01012022 first india ahmedabad (1)

CM Patel holds roadshow in Rajkot
to culminate Good Governance Week
NO FEAR
Nearly 50 cars ferrying
VIPs, along with 1,000
motorcyclists and
vintage cars
participated amid
rising COVID-19 cases
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Chief
Minister Bhupendra Pa-
tel took part in a mega
roadshow in Rajkot city
on Friday to mark the
culmination of the
Good Governance Week
celebrationsinthestate.
The roadshow began
with much fanfare
from Rajkot Airport in
the morning and ended
at Dharmendrasinhji
College, covering a dis-
tance of 3 km.
Bharatiya Janata Par-
ty (BJP) state unit presi-
dent and MP CR Patil
flaggedoff therallyfrom
the airport, Turn to P6
CM Bhupendra Patel acknowledging the salute of NCC cadets
during the rally.
IPS SHUKLA
RELIEVED FROM
STATE FOR
DEPUTATION
The state home department
has relieved IPS Himanshu
Shukla who was serving
as the deputy inspector
general at the Anti-Terrorist
Squad (ATS). Now, his ser-
vices will be at the disposal
of the central government
for appointment to the
grade of ‘Directorate’ in the
Class - I executive cadre of
the cabinet secretariat. He
will be on deputation for
four years. According to
sources, he is likely to re-
ceive deputation to R&AW.
VK TRIPATHI
APPOINTED AS
NEW CHAIRMAN,
CEO OF RLY BOARD
New Delhi: The Appoint-
ments Committee of the
Cabinet (ACC) approved
the appointment of
VK Tripathi, General
Manager, North Eastern
Railway to the post of
Chairman and CEO of
Railway Board, New
Delhi. The committee
has approved a six-
month extension, that is,
upto December 2022. As
per an official statement
from North Eastern Rail-
way, Tripathi did B Tech
(Electrical Engineering)
from Roorkee and joined
railways through the
Indian Railway Service
of Electrical Engineers
(IRSEE) batch of 1983.
His first posting was as
an Assistant Electrical
Engineer on Northern
Railway.
VAX v/s OMICRON
India crosses milestone of 145 crore
Covid jabs as variant cases spike
India saw highest single-day rise of 309 cases of Omicron, taking the tally of such cases
to 1,270, said health ministry. It also recorded 16,764 fresh cases and 220 more fatalities
Mohd Fahad
New Delhi: Union
Health Minister Man-
sukh Mandaviya on Fri-
day said that India has
crossed the milestone of
145 crore Covid vaccina-
tions. “My gratitude to
our doctors, scientists,
healthcare and frontline
workers for displaying
immense grit, determi-
nation & resolve in the
challenging 2021 year,”
he said in a tweet.
On December 4, Ma-
harashtra detected its
first patient with new
Covid variant B.1.1.529
or Omicron. In the last
26 days, the total num-
ber of Omicron cases,
which is more trans-
missible than Delta, the
dominant variants dur-
ing the second wave,
and also has a higher
potential of immunity
escape has surged.
MUMBAI COVID CURBS: NO ENTRY TO
BEACHES, PARKS BETWEEN 5-5 TILL JAN 15
Mumbai: Mumbai Police issued an order under section 144
of the CrPC, prohibiting people from visiting beaches, open
grounds, sea faces, promenades, gardens, parks or similar
public places between 5 pm and 5 am daily till January
15 in view of the prevailing Covid-19 situation. Genome
sequencing at the Kasturba Gandhi Hospital, Mumbai, has
detected the new variant Omicron in nearly one-third of
samples it tested in indication of community transmission.
‘FREE OMICRON TEST’
OFFERED ONLINE IS A
CYBERCRIME: CENTRE
New Delhi: Amid a rise in
Omicron cases, the Minis-
try of Home Affairs (MHA)
has issued an advisory
against cybercriminals
targeting potential victims
by offering them free tests
for detecting Omicron vari-
ant of COVID-19. Further, it
mentioned that fraudsters
send emails regarding PCR
testing for Omicron with
malicious links and mali-
cious files attached.
WOMAN TESTS POSITIVE MID-AIR,
ISOLATES IN PLANE TOILET FOR HOURS
New York: A US woman was quarantined in an aero-
plane bathroom for three hours after testing positive for
COVID-19 halfway through a flight from Chicago to Iceland,
according to media reports. Marisa Fotieo, a teacher from
Michigan, said her throat began to hurt halfway through the
trip on December 19 so she went to the bathroom to per-
form a rapid Covid test which confirmed she was infected,
local news channel WABC-TV reported.
ISRAEL DETECTS 1ST CASE OF ‘FLORONA’,
DOUBLE INFECTION OF COVID & INFLUENZA
Tel Aviv: Israel detected the first case of “florona” disease, a
double infection of COVID-19 and influenza, said Arab News
on Friday. An Israeli newspaper reported that the case of
double infection was found in a woman who entered Rabin
Medical Center this week to give birth. Israel, which led a
world-beating vaccination programme in 2020, will adminis-
ter a fourth dose to elderly residents and care homes staff.
NO EXTENSION OF DEC 31
DEADLINE TO FILE I-T
RETURNS: GOVERNMENT
New Delhi: The government
on Friday announced that
there was no proposal to ex-
tend the deadline for filing in-
come tax returns beyond its
current deadline of December
31. Revenue Secretary Tarun
Bajaj said that December 31,
2021, remained the official
deadline for filing returns.
GST Council
defers rate
hike on textiles
from 5 to 12%
New Delhi: The Goods
and Services Tax (GST)
Council has decided to
defer the hike in tax rate
on textiles from 5% to
12%, announced Union
Finance Minister Nir-
mala Sitharaman on
Friday
.
At a media briefing,
Sitharaman said the
GST meeting was called
under the “emergency
provision”, and that the
GST Council only had a
brief meeting with one
agenda.
“Gujarat FM request-
ed for deferment of deci-
sion taken in the Sept
Council meet on inver-
sion of tax structure,”
she said.
Hike of GST rate on
textiles was to come into
effect from January 1.
I-T raids on SP leader Pushpraj,
other perfume traders’ premises
Kannauj: The Income
Tax department on Fri-
day raided multiple
premises linked to cer-
tain perfume traders,
including a Samajwadi
Party MLC, in Uttar
Pradesh and other plac-
es as part of a tax eva-
sion investigation, offi-
cial sources said.
They said about 30-40
premises spread across
the national capital re-
gion, Kannauj, Kanpur,
Surat, Mumbai and
some other places are
being searched as part
of the operations that
started early morning
with police accompany-
ing the raiding team.
Among the buildings
searched are a residen-
tial building in south
Delhi’s New Friends
Colony and about a doz-
en premises in Mum-
bai, the officials said.
Coming as they do in
the run-up to the assem-
bly polls in Uttar
Pradesh, the tax raids
triggered a political
war of words, with the
SP alleging the search-
es were launched by the
“BJP government”.
In a tweet, the SP said
the Kannauj premises
of its MLC Pushpraj
alias Pampi Jain who
has interests in per-
fume manufacturing
and other businesses
have been raided.
The Directorate Gen-
eral of GST Intelligence
(DGGI),aninvestigation
agency under the Cen-
tral Board of Indirect
Taxes and Customs
(CBIC), had recently
carried out large-scale
raids in Kanpur and
Kannauj and later ar-
rested perfume trader
PeeyushJainand seized
over Rs 197 crore cash,
goldandsandalwoodoil.
IT IS NOT BJP MONEY,
SAYS SITHARAMAN
New Delhi: Union Finance
Minister Nirmala Sithara-
man on Friday said the
nearly Rs 200 crore cash
recovered in tax searches
on perfume maker Peey-
ush Jain is not BJP money,
and that the raid was at the
correct address and not by
an outcome of knocking
at wrong doors. Staunchly
defending the action, she
said the raids, which were
based on actionable intel-
ligence, seemed to have
“shaken” Akhilesh.
NO ONE LIES BETTER
THAN BJP: AKHILESH
Lucknow: BJP leaders
always come to UP flanked
by central investigation
agencies and use raids as
material for their political
speeches, SP chief Akh-
ilesh Yadav said, hinting
that recent raid on a party
leader in Kannauj was
politically motivated. “They
had pre-written speeches
mentioning the raid on SP
leader, how is that pos-
sible? Who gave them that
information even before
the raid?,” asked Yadav.
‘For ages, karsevaks laid
down lives for Ram Mandir’
Ayodhya: Union home
minister Amit Shah on
Friday referred to the
firing on karsevaks (vol-
unteers) in 1990 during
the campaign to build a
Ram Temple in place of
Babri Masjid in Ayod-
hya and asked voters to
question Samajwadi
Party (SP) chief Akh-
ilesh Yadav what was
the need for it when he
comes to seek votes.
Yadav’s father, Mu-
layam Singh Yadav, was
the chief minister when
police fired on the vol-
unteers.
“For ages, a large
number of people sacri-
ficed their lives for the
Ram Mandir in Ayod-
hya. But temple never
came up,” said Shah at
a rally in Ayodhya.
Shah referred to the
ongoing income tax
raids in Uttar Pradesh
and attacked SP saying
there was earlier “ma-
fia raj in Uttar Pradesh”
but now they are sur-
rendering to police.
Home Minister Amit Shah
VIRENDER SINGH
PATHANIA NEW DG
OF COAST GUARD
New Delhi: The Centre
appointed Virender
Singh Pathania as the
new Director General of
the Indian Coast Guard
on Friday. He is currently
posted as the Additional
Director General at the
Coast Guard Headquar-
ters. Virender Singh
Pathania has served the
organisation in various
assignments over the past
three and a half decades.
AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, JANUARY 1, 2022 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/79050 l Vol 3 l Issue No. 38
OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR, AHMEDABAD, LUCKNOW & NEW DELHI
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WISHING A SAFE YEAR
Fireworks explode over the Sydney
Opera House and Harbour Bridge as New
Year’s celebrations began in Sydney.
YEAR
HAPPY
2
NEW
2 2
0

NEWS
AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, JANUARY 1, 2022
02
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: There
was a time when bu-
reaucrats feared getting
transferred to a sideline
posting in a remote loca-
tion. It mostly stemmed
from worry over mak-
ing money. However,
now that fear has evapo-
rated as officers have
learnt to keep their po-
litical masters and sen-
ior officers happy
.
One of the state secre-
tariat officers, in a pri-
vate conversation with
First India, said, “Ear-
lier, politicians used
transfers as a weapon to
threaten officers. Bu-
reaucrats feared ruin-
ing their confidential
performance report due
to a complaint, which
could affect their ca-
reers and future finan-
cial benefits.
Citingtherecenttrans-
fers of officers in his de-
partment,thebureaucrat
added, “We get trans-
ferred from the field to a
deskorfromadesktothe
field. Officers are smart
enough to find a way to
earn more money
. The
bribe amount for every
desk and project is fixed
in the department. Even
the senior officers are
aware of it, which is why
juniors are fearless.”
He also claimed that
a few officers enjoy
deep ‘connections’ and
networking with the
ruling party’s top brass.
These officers not only
manage their transfers
but also liaison for oth-
er officers, provided
they are willing to
cough up a good amount
for their ‘services’.
Known as one of the
most corrupt depart-
ments in the state gov-
ernment, few officers
facing corruption alle-
gations received a clean
chit from the courts.
This was because the
state failed to prove the
corruption charges dur-
ing legal proceedings.
‘Fearless’ bureaucrats are now unafraid of transfers
Even in sideline postings,
officers find a way to earn
money by rolling out their
inducement cards
UNINHIBITED
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: After gar-
nering majority of votes
in the elections, Vishwa-
nath Singh Vaghela was
declaredasthenewpres-
ident of Gujarat Youth
Congress on Thursday
.
Outgoing leader Gulab-
sinh Rajput has been
replaced by the appoint-
ment of Vaghela.
Inaccordancewiththe
system of internal elec-
tions in the Youth Con-
gress, all office-bearers
are elected after a by-
election. This is to en-
sure that a strong and
deservingleadersecures
a place in the top leader-
ship positions in the
party
. Following the
same system, internal
elections were held in a
two-month-long process
where membership
drives and votes were
takenintoconsideration.
A total of four candi-
dates were in the run-
ning for the post of Gu-
jarat state president
this election. But,
Vaghela secured the
highest number of
votes, following which,
he was interviewed by
the Delhi High Com-
mand of the party
. Only
after acing that was his
name confirmed as the
state president.
Incidentally
, Vaghela
is a close associate of
Congress leader Hardik
Patel and has been work-
ing faithfully in the Na-
tionalStudents’Unionof
India (NSUI) for more
than10years.Hehasheld
different state as well as
national leadership posi-
tions and was last ap-
pointed as the state vice
president of the Gujarat
Youth Congress.
They had been
arrested for
protesting after
the GSSSB paper
leak at BJP HQ in
the state capital 11
days ago
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: After
their arrest 11 days ago,
Aam Aadmi Party
(AAP) leaders including
state president Gopal
Italia, Isudan Gadhvi,
PraveenRam,NikhilSa-
vani, and others, were
released from Sabarma-
ti Jail on Friday morn-
ing. Talking to media-
persons, they expressed
their intent to push for
Gujarat Subordinate
Service Selection Board
(GSSSB) chairman Asit
Vora’s resignation by
launching an “aggres-
sive campaign.” Gan-
dhinagar police had ap-
prehended them for
protesting against the
GSSSB examination pa-
per leak at the Bharati-
ya Janata Party’s (BJP)
state headquarters in
Gandhinagar.
All 55 AAP leaders
and activists, including
Gadhvi and Italia, were
released after the Gan-
dhinagarSessionsCourt
granted bail to them.
Upon his release, Gad-
hvi said, “We were happy
in jail. Gandhiji was also
imprisoned in Sabarmati
Jailafterhestartedanagi-
tation in the country
. We
allreadhisautobiography
while we were in jail. We
were brainstorming
strategies to fight for jus-
tice and firing up the
youth.Themainaccused
inthepaperleakscandal
are still absconding and
theboard’soffice-bearers
have not resigned. We
ask the parents of Guja-
rat’s youth to support us
andnotgetinfluencedby
anyone else. We have
gonetojailfortheyouth.”
Echoing the same
sentiment, AAP state
president Italia said,
“This fight will con-
tinue for us. I want to
tell our BJP ‘friends’
that we are not afraid
of jail. If you put us in
jail for 25 days like
this, we will not break.
We will continue to
fight till BJP’s Asit
Vora resigns.”
Cong leader Hardik Patel congratulating Vaghela on his win.
Guj AAP President Gopal Italia and Isudan Gadhvi celebrating their release with party workers.
AAP workers & activists feeding each other sweets.
Vishwanath Vaghela is new
Guj Youth Cong president
AAP LEADERS WALK FREE, VOW TO
PUSH FOR VORA’S RESIGNATION
—PHOTOS
BY
HANIF
SINDHI
First India Bureau
Rajkot: The grand
roadshow organized to
mark the culmination
of Good Governance
Week in Rajkot on Fri-
day was a political show
of strength aimed at
Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) dissidents, feel
experts. It was a clear
indication of the fact
that BJP state unit Pres-
ident CR Patil and
Chief Minister Bhupen-
dra Patel can success-
fully sail through in the
upcoming 2022 state as-
sembly elections.
Sharing his views,
senior journalist & po-
litical analyst Arvind
Jobanputrasaid,“There
is no justifiable reason
for the party or the state
government to organize
a roadshow in Rajkot. If
it really wanted to show-
case good governance,
the state should have
put the All India Insti-
tute of Medical Sciences
(AIIMS) and the Rajkot
International Airport
projects on the fast
track. Instead, both pro-
jects have slowed down
and are unlikely to be
completed before 2022
assembly polls. These
were dream projects of
former Chief Minister
Vijay Rupani.”
He added, “Some
leaders from Rajkot and
Saurashtra are dissatis-
fied with the party’s de-
cision to send the entire
cabinet packing and
talking about the ‘no
repetition’ theory
. They
are not openly speaking
or working against the
party, but the roadshow
is a message to them.”
Rajkot is just not the
commercial capital of
the Saurashtra region
but, the political epicen-
tre of the region as well.
All activities in the city
have a far-reaching im-
pact across the region
and that was the most
important factor in its
selection for the road-
show. This is a show of
strength to send strong
messages to the dissi-
dent group that even
without their support
and cooperation, the Pa-
til and Patel duo can
win seats in Saurashtra,
analyzed senior jour-
nalist Jagdish Mehta.
According to sources,
a cold war is underway
between Patil and Ru-
pani. Whenever Patil is
in Rajkot, the former
CM is out of the city,
which happened on Fri-
day as well. Rupani was
late arriving at the road-
show and was nowhere
to be found till the time
Patil was present.
With the power strug-
gle going on within the
BJP, a collective effort
to establish the group
led by Rajya Sabha
member Rambhai
Mokariya, MLA Govind
Patel, former MP
Vallabh Kathiriya and
Jitu Mehta as the main
faction is being orches-
trated. This means that
the old group with lean-
ings towards Rupani
will not have any say in
the party’s decisions
and may be sidelined,
believes Mehta.
Experts believe the mega event was a show of strength to establish unquestionable authority of top leaders
RAJKOT ROADSHOW:
RAJKOT ROADSHOW: PATIL & PATEL’S
PATIL & PATEL’S
STRONG MESSAGE TO DISSIDENTS?
STRONG MESSAGE TO DISSIDENTS?
CM Bhupendra Patel &
BJP state unit President
CR Patil at the Rajkot
roadshow on Friday.
YEAR
HAPPY
2
NEW
2 2
0

GUJARAT
03
First India Bureau
Rajkot: The All India
Institute of Medical
Sciences (AIIMS) in
Rajkot opened doors to
its outdoor patient de-
partment (OPD) ser-
vices with an inaugu-
ral ceremony on Fri-
day. Located at Khand-
eri-Parapipaliya, 12 of
the hospital’s depart-
ments began opera-
tions exactly one year
after Prime Minister
Narendra Modi laid its
foundation stone.
General medicine,
general surgery,
opthalmology, ENT, ob-
stetrics, gynaecology,
dermatology, paediat-
rics, radiography, and
orthopaedics, as well
as community and
family medicine, an-
aesthesia, and pulmo-
nary medicine, are
among the 12 depart-
ments that will cater to
patients.
“The commencement
of AIIMS Rajkot OPD is
in accordance with the
concept of early opera-
tionalization of
AIIMS,” said Deputy
Director (Administra-
tion) Shramdeep Sinha
to First India.
The In Patient De-
partment (IPD) of the
hospital is set to open in
July 2022.
During the opening,
AIIMS Rajkot Execu-
tive Director Prof Dr
(COL) C D. S Katoch,
institute body member
Dr Jitendra Amlani,
senior faculty mem-
bers, doctors, MBBS
students, nursing stu-
dents, paramedical, ad-
ministrative, and hospi-
tal and support staff
were present.
In the next few days,
thedentistrydepartment
will also be operational.
The facility boasts of
a concessionary phar-
macy (AMRIT Pharma-
cy), a SBI ATM, diag-
nostic labs for biochem-
istry, pathology, and
microbiology, and a
canteen run by Sakhi
Mandal.
Registration will be-
gin at 8.30 am daily, and
the OPD will be open
from 9 am to 2 pm. Ac-
cording to a press state-
ment, the local district
administration will
shortly begin provid-
ing bus services for pa-
tients’ comfort.
AIIMSRajkotcommencesOPDwith12depts
It opened
exactly a year
after PM Modi
laid the
institution’s
foundation stone
‘MEDICAL MARVEL’
The entrance of AIIMS OPD in Rajkot.
School union urges CM to discontinue offline classes
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Con-
cerned about the rise
in COVID-19 cases, a
state association of
schools on Friday
urged Chief Minister
Bhupendra Patel to
consider discontinuing
offline education at
schools in a phased
manner. Gujarat on
Thursday recorded 654
new cases of COVID-19,
while 113 cases of Omi-
cron have been detect-
ed in the state so far.
Though the state
government has not de-
clared any data about
infected students so
far, a rough estimate
suggests that over 200
have contracted COV-
ID-19 in the last few
months, said Bhaskar
Patel, the president of
the Gujarat State
School Administra-
tors’ Federation.
In the letter, the fed-
eration expressed con-
cern about the sudden
rise in coronavirus
cases and emergence
of Omicron variant in
the state over the last
few days.
Following a signifi-
cant fall in new infec-
tions, the state govern-
ment had first allowed
physical reopening of
higher secondary and
secondaryschoolsfrom
July and later gave a go
ahead to the offline les-
sons for Classes VI to
VIII. From November-
end, primary schools
for Classes I to V had
also resumed impart-
ing lessons from their
premises.
“Though both online
and offline modes are
available at present,
only 10% school stu-
dents are taking advan-
tage of online educa-
tion, as 90% are coming
to schools. With cases
of COVID-19 and its
new variant Omicron
rising, school students
are also getting infect-
ed,” the letter stated.
The federation also
drew the chief minis-
ter’s attention to inci-
dents of teaching and
non-teaching staff of
some schools also get-
ting infected.
“We urge the govern-
menttomonitorthesitu-
ation for one week and
considerstoppingoffline
education.Thiswillhelp
us in fighting the possi-
ble third wave of the
pandemic,” the federa-
tion stated in the letter.
Since students in the
15 to 18 age group are
eligible for vaccination
against coronavirus,
children under the age
of 15 years are more
vulnerable to infection
if they keep coming to
school, Patel said.
Despite precautions in schools, students and teachers alike have been infected by the virus
in the state. —FILE PHOTO
As cases nCoV continue to
rise, parents fear infection in
unvaccinated youngsters
HOME DEPT URGES OFFICIALS TO
ENFORCE COVID-19 PROTOCOL
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: In ac-
cordance with instruc-
tions given by the cen-
tral government and
union health ministry,
thestategovernmentex-
tended night curfew
hours in eight major cit-
ies to curb COVID-19
cases. On Friday, the
state home department
issued orders to the dis-
trict police commission-
ers and magistrates to
enforce COVID-19 pan-
demic protocol in their
respective jurisdictions.
Notably, Gujarat is
among six states in the
country that has wit-
nessedasuddensurgein
the coronavirus cases.
The home depart-
ment reiterated the im-
portance of wearing of
masks in public places,
workplace and during
transport as well.
“Individuals must
maintain a minimum
distance of six feet in
public places. Shops
must ensure physical
distancing among cus-
tomers. Spitting in pub-
lic places will be pun-
ishable with fine, as per
existing laws, rules or
regulations,” the notifi-
cation mentioned.
Meanwhile, the state
reported 654 fresh cases
of COVID-19 on Friday
,
including 16 cases of the
Omicron variant. Of the
total Omicron variant
cases recorded on the
day
,ninepatientsdidnot
have any travel history
.
No death was report-
ed in the state due to the
virus and Ahmedabad
grabbed the top spot for
highest number of cas-
es at 317. Out of over
2,962 active patients, 17
are on ventilator sup-
port, while 2,945 are in
stable condition.
Amdavadis seen ushering in the New Year in 2020. —FILE PHOTO
Police personnel dispersing cattle on roads.
First India Bureau
Surat: A 16-year-old
school student with no
prior travel history
was found infected
with the Omicron vari-
ant of coronavirus. A
total of 10 cases of
Omicron have been
registered in Surat
alone, so far. Earlier, a
39-year-old man from
Athwalines in the Ath-
wa zone had tested
positive for Omicron.
On December 14, he ar-
rived from the United
Kingdom. His report
came back positive on
December 21, seven
days after being placed
in home isolation per
COVID-19 guidelines.
He was kept in isola-
tion at a private hospi-
tal and his samples
were sent for genome
sequencing The pa-
tient’s condition is
now stable, and he has
returned home. The
report of a 16-year-old
student from Pal Vista
in the Rander zone
also came back Omi-
cron-positive. His con-
dition is also stable
and he has also re-
turned home. Students
at his private school
were tested through
contact tracing of a
positive student.
16-year-old sans travel history Omicron-infected
In a notification, it requested citizens to wear masks and practice social distancing to curb rising cases
Traders welcome move to
defer GST tax hike on textiles
First India Bureau
S u r a t / Va d o d a r a :
Heeding to demands
made by several states,
including Gujarat, the
Goods & Services Tax
(GST) Council on Fri-
day put on hold a deci-
sion to hike the tax rate
on textiles to 12% from
the existing rate of 5%.
The decision was wel-
comed by textile traders
in the state with the
withdrawal of their
two-day strike.
At its 46th meeting,
the Council, chaired by
Union Finance Minis-
ter Nirmala Sithara-
man and comprising
state counterparts, de-
cided to deliberate on
the issue further in its
next meeting.
In Surat, textile trad-
ers celebrated the news
by bursting crackers
and extended their ap-
preciation towards
Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) state unit presi-
dent CR Patil and Union
Minister of Textiles
Darshana Jardosh. Jay-
chand Prajapati, a tex-
tiletrader,said,“Weowe
special gratitude to CR
Patil for the work done
by the Federation of Su-
rat Textile Traders As-
sociation (FOSTTA).
The role of bridging the
gap between the GST
Council and the traders
has been crucial.”
Speaking at an event
in Vadodara on the day,
Jardosh said, “We had
sent a proposal to the
union finance minister
and Prime Minister
Narendra Modi for re-
vising the GST hike to
5%, following textile
merchants and stake-
holders’ protests, across
the country
. We were
hopeful of a positive
outcome in the matter.”
The panel, the high-
est decision-making
body for indirect taxes,
met under emergency
provisions after states
made a request for de-
ferring the January 01
hike in GST tax rates on
textiles.
Cattle owners
clash with police,
VMC in Vadodara
First India Bureau
Vadodara: Cattle own-
ers in the district pro-
tested against the Va-
dodara Municipal Cor-
poration’s (VMC) cattle-
catching squad as well
as city police. Accord-
ing to reports, tension
spread in Gorwa area
after police caught 12
cows coming out of Ra-
barivaas and kept them
in a school compound.
In order to disperse the
gathering that protest-
ed their actions, the po-
lice used lathicharge.
The police D staff
team caught a herd of
cows and then informed
the VMC’s cattle-catch-
ing squad. However, be-
fore the corporation’s
cattle team arrived, a
mob, including the own-
ers of the calves and
cows, rushed to release
them. As the situation
heated up, police used
light lathicharge to dis-
perse the crowd. One of
the protesters even lay
down on the road to dis-
rupt traffic but police
arrested him.
Police detained two
others from the spot
and brought the situa-
tion under control.
Then, the VMC team ar-
rived at the spot and
took away the cows.
Earlier, 70-year-old
man Indrasinh Rana re-
ceived a fracture on the
backside of his hip af-
ter he was knocked
down by a cow in front
of his residence in Gor-
wa area. He was shifted
to a private hospital,
where he is currently
undergoing treatment.
Gorwa police have reg-
istered a case against
the cattle owner based
on CCTV footage evi-
dence of the incident.
YEAR
HAPPY
2
NEW
2 2
0
COVID-19 UPDATE
317 MAX
CASES IN
A’BAD
ACTIVE CASES
2,962
8,18,652
TOTAL RECOVERED
63 RECOVERED
IN A DAY
8,31,735
TOTAL CASES
654 CASES
IN A DAY
10,118
TOTAL DEATHS
00 DEATHS
IN A DAY
Cloth merchants celebrate withdrawal of new GST rates in A'bad on Friday.
CLARIFICATION
—PHOTO
BY
HANIF
SINDHI

SPIRITUAL SPEAK
Whatever action is performed
by a great man, common
men follow in his footsteps,
and whatever standards he
sets by exemplary acts, all the
world pursues.
—Bhagavad Gita
IN-DEPTH
Rahul Gandhi
@RahulGandhi
My thoughts are with the people of
Tamil Nadu. Heartfelt condolences to
those who’ve lost loved ones in the
heavy rains. Please stay safe and follow
all government advisory. Take care.
Dalai Lama
@DalaiLama
My favourite prayer says: “For as long as
space endures, And for as long as living
beings remain, Until then may I too
abide, To dispel the misery of the world.”
And, in trying to fulfil that aspiration, I
feel my life has been of some benefit.
TOP TWEETS
LIKE IT OR NOT,
AFSPA TO REMAIN
IN NAGALAND FOR
6 MORE MONTHS
ew days after a high-
powered committee
meeting to discuss
withdrawal of
Armed Forces (Spe-
cial Powers) Act (AFSPA) from
Nagaland, the Central govern-
ment extended the draconian
law’s imposition by six months.
The decision was strongly criti-
cised by the Naga People’s Front,
a member of Nagaland’s ruling
United Democratic Alliance,
which was “aghast and affront-
ed” at the decision. The party’s
reaction must be taken with a
pinch of salt as the Centre must
have consulted the government
before extending the law. The
main tribal body
, the Naga Hoho,
expressed “extreme shock.”
There was an outcry against
AFSPA in the state after six in-
nocent coal miners were killed
in the Mon district on December
4 by the armed forces in a case
of mistaken identity. An in-
quiry into the goofed-up opera-
tion is on. The tragedy reignited
the demand for repeal of AFSPA
which was due to expire today
.
The debate over continuation
of AFSPA in Nagaland has cen-
tred around othering and secur-
ing of the state bordering China.
F
nion Home Min-
ister Amit Shah
made a pertinent
point when,
tongue-in-cheek,
he cajoled Mayawati to step
out of her comfort zone and
start electioneering. At a
rally in Moradabad he said,
“Behenji ki to abhi thand hi
nahi udi hai. Yeh bhaibheet
hain. Behenji, chunav a gaya
thoda baahar nikaliye. Baad
me ye na kehna ki maine
prachaar nahi kiya.” It is in-
deed strange that Mayawati
has yet to step out to smell
the coffee. Her social engi-
neering formula has lost its
edge. Muslims are veering
towards Samajwadi Party,
aware of the fact that the
BSP chief wouldn’t be averse
to joining hands with the
BJP to keep SP out.
As for Brahmins she’s
barely left with Satish
Mishra and his close family.
The party’s Rajya Sabha MP
has addressed a few meetings
of Brahmins, but has no po-
litical base or else, he
wouldn’t have taken the Ra-
jya Sabha route to enter poli-
tics. That leaves Behenji with
only Jatav votes, the caste to
which she belongs, as other
Dalits may be lured by the
BJP and SP. BJP is going all
out to win over Mayawati’s
core Jatav voters too. Former
Uttarakhand governor Baby
Rani Maurya has been roped
in with that intent.
Pinning all her political
hopes on one man---Satish
Mishra---is quite unlike
Mayawati who, like a banyan
tree,doesn’tallowastrongsec-
ond rung leadership to take
root. There are about 86 seats
where the presence of BSP
voters is strong but even in
those seats the party is facing
a challenge due to Mayawati’s
defeatist mindset.
HAS MAYAWATI GIVEN
UP THE FIGHT ALREADY
Pining all her political
hopes on One man-
Satish Mishra- is quite
unlike Mayawati who, like
a banyan tree, doesn’t
allow a strong second
rung leadership to take
root. Party is facing a
challenge in 86 seats due
to her defeatist mindset
U
UNFOLDING 2022
Harness Hope and Happiness
ew Year’s gala time is proba-
bly the most active-minded
holiday, as people evaluate
their experiences to the time
gone by and look forward to
the coming one. Probably we
take our lives more resolute-
ly on New Year. While worry-
ing anxiously about both the
present and the future, we
fundamentally believe that
change is necessary. This
hope for change manifests in
numerous ways in our circa-
dian lives. However, slow but
every step towards progress
shouldremindusthatchange
is achievable if we continue
to bear the brunt for it. Wit-
nessing an era in which,
there are so many reasons
not to have hope for change,
it remains phenomenal that
our contemporary peers are
holding on to the hope that
things will be better, beyond
the shadow of a doubt.
Whenwebasehopeonreal-
ity
,tangiblerisks,andintangi-
ble plans, it results in trust,
which is instrumental in im-
plementinganystrategy
.Hope
recognises and accepts the
harsh truth that failure hap-
pens, challenges are pro-
nounced than plans, and suc-
cess is not assured. Hope
doesn’t define and decorate a
beeline pathway, but it does
guide us through twists and
turns. Hope views the glass as
half full, not half empty
. Hope
reinforces realistic optimism.
Theinvinciblelawsof theuni-
versedonotdemandustobow
down in fear, but beacon us to
practice prudence and perse-
verance and build relation-
ships with empathy and com-
passion with fellow beings.
When we practice hope, it
comes back to basics. We can
start by displaying gratitude.
Reflecting a few minutes each
day
, recounting the positives
in one’s life; even small ones
likeexperiencingamomentof
stillness in the sunshine, ex-
changing greetings to a near-
by
, can refuel us with positivi-
ty
. Envisioning realistic ways
that our times may improve,
can help subside pain and dis-
comfort. Even deep sorrows
canhealwithtime.Inallthese
cases,thestrategyissimple:to
embrace the change by choos-
ing to be mindful, even in the
face of despair.
Medical evidence has cou-
pled positive emotions with
better mental health, longer
life, and greater well-being.
Juxtaposed to it, persistent
anger, worry, and feeling of
fearfulness and hatred in-
crease the risk of developing
the cardiac disease, as these
feelings are associated with
raised blood pressure. Equal-
ly significant is to address
and recognise mood disor-
ders that are frequent in a
stressful and hectic lifestyle.
There is no better time than
now to sit and take on prior-
ity these aspects of our lives.
Acknowledging that we all
are together in this, an aspi-
rational feeling that circum-
stances can improve, that we
can persist, that there is at
least as much good in the
world as bad, helps us har-
ness happiness. From the ce-
lestial bonds that connect us
with one another to the ever-
present vulnerability, we
share as humans in a chaotic
world, our lives are forever
saturated in the possibility of
unforeseen. The human spir-
it is enduring. It has survived
many battles and it remains
hopeful in unprecedented
times such as ours in the pan-
demic. One can find a ray of
joy in being someone’s hope
and it can be equally comfort-
ing. That is the beauty of the
marvel called - the human
heart. Is not it contending to
acknowledge that there can
be good in our lives, even un-
der challenging circumstanc-
es? Realistic optimism is es-
sentially a firm faith that
things will work out in the
future although times are
dingy. Cultivating and shar-
ing this feeling is edifying.
With a New Year ushering
into our lives, many of us are
taking stock of what we’ve ac-
complishedandwhatremains
unfulfilled in our lives. But
instead of beginning a New
Year with visceral and going
hard on ourselves, let us dis-
perse the Lego pieces of the
life’s puzzles we encounter
and engage in self-reflection.
Itisworthstartingagain,may
it be learning a new language,
maybesettingfitnessgoals,or
moving on to a completely
new country
. If a simple expe-
rience of trying a new food
fills us with so much energy,
considermakinganewleapin
life. There are indeed stakes
that always accompany the
new journey
, but it is equally
true that sometimes, we need
to go with the flow and trust
thebiggerplan,ourlivesoffer.
In our journey
, we may know-
ingly and unknowingly in-
spire multifarious people.
Therefore, it is critical to be
benevolent. Unfolding the
miracleof lifeismotivational.
We need to breathe that fresh
air, go out under the blue sky
,
listen to that music of birds
and always give ourselves a
new chance to start again.
Probably this is the message
we see everywhere in nature
when after the dark winters
the grounds sprout with the
new life everywhere.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
N
DR JYOTI JOSHI
The writer is a soft skill, yoga trainer,
business coach and English language
instructor in Germany, Europe
When we practice hope, it
comes back to basics. We
can start by displaying
gratitude. Reflecting a
few minutes each day,
recounting the positives
in one’s life; even small
ones like experiencing a
moment of stillness in the
sunshine, exchanging
greetings to a nearby, can
refuel us with positivity
The human spirit is
enduring& has
survived many battles.
One can find a ray of
joy in being someone’s
hope & it can be equally
comforting. That is the
beauty of the marvel
called- the human heart
l Vol 3 l Issue No. 38
l RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/79050.
Printed and published by Anita Hada
Sangwan on behalf of First Express
Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar
Printing Planet Survey No.148P,
Changodar-Bavla Highway, Tal. San-
and, Dist. Ahmedabad. Published at
D/302 3rd Floor Plot No. 35 Titanium
Square, Scheme No. 2, Thaltej Taluka,
Ghatlodiya, Ahmedabad.
Editor-In-Chief: Jagdeesh Chandra.
Editor: Haresh Jhala
responsible for selection of news
under the PRB Act
PERSPECTIVE
04
YEAR
HAPPY
2
NEW
2 2
0

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INDIA
05
First India Bureau
Mumbai: In a rare feat,
Brihanmumbai Munici-
pal Corporation (BMC)
Commissioner Iqbal
Singh Chahal has suc-
cessfully rejuvenated
the BMC finances post
Covid-19. Thanks to
Chahal, BMC’s revenue
collection in the form of
premiums from build-
ers has increased nearly
three-times than that of
the pre-Covid era.
A policy decision tak-
en by Chahal in early
2021 proved to be a mas-
terstroke and has start-
ed paying rich divi-
dends to the BMC. It
was in early 2021 that
the Mumbai civic body
cut by half the hefty
premiums, which the
builders pay to it and
the Maharashtra gov-
ernment for additional
construction rights.
For the last one dec-
ade, the BMC was earn-
ing Rs 3,500 to 4,000
crore per annum from
premiums and other
charges from builders.
In 2020 BMC also not re-
mained untouched by
Covid-19 and subse-
quent lockdowns and
its finances were badly
affected and it could
hardly generate Rs 2,500
crore between April
2020 to March 2021. It
was much below the
previous fiscal’s collec-
tion of Rs 3,800 crore.
By cutting the pre-
mium by half, the civic
body has earned a
whopping revenue of
over Rs 11,000 crore and
it is still counting. The
total collection could go
as high as Rs 15,000
crore by March 2022,
Chahal said.
The BMC Commis-
sioner said that when he
had mooted this propos-
al his senior colleagues
opposed it saying that
slashing the premium
would cripple the BMC
finances further. Cha-
hal said that Mumbai’s
about 600 construction
projects, both re-devel-
opment and greenfield,
had become unviable
due to high premiums.
One of such projects
was Godrej Properties
project in Wadala where
the premium was Rs 500
crore and the developer
was finding it to be un-
viable. But, by giving
50% concession, the pre-
mium dropped to Rs 250
crore and the project
became viable, Chahal
said.
Several big builders
and realtors have hailed
the BMC and its Com-
missioner Iqbal Singh
Chahal saying that
these concessions have
given a big boost to the
real estate industry of
Mumbai. They said that
the 50 per cent conces-
sion given by the BMC
resulted in about a 10
per cent reduction in
cost of the development
of the projects and it
helped attain economic
viability
.
Iqbal Chahal’s decision increases BMC’s revenue
collection thrice more than pre-Covid-19 levels
New Delhi: The India
Meteorological Depart-
ment (IMD) on Friday
predicted isolated
heavy to very heavy
rainfall activity over
coastal Tamilnadu, Pu-
ducherry and Karaikal
during the next 2 days.
“Isolated heavy to
very heavy rainfall ac-
tivity over coastal
Tamilnadu, Puducher-
ry and Karaikal during
next 2 days and de-
crease thereafter.
Strong northeasterly
winds are prevailing
off the coast of Tamil
Nadu in the lower lev-
els,” IMD tweeted.
IMD informed that a
cyclonic circulation
lies over southwest
Bay of Bengal off Sri
Lanka coast at middle
tropospheric level.
“Fairly widespread
rainfall with isolated
heavy to very heavy
rainfall activity is very
likely to continue over
coastal Tamil Nadu
during next 2 days and
decrease thereafter,” it
added.
“The pattern of cy-
clonic circulation is
persisting at 5.8 km of
height and is still close
to the coast and will
move a little bit east-
west direction. So
coastal Tamil Nadu
will get widespread
rainfall,” Puviarasan,
Director of MET De-
partment, Chennai
told reporters.
He added that some
districts including
Chennai will get heavy
to very heavy rainfall.
“We have issued a red
alert for Nagapattinam
and the rest of the
coastal districts in-
cluding Tiruvallur,
Chennai are in the or-
ange category for the
next 2 days.”
New Delhi: The Union
Home Ministry on Fri-
day extended the valid-
ity of the FCRA regis-
tration of NGOs by 3
months till March 31.
However, organisa-
tions such as the Mis-
sionaries of Charity
will not be eligible for
the extension benefits
as their applications for
a renewal of the For-
eign Contribution (Reg-
ulation) Act registra-
tion have already been
rejected, according to a
notice issued by the
Ministry of Home Af-
fairs (MHA).
The Centre, in public
interest, has decided to
extend the validity of
the FCRA registration
certificates of NGOs up
to March 31, 2022 or till
the date of disposal of
their renewal applica-
tions, whichever is ear-
lier, in respect of only
those entities that fulfil
certain criteria, the no-
tice said.
New Delhi: Former
Union Minister Man-
ish Tewari has dis-
missedmediareports
about being asked by
the Chinese Embassy
here to “refrain from
supporting the cause
of Tibet.”
“Neither have I re-
ceived any letter nor
will I demean or di-
minish myself by re-
sponding to such im-
becile missives,”
Tewari said.
The Congress MP
response followed a
media report which
said that the Political
Counsellor at the
Chinese Embassy
had sent an “unusu-
ally worded letter” to
a group of MPs who
had attended an
event organised by
the Tibetan Parlia-
ment-in-exile in the
national Capital.
The embassy ex-
pressed “concern”
over their participa-
tion and asked them
to “refrain from pro-
viding support to the
‘Tibetan independ-
ence’ forces”.
“My attention has
been drawn to a re-
port published in an
English newspaper
today. Neither have I
received any letter
nor will I demean or
diminish myself by
responding to such
imbecile missives.
Had Wang Yi written
perhaps I would have
considered respond-
ing,” Manish Tewari
said.
OMICRON VEXES INDIA FURTHER, MAHA LOGS
450 CASES; TOTAL TALLY MOUNTS TO 1,270
New Delhi: India saw
the highest single-day
rise of 309 cases of the
Omicron variant of the
coronavirus, taking the
country’s tally of such
cases to 1,270, the Union
Health Ministry said on
Friday
.
It also recorded 16,764
fresh Covid-19 cases
and 220 more fatalities
due to the viral disease.
Of the 1,270 patients
infected with the Omi-
cron variant of the vi-
rus,374haveeitherrecu-
perated or migrated, ac-
cordingtotheMinistry’s
data updated at 8 am. Of
the 23 States and Union
Territories that have re-
cordedOmicroncasesso
far, Maharashtra has
registered the highest
number of 450, followed
by Delhi (320), Kerala
(107) and Gujarat (97).
The daily rise in the
number of coronavirus
cases crossed the 16,000
mark after 64 days, tak-
ing the country’s Cov-
id-19 tally to 3,48,38,804,
while the number of ac-
tive cases of the infec-
tion has gone up to
91,361, according to the
data. The death toll due
to the viral disease has
climbed to 4,81,080 with
220 more fatalities, the
data stated.
The country had wit-
nessed 16,156 fresh cor-
onavirus cases on Octo-
ber 27. The 91,361 active
Covid cases account for
0.26 per cent of the total
caseload, while the na-
tional Covid-19 recov-
ery rate was recorded at
98.36 per cent, the min-
istry said. —PTI
Thiruvananthapuram:
Kerala reported 44 new
cases of the Omicron,
informed the State
Health Minister Veena
George on Friday
.
With this, the total
tally of Omicron cases
in the State has risen to
107, stated George.
Speaking about the vac-
cination drive against
Covid-19 in Kerala, the
State Health Minister
said that 98 per cent and
79 per cent of the eligi-
ble population has been
inoculated with the
first dose and second
dose respectively in the
state so far.
Speaking to ANI here
on Friday, George said,
“Total 44 new #Omi-
cron cases reported in
Kerala on Friday, tak-
ing the total tally to 107.
Genomic sequencing
samples are being sent,
sentinel surveillance is
underway
.” —ANI
Mumbai: More than a third of the
positive Covid-19 samples of Mumbai
residents with no travel history detected
between December 21-December 22 are
of the Omicron variant, the Brihanmum-
bai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said
on Friday. Of the 375 samples collected,
37 per cent or 141 were detected to be
of the Omicron and none of these cases
have any travel history. The numbers
suggest how quickly it is spreading.
New Delhi: All samples from metro
cities — that have tested positive for
Covid — are being sent for genome
sequencing, government sources said
today, amid fears over an Omicron-
driven third wave, adding that 18% of
recent samples in India had the new
variant. In Delhi, 50 per cent of the
patients’ samples tested since Decem-
ber 12 had the new variant, said to be
highly infectious.
37% OF LOCAL MUMBAI COVID
CASES ARE OMICRON
OMICRON’S TRANSMISSION IN
DELHI WITH 50% OF CASES
Omicron invades Kerala, 44 fresh
cases reported, total tally rises to 107
A man walks past a mural depicting doctor and coronavirus —FILE PHOTO
Commuters wade through a flooded street during heavy rainfall,
in Chennai on Friday. —PHOTO BY ANI
Manish Tewari
Patna: A day after
Bihar reported its
first Omicron case,
Chief Minister Nitish
Kumar on Friday said
that the third wave of
Covid-19 has begun
and urged people
to remain vigilant.
He also spoke out
opening a genome
sequencing labora-
tory in the State.
“Bihar has recorded
the first Omicron
case. Everyone has
to be alert. The State
is witnessing a sharp
rise in cases, with the
maximum being reg-
istered in Patna and
Gaya. A large number
of people from other
States reside in these
two places, and this
could be a reason
behind the spike in
cases in these areas,”
he told said. “The
third wave has begun
in the State. We are
fully prepared. The
health department
has upgraded hos-
pital infrastructure,”
Kumar said. —PTI
New Delhi: The big-
gest challenge India
will face amid the
Omicron crisis will
be the sudden need
for medical care,
WHO Chief Scientist
Soumya Swamina-
than said. “The surge
is going to be very
fast and many people
are going to be sick,”
she warned with the
new variant of con-
cern already driving
up cases across the
world.
The Omicron
outbreak, which
has triggered fresh
concerns globally and
raised an alarm, will
see the burden shift
from hospitals to the
out-patients depart-
ment, from ICUs to
home-based care, Dr
Swaminathan said.
“People are wor-
ried. You may not
have symptoms but
you would want to
talk to a doctor, you’d
want to see a health-
care worker, and
you’d want advice.
THIRD WAVE
STARTED IN
BIHAR: NITISH
KUMAR
‘SURGE WILL
BE SO FAST,’
WARNS WHO
EXPERT
—FILE PHOTO
CRUCIAL READ
IMA: NEET-PG
COUNSELLING
BEFORE JAN 6
New Delhi: Indian Medi-
cal Association (IMA)
president Sahajanand
Prasad Singh on Friday
said that Union Health
Minister Mansukh Man-
daviya has assured him
that NEET-PG counsel-
ling will start before
January 6, 2022. As per
a press release, “Health
Minister has assured us
that the NEET-PG coun-
selling will start before
6th Jan’2022. There will
be no FIRs on the doc-
tors. There is no need to
panic for Omicron but
all precautions should
be taken by the people.”
HEAVY RUSH AT
SABARIMALA
TEMPLE
Sabarimala: The
Sabarimala Ayappa
temple reopened for the
Makaravilakku festival
on Friday. “Heavy rush
was witnessed today in
Sabarimala today due
to the festival”, said
the Sabarimala Tem-
ple’s Devaswam board
representative on Friday.
As per temple sources,
the temple had opened
yesterday evening and
the devotees are al-
lowed to visit the alter
from today. Earlier, the
temple was closed after
the Mandala pooja on
26 December 2021.
RLYS LAUNCHES
DRIVE TO CURB
ILLEGAL VENDING
New Delhi: In another
step towards improv-
ing passengers’ safety,
the Indian Railways has
started a massive drive
to curb unauthorised
vending in trains and
directed the Railway
Protection Force and
Zonal Railways to expe-
dite their inspections to
deal with the menace.
In an official order, the
Railway board has ad-
vised both the Railway
Protection Force and
the Zonal Railways to
carry out inspections
against unauthorised
vending.
VICE PRESIDENT NAIDU BEGINS FIVE-DAY
VISIT TO KERALA, LAKSHADWEEP
Kochi (Kerala): Vice President M Venkaiah
Naidu arrived at Kochi Naval Airport on Friday
on a five-day visit to
Kerala. Kochi City Police
Commissioner CH
Nagaraju, Ernakulam
District Collector Jafar
Malik, Additional State
Protocol Officer MS
Harikrishnan received
him at the airport. The Vice President left for
Lakshadweep and will return to Kochi on January
2 and attend various events in the city. Naidu will
be in Kottayam on January 3 and will leave for
Nagpur on 4.
COBRA INSPECTOR
DIES BY SUICIDE
IN SUKMA
Sukma: An inspec-
tor posted with the
Commando Battalion
for Resolute Action
(CoBRA) allegedly
committed suicide in
the Sukma district of
Chhattisgarh, informed
the police on Friday.
Inspector Valang, hailed
from Nagaland and was
posted as an inspector
in CoBRA’s 206 Battal-
ion in Burkapal Camp, a
severely Naxal affected
area, said Superinten-
dent of Police Sunil
Sharma. A week ago, he
had returned after leav-
ing home, SP said.
Heavy rainfall in TN, Pondy
for next 2 days, predicts IMD
Haven’t received
any letter: Tewari
Orange alert in
Chennai, Red in
Nagapattinam
for next 2 days
MHA extends
validity of FCRA
registration of
NGOs till Mar 31
YEAR
HAPPY
2
NEW
2 2
0
Iqbal Singh Chahal

INDIA
06
YEAR
HAPPY
2
NEW
2 2
0
New Delhi: Amid the
ongoing row over the
renaming of 15 places
by the Chinese govern-
ment in Arunachal
Pradesh, Congress
leader Rahul Gandhi
on Friday slammed the
Centre and said that
the security of the na-
tion demands wise and
strong decisions, add-
ing that hollow
words will not bring
success.
The Congress leader
also shared a report on
China renaming 15
places in Arunachal
Pradesh, on Twitter.
Just a few days back
we were remembering
India's glorious victory
in 1971. For the security
and triumph of the na-
tion, wise and strong
decisions are needed.
Hollow words do not
bring success! reads
Mr Gandhi's tweet
roughly translated from
Hindi.
The government
said on Thursday that
it has seen reports of
China attempting to re-
name some places in
Arunachal Pradesh in
its own language and
asserted that the bor-
der state has been and
will always be an inte-
gral part of India and
assigning invented
names does not alter
this fact.
In response to a me-
dia query on reports
that China has renamed
some places in
its own language, Minis-
try of External Affairs
Spokesperson Arin-
dam Bagchi said Chi-
na had also sought to
assign such names in
April 2017.
We have seen such
reports. This is not the
first time that China
has attempted to re-
name places in the
state of Arunachal
Pradesh. China had
also sought to assign
such names in April
2017, Mr Bagchi said.
Arunachal Pradesh
has always been, and
will always be an inte-
gral part of India. As-
signing invented names
to places in Arunachal
Pradesh does not alter
this fact, he added.
Media reports said
the Chinese govern-
ment has sought to re-
name 15 places in
its map two days ahead
of implementing new
border law. —PTI
RaGa slams Centre on vaccine
backlog, Chinese standoff
New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul
Gandhi on Friday slammed the Modi
government for not fulfilling its
“promise” to fully vaccinate all eligi-
ble beneficiaries against Covid-19 by
the end of the year. The government
had told the Supreme Court in
June that it
expected
the
entire
eli-
gible
popu-
lation
to be
vaccinated
against
Covid-19 by
end of the year.
“The Centre had
promised
to vaccinate everyone with two
doses of vaccines by end of 2021.
Today, the year comes to an end.
The country is still away from the
vaccine. Another rhetoric bites the
dust,” Gandhi said on Twitter. As on
Friday afternoon, more than
144.67 crore doses of
Covid-19 vaccines
had been adminis-
tered across the
country. More
than 84.51 crore
beneficiaries have
received the first
dose of the vac-
cines, while more
than 60.15 crore
beneficiaries have
been received both the
doses. —PTI
RAHUL GANDHI SLAMS CENTRE FOR
MISSING VACCINATION TARGET
New Delhi: Exports of
India’s agricultural and
processed food products
rose to $20.67 billion in
2020-21 from $16.7 billion
in the previous year, the
Ministry of Commerce
and Industry said on
Friday
.
Non-Basmati rice has
emerged as India’s top
export item among the
many agricultural and
processed food product
exports under Agricul-
tural and Processed
Food Products Export
Development Authority
(APEDA) basket, con-
tributing close to one-
fourth of the total ex-
ports in 2020-21.
Top three products in
the APEDA export bas-
ket in 2020-21 were Non-
Basmati Rice (23.22 per
cent share), Basmati
Rice (19.44 per cent) and
Buffalo Meat (15.34 per
cent) and these products
together account for 58
per cent of total ship-
ments, according to data
released by the Directo-
rate General of Com-
mercial Intelligence and
Statistics (DGCIS).
Benin, Nepal, Bangla-
desh, Senegal and Togo
were the top importers
of Non-Basmati Rice
from India in 2020-21.
Major export destina-
tions for Basmati Rice
in 2020-21 were Saudi
Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Yem-
en and UAE. For Buffalo
Meat exports, the top
importing nations were
Hong Kong, Vietnam,
Malaysia, Egypt and In-
donesia. —ANI
Farmprocessed
foodexportsrise
to$20.6billion
Image for representational purpose only.
T h i r u v a n a n -
thapuram: The new
Special Public Prosecu-
tor appointed in the
2017 case of a Kerala ac-
tor's kidnapping and
sexual assault has quit.
This is the second time,
in almost a year, that a
special public prosecu-
tor has resigned from
the high-profile case.
The first one had quit
just days after the Kera-
la HC rejected the survi-
vor's plea to change the
trial court judge.
The case is at a cru-
cial stage of hearing
with the Kerala High
Court's February 16
deadline to end the case
- after the second exten-
sion of six months -
nearing.
In February 2017, a
woman actor was alleg-
edly kidnapped and
sexually abused on her
way to Kochi for work.
The accused had alleg-
edly filmed the crime.
Malayalam movie star
Dileep, the eighth ac-
cused in the case, was
arrested in July 2017
and released two
months later on bail.
OnWednesday
,thepo-
lice sought a fresh probe
into the scathing allega-
tions by film director
Balachandra Kumar
against actor Dileep.
The director, in his com-
plaint to Chief Minister
Pinarayi Vijayan last
month, alleged that he
had seen the prime ac-
cused in the case Pulsar
Sunni at actor Dileep's
house. —ANI
Kerala actor sex assault case: Second
special public prosecutor quits, 2nd in a yr
Dileep was charged with conspiracy to abduct. —FILE PHOTO
184 TERRORISTS KILLED IN JK IN 2021: TOP COP
Jammu: Year 2021
saw the elimination of
a total of 182 terror-
ists, including 44 of
their top commanders
and 20 foreigners, in
100 successful anti-
terror operations by
JK police and secu-
rity forces in the Un-
ion Territory, police
chief Dilbagh Singh
said on Friday
.
The JK director
general of police re-
vealed the number of
total casualties of ter-
rorists a day after the
100th successful anti-
terror operation by
the JK police.
He also said a total
of nine Jaish-e-Mo-
hammad terrorists in-
volved in the attack on
a police bus in Pantha
Chowk were eliminat-
ed in the last 24 hours
while a total of 20 for-
eign terrorists were
killed during the year.
DGP Singh also
said the year saw few-
er infiltration of ter-
rorists from across
the border with the
UT coming across no
instance of any ter-
rorist from Afghani-
stan infiltrating into
the country.
Last night, we com-
pleted 100th successful
operation. In 100 suc-
cessful operations, we
have eliminated 182
terrorists of various
outfits, Singh said.
HYDERPORA ENCOUNTER ‘TRANSPARENT’: DILBAG
Jammu: Jammu: Jammu and
Kashmir DGP Dilbag Singh on
Friday asserted that Hyderpora
encounter was “transparent” and
that political leaders who have
been questioning the “clean chit”
given to the forces should sub-
mit evidence to the investigation
panels. “We have made it clear
Hyderpora operation was transpar-
ent. If they have evidence, they
should present it to the investiga-
tion panels,” he said at a press
conference on asked about the po-
litical leaders’ comments against
the probe by the local police.
Punjab: Punjab Con-
gress chief Navjot
Singh Sidhu on
Thursday targeted for-
mer chief ministers
Parkash Singh Badal
and Amarinder Singh
for allegedly “looting”
the state over the last
25 years.
He blamed the previ-
ous governments led by
Badal and Singh for
leaving the state with a
heavy debt burden.
“For 25 years, two
chief ministers looted
Punjab,” said Sidhu
while addressing a
gathering in Sanaur.
“They (Parkash Sin-
gh Badal, Amarinder
Singh) left the state in
such a situation that
the youth do not want
to stay here,” he al-
leged, referring to
youngsters’ preference
to go abroad.
He said Punjab is
carrying a heavy debt
burden. The state does
not generate enough
revenue to be able to
meet its total expendi-
ture of `1.40 lakh crore.
It pays `30,000 crore as
interest on debt, he
claimed.
Sidhu said the GST
compensation from the
Centre will stop in June
next year and this will
add to the state’s fiscal
deficit. —PTI
Sidhu attacks Badal, Singh for ‘looting’ Punjab
BLAME GAME
They (Parkash
Badal, Amarinder
Singh) left the
state in such a
situation that the
youth do not
want to stay here
RAISING ISSUES
CRUCIAL READ
LUDHIANA BLAST CASE: NIA TO PROBE
SIKHS FOR JUSTICE MEMBER IN GERMANY
New Delhi: The NIA has registered a case against
Jaswinder Singh Multani, an alleged operative of
the Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) who has been detained
in Germany, for hatching
a criminal conspiracy to
wage war against India and
attempting to revive terror-
ism in Punjab, officials said
on Friday. A case against
Multani, who was detained in Germany last week,
was booked under various sections of the IPC.
GOLD GAINS `144; SILVER JUMPS `
664, SENSEX ENDS 460 POINTS
New Delhi: Gold price in the national capital on
Friday gained Rs 144 to Rs 46,874 per 10 gram
in line with strong international precious metal
prices. The yellow metal
settled at Rs 46,730 per 10
gram. Silver also jumped
Rs 664 to Rs 61,015 per
kg from Rs 60,351 per kg
in the previous trade. Gold
was trading with gains at USD 1,816 per ounce
and silver was flat at USD 23.15 per ounce.
3 TERRORISTS
KILLED NEAR
SRINAGAR: COPS
Srinagar: Three terror-
ists, including a JeM
terrorist involved in
an attack on a police
bus earlier this month,
were gunned down by
security forces during
an overnight encounter
on the outskirts of Sri-
nagar, the police said.
One of the killed terror-
ists has been identi-
fied as Suhail Ahmad
Rather, a JeM terrorist
who was involved in an
attack on a police bus.
TMC RELEASES
CANDIDATE LIST
FOR 4 WB POLL
Kolkata: The TMC on
Thursday announced
its list of candidates for
corporation elections
in Bidhannagar, Chan-
dannagar, Asansol and
Siliguri, which are slat-
ed to be held on Jan
22, 2022. Of the four,
Asansol is the largest
municipal corporation
with 106 seats, fol-
lowed by Siliguri with
47, Chandannagar with
33 Bidhannagar with
41 wards.
GOVT ANNOUNCES ` 50L EX-GRATIA,
JOB TO KIN OF MARTYRED SOLDIER
Chandigarh: The Punjab government on
Friday announced an ex-gratia grant of Rs
50 lakh and a government job to a fam-
ily member of soldier Jasbir Singh (26),
who was killed during an encounter with
militants. Extending his condolences to the
bereaved family, Chief Minister Charanjit
Singh Channi said Singh’s utmost dedica-
tion to defend the country’s sovereignty,
besides safeguarding its unity and integrity,
will inspire his peers to perform their duties
with far more devotion and commitment.
CM Patel...
while CM Patel stood on
his seat in an open jeep
duringtheroadshow.Ra-
jkot BJP unit left no
stoneunturnedtoensure
that the CM exuded pow-
er and was given a warm
welcome along with Pa-
til. Several state minis-
ters, including Minister
of State for Home Harsh
Sanghavi,RuralDevelop-
ment Housing Minis-
ter Arjunsinh Chauhan,
Ministerof StateforPan-
chayats Brijesh Merja
and Transport Minister
ArvindRaiyanialsotook
part in the roadshow. It
passed through Race
Course, Kisanpara
Chowk and Yagnik Road
before ending at the
main venue at the col-
lege. Apart from nearly
50 cars carrying VIPs, at
least 1,000 motorcyclists
and several vintage cars
were also part of the
roadshow, a release stat-
ed. The CM was show-
ered with flower petals
by his supporters. Thou-
sands of people and BJP
workers wearing saffron
coloured attire flocked
the route to greet the
chief minister.Asperthe
release, people associat-
ed with various social
and cooperative organi-
zationsandcommunities
greeted the chief minis-
ter by showering flower
petals on the route. Cul-
tural programmes were
organized on 18 stages
erected on the entire
route. In all, Patel was
welcomedat67spotsdur-
ing the roadshow.
Apart from doing
lokarpan and khat-
muhrat of Rs82.49 crore
developmental projects
of the Rajkot Municipal
Corporation (RMC), CM
Patel also approved pro-
jects pertaining to fire
safety, drainage and
roads worth Rs217 core,
in principle. Patel also
inaugurated Gujarat’s
first portable plug and
play healthcare hospital
at Chaudhary High
School ground. The 100-
bed hospital is fire and
water-proof and can
also withstand high-ve-
locity winds. It compris-
es 14 ICU and 30 oxygen
beds apart from general
beds for patients.
FROM PG 1

BIZ BUZZ
07
Mumbai: Equity
benchmark Sensex ral-
lied over 450 points on
the last trading day of
2021 on Friday, led by
strong gains in Maruti,
SBI and Bajaj Finance.
The 30-share index
surged 459.50 points or
0.80 per cent to end at
58,253.82. Similarly, the
Nifty rose by 150.10
points or 0.87 per cent
to 17,354.05.
Titan was the top
gainer in the Sensex
pack, rising 3.5 per
cent, followed by Ko-
tak Bank, SBI, Maruti
Suzuki, Bajaj Finance,
HUL, Axis Bank and
Sun Pharma.
On the other hand,
NTPC, Tech Mahindra,
PowerGrid and Infosys
were the laggards.
Bourses in Tokyo and
South Korea were
closed on Friday. —PTI
New Delhi: Ola Elec-
tric has dispatched its
electric scooters to all
who have purchased
and it will be opening
the next purchase win-
dow very soon, Ola
Chairman and Group
Executive Officer Bhav-
ish Aggarwal said on
Friday. The company,
which had in August
this year forayed into
the green mobility
space with the launch
of its electric scoot-
ers, S1 and S1 Pro
priced at
`99,999 and
`1,29,999, re-
spectively,
had post-
poned delivery time-
lines for its much an-
ticipated products cit-
ing global semiconduc-
tor shortage issue.
While thanking all
RTOs (Regional Trans-
port Offices) for work-
ing with the company
holidays to scale up this
new digital process, Ag-
garwal said, “Lots of
learnings for us on var-
ied RTO systems, regu-
lations across states.
Will be faster with reg-
istration in future!
Also, stay tuned for
next purchase window,
opening very soon!!”
—PTI
New Delhi: ITC Ltd
will launch a host of
plant-based meat
products, in anticipa-
tion of the burgeon-
ing demand for meat
substitutesandvegan
meals in India.
The maker of Aa-
shirvaad atta and
Sunfeast cookies is
the first mainstream
consumer company
to enter this segment
inthecountryevenas
Nestle, Unilever, Kel-
logg’s and Cargill
have globally
launchedproductsfor
consumers conscious
about health, animal
wwwelfare and the
environment. —PTI
New Delhi: Pune-
based Serum Insti-
tute of India has ap-
plied for full market
authorisation for
Covishield with the
drug regulator. “The
government of India
now has enough data
for full market au-
thorisation, and
therefore Serum In-
stitute of India has
applied to the drug
regulator and the
ministry of health for
this permission,”
Adar Poonawalla,
SII’s CEO tweeted. He
said that supplies of
Covishield have have
exceeded 1.25 billion
doses. —PTI
New Delhi: Asian De-
velopment Bank (ADB)
has secured a $1 million
grant from Japan Fund
for Poverty Reduc-
tion (JFPR) to be
utilised for
knowledge and techni-
cal support for an ADB-
funded skill univer-
sity
in Assam.
The Japan Fund for
Poverty Reduction
h a s
approved a $1 million
grant to provide key
knowledge and techni-
cal support to the pro-
ject that will help estab-
lish a skill university in
the state of Assam,
the ADB said
on Friday.
The JFPR
grant, together
with a technical assis-
tance grant of $0.15
million from ADB’s
Climate Change
Fund, will support
the $112 million Assam
Skill University (ASU)
Project. The project
was approved by the
ADB on Dec 13 to set up
a skill university in the
state. —PTI
According to the data,
the total area under
oilseeds has increased
sharply to 97.07 lakh
hectares as of
December 31, 2021,
from 80.64 lakh
hectares in the
year-ago period
New Delhi: Area sown
under rapeseed/mus-
tard seed crop is higher
22.46 percent to 88.54
lakh hectare, while the
coverage under wheat
crop remains slightly
lower so far in the on-
going 2021-22 rabi sea-
son, according to the
latest data released
by the Union Agri-
culture Ministry
.
Wheat, the main
rabi crop, has been
planted at 325.88 lakh
hectares as of Friday,
compared with 329.11
lakh hectares in the
year-ago period, it said.
The sowing of rabi
crops like wheat begins
in October and harvest-
ing from April on-
wards.
A c -
cording to
the data, the
total area under oil-
seeds has increased
sharply to 97.07 lakh
hectares as of Decem-
ber 31, 2021, from 80.64
lakh
hectares in the year-
ago period.
Among oilseeds,
rapeseed and mustard
seed were covered in a
m a x i -
m u m
area of about
88.54 lakh hec-
tares in the period un-
der review as against
72.30 lakh hectares in
the year-ago period.
Area sown under
groundnut remained
flat at 3.64 lakh hectare,
linseed at 2.57 lakh hec-
tare, sunflower at 1.01
lakh hectare, safflower
at 0.68 lakh hectare,
sesamum at 0.30 lakh
hectare, and other oil-
seeds at 0.33 lakh hec-
tare in the period, the
data showed.
The rise in the area
under mustard seed
crop is a positive sign
for a country that de-
pends on imports to
meet 60 percent of its
domesticrequirement
and is struggling to
keep retail prices un-
der check amid a glob-
al price rise situation.
In the case of other
major rabi crops, the
area sown under puls-
es remained slightly
lower at 152.62 lakh
hectares as of Decem-
ber 31, 2021, as against
154.04 lakh hectares in
the year-ago period.
Gram, the main rabi
pulse, was grown in a
slightly higher area of
107.69 lakh hectares as
against 105.68 lakh hec-
tares in the year-ago
period. —PTI
MUSTARD SEED
SOWING UP 22%;
wheatslightlydownthis
rabiseason:AgriMinistry
New Delhi: Tax au-
thorities have de-
tected goods and
services tax evasion
of `40,000 crore in
over a year, largely
on account of fake
invoices and fraud
input tax credit
claims.
A host of meas-
ures aimed at plug-
ging loopholes and
preventing such
frauds are set to
kick in from Janu-
ary 1, but a senior
government official
told ET that ade-
quate care was be-
ing taken to ensure
these did not com-
promise with the
government’s ease
of doing business
initiative. The Cen-
tral Board of Indi-
rect Taxes and Cus-
toms had launched
an All-India En-
forcement Drive
from November 9,
2020 through the Di-
rectorate General
of GST Intelligence
and various Central
GST formations.
“More than 5,700
cases, involving an
amount of about
`40,000 crore, have
been detected,” the
official said.
The latest meas-
ures are aimed at
tackling such
frauds, impart bet-
ter payment disci-
pline and also pro-
tect the recipient
who is not always in
a position to ascer-
tain that his suppli-
er has paid the tax
and is vulnerable to
the recovery of in-
put tax credit, when
the tax is not paid
by the supplier.
—Agencies
GST evasion
of `40,000
crore detected
Asian Development Bank gets $1 mn grant
from JFPR for Assam skill university
8 core sectors’ output
grew 3.1% in Nov
Continue to focus
creating infra:APEDA
New Delhi: The
output of eight core
sectors in the
month of Novem-
ber grew 3.1% year-
on-year, according
to data released on
Friday
. It had grown
by 7.5% in October
2021 contracted
by 1.1% in Nov 2020.
The production
of sectors includ-
ing coal, natural
gas, refinery prod-
ucts, fertilisers,
steel and electricity
increased in Nov
2021 over the corre-
sponding period of
last year, data
shows.
Production of
coal increased by
8.2% in Nov 2021
over the corre-
sponding period
last year. Crude oil
production de-
clined by 2.2%, it
had declined by a
s i m i l a r
p r o p o r -
tion in Oct
a s
w e l l .
Petrole-
um refinery
products pro-
duction rose by
4.3% in November.
—PTI
New Delhi: The Ag-
ricultural and Pro-
cessed Food Prod-
ucts Expoart Devel-
opment Authority
said it is focusing on
creating infrastruc-
ture and clusters in
collaboration with
state governments
to promote out-
bound shipments.
Exports of agricul-
tural and processed
food products have
risen to $20.6 bn
during 2020-21 from
$17.3 bn in 2011-12.
Non-basmati rice
contributed close to
1/4th of the total ex-
ports in 2020-21.—PTI
ITC to launch
plant-based
meat products
SII seeks full
authorisation
of Covishield
Sensex gains 459 points
to end year at 58,253
Ola to open bookings
of e-scooters soon
Reliance
acquires 100%
stake in UK’s
Faradion
Mumbai: RIL so-
lar arm will buy
sodium ion bat-
tery technology
provider Faradion
for 100 million
pounds including
debt. Faradion is
one of world’s
leading battery
technology com-
panies. Reliance
will use Faradi-
on’s state-of-the-
art technology at
its proposed fully
integrated energy
storage giga-facto-
ry as part of the
Dhirubhai Amba-
ni Green Energy
Giga Complex pro-
ject at Jamnagar.
Mumbai: The rupee surged 13 paise to close at
74.29 (provisional) against the US dollar on the
last trading session of 2021, tracking positive
domestic equities amid year-end dollar
selling by banks and exporters. At
the interbank forex market, the
l o c a l unit opened up
a t 74.35 and
witnessed an
intra-day high
of 74.10 and a low
of 74.38. —PTI
RUPEE ENDS 2021 ON +VE NOTE;
SETTLES 13 PAISE HIGHER VS $
YEAR
HAPPY
2
NEW
2 2
0

A New Year - a beginning - let us
resolve to be kinder and better this
year than the last!
—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO Editor-in-Chief, First India
08
2NDFRONT
Customs foil smuggle
of `2.89 cr currency
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: The
Gandhinagar Munici-
pal Corporation stand-
ing committee’s deci-
sion to levy property
transfer fees is strongly
opposed by the resi-
dents. Gandhinagar Sa-
her Vasahat Maha-
sangh in a letter ad-
dressed to the Munici-
pal Commissioner, de-
manded a review of the
decision.
Mahasangh’s presi-
dent Kesrisinh Bihola
has said that property
transfer is within the
family as ancestral
property. It is not a
property deal. When-
ever there is a proper-
ty deal, the buyer has
to pay stamp duty on it.
Residents are also pay-
ing property tax to the
corporation. If prop-
erty transfer fees were
levied from residents
and property owners,
it will be double the tax
burden on residents.
The Corporation’s
annual revenue collec-
tion from citizens as
part of conservation
and other taxes comes
to around Rs120-125
crore. Against that,
revenue expenditure
is around, Rs57 crore
and capital expendi-
ture is around Rs40-45
crore.
Bihola argues that
revenue collected from
the citizens is misused
and so, the corporation
needs more revenue to
meet the expenses. “If
there is a proper audit
conducted, misuse of
money can be stalled.
There is huge corrup-
tion in using corpora-
tion funds. Even elected
representatives are
misusing their grants.
Such taxes are a big
burden on citizens, and
both the Mahasangh
Members and common-
ers will oppose this
levy,” said he.
First India Bureau
A h m e d a b a d :
Ahmedabad's Sardar
Patel International Air-
port's staff has foiled
foreign currency smug-
gling out of India. On
suspecting the move-
ment of one passenger,
they put his luggage on
an X-ray machine that
exposed the currency
that was being smug-
gled out of India. The
Customs department
has arrested three per-
sons with 3.90 lakh US$
(Rs2,89,96,500).
According to sources
from the Customs Air
Intelligence Wing, air
staff suspected passen-
ger Sanjay Khogari, so
they asked him to pass
his check-in luggage
through the X-ray ma-
chine. During the pro-
cess, they found an or-
ange-like element and
upon opening the bag
found him carrying
40,000 US$. The cus-
toms team was immedi-
ately informed.
They checked the en-
try gate's CCTV footage
and found Khogari en-
tering the airport with
Rushabh Moradiya.
The officials soon found
Moradiya and, on open-
ing his luggage, the
team found 1,15,000
US$. During the prima-
ry questioning, they in-
formed officers about
their third accomplice
Gaurang Navinchan-
dra. Officers soon lo-
cated the third person
and found 2,00,000 lakh
US$ from his bag. Cus-
toms will produce them
before the court and
seek remand.
Back in April 2018,
the Directorate of Rev-
enue Intelligence (DRI)
had arrested two per-
sons with Rs25.25 lakh
worth of foreign de-
nomination notes that
the duo was trying to
smuggle out of India.
A customs officer
said, in the smuggling
world, it is called re-
verse smuggling. He
added, Foreign cur-
rency smuggling takes
place when the foreign
exchange rate offered
by the bank is lower
than the foreign ex-
change rate charged by
the Havala market,
against the smuggling
of gold or other con-
signments including
drugs.
AIRPORT OFFICIALS ARRESTED THREE
PERSONS TRYING TO SMUGGLE FOREIGN
CURRENCY WORTH 3LAKH USD
Gandhinagar residents
opposed to transfer fees
KITE
MAKERS
WELCOME
2022 IN
STYLE
The kite makers of
Jamalpur Kite Market
on Friday posed with
a huge kite with a
message ‘Happy New
Year’ on it to usher
in the year 2022.
—PHOTO BY
HANIF SINDHI
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: Civil
Aviation Minister
Purnesh Modi said that
thestategovernmenthas
made a timely plan to
provideaviationservices
to the citizens of the
state. As a part of this,
VenturaAirConnectwill
launchinter-stateairser-
vices from Surat and a
helicopter Joy Ride ser-
vice from Ahmedabad
Sabarmati Riverfront on
January 1, 2022, in col-
laboration with the state
government.
HeaddedthatVentura
AirConnect Ltd, a Surat-
based airline providing
inter-state air services,
will operate a nine-seat-
er aircraft from January
1, 2022. The aircraft will
fly from Surat to
Ahmedabad, Surat to
Bhavnagar, Surat to Ra-
jkot, and Surat to Amre-
li. The aircraft will be
provided by Cess’s
Grand Caravan.
“Launched in collab-
oration with the state
government, the fast air
service will benefit the
elderly and the disabled
in times of emergency,
and boost industries
and tourism,” said the
minister. To benefit all
classes of people from
these airlines, a uni-
form of Rs1,999 is the
cost of the tickets.
By Ventura, the air-
craft will fly with nine
passengers and five pi-
lots, and according to
the sector, the journey
from Surat to Bhavna-
garwillbein30minutes,
from Surat to Amreli in
45 minutes, from Surat
toAhmedabadin60min-
utes, and from Surat to
Rajkot in 60 minutes.
Inter-state air connectivity.
Joy Ride inter-city flights start today
First India Bureau
Vadodara: A Vadodara
Ahmedabad-based
NGO, Craftroots of In-
dia flagged off a
three-day handicraft
exhibition-cum-sale at
Vadodara featuring
artisans from differ-
ent parts of the coun-
try. The exhibition
was inaugurated by
the Governor of Uttar
Pradesh, Anandiben
Patel and the Union
Minister of State,
Darshana Jardosh.
For the last 18 years,
Craftroots of India has
been working to pro-
mote handicraft artists
in various parts of the
country by promoting
their products to help
them get a fair price for
their art. Clusters are
created based on the
type of art. The cluster
seeks to bridge the
missing link between
the government and the
artisan by providing
artists with marketing,
designing and manufac-
turing guidance.
Under such exhibi-
tions, the artisans can
sell their products by
understanding the
needs of their custom-
ers, their preferences
and market demand, in
major cities. For the on-
going exhibition-cum-
sale, 59 artisans from
nine states including,
UP, Haryana, Madhya
Pradesh, Assam, Guja-
rat and other parts are
participating.
“The artisans who
have exhibited their
works in the past be-
lieve that the citizens of
Vadodara understand
the value of art. Here
handicrafts, wood art,
leather art are well ap-
preciated and people
don’t argue over the
pricing,” said Anar Pa-
tel, director of Craft-
roots of India. At an
earlier exhibition or-
ganised in Vadodara,
over 50 lakh products
were sold.
59 artisans from India exhibit products in Vadodara
RETURN OF HANDICRAFTS EXPO

Ahmedabad-
based NGO
has organized a
three-day
exhibition to
help artisans
exhibit and sell
their works in
the city
UP Governor Anandiben Patel, Union Minister of State Darshana Jardosh, Director of
Craftroots of India Anar Patel with other dignitaries.
DEVELOPMENTSCHEMESWORTH
CRORES FOR RURAL AREAS
First India Bureau
Vadodara: The Minis-
ter of State for Tribal
Development, Health
and Family Welfare
Nimisha Suthar was
in Vadodara for the
Good Governance
Week programme of
Rural Development
and Panchayat De-
partment.
She said that devel-
opment works under-
taken by the state gov-
ernment are meant to
provide urban ameni-
ties in the rural areas.
“Through develop-
ment work, a bridge of
trust has been built
between the people
and the government.
Villages have been in-
strumental in India’s
progress. In rural are-
as,problemsgetsolved
through organization,
unity and harmony,”
said Suthar.
She further said
that the state govern-
ment has also imple-
mented developmen-
tal schemes for the
economic upliftment
of women and for the
public interest.
Gujarat Agro Indus-
tries Chairman Mad-
hubhai Shrivastav
said that the state gov-
ernment has provided
various assistance to
the beneficiaries in-
cluding, tribals in in-
terior areas. District
Panchayat President
Ashokbhai Patel said
that the state govern-
ment has undertaken
far-sighted develop-
ment works to provide
basic amenities to the
citizens in these areas.
Sarpanch of Sa-
maras Gram Panchay-
at was honoured and
the grant amount for
village development
was handed over to
them by the minister
and dignitaries. Talu-
ka and Gram Panchay-
at office bearers, dis-
trict collector RB
Barad, District Devel-
opment Officer Dr Ra-
jendra Patel, office
bearers and other of-
ficials were present at
the programme.
Minister of State for Tribal Development, Health and Family Welfare Nimisha Suthar with other
dignitaries for the Good Governance Week programme.
NEW BEGINNINGS
YEAR
HAPPY
2
NEW
2 2
0

AHMEDABAD, SATURDAY
JANUARY 1, 2022
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia
facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09
oday we have
woken up to a
New Year! The
dice has rolled,
the wheels have
turned and 31st
December 2021
has dipped below the hori-
zon and 01st January 2022
has risen!
Regardless of the Hin-
du calendar or the official
Gregorian calendar that
we adhere to, all of us to-
day feel a bit different, a
lil bit new, hope flickers
even as the storms of
Omicron gather again.
Even as most of us will be
unwillingly deluged with
thousands with forward-
ed HNY messages on
WhatsApp, we will pick
up the phone to call those
people who are special to
us, for whom a forward-
ed message will not
suffice or draft a
special message for
them with our fa-
vourite emoticons!
Why is the new year so
special? Actually, any oc-
casion is – it is an excuse
to be together with our
loved ones, to reach out to
the estranged, bury the
differences and also thank
those who walked with us!
First India also decided to
make the coming of 2022
special as a get-together
was held with friends join-
ing in to sing, dance and
jump with joy to not just
make one evening memo-
rable but to make happy
memories last forever!
More on P 10-11
ANITA HADA
anita.hada@firstindianews.com
T
CITY FIRST
WISHES ALL ITS
READERS A VERY
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
WE BRING TO YOU
GLIMPSES OF THE
SPECIAL
CELEBRATION
HELD AT HOTEL
MARRIOTT, JAIPUR
ON THE OCCASION
OF RINGING IN
2022 AS WE ALL
BID GOODBYE TO
2021!
It’s time for
TWENTY
TWENTY
20 TWO!
20 TWO!
Jagdeesh Chandra accorded a floral welcome by First Miss India 2021
Pearl Agarwal at theFirst India event at Marriott as Shweta Mishra,
Gaurav Gaur and Akanksha Bhalla look on smilingly
Shweta Mishra with (L-R) Simran Modi, Riya Suledia, Chahak Bhandula, Tanu Choudhary, Vishakha Mathur, Upadhi Jolotia,
Angel Sain, Rewati Upadhyay, Srishti Khatri, Akanksha Bhalla, Swati Jangid, Megha Kaushik, Megha Shyam, Preeti Singh, Poonam Sharma,
Tripti Arora, Soni Kumari, Himakshi Choudhary, Tanu Choudhary, Sumitra Godara, Khushboo Dahiya, Karishma Tak and Chhavi Suledia
Poonam Sharma, Karishma Tak,
Rishika Chandnani, Kashish
and Chahak Bhandula
—PHOTOS
BY
MUKESH
KIRADOO

T
he New Year brings hope, we
strive to put difficult times be-
hind us and look ahead with
hope- somehow with a changing
year – 2021—to—2022 – it is easier. This
time, we have all put behind a difficult
year, I think all of us were united in
2021 being a year which wrung us out-
mentally, emotionally, physically and
financially- and how we stand on tip-
toes to welcome this new year!
Asweallswayedandswungtomusic
attheMarriott,theover-ridingthought
was to cherish these moments of joy
and carry life with sparkle and festiv-
ity into the coming days. There was a
sense of togetherness and pervading
joy in the evening as love in the other’s
happiness made every second special.
City First brings to each of you happiness,
success, love and togetherness in each of
the 365 days of this year and we also wish
you good health, we pray for the safety of you
– our beloved readers and your loved ones!
FROM PG 9
It’s time for
10-11
ETC
TWENTY
TWENTY
20 TWO!
20 TWO!
Jagdeesh Chandra with (L-R) Riya Suledia, Himakshi Choudhary, Karishma Tak, Sumitra Godara, Tanu Choudhary, Soni Kumari, Divya Kasliwal, Swati Jangid, Yogesh Mishra,
Shweta Mishra, Gaurav Gaur, Ashok Singh, Akanksha Bhalla, Pearl Agarwal, Rishee Miglani, Lokesh Sharma, Poonam Sharma, Manmeet Singh, Vania Singh, Mona Gautam and Kartikey Soni Jagdeesh Chandra with (L-R): Manmeet Singh, Vania Singh, Aditi, Sunil and Ashok Singh
(L-R) Rahul Maini, Mohit Mahrishi, Tapan Mudgal and Kumar Gourav
(L-R): Ashok Singh, Gaurav Gaur and Yogesh Mishra
Mona Gautam and Kartikey Soni
during the stunning Bachata performance
Shweta Mishra
Girls enjoying during the ‘blind fold’game
Manmeet Singh woes the audience with his singing
The ravishing divas grooving on bollywood music
Swati Jangid, Divya Kasliwal and Akanksha Bhalla
Tanu
Choudhary,
Srishti
Khatri
and
Vishakha
Mathur
Pearl
Agarwal,
Simran
Modi,
Mansi,
Priya
Yadav,
Khushboo
Dahiya
and
Devanshi
Bugalia
—PHOTOS BY MUKESH KIRADOO

s we bid
adieu to the
year gone by
and wel-
come ‘22 in
all its glory,
we solemnly
hope for love,
warmth, health, joy
and success for all
our dear readers.
While 2021 saw
lockdowns and
curfews, we
wish for ‘22 to
bring along
nothing but joy
and togetherness.
May families reu-
nite, lovers make it
to the altar, dreams
come true and the
world becomes hale
and hearty again.
As we step into
new beginnings, we
urge our readers to
stay safe, healthy and
most importantly,
smile wide and wel-
come 2022 with their
arms wide open.
With love and faith,
City First wishes its
readers a very Happy
New Year.
Miss Rajasthan mod-
els joyfully posed and
welcomed the new
year. With love and
faith, City First wish-
es its readers a very
Happy New Year!
A
NITIKA PANJWANI
mitalidusad01@gmail.com
2021 saw a great fashion and makeup pivot with
people switching to clean beauty, sorbet pastel
tones, bold blazers and not to forget the most
important accessory - face masks. We all
collectively existed somewhere between at-
home loungewear and full-on party mode.
2022 LOVES GLITTER:
Sparkle will always be in trend,
but it’s taking on new forms like
pink smoky eyes recently seen
on Gigi Hadid or a soft-glam look
with a cream glitter eyeshadow
like Saoirse Ronan’s.
BARELY THERE FOUNDATION
Several makeup artists are
switching to make-up bases
with the latest formulas that let
skin shine through, and provide
skincare benefits like hydration
and anti-ageing ingredients.
CRAZY CATSUITS
Catsuits are going to be 2022’s
most unexpected trends to
emerge. Know that everyone
from Hailey Bieber to Lizzo has
already worn it out this year.
ANDROGYNOUS FASHION
The lines between men and
women fashion are blurring. It’s
time to embrace gender-neutral
fashion. We will see more
Gender-Inclusive Fashion Brands
emerging in 2022 which can be
worn by anyone.
FASHION TRENDS THAT
WE ARE PREDICTING TO
GO MASSIVE IN 2022
FIRST INDIA SPOKE TO DELHI’S TOP
FASHION INFLUENCERS/ BLOGGERS TO
TAKE THEIR INPUTS ON THE TOPIC
Hair scarves: whether you love a
feminine old school look or want to
add a little something like an accessory,
the hair scarf has officially made a
comeback. It’s a quick way to add a pop
of colour to your outfit. Baggy clothes:
the last two years taught us a lot but
a very important lesson was that
people love baggy and comfortable
clothes. Lace and satin: the reflective
finish and how comfortably it drapes
against the skin-it’s a timeless classic
and it is here to stay.
FASHION BLOGGER AND YOUTUBER
FASHION AND LUXURY INFLUENCER FASHION INFLUENCER AND BLOGGER
I’m not sure how it happened,
but 2022 is already here. At
least there’s fashion to keep us all
distracted, right? It’s an interesting
moment in fashion as we all were
stuck between athleisure and full-
on party mode. That intersection
calls for both high-shine and raver
looks, as well as comfort-minded
oversized silhouettes and athleisure
finding its way into the evening.
Jackets are becoming about the
size of our collective patience for
this endless pandemic. If you’re
picking up on a ‘90s/early aughts
vibe overall, you’re not wrong.
This year rather than
thinking of trends
as a hard-and-fast
set of rules, embrace
them as ideas and
inspiration to be picked
up and interpret them
in your own way. If
Looking for a new
glamour go-to in 2022,
then try experimenting
with cool wheel,
glitters, drapes and
mixed materials. Go
all-in with accessories
around a knit dress.
BEST OUT OF WASTE!
City First
T
he latest Covid
curbs may have
affected the foot-
fall at the recent-
ly launched Bharat Dar-
shan Park, but visitors’
feedback has already
inspired South Delhi
Municipal Corporation
(SDMC). The civic body
has decided to place the
proposed plan for the
second phase of the
project before its de-
liberative wing soon.
The corporation
has made 22 replicas
from 14 states in
phase I and the park
were opened for the
public on Sunday. In
phase II, SDMC plans to
construct 17 more repli-
cas from other states
and Union territories,
including that of snake
boat race from Kerala,
Nishat Bagh from Kash-
mir, Sheesh Mahal from
Punjab and Lepakshi
from Andhra
Pradesh, said an
official. SDMC
c o m m i s s i o n e r
Gyanesh Bharti
also spoke about taking
up phase II soon during
the inauguration cere-
mony on Saturday
. “We
have prepared the plan
and it will soon be
placed before the stand-
ing committee for con-
sideration,” said an of-
ficial.
On Day 1, 4,227 tick-
ets were sold and the
collection was Rs 5.5
lakh. While the park
will stay closed every
Monday, the collection
was down to Rs 1.3 lakh
this Tuesday due to
rain. The complex had
to be closed due to tech-
nical glitches on
Wednesday
.
Following the new
Covid curbs, only 884
tickets were sold for Rs
80,000 on Thursday
.
SDMC targets to recover
the cost of the project —
Rs 20 crore — within a
year from the ticket sale.
AnofficialsaidSDMC
had been taking all Cov-
id safety measures. “We
are deploying guards
everywhere to not allow
crowding. They are also
checking social distanc-
ing and wearing of
masks,”
—cityfirstdel@gamil.com
HAPPY NEW YEAR
Designer Ritu Beri wished our
readers a very ‘Happy New Year’ in
a slightly different way! She penned
down some beautiful lines - “Life
is like riding a bicycle! To keep
your balance on, one must keep
moving! Hope 2022 is happier
not a roller coaster-like the last two
years have been”.
—PHOTO BY MANOJ KESHARWANI
2022 MAKEUP FASHIONTRENDS
YOU SHOULD TRY NOW!
12
CITY BUZZ
GET VACCINATED
STAY MASKED
The stunning divas welcoming ‘2022’
(L-R) Aaru Nama, Yoshita Arora, Jahnavi Soni, Shruti Sharma, Sangeeta Bhamu and Jyotika Chhatwani
Aaru Yoshita
Sana Grover
Itika Kamra Rose Kawatra
DOING 2022,
DOING 2022,
with hope love
with hope love
Sangeeta

Jyotika

01012022 first india ahmedabad (1)

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