02012022 first india ahmedabad

STATE CREATES PORTAL TO SHARE
INFO ON NCOV FACILITIES: CM PATEL
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The state
government has created
a dedicated COVID-19
portal to provide infor-
mation on the status of
health infrastructure
during the ongoing
health crisis, Chief Min-
ister Bhupendra Patel
announced while inau-
gurating a multi-special-
ity hospital in
AhmedabadonSaturday
.
He said that the new
225-bed hospital, located
in the eastern part of
Ahmedabad, will help
ease the stress on hospi-
tals in the western part
of the city
. CM Patel’s
comments come a day af-
ter he stated at an event
thatthestategovernment
so far saw no need to im-
posemajorrestrictionsin Gujarat, despite concern over the upcoming Vi- brant Gujarat Global
Summit slated to be held
January 10-12 amid the
swell in COVID-19 cases
and Omicron infections.
Five heads of state—
Russian Prime Minis-
ter Mikhail Mishustin,
Mozambique’s Presi-
dent Filipe Jacinto Ny-
usi, Mauritian Prime
Minister Pravind Jug-
nauth, Nepalese Prime
Minister Sher Bahadur
Deuba, and Slovenian
Prime Minister Janez
Janša—will be attend-
ance for the first time
this year. Turn to P6
CM Bhupendra Patel unveiled a statue of former CM Keshubhai Patel in Ahmedabad on Saturday. On
Patel’s right is Union Animal Husbandry Minister Parshottam Rupala.
Five heads of
state to attend
Vibrant Gujarat
Summit for the
first time
AHMEDABAD l SUNDAY, JANUARY 2, 2022 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/79050 l Vol 3 l Issue No. 39
OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR, AHMEDABAD, LUCKNOW & NEW DELHI www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
At least five people died in a blast at a firecracker unit in Pudupatti near Sivakasi
on Saturday morning. Ten people are seriously injured in the blast. The accident
took place on Saturday morning and fire and rescue personnel are working to
douse the flame. The firecracker unit is owned by Murugan of Padupatti and the
explosion took place at the chemical blending unit.
Pakistan and India on Saturday exchanged a list of their nuclear installations
that cannot be attacked in case of an escalation in hostilities, as part of an an-
nual ritual that has been in practice between the two neighbours for more than
three decades, a Foreign Office statement said. This practice of exchanging
lists has continued since January 1, 1992.
5 DEAD, 10 HURT
IN FIRE INCIDENT
AT TAMIL NADU
CRACKER UNIT
PAKISTAN, INDIA
EXCHANGE NUCLEAR
INSTALLATIONS,
PRISONERS’ LIST
Over 12K NGOs
including Jamia
lose foreign aid
New Delhi: FCRA li-
cences—needed to re-
ceive funding from
abroad—of over 12,000
NGOs and other organi-
sations have expired,
the Home Ministry said
Saturday morning,
days after it cited “ad-
verse inputs” to refuse
renewal of a licence for
Mother Teresa’s Mis-
sionaries of Charity
.
Of 18,778 orgs whose
Foreign Contribution
(Regulation) Act licenc-
es expired on Saturday,
12,989 had applied for
renewal. P5
FOR JAB: CO-WIN
REGISTRATION
OPENS FOR
15-18 YEAR OLDS
New Delhi: In line with
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi’s announcement
on Christmas, registra-
tions for vaccinating
15-18-year-old children
against COVID-19
began from Saturday
on the Co-WIN portal.
As announced by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi
on December 25, 2021,
the vaccination for the
age-group 15-18 years is
scheduled to begin from
Monday while adminis-
tration of precautionary
third dose for the vulner-
able categories is to
commence from January
10, 2022.
10 MAHA MINISTERS,
20 MLAs TEST +VE
Mumbai: As many as 10
ministers and over 20
MLAs have tested positive
for Covid-19 in Maharash-
tra despite cutting short
the Assembly session,
Deputy CM Ajit Pawar said
on Saturday. If the number
of patients keeps increas-
ing, the government may
have to impose further
restrictions, added Pawar.
CORONA
CATASTROPHE
INDIA
GUJARAT
22,775
new cases
406
Omicron tally
1,069
new cases
01
new fatality
MAATAM
MATA’S DURBAR
Stampede at Vaishno Devi Shrine leaves
12 dead, 13 injured during New Year rush
@
Altercation between two
groups on pathway leading
to shrine complex led to incident
1 Lt Governor Manoj Sinha ordered a high-level inquiry
by 3-member team led by Principal Secy Home, and
including Divisional Commissioner and Addl DGP of Jammu
2
Jammu: Twelve people
losttheirlivesandovera
dozen others were in-
jured in a stampede at
the famous Mata Vaish-
no Devi shrine in Jam-
mu and Kashmir in the
early hours during a
heavy rush of devotees
on New Year.
This is first such trag-
edyattheshrine,located
atop Trikuta hills that
attracts lakhs of people
every year.
Theincidentoccurred
between2.30AMand2.45
AM on Saturday near a
relatively narrow pas-
sage at gate number 3
outside the sanctum
sanctorum of the hilltop
shrine where devotees
usually arrive round the
clockaftertrekkingfrom
Katra base camp.
TECHNICAL SOLUTION
IN OFFING: MINISTER
Katra: Union minister
Jitendra Singh, who rushed
to Katra in J&K following
the stampede stated that
they are wanting to add
some technical solutions to
the pilgrimage to the hilltop
temple to avoid mishaps
within the future.
VERY DISTRESSED: PRESIDENT KOVIND
New Delhi: President Ram Nath Kovind
on Saturday said he was very distressed
to know that an unfortunate stampede
claimed the lives of devotees at Mata
Vaishno Devi Bhavan in Jammu and
Kashmir and offered heartfelt condolences
to the bereaved families. “I wish speedy
recovery to those injured,” he said.
IN CONSTANT TOUCH WITH JK ADMIN: MODI
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday
said that the central government is in constant touch
with the J&K Administration and full care is being taken
towards the relief work for those injured in the stampede at
the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine. Speaking at a programme,
Modi expressed his condolences for all those who died in
the post midnight tragedy and said that he has spoken to
Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha.
4 INJURED IN SERIOUS CONDITION: DOCS
Jammu: Four people who were injured in Saturday morn-
ing’s stampede at the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu
and Kashmir’s Katra are currently in serious condition and
are on ventilators, according to authorites of the hospital
they have been admitted to. According to doctors, eleven
people are stable and out of which 3-4 were discharged.
Heavy rush of devotees at
Darshani Deodi of Mata
Vaishno Devi shrine, in Reasi
district on Saturday morning.
(Right) View of a relatively
narrow passage at gate no. 3
where the incident occurred
between 2.30 AM and 2.45
AM on Saturday.
Amit Shah
@AmitShah
Heart is deeply pained by
the tragic accident at Mata
Vaishno Devi Temple. In
this regard, I have spoken
to the Lieutenant Governor
of J&K Shri Manoj Sinha ji.
I express my condolences
to families of deceased.
Rajnath Singh
@rajnathsingh
The tragedy due to a
stampede at Mata Vaishno
Bhawan is heart-wrench-
ing. Anguished by the
loss of lives due to it. My
condolences to the families
in this sad hour. Praying
for recovery of injured.
Rahul Gandhi
@RahulGandhi
The accident of stampede
in Mata Vaishnodevi
temple is extremely sad.
My condolences to the
bereaved families of the
deceased. Wishing speedy
recovery of those injured
in the tragic incident.
Mehbooba Mufti
@MehboobaMufti
I am also saddened by the
tragic accident at Vaishno
Devi & neither the adminis-
tration the nor police are
carrying out their duties.
Instead they are engrossed
in threatening people into
silence. My condolences.
Kalraj Mishra
@KalrajMishra
The sad news was received
about the stampede
accident in Maa Vaishno
Devi temple in which many
devotees lost their lives.
May God rest the soul of the
deceased, my sympathies
are with their families.
Ashok Gehlot
@ashokgehlot51
Deeply saddened at the
loss of lives due to a stam-
pede at Mata #VaishnoDevi
Bhawan, Katra in J&K. My
heartfelt condolences to
the bereaved families.
May they remain strong
to bear this loss.
Onnewyear,PMModireleases10th
installmentunderPM-KISANscheme
New Delhi: Prime Min-
ister Narendra Modi
released the 10th in-
stallment of financial
benefit under the Prad-
han Mantri Kisan Sam-
man Nidhi (PM-KISAN)
scheme on Saturday.
Under the scheme, an
amount of over Rs
20,000 crore was trans-
ferred to more than 10
crore beneficiary farm-
er families across the
country
.
Under the scheme, a
financial benefit of Rs
6,000 per year is provid-
ed to the eligible farmer
families, payable in
three equal install-
ments of Rs 2,000.
The money is trans-
ferred directly to the
bank account. P5
File photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaking at an event.
‘ECO INDICATORS
BETTER THAN
PRE-COVID TIMES’
New Delhi: Observing
that many economic indi-
cators are better than the
pre-Covid times, Prime
Minister Narendra Modi
said, “Today, the growth
rate of our economy is
more than 8%. Record
foreign investment has
come to India and our
forex reserves have
reached record levels.
Also, old records have
been surpassed in the
GST collection. We have
also set new paradigms
in case of exports & es-
pecially agriculture”. P5
Amount of `20K crore
was transferred to
more than 10 crore
beneficiary farmer
families across nation
4 killed in landslide in Haryana
mining zone, several trapped
Bhiwani: At least four
mining workers were
killed and several oth-
ers feared trapped un-
der the debris follow-
ing a landslide at the
Dadam mining zone
in Tosham block of
Haryana’s Bhiwani
district on Saturday
morning.
A few workers were
also said to have been
injured in the land-
slide. The rescue opera-
tion was launched by
the district administra-
tion, even as the exact
number of fatalities is
yet to be ascertained.
AMIT SHAH SPEAKS TO HARYANA CM
New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday
expressed grief over a landslide that took place at a min-
ing site in Haryana’s Bhiwani in which two people died,
and spoke to Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar about the
accident. Police said around half a dozen dumper trucks
and some machines have been buried under debris after
the landslide in Tosham block.
A view of the site of a landslide incident at Dadam mining.

NEWS
AHMEDABAD | SUNDAY, JANUARY 2, 2022
02
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Party spokesperson
Pawan Khera says
BJP has been looting
people since 2014
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The
Congress on Saturday
claimed that the Cen-
tre’s decision to defer
the hike in Goods and
Services Tax (GST) on
textiles from the cur-
rent 5% to the pro-
posed 12%—as an-
nounced by Union Fi-
nance Minister Nir-
mala Sitharaman—
stemmed from fear of
losing the upcoming
Assembly elections.
Addressing a press
conference in
Ahmedabad on Satur-
day, the party’s na-
tional spokesperson
Pawan Khera said
that, considering the
current rate of infla-
tion, wishing people a
“prosperous new
year” would be a lie.
Then, listing items
such as footwear, on-
line auto ride book-
ing, FMCG products,
ATM service charges,
cement and steel,
which have become
costlier this past year,
he said the BJP gov-
ernment has looted
people since 2014.
“The Centre was go-
ing to raise GST on
textiles from January
1, but it decided to de-
fer the move. This was
done because of the
upcoming elections in
five states, which will
be followed by Guja-
rat later this year,” he
said. “The (BJP) par-
ty’s recent defeat in
the polls in Karnataka
also factored in its de-
cision,” he added.
“Prime Minister
Narendra Modi only
understands the lan-
guage of vote, victory
and defeat. He doesn’t
concern himself with
our prosperity and
whatever happens to
the country. He will
rectify his mistakes
only when he is de-
feated,” Khera said.
Govt deferred GST hike on
textiles out of fear: Cong
First India Bureau
Vadodara: In the last 24
hours, stray cattle in-
jured two people in Va-
dodara—an indication
that the authorities are
flounderingdespiteMay-
or Keyur Rokadia’s
promiseinOctobertorid
the city of the menace.
After cattle owners
clashed with the police
after a 70-year-old was
mowed down by a cow
in Gorwa area on Fri-
day, Saturday saw a
middle-aged man being
flung 10 feet by a bull in
the nearby Chokhandi
market area. In both
cases, complaints have
been filed at the Gorwa
police station.
Evenasthevictimun-
dergoes treatment in a
hospital, people around
the city are wondering
how long it will be be-
fore they can walk down
the street without fear-
ing a bovine attack.
“The (Vadodara Mu-
nicipal) Corporation
keeps talking about
criminal complaints
and police action
against cattle owners,
but people still have to
be afraid of these stray
animals since the civic
body has neither a con-
crete policy to rid the
city of the menace nor
the will to do so. So, peo-
ple continue to suffer,”
Ami Rawat, Leader of
the Opposition in the
VMC, told First India.
Mayor Rokadia’s de-
fence against such seri-
ous allegations is that
the VMC conducts regu-
lar drives to round up
stray cattle and send
them to animal shelters
(panjarapole). “So far,
the corporation and po-
lice have filed 160 crimi-
nal complaints against
cattle owners and a few
of them have even been
booked under the Pre-
vention of Anti Social
ActivitiesActforrepeat-
edly leaving their cattle
on the roads,” he said.
VMC Director of En-
croachment, Removal
and Security, Mangesh
Jaiswal adds that 10
teams are working
around the clock, in
three eight-hour shifts
every day, to ensure the
streets remain free of
stray cattle. “Police
teams are also helping
us in this campaign and
we are working hard to
make the city cattle-
free,” he said.
However, these argu-
ments do not sway
LOP Rawat.
“Whatever VMC of-
ficers or the elected
wing claims, the bottom
line is that people’s
lives are at stake. The
mayor announced a
plan for cattle settle-
ment after BJP state
unit chief CR Patil took
him to task on the issue.
The civic body even
identified some possi-
ble sites outside the city
limit area. But two
months later, it is all
still just talk and no ac-
tion,” she said.
TWO CITY RESIDENTS ATTACKED BY ROGUE ANIMALS IN 24 HOURS
WHEN WILL VADODARA’S STREETS
GET RID OF STRAY CATTLE?
Cops had clashed with cattle owners after
about a dozen animals escaped from a
cow shelter on Friday. —FILE PHOTO
Pawan Khera
First India Bureau
Jaipur: The Congress
party is not going to
project anyone as its
chief ministerial candi-
date for the Gujarat
election scheduled to be
held this year. Former
Rajasthan health minis-
ter Dr Raghu Sharma,
who is in charge of the
party affairs in Gujarat,
said that the party will
fight the upcoming
polls in five states un-
der a combined leader-
ship this time.
Targeting the BJP,
Sharma alleged that it
has failed on all fronts
in Gujarat. He claimed
that the state had the
highest number of co-
rona deaths as the pan-
demic was totally mis-
managed there. Even
minimum financial as-
sistance was not given
to the kin of the dead,
he further alleged.
The Congress has
now launched a ‘Nyay
Yatra’ (march for jus-
tice) there and party
workers are collecting
the data of the families
of the dead, he said,
adding that they are go-
ing door to door and get-
ting forms filled in for
compensation.
Youth Congress
will work at the
grassroots level
Vishwanath Vaghela
ditches Team
Indravijaysinh Gohil
and inches closer to
Team Hardik Patel
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Two
days ago, Vishwanath
Vaghela was appoint-
ed as Gujarat Youth
Congress president.
Till now, he was part
of another congress
leader Indravijaysinh
Gohil’s team. It is
speculated that
Vaghela is closely as-
sociated with Hardik
Patel. Patel and Go-
hil’s teams are always
at loggerheads, even
in the presence of the
party’sseniorleaders.
Ahead of the state
election 2022, the
new appointment
will bring fresh en-
ergy on ground level
says a source privy to
the development.
“It is known that
therearemanygroups
in the party
. Vaghela’s
entry will determine
howmuchcanhetake
the youth wing ahead.
He must come out
from the shadows of
seniorleadersandcre-
ate his image,” said
the source.
As per Vaghela, the
entire election was
held by the Indian
Youth Congress based
on a merit system.
“Along with youth
president selection
presidents, at the dis-
trict and municipal
levels were also made.
Inthecomingdays,we
willappointleadersat
Taluka and Village
levels too,” he said.
For the election
year, he said the
main target is the
three crore youth of
Gujarat. “We will
fight against unem-
ployment and confis-
cation of drugs and
illicit liquor,” Vaghe-
la told First India.
Vishwanath Vaghela
From left: RC Choudhary, Raj PCC Chief GS Dotasra, Guj Cong veteran Arjun Modhwadia and Guj
Cong In-Charge Dr Raghu Sharma addressing the media in Jaipur on Saturday.
No CM face for Guj polls:Cong
MUSIC IN THE AIR
Session 1 saw S Ballesh and Krishna Ballesh on
the shehnai, while Bimal Bhattacharya performed on tabla.
Session 3 saw Dr N Rajam perform on the violin while
Akram Khan played tabla. —PHOTOS BY HANIF SINDHI
Rozy Dutta gave a vocal performance with Nakul Mishra on tabla, Raju Gandharva on Harmonium and Ikram Khan on sarangi, in Session
2 of Day 1 of the 42nd annual 13-day long Saptak Music Festival, which began on Saturday at the LD Arts College campus in Ahmedabad.
TARGETTING BJP VOTE BANK,
AAP MEETS TEXTILE TRADERS
Surat: With the election approaching, the
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has countered
the BJP’s move to defer the hike in GST by
meeting textile traders, giving them a chance
to air their grievances in person. Speaking
to protesting traders, AAP members raised
questions against the ruling party. When the
traders discontinued their strike after the gov-
ernment accepted their demand, AAP workers
continued to approach traders to understand
their current situation. One trader told First
India that AAP workers were seen riling up
traders, saying that none of their issues is
being solved by the ruling party despite their
massive contribution to the economy.

GUJARAT
03
‘RESTRICTED’ NYE BRINGS TROUBLE
First India Bureau
Vadodara/Rajkot/Mo-
dasa: The authorities
may have put strict re-
strictions on mass
gatherings on Decem-
ber 31 in place to curb
the rising tide of COV-
ID-19 cases, but this
did not stop several
revellers from getting
into all kinds of trou-
ble on New Year’s Eve.
TheKuvadvaPolicein
Rajkot arrested at least
four people over a New
Year’s Eve party at the
Marwadi College on
Morbi road, which was
attended by about 1,000
studentsinblatantviola-
tion of COVID-19 guide-
lines like social distanc-
ing and mask-wearing.
While the party ended
by the time the cops—
who learnt of it after a
video clip gained trac-
tion on social media—
got to the location, four
persons have been
booked under Section
188 of IPC and Section
135 of the Gujarat Police
Act. In addition to the
college’s music teacher
Malavbhai Maru, who
arrangedtheparty
,event
contractor Jigar Mehta
and War Brothers DJ
Parth Patel and Disaster
DJ Shiva Acharya were
also booked.
Notably
, a 23-year-old
Ethiopian student of the
collegetestednCoVposi-
tive just a few days ago.
Thepolicesaidnoper-
mission was taken for
either the party or the
music programme.
In Aravalli, police
raided a room behind a
petrol pump in Aniyor
villageandarrestedfour
people, including two
deputy mamlatdars, un-
der the Prohibition Act.
In the complaint filed
at the Malpur police sta-
tion Assistant Sub-In-
spector Dinesh Kalabhi
said that Deputy Super-
intendent of Police
Bharat Basiya had dis-
patched a team led by
police constable Paresh
Vishram based on a tip.
The raid found four
people—Jaimin Patel,
Nilesh Patel, Sandip
Chaudhary and Dasrath
Upadhyay—imbibing al-
cohol. Of these, Jaimin
Patel and Nilesh Patel
are deputy Mamlatdars.
Sub-Inspector Dinubhai
Vankar is investigating.
In Vadodara, council-
lor Jhelam Choksi went
on the offensive after
the police caught her
son Krunal drunk dur-
ing regular checking. A
video of the Ward 14
councillor of the Va-
dodara Mahanagar
Seva Sadan shows her
in a heated argument
with an on-duty police
officer trying to defend
her son. Police say they
had picked up an inebri-
ated youth who had
been creating a ruckus
in the Bajwada area and
took him to the police
station, where he iden-
tified himself as Krunal
Choksi. As soon as his
mother found out he’d
been arrested, she at-
tempted to stave off the
charges. In addition to
accusing the police of
brutality, she also
claimed that a doctor
had prescribed her son
brandy to treat his cold.
However, the police
registered a case under
Sections66-1-Band85-1-3
of the Prohibition Act.
Atleast7arrestedinthreeseparateincidents,asprohibition,nCoVguidelinestakeabackseatamidboozyrevelry
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: India
wakes up to the tragic
news of a stampede at
Vaishnodevi temple,
which led to the death
of 12 people. The Joshi
family of Rajpipla was
at the same spot where
the incident took place.
The Joshi family of
Rajpipla had gone to
Jammu and Kashmir
on December 23 and, on
New Year’s eve, they
were at the temple. The
family was trapped
there at the time of the
incident.
Manali Joshi in-
formed her relatives liv-
ing in Rajpipla that she
was safe. “We started
our journey to Mataji’s
temple on the night of
December 31. At around
2.30 am, we reached
Vaishnodevi temple.
Suddenly, a mob came
from behind, which led
to chaos. Family mem-
bers were separated at
that moment. After an
hour of searching each
other, we all met again,”
she said.
Another member
who witnessed the inci-
dent, Parth Joshi said,
“A mob of 100-150 peo-
ple came and created
the chaos. The entry
and exit routes merged,
leaving no clarity to the
tourists. The incident
happened around 400-
500 meters away from
the temple.”
He further said that
there was complete
negligence of the tem-
ple administration.
“The force of the pub-
lic that was yesterday
is not seen today. Less-
er people were seen to-
day at the temple as
they are scared,” he
added. However, he
says people from Guja-
rat were safe.
“Our whole family
was separated,” said
Parth. It was after the
atmosphere calmed
down and, announce-
ments made that, the
Joshi family reunited.
Close call for Guj family at Vaishnodevi amid stampede
SCARY EXPERIENCE
The stampede that occurred at the temple (left) and Manali Joshi (right).
Joshi family from Rajpipla had a
harrowing New Year after getting
separated during tragic incident
that left 12 dead on Saturday
1 DEAD,5 INJURED IN SURAT
AS BUILDING COLLAPSES
First India Bureau
Surat: One person
died and at least sev-
en more were injured
when part of a com-
mercial complex col-
lapsed in Pandesara
area’s Ganeshnagar
locality in Surat late
Friday night.
The fire brigade res-
cued eight people from
the debris, one of
whom succumbed to
his injuries. Three of
the others sustained
minor injuries and
went home after treat-
ment. The rest—Prab-
hat Ramnarayan Praja-
pati (33), Sachin Morya
(22), Shobhan Munsilal
Yadav (22) and Dipen-
dra Munsilal Yadav
(16)—have been admit-
ted to the Civil Hospital
for further treatment,
officials said.
The deceased has
been identified as Alok
Munshi Lal Yadav (22).
His brother, Kishore
Yadav who was also
present at the same
site at the Ajanta Mar-
ket, but had a lucky
escape told officials
his brother, a native of
Uttar Pradesh, had
been living in Surat for
seven years.
Notably, a part of the
roof also collapsed in a
similar manner a few
years ago.
Fire officer Krishna
Modh, who led the res-
cue, said the building
that collapsed houses a
shop downstairs and
the owner’s house up-
stairs. An emergency
services team will re-
main at the site until
further notice, he fur-
ther added.
HAPPY SKIES
People released 5,000 balloons into the sky to welcome 2022, at Ahmedabad’s Maninagar
area on Saturday. —PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI
Part of the roof collapsed.
7-DAY VAX DRIVE FOR 15-18
AGE GROUP TO BEGIN JAN 03
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The state
will begin a special
week-long campaign
from January 3 to vacci-
nate 36 lakh children in
the age group of 15 to 18
years against COVID-19,
additional chief secre-
tary (Health) Manoj Ag-
garwal said on Saturday
.
A mega drive will also
beorganisedonJanuary
07, with a focus on Class
10 students who will be
appearing for the board
exam this year, he said,
adding that the special
campaign will be under-
taken January 03-09
from9amto6pmat3,500
centres prepared for the
purpose.
Effortswillbemadeto
ensure that no child is
left behind, he said, after
reviewing the prepara-
tions for the campaign
by video-conferencing
with municipal commis-
sioners and district col-
lectors. The aim is to
cover around 36 lakh
childrenagedbetween15
and 18 years including
thoseinschool,thoseout
of school, as well as in
institutions for the disa-
bled and mentally-ill
children and orphanag-
es, he also said.
As per the Centre’s
guidelines, the benefi-
ciaries in this age group
will only be adminis-
tered Covaxin.
Registration for vac-
cination started on Sat-
urday
, with the option of
on-site registration, in
which a beneficiary can
either provide details of
his Aadhaar card, vehi-
cle licence, or even a mo-
bile phone number,
whichcouldeitherbehis
own or that of his par-
ents, friends, school
teacher or principal.
Mansukh Mandaviya takes stock at the RT-PCR screening centre at the Ahmedabad airport.
3,297
559 MAX
CASES IN
A’BAD
ACTIVE CASES
8,18,755
TOTAL RECOVERED
103
RECOVERED
IN A DAY
10,119
TOTAL DEATHS
01 DEATH
IN A DAY
8,32,801
TOTAL CASES
1,069 NEW
IN A DAY
COVID-19
UPDATE
UNION HEALTH MINISTER VISITS RT-PCR
TEST CENTRE AT AHMEDABAD AIRPORT
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Amidris-
ing cases of the Omi-
cron variant of the
novel coronavirus, Un-
ion Health Minister
Mansukh Mandaviya
visited the RT-PCR
screening centre at the
Ahmedabad airport
andinteractedwithpas-
sengers and officials.
India has mandated
additional measures,
including testing, for
thepassengersarriving
at airports from “at-
risk” countries.
A facility has also
been set up at the Sard-
ar Vallabhbhai Patel
International Airport.
Airport authorities
said the facility with a
waiting area sufficient
for 220 passengers, 17
registration counters,
eight sampling booths,
including 120 RT-PCR
machines, has been set
up for such passengers.
In a video clip posted
by Mandaviya, he is
seen interacting with
the waiting passengers
and airport officials.
“During my Gujarat
visit, I took stock of the
RT-PCR screening cen-
tre at the Sardar Vallab-
hbhai Patel Interna-
tional Airport and in-
teracted with the pas-
sengers,” the Union
Minister of Health and
FamilyWelfaretweeted
on Friday night.
KEEP OUT:
SCHOOLS TO
KIDS WITH
UNVAXED
PARENTS
With COVID-19
cases rising
among school-
children, the
Gujarat Self-
Financed School
Management
Association has
issued guide-
lines across
8,000 schools
across the
state. The body
has requested
schools to
prevent children
whose parents
who are not fully
vaccinated from
attending in-
person classes.
It has also asked
schools to bar
the entry of
children suffering
from cough, cold
and fever and ar-
range for online
classes instead.
Malavbhai Maru, Jigar Mehta, War Brothers DJ Parth Patel and Disaster DJ Shiva Acharya.
Deputy mamlatdars Jaimin
and Nilesh Patel were
arrested in Aravalli.
Jhelam Choksi (in orange) arguing with cops to defend her son Krunal (in striped shirt).
A complaint has been lodged against AAP leader Isudan Gadhvi, after the Directorate of
Forensic Sciences confirmed that his blood had contained alcohol on December 22, when
he was detained while protesting at the BJP state unit office in Gandhinagar. Gadhvi claims
that the FIR is politically motivated and that he is a teetotaller.
NOT JUST ON NEW YEAR’S EVE?

PERSPECTIVE
04
lVol3lIssueNo.39
l RNINO.GUJENG/2019/79050.
Printed and published by Anita
Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Ex-
press Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar
Printing Planet Survey No.148P,
Changodar-Bavla Highway, Tal. San-
and, Dist. Ahmedabad. Publishedat
D/3023rdFloorPlotNo.35Titanium
Square,SchemeNo.2,ThaltejTaluka,
Ghatlodiya,Ahmedabad.
Editor-In-Chief: Jagdeesh Chandra.
Editor: Haresh Jhala
responsible for selection of news
under the PRB Act
SPIRITUAL SPEAK
Through selfless service,
you will always be
fruitful and find the
fulfillment of your desires.
—Bhagavad Gita
IN-DEPTH
Jagat Prakash Nadda
@JPNadda
The news of the untimely death of many
people in the accident at Mata Vaishno
Devi Temple is heart-wrenching. Local
administration and BJP workers are
engaged in relief and rescue work.
Condolences to the bereaved family and
wish the injured a speedy recovery.
Dharmendra Pradhan
@dpradhanbjp
Reading books is a healthy habit and
a wonderful way to develop cognitive,
language, and social skills. Inspired by
PM @narendramodi’s call to citizens to
read books regularly, I am committed
to cultivate a lifetime habit of book
reading. #PadheBharat
TOP TWEETS
TIME FOR
NEW YEAR’S
RESOLUTIONS
t the beginning of
each year, many peo-
ple make vows to ei-
ther do or not do
something to im-
prove their life in some way. As
we start 2022, after two years of
living with COVID-19, this hope
may be stronger than usual. The
pandemic’s impacts have ranged
from deaths and other adverse
effects on physical and mental
health, to huge changes in em-
ployment, income, travel, leisure
and the ability to socialise. The
effect on individuals has varied
considerably, depending on what
their life was like beforehand,
how much it has affected them
and their own resilience. We may
see resolutions driven by loss,
guilt & anger, plus a rush on com-
mon types of self-improvement
resolutions and a greater drive
for overall life changes.
In times of trauma, when fu-
ture is uncertain, some people
adopt a ‘devil may care, live for
now’ attitude to life, with greater
risk taking. While others exer-
cise extreme caution. Both
groups may well make New
Year’s resolutions to fit their ap-
proach to life!
THECONVERSATION.COM
A
ikening today’s
capitalist econo-
mies to the com-
munist bloc of
yesteryear may
seem far-fetched.
What could the free market
possibly have in common
with Soviet-style central
planning? In fact, the com-
parison increasingly offers
useful insights into what has
become of the winning side
since the end of the Cold War.
Consider the “soft budget
constraints” that socialist
state-ownedenterprises(SOEs)
used to enjoy and that turned
out to be one of the main rea-
sons why Soviet-bloc econo-
mies failed. Similar financial
conditions are becoming per-
vasive in capitalist America.
As the Hungarian Marxist
apostate János Kornai fa-
mously argued, SOEs could
ignore losses and consumer
preferences because they
could always count on the
state to keep them afloat. Ko-
rnai’s thesis was popular
with the Chinese reformers
of the 1980s: seeking to make
SOEs more responsive to the
market, they “hardened”
companies’ budget con-
straints. By contrast, capital-
ist America seems to be on
the same misbegotten path as
theSovieteconomies.Though
it is starting from a different
place, the result is the same.
Budget constraints are sof-
tening, and capital is increas-
ingly being funneled toward
the fashionable and the well-
connected fantasists and
schemers.
To be sure, borrowing can,
up to a point, energize capi-
talist enterprises. Contrary
to what one reads in intro-
ductory economics text-
books, real-world consumers’
budgets aren’t capped and
venturesome consumers can
borrow to pay for the next
new hot item.
PROJECT-SYNDICATE.ORG
SELECTIVE SOVIETIZATION
OF AMERICAN CAPITALISM
Lax lending standards,
cheap credit, and
massive injections of
liquidity from the central
bank have created a
toxic level of financial
flexibility in the
US economy
L
ARCHBISHOP TUTU:
VOICE OF THE VOICELESS
he only time I met Archbish-
op Desmond Tutu was on
2.3.2005 in Cape Town. I spent
a few minutes with him. His
genial personality made a
lasting impression on me.
I was familiar with his
fame and name. He had been
awarded the Nobel Peace
Prize in 1984. The second
South African black to be so
honoured. The first was
Chief Albert Luthuli. The
third was Nelson Mandela.
While in Cape Town, I
bought “Tutu: Voice of the
Voiceless” by Shirley Dubou-
lay. The Archbishop was a
controversial figure. He was
an expert self-publicist, agi-
tator and peacemaker. With
Nelson Mandela and other
A.N.C (African National Con-
gress) in prison in Robben
Island, Tutu kept the anti-
Apartheid movement alive,
but in a peaceful manner.
After his release from pris-
on in February 1990, Mandela
and Tutu became close
friend. Mr. Mandela made the
retired Archbishop Chair-
man of the Truth and Recon-
ciliation Commission, which
in the words of Nelson Man-
dela performed “the most
crucial task of reconciling
the nation.”
On 23rd June 1999 Nelson
Mandela made a speech at a
thanks giving service for
Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
Here are a few excerpts from
Mr. Mandela’s speech.
“It is true privilege and
honour for me to share in
this thanksgiving service for
the Archbishop of Cape
Town and the Primate of the
Church of the Province of
Southern Africa, who retires
in one week’s time, just
ahead of his 65th birthday. I
suspect that he is doing so
just to set the record by retir-
ing before I do!
I know that I speak for all
of you, when I say that Arch-
bishop Desmond Tutu had
been a blessing and inspira-
tion to countless people, here
and abroad, through his min-
istry; his acts of compassion;
his prophetic witness; and
his political engagement. He
has a distinguished record as
a leader of his church and the
ecumenical movement, and
as fearless fighter against the
evil and inhuman system of
apartheid. He is renowned for
selfless commitment to the
poor,theoppressedanddown-
trodden. With his colleagues
he remained an effective
voice of the people of South
Africa when so many of their
leaders were imprisoned, ex-
iled, banned and restricted.
Desmond Tutu is esteemed
the world over for his com-
mitment to justice and peace
everywhere. He is forthright
in condemning corruption.
As President of the All Af-
rica Conference of Churches
he missed no opportunity to
speak out against human
rights violations and oppres-
sive regimes in our conti-
nent and elsewhere. The No-
bel Peace Prize measures his
extensive international rec-
ognition.
His most characteristic
quality is his readiness to
take unpopular positions
without fear. Thus it was that
he campaigned for sanctions
against apartheid at a time
when churches in South Af-
rica were still hesitating. He
speakshismindonmattersof
public morality
. As a result he
annoyed many of the leaders
of the apartheid system. Nor
has he spared those that fol-
lowed them- he has from time
to time annoyed many of us
who belongs to the new order.
But such independence of
mind- however wrong and un-
strategic it may at times be-is
vital to a thriving democracy
.
The touchstone of our suc-
cess in transforming South
African society will be the
extent to which we correct
the imbalances and inequali-
ties created by apartheid. The
seriousness of our intent is
inscribed in our macroeco-
nomic strategy for growth,
employment and redistribu-
tion. It is a framework within
which all sectors of our soci-
ety can join hands and, put-
ting long-term interest above
short-term considerations,
achieve our goals for trans-
formation, for reconstruction
and development.
In this great partnership
the religious community has
a special and important role.
As the churches in South Af-
rica and abroad accompanied
us in the struggle for justice
and peace, so should they now
accompany us in building a
just and equitable society
.
This if not a call for the re-
ligious community to accom-
pany government uncritical-
ly. Uncritical support would
endanger our infant democ-
racy
. On the other hand, criti-
cism without visible action to
help alleviate poverty and
suffering can only serve to
discredit the message of the
Church. Rather, the way for-
ward is in what some theolo-
gians have called ‘critical
solidarity’ with government
in the reconstruction and de-
velopment of the country
.
The track record of the re-
ligious communities, both
before and after the achieve-
ment of democracy
, makes us
confident that in them we do
indeed have strategic part-
ners in the project of empow-
ering our people to use their
freedom to work together for
a better life. In the building of
our new nation, reconstruc-
tion goes hand in hand with
reconciliation. We look to the
Church with its message of
justice, peace, forgiveness
and healing, to play a key role
in helping our people, of eve-
ry colour, to move from the
divisions of the past to a fu-
ture that is united in a com-
mitment to correct wrongs
and restore a just order.
Archbishop Tutu, with his
celebration of our rainbow
nation and his powerfully
healingguidanceof theTruth
and Reconciliation Commis-
sion, is an inspiration to us all
in this most crucial task of
reconciling our nation. His
joy in our diversity and his
spirit of forgiveness are as
much part of his immeasura-
ble contribution to our nation
as his passion for justice and
his solidarity with the poor.
In conclusion, may I say
again to the archbishop: We
are thankful for all that you
have done. You were one of
those who blazed the trail of
the new patriotism that is
abroad in our land. We wish
you peace and joy in your re-
tirement.”
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
T
His most characteristic
quality is his readiness to
take unpopular positions
without fear. Thus it was
that he campaigned for
sanctions against
apartheid at a time when
churches in South Africa
were still hesitating. He
speaks his mind on matters
of public morality
Archbishop Tutu,
with his celebration
of our rainbow
nation and his
powerfully healing
guidance of the Truth
and Reconciliation
Commission, is an
inspiration to us all in
this most crucial
task of reconciling
our nation
K NATWAR SINGH
The author is Former Minister
of External Affairs of India

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New Delhi: Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi on Saturday said
India will fight the
Covid-19 pandemic
with full caution and
vigilance, and protect
its national interests.
Speaking at a virtual
event to release funds
under the PM-KISAN
scheme, Modi also
highlighted the
achievements made by
the country in 2021
across various sectors,
including, health, de-
fence and agriculture.
He also lauded In-
dia’s achievement in
providing over 145
crore doses of Covid
vaccine.
The Prime Minister
said coronavirus posed
several challenges, but
“Corona cannot stop
India’s pace”.
He stressed that In-
dia will fight the Cov-
id-19 pandemic with
“full caution and vigi-
lance” and will also
protect its national in-
terests.
Modi said that dur-
ing the pandemic, ad-
ditional food grains for
free was provided to
over 80 crore benefi-
ciaries, which cost
about Rs 2.6 lakh crore
to the central excheq-
uer.
He called upon farm-
ers to adopt natural
farming, saying there
was a lot of demand for
such agricultural
products in the inter-
national market. —PTI
INDIA
05
New Delhi: FCRA li-
cences — needed to re-
ceive funding from
abroad — of over 12,000
NGOs and other organ-
isations have expired,
the Home Ministry
said Saturday morn-
ing, days after it cited
“adverse inputs” to re-
fuse renewal of a li-
cence for Mother Tere-
sa’s Missionaries of
Charity.
Of the 18,778 organi-
sations whose Foreign
Contribution (Regula-
tion) Act licences were
due to expire between
September 29, 2020, and
December 31, 2021,
renewal.
5,789 - whose licenses
expired yesterday - had
not and their FCRA
registrations lapsed
overnight.
Ministry sources
claimed none of the
the renewal of their li-
censes.
Ministry officials
told NDTV reminders
had been sent to make
the application before
the deadline - Friday -
but many had not done
so. “How can permis-
sion be given...” an of-
ficial asked.
The applications of
179 others, including
Mother Teresa’s chari-
ty, have been rejected,
and scrutiny of the
other applications is
ongoing, the Home
Ministry said.
The list of NGOs
now without a FCRA
licence includes Oxfam
India and the Oxfam
India Trust, Jamia Mil-
ia Islamia, the Indian
Medical Association,
the Leprosy Mission,
the Tuberculosis Asso-
ciation Of India, the
Indira Gandhi Nation-
al Centre For Arts, and
the India Islamic Cul-
tural Centre.
Oxfam India and Ox-
fam India Trust are in
the list of NGOs whose
certificates have ex-
pired and not in those
whose registrations
have been cancelled.
Refusing FCRA
clearance has been list-
ed by critics of the gov-
ernment as its way of
suppressing organisa-
tions whose work or of-
ficials are not consid-
ered supportive enough
of the centre. —PTI
Over 12K NGOs, including Jamia, lose FCRA licence
NO FOREIGN AID
New Delhi: Prime Min-
ister Narendra Modi on
Saturday released over
Rs 20,900 crore to more
than 10.09 crore farm-
ers across India as 10th
installment of financial
aid under the PM-
KISAN scheme.
Modi released the
amount to beneficiaries
at an event held through
video conference.
Under PM-KISAN
scheme, a financial ben-
efit of Rs 6,000 per year
is provided to the eligi-
ble farmer families,
payable in three equal
installments of Rs 2,000.
The money is trans-
ferred directly to the
bank account of the
beneficiaries.
During the virtual
event, the Prime Minis-
ter also released an eq-
uity grant of more than
Rs 14 crore to about 351
Farmer Producer Or-
ganisations (FPOs),
benefiting 1.24 lakh
farmers. —ANI
Gurugram: Haryana
govt on Saturday an-
nounced several restric-
tions in five districts
including Gurugram,
Faridabad, Ambala,
Panchkula Sonipat
which will come into ef-
fect from today 5 am.
Restrictions will be in
place till 5am, Jan 12. All
cinema halls, theatres,
multiplexes in these 5
dists will remain closed
for these 10 days. Sports
complexes, swimming
pools will also remain
closed. Offices in these 5
districts will function
with 50% sraff attend-
ance while malls and
markets are allowed to
open till 5pm. Bars and
restaurants are allowed
to operate with 50%
seating capacity, the or-
der said.
Only fully vaccinated
persons are allowed to
enter public places like
sabzi mandi, grain mar-
kets, public transport,
parks, religious places,
bars, restaurants, ho-
tels, departmental
stores, liquor wine
shops. —ANI
INDIA WILL FIGHT COVID-19 PANDEMIC
WITH FULL CAUTION, VIGILANCE: PM
New Delhi: Union
Agriculture Minister
Narendra Singh Tomar
on Saturday said that
in the current financial
year 2021-22, an
amount of more than
Rs 65,800 crore has
been transferred to the
beneficiary farmers
under the Pradhan
Mantri Kisan Samman
Nidhi scheme. Ad-
dressing at the release
of the 10th installment
of financial benefit un-
der PM-KISAN, Singh
said that the Central
Government has so
far sent more than
Rs 1.61 lakh crore to
more than 11.5 ben-
eficiary farmer fami-
lies in the accounts of
farmer families. “In
the current financial
year 2021-22, an
amount of more than
Rs 65,800 crore has
been transferred to the
beneficiary farmers
under the PM-Kisan
Samman Nidhi PM
Kisan Yojana,” added
Tomar. —ANI
`65,800 CRORE
TRANSFERRED
TILL NOW: AGRI
MIN TOMAR
Foodgrains worth `2.6L cr provided to
over 80 cr beneficiaries during pandemic
PM lauds country’s achievement in
providing over 145 cr doses of vaccine
PM Modi releases the 10th installment of financial benefit under the PM-KISAN scheme via video conferencing on Saturday. —PHOTO BY ANI
Akhilesh Yadav during an election rally in Uttar Pradesh.
1 2
PM Modi releases `20,900 crore financial
aid to farmers under PM-KISAN scheme
New restrictions
for 10 days in
Gurugram, four
Haryana districts
DGGI cracks down on Crypto exchanges
across country, `70 cr tax evasion detected
New Delhi: After the
massive tax evasion of
GST by Cryptocurrency
Service providers Wa-
zirX, the Directorate
General of GST Intelli-
gence has come down
heavily on Cryptocur-
rency exchanges oper-
ating in the country,
said sources. “Around
half dozen offices of
Cryptocurrency Ser-
vice providers have
been searched and mas-
sive Goods and Service
Tax (GST) evasion has
beendetectedbyDGGI,”
sources told the media.
Crypto wallet and ex-
change are platforms
where merchants and
consumers can transact
with digital assets like
bitcoin, ethereum, rip-
ple, etc.
According to sources,
around Rs 70 crore
worthof taxevasionhas
beendetectedduringthe
crackdown on Crypto-
currency trade by Mum-
bai CGST and DGGI.
“The DGGI is investi-
gating Coinswitch Ku-
ber by M/s Bitcipher
Labs LLP, CoinDCX by
M/s Neblio Technolo-
gies PVT. LTD., BuyU-
Coin by M/S I Block
Technologies Pvt. LTD.
and Unocoin by M/s
Unocoin Technologies
Pvt. LTD,” sources said.
Official sources fur-
ther said, “They are
providing facilitation
intermediary services
for buying and selling
of crypto coins. These
services attract GST
rate of duty of 18 per
cent which all of them
have been evading.”
Another official
source, who was part of
this search, told ANI,
“These service provid-
ers were charging a
commission for their
facilitation to indulge
in exchange of bitcoins
but were not paying
GST tax. These transac-
tions were intercepted
by DGGI and they were
confronted with evi-
dence that proved non-
payment of GST.”
A top source told
ANI that they paid Rs
30 crore and Rs 40 crore
as GST, interest and
penalty for non-com-
pliance to the statuto-
ry provisions of GST
law. For violating GST
laws the CBIC has re-
covered Rs 70 crore
from Cryptocurrency
Service providers in-
cluding WazirX. —ANI
New Delhi: Food ag-
gregators like Swiggy
and Zomato will have to
collect and deposit tax at
5 per cent rate beginning
Saturday, a move which
will widen the tax base
as food vendors who are
currently outside the GST
threshold will become
liable to GST when pro-
vided through these on-
line platforms. Currently,
restaurants registered
under GST are collecting
and depositing the tax.
Also, cab aggregators like
Uber and Ola will have to
collect 5 per cent Goods
and Services Tax (GST)
for booking two- and
three-wheeler vehicles
effective January 1. Also,
footwear irrespective of
prices will attract 12 per
cent tax from Saturday.
These are among the
many changes in the GST
regime that have come
into effect in this new
year 2022.
New Delhi: Automated
Teller Machines (ATMs)
across banks are all set to
increase service charges
per transaction from
Saturday, following an
order from the Reserve
Bank of India (RBI) and
customers will have to
Rs 1 more beyond the
permissible free transac-
tions for cash as well as
non-cash purposes. As
per the RBI notification
dated June 10, 2021,
from January 1, 2022,
banks have been permit-
ted to charge Rs 21,
instead of Rs 20 with ap-
plicable taxes, if any, shall
be additionally payable.
However, the customers
are eligible for five free
transactions (inclusive
of financial and non-
financial transactions)
every month from their
own bank ATMs. They
are also eligible for free
transactions from other
bank ATMs viz.
UNDER NEW RULES, ZOMATO, SWIGGY
TO COLLECT 5% GST BEGINNING JAN 1
ATM SERVICE CHARGES TO COST `21
PER TRANSACTION FROM SATURDAY
New Delhi: The Con-
gress on Saturday
slammed the Modi gov-
ernment for an increase
in Goods and Services
Tax (GST) in several
categories from foot-
wear to food delivery
and urged voters to de-
feat the BJP in the up-
coming assembly elec-
tions to tame inflation.
Addressing a press
conference here, Con-
gress chief spokesman
Randeep Singh Surjew-
ala said the Centre had
reduced excise on pet-
rol and diesel after the
BJP’s defeat in bypolls
in Himachal Pradesh
and some other states
and urged voters to ush-
er in a low tax regime
by exercising their
franchise wisely
.
Surjewala sought to
credit the Congress for
the GST Council’s deci-
sion to defer the in-
crease in GST on tex-
tiles from five percent
to 12 percent and
claimed that the taxes
would be increased
once elections to the
five states were over.
“One has to remem-
ber that the proposal to
increase GST on tex-
tiles has not been taken
back, but only de-
ferred. The decision
may be put off by an-
other month till the
elections are over.
Once the elections are
over, the tax will be in-
creased,” he said.
The Congress spokes-
person also said foot-
wear, hiring taxis and
auto-rickshaws using
ride-hailing apps, or-
dering food using food
delivery apps, drawing
kits for children and
withdrawing cash from
ATMs has become cost-
lier from January 1 due
to increase in taxes.
Surjewala said the
prices of tea, pulses, ed-
ible oil, cooking gas and
even salt have increased
since PM Modi came to
power in 2014.
“Remember,if Modiis
there,pricerisewillstay
,
the Modi government
means high prices,” Sur-
jewala said. —ANI
Lucknow: Taking a cue
from the Aam Aadmi
Party (AAP), Samajwa-
di Party chief Akhilesh
Yadav has promised to
provide 300 units of free
electricity to house-
holds if voted to power
in the upcoming Uttar
Pradesh assembly polls.
Addressing a public
meeting in Lucknow on
Saturday, Akhilesh Ya-
dav also promised free
electricity to farmers
for irrigation.
“Domesticconsumers
will be given free elec-
tricity up to 300 units by
the SP government.
Farmers will get free
electricity to irrigate
their fields,” the former
UP chief minister said.
Reacting to Akhilesh
Yadav’s, UP CM Yogi
Adityanath said, “He
[Akhilesh] should be
asked that if his gov-
ernment never gave
electricity, to begin
with, how can they give
it for free.”
The chief minister,
speaking in Rampur on
Sunday, went on to ask
where the money allo-
cated for electricity and
toilets was being routed
during the Samajwadi
Partygovernmentinthe
state before 2017. —PTI
Defeat BJP to rein in
inflation: Congress
SP woos UP voters
with 300 units of
free electricity
Lakhs visit Koregaon
Bhima War Memorial
Pune: Undeterredbythe
rising number of COV-
ID-19 cases and the pan-
demic-related restric-
tions, lakhs of people
paid tributes at the Jay-
stambh military monu-
ment in Pune
district of Ma-
harashtra till
Saturday afternoon to
mark the 204th anniver-
sary of the Koregaon
Bhima battle amid tight
security
.
Incontrasttothe203rd
anniversary of the his-
torical battle last year,
which was a low-key af-
fair due to the pandemic
curbs, lakhs of people
have visited the Jay-
stambh pillar. As per the
Dalit narrative, the Jay-
stambh is the symbol of
thevictoryovercasteism
as the British
forces that
fought the
Peshwas at Koregaon
Bhima on January 1,
1818, comprised largely
of soldiersfromtheDalit
Mahar community
, who
waged a “war for free-
dom” from ‘casteism’ of
the Peshwas, who were
Brahmins. —PTI
Randeep Singh Surjewala
AMID COVID
CURBS

INDIA
06
State creates...
The 26 countries that
have partnered for
VGGS 2022, including
Germany, France, Ita-
ly, Canada, Australia,
Japan, Russia, the UK,
UAE, Israel, Singa-
pore, Sweden, South
Korea, Denmark, Fin-
land, will further en-
hance the reach and
engagement of the
Summit with the in-
ternational business
and knowledge com-
munity, the state gov-
ernment said.
FROM PG 1
Srinagar: As a warm
gesture, Indian and Pa-
kistani Army officials
exchanged sweets and
greetings at four loca-
tions on the occasion of
the New Year.
These locations are
Mendhar Hot Springs
Crossing point, Poonch
Rawlakot crossing
point, Chakoti Uri
Crossing point, and
Chilliana Tithwal
Crossing point along
the Line of Control
(LoC), officials said. A
defence ministry state-
ment said, “At the be-
ginning of the year
2022, to promote mutual
trust and tranquility,
IA exchanged sweets
and greetings with Pa-
kistan Army at Poonch
and Mendhar Crossing
Points.” “Considering
ongoing ceasefire. —ANI
INDIAN ARMY EXTENDS GREETINGS TO PAKISTAN COUNTERPART ON NEW YEAR
Sweet gesture of friendship!
Indian Army exchange sweets with Pakistan soldiers on New Year day to promote peace in Poonch.
Indian Army presented goodies to Pakistan Army at Chilehana-Tithwal Crossing Point on Saturday.
SUPERSPREADER! Devotees throng at Banke Bihari Temple to pay obeisance to Lord Krishna on New Year at Vrindavan, in Mathura.
PEACE ALONG LoC
New Delhi: The num-
ber of cases of fast-
spreading Omicron
variant has risen to
1,431 in India, with Ma-
harashtra reporting the
most number of infec-
tions. The country also
witnessed a 35 per cent
jump in new Covid cas-
es as it reported 22,775
infections on Saturday
.
The Omicron corona-
virus variant damp-
ened New Year festivi-
ties around much of the
world. In India, the cel-
ebrations remained a
low-key affair amid cur-
fews and restrictions in
many states. With the
Omicron variant cases
surging, experts have
expressed concerns
over the trend, with
some saying that the
third wave of Covid-19
has already begun in
some areas. —ANI
1,431 OMICRON CASES, MOST FROM
MAHA; COVID CASES UP 35% IN A DAY
Agartala: Tripura
NHM Director Siddhar-
tha Shiv Jaiswal on Sat-
urday said that there
are about 4 lakh people
in state who have not
received 2nd dose of
vaccine. Jaiswal said,
We have already ad-
ministered 46.97 lakh
doses in state among
which 21,28,000 people
have already received
both jabs. Projected pop-
ulation in 18 years plus
category was 25,69,000
82% of population has
received full vaccina-
tion. Remaining 18%
eligible beneficiaries,
he said, who are not
showing up at centres
for second dose, are be-
ing traced. —ANI
‘4Lpeoplehaven’ttaken2nddoseinTripura’
‘Need to prepare
for third wave’
Karnataka Chief Minister
Basavaraj Bommai on
Saturday said year 2022
would be challenging from
an economic and the
administrative perspective
and asked the officials to
“resolve to face it effectively
together”. Extending new
year wishes to the officials
here, Bommai said, “We
have to prepare for the
possible third wave of
Covid along with pushing
the economy forward.
l INDIA ANNOUNCES PRECAUTION DOSES FOR HEALTH WORKERS
THOSE ABOVE 60 FROM JAN 10 l BIG CHALLENGE INDIA WILL FACE
AMID OMICRON WILL BE SUDDEN NEED FOR MEDICAL CARE: WHO
KEY
HIGHLIGHTS
l The new Omicron
variant has now
spread to 23 states
across the country
l Delhi reports 1,800
Covid cases, posi-
tivity rate at 2.44%
l Curbs imposed at
public places in
Mumbai between
5 pm and 5 am till
January 15
l Tamil Nadu
extends current
lockdown
restrictions till
January 10
l Delhi can vaccinate
3 lakh children
every day, says
Satyendar Jain
l India sends 5 lakh
Covaxin doses to
Afghanistan
l India's vaccination
coverage exceeds
145.16 crore
l Over 19.52 cr
balance, unutilized
doses available
with States, UTs:
Health Ministry
l No reason to be-
lieve any state will
escape Omicron:
Cambridge profes-
sor who worked
on India Covid
tracker
l Tour of Rashtrapati
Bhavan, Museum
to remain closed
from Saturday
WORST
AFFECTED
454
MAHARASHTRA
351
NEW DELHI
118
TAMIL NADU
115
GUJARAT
109
KERALA
HAPPY NEW YEAR! Medical staffers of MS Ramaiah Hospital
wearing PPE suits wishing people a Covid-free New Year 2022.
CRUCIAL READ
New Delhi: Virender Singh Pathania received
Guard of Honour on taking over as new Director-
General of the Indian Coast Guard on Saturday. He
was appointed as the new Director-General of IAF by
the government on December 31.
PARL COMMITTEE
ON HOME AFFAIRS
VISIT TO HYDERABAD
GOA POSTPONED
EARTHQUAKE OF 5.3 MAGNITUDE ROCKS
PARTS OF PAKISTAN, SAYS PMD DEPT
MAHA WAIVES OFF
TAX ON RESIDENTIAL
PROPERTIES UP TO
500 SQUARE FEET
New Delhi: A Depart-
ment-related Parliamen-
tary Standing Commit-
tee on Home Affairs
scheduled one-week
study trip to Hyderabad
and Goa has been
postponed due rise in
Covid-19 cases in the
country. “The tour was
scheduled from Janu-
ary 7 to January 11,”
reads the order from
Rajya Sabha Secretariat.
Congress leader Anand
Sharma is the Chairman
of the Standing Com-
mittee on Home Affairs.
“Fresh date of the study
visit will be informed as
and when finalized,” the
order further stated.
Islamabad: An earthquake of 5.3 magnitude rocked
parts of Pakistan on Saturday evening, local media
citing Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD).
Tremors were felt in areas ranging from Swat, Pe-
shawar, Lower Dir, Swabi, Nowshera, Islamabad and
its surroundings, DawnNewsTV reported. Mean-
while, an earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter
scale hit Afghanistan-Tajikstan border today, as per
the National Centre for Seismology. Tremors were
felt in Kashmir’s Poonch and other areas around the
Line of Control.
Mumbai: The New Year
brings good news for
Mumbaikars as the
Maharashtra govt on
Saturday announced
to waive off property
tax on residential units
of up to 500 sq ft,
located within the limits
of Mumbai municipal
corporation. The an-
nouncement was made
by CM Uddhav Thack-
eray at a meeting of the
UDH. The decision will
benefit owners of over
16 lakh houses below
500 sq feet in Mumbai.
It is worth mentioning,
the move comes ahead
of the BMC polls to be
held next month.
THE LAST SURVIVING TERRORIST IN 2019
PULWAMA ATTACK LIKELY KILLED: VIJAY
Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir Police
said on Saturday that one of terrorists killed in
Anantnag encounter on
Dec 30 last year was
likely to be last surviv-
ing militant involved in
Lethpora terror attack
of 2019. Police quoted
Vijay Kumar, IG Kashmir
Zone, in its tweet saying,
“The picture of one of the killed #Millitants in
#AnantnagEncounter on Dec-30th matches with
JeM top commander, who was the last surviving
militant involved in Lethpora #Pulwama #militant
Attack. We are going for DNA sample matching.”
GUARD OF HONOUR!
Haridwar: Haridwar
Police have added the
names of Hindu leaders
Yeti Narasimhanand
and Sagar Sindhuraj in
an FIR in connection
with the case of alleged
hate speech delivered
during ‘Dharma San-
sad’ held in Haridwar.
“On the basis of the
viral video clip, two
more names, Sagar
Sindhu Maharaj Yati
Narsinghanand Giri,
have been added to the
FIR in the Dharma
Sansad hate speech
case, upon further in-
vestigation.
The Dharma Sansad
in Haridwar was held
on December 17-19. The
Uttarakhand Police
registered an FIR
against Rizvi, who was
the former chairman
of UP Central Shia
Waqf Board, under Sec
153A of IPC. —ANI
Yeti Narasimhanand and Sindhuraj
named in ‘Dharma Sansad’ case FIR
HARIDWAR HATE SPEECH
Police have filed a hate speech case against
Yati Narasimhanand Sagar Sindhuraj.
SECTIONS 295, 295A,
153A INCLUDED...
Section 295A has been included in the
FIR,” said Ashok Kumar, Uttarakhand
DGP. Earlier police had informed that
Dharm Das, Annapurna, Wasim Rizvi
aka Jitendra Tyagi, and some others
have been booked under Section
153A of the IPC in the case. After
going through the clips, police have
also added Section 295 (destruction,
damage, or defilement of a place of
worship or an object held sacred, with
intent to insult the religion of a class
of persons) of IPC to FIR.
100 citizens, armed forces
veterans write to Prez, PM
New Delhi: Five for-
mer chiefs of the armed
forces and a number of
other prominent citi-
zens including bureau-
crats have written a let-
ter to President Ram
Nath Kovind and PM
Narendra Modi on re-
cent incidents of hate
speeches and urged
them to take appropri-
ate measures.
Group of over 100
people also referred to
communal comments
made at an event in
Haridwar recently and
condemned “in no un-
certain terms” such
“incitement” to vio-
lence. “We cannot allow
such incitement to vio-
lence together with
public expressions of
hate – which not only
constitute serious
breaches of internal se-
curity but which could
also tear apart the so-
cial fabric of our na-
tion,” they said in letter.

BIZ BUZZ
07
Bracing from
lockdowns to re-
openings, 2021 has
been nothing short of a
roller-coaster year.
There were a myriad of
milestones — almost
too many to count.
From Neeraj Chopra’s
Gold to 100 cr
vaccination mark,
from BSE touching
record highs to IPO
valuations going
higher. A year of
unicorns, memes,
NFTs, and metaverse,
it has been one intense
trip around the sun. In
a typical rewind style,
we will take you back
through all the
memorable moments
of the gone year 2021.
Wish you a fabulous
year 2022, CHEERS!
SENSEX @ 60K MARK IN JUST 8 MNTHS
Sensex crosses the historic 60k mark in September. This
milestone was the quickest ever, taking just 8 months,
making Indian equity markets one of the best-performing
markets v/s emerging and the developed markets.
‘AAM AADMI’
SHIFTING TO
STOCKS; FDS AND
GOLD TOO OLD!
Retail was truly the king this
year! Last year saw an explosion
of retail participation in equity
markets which
continued
this year too,
adding more
than 1.51 cr
new accounts
since the
pandemic
struck. From
being net sell-
ers till 2019,
the trends
reversed since
2020, extend-
ing celebra-
tions for the
brokers.
Year that was
UNICORNS SAILS ABOVE
THE CLOUD!
This year belonged to the startups,
helped by a massive funding spree.
54 unicorns from India, up from 33
in 2020, clinching the third position
after US and China. In fact, Bengaluru
with 28 unicorns has more unicorns
than major hubs such as Boston, Palo
Alto, Paris, Berlin, Chicago, etc.
VACCINE
CENTURY
India had crossed the
100-crore vaccination milestone
in October and inching closer to
150 mark. It had taken 279 days
to reach the mark, making it the
most successful covid vac-
cination drive world-
wide. Hats off!
BEEPLE,
NFT DID THEY
EVEN EXIST BEFORE
2021?
People finally started taking NFTs or Non-
Fungible Tokens, seriously when Mike Win-
kelmann — aka Beeple — sold his artwork
“Everydays: the First 5000 Days” for a
whopping $69 million, 4th most expen-
sive artwork ever sold by a living
artist! Crazy as it sounds! This
intangible asset got
real!
FINALY,
GOLD
IT IS!
India gave its best-ever Olym-
pics performance bagging
7 medals and surpassing its
previous medal tallies. Javelin
thrower, Neeraj Chopra ended
India’s century-long wait
of winning a Gold in
athletics.
2000
BRONZE
Karnam Malleswari
2004
SILVER
Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore
2008
GOLD
Abhinav Bindra
BRONZE
Vijender Singh
Sushil Kumar
2016
SILVER
P.V. Sindhu
BRONZE
Sakshi Malik
2012
SILVER
Vijay Kumar
Sushil Kumar
BRONZE
Gagan Narang
Yogeshwar Dutt
Mary Kom
Saina Nehwal
2020
GOLD
Neeraj Chopra
SILVER
Mirabai Chanu
Ravi Kumar Dahiya
BRONZE
P.V. Sindhu, Lovina Bor-
gohain, Bajrang Punia
INDIA’S BEST EVER
MEDAL TALLY
1
1
3
2
6
7
SEVEN HIGHS AND LOWS OF TWENTY-21
Getreadyforadéjàvuaswe
bringyou7interestingcharts
andpicsthatstruckusthisyear.
SOCIAL
MEDIA
GOT A
NEW KID
TikTok became
the most
downloaded
app for 2021
dethroning
Facebook a.k.a
Meta. It was
also the most
trafficked
website, yes,
even ahead of
the Google!
The business fraternity
hopes that 2022 will restore
their fortunes even as
Omicron threat looms large

PUNJAB’S
ELECTION
TURMOIL AT AN
INTERESTING
JUNCTURE!
The election turmoil
in Punjab has
reached an interesting
point. On one hand, the
electoral battle in Pun-
jab was hinting towards
fierce multi-cornered
fight, now 22 out of 32
organisations involved
in the farmers’ move-
ment have formed a new
partySKMandwillfield
candidates in polls here.
Some organisations are
completely right-wing
whohavesupportof Jat-
Sikh‘LandLords’there.
Before this united front
took shape, its leader
Balbir Singh Rajewal
had held several rounds
of talks with Kejriwal.
KejriagreedtomakeRa-
jewal ‘CM face’ of AAP,
but the matter did not
work out.
UPHEAVAL IN UP
CONGRESS
Even though Priyan-
ka Gandhi has put
her whole energy into
the UP elections, but
these days everything is
not going well in the UP
Congress. Cong spokes-
person Omkar Nath
Singh and two other
party office-bearers ap-
peared before Commis-
sion to support EC’s call
for ‘ Free and Fair
Polls’. Onkar requested
EC that even after an-
nouncement of polls, if
Avneesh continues to
work by remaining in
his post, then concept
of fair elections in the
state will become mean-
ingless because
Awasthi behaves like a
BJP leader.’ The very
next day
, Congress State
President Ajay Lallu
wrote a letter to the EC,
informing that the par-
ty had not authorized
the delegation that
came to meet
them as such
the commis-
sion should
give time
to dele-
gates au-
thorized
by the party i.e. Pramod
Tiwari, Ajay Lallu him-
self, and CLP leader
Aradhana Mishra. But
EC did not listen to this
request of Congress.
Onkar Nath Singh, a
member of Congress’s
media and communica-
tion dept, was so an-
noyed by Lallu’s letter
to EC that he resigned
from the party by writ-
ing a letter to Priyanka.
WHY IS AKHILESH
ANGRY WITH
JAYANT?
Jayant Chaudhary’s
party RLD may have
got the green signal for
anelectoralalliancewith
Akhilesh Yadav’s party
SP
, but these days ups
anddownscanbeseenin
therelationshipbetween
the two leaders. Earlier,
Akhilesh had agreed to
leave 35-38 seats for Jay-
ant,butnowitseemsthat
the matter will be decid-
ed on 24-25 seats. Akhile-
sh is angry with Choud-
hary over the fact that
evenafterthedraftof the
alliance has been final-
ised, why has he had two
meetings with Piyush
Goyal in the last few
days, where he has been
assuredof LakshmiDar-
shan. If sources are to be
believed, the news of an
alleged sting operation
of Jayant’s sister’s hus-
band had surfaced re-
cently
, in which he was
expectingsomeLakshmi
Darshan in lieu of ticket
fromacandidate.Shortly
before airing of this
sting, as soon as Akhile-
sh came to know about
this, he hurriedly spoke
to the editor-in-chief of
the channel and agreed
to pay the amount for
whichthechannelhad
bought this sting op-
eration footage. The
channel chief is under-
stood to have spoken to
theownersinthisregard
it was decided that
sting would not be aired.
PRIYANKA IN A
NEW ROLE!
Congress leader Pri-
yanka Gandhi has
appeared in a new ava-
tar these days. She has
also taken up the re-
sponsibility of coordi-
nation with the party
leaders in the absence
of Ahmed Patel. She
holds secret meetings
with the angry leaders
of the party in closed
doors and tries to quell
their resentment
against the party. As
happened in the case of
Harish Rawat. Now it
is being
heard that
Priyanka
has pre-
pared such a list of
leaders whose wings
will be clipped after the
elections in five states.
The name of Congress
in-charge of Haryana
Vivek Bansal is also be-
ing taken in this epi-
sode. Preparations are
being made to form a
new screening commit-
tee in UP. Its structure
can be prepared by dis-
solving the old screen-
ing committee. Priyan-
ka feels that unless
preference is given to
local leaders in UP, the
party will not be able to
regain its lost support
there. Priyanka is also
not said to be happy
with UP Cong Presi-
dent Ajay Lallu.
THE FRAGRANCE
OF ‘ PAN
MASALA ‘
MARRIAGE
IN PARIS
The billion-
aire owner
of a well-
known pan
masala brand,
which is repre-
sented by the su-
perhero of the century,
got his daughter mar-
ried to another pan
masala business fam-
ily last month. 700
guests from India were
taken to Paris by char-
tered flight. All these
guests were accommo-
dated in Paris’s expen-
sive five-star Hotel
Four Seasons George
V and the Prince de
Gaulle Marriott.
Sources claim that at
least Rs 600 to 700
crore were spent on
this wedding ceremo-
ny in cryptic language.
The set of Hollywood’s
famous film ‘Avatar’
was made for the en-
tire wedding ceremony.
Guests were also given
return gifts worth
about Rs 15 lakh
stuffed inexpensive
bags of Louis Vuitton.
CORONA HITS HIGH
PROFILE WEDDINGS
In high-profile wed-
dings held in last few
days, many politicians
have also got Corona
infected on a large
scale. On Dec 28, mar-
riage of Nihir Thack-
eray, son of Balasaheb
Thackeray’s late son
Bindu Madhav Thack-
eray, was solemnised
with Ankita, daughter
of a senior BJP leader
Harshvardhan Patil, at
Taj Hotel in Mumbai.
Many leaders who at-
tended this marriage
got infected including
Supriya Sule, her hus-
band, and Balasaheb
Thorat. Harshvardhan
himself came under
grip of Covid. He gave
this info by tweeting.
Another high-profile
wedding was of Praful
Patel’s son which was
held in Jaipur. Many
guests attending this
wedding were found to
be positive.
... AND FINALLY
The exercise of
choosing a new
president of Bihar
Cong is going on but no
suitable face is emerg-
ing to replace current
president Madan Mo-
han Jha. Shakeel
Ahmed, an important
face of Bihar Cong, is
busy projecting his
name from different
corners these days. As
soon as this news came
to notice of senior
Cong leader Tariq An-
war, he dashed Sha-
keel’s intentions by
saying that ‘There are
already 4 Muslim sec-
retaries
in the
A l l
India
C o n -
g r e s s
organi-
zation,’.
FIRST INDIA SUNDAY SPECIAL
BY TRIDIB
RAMAN
The author is a journalist
and political commentator
and views expressed are
his personal
Arvind Kejriwal Balbir S Rajewal Priyanka Gandhi Madan Mohan
Akhilesh Yadav
Jayant Chaudhary
First India Bureau
Patan: A criminal com-
plaint has been filed
against the National
Highways Authority of
India’s (NHAI) officer
for negligence that
caused the death of a
woman on Sami Varahi
National Highway on
Thursday. The com-
plaint was lodged with
the Varahi police sta-
tion in Patan district
late evening on Friday
.
Complainant Palab-
hai Makwana in his
complaint has stated
that on Thursday even-
ing, he and his wife Ra-
tanben were going from
Sami to Varahi for some
social work. When they
reached Sadpura village
Patiya, a truck was go-
inginfrontof theirvehi-
cle. They did not realize
a pothole in the middle
of theroad,andwhilehe
applied breaks, the vehi-
cletoppled,throwingthe
couple off on the road.
His wife, Ratanben, suf-
fered head injuries and
was bleeding.
Locals reached out
for help and, and the
couple was rushed to
Varahi government
hospital. But, the on-
duty doctor declared
Ratanben dead on ar-
rival. Following the
post-mortem and last
rites, Palabhai com-
plained against the
NHAI officer’s negli-
gence on Friday
. He said
the pothole on the road
led to the dreadful acci-
dent because of which
he lost his wife. The
case is under investiga-
tion by Police Sub-In-
spector DK Chaudhary
.
It is not the first time
an NHAI officer was
booked for not filling
the potholes on the na-
tional highway. In Sep-
tember 2019, a case was
registered with the Pal-
sana Police station in
Surat after Santosh
Singh Rajput died on
theroad.Hewasmowed
down by a truck after
he fell on the road due
to potholes.
When life seems to be speeding
by, pause to watch the sunset
and the sparrow take flight!
—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO Editor-in-Chief, First India
08
2NDFRONT
BIRD’S-EYE VIEW
Gujarat’s Minister for Civil Aviation, Purnesh Modi inaugurated the ‘Joy Ride’ service in
Ahmedabad on Saturday with the first such helicopter ride, from the Sabarmati Riverfront
to the Narendra Modi Stadium and back. —PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI
First India Bureau
Lucknow: With the Ut-
tar Pradesh assembly
election inching closer,
the Bharatiya Janata
Party has ramped up its
efforts to reach out to
the people. In its latest
initiative, a team of 165
party workers from Gu-
jarat has been deployed
to reach out to the vot-
ers of the Awadh region
in the state.
The party workers
from Gujarat told re-
porters that they will go
door-to-door to connect
with voters in the
Awadh region and add-
ed that they will help
uproot Congress inter-
im president Sonia
Gandhi in her bastion
of Rae Bareli in the 2024
general elections.
“Thistime82seatsout
of 82 of Awadh region
have to be won. We have
been assigned the re-
sponsibility of Awadh.
The rest of the regions
will be assigned to work-
ers of other states. We
will reside here until the
elections are over. We
will live in our respec-
tive districts and assem-
blies,” one party worker
from Gujarat said.
Meanwhile, the four-
member committee con-
stituted by the Bharati-
ya Janata Party on De-
cember 26 to woo Brah-
min voters of the state
within a target of 25
days, has reached out to
more than 80 Brahmin
organizations that have
a strong outreach in
their regions, according
to sources.
Their main task will
be to keep the Brahmins
of their area informed
about the BJP’s work
towards the welfare of
Brahmins, including
the work done by the
government and their
future plans.
Uttar Pradesh is slat-
ed to go to the Assembly
polls early this year.
BJP deploys 165 Guj workers to Awadh
UP POLLS
Aims to ‘uproot’ Sonia Gandhi in her bastion
of Rae Bareli in 2024 general elections
A BJP rally in Lucknow. —FILE PHOTO
NHAI OFFICER BOOKED
FOR WOMAN’S DEATH
First India Bureau
Surat: As part of an
agreement between
the government and
Surat-based airline
Ventura AirConnect
toconnectvariouscit-
ies in the state by air
a nine-seater flight
daily from Surat to
Ahmedabad, Surat to
Bhavnagar, Surat to
Rajkot and Surat to
Amreli has begun.
Flagged off under
the leadership of
Civil Aviation Minis-
ter Purnesh Modi,
Ventura felicitated
sanitation workers
and police officers as
its first passengers
for the flight to sev-
eral parts of Sau-
rashtra. The aircraft
will fly with nine pas-
sengers and two pi-
lots. It has also
launched a special
civil service at Am-
reli Airport for air-
lifting deaf and
dumb children.
The national highway near Patan is in a sorry state. —FILE PHOTO
Ventura connects Surat
with three other cities
The national
highways turn
into deathly
hallows for
commuters as
authorities
turn a blind eye
to its pathetic
conditions

AHMEDABAD, SUNDAY
JANUARY 2, 2022
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia
facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09
In to the Glitz
he roads of suc-
cess often start
with a bumpy ride,
especially when
you’re a teenager
but passion and
dedication to one’s
craft makes it all bearable.
Ritu Lakhina, participat-
ing model at First Miss In-
dia Teen, winner of 16 con-
secutive pageant titles and
grand winner of the Miss
Glamour Look Internation-
al Ambassador 2019 shared
her journey in an exclusive
interview with City First.
On being asked about her
initiation into the model-
ling world, Ritu said,
“Since childhood, I was fas-
cinated watching Fashion
Shows, Beauty Pageants,
and models on Hoardings
and always imagined see-
ing myself on that stage.
And there are some career
options you don’t choose,
they choose you and model-
ling is that for me.”
Early on in her career,
Ritu faced some setbacks
which helped her make her
mark and reach milestones.
Talking about it, Lakhina
said, “Initially, I had no
idea how to enter and navi-
gate this field but after a
year of struggle, I won my
first title when I was just
15. But not long after I met
with a tragic accident
where I lost my ability to
walk for almost half a year
but after battling depres-
sion and anxiety I picked
myself up and started
working on my craft and
later went on to win 16 con-
secutive titles and now
working on my first web
series.”
Reminiscing about her
successful pageants, Lakh-
ina said, “I won Miss Glam-
our Look International
Ambassador beating 72
countries of the world in
the Philippines and I’m
proud of that.”
Sharing her two cents for
aspiring models, Lakhina
said, “A lot of rejection may
come your way but always
believe in yourself.”
MONICA PRABHAKAR
cityfirst@firstindia.co.in
T
Glamour
Glamour
RITU LAKHINA, PARTICIPATING MODEL
AT FIRST MISS INDIA TEEN AND WINNER
OF THE MISS GLAMOUR LOOK
INTERNATIONAL AMBASSADOR 2019
SHARED HER JOURNEY IN AN EXCLUSIVE
INTERVIEW WITH CITY FIRST

A multi-faceted ugly truth
paralyzing our Socio-
Economic structure
Poverty is
not just a
lack of
income and
the inability to
purchase, it is a
very deeply rooted
multifaceted complex
structure comprising of
economic, social,
demographic, cultural,
political, and
psychological factors.
Sagittarius
NOVEMBER 23 - DECEMBER 21
You will derive great
benefit from an exercise
routine. Extra workload is
foreseen at work, but
nothing that you cannot handle within
office hours. Taking the family on a trip
seems impossible today due to your
professional commitments, so postpone
it for some other day.
Capricorn
DECEMBER 22 - JANUARY 20
Your stars favour a bright
beautiful day. A setback
you have recently
experienced can make you
come out stronger. Tax advisor will be a
big help in saving taxes, so don’t
hesitate to contact one. It is difficult for
the relationship of friends turned lovers
to fall apart, so relax.
Aquarius
JANUARY 21 - FEBRUARY 18
Previous investments are
likely to give you good
returns. Some of you may
decide to follow in the
footsteps of celebrities and visit the
very same exotic destination that they
had been to.No amount of excuses will
dispel lover’s suspicions about your
tendency to stray the path.
Pisces
FEBRUARY 19 - MARCH 20
Continue doing whatever
you are doing to remain
healthy. Some of you will
have to curb your
splurging ways. Family life will cruise
along smoothly with much love and
bonhomie. Don’t speed up on the road.
Chance of moving to a new location on
transfer is likely for some.
10
ETC
YOUR DAY
Horoscope by
Saurabbh Sachdeva
Aries
MARCH 21 - APRIL 20
Money put together on
previous occasions is likely
to come in handy now. A
family youngster is keen to
learn from you, so don’t disappoint.
Settling down in a new house is
indicated for some.You may have to
awaken partner’s interest in you once
again.
Taurus
APRIL 21 - MAY 21
People falling under this
sign will have very refresh-
ing day. Visiting a mall or
watching a movie with
family may be the highlight of the day.
You may enjoy travelling to a tourist
destination. Reignite the flickering
romance in your life by spending more
time together.
Gemini
MAY 22 - JUNE 21
Something you have
implemented at work may
profit the company and get
you noticed. You may
celebrate the achievement of a family
youngster in a grand way. Shifting into
your own house may soon become a
reality. An exotic island destination
beckons.
Cancer
JUNE 22 - JULY 22
An extravagant vacation
you only dreamed about is
likely to become a reality
soon. Healthy eating will
help prevent digestive ailments. Money
will be absolutely no constraint in
buying what you like. Driving down
with lover to a happening place is
indicated today.
Leo
JULY 23 - AUGUST 22
Your financial situation is
set to improve, as earning
opportunities come to you.
Help from co-workers in a
time consuming task will be forthcom-
ing on the work front. Support of family
will encourage you to take up a
challenge. Socially, your presence will
be much looked forward to.
Virgo
AUGUST 23 - SEPTEMBER 22
Some clarification will need
to be sought on a financial
issue, before you take the
next big step. A project left
halfway by someone else may come on
your shoulders, but your efforts will be
acknowledged if you do justice to it.
Some of you are all set to enjoy a
splendid vacation.
Libra
SEPTEMBER 23 - OCTOBER 22
Money coming from
various streams will keep
you in an elated state of
mind. A new fitness regime
that you have adopted promises to keep
you in the good health. Getting an old
furniture upholstered may be at the top
of the mind. Your search for perfect
partner may soon be over.
Scorpio
OCTOBER 23 - NOVEMBER 22
You are likely to find the
day most auspicious. Your
knowledge about your line
of work will be roundly
appreciated and get you the thumbs up
from higher ups. Friends and family
may get together to give you a surprise
and make your day. Business travel may
leave little time for romance.
n d o u b t e d l y,
poverty is a
state with myr-
iad root caus-
es. All these
factors collec-
tively and indi-
vidually contribute to
the establishment of
poverty.
It is very rightly said
that India is a rich
country inhabited by
poor people.
FEMINIZATION OF
POVERTY AND
RESPONSIBILITIES
 Feminization of pov-
erty refers to the in-
creasing number of
women getting affect-
ed by poverty, as com-
pared to the males.
Poverty has been de-
scribed as a social
evil for ages but gen-
der biases are affect-
ing females much
worse than males.
This has not hap-
pened overnight.
There are various
reasons behind this
social malfeasance,
which is the outcome
of years and years of
malpractices prevail-
ing in society.
 The condition of
women in poor fami-
lies is very pathetic
and lamentable.
Along with all the
other responsibili-
ties, they have to car-
ry the financial bur-
den of raising their
children along with
helping other family
members. They get
minimal financial
support from their
family members.
 A bitter truth, they
carry the burden of
being a woman in a
harsh society, in aw-
ful conditions beyond
imagination, where
sometimes social
structure and even
their close family
members are their
worst foes.
FEMINIZATION OF
EDUCATION,
MALNUTRITION AND
POOR HEALTHCARE
 Mostly, families with
the low-income group
have many children
due to a lack of
awareness and a re-
served sense of re-
sponsibility towards
themselves and the
nation. As a result,
they cannot afford
the education and
well-being of all their
children equally.
They prefer to invest
their limited finan-
cial resources, into
necessities such as
nutrition and educa-
tion, to their male
child more than the
girl child. The conse-
quences are disas-
trous, most common
being, malnutrition,
and illiteracy, the
burden of which, a
girl has to carry
throughout her life.
 There are more fac-
tors over and above
the economic factors
which act as the rea-
son behind the femi-
nization of poverty.
Social factors which
are deleterious and
detrimental for the
growth of the eco-
nomic structure of
our country, such as
gender inequality,
dowry, female infan-
ticides, illiteracy,
lack of sanitization,
malnutrition, etc.,
are the result of fac-
tors based on the so-
cial thinking prevail-
ing that expenditure
done for the welfare
of females is useless.
Women have to face a
lack of sanitization
and poor healthcare
facilities in our coun-
try. Females are more
prone to infection
than males. They
need proper health-
care, nutrition, and
sanitization. They
need proper nutri-
tion as they carry a
child while they are
pregnant. A woman
deserves proper hy-
giene during the
menstrual cycle.
Proper post-natal
care is of utmost im-
portance for the
health
of the
m o t h e r
and the
baby. Poor
hygiene and
nutrition affect
them more ad-
versely once they
become mothers.
WOMAN LIBERATION:
TRUTH OR ILLUSION?
 Associating earning
of the livelihood,
with women’s libera-
tion and equality, is
inappropriate and
not justified in the
present scenario.
The achievements
made by women are
undervalued. The or-
thodox mentality
prevails that liberty
has been granted to
her and she has not
gained it.
women in the lower
class is much worse.
They are the ones
who are suffering the
most and that too
without any savior.
With the patriarchy
so profoundly estab-
lished into the core
value system of In-
dian society, the ac-
cess of the woman to
the family inherit-
ance is restricted or
negligible. Men and
women are like two
pillars of our society.
It is very
obvious, if
one pillar is
strong and the
other one is de-
liberately weak-
ened, it cannot
form a strong base
for any structure.
 Women are earning
their livelihood, but
that is not enough to
solve the problem.
The struggle and dep-
rivation they are fac-
ing are much more in
comparison to the
small amount of
money they can
earn. They are strug-
gling for basic mini-
mum survival, basic
minimum dignity,
and basic minimum
support from their
family, society, and
the country.
T h e s e
malfea-
s a n c e s
have to be
changed, as
they are dam-
aging the basic
foundation of
our rich culture
and heritage. Then
only we can attain
freedom in the true
sense.
paralyzing our Socio-
Economic structure
Poverty is
not just a
lack of
income and
the inability to
purchase, it is a
very deeply rooted
multifaceted complex
structure comprising of
economic, social,
demographic, cultural,
political, and
psychological factors.
n d o u b t e d l y,
poverty is a
state with myr-
iad root caus-
es. All these
factors collec-
tively and indi-
vidually contribute to
the establishment of
poverty.
It is very rightly said
that India is a rich
country inhabited by
poor people.
FEMINIZATION OF
POVERTY AND
RESPONSIBILITIES
 Feminization of pov-
erty refers to the in-
creasing number of
women getting affect-
ed by poverty, as com-
pared to the males.
Poverty has been de-
scribed as a social
evil for ages but gen-
der biases are affect-
ing females much
worse than males.
This has not hap-
pened overnight.
There are various
reasons behind this
social malfeasance,
which is the outcome
of years and years of
malpractices prevail-
ing in society.
women in poor fami-
lies is very pathetic
and lamentable.
Along with all the
other responsibili-
ties, they have to car-
ry the financial bur-
den of raising their
children along with
helping other family
members. They get
minimal financial
support from their
family members.
 A bitter truth, they
carry the burden of
being a woman in a
harsh society, in aw-
ful conditions beyond
imagination, where
sometimes social
structure and even
their close family
members are their
worst foes.
FEMINIZATION OF
EDUCATION,
MALNUTRITION AND
POOR HEALTHCARE
 Mostly, families with
the low-income group
have many children
due to a lack of
awareness and a re-
served sense of re-
sponsibility towards
themselves and the
nation. As a result,
they cannot afford
the education and
well-being of all their
children equally.
They prefer to invest
their limited finan-
cial resources, into
necessities such as
nutrition and educa-
tion, to their male
child more than the
girl child. The conse-
quences are disas-
trous, most common
being, malnutrition,
and illiteracy, the
burden of which, a
girl has to carry
throughout her life.
 There are more fac-
tors over and above
the economic factors
which act as the rea-
son behind the femi-
nization of poverty.
Social factors which
are deleterious and
detrimental for the
growth of the eco-
nomic structure of
our country, such as
gender inequality,
dowry, female infan-
ticides, illiteracy,
lack of sanitization,
malnutrition, etc.,
are the result of fac-
tors based on the so-
cial thinking prevail-
ing that expenditure
done for the welfare
of females is useless.
Women have to face a
lack of sanitization
and poor healthcare
facilities in our coun-
try. Females are more
prone to infection
than males. They
need proper health-
care, nutrition, and
sanitization. They
need proper nutri-
tion as they carry a
child while they are
pregnant. A woman
deserves proper hy-
giene during the
menstrual cycle.
Proper post-natal
care is of utmost im-
portance for the
health
of the
m o t h e r
and the
baby. Poor
hygiene and
nutrition affect
them more ad-
versely once they
become mothers.
WOMAN LIBERATION:
TRUTH OR ILLUSION?
 Associating earning
of the livelihood,
with women’s libera-
tion and equality, is
inappropriate and
not justified in the
present scenario.
The achievements
made by women are
undervalued. The or-
thodox mentality
prevails that liberty
has been granted to
her and she has not
gained it.
women in the lower
class is much worse.
They are the ones
who are suffering the
most and that too
without any savior.
With the patriarchy
so profoundly estab-
lished into the core
value system of In-
dian society, the ac-
cess of the woman to
the family inherit-
ance is restricted or
negligible. Men and
women are like two
pillars of our society.
It is very
obvious, if
one pillar is
strong and the
other one is de-
liberately weak-
ened, it cannot
form a strong base
for any structure.
 Women are earning
their livelihood, but
that is not enough to
solve the problem.
The struggle and dep-
rivation they are fac-
ing are much more in
comparison to the
small amount of
money they can
earn. They are strug-
gling for basic mini-
mum survival, basic
minimum dignity,
and basic minimum
support from their
family, society, and
the country.
T h e s e
malfea-
s a n c e s
have to be
changed, as
they are dam-
aging the basic
foundation of
our rich culture
and heritage. Then
only we can attain
freedom in the true
sense.
Feminization
Feminization
of Poverty
of Poverty
ESHITA SINGH
Manager, State Bank of India, Jaipur
U

ETC
11
T
a
k
e
a
T
h
r
i
l
l
P
i
l
l
!
he human
mind is a cu-
rious place.
It can go
from a zero
to hundred
very quickly.
You never know what
might trigger someone or
what the other person might
be thinking. It is capable of
some truly beautiful and some
truly twisted things. While we
can’t all witness it first hand, mov-
ies are a great way to peep into that
world.
City First brings to you 8 mind
boggling movie recommendations
that will keep you on your toes.
JOKER
Arthur Fleck, a party clown, resides
with his ailing mother in a run-down
apartment. When society rejects him
and labels him a freak, he chooses to
live a life of crime and anarchy
. This
film may finally give an answer to
the question, “Why so serious?”
GONE GIRL
When a man’s wife suddenly disap-
pears without a trace, he finds him-
self in the middle of a quest to find
her. Along the way, it becomes evi-
dent that she isn’t — and never was
— the woman he thought.
SPLIT
What happens when a man with dis-
sociative identity disorder loses con-
trol of one of his personalities and
abducts three teenage girls. Will
they survive?
THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN
On her daily commute, an unreliable
witness encounters something
shocking, and she gets obsessed with
the ongoing mystery—but no one be-
lieves her.
GET OUT
During a weekend break, Chris, an
African-American guy, decides to
pay a visit to his Caucasian girl-
friend’s parents. He is unprepared
for the horrors that lie ahead, de-
spite the fact that they appear nor-
mal at first.
SHUTTER ISLAND
A US Marshal and his colleague are
dispatched to the site after a killer
appears to vanish from a mental in-
stitution. As the inquiry progresses,
more and bizarre facts emerge.
WHEN A STRANGER CALLS
When Jill, a young babysitter, starts
receiving frightening anonymous
calls, she becomes frightened. Noth-
ing, however, could prepare her for
the terror she would experience
when she discovers where the calls
are coming from.
BLACK SWAN
What happens when dedication
crosses the line to obsession? This is
the story of a young ballerina’s sense
of reality distorts. How will she fig-
ure out what’s real and what isn’t?
DEVANSHI MUDGAL
IF YOU ENJOY THRILLERS AND
SUSPENSE MOVIES, ONES WITH
A SLEW OF UNEXPECTED TURNS
AND AN UNPREDICTABLE
FINALE, THEN HERE IS A
SELECTED COLLECTION OF
EIGHT FILMS THAT WILL
UNDOUBTEDLY
FULFILL YOUR
“ENTERTAINMENT
BUDS”!
T

12
CITY BUZZ
CITY FIRST
he Saptak An-
nual Festival
of Music, an
annual thir-
teen-day Indi-
an classical music festi-
val is being organised
by the Saptak School of
Music in Ahmedabad.
On Saturday
, in the New
Year, the event started
with a bash. The show
is designed to bring
back artists to the stage
and will feature the vio-
lin stalwart Vidushi N
Rajam. She was the dis-
ciple of the Hindustani
colossus from Gujarat,
Pandit Omkarnath
Thakur, who was born
in Bhadran. “I have
been on with my prac-
tice throughout,” Ra-
jam shared. Pandit
Thakur’s ‘kaku prayog’,
meaning ‘voice modula-
tion’, demonstrated
that almost religiously
ordered discipline and
unconstrained individ-
ual panache can be col-
laborators.
cityfirstdel@gmail.com
City First
n initiative
dedicated to
the rescue and
rehabilitation
of shy reptile
species, which is being
pushedtotheedgedueto
illegal pet or meat trade,
a new ‘Transit wildlife
rescue camp’ is now op-
erationalatAsolaBhatti
Wildlife Sanctuary
. Ac-
cording to the officials,
the centre currently has
around 18 turtles of dif-
ferent species and a tor-
toise. Many of these spe-
cies come under Sched-
ule 1 of the Indian Wild-
life Protection Act, 1972,
which gives them simi-
lar legal protection en-
joyedbytigers.Thefacil-
ity has a pond with fish
in it, mounts where tur-
tles have started to bask
and a plan to rehabilitate
them or their progenies
at deeper reaches of the
sanctuary that seems
closest to their natural
habitat.
“
A pond has been cre-
ated to keep them close
to the natural habitat
and there is a separate
isolation area as well
with a smaller pond
where the turtles are
kept separately for 15
daysafterbeingrescued.
Duringisolation,theyare
examined to ensure that
they don’t have diseases.
After they are out of dis-
tress and deemed medi-
callyfit,theyareshiftedto
the permanent area with
abiggerpond,”aforestof-
ficial said. More water-
holes are being created
in the deeper, more
natural habitat, of the
sanctuary to shift these
turtles there shortly
.
cityfirstdel@gmail.com
New Year has come with new changes, and now researchers
can access digitised palm leaf manuscripts digitally at
Andhra University's Dr VS Krishna Library. The treasure trove
of etchings on 'Tala Patras' or palm leaves at the library in
Visakhapatnam is all set to be digitised. The 60,000 sq ft
library is a repository of lakhs of rare books and 2,663 palm
leaf manuscripts. The palm leaves enshrine ancient Indian
knowledge and culture, covering different disciplines.
RENAISSANCE REBORN
UTTKARSHA SHEKHAR
fashion brand 'Anjalee
Arjun' launched
their Bridal Collection
' Renaissance Reborn'
on Friday, in the coun-
try's capital. The brid-
al collection is the ulti-
mate Expression of Haute Cou-
ture Reflecting Characteristics
of the Renaissance. The design-
ers have carved a significant
name for them in the fashion
industry and have dressed a
range of luminaries/celebri-
ties including most of Bolly-
wood. The bridal styles at An-
jalee Arjun Kapoor are vi-
brant with deep tones while the
pre-bridal and gowns are in el-
egant pastels such as salmon
pink, peach powder, blue erin-
ite, green and mousy grey in
muted tones.
On asking Anjalee Arjun
Kapoor about the idea behind
the creation, she said The look
is contemporary, where Indian
techniques, embroideries and
textiles are used in modern
ways. The collection comprises
sumptuous lehengas, shararas,
concept sarees, and more in fab-
rics such as organza brocade,
tulle brocade, moonga silk bro-
cade and sheer silk, tulle, nov-
elty crinkle. The flamboyant
bridal artworks with a mix of
muted and deeper corals cou-
pled with 3D state-of-the-art em-
broidery drip elegance and
grandeur of The Era. The col-
our palette for the pre-bridals is
rather soft and understated
that uplifts the glamorous Pre-
bridal appeal. In a nutshell, it’s
a collection that reso-
nates with the mag-
nificence of the
Victorian Era.
Raga and Dhun
are back on stage!
A
MANUSCRIPTS!
Rescue And Rehabilitation!
A
T
Happy New Year
Happy New Year
agdeesh Chandra greeted the First
India family on the occasion of New
Year. He visited the First India News
channel office in the afternoon on
Saturday and First India newspaper office
on the same evening. A celebratory cake
was cut and sweets were shared with a
feeling of togetherness and bonhomie. The
Birthdays of the staff members which fell
in the months of November December
were also celebrated and Jagdeesh
Chandra handed over the gifts to them.
Jagdeesh Chandra with Senior Editor Sudhanshu Mathur First India News family at the channel office. Jagdeesh Chandra with Anita Hada, Kavita Pant and First India family at the Newspaper office.
J
Donnah Masih flaunting the outfit
Gunjan, Laxmi and Pooja
Models flaunting the Renaissance Reborn Lehengas
—FILE PHOTOS
—PHOTOS BY SANTOSH SHARMA

02012022 first india ahmedabad

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