01052022_First India_Ahmedabad.pdf

CM Patel to lay foundation of 172 projects in Patan
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: To
mark the 63rd Gujarat
Foundation Day today,
Chief Minister Bhupen-
dra Patel will lay the
foundation of over 172
projects in Patan dis-
trict, to be mounted at
an expenditure of
Rs332.61 crore. For the
unversed, on May 01,
1960, Gujarat was
formed as a separate
state from the state of
Bombay
.
The CM will also be
dedicating 257 other
projects to citizens
mounted at an invest-
ment of Rs36.62 crore.
The state government
hopes that over 3.22
lakh people will direct-
ly benefit from the de-
velopmental works.
Earlier in the day, Pa-
tel addressed chief min-
isters and chief justices
of various states at a
conference in Delhi. “In
the year 2010-11, then
chief minister of Guja-
rat and current Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi had allocated
Rs780 crore for infra-
structural facilities in
the judiciary of Gujarat
state. Following in his
footsteps, the Gujarat
government has allo-
cated Rs1,740 crore to
the judicial department
this year as well,” he
said.
Additionally, the
state government also
made a total allocation
of Rs2,300 crore in the
last five years for court
buildings with all facili-
ties, residential accom-
modation for judicial
officers and staffers of
courts. Turn to P2
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel with Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar
at the conference in New Delhi on Saturday.
63RD GUJARAT FOUNDATION DAY
He will also dedicate 257 dvlpmtl
projects worth `36.62 crore for
benefit of 3.22 lakh citizens
AAP KA TASHAN
Taking to his Twitter
handle on Saturday,
Delhi Chief Minister
and Aam Aadmi Party
(AAP) National Convener
Arvind Kejriwal posted,
“Is the BJP planning
to dissolve the Gujarat
Assembly and an-
nounce early elections
next week? Are they so
scared of ‘AAP’?
CJI’s ‘LAKSHMAN REKHA’
JIBE AT MEET WITH PM, CMs
Chief Justice of India NV Ramana said deliberate inaction by governments
despite judicial pronouncements is not good for the health of democracy
New Delhi: Chief Jus-
tice of India (CJI) NV
Ramana on Saturday
said that the Constitu-
tion provides separa-
tion of power among
the three organs of the
state, and one should be
mindful of the ‘Laksh-
man Rekha’ while dis-
charging their duty
.
“Constitution pro-
vides separation of
power among three or-
gans and the harmoni-
ous function between
three organs strength-
ens democracy. While
discharging our duty,
we should be mindful of
Lakshman Rekha,” said
the Chief Justice.
The Chief Justice
also made it clear that
his remarks about legis-
lative scrutiny during
the last Independence
Dayweremisconstrued,
and he did not want to
interfere in the legisla-
tive sphere.
He was speaking at
the Joint Conference of
Chief Ministers and
Chief Justices of High
Courts.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Chief Justice of India NV Ramana during a joint conference
of CMs of States Chief Justices of High Courts, at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on Saturday.
MODI CALLS FOR JUDICIAL SYSTEM THAT CAN
DELIVER ‘EASY, SPEEDY JUSTICE FOR ALL’
Stating that the country will complete its 100 years of inde-
pendence by 2047, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stressed
upon making the judicial system so capable that it can ful-
fill those aspirations that the country will have in 2047 and
pitched for a judicial system that can deliver ‘easy justice,
speedy justice, and justice for all’. “Our vision in Amrit Kaal
should be of such a judicial system in which there is easy
justice, speedy justice, and justice for all,” he added.
PM URGES JUDICIARY TO ENCOURAGE
USE OF LOCAL LANGUAGES IN COURTS
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the confluence
of objectives of the legislature and judiciary will help in pre-
paring a roadmap for an effective and time-bound judicial
delivery system in the country while also stating that the
court should encourage the use of local languages. He em-
phasized that government is working hard to reduce delay
in justice delivery and efforts are on for increasing judicial
strength and improving judicial infrastructure.
PM MODI ASKS
STATES TO JUNK
OBSOLETE LAWS
Prime Minister Naren-
dra Modi singled out
states for being slow
in abolishing obsolete
laws, urging the Chief
Ministers on Saturday
to speed up the legisla-
tive reform to help the
people come out of the
web of legislation. PM
Modi said the Centre
has so far abolished
1450 of the total 1800
identified obsolete
legislation. But only 75
laws have been abol-
ished by the state.
OUR EDITIONS:
JAIPUR, AHMEDABAD,
LUCKNOW NEW DELHI
www.firstindia.co.in I
www.firstindia.co.in/epapers/
ahmedabad I twitter.com/thefirstindia I
facebook.com/thefirstindia I
instagram.com/thefirstindia
AHMEDABAD l SUNDAY, MAY 1, 2022 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/79050 l Vol 3 l Issue No. 155
SIKKIM INT’L FLOWER
FEST BEGINS TODAY
SIKKIM CELEBRATES FESTIVAL TO CREATE AWARENESS ABOUT FLOWERS
AND PLANTATION OF THE REGION. A RARE SHOW OF EXOTIC VARIETIES
OF FLOWERS, ORCHIDS AND OTHER PLANTS NATIVE TO THE STATE HELD
EVERY SUMMER DURING THE PEAK FLOWERING SEASON IS A SPECTACU-
LAR EVENT THAT ATTRACTS PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER INDIA
Patiala clashes:
Top cops shifted,
internet blocked
Chandigarh: A day af-
ter Patiala witnessed
clashes between two
groups during an anti-
Khalistan march that
left four people injured,
the Punjab government
on Saturday took strict
action against the state
police, removing three
top officers from their
posts over their failure
to control the violence
in the district.
The Inspector Gener-
al of Police (Patiala
Range), the Patiala Sen-
ior Superintendent of
Police and the Superin-
tendent of Police were
transferred from the
post following orders
from Chief Minister
Bhagwant Mann, who is
reportedly upset about
police inaction.
Shiv Sena’s expelled leader
Harish Singla outside court, a
day after being arrested for his
alleged involvement in Patiala
violence, on Saturday.
ED seizes Xiaomi’s `5,551 cr
assets over forex violations
New Delhi: The En-
forcement Directorate
on Saturday said it had
seized `5,551.27 crore
belonging to Xiaomi
Technology India Pvt
Ltd - a ‘wholly-owned
subsidiary of China-
based Xiaomi group’ -
lying under provisions
of the Foreign Ex-
change Management
Act of 1999. The probe
agency said the money
was in bank accounts
belonging to the Chi-
nese smartphone giant
and had been seized in
connection with alleged
‘illegal outward remit-
tances’ in February
.
“The company has re-
mitted foreign currency
equivalent to `5,551.27
crore to three foreign
based entities, which in-
clude one Xiaomi group
entity, in the guise of
royalty,” the ED said.
Such huge amounts in
the name of royalties
were remitted on in-
structions of Chinese
“parent group” entities,
the ED has alleged.
The ED has claimed
Xiaomi India gets fully
built mobile sets and
other products from
manufacturers in In-
dia, but had not availed
any service from the
three foreign-based en-
tities to whom such
amounts have been
transferred.
Xiaomi holds a whopping 24% share in Indian mobile market.
ACTOR JACQUELINE FERNANDEZ’S `7 CRORE
FROZEN OVER CONMAN LINKS: SOURCES
New Delhi: A Rs 7-crore fixed deposit under actor Jac-
queline Fernandez’s name has been attached as part of
the investigation into the Rs 200-crore money laundering
case against alleged conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar,
sources have said. The Enforce-
ment Directorate has attached
assets worth Rs 7.27 crore - this
includes the Rs 7.12-crore fixed
deposit and an amount of Rs 15
lakh that was paid by Chandrashek-
har to a script writer on the actor’s
behalf. The Enforcement Directo-
rate alleges that Chandrashekhar
gave gifts worth Rs 5.71 crore to the actor from the Rs
200-crore he allegedly extorted from the family of Shivin-
der Singh, former owner of Ranbaxy who was jailed in
2019 in a money laundering case.The two, Chandrashek-
har has claimed, were in a relationship.
The Chinese phone maker allegedly transferred huge sum
of money to 3 companies abroad in the name of royalties
CRUCIAL READ
ECO TO TAKE TILL
2035 TO OVERCOME
COVID LOSSES: RBI
India is likely to take
another 13 years to
overcome the losses
incurred due to the Covid
pandemic that hit the
country in March 2020,
says a Reserve Bank of
India (RBI) report. “The
pandemic is not yet over,”
the RBI said.
RAHUL, MILLER
HAND GUJARAT
THEIR 8TH WIN
An unbeaten 79-run
partnership for fifth
wicket off just 40 balls be-
tween Rahul Tewatia (43*)
and David Miller (34*)
took Gujarat Titans to their
8th win of the season as
GT (174/4) defeated Royal
Challengers Bangalore
(170/6) by 6 wickets. P3
GEN MANOJ PANDE TAKES CHARGE AS
29TH ARMY CHIEF AS NARAVANE RETIRED
New Delhi: General Manoj Pande, who was serv-
ing as the Vice Chief of the Army since February,
took over as the new Army Chief from General M
M Naravane after the latter retired on Saturday.
Gen Naravane had taken over as the Army Chief
in January 2020, months before the standoff with
China in eastern Ladakh began in May 2020. P6

NEWS
AHMEDABAD | SUNDAY, MAY 1, 2022
02
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epapers/ahmedabad I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
Don’t mind
any leader as
CM if Cong
wins: Solanki
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: With
speculations about
instability, different
factions, and dissat-
isfied leaders sur-
rounding the Con-
gress party, former
union minister
Bharatsinh Solanki
on Saturday stated
that he would sup-
port any candidate
who is nominated
for the chief minis-
ter’s position, if the
party comes into
power.
Referring to the
Gujarat Assembly
elections slated to be
held in December,
Solanki told media
persons, “I am no
one to comment on
any individual lead-
er. I would be happy
to see a chief minis-
ter from Congress
party, irrespective
of the fact whether
the leader is Hardik
or Naresh Patel, or
belongs to adivasi
(tribal community),
Dalit, Other Back-
ward Classes (OBC),
baniya or brahmin
community. I am
working to ensure
that Congress grabs
the power seat; who
will be nominated as
chief minister is
secondary right
now.”
Talking about
Patidar leader of
Khodaldham Trust,
Naresh Patel, Solan-
ki reminded the me-
dia that he was the
first Congress leader
from the state to pay
him a visit and invite
him to join the party
.
“Everyone in the
Congress party will
be happy if he (Nar-
esh) joins and leads
from the front. I have
never opposed his
entry in the party,”
he said.
Despite repeated
questions, Solanki
was non-committal
over his plans to con-
test Assembly elec-
tions. “In the Con-
gress party, the par-
liamentary board
decides who should
contest elections,” he
asserted.
Rubbishing talk
about groupism
within Congress,
Solanki claimed that
there were more frac-
tions in the ruling
Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP).
Party sources feel
that Solanki and
Hardik Patel may not
admit it openly, but
for the past few years,
both leaders have not
been getting along
with each other and
are at loggerheads.
“They are trying all
tactics and political
tricks to pull down
each other,” said a
source.
Former Union Minister Bharatsinh Solanki. —FILE PHOTO
First India Bureau
Kokrajhar: Gujarat’s
Dalit leader Jignesh
Mevani, on Saturday
completed pending
bail formalities at the
Kokrajhar Court and
is slated to return to
his home state after
travelling to Guwa-
hati, where he will be
meeting Congress
leaders who support-
ed demands that he be
released.
Mevani, an independ-
ent MLA from Gujarat,
told reporters here after
completing the formali-
ties that it was shame-
ful that false cases were
filed against him in the
land of Srimanta Sank-
ardeva, a revered Vaish-
navite saint.
The MLA was grant-
ed bail by the Kokra-
jhar court earlier on
Monday in a case re-
lated to a tweet on
Prime Minister Naren-
dra Modi but was rear-
rested immediately af-
terwards and taken to
Barpeta based on alle-
gations by a woman po-
lice officer that he as-
saulted and molested
her while he was being
escorted by a police
posse.
After being given bail
by the Barpeta district
judge on Friday, who
pulled up Assam police
for registering a false
FIR in the alleged as-
sault case, Mewani
came to Kokrajhar ear-
lier this morning to
complete the original
bail formalities.
He also took the per-
mission of the court to
leave the town, as one
of his bail conditions
was to stay within the
limits of the court’s ju-
risdiction.
“All the procedures
related to the Kokrajhar
bail order have been
completed and Mevani
will go to Guwahati be-
fore leaving for Guja-
rat,” his lawyer said.
It was entirely a
conspiracy to harass
me and to use a wom-
an official for the pur-
pose (which) reflects
their cowardice and is
against the culture of
the state, Mewani said.
Bail formalities done, Mevani heads back to Guj
Why will the Assam police
suddenly arrest me, regis-
ter cases, ask for remand,
and vehemently oppose the
bail application?
This is a BJP con-
spiracy and the in-
structions came
from Prime Minis-
ter's office to the As-
sam government.
—Jignesh Mevani
Clip of Rly official
planning to sell
scrap emerges
First India Bureau
Surat: An audio clip
has surfaced in the
Surat railway station
scrap scam. In the
audio, the accused of-
ficials can be heard
talking with the me-
diator about selling
the scrap, even be-
fore the higher offi-
cials could inspect it.
Around 12.5 tonnes
of scrap were illegal-
ly sold, without inti-
mating the railways.
The inspection re-
vealed the involve-
ment of six railway
employees in the
scam.
From the audio,
one can hear clearly
that an official is as-
sured to remain pre-
sent on the spot
while the seller
takes the scrap from
the property of the
railways. On the oth-
er hand, RPF has
sealed the engineer-
ing premises of the
railway. The seal
will be removed
when absconding
Niranjan, Pankaj
and Sanjay Pandey
are arrested. Police
will bring them to
the office for further
inspection.
The sources from
the railway depart-
ment said, The ma-
terial recovered by
the police in the
scrapyard at Sachin
was not declared as
scrap officially. In
March, around four
tonnes of scrap were
sold illegally
. And on
April 23, 24 and 25, 12
tonnes of scrap were
sold. The scrap in-
cluded parts of rail-
way track, fish plate,
angle, iron rod and
grill. Sachin crime
branch raided and
confiscated all the
materials from the
scrap yard owned by
Salim.”

—FILE PHOTO
BroilingA’badsees6K heat-related
medicalemergenciesin7-dayspan
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: As
Ahmedabad sizzles un-
der a heatwave, hospi-
tals in the city have
been overrun by more
than 6,000 cases of heat-
stroke, blood pressure
and heart issues in the
last week.
On Saturday, the
maximum temperature
touched 45 degrees Cel-
sius, as the summer
heat made it difficult
for people to venture
out of their homes.
According to 108
emergency services, the
control room received
calls from 6, 735 people,
all of whom complained
of illness due to the
heatwave. One of the
major issues reported
by citizens was stomach
ache, over the past four
days. Other major ill-
nesses reported were
breathing issues, faint-
ing spells and dizziness.
With the India Mete-
orological Department
(IMD) declaring a red
alert in Ahmedabad for
the next two days, offi-
cials have advised peo-
ple to stay indoors as
much as possible.
As per the forecast of
the next five days, Guja-
rat is likely to experi-
ence dry weather with
heatwave conditions in
isolated pockets of
Ahmedabad, Gandhina-
gar and Kutch districts.
Maximum temperature
will hover between 44
degrees Celsius and 45
degrees Celsius, stated
a press release.
The reason for hot
weather can be attrib-
uted to a western dis-
turbance as a trough in
mid and upper tropo-
spheric westerlies with
its axis at 5.8 km above
mean sea level.
Officials at IMD have
deemed the weather to
be potentially tolerable
for the general public
but expressed moderate
health concern for vul-
nerable groups such as
infants, elderly, people
with chronic diseases.
They have recommend-
ed that citizens avoid
exposure to heat, cover
their head while step-
ping out of their homes
and wear light-col-
oured, loose clothing of
organic fabrics.
Meanwhile, releasing
the monthly outlook for
temperature and rain-
fall for May, IMD Direc-
tor General Mrutyunjay
Mohapatra, said, “Most
parts of the country,
barring parts of south-
ern peninsular India,
are likely to experience
warmer nights in May
.”
With scanty rains ow-
ing to feeble western
disturbances, north-
west and central India
experienced the hottest
April in 122 years with
average maximum tem-
perature touching 35.9
degrees Celsius and
37.78 degrees Celsius
respectively
.
“Most parts of north-
west India -- JK,
Himachal, Punjab, Har-
yana,RajasthanandGu-
jarat -- are expected to
experience above nor-
mal temperatures in
May
,” added Mohapatra.
No respite from heat for Guj in May due to feeble western disturbances: IMD
Vegetable vendors in Jamalpur area of A’bad take refuge from the hot sun.
MAN BEATS UP CLASS XI STUDENT
MID-EXAM OVER BEEF WITH SON
First India Bureau
Palanpur: In an inci-
dent that occurred at
the Dhima village high
school on Friday, a man
entered the premises
during an ongoing ex-
amination and beat up
a Class XI student over
an altercation with his
son.
The accused began
beating the victim with
an iron rod seemingly
to take revenge for a
verbal spat the student
had with his son, a week
ago. It was only after an
intervention by the ex-
aminer in the room that
the accused left, said of-
ficials.
The victim's father
has lodged a criminal
complaint with Vav po-
lice station.
Karsan Rajput has
been booked for crimi-
nal intimidation, volun-
tarily causing hurt, and
singing obscene songs
and abuse. In his com-
plaint, the victim
Yashwant’s (name
changed) father
Amiram Dhamecha
stated that his son
Yashwant is enrolled at
Shree Sanskar Uma
Vidhyalaya in Dhima
village and went to
school with Ramesh
(name changed), who
studies in Class IX.
Around 15 days ago,
there was an alterca-
tion between Yashwant
and Ramesh on the
school playground. The
former informed the
teachers about the row
with the latter, who had
advised him to concen-
trate on studies and not
to engage in any other
activities.
On Friday, when
Yashwant was writing
an exam, Ramesh’s fa-
ther Karsan entered the
classroom with an iron
rod and started beating
him up. After the exam-
iner Ramesh Mali inter-
vened and bailed out
Yashwant from the situ-
ation, the latter chose to
return home and did
not finish the exam.
As per the police, the
entire incident was re-
corded on the CCTV
camera installed in the
classroom. According
to local villagers, Kar-
san has a criminal re-
cord and has been ar-
rested for a murder case
in the past.
Bruises made by iron rod on victim’s body.
CCTV grab of the assault incident.
CM Patel...
This was done to provide proper infrastructure
facilities to the judiciary to ensure justice to the
people of the state, he added.
The state government sanctioned Rs400 crore in
the last five years to construction of 30 new court
complexes at various district and block levels, in
consultation with the Gujarat High Court.
FROM PG 1

GUJARAT
03
GUJ ACTRESS BOOKED FOR
CHEATING MAN OF `7 LAKH
First India Bureau
Modasa: Dhansura
police have booked a
Gujarati actress for
cheating a man of Rs7
lakh over the last
ninetoelevenmonths.
According to offi-
cials, allegations
against Yashvi Patel
are that she borrowed
seven lakh rupees by
promising to marry
the complainant and
then told him that the
relationship was over.
In his complaint,
Jignesh Patel said that
he had come in contact
with Yashvi through so-
cial media. They ex-
changed their cell
phone numbers and be-
gan talking to each oth-
er. Gradually, they en-
tered a relationship and
fell in love.
Police have stated
that Yashvi and her
mother had promised
Jignesh that she will get
married to him. After
she ended their rela-
tionship, he lodged a
complaint on the advice
of a friend, fearing that
she had trapped other
men like him.
In his statement,
Jignesh told police,
“On numerous occa-
sions, Yashvi would
ask me to transfer
money. I used to oblige
hoping that one day we
will get married. I
thought of it as an in-
vestment and there
was nothing wrong
with it.”
The complainant also
shared personal chats
and digital evidence of
money transfers with
the police.
“She used to promise
that she would get mar-
ried to me. Once, she
demanded Rs35,000 and
claimed that she will
return the money after
she receives the signing
amount for a movie.
Yashvi borrowed mon-
ey on multiple occa-
sions, once it was
Rs26,000 to pay some
fees, another time it
was to buy a pizza, or
dress or an ornament
for a shoot,” said the
complainant.
I recently learned
from a friend that
Yashvi and her moth-
er were cheating me
and that she had no
plans to marry me. It
was only then that I
decided to file a com-
plaint against her, he
added.
Yashvi and Jignesh in happier times.
Yashvi Patel promised to marry Jignesh but dumped him later
TRUST, HEART
BOTH BROKEN
IN ONE GO
Police have stated
that Yashvi and her
mother had prom-
ised Jignesh that
she will get married
to him. After she
ended their rela-
tionship, he lodged
a complaint on the
advice of a friend,
fearing that she had
trapped other men
like him. The com-
plainant also shared
personal chats and
digital evidence of
money transfers
with the police.
Medicalstudentjumpsto
deathinG’nagarhostel
Gandhinagar Medical College. —FILE PHOTO
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: On
Saturday morning, a
third-year medical
student of Gujarat
Medical Education
and Research Socie-
ty’s (GMERS) medi-
cal college in Gan-
dhinagar committed
suicide, depressed
over failing again in
her ATKT exams.
Astha Panchasar
had taken admission
on the NRI quota at
the medical college.
She was studying and
was taking her ATKT
exams. Her parents
are in the United
Arab Emirates, and
she had her relatives
and grandparents in
Gandhinagar as her
guardians.
On Friday
, after ap-
pearing for the repeat-
er’s exams, she was
depressed and feared
that she would fail
again. In the evening,
when her grandfather
visited her, she also
told him about her
fears. Her grandfather
tried to pacify her and
told her that she could
re-appear for the ex-
ams and clear then.
But it seems that she
had lost hope.
On Saturday morn-
ing, Astha climbed up
the terrace of her hos-
telcampusandjumped
to death. Students
rushed out of their
rooms on hearing the
loud thud and saw
Astha lying on the
ground in a pool of
blood.
Police sub-Inspec-
tor Dipak Parmar
said that the body was
sent for post-mortem,
and they are record-
ing statements of oth-
er students. She had
studied in Dubai from
Class I to X, and after
completing Class XII,
she came to Gandhi-
nagar to study medi-
cine. She has left a
suicide note, in which
she has apologized to
her parents.
Meanwhile, emer-
gency personnel
were seen fishing a
body of a person who
committed suicide
out of the Sabarmati
river in Ahmedabad
on Saturday,
First India Bureau
Surat: A man wanted
in a case of smug-
gling red sandalwood
worth over Rs1.8
crore in Maharash-
tra has been arrested
from Surat, police
said on Saturday.
Based on a tip-off, a
team from the Surat
police’s crime branch
arrested Afzal Me-
mon, who was alleg-
edly involved in the
smuggling of red
sandalwood in Maha-
rashtra’s Raigad dis-
trict and had been on
the run since the last
one and a half years,
an official said.
Memon worked at a
textile market and con-
fessed about his involve-
mentinthecase,hesaid.
In September 2020,
an FIR was lodged at
Neral police station in
Maharashtra’s Raigad
district against Me-
mon and others under
section 379 (theft) and
other relevant provi-
sions of the IPC and
the Indian Forest Act,
the official said.
The FIR was lodged
after the Raigad police
seized red sandalwood
worth Rs1.88 crore
stored at a farm, he said.
Memon has been
handed over to the Ma-
harashtra police, the
official said, adding
that the accused was
also arrested in a simi-
lar case in the past and
an FIR was lodged
against him and others
at the same police sta-
tion in 2015.
First India Bureau
Surat: Three chil-
dren drowned after
getting dragged
away into Tapi river
water in Surat, po-
lice said on Saturday.
The three minors
from the city’s Iqbal
Nagar slum area were
playing on the bank of
Tapi river near a
causeway in Rander
locality of the city on
Friday evening when
the mishap occurred, a
Rander olice official
said.
“The trio drowned
due to a sudden rise in
water level of the river
near the causeway as a
result of a high tide in
the Arabian sea,” the
official said.
Bodies of two of the
deceased - Mohammad
Fakir (7) and Shahadat
Fakir (8) were fished
out late in the evening,
while that of Sania
Sheikh (14) was found
Saturday morning by a
team of divers of the
city fire department,
the official added.
First India Bureau
Mumbai: Gujarat Ti-
tans inched closer to a
play-off spot with an
exciting six-wicket vic-
tory over Royal Chal-
lengers Bangalore in
an IPL match on Sat-
urday
.
After failing multiple
times,ViratKohlifinally
came out out of a pro-
longed slump in form by
registering his first IPL
fifty in 14 matches, in-
cludingninethisseason,
as Royal Challengers
Bangalore posted a chal-
lenging 170 for six.
Ontheday
,Kohlimade
58 off 53 balls before
walking back to the dug-
out amid a standing ova-
tion at the Wankhede
Stadium.
RajatPatidarblasteda
32-ball 52—his maiden
IPL half-ton—while
Glenn Maxwell blazed
away to 33 in 18 deliver-
ies to prop up RCB. Pati-
dar took the risks and
largely succeeded, help-
ing Kohli to settle down
andgetsomerunsunder
his belt.
Kohli-Patidarduoadd-
ed 99 runs for the second
wicket.
GlennMaxwellplayed
acameo,scoring33off 18
balls.
The returning
Pradeep Sangwan was
excellent with the ball,
finishing with figures of
2/19, while Rashid Khan
gave away just 29 runs in
hisfourovertocheckthe
flow of runs in the mid-
dle overs.
For Titans, Pradeep
Sangwan was the best
bowler with figures of 2
for 19 from 4 overs.
In reply, Rahul Tewa-
tia (43 not out) and Da-
vid Miller (39 not out)
did the job for GT after
the table toppers were
struggling at 95 for four
in the 13th over. With 16
points which has been
the magic mark, Titans
are well on course to-
wards a top-two finish at
the end of league stage.
Gujarat now have 16
points from nine games
and are all but through
to top four.
GT beat RCB by 6 wickets to inch closer to IPL ’ 22 play-offs
WINNING STREAK
lll
Having won 8 of
their 9 matches,
Titans now have
16 points from
nine games and
are all but
through to top
four—despite
Kohli’s first
half-ton this
season
GT’s Miller and Tewatia celebrate their win. —PHOTO BY PTI
Man wanted in Maharashtra
for smuggling `1.8 cr red
sandalwood nabbed in Guj
RUNNING AGAINST DRUGS
Harsh Sanghavi,
Gujarat’s Minister of
State for Sports, Youth
and Cultural Activities,
was seen rubbing
shoulders with the
roughly 40,000
other participants
in the unique ‘Night
Marathon’ organized
by the Surat police
to raise awareness
against drug use. The
event, which began
Saturday night, is
expected to conclude
around 4 am on
Sunday morning,
officials said.
Three minor boys drown in Tapi river in Surat
WORKER DIES IN FACTORY ACCIDENT
F
F
‘LIKE 2008 RR SIDE UNDER WARNE’

PERSPECTIVE
04
l Vol 3 l Issue No. 155
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. Sanand, 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
SPIRITUAL SPEAK
“He is the source of light in all
luminous objects. He is beyond the
darkness of matter and is
unmanifested. He is knowledge, He
is the object of knowledge, and He
is the goal of knowledge. He is
situated in everyone’s heart.”.
—Bhagavad Gita
IN-DEPTH
Narendra Modi
@narendramodi
We need to encourage local languages
in courts. This will increase the
confidence of the common citizens of
the country in the legal system and
they will feel connected to it.
Jagat Prakash Nadda
@JPNadda
The existence of toys in India dates
back to the Indus Valley Civilization
and as per the vision of Hon. PM @
narendramodi Ji, India has been able
to capitalize on this rich culture of
toy-making, generating streams of
revenue, as our ‘Toyconomy’ grows
exponentially each year.
TOP TWEETS
A WAR OF LETTERS
RAISES QUESTIONS
ON BUREAUCRACY’S
INDEPENDENCE
our days ago over 100
former bureaucrats
belonging to the Con-
stitutional Conduct
Group (CCG) wrote
an open letter to Prime Minister
Narendra Modi, urging him to
call for an end to “politics of
hate” practiced “assiduously”
by BJP-led governments. The
letter said, “We are witnessing a
frenzy of hate filled destruction
in the country where at the sac-
rificial altar are not just Mus-
lims and members of the other
minority communities but the
Constitution itself.”
Another set of pro-govern-
ment retired Judges and Bureau-
crats has now written a letter
criticising the CCG statement
calling it a “manifest political
anti-Narendra Modi govern-
ment exercise, which the group
undertakes.” The new set of let-
ter writers instead blamed the
CCG for spreading the politics of
hate. The letter writers defended
the government for its actions.
One wonders, if writers of the
two letters were non-partisan be-
foretheirretirementortheirdeci-
sions were politically influenced.
Politicisationof Bureaucracyand
Judiciary suits everyone.
F
eleaguered senior
leader of the Sa-
majwadi Party,
MohammedAzam
Khan is being
wooed by different political
parties, Asaduddin Owaisi’s
AIMIM being one of them.
They are all trying to exploit
the Rampur leader’s per-
ceived differences with Akh-
ilesh Yadav, the Samajwadi
Party president. The cause of
the rift is Akhilesh Yadav
anointing himself leader of
the Opposition instead of giv-
ing the honour to Azam, who
held the post when Mulayam
was the party president.
Azam felt ‘humiliated’ also
because Akhilesh chose to
avoid visiting him in jail
where he is languishing for
over two years. This, it is be-
lieved, may lead Azam to
leave the SP. Shivpal Yadav is
already toying with the idea
of forming a front with
Azam. Jayant Chaudhary’s
(RLD) meeting with Azam
also set tongues wagging
about a new political align-
ment in UP.
Azam is not the only Mus-
lim leader who is angry with
Akhilesh. Maulana Shafiqur
Rahman Barq, the party’s MP
,
bluntlysaidthatAkhileshhas
done nothing for Muslims.
Party leader from Lambhua
in Sultanpur called Akhilesh
a “coward” for not speaking
out against atrocities against
his own party leaders. Akh-
ilesh is also accused of not
giving any important party
post to Muslims.
The possibility of a party
of Muslim leaders will be sui-
cidalfortheminoritycommu-
nity as it will only deepen the
divide. More than the Sama-
jwadi Party, Congress will
still be a safer bet provided
Muslims agree to repose their
trust in it. The time has come
when minorities are no long-
er ready to be used for votes
and then discarded.
AZAM KHAN IS NEW
FOCAL POINT IN UP
Azam felt ‘humiliated’
also because Akhilesh
chose to avoid visiting him
in jail, where he is
languishing for over 2
years. This, it is believed,
may lead Azam to leave the
SP. Shivpal Yadav is
already toying with the
idea of forming a front
with Azam
B
Chintan Shivir in Udaipur: A move
to revive the Grand Old Party...
he wags are not calling it
Chintan Shivir, but ‘Chinta
Shivir.’ This says a lot about
the dismal state of the Con-
gress party, under the collec-
tive leadership of seventy six
year old Sonia Gandhi, Rahul
Gandhi and Priyanka Vadra.
Whose bright idea was it to
have the Shivir in the middle
of MayinRajasthanwhenthe
temperature would be well
over 40 degrees. Udaipur is an
attractive and historic city
.
Why could the Chintan Shivir
not be held in November?
According to newspaper
reports four hundred dele-
gates will descend on
Udaipur. Does the city have a
hall to accommodate 400 plus
people? I doubt it. I hope I am
wrong. A two day session un-
der a tent, would be a pen-
ance. The Rajasthan Chief
Minister, Ashok Gehlot is an
experienced organiser and
an expert team leader. He will
be aware of the logistic prob-
lems. He will be carrying a
heavy load on his ageing
shoulders. If I am not mis-
taken, he is in his 70th year.
‘Bandobast’ is one part of
the Shivir. The vital part is
the agenda. The purpose of
the Shivir is to reflect, come
up with fresh ideas, to select
speakerswhowillofferworth-
while proposals for reform,
revival, rejuvenation and re-
organization of the party
.
Not one speaker will have
the guts even to hint that the
party needs a change at the
top. On the contrary
, with un-
diluted passion, each will at-
tempt to outdo the other in
declaring that the party has
full faith in the ‘Gandhi trio’
and cannot do without them
(loud and prolonged ap-
plause). Even if the Gandhis
hinted of change of leader-
ship at the top-pandemonium
will follow, -“We want Soniaji,
Rahul ji, Priyankaji, no one
else.” Concealment of the
short comings of the leader-
ship has became a mantra.
The family is the ever lasting
back-boneandinspirationthe
Congress party
, is the chorus.
Sonia, probably does not
wish to continue as Presi-
dent. She will be 76 in Decem-
ber. Does not keep good
health. Whom will she
choose?Rahulwithoutdoubt.
If he refuses to wear the
thorny crown, then who else?
Apparently Prashant Kishor
suggested Priyankas’s name.
So it will be six of one and
half a dozen of the other.
Suppose, for a moment that
the Gandhis decide to step
down. Who will succeed So-
nia? The400faithfulwillvehe-
mentlyandvociferouslyinsist
on her continuing at the top.
Shecan’twalkout.Thatwould
be contrary to Congress cul-
ture. Plu Ca Change, plus cást
la meme Chose- i.e the more
you change things, the more
they remain the same.
The other day an old and
very highly critical Congress
man came to meet me. He
was in despair, “How could
our party (I told him I was no
longer a member of Congress
party) become a junk shop of
intellectual debris.”
I said to him, “Indian de-
mocracy cannot be without
the Congress. What it urgent-
ly needs is a change of lead-
ership. Alas! That seems un-
likely. None in the party
wants to rock the boat.
I came aware of the exist-
ence of Shri Prashant Kishor
not so long back. He is obvi-
ously a man of high intelli-
gence, exceptional political
and electoral acumen. Sev-
eral of his electoral forecasts
have been on the spot. Hence,
he is in great demand. How-
ever, his one week’s parley
with Sonia Gandhi and sen-
ior Congress leaders last
week did not produce the ex-
pected results. The party ap-
parently found his ideas and
proposals too revolutionary
(I am going by media re-
ports). He politely declined
the offer to join the Congress.
I was not enthused by the
Raisina Dialogue. There were
too many diplomatic lights
weights floating around. Our
External Affairs Minister, S.
Jaishankar performed bril-
liantly. Some delegates were
critical of our abstentions at
the U.N and our buying oil
from Russia. He put them in
their place, reminding them
of the amount of gas and oil
they bought from Russia.
I have known Jaishankar
for many years. He is now
among the most well-known
and admired Foreign Minis-
ters in the World. He has one
problem. He can’t sleep at
night. Why? Jet Lag.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
T
‘Bandobast’ is one part of
the Shivir. The vital part is
the agenda. The purpose of
the Shivir is to reflect, come
up with fresh ideas, to select
speakers who will offer
worthwhile proposals for
reform, revival,
rejuvenation and
reorganization of the party.
Not one speaker will have
the guts even to hint that
the party needs a change at
the top. The family is the
ever lasting back-bone and
inspiration the Congress
party, is the chorus.
According to newspaper reports four hundred delegates
will descend on Udaipur. Does the city have a hall to
accommodate 400 plus people? I doubt it. I hope I
am wrong. A two day session under a tent, would be a
penance. The Rajasthan Chief Minister, Ashok
Gehlot is an experienced organiser and an
expert team leader. He will be aware of the logistic
problems. He will be carrying a heavy load on his ageing
shoulders. If I am not mistaken, he is in his 70th year
K NATWAR SINGH
The author is Former Minister
of External Affairs of India
Sonia Gandhi Rahul Gandhi Priyanka Vadra

To Receive Free Newspaper
PDF Daily
Whatsapp:
http://bit.ly/whatsappahm
Telegram:
https://t.me/firstindiaahmedabad
Click the above link☝ subscribe us on your
preferred platform.

INDIA
05
New Delhi (ANI): Un-
ion Home Minister
Amit Shah will embark
on a three-day visit to
West Bengal starting
May 4 with an aim to
strengthen the BJP in
the state.
On May 4, 5, and 6,
Shah will attend party-
related programs in
West Bengal. Besides
this, he will also attend
a BSF programme
there.
Shah’s visit holds im-
portance as Bengal BJP
units need proper guid-
ance about the working
style of the party
.
West Bengal BJP Vice
President Soumitra
Khan and National Sec-
retary Anupam Hazra
have already appealed
to the Central Govern-
ment to give directions
to strengthen the West
Bengal BJP unit.
West Bengal vice
president Soumitra
Khan told media on Sat-
urday, “Shah will be
holding a meeting with
party workers and sen-
ior party leaders in Kol-
kata on May 4 in which,
he will give directions
to strengthen the par-
ty’s organisational
structure in the state
and know about the sta-
tus of West Bengal BJP
unit at present.”
This will be Shah’s
first visit to the state af-
ter the party’s defeat in
the 2021 West Bengal
Assembly polls.
Rakesh Ranjan
New Delhi: Specula-
tions are rife over the
continuation or non-
continuation of outgo-
ing CBDT Chairman
JB Mohapatra (IRS
IT:1985). Some officials
believe that he may
have conveyed his un-
willingness to contin-
ue, but another group
of officers reject this
information as hearsay
and believe that the
truth will unfold itself
sooner than later.
Amid speculations
about Mohapatra,
CBDT is also abuzz with
the opening of old vigi-
lance cases that may
have eclipsed the pros-
pects of two senior
members while paving
the way for two women
members to contest for
the top CBDT job in
case Mohapatra retires
as scheduled.
Among the two wom-
en contenders, Ms. San-
geeta Singh (IRS
IT:1986), Member, Audit
Judicial, has 11
months on hand to re-
tire from service. Hav-
ing held two additional
charges the establish-
ment has already sig-
naled that Ms. Singh is
in its good books thus a
natural claimant for the
top job of the Board.
However, Ms Pragya
Sahay Saksena (Mem-
ber, Legislation Sys-
tems) also stands a fair
chance for the Chair-
person post in the next
round of vacancies in
view of her age advan-
tage whereas for cer-
tain reasons Ms. Sub-
ashree Anantkrishnan
(1987) is seen to retire as
Member in November
next year.
Whatever happens to
the appointment of Mo-
hapatra’s successor,
senior member Anuja
Sarangi (IRS IT:1985),
Admin Faceless
Scheme, and Nitin Gup-
ta (IRS IT:1986), Investi-
gation may lose the op-
portunity for heading
the Board in view of
recent developments.
CBDT Chairman JB Mohapatra retiring today
WILL HE CONTINUE?
Who will get
additional
charge?
Anuja Sarangi,
Nitin Gupta or
Sangita Singh?
Bengaluru: Karna-
taka Chief Minister
Basavaraj Bommai
will host a dinner
party at his official
residence for Union
Home Minister
Amit Shah on May
3, during which dis-
cussions will take
place on crucial is-
sues, including the
much-awaited cabi-
net expansion that
will have a direct
impactonthestate’s
Assembly polls.
The event will be
attended by former
CM BS Yediyurap-
pa, senior BJP lead-
ers and core com-
mittee members.
BJP leaders in
the state have been
exerting pressure
for a quick deci-
sion on the cabinet
expansion.
Shah on 3-day Bengal ‘BJP
build-up’ visit from May 4
Shah’s first visit to Bengal after
party’s defeat in Assembly polls
Home Minister to attend BSF
event, discuss party working style
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on
Saturday. —PHOTO BY ANI
BOMMAI TO
HOST DINNER
PARTY FOR AMIT
SHAH ON MAY 3
New Delhi (Agen-
cies): Poll strategist
Prashant Kishor said
he does not believe that
any third or fourth
front will be able to win
elections in the coun-
try and if a party wish-
es to defeat the BJP, it
has to emerge as the
second front.
He said this in an in-
terview to a news chan-
nel when he was asked
if he was helping West
Bengal Chief Minister
Mamata Banerjee’s
party TMC to emerge as
the third front for the
2024 general elections.
He said, “I never be-
lieved any third or
fourth front can win
elections in this coun-
try. If we consider BJP
the first front, it has to
be a second front to de-
feat the party. If any
party wishes to defeat
the BJP
, it has to emerge
as the second front.”
When he was asked
if he considered Con-
gress as the second
front, he said no, add-
ing that Congress is the
second-largest party in
the country
.
Earlier, in an exclu-
sive interview with Aaj
Tak, he said, “The Con-
gress leadership and I
agreed on several
things with regard to
the party’s future plan.
But they can do it on
their own, they have so
many big leaders. They
don’t need me. They of-
fered and I said no.”
He said he did not
want any role in the
party but only wanted
that once a blueprint
for the future is agreed
upon, it should be im-
plemented.
ONLY A SECOND FRONT
CAN DEFEAT BJP: PK
No third front
can win polls in
India, says Kishor
New Delhi: The TMC will continue to work with
political strategist Prashant Kishor, party chief
Mamata Banerjee told media on Saturday. The com-
ment from Banerjee came days after Kishor’s failed
attempt to join the Congress party. Congress offered
him to join the party as part of its “Empowered Ac-
tion Group” which he declined. According to party
sources, a section in the Congress had cited what
they called Kishor’s lack of “ideological” commit-
ment, pointing to the IPAC’s deal with Telangana’s
ruling party and the TMC.Mamata Banerjee said that
the same concerns were raised by senior Trinamool
Congress but it was “made clear” to them that the
party will continue its association with him.
PRASHANT STILL WITH TMC: MAMATA
Lucknow: Uttar
Pradesh Police in-
formed on Saturday
morningthatasmany
as45,773loudspeakers
have been removed
from various reli-
gious places across
the state. Additional
Director General of
Police ( Law and Or-
der) in Uttar Pradesh,
PrashantKumarsaid,
“So far 45,773 loud-
speakers have been
removedfromvarious
religious places
across the state while
the sound level of
58,861 loudspeakers
was reduced and
brought down to the
level of standard pa-
rameters.” This news
comes days after the
UttarPradeshgovern-
ment ordered the re-
moval of illegal loud-
speakers from reli-
gious places.
Prior to this an-
nouncement, Uttar
Pradesh Chief Minis-
ter Yogi Adityanath
has issued directions
for restricting the vol-
ume of loudspeakers
at religious places,
earlier this month.
“The order to re-
move illegal loud-
speakers from reli-
gious places in the
state was issued on
Saturday
. A compli-
ance report (from the
districts) in this re-
gard has been sought
by April 30,” Addi-
tional Chief Secre-
tary (Home) Awanish
Awasthi said.
New Delhi (Agen-
cies):Hittingoutatthe
AAP over violence in
Patiala, IB Minister
Anurag Thakur won-
dered who was in-
charge of law and or-
der situation in Pun-
jab as Chief Minister
Bhagwant Mann
“spent more time out-
side the state”.
“There is a break-
downof lawandorder
in Punjab. The chief
minister is spending
more time outside the
state. We do not know
who is looking after
the law and order in
thestate,”Thakurtold
reporters.
He was responding
to questions about the
clashesthattookplace
in Patiala over an “an-
ti-Khalistanmarch”in
whichatleastfourper-
sons were injured.
“Is the Punjab gov-
ernment and chief
minister capable of
controlling the situa-
tion? Will strict action
be taken against those
who tried to disrupt
the harmony and
brotherhood in Pun-
jab,” Thakur asked.
The BJP leader de-
manded to know what
kind of ideology was
the AAP trying to pro-
mote in Punjab.
“Even before elec-
tions, questions were
raisedabouttheinten-
tions and capabilities
of AAP
. Their links
with certain people
were questioned too”
Thakur said.
IN UTTAR PRADESH
45,000 loudspeakers
removed from various
religious places: Cops
Nature ‘living
being’ with
rights, duties:
Madras HC
Madurai (PTI): The
Madras High Court
has invoked the “pa-
rens patriae jurisdic-
tion” to declare Moth-
er Nature as a Living
Being with all corre-
sponding rights, du-
ties and liabilities of a
living person, in order
to preserve and con-
serve them.
The Madurai bench
of the HC in its recent
order placed immense
importance on con-
serving nature, while
dealing with a petition
from a former Tahsil-
dar-level official who
sought to quash the
disciplinary proceed-
ings against him for
allegedly granting pat-
ta (land deed) for gov-
ernment land classi-
fied as “Forest Poram-
boke Land” to certain
individuals.
Responding to the pe-
tition filed by A Periya-
karupan of Theni, who
was asked to go on com-
pulsory retirement, the
court said indiscrimi-
nate destruction of na-
ture will cause several
complications in the
eco system and endan-
ger the existence of
flora and fauna.
Is Punjab CM capable
of handling law and
order: Anurag Thakur
DECISION ON NEW MORCHA WITH JAILED
AZAM KHAN LATER, SAYS SHIVPAL YADAV
Farrukhabad (Agen-
cies): Amid a widening
rift with Samajwadi
Party chief Akhilesh
Yadav, senior socialist
leader Shivpal Singh
Yadav on Friday did not
rule out forming a front
with jailed SP leader
Azam Khan.
When asked by a re-
porter about the chanc-
es of him and Khan
forming a new morcha
(front), Shivpal Yadav
said, “A decision on this
will be taken at the
right time... after he
comes out of jail.” He
said he will discuss the
matter with party lead-
ers after Eid.
Azam Khan’s bail
plea is expected to come
up in the Supreme
Court on May 2. The 10-
time MLA from Ram-
pur Sadar is in Sitapur
jail for over the past two
years in connection
with multiple cases.
Talking to the media
after inaugurating a
petrol pump here,
Shivpal Yadav reiter-
ated that he was not
joining the BJP. He had
earlier hit out at Akh-
ilesh Yadav’s remarks
alluding to the for-
mer’s apparent close-
ness to the ruling BJP
and dared the SP chief
to expel him from the
legislature party.
“Under his leader-
ship, the Samajwadi
Party’s (SP) approach
of launching a strug-
gle for people’s causes
is nowhere to be seen
today,” he said in an
apparent dig at Akh-
ilesh Yadav.
Shivpal Yadav, who is
Akhilesh Yadav’s uncle
and heads his own Pra-
gatisheel Samajwadi
Party (Lohia) (PSPL),
won the recent Uttar
Pradesh Assembly polls
on an SP ticket.
IB Minister Anurag Thakur
Shivpal Yadav Azam Khan
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath with his Uttarakhand and West Bengal
counterparts Pushkar Singh Dhami and Mamata Banerjee during a joint conference of
CMs of States Chief Justices of HCs, at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on Saturday.
Prashant Kishor

INDIA
06
NW, central India experience
hottest April in 122 years
New Delhi (PTI):
Northwest and central
India experienced their
hottest April in 122
years with average max-
imum temperatures
reaching 35.9 and 37.8
degrees Celsius respec-
tively
, the weather office
said on Saturday
.
Addressing a press
conference, India Mete-
orological Department
director General Mrut-
yunjay Mohapatra said
northwest and west cen-
tral parts of the country
— Gujarat, Rajasthan,
Punjab and Haryana —
will continue to experi-
ence above normal tem-
peraturesinMayaswell.
The average tempera-
turesobservedpan-India
for April was 35.05 de-
grees, which was the
fourth highest in 122
years, he said. Last
month was the hottest
March in India’s record-
ed history since 1901.
Mohapatra also added
that nights would be
warmer in May in most
parts of the country
, ex-
cept some regions of
south peninsular India.
“The average rainfall
in May 2022 over the
country is most likely
to be above normal,”
Mohapatra said. How-
ever, parts of northwest
and northeast India as
well as the extreme
southeast Peninsula are
expected to get below
normal rainfall.
The high tempera-
turesinMarchandApril
were attributed to “con-
tinuouslyscantyrainfall
activity”, he said. In
March, northwest India
recorded a deficit in
rainfall of around 89%,
while the deficit was
nearly 83% in April,
mainly on account of
feeble and dry western
disturbances.
A man quenches his thirst on a hot summer day. —FILE PHOTO
Gujarat, Punjab,
Raj Haryana
to witness above
normal temp in
May as well
PRAYAGRAJ @ 47°C
Sharat K Verma
New Delhi: When the
Congress high com-
mand does not under-
stand anything, re-
garding a region, state
of locality’s politics, it
forwards an old leader
or any family member
of theirs. This is ex-
actly what happened in
Himachal Pradesh
where Congress high
command made Prat-
ibha Singh, wife of
Late Virbhadra Singh,
as the state president.
It is being said that
some responsibility
can also be given to her
son Vikramaditya Sin-
gh. This means that
the party will fight the
elections completely
dependent on the fam-
ily of Virbhadra Sin-
gh. Think, on the one
hand, the Bharatiya
Janata Party has put
up a new leader in
place of both the old
satraps. Both Prem Ku-
mar Dhumal and Shan-
ta Kumar are away
from power. But the
Congress is still stuck
in the family of Virb-
hadra Singh.
Keep in mind that af-
ter losing the election
last time, Dhumal part-
ed away from BJP poli-
tics. His son Anurag
Thakur is a minister in
the central govern-
ment. Recently, there
was talk of making
him the Chief Minister
of Himachal Pradesh,
but the party high com-
mand made it clear
that Jai Ram Thakur
would be the face of
the party. On the other
hand, the Congress has
the family of Virbhad-
ra Singh. There are
leaders like Legisla-
ture Party leader
Mukesh Agnihotri, for-
mer president Sukh-
winder Singh Sukhu,
Kaul Singh Thakur
and Anand Sharma but
the party does not trust
anyone. Even after the
absence of Virbhadra
Singh, the Congress
could not prepare a
new leader, so under
compulsion, Pratibha
Singh has received the
command.
Congress banks on dynasty in Himachal!
FAMILY POLITICS
Himachal Congress chief Pratibha Virbhadra Singh
Mahesh Sharma
New Delhi: Twitter’s
new owner Elon Musk
has announced to
launch a cleanliness
campaign. As soon as
he bought Twitter, he
said that bots would be
cleaned, fake accounts
would be closed, Twit-
ter users would be iden-
tified and trolls would
be removed. Think, who
would this worry the
most? By the way
, all the
parties and leaders
have made their social
media team and all keep
on posting false and
true tweets. But BJP’s
IT cell is most active in
this work which has
thousands of ‘cyber sol-
diers’, who in the blink
of an eye, can destroy
any opposition leader.
BJP’s IT cell does not
allow any anti-govern-
ment tweet or trend to
run. New trends are
started immediately.
Apart from the BJP, the
Aam Aadmi Party also
has a big team of IT,
which makes the false
and true tweets go viral.
Recently, party leader
Atishi had made a tweet
of alleged officials of
Kerala visiting Delhi
schools, which went vi-
ral on every platform.
The IT cell of Congress
party is not very capa-
ble, but the team of
many regional satraps
use it as an antidote.
That is why it is being
said that the biggest
concern will be in the
offices of political par-
ties. Because if the
cleaning is done and the
fake accounts are closed
then the viral propagan-
da of many will stop.
Political parties concerned over
Musk’s ‘cleanliness campaign’!
Bengaluru: The Kar-
nataka State Pollution
Control Board (KSPCB)
on Friday said they will
be analysing their city
action plans using two
recent air pollution
source assessment stud-
ies in their efforts to
improve air quality
across the state.
WhileBengaluru’sde-
teriorating air quality is
a cause for concern,
studies released by the
Center for Study of Sci-
ence, Technology, and
Policy (CSTEP) have re-
vealed that measures
targeted at polluting
sources can help lower
pollution levels.
AccordingtoCSTEP’s
research released earli-
er this year, the trans-
portation industry is
the largest source (40–
51%) of particulate mat-
ter, followed by road
dust resuspension (17–
51%). Construction
dust, household gaso-
line, and diesel genera-
tors are among the oth-
er polluting industries.
The studies, titled
“Emission Inventory
and Pollution Reduc-
tion Strategies for Ben-
galuru” and “Identifica-
tion of Polluting Sourc-
es for Bengaluru,” iden-
tified polluting sources/
activities or hotspots for
the city
, which has been
a major concern for air
pollution regulators
and policymakers.
Bengaluru: CSTEP study identifies
sources to help reduce air pollution
New Delhi (Agen-
cies): In a tit-for-tat of
letters over recent inci-
dents of communal
violence, a group of
197 retired judges, bu-
reaucrats and Armed
forces officers on Sat-
urday wrote an open
letter to Prime Minis-
ter Narendra Modi
questioning the moti-
vations of an earlier
open letter by another
group calling on him to
end hate politics.
On Tuesday, a group
of ex-diplomats, IAS,
IPS and IRS officers,
under the banner of
Constitutional Con-
duct Group(CCG), had
written to Modi asking
him to end “hate poli-
tics” and expressed
concern over the re-
cent instances of com-
munal violence in the
country
.
In response, the
group of 197 retired
officials wrote: “It is a
repeated effort to
draw attention to
themselves as citizens
with a higher sense of
social purpose, where-
as the reality is that
this is a manifest po-
litical anti-Modi Gov-
ernment exercise
which this group un-
dertakes periodically
in the belief that they
can shape public opin-
ion against the ruling
dispensation. This
is way for them to
release their frustra-
tion that public opin-
ion remains solidly
behind Prime Minis-
ter Modi as recent
State elections have
shown. (sic)”.
The letter accused
the signatories of the
CCG letter of fuelling
the politics of hate by
“attempting to engi-
neer hate against the
present government”
and of holding double
standards by not rais-
ing concern over the
post-poll violence in
West Bengal.
Gen Pande takes charge as Army Chief
New Delhi (Agencies):
General Manoj Pande,
who was serving as the
Vice Chief of the Army
since February, took
over as the new Army
Chief fromGeneralMM
Naravaneafterthelatter
retired on Saturday
.
Gen Naravane had
taken over as the Army
Chief in January 2020,
months before the
standoff with China in
eastern Ladakh began
in May 2020. He handed
over the charge to Gen
Pande, who will have a
tenure of slightly more
than two years, in Delhi
on Saturday morning.
Gen Pande is the
most senior Army of-
ficer in the country and
has spent the majority
of his career serving
along the northern bor-
ders facing China. This
is significant as the
country’s two-year
standoff with China re-
mains unresolved.
The appointment is
unprecedented as Gen
Pande is the first Army
Chief who comes from
the Corps of Engineers.
He was commissioned
in December 1982 in the
Bombay Sappers. He
will be the 29th Army
Chief, and all his prede-
cessors have come from
infantry, artillery or ar-
moured corps. In his 39-
year career, Gen Pande
has tenanted several
sensitive positions at
various levels.
He commanded an
engineer brigade in the
Western Theatre as
part of Strike Corps
and an infantry brigade
along the Line of Con-
trol in Jammu and
Kashmir. He also com-
manded a Mountain Di-
vision in western
Ladakh’s high-altitude
region, and a Corps
along the Line of Actu-
al Control in the coun-
ter-insurgency opera-
tions area in the East-
ern Command.
Dehradun (ANI):
Ahead of the Char
Dham Yatra which is
set to begin on May 3,
the Uttarakhand gov-
ernment has in-
structed all the devo-
tees to register on the
state’s portal before
their arrival.
However, COVID-19
testing and checking
of vaccination certifi-
cates have not been
made mandatory for
the devotees.
Chief Secretary SS
Sandhutookameeting
of the concerned offic-
ers on the instructions
of Chief Minister
Pushkar Singh Dhami
to clear the confusion
regardingcarryingout
COVID-19 tests of
travelers and pilgrims
coming from outside
Uttarakhand.
During the meet-
ing, the Chief Secre-
tary instructed offi-
cials to ensure the
smooth conduct of
Char Dham Yatra till
further orders.
Amaravati (Agencies):
Police in Andhra
Pradesh’s Sri Sathya Sai
district on Saturday ar-
rested the headmaster
of a government school
for alleged involvement
in leaking Class 10 ex-
amination paper, taking
the number of teachers
arrested for malpractic-
es to 10.
Vijay Kumar, head
master of a high school
at Nalla Cheruvu, was
arrested for leaking the
paper while discharging
his duties as chief su-
perintendentSecondary
School Certificate (SSC)
examination at Gandla-
penta. Prima facie, the
probe revealed that the
headmaster sent a copy
of English question pa-
per through WhatsApp
on Friday
.
The SSC exams began
across the state on
Wednesday and for a
third consecutive day on
Friday, there have been
reports of malpractices.
New Delhi (PTI): The
students who are think-
ing to pursue Bachelor
of Medicine and Bach-
elorof Surgery(MBBS),
Bachelor of Dental Sur-
gery (BDS), other medi-
cal courses in Pakistan
should note that the de-
grees offered by the col-
leges there will not be
considered valid in In-
dia. The National Medi-
cal Commission (NMC)
in a statement advised
the medical aspirants
not to travel to Pakistan
for pursuing medical
education.
According to NMC,
“any Indian national/
overseas citizen of In-
dia who intends to take
admission in medical
course in any medical
college of Pakistan
shall not be eligible for
appearing in FMGE or
seeking employment
in India except those
who had joined Paki-
stan degree colleges/
institutions before De-
cember 2018.”
CSTEP’s studies found the transport sector followed by road dust as the biggest contributors to
Bengaluru’s deteriorating air quality.
General Manoj Pande
Former Judges, bureaucrats
defend PM Modi in open letter
CCG giving
ideological cover
to an anti-
national outlook,
reads letter
New Delhi (Agencies):
Haryana Chief Minister
Manohar Lal Khattar
said on Saturday that
Haryana and Punjab
have demanded the set-
ting up of a separate
high court for both the
states and both would
dulysendtheirproposals
to the MHA. While inter-
acting with the media
after attending the Joint
Conference of Chief
MinistersandChief Jus-
tices of High Courts
here, Khattar said the
demand for setting up a
separate high court for
Haryana has been made
in the joint conference.
Khattar demands
separate High
Court for Haryana
Headmaster among 10
Andhra teachers held
for SSC paper leak
NMC says Medical
Degrees from Pak
not valid in India
Covid vaccination certificate
not must for Char Dham Yatra

BIZ BUZZ
07
Promoted by
AU Small Finance Bank
‘Evolving with
changing scenarios
will be crucial for IBC’
Elon Musk to
monetize tweets
after Twitter buyout
Ahmedabad (PTI):
Evolving with chang-
ing scenarios will be
crucial for Insolvency
and Bankruptcy Code
as it could become the
most potent instru-
ment in driving pro-
active responsible be-
haviour among lend-
ers and prove to be a
boon for the economy,
Minister of State for
Corporate Affairs
Rao Inderjit Singh
said on Saturday.
He was speaking at
an international re-
search conference on
insolvency and bank-
ruptcy organised by
the IIM-A in collabora-
tion with Insolvency
andBankruptcyBoard
of India.
“While the Code has
had a remarkable jour-
ney so far, going for-
ward, evolving with
changing scenarios
will be crucial ... Like
everything else, this re-
form should keep evolv-
ing,” the minister said.
The minister said
streamlining the CIRP
(Corporate Insolvency
Resolution Process)
andliquidationprocess
willfurtherhelpincon-
solidating the progress
made to secure gains to
the economy
.
He said the pro-
posed cross-border in-
solvency framework is
a “landmark step” in
redefining India’s re-
lations with the rest of
the world.
New Delhi (Agen-
cies): Billionaire Elon
Musk has planned to
develop more ways to
make money from the
microblogging site
Twitter and told banks
that agreed to help
fund his $44billion ac-
quisition offer that he
will monetize tweets.
According to the
sources, Musk has de-
cided on who he plans
to appoint as the new
chief executive of
Twitter, but the source
didn’t name the per-
son. Twitter’s current
CEO Parag Agrawal,
who took the role after
Jack Dorsey stepped
down in November, is
expected to remain as
CEO until the deal is
completed.
Musk told Twitter
chairman Bret Taylor
that he does not have
confidence in the com-
pany’s management,
which is a sentiment
that he also stated in
SEC filings.
Agrawal would be
set for a significant
compensation package
if the deal closes and
Musk brings in new
management, as he
would receive $38.7
million due to a clause
in his contract, accord-
ing to the company’s
latest proxy filing.
He said that he plans
to create a way to mon-
etize tweets that go vi-
ral or include impor-
tant information. He
also suggested the
idea of charging a fee
when third-party web-
sites quote or embed
tweets from verified
accounts.
VEDANTA SAYS IT’S IN TALKS TO
Raiseupto$3bndebtin
semiconductorspush
Bengaluru (Agen-
cies): India’s Vedan-
ta is in talks with banks
to raise debt of $2.5-$3
billion to bolster
its semiconductor and
display manufacturing
plans, as it races to be-
come the country’s first
chipmaker, a top com-
pany official reportedly
said on Saturday
.
The oil-to-metals
conglomerate decided
in February to diver-
sify into chip manu-
facturing and formed
a joint venture with
Taiwan’s Foxconn. It
has a total planned in-
vestment outlay of
$20 billion.
Vedanta is seeking
incentives from Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi’s federal govern-
ment and is also in
talks with several In-
dian states. After get-
ting subsidies, and
once its definitive
agreements are in
place, the company
plans to raise bank
debt of $2.5 to $3 bil-
lion. “We have finan-
cial banking relation-
ships across India. We
are talking to them,”
said Akarsh Hebbar,
Vedanta’s Global Man-
aging Director of Dis-
play and Semiconduc-
tor Business.
Vedanta is seeking
incentives such as 1,000
acres (405 hectares) of
free land, and cheaper
water and power from
state governments as
part of its foray into
semiconductors and
displays, Reuters exclu-
sively reported on
Thursday
.
Speaking during an
interview on the side-
lines of India’s
first semiconduc-
tor conference, being
held in the tech hub of
Bengaluru, Hebbar
said the company was
expecting a return on
investment of 10-15%
over 15-20 years.
“Breakeven may
happen somewhere in
the middle, and we will
start getting
p r o f i t s
slow-
l y
af-
ter that,” he said.
On Friday, Modi and
his IT ministers out-
lined plans for more
investment incentives,
telling the conference
they wanted India to
emerge as a key player
in the global chips mar-
ket, now dominated by
manufacturers in Tai-
wan and a few other
countries.
Musk told Twitter
chairman that he does
not have confidence
in the company’s
management
YES Bank Q4:
Lender logs
`367 cr as NP,
NII rises 84%
Mumbai (Agencies):
YES Bank reported a
net profit of Rs 367
crore in the January-
March quarter com-
pared to a loss of Rs
3,787.75 crore in the
year-ago period, citing
a fall in provisions for
the recovery. Business
analysts had estimat-
ed a loss of Rs 254
crore for the quarter.
Sequentially, net
profit is up 38 per cent.
Also the private bank
in FY22 earned net
profit to the tune of Rs
1,066 crore, the first
full year of profit
since FY19. Net inter-
est income (NII) in-
creased by 84 per cent
YoY and 3.1 pc sequen-
tially to Rs 1,819 crore.
Shell to acquire Sprng Energy for $1.5 billion
New Delhi (Agen-
cies): Shell Overseas
Investment B.V., a
wholly owned subsidi-
ary of Shell plc (Shell),
today signed an agree-
ment with Actis Solen-
ergi Limited (Actis) to
acquire 100% of Solen-
ergi Power Private
Limited for $1.55 bil-
lion and with it,
the Sprng Ener-
gy group of companies.
ET was the first to re-
port on 10 January 2022,
about the deal.
Sprng Energy sup-
plies solar and wind
power to electrici-
ty distribution compa-
nies in India. Its portfo-
lio consists of 2.9 giga-
watts-peak (GWp) of
assets (2.1 GWp operat-
ing and 0.8 GWp con-
tracted) with a further
7.5 GWp of renewable
energy projects in the
pipeline.
“This deal positions
Shell as one of the first
movers in building a
truly integrated energy
transition business in
India,” said Wael
Sawan, Shell’s Inte-
grated Gas, Renewa-
bles and Energy Solu-
tions Director.
I believe it will enable
Shell to become a leader
across the power value
chain in a rapidly grow-
ing market where elec-
trification on a massive
scale and strong de-
mand for renewables
are driving the energy
transition,”Sawan fur-
ther added.
The solar and wind
assets Shell acquires
through the deal will
triple Shell’s present
renewable capacity in
operation and help de-
liver its Powering Pro-
gress strategy
.
An important part
of this strategy is to
develop a best-in-class
integrated power busi-
ness, which will help
Shell to reach its tar-
get of becoming a prof-
itable net-zero emis-
sions energy business
by 2050.
The transaction is
subject to regulatory
clearance and is ex-
pected to close later in
2022, Shell said.
Shell’s offer, valuing
the portfolio at $1.75-
$1.8 billion, inclusive
of its debt, is said to
higher than Singa-
pore’s Sembcorp Indus-
tries Ltd, the only other
contender who made a
binding offer from a
field of six who were
earlier picked from the
original list of 17 for
due diligence, Et re-
ported. The final six
included Adani Group,
Canadian pension fund
CPP Investment Board
(CPPIB) and steelmak-
er ArcelorMittal.
Astral to acquire 51 pc of
Gem Paints for `194 crore
New Delhi (PTI): PVC
pipes and plastic prod-
ucts maker Astral said
it will acquire a major-
ity 51 per cent stake
in Gem Paints for Rs
194 crore, a move which
will allow the
Ahmedabad-based firm
to expand its product
portfolio into the paints
segment. Astral has en-
tered into a definitive
agreement with Gem
Paints and its share-
holders after the deal
was approved by its
board on Friday, it said
in a regulatory filing.
“Astral shall initial-
ly invest Rs. 194 Crores
in Gem Paints Private
Limited by subscrib-
ing to Optionally Con-
vertible Debentures
equivalent to the value
of 51 per cent equity
stake of Operating
Paint business of Gem
Paints,” it said.
Cellex Battery to launch advanced energy storage solution
New Delhi (PTI):
Cellex Battery Systems Pvt
Ltd, a Coimbatore-based
startup, is set to launch
its advanced energy
storage solution that
will enter the com-
mercial market in
June this year.
As part of Phase-1,
Cellex plans to set up
energy storage solutions
manufacturing facility in
the city together with devel-
opment of an advanced bat-
tery management solution
(BMS), company co-founder
and CEO Pramoth Mad-
havan told reporters here
on Friday.
The company would pro-
vide energy storage solu-
tions to various sectors cov-
ering renewable energy
storage, commercial and
residential backup, defence,
electric vehicles, telecom,
mining, aerospace and oth-
er infrastructure projects,
he said.
Stating that the energy
storage solutions market
was estimated to be USD 1
trillion by 2030, Madhavan
expressed confidence that
the company is expected to
capture a market share of
0.1 per cent by then.
Cellex’ batteries will be
based on next-generation
technologies offering up to
10 years performance war-
ranty and expected life of 15
years, he said.
With its superior life, per-
formance and competitive
pricing, Cellex is targeting
to be a leading energy stor-
age solutions provider in
the country by 2030 and
thereby becoming a uni-
corn. The company plans to
raise investments worth
USD 10 million as part of its
Phase-1 and USD 25 million
for Phase-2 expansion, its
co-founder Jose K Joseph
said. Cellex would enter
into cell manufacturing in
India under transfer of
technology in Phase-3 with-
in the next three to five
years and create over 1,000
direct and indirect employ-
ment opportunities, accord-
ing to Joseph said.
GEN NEXT BATTERIES
STAR9 MOBILITY PVT LTD TO BUY GOVT’S
51% STAKE IN PAWAN HANS FOR `211 CR
New Delhi (PTI): The Finance
Ministry on Friday said Star9
Mobility Pvt Ltd will buy the
government’s 51 pc stake in
helicopter services provider PHL,
along with the transfer of man-
agement control, for Rs 211.14
crore. The reserve price for the
strategic sale, which comes after
three unsuccessful attempts, was
fixed at Rs 199.92 crore based
on the valuation carried out by
the transaction adviser and asset
valuer. Loss-making PHL is a
51:49 joint venture of the govern-
ment and ONGC. ONGC had
earlier decided to offer its entire
shareholding to the successful
bidder identified in the govern-
ment strategic disinvestment
transaction. The government in
December last year received
three financial bids for buying
the company. M/s Star9 Mobility
Private Ltd, a consortium of M/s
Big Charter Private Limited,
M/s Maharaja Aviation Private
Limited and M/s Almas Global
Opportunity Fund SPC; emerged
as the highest bidder quoting Rs
211.14 crore, which was above
the Reserve Price.
TATAS PLAN TO GO ATMANIRBHAR WITH
CHIPMAKING, EV BATTERY PLANS
New Delhi (Agencies): Semi-
conductors are next on the Tata
Group’s list as the coffee-to-
cars conglomerate seeks to
trim the pain from the global
chip crisis as well as reduce its
dependence on imports. Apart
from chips, the group plans
to make batteries for electric
vehicles too, N Chandrasekaran,
chairman of Tata Sons Pvt., told
press at an event in Mumbai.
Chandrasekaran spoke about
evaluating partnerships for cell
and battery manufacturing in
India and Europe in Tata Motors
Ltd.’s annual report in June. The
initiatives by the $103 billion
Tata Group are aligned to Prime
Minister Narendra Modi’s at-
tempts to make India a leader in
semiconductor production and
reduce its reliance on imports
amid global chain disruptions.
Several international chip giants
including Intel Corp. and Taiwan
Semiconductor Manufacturing
Co. are exploring India as a
potential manufacturing base,
the nation’s Technology Minister
Ashwini Vaishnaw had said
earlier this week.
INDIAN BANK STARTS PRE-APPROVED
LOAN; NO EXTRA CHARGE
New Delhi (Agencies): Public sector Indian Bank has started the facility
of pre-approved personal loan. This facility will be beneficial for its
customers. ave project started in January Indian Bank has launched
the facility of Pre-approved Personal Loan (PAPL) under its ‘World of
Advanced Virtual Experience’ (Wave). The bank had introduced the
Wave project in January 2022 to launch the first digital product ‘Pre-
approved Personal Loan’ (PAPL). SL Jain, Managing Director and CEO,
Indian Bank said, “Earlier this year, we announced our move to drive digi-
tal transformation with the Wave product. We are delighted to introduce
our first digital offering, PAPL. This offer will be available entirely to the
customers through digital medium.” Another facility will be
given by the bank to the borrowers with the preapproved personal loan.
Under this facility, one can close the loan before the stipulated time
without any prepayment charges. Also, the interest rate on this loan is
also very low. One will have to pay interest on it at the rate of 10 per cent
per annum.

08
2NDFRONT
Since abrogation of Article 370 centre spent over
`9,000 crore in J-K
on security till 2021
DefMinlaudsGenNaravane’s role
in bolstering defence capabilities
New Delhi (ANI): De-
fence Minister Rajnath
Singh met the outgoing
Army chief General
Manoj Mukund Nara-
vane on the last day of
his service on Saturday
and said that his contri-
butions of serving the
nation for 42 years as a
military leader have
“strengthened India’s
defence capabilities and
preparedness”.
Earlier on Saturday
,
Gen Naravane re-
ceived a guard of hon-
our at the South Block
lawns prior to relin-
quishing his position
to General Manoj Pan-
de, who took over on
Saturday as the new
Chief of Army Staff.
Taking to Twitter, Ra-
jnath Singh said, “Had
a wonderful meeting
with the Army Chief,
General MM Naravane
who is going to retire
today after serving the
nation for 42 years. His
contributions as a mili-
tary leader have
strengthened India’s
defence capabilities
preparedness. I wish
him success in his fu-
ture endeavours.”
General Naravane,
along with his wife
Veena Naravane, also
called on President
Ram Nath Kovind and
First Lady Savita Ko-
vind at Rashtrapati
Bhavan.
Gen Pande took over
the charge from Gen
Naravane in a brief cer-
emony at the South
Black. Pande, who be-
longs to the 117 Engi-
neers Regiment of the
Indian Army, would be
the 29th Army Chief.
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: Gujarat
reported 18 new COV-
ID-19 cases on Satur-
day
, taking the state’s
tally to 12,24,340,
while the death toll re-
mained unchanged at
10,943, an official said.
Ten more people re-
coveredonSaturday
,tak-
ing the total to 12,13,284,
leaving the state with an
active caseload of 113.
Vadodara led with
eight cases, followed by
six in Ahmedabad, two
in Surat and one each in
Bharuch and Gandhina-
gar,theofficialinformed.
As many as 96,497 per-
sons were vaccinated on
Saturday
, which took the
total number of doses
administeredinthestate
so far to 10.78 crore.
Gujarat sees
18 new cases,
active tally
settles at 113
Rajnish Singh
New Delhi (ANI): In 28
months since the abro-
gation of Article 370,
the Centre spent over
Rs 9,000 crore, especial-
ly on security expendi-
ture, in the Union Terri-
tory (UT) of Jammu
and Kashmir.
The amount was
paid to the Jammu and
Kashmir government
under the security-re-
lated expenditure (po-
lice) scheme since the
inception of the UT on
August 5, 2019, the day
when Jammu and
Kashmir was bifurcat-
ed into two Union Ter-
ritories (UTs) of Jam-
mu and Kashmir and
Ladakh, and Articles
370 and 35 (A) were nul-
lified that gave the erst-
while state its special
status and the mandate
to define its domicile
rules. MHA’s recently
published annual re-
port 2020-2021 men-
tions these facts, men-
tioning “in order to
strengthen the securi-
ty apparatus, the Gov-
ernment of India has
provided Rs 9,120.69
crore to the Govern-
ment of Jammu and
Kashmir under the Se-
curity Related Expend-
iture (Police) scheme
since its inception”.
As per the report, the
amount includes Rs
448.04 crore that was
spent till December 31,
2020 since the bifurca-
tion of Jammu and
Kashmir.
Besides, the report
says, the MHA has also
approved the raising of
five India Reserve (IR)
Battalions, two Border
Battalions and two
Women Battalions for
Jammu and Kashmir.
“The recruitment has
already been completed
for five IR Battalions.”
Officials in the MHA
told ANI, “The security
situation in J-K is mon-
itored and regularly re-
viewed by the Govern-
ment of Jammu and
Kashmir, Army
, Central
Armed Police Forces
(CAPFs) and other secu-
rity agencies”.
“The Ministry of
Home Affairs (MHA)
also monitors the secu-
rity situation closely
and continuously in
tandem with all the
above agencies and the
Ministry of Defence.
The multi-pronged ap-
proach to contain cross-
border infiltration also
includes multi-tiered
deployment along the
international Border or
Line of Control, border
fencing, improved intel-
ligence and operational
coordination, equip-
ping security forces
with advanced weapons
and taking proactive ac-
tion against infiltra-
tors,” they said.
MHA’S ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021
Man sentenced to life imprisonment
for raping 6-year-old girl in Surat
Surat (PTI): A spe-
cial POCSO court in
Gujarat’s Surat on
Saturday sentenced a
man to life imprison-
ment for raping a six-
year-old girl around a
year and a half ago.
Special judge Asha
Anjariya sentenced
Mukesh Shah (23) to life
imprisonment till his
last breath and imposed
a fine of Rs 50,000 on
him and also ordered
that the victim be paid
Rs 7 lakh as compensa-
tion under the victim
compensation scheme.
As per the case de-
tails, the incident took
placenearSachinindus-
trial area on the night of
December 9, 2020.
Shah kidnapped the
girl who was sleeping
with her sister and fa-
ther, labourers from
Madhya Pradesh, in an
under-construction
building. He took the
girl to an abandoned
hut around a kilometre
away and sexually as-
saulted her.
The accused also
slapped the girl and left
her in an injured state
before fleeing the spot.
The girl was later found
and taken to a hospital
where she underwent
treatment.
An FIR was lodged at
Sachin GIDC police sta-
tion on the basis of a
complaint lodged by
the girl’s father.
Shah was charged
under sections 363 (kid-
napping), 323 (volun-
tarily causing hurt),
and 376 AB (punish-
ment for rape on wom-
an under 12 years of
age) of the IPC, and
other provisions of the
Protection of Children
from Sexual Offences
(POCSO) Act.
Ahead of his retirement, Gen MM Naravane calls on Defence Minister
Rajnath Singh, in New Delhi on Saturday. —PHOTO BY ANI
PK STILL DEEPLY
CONNECTED WITH
GANDHI FAMILY
PK is in ‘denial
mode’, however,
don’t get entangled in
the political gimmicks
of this smart individu-
al as PK’s strings are
still attached to the
Gandhi family with the
same strength as be-
fore. It is possible that
in the coming days, you
will hear PK’s new con-
fession that ‘he is ready
again to join Congress
and work for Congress’.
And then the old men of
Congress, who are pro-
testing against PK,
would be seen on back
foot. If the claims of
sources
relat-
ed to
Gandhi family are to be
believed, then that
8-hour presentation of
PK will not go in vain.
Rahul Gandhi has start-
ed implementing PK’s
advice. As PK said in
his presentation that
‘the state president and
the leader of the legisla-
ture in the Congress
should be separate, the
responsibility of the
Congress Parliamentar-
ian Board and the party
president should also
not be with one person.’
Kamal Nath hurriedly
thereafter, resigned
from the post of Leader
of Legislative party,
since he is also the Pres-
ident of State Congress.
PK had said in his pres-
e n - tation that ‘the
reins of
H a r ya n a
Congress
should be
h a n d e d
over to
B h u p i n -
der Sin-
g h
Hoo-
da and there is no exist-
ence of the party in
Himachal without mak-
ing face to anyone in
Virbhadra Singh’s fam-
ily i.e. his wife or son.’
It has also been advised
that ‘the members of
the Congress Working
Committee should di-
rectly contest the Lok
Sabha elections leaving
the hope of the Rajya
Sabha, which will
strengthen the party
cadre.’ He has also sug-
gested a complete over-
haul of party organisa-
tion in 550 districts and
more and more young
faces should be given
importance in the
organization.
Nothing is
per manent
in politics,
and with
ever chang-
ing politics,
there is al-
ways a need
for face
that can fit in the cur-
rent situation. There-
fore, it is possible that
in the coming days, PK
may be once again seen
in Congress’ courtyard!
WHEN WILL THE
DECISION ON PK
BE TAKEN?
Sonia Gandhi can
take a decision on
PK anytime after the
three-day ‘Chintan Shi-
vir’tobeheldinUdaipur
from May 13 - 15. It is be-
lieved that on the advice
of PK, Sonia herself
spoke directly to the dis-
gruntled leaders of the
G-21 faction leaders
like Ghulam
Nabi Azad,
M a n i s h
Tewari and
M u k u l
Wasnik to
e n t r u s t
i m p o r -
tant re-
spon-
sibili-
ties for this contempla-
tion camp, so that they
can’t directly attack Ra-
hul in this meeting. Af-
ter this, there can be an
open debate on the sug-
gestions of PK on the
party platform. Con-
gress sources claim that
PK says that at present,
the reins of Congress
should be handed over
to a leader other than
the Gandhi family
. The
new President of UPA
should also be from an
allyinsteadof Congress.
Sharad Pawar has been
described as a suitable
face for this. Sonia Gan-
dhi is very impressed by
thatmarathonpresenta-
tionof PKandshewants
PK to have a deep brain-
storming meeting with
senior party leaders re-
garding this report, in
which once again the
Gandhi family will also
be present.
NADDA IN
GUJARAT FOR BJP’S
POLL PLANS!
Implementing the
instructions of
PM Modi, BJP’s Na-
tional President JP Na-
dda has camped in
Ahmedabad city of Gu-
jarat for some time.
This Friday, he re-
mained at the party’s
Ahmedabad Headquar-
ters ‘Kamalam’ and met
more than 700 party
leaders and workers
there. The next day, he
addressed more than
7,000 people at the Guja-
rat University’s Con-
vention Centre. The
most important thing is
that all the BJP MLAs,
who came to meet Na-
dda, were more or less
worried that the tragic
memories of the Coro-
na period are still
alive in the
minds of the
people of
the state
and ques-
tioned what
i s s u e s
should they
take to the
people to
b r i n g
about a change in their
minds and awaken a
new spirit of hope?
Most of the MLAs want-
ed to be familiar with
the party’s election
strategy and Nadda ex-
plained to them that
both party stalwarts
Modi and Shah have
specific plans for the
Gujarat elections,
which they will reveal
soon. Nadda also said
that Gujarat is the labo-
ratory of BJP’s politics,
and the party will al-
ways be number one
there. He said that the
elected representatives
have to take the good
works of the central
and state government
among the people in the
elections. It is under-
stood that on Sunday,
May 1, Modi is going to
start the election cam-
paignof Gujarat,Modi’s
target is the Patidar
community (Sardar
Dham) of Gujarat.
PM Modi on
May 1 i.e.
will address
the Global
P a t i d a r
‘Business
Summit’
through
video
c o n -
ference. After this par-
ty’s phased meetings
are going to start in Gu-
jarat.
IN THE END...
Barrack number 20
of Lakhimpur
Kheri Jail has once
againbecomeamajorat-
traction these days. And
why not, this barrack
has been decorated with
newmattress,newsheet,
and to cool the heat of
the barrack, not one, but
four coolers have been
installed in it. In this
barrackonceagainfrom
April24,AshishMishra,
son of Union Minister
of State for Home Ajay
Mishra Teni, has been
‘camping’. The jail ad-
ministration is giving
him complete VIP treat-
ment on their behalf
and morning tea, lunch
and dinner are all com-
ing from his house.
There is no time restric-
tion for lunch and din-
ner. A Gujarati news-
paper has pub-
lished this jail re-
port in detail.
FIRST INDIA SUNDAY SPECIAL
BY TRIDIB
RAMAN
The author is a journalist
and political commentator
and views expressed are
his personal
Prashant Kishor Sonia Gandhi JP Nadda
Ashish Mishra
Proper planning and execution
are keys to success but only after
dreams and belief.
—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO Editor-in-Chief, First India

www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epapers/ahmedabad I twitter.com/
thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09
AHMEDABAD, SUNDAY,
MAY 1, 2022
PASSION IS
ENERGY. FEEL
THE POWER THAT
COMES FROM
FOCUSING ON
WHAT EXCITES
YOU. CITY FIRST
BRINGS TO YOU
THE INSPIRING
JOURNEY
OF VIOMA
SHARMA, A
MODEL AND
ASPIRING
ACTRESS WHO
IS BLAZING WITH
FIRE AND IS A
PASSIONATE
SOUL.
assion is crucial
when it comes
to attaining
your dreams.
When you find
your passion
and link it with
whatever you’re doing,
you’ll experience a beau-
tiful synergy that will ef-
fortlessly propel you to
new heights. This is also
true in the fashion indus-
try
. City First had a con-
versation with the mod-
el, Vioma Sharma about
her journey
.
When asked about her-
self, the diva said, “I am
a 22-year-old model and
an aspiring actor and am
born and brought up in
Delhi. Currently pursu-
ing a bachelor’s in tech-
nology from IP universi-
ty
. I’ve also had training
in classical music and
classical dance, which
has aided in the develop-
ment of my personality
.”
The aspiring actress,
speaking about her jour-
ney said, “My career in
this industry began only
after lockdown when I
had the opportunity to
reflect on myself and fig-
ure out what I wanted to
accomplish with my life.
Before that, I had never
considered following my
passion.”
No matter how suc-
cessful, everyone has to
face their own battles.
Talking about her bat-
tles, the diva said “I had,
and continue to have, a
few roadblocks on my
path, one of which is a
lack of support. But it
wasn’t until I made my
own decisions that I real-
ised how little else mat-
tered when you know
what makes you happy
.”
Achievements are
something that comes
from hard work and pa-
tience, just as her ac-
complishments came.
“In terms of my accom-
plishments, I was a fi-
nalist in the Navbharat
Times’ NBT Femina
pageant, which was
judged by Taapsee Pan-
nu herself. I also had the
opportunity to be repre-
sented by my dream
modelling agency, and
I’m continuing to im-
prove myself and create
new moments.”
Speaking about her
future plans, the model
said, ‘I can never be sure
of what life would have
to offer me but if asked,
I’d say I would want to
see myself hustling and
working hard with the
same energy. I think,
achieving my goals, bet-
tering myself and not
losing my peace of mind
is how I would envision
my life to be 5 years
from now.”
DEVANSHI MUDGAL
cityfirst@firstindia.co.in
P
PASSION FOR
PASSION FOR
FASHION
FASHION

10
ETC
fter scores of centuries in
the darkness of slavery
and exploitation, we have
at last come to celebrate
The Labour Day interna-
tionally though somewhat
patronizingly in some places. The
mere mention of May Day flashes
images of the “Hammer Sickle,”
the two tools representing the Indus-
trial Agricultural labour class.
These workers, the real inheritors
of the earth, holding the Primary fac-
tor of production (labour), were
pushed back by the exploitative and
cynical class holding the other two
means i.e. Land and capital.
This class struggle continued for
centuries till some enlightened minds
stepped forward and called this great-
est bluff of mankind. They awakened
thelabourclassnotonlytotheirrights
but also to their primary place and
power in this production troika.
From being slaves who had to work
for around 15 to 18 hours a day under
the cruellest conditions, the working
class slowly organised itself after
hearing the clarion calls of some judi-
cious minds.
Although there was a crop of such
trailblazers, the greatest mover
amongst them was a German phi-
losopher named Karl Marx. His
main theory focused on the struggle
between the Capitalists who held
the land and the capital and the
working class.
This revolutionary kettledrum ech-
oed around the globe giving rise to a
million mutinies and transforming
the economic political ideologies in
almost half the nation-states. It trig-
gered a class conflict, often bloody but
sometimes democratic. The unjust
stranglehold of the exploiters started
to slacken. The workers started de-
manding and getting fairer working
conditions higher wages for their
back-breaking labour. In more liberal
environments the workers came to sit
on Corporate boards framing policy
.
If you look around, you will see that
there is hardly anything that has not
been created by the skilful hands of
workers in sweatshops, workshops, or
themoresophisticatedassemblylines.
There is hardly any service that is not
provided by the Proletariat. To cele-
brate proletarianism as an Interna-
tional Day is indeed a great milestone
in this long journey for the rights of
society’s bedrocks. This enlighten-
ment came late, as the levelling of the
playing field started at the end of the
19th century when the 8-hour work-
day was first adopted in the USA. This
struggle will not end until Labour
gets equal remuneration to
Land and Capital, which
are useless without
their toil and skill.
It’s high time we
wiped the sweat
off their brow.
RAINU SINGH
A
Workers of the
World Unite,
You have
nothing to
lose but
your chains.
—KARL MARX
A cause to celebrate!
MAY DAY
MAY DAY

CITY FIRST BRINGS
TO YOU SOME
MORE GLIMPSES
FROM THE POSTER
AND CROWN
UNVEILING
CEREMONY, AS
WELL AS THE
OFFICIAL WEBSITE
LAUNCH OF FIRST
MISS INDIA
SEASON 2 BY
JAGDEESH
CHANDRA, WHICH
TOOK PLACE AT
HEX HIGH ENERGY
XPERIENCE
MUMBAI ON
WEDNESDAY. HIGH-
PROFILE GUESTS,
INCLUDING
B-TOWN
CELEBRITIES,
EMINENT FIGURES
FROM THE
FASHION AND
GLAMOUR
INDUSTRIES,
SUPERMODELS,
AND MEMBERS
OF THE FIRST
INDIA FAMILY,
ADDED TO THE
CELEBRATION’S
EXCITEMENT. Pearl Agarwal, Akanksha Bhalla, Shreya Gupta, Shubhi Dhaneta, Tanvi and Kavya Kapooor
Jagdeesh Chandra patiently hears and answers the barrage of questions from
Mumbai media, flanked by Muskan Moolchandani, Chahak Bhandula and Ashish Tiwari
Zeeshan Khan and Reyhnaa Pandit give a byte for the First India Telly Digital platforms
Kriti Garg airs her views on the First Miss India Season 2
while Jagdeesh Chandra listens keenly, also seen is Ashok Singh
Jagdeesh Chandra, Ashish Tiwari and Akanksha Puri share a memorable moment
First India Telly catches up with
Vishal Kotian for his updates on the evening
Alina Rai shares her
views on the amazing evening
with First India Telly Digital and viewers
Ridhiema congratulates First Miss India team,
on the First India Telly platforms, along with Jaskaran
Gaurav Gaur, Astha Khandelwal, Muskan Moolchandani, Lekh Uthaiah and Ridhiema Tiwari
Akanksha Puri airs her views on
the fantastic evening and also shares
titbits on her upcoming awaited series
Jagdeesh Chandra with Shagun, Manya, Priyanka and Anjali
THE NIGHT FULL
THE NIGHT FULL OF
OF
ENCHANTMENT!
ENCHANTMENT!
ETC
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epapers/ahmedabad I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia AHMEDABAD | SUNDAY, MAY 1, 2022
11

FELICITATION
12
CITY BUZZ
GET VACCINATED
STAY MASKED
CITY FIRST
A
c h a r y a
Prashant, the
founder of the
PrashantAdvait
Foundation while ad-
dressing the three-day
Vedanta Festival organ-
ised at KCC Institute of
Technology Manage-
ment recently, said that
the stories of both the
Ramayana and the Ma-
habharata teach a lot.
They are both high-
ly relevant in today’s
life. You can learn so
much from them both.
Acharya said that there
is a big message for all
in the story of Mahab-
harata. It depicts strug-
gle at every step. It says
that one should never
give up despite the cir-
cumstances.
It is important to de-
cide on your own in-
stead of blindly follow-
ing others. Regularly
reciting scriptures is
mandatory for spiritual
growth of people. An-
cient spiritual texts
such as the Upanishads
and the Gita have be-
come more relevant to-
day. A life without a
spiritual guru is incom-
plete, Acharya said.
The human race is
getting closer to catas-
trophe day by day
throughclimatechange.
It seems to have become
a burning issue. Hence,
spirituality is the only
way to remove useless
thoughts and worries.
CITY FIRST
O
n the occasion of
World Dance
Day, the World
University of
Design presented the
WUD Critics’ Choice
Award 2022 to Padma
Bhushan Dr Raja and
Dr Radha Reddy,
Kuchipudi choreogra-
phers, on Friday at
Natya Tarangini Gu-
rukulam in New
Delhi. Awards were
curated by a panel of
experts headed by Prof
Parul Purohit Vats,
Dean, School of Per-
forming Arts.
Dr Reddy said, “We
are privileged to be
able to not just associ-
ate ourselves with this
form of art but also be-
cause we have dedicat-
ed our whole lives to it.
While we have lived
every ounce of per-
forming Kuchipudi we
have also held the baton
of passing on our rich
legacy forward, which
we feel is the need of
the hour and extremely
crucial too. We feel hon-
oured to be felicitated
by the World University
of Design in recogni-
tion of our contribu-
tion to Kuchipudi.”
“Padma Bhushan Dr
Raja and Dr Radha Red-
dy have been the epito-
me of dedication to the
art. Honouring them is
a privilege for us,” Dr
Sanjay Gupta, VC, WUD
said.
WUD aims to ensure
that talent is recog-
nized and nurtured in
the country
.
THE LIFE WITHOUT A SPIRITUAL
GURU IS INCOMPLETE:ACHARYA
WUD PRESENTS THE
Critics’ Choice Award 2022
Yogesh Saini from Delhi
Street Art, Tanmoy
Chakrabarty from Tata
Group, Aditi Gautam from
Shutterbug Film Company,
Ruby Malhotra from Delhi
Police Public School
were felicitated in the
programme.
Tarunima Roy and Preeti Batra from Data Pack Patriots,
Anju Sharma and Tuhina Sinha from VLCC India, Charu
Kapoor, Atanu Patra, Mira Bhatia from NIIT Limited, Kishan
Singh from Ministry of Textiles, David Absalom and Dr
Jatin Chowdhury from The Blind Relief Association, Ashish
Jain and Rahul Mehandhiratta from Indian Pollution Control
Association were felicitated in the programme.
esigner Shilpi Soni launched her col-
lection named Khid, which means
thought in the Siamese language,
recently in New Delhi. Soni’s
brand is the newest on the ho-
rizon. This summer collection
is inspired by the life of Frida
Kahlo, a Mexican painter known for
her portraits inspired by the nature
and artefacts of Mexico.
The brand aims to be the best for the
woman who is different and
dares to dream. The collection
has it all from funky prints to
chic colours. It epitomises the
spirit that there’s a style for eve-
ryone. Shilpi Soni is both an artist
as well as a designer. She previ-
ously launched her Khid
winter collection which was
a complete sell-out. Soni has
even successfully hosted vari-
ous art and fashion exhibitions. She
now aims to take this new collec-
tion to every inspirational and
fashionable woman in India.
The collection has vibrant
hues and spectacular designs.
DHANUSHREE VYAS
City First brings to you Khid,
the summer collection designed
by Shilpi Soni which is inspired
by the life of a Mexican painter
Frida Kahlo for all
your fashion
needs!
D The Twitter handle of the Police Families Welfare Society
(PFWS) shared glimpses of the felicitation ceremony. Anu
Asthana, president of PFWS, honored all the partners with
mementos at the Delhi police headquarters for their
continued support during the “Upan” festival. Sameer
Gogia, Prabhanshu Kumar, Aarti Jain, Sonia Rasivasia,
Anshu Juneja, Jagriti Bohra, Amardeep Singh Ahluwalia,
Mukesh Mehta, Vivek Rajput, Dharmendra Solanki,
Kuldeep Singh Jadhav were felicitated in the programme.
Rashmi Singh
Acharya Prashant
Dr Sanjay Gupta, Dr Radha Reddy, Dr Raja Reddy,
Dr Parul Purohit Vats with guests
—PHOTOS BY MANOJ KESHARWANI
FASHION
FASHION
ART
ART
ismorethan

01052022_First India_Ahmedabad.pdf

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

Similar to 01052022_First India_Ahmedabad.pdf

Similar to 01052022_First India_Ahmedabad.pdf (20)

More from FIRST INDIA

More from FIRST INDIA (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (6)

01052022_First India_Ahmedabad.pdf