. The bow, as a statement of femininity, is one of the most common fashion icons. Accessories, clothing, and shoes have already succumbed to the allure of this tiny object, which we have grown acclimated to

SHUBHANSHI PATHAK cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

Aries

MARCH 21 - APRIL 20

Limiting some items from your diet will have a positive effect on your health and mind. 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.

Gemini

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

Family issues that are leading to disputes are likely to be resolved amicably. 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.

Leo

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

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

Libra

SEPTEMBER 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.

Sagittarius

NOVEMBER 23 - DECEMBER 22

You will succeed in wriggling out of a tight financial situation by curbing wasteful expenditure. 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.

Aquarius

JANUARY 21 - FEBRUARY 19

Something being organised on the social front may get you totally involved. 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.

Taurus

APRIL 21 - MAY 20

Buying something expensive for the house is indicated. Responsibilities are likely to increase manifold. 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.

Cancer

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

Problems faced on the financial front are likely to disappear. Someone who admires you will leave no stone unturned in appeasing you today. Those unwell are likely to recover soon through regular medication. Something may keep you from realizing your full potential.

Virgo

AUGUST 24 - SEPTEMBER 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.

Scorpio

OCTOBER 23 - NOVEMBER 22

Something new may be acquired for the home by homemakers. 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 themselves. Someone you despise is likely to turn over a new leaf.

Capricorn

DECEMBER 23 - JANUARY 20

This is a positive day that proves special for some. 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.

Pisces

FEBRUARY 20 - MARCH 20

Going the extra mile for someone will be greatly appreciated by all. Much hustle and bustle can be expected on the social front to your delight.Someone may not agree to your terms but

WHERE WOMEN ARE WORSHIPPED AND RESPECTED,

GOD RESIDES THERE

responsibility to find the right answer and solutions to the problems we encounter. We must, with our existence fulfil the very cause that life sets for every individual and thus become solution oriented. The person who has a well-defined WHY for their passion will reach the goal any HOW.

ing like and exemplary. It refers to the path of harder right than the easier wrong and assuring that our ethics and values are not compromised while making and achieving the goals.

for a reason,

it for a season or a lifetime, every individual has a defined and very special purpose to fulfil. Life in a nutshell is colourful and enticing. It embraces us with its highs and lows and teaches us lessons worth learning. And the people we meet along the way happen to be our big gest teachers.

Omana – The Complete Woman, is one such book which shares lessons of life worth learning for every individual who seeks LIBERATION through the channel of FREE WILL. The book narrates the trysts of the main protagonists Omana and Rudra whose lives be came great not only because of the various encounters they had with each other but also the people surrounding them.

Every individual around us holds a magnetic field which attracts those with a common belief system. These people are those who are incidental in holding a mirror to show us our reflections and karma. Thus, their presence bundles together the opportunities for growth and overall development.

The meaning of life for every individual is different. So, the point, the author, in the book, narrates is that we need to stop being in the zone of expecting from the world, instead gear up and ask the world what it expects from us, daily and hourly. We must understand that life ultimately means

The author, in the book, talks about Growth, Change and Adaptability. There is more to life than happiness. It is called Growth and how well one understands life. Every story, be it success or failure, is all about a constant adaption of change and improvisation with proper implementation. There cannot be fruit without a root

With inner leadership, you can change your perception, and develop your world. When you get a feeling that something can change your life, you push yourself to achieve it, and you become the change you want to see. You become the creator of your life. This change in perception rewards an individual to enter a secret universe, which is not explored by many around, and in this higher vertical of selfawareness, one can develop more endurance and selfcommitment, which in turn blesses that individual with the fulfilment of their dreams and vision.”

and the root of every success story is BELIEF. Visualise your way forward with the help of mentors. Problems, situations, and challenges are a part of everyone’s life. The game is not staying married to a hurdle which comes our way, but rather strategize, adapt the change needed and travelling through the path of growth, which is inevitable for every individual. Four pillars of growth as aptly explained in the book are PURPOSE, COURAGE, SPIRITU ALITY and BELONGING.

The powerful thought-pro voking foreword of the book plotted by the author also belongs to highlighting Inner Leadership. Set of values, attributes, and culture act as the

Only three things happen naturally in lifeConfusion, Friction, and Under performance - for everything else, we need Leadership, which is gifted to all of us, waiting to be discovered. Inner leadership is all about practising consistency, self-awareness, self-reflection, and self-regulation, finally being unleashed like a winner in the world. There is an opening quote for every chapter which is thoughtful and practical for influential living. The conversation between the two, how they met, and how they became friends, are depicted in the book. The cover is an intriguing one that makes the reader ponder over what the story is about. All in all, a good read.

AISHWARYA KIRAN, Artist

Eminence is that INCONSPICUOUS detail whose presence is rarely admired, but Its Omission Pinches.

Yash Kalra

Kylie & Travis sign a

The couple’s second child together was born in February 2022, after which they announced that their son will be named Wolf Jacques Webster. However, just a month later, the Kylie Cosmetics founder informed her millions of fans and followers that Wolf is no longer the name for their newborn son.

Taking to her Instagram stories in March 2022, Kylie wrote “FYI OUR SONS NAME ISN’T WOLF ANYMORE.” She further added, “WE JUST REALLY DIDN’T FEEL LIKE IT WAS HIM.”

Kylie Jenner, 25, and Travis Scott, 31, have now reportedly signed off the petition to change their son’s name from Wolf to Aire, one year after his birth. They are now waiting for the court to finalize the name change. The media portal reported that Jenner and the rapper “regret the initial name choice” and now that they “have had the chance to spend time with their baby, they believe the name Aire Webster is a better fit.”

The shine we need in spring

BHUMI EXPRESSES EXCITEMENT

Apart from her acting skills, Bhumi keeps hitting headlines for her oh-so-stunning and fashion able outfits. Every time she attends a party or steps out in the city, the actress makes sure to make heads turn. It will be safe to say that Bhumi and glamour go hand-in-hand. Recently, Bhumi expressed excitement about the upcom ing Pinkvilla Style Icons Awards Edition 2.

DEMI SET TO MAKE DIRECTORIAL DEBUT

Shanaya’s shine game spilt over from the runway to Shweta Bachchan’s birthday party. The diva donned a Manish Malhotra turquoise blue chiffon saree which is suitable for all wedding celebrations as well. Available as a three-piece attire on the de signer’s website all for Rs. 225,000 with a saree, blouse and a petticoat, you can commit to this ensemble as the one for nighttime glam functions.

old’s gradient blue sequin sa ree was styled with a satin and monotone halter neck blouse. Her plunging neck line and itsy-bitsy cropped blouse had a tantalising look.

How good is it to wrap our heads around the fullsleeved blouses and now focus seriously on all mini and hot blouses? Sha naya Kapoor’s straight and side part hair do was suc cessfully beautiful as her bright glossy pout and eye makeup with blue eyeshad ow and black kohl.

In the video, Bhumi can be seen sporting a metallic golden outfit with statement jewel lery. She has completed her look with a bindi and her million-dollar smile. The stunning actress talked about the Pinkvilla Style Icons Awards Edition 2 and said that she is thrilled about the second edition of the Pinkvilla Style Icon Awards. She said, “I’m so thrilled that the most anticipated Pinkvilla Style Icons Awards is returning for the second edition with all my favourite trendsetters under one roof. See you there!”

‘CROISSANT HIGH’

ctress Anushka Sharma is quite active on social media. She keeps treating her fans with stunning pictures of herself. On Thursday afternoon, the coolest mommy in town took to her Instagram handle and dropped pictures of herself while enjoying scrumptious croissants. Every time the actress visits the UK, she is seen binging croissants with her cricketer husband Virat Kohli. Her fans can’t stop gushing over her adorable

accessories. Post eat ing the croissants, she is seen posing in a quirky way for the camera. Going by the pictures, it looks like Anush ka is a true-blue chocolate lover.

Along with the pictures, Anushka wrote, “Crois

Demi Lovato will now make a directorial debut with the documentary Child Star which is about child stardom. This documentary will be from the perspective of some of the famous former child stars like Lovato which will properly deconstruct what it is like to grow with cameras.

Demi Lovato will be co-directing Child Star (working title) along with Nicola Marsh. The producers of this documentary include OBB Pictures of Michael D. Ratner, DLG – Lovato’s production banner, and SB Projects of Scooter Braun. This documentary will be released in 2024 exclusively on Hulu. This documentary promises real conversations with several former child actors. The press release includes, ‘Through intimate conversations led by Lovato, verité footage, and archival material from all subjects involved, the film will reach beyond the traditional narratives seen in opeds and tabloids to consider the changing nature of growing up in an increasingly connected and public world’.

STUNNING SUHANA

look at Suhana Khan’s saree from Alanna Panday’s pre-wedding celebrations will make stepping into the next chapter of the season sexier and brighter.

How relieving does it sound to not think of freezing anymore? To us, it feels like heaven and pure bliss. Summer sweat is no great feeling but we’ll do it The Archies actress style. Lovely, right?

Hon -

estly, a sheer saree isn’t Suhana’s newfound love. Focus on her latest look and does your memory pop up an image of something?

Her 2022 sheer saree getup is your hint. Seriously, this says it all.

Suhana’s desi look was

styled with a textured and animal print clutch, wedges for footwear and studded earrings. Her pout looked pink, her eyelashes seemed like a touch of mascara was given and her hair was brushed into a side part.

Kylie Jenner

Shanaya Kapoor

Suhana Khan

Demi Lovato

Bhumi Pednekar

Anushka Sharma

Her post...

HARSHAD ON PLAYING DR SATYA ADHIKARI

ASHISH TIWARI cityfirst.mumbai@firstindia.co.in

The last time we saw Harshad Arora, he was in Thoda Sa Badal Thoda Sa Paani. The actor is all set now to appear in ‘Ghum Hai Kisikey Pyaar

Mein.’ He will portray a doctor and serve as Ayesha Singh's new love interest in the show, which stars Ayesha Singh as Sai Joshi. Recently in an exclusive conversation with us, he opened up on his character, the show and so much more!

Speaking of prepping up for his role in the show, Harshad Arora said, " Dr Satya Adhikari is an unconventional doctor. He works by his own rules, so when they were narrat-

ing his character to me I was like this will be an interest ing character to play! Talking about his character if it's per manent or just a cameo. Har shad said, " Honestly even I am not informed about it, so I can't reveal much. It complete-

ly depends on the show and the TRP ratings, to be honest. Also, I have never done run-

ning shows, this is the first time I am doing it. The show is doing great in terms of TRP, plus my character is so edgy and unconventional! That's what made me choose it because you rarely get such interesting roles to play. Most of the shows on Television are quite female-centric, so for male actors to get such a kind of role is a big deal. For me what matters is how challenging the role is for me.

The actor has played the role of a doctor earlier also, so comparing that role with this one. He said, " That doctor was more like a Kabir Singh, very tough and rageful, but this one is very humble. Even he carries some kind of baggage from the past which will be shown later in the show. And everything will depend on what the audience wants and the TRP of the show, which you guys will see eventually".

movies are being sent for Oscars’

YouTube channel.

There AR Rahman has said that India of ten sends the wrong films to the Oscars. He further added that there is a need to un derstand the tastes of the western audience. The music maestro has now said that India often sends the wrong films to the Oscars. This results in them failing to secure nominations. He further added that there is a need to understand the tastes of the western audience to succeed on this front.

Rahman had told musician L Subramaniam, “Sometimes, I see that our movies go till the Oscar… they don’t get it. Wrong movies are being sent for the Oscars. And I am just like DON’T. We have to be in an other person’s shoes. I have to be in Westerner’s shoes to see what’s happening here. I have to be in my shoes to see what they are doing.”

KAREENA'S STATEMENT

Kareena Kapoor Khan is the one who needs no introduction, she’s had a 2 decade-successful run at the movies and there is no stopping for her. The actor who was promoting her latest What Women Want had a candid conversation with Sneha Menon Desai from Film Companion where she spoke about the new season of her show, her 2 decade-long journey

Guneet gets a grand welcome!

With their documentary film The Elephant Whisperers, which is now officially the first Indian production to win an Oscar, producers Guneet Monga and Kartiki Gonsalves made history. A video of Guneet receiving treatment akin to a royal has surfaced online. She was greeted customarily with garlands, and people showered

Guneet with flower petals in gratitude for bringing honour to the nation. She was also seen thanking the people who came to greet her at the Mumbai airport. In the video that has since gone viral online, many individuals could be seen hugging Guneet. Many reacted to the video on Instagram. One user wrote, "Proud of you girl bravo you bring victory to our nation."

GOOD NEWS FROM ISHITA & VATSAL

and the rules of raising toddler boys.

On asking if she ever has plan B for her career, the actor replied, “ I did try to sign myself up at the government law college. I did go for 5 days. When I saw the size of the books, I was like, I don’t think this is for me. So, I did keep the option open of wanting to be a lawyer. I don’t know what I was thinking! But I can’t even imagine myself not being in front of the camera.”

Mohit & Aditi blessed WITH A BABY GIRL

ast January, Mohit shared a few pictures on his Instagram handle announcing his wedding with Aditi Sharma. Soon after their wedding news got spread, their divorce rumours followed. But last year in December, the actor had rubbished all those speculations and now the couple has welcomed a little one in their life.

Mohit Raina took to social me dia on Friday to announce the birth of his daughter. Mohit shared a photo of the new born baby’s finger and shared in the caption, “And then just like that we became 3. Welcome to the world baby girl.“ along with a heart emoticon. Mohit ac quired fame with his lead role in the hit TV show Devon Ke Dev – Mahadev from 2011 to 2014. On the silver screen, he was praised for his performance in Aditya Dhar's 2019 hit Uri: The Surgical Strike.

Ishita Dutta and Vatsal Sheth are all set to embrace parenthood soon!

The Drishyam actress was seen flaunting her baby bump at the Mumbai airport.

The actress was clicked wearing a dark-coloured floral dress. She looked

prettiest and exuded a pregnancy glow. Ishita flaunted her baby bump in the body-hugging dress. And, Dutta was even seen flashing a beautiful smile for photos and waving at fans as well. The actress looked brilliant in the

video of her from the airport.

Ishita Dutta was last spotted publicly at the Drishyam 2 screening in Mumbai. The actress arrived in style with her husband, actor Vatsal Seth and looked the prettiest.

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AR Rahman

Kareena Kapoor Khan

India and Bharat24-Vision of New India. The mega fashion event will be held on March 19 at Oaks Ibn Battuta Gate Hotel, Dubai, followed by Luxury Lifestyle Awards 2023.

Harshad Arora

Two-time Academy Award winner AR Rah man got candid with another music legend L Subramaniam in a conversation that’s out on the former’s