02012022 first india new delhi

Pradhan underlines importance of reading among kids
First India Bureau
New Delhi: While launching
a 100 days reading campaign
‘Padhe Bharat’, Union Edu-
cation Minister Dharmendra
Pradhan on Saturday under-
lined the importance of read-
ing among children.
Pradhan said that the chil-
dren need to develop reading
habits to ensure continuous
and lifelong learning. He also
reinforced that the habit of
reading, if inculcated at an
early age, helps in brain de-
velopment and enhances im-
agination and provides a con-
ducive learning environment
for children.
The Union Minister em-
phasized that reading is the
foundation of learning,
which motivates students to
read books independently,
develops creativity, critical
thinking, vocabulary and
the ability to express
both verbally and in
writing. It helps chil-
dren to relate to
their surroundings
and real life
situations, he
added. Prad-
h a n
stressed on the need to create
a n enabling envi-
ronment in
which stu-
dents read for
pleasure and
d e v e l o p
t h e i r
skills
through a process that is en-
joyable and sustainable and
which remains with them
for life.
He shared names of the 5
books that I have picked to
begin reading. He encour-
aged everyone to adopt the
habit of reading books and
urged all to share what they
are reading along with sug-
gestions.
Padhe Bharat campaign
will focus on children study-
ing in Balvatika to Grade
8.The reading campaign
will be organized for 100
days (14 weeks) starting
from January 1 to April 10.
The reading campaign aims
to have participation of all
stakeholders at national and
state level including chil-
dren, teachers, parents, com-
munity
, educational adminis-
trators etc. One activity per
week per group has been de-
signed with the focus on
making reading enjoyable
and building lifelong associa-
tion with the joy of reading.
This campaign has also
been aligned with the vision
and goals of foundational
Literacy and Numeracy
mission.
PADHE BHARAT READING CAMPAIGN
NEW DELHI l SUNDAY, JANUARY 2, 2022 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI TITLE NO.DELENG/2021/19840 l Vol 1 l Issue No.124
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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
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
NEW DELHI
22,775
new cases
406
Omicron tally
2716
new cases
01
new fatalities
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 J&K 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. P3
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”. P3
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.
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. P3

CAPITOL
NEW DELHI | SUNDAY, JANUARY 2, 2022
02
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New Delhi: IIT Delhi,
Jamia Milia Islamia, In-
dian Medical Associa-
tion and Nehru Memori-
al Museum and Library
are among nearly 6,000
entities whose FCRA reg-
istration deemed to have
ceased on Saturday.
These entities either
did not apply for renewal
of their FCRA licence or
the Union Home Minis-
try rejected their applica-
tions, officials said.
According to the offi-
cial website related to the
Foreign Contribution
(Regulation) Act, among
organisations and enti-
ties whose registration
under the FCRA ceased
or validity expired in-
clude the Indira Gandhi
National Centre For
Arts, Indian Institute Of
Public Administration,
Lal Bahadur Shastri Me-
morial Foundation, Lady
Shri Ram College for
Women, Delhi College of
Engineering and Oxfam
India. The officials of the
Union Home Ministry,
which regulates the ac-
tivities of the NGOs and
associates registered un-
der the FCRA, said that
registration under the
act is deemed to have
ceased on Saturday.
The FCRA registra-
tion is mandatory for any
association and NGO to
receive foreign funding.
There were 22,762
FCRA-registered NGOs
till Friday. On Saturday,
it came down to 16,829 as
5,933 NGOs ceased to op-
erate. Among those or-
ganisations whose FCRA
registration ceased were
Medical Council of In-
dia, Emmanuel Hospital
Association, which runs
over a dozen hospitals
across India, Tubercolo-
sis Association Of India,
Vishwa Dharamayatan,
Maharishi Ayurveda
Pratishthan, National
Federation Of Fisher-
men's Cooperatives Ltd.
The Hamdard Educa-
tion Society, Delhi School
Of Social Work Society,
Bhartiya Sanskriti Pari-
shad, DAV College Trust
and Management Socie-
ty, India Islamic Cultural
Centre, Godrej Memorial
Trust, The Delhi Public
School Society, Nuclear
Science Centre in JNU,
India Habitat Centre,
Lady Shri Ram College
for Women, Delhi Col-
lege of Engineering and
All India Marwari Yuva
Manch are also among
these entities. —PTI
Without FCRA licence, no foreign funding for 6,000 entities
IIT-DELHI
IIT-D —FILE PHOTO
New Delhi: A man was
arrested on Friday for al-
legedly killing his wife in
central Delhi’s Chandni
Mahal area over suspi-
cion that she was in an
illicit relationship with
another person, police
said.The accused has
been identified as Abdul
Rehman, they said.
Police received a call
regarding a woman lying
unconscious in a pool of
blood in Chandni Mahal
area. After reaching the
spot, they found Seema
(32) there, a senior po-
lice officer said. During
inquiry, it was found that
Seema and her husband
quarrelled frequently.
New Delhi: Four
people were arrested
for allegedly stealing
over `1 lakh from
an office of a money
transfer company in
south Delhi’s Maidan
Garhi area. The of-
ficer was confined by
three men, who were
wearing helmets, and
they stole `1,15,000,
police said. CCTV
camera footage was
examined and it
was found that the
three men were on a
motorcycle, and while
the rear number plate
was tampered with a
tape, a senior police
officer said.
MAN HELD FOR
KILLING WIFE OVER
ADULTERY
4 HELD FOR
STEALING OVER
`1 LAKH
CRUCIAL READ
New Delhi: The Delhi Police has apprehended a juve-
nile with the help of a civil services aspirant for allegedly
robbing mobile phones, officials said on Friday. Police
said that on Wednesday
around 10 pm, a robbery
incident was reported at
Bhajanpura police station
where two persons on a
motorcycle robbed a mobile
phone. Around 11.30 pm, the PCR staff saw a person
on a scooter chasing a motorcycle. Later, he hit the bike
with his scooter from behind. The motorcycle slipped
and both the persons started running in different direc-
tions, Deputy Commissioner of Police (northeast) San-
jay Kumar Sain said. He said one was apprehended by
the police with the help of the person riding the scooter.
DELHI POLICE APPREHENDS JUVENILE FOR
MOBILE PHONE ROBBERY
600 challans
issued for traffic
violations
CM CONDOLES
STAMPEDE
DEATHS
New Delhi: Over
600 people were
fined by the
Delhi Police on New
Year’s eve for viola-
tions such as drunk
and dangerous
driving, officials
said on Saturday.
Thirty-six challans
were issued for
drunk driving, 103
for dangerous driv-
ing, 370 for driving
without helmet, 48
for triple riding and
100 for other viola-
tions, according to
police. The total
number of chal-
lans issued is 657,
they said. Last year,
police had issued
1,336 challans more
than double than
this year. —PTI
New Delhi: Delhi
Chief Minister Arvind
Kejriwal expressed
grief over the loss of
lives in a stampede
at the Vaishno Devi
shrine in Jammu,
and prayed for
speedy recovery
of the injured. At
least 12 people died
and over a dozen
were injured in the
stampede triggered
by a heavy rush of
devotees. “Extremely
sorry to know about
this incident at
Mata Vaishno Devi
temple premises. My
sympathies to kin of
the dead,” Kejriwal
tweeted.
New Delhi: Delhi
Health Minister Saty-
endar Jain on Satur-
day said whether fur-
ther Covid-related re-
strictions need to be
imposed in the nation-
al capital will be re-
viewed as hospital ad-
missions are less, de-
spite a rapid rise in
coronavirus cases.
According to data
shared by the health de-
partment on Friday,
Delhi reported 1,796
coronavirus cases with
a positivity rate of 2.44
per cent and zero death.
“The virus is spread-
ing fast. But the good
part is that there are no
serious cases. Be it any
variant, Omicron or
Delta, the way it can be
prevented and treated
remains the same. Peo-
ple should step out
whenever necessary
and wear a mask,” Jain
told reporters.
The Delhi Disaster
Management Authority
(DDMA)hadonWednes-
day decided that Covid-
related restrictions im-
posed in Delhi under
the ‘yellow alert’
would continue for the
time being and authori-
ties would monitor the
situation for a while be-
fore deciding on fresh
curbs.
“We have put the re-
strictions in place. In
other states, only night
curfew has been im-
posed. But in Delhi, we
have shut down schools,
multiplexes, etc. In
April and May when the
second (Covid) wave
had hit Delhi, a large
chunk of people were
getting admitted. But
currently the hospitali-
sations are less. Fur-
ther restrictions will be
reviewed,” Jain said.
On Tuesday, the
DDMA had declared a
‘yellow alert’ under the
Graded Response Ac-
tion Plan (GRAP) in the
city amid a spike in
cases following the
emergence of the Omi-
cron variant.
The alert entails re-
strictions like night
curfew, closure of
schools and colleges,
opening of shops sell-
ing non-essential items
on an odd-even basis
and halved seating ca-
pacity in Metro trains
and buses, among other
things.
The GRAP is based
on positivity rate (on
two consecutive days),
cumulative number of
new cases (over a week)
and average oxygenat-
ed-bed occupancy (for a
week) for designated
four levels of alerts.
After the ‘yellow
alert’, further restric-
tions are imposed at ad-
vanced stages of ‘am-
ber’, ‘orange’ and ‘red’
with a higher number
of new cases and hospi-
talisations.
Earlier this week,
Jain had said that Omi-
cron is gradually
spreading in the com-
munity and the new,
fast-spreading variant
of concern has been
found in 54 per cent of
the latest samples ana-
lysed in Delhi. —PTI
DELHI MINISTER ORDERS INQUIRY FOR
SEALING OF RAJAN BABU TB HOSPITAL
New Delhi: Delhi Urban Development
Minister Satyendar Jain has ordered an
inquiry for vacation and sealing of Ra-
jan Babu TB Hospital after it emerged
that the building might collapse any
time. AAP MLA Atishi had made a sur-
prise visit to the north MCD-run hospi-
tal and her party live-streamed
it on social media to show
that patients are
being treated at a
dilapidated block
on the prem-
ises, even as the
civic body has
declared it “dan-
gerous”. Later, Leader of Opposition in the
North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC)
Vikas Goel, who accompanied Atishi on the
visit, filed a complaint at the Mukherjee Na-
gar police station.On Saturday, Jain ordered
an immediate inquiry.“It has been brought
to my notice that building of Rajan Babu TB
Hospital run by North MCD is in dilapidated
state. The MCD itself has declared the
building as unsafe for human habitation and
living. In spite of that, the hospital is being
run and life of patients, attendants, staff and
citizens is being put in danger. It seems the
building may collapse any time and lot many
lives are in danger,” read the order issued by
the minister on December 31. —PTI
DELHI CAN VACCINATE
THREE LAKH CHILDREN
EVERY DAY: MINISTER
DELHIWATCHFUL
Will impose more curbs if needed, says Jain
New Delhi: Delhi has
the capacity to vac-
cinate 3 lakh children
falling in the age group
of 15 to 18 years every
day, said Delhi Health
Minister Satyendar
Jain on Saturday.
He further added
that on Friday
Delhi recorded 1,796
COVID-19 and the
positivity rate was 2.44
per cent. “The good
thing is that there was
not even a single death
yesterday”, said Jain.
Regarding the figures
of Omicron in the
total COVID-19 cases,
Satyendar Jain said
that till two days ago,
there was 54 per cent
Omicron among the
total cases. “Today if
after the data comes
we will know how
much it has increased.
But of course, Omicron
continues to grow”,
added the Health
Minister.Now the
registration has started
on COWIN for the
vaccination of children.
Satyendra Jain said,
“We are fully prepared.
The Delhi government
has prepared about
1,000 centres and
we have the capacity
to administer 3 lakh
vaccines every day.
Right now about one
and a half lakh doses
of vaccine are being
administered every
day and if needed,
we can increase it.
No matter how many
children are there, we
have preparations to
vaccinate everyone in
seven to 10 days. The
government has also
trained health workers
for the vaccination of
children.”
The Delhi health minis-
ter said, “No patient of
Omicron is serious yet.
People are also coming
from outside, their RT-
PCR test is done at the
airport. Those who are
found positive are kept
in Institutional Quaran-
tine. A five-star hotel
has also been arranged
for such people. The
Delhi Government has
made arrangements for
them at Pet Quarantine
and at the Red Fox Ho-
tel near the airport. For
the rest, arrangements
have been made in
the Quarantine Center.
There is a system of
both paid and free
quarantine.”
On the question of
strictness amid rising
COVID-19 cases, Saty-
endra Jain said, “Many
restrictions have been
imposed in Delhi.
There is no restriction
except night curfew
in any state in the
country, while schools,
colleges, cinema halls,
banquet halls are all
closed in Delhi.” —PTI
Reproductive choice a
personal liberty: HC
New Delhi: The Delhi
High Court has permit-
ted a 28-week pregnant
woman to undergo med-
ical termination of
pregnancy on account
of substantial foetal ab-
normality and said that
reproductive choice is a
dimension of personal
liberty which is en-
shrined in Article 21 of
the Constitution.
Justice Jyoti Singh,
while allowing the wom-
an’s plea to undergo the
procedure, stated that
allowing the pregnancy
to continue would have
a deleterious impact on
the petitioner’s mental
health and she cannot
be deprived of the free-
dom to take a decision
to continue or not to
continue with the preg-
nancy in view the medi-
cal board’s opinion.
The judge observed
that the lack of compat-
ibility of the foetus with
a healthy and normal
life was “looming large”
as in view of the medi-
cal experts, the child
would require cardiac
surgery in the initial
stage of life . —PTI
Man posts private
pics of woman on
social media, held
New Delhi: A 33-year-old
man was arrested for al-
legedly posting private
pictures of a woman on
social media. The ac-
cused has been identified
as Rajesh Singh Suman,
a resident of Aligarh in
Uttar Pradesh, police
said. According to po-
lice, a woman lodged a
complaint at the Dwarka
South Police Station al-
leging that Suman was
stalking, blackmailing
and threatening her.
She said that she came
in contact with the ac-
cused through a matri-
monial website, met him
a couple of times and
later shared her private
photographs with him.
NEW YEAR CHILL
People stand around a bonfire to keep themselves warm on a cold winter morning in New
Delhi on Saturday. —PHOTO BY ANI

INDIA
03
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
govt will provide free
and personalised online
yogaclassestoCOVID-19
patients in home isola-
tiontoboosttheirimmu-
nity, Deputy Chief
Minister Manish Siso-
dia said on Saturday
.
This comes weeks af-
ter the Delhi govern-
ment launched the
‘Dilli Ki Yogshala’ pro-
gramme to help the
city residents practise
yoga regularly under
the guidance of trained
teachers.
Dy CM Sisodia said
as soon as a COVID-19
case will be reported,
the patient will receive
an SMS from the Delhi
government with a
link to register for a
yoga class. Each class
will have about 25-35
people who will be
taught by trained yoga
instructors.
“The number of Cov-
id patients is rising in
Delhi, but they are
mostly asymptomatic
and are being advised to
stay in home isolation.
Along with medical
treatment, we will help
them boost their immu-
nity through online
yoga sessions,” he said
during an interaction
with yoga instructors
of ‘Dilli Ki Yogshala’.
According to an offi-
cial statement, the dep-
uty chief minister said
the slots for online
classes will be released
soon and directed offi-
cials to prepare a plan
of action.
People can choose
their slot and they will
be able to attend class-
es as per their conveni-
ence. Under the pilot
project of ‘Dilli Ki Yo-
gashala’, yoga teachers
are already conducting
classes at 65 places
across the national
capital.
Currently, 61 yoga
instructors trained by
the Delhi Pharmaceu-
tical Sciences and Re-
search University (DP-
SRU) are conducting
sessions under ‘Dilli Ki
Yogshala’. The yoga in-
structors told Sisodia
that ‘Dilli Ki Yogshala’
has given an opportu-
nity to a large number
of housewives to learn
yoga, with most attend-
ing classes during the
afternoon, when they
are free. —PTI
Free online Yoga for Covid patients in home isolation
‘DILLI KI YOGSHALA’
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 Rs 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, 4
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

PERSPECTIVE
04
Vol 1 Issue No. 124
RNI TITLE NO. DELENG/2021/19840
Printed and published by
Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of
First Express Publishers. Printed at
Impressions Printing and Packaging
Limited, C-21, 22 Sector-59,
Noida-201301. Published at G-20,
3rd Floor, 309, Preet Vihar, New
Delhi-110092. Phone 011-49846474.
Editor-In-Chief: Jagdeesh Chandra.
Editor: Sharat K Verma
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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INDIA
05
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
DELIMITATION PANEL
VISIT: JK POLICE
LIFTS HOUSE ARREST
OF 3 FORMER CMs
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 earth-
quake of 5.3 magnitude
rocked parts of Pakistan
on Saturday evening, lo-
cal media citing Pakistan
Meteorological Depart-
ment (PMD). Tremors
were felt in areas rang-
ing from Swat, Pesha-
war, Lower Dir, Swabi,
Nowshera, Islamabad
and its surroundings,
DawnNewsTV reported.
Meanwhile, an earth-
quake measuring 5.1
on the Richter scale hit
Afghanistan-Tajikstan
border today, as per the
National Centre for Seis-
mology. 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.
Srinagar: JK police of-
ficials on Saturday even-
ing ended the day-long
house arrest of three
former CMs - National
Conference’s Farooq and
Omar Abdullah, and the
PDP’s Mehbooba Mufti
- meant to stop them
from leading a protest
against delimitation
commission. High-se-
curity Gupkar Road area
in Srinagar - which is
where all three live - was
sealed for the day with
trucks parked outside
their houses to stop
them, or anyone else
from leaving or entering.
Parties in JK have al-
lege gerrymandering to
favour BJP in Jammu.
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 Anant-
nag encounter on Dec
30 last year was likely to
be last surviving militant
involved in Lethpora ter-
ror attack of 2019. Police
quoted Vijay Kumar, IG
Kashmir Zone, in its tweet saying, “The picture
of one of the killed #Millitants in #AnantnagEn-
counter 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
06
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

07
NEWS
Party’s four-member committee has already reached out to more than 80 Brahmin organisations with strong outreach
UP ELECTIONS: BJP SETS 25-DAY TARGET
TO REACH OUT TO BRAHMIN VOTERS
New Delhi: Eying the
upcoming assembly
polls in Uttar Pradesh
this year, the four-mem-
ber committee consti-
tuted by the Bharatiya
Janata Party on Decem-
ber 26 to woo Brahmin
voters of the state with-
in a target of 25 days,
has reached out to more
than 80 Brahmin organ-
izations that have a
strong outreach in their
regions, according to
the sources.
The BJP had consti-
tuted a 4-member com-
mittee on December 26,
2021. The committee
chaired by former Un-
ion Minister Shiv
Pratap Shukla compris-
es members Mahesh
Sharma, Abhijat
Mishra, and Ram Bhai
Morakiya. The commit-
tee has begun its work.
The first meeting was
held in Lucknow. The
second meeting is
scheduled to take place
on January 4, said the
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.
The BJP has set a tar-
get of 25 days to cater to
its Brahmin voters. The
list of all the assembly
constituencies of Uttar
Pradesh has been pre-
pared and on the basis
of which, work will be
done in all the areas.
Besides the 80 organ-
izations that the party
has reached out to so
far, it is yet to reach six
more organizations
that have strong out-
reach in their commu-
nity. According to the
party sources, from
January 6, BJP will pri-
oritize those assembly
constituencies where
BJP does not have a
Brahmin candidate to
inform the people about
what all it has done for
the community since
these constituencies do
not have a Brahmin
face to spread aware-
ness about the party’s
initiatives towards the
community
.
Speaking to ANI, a
committee member, Ab-
hijat Mishra, claiming
that the majority of the
people are satisfied
with the work done by
the government, said
that the party would
reach out to the dissat-
isfied voters “to end
their displeasure”.
“We have to tell the
people about our
achievements. The ma-
jority of the people are
happy with the work
done by the BJP govern-
ment. There may be a
possibility that some of
them are not pleased,
the party will reach out
to all the Brahmin vot-
ers to end their dis-
pleasure,” he said. —ANI
Dehradun: Uttara-
khand Chief Minister
Pushkar Singh Dhami
launched a Free Mobile
Tablet scheme for stu-
dents here on Saturday
.
About 2,65,000 stu-
dents of Class 10 and 12
of degree colleges and
state schools will get
benefit from this
scheme, as per govern-
ment data.
The state govern-
ment official said that
Rs 12,000 was given by
the DBT for buying mo-
bile tablets to class 10
and 12 students of state
government schools.
Chief Minister Shri
Pushkar Singh Dhami
distributed free tablets
to 100 girl students of
the Government Girls
Inter College of Dehra-
dun’s Rajpur Road. On
Saturday, this pro-
gramme was organised
in all the 70 Vidhan Sab-
has of the state.
The Chief Minister
also announced that an
auditorium would be
built at Government
Girls Inter College, Ra-
jpur Road.
The DBT has already
transferred funds to 1
lakh 59,000 students of
class 10 and 12 of gov-
ernment schools for
buying the tablet.
Chief Minister Push-
kar Singh Dhami said,
“During the Corona pe-
riod, children had to
face lots of difficulties
in taking online classes.
Keeping in mind the
problems that the chil-
dren faced, tablets are
being given to them by
the government.”
He said that all pos-
sible efforts are being
made by the state gov-
ernment for the qualita-
tive improvement of
education in the state.
“Virtual classes are
being run in 500
schools of the state un-
der digital learning.
These services will
soon be started in 600
other schools also.
1,418 smart classes are
being set up in 709 gov-
ernment schools of the
state, this work will be
completed by January
15, 2022,” the chief
minister added. —ANI
CM Dhami launches Free Mobile Tablet scheme in Uttarakhand
CONNECTING STUDENTS
About 2,65,000 students of Class 10
and 12 of degree colleges and schools
in the state will get benefitted
REASON GIVEN
TARGETED APPROACH
BJP DEPLOYS 165 PARTY
WORKERS FROM GUJARAT
First India Bureau
Lucknow: With the
Uttar Pradesh assem-
bly 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 Gujarat has
been deployed to
reach out to the vot-
ers of the Awadh re-
gion 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 added that they
will help uproot Con-
gress interim presi-
dent Sonia Gandhi in
her bastion of Rae
Bareli in the 2024
general elections.
“This time 82 seats
out of 82 of Awadh
region have to be
won. We have been
assigned the respon-
sibility of Awadh.
The rest of the re-
gions will be as-
signed to workers of
other states. We will
reside here until the
elections are over. We
will live in our re-
spective districts and
assemblies,” one par-
ty worker from Guja-
rat said.
The four-member
committee constitut-
ed by the BJP on De-
cember 26 to woo
Brahmin voters of
the state within a tar-
get of 25 days, has
reached out to more
than 80 Brahmin or-
ganizations that have
a strong outreach in
their regions, accord-
ing to sources.
Aim to ‘uproot’
Sonia Gandhi from
Rae Bareli in 2024
general elections
‘OPPN SPREADING CONFUSION’
MANDAVIYA VISITS RT-PCR
TEST CENTRE IN AHMEDABAD
THE COMMITTEE AND TARGET
 The BJP had consti-
tuted a four-member
committee on Decem-
ber 26 last
 The committee has
begun its work. The
first meeting was held
in Lucknow.
Abhijat Mishra, a member of the BJP committee, hit
out at the Opposition for “spreading confusion among
the Brahmin community about them being displeased
with the government and said that it is an environ-
ment created by them. “The Opposition spread a lot of
negativity and confusion. They spread the misinforma-
tion that the Brahmin community is displeased with
the BJP and has united against our party to defeat us.
This is an environment created by them,” he said. Ut-
tar Pradesh is slated to go to the Assembly polls early
this year.
We have to tell the people about our
(BJP) achievements. The majority of
the people are happy with the work
done by the BJP government.
—ABHIJAT MISHRA, BJP Committee Member
New Year‘restrictions’ fail
to curb mass gatherings
First India Bureau
Vadodara/Rajkot/Mo-
dasa: The authorities
may have put strict re-
strictions on mass gath-
erings on December 31
in place to curb the ris-
ing tide of COVID-19
cases, but this did not
stop several revellers
from getting into all
kinds of trouble on New
Year’s Eve.
The Kuvadva Police
in Rajkot arrested at
least four people over a
New Year’s Eve party at
the Marwadi College on
Morvi road, which was
attended by about 1,000
students in blatant vio-
lation of COVID-19
guidelines like social
distancing and mask-
wearing. The police
said no permission was
taken for either the par-
ty or the music pro-
gramme.
In Aravalli, police
raided a hotel room be-
hind a petrol pump in
Aniyor village and ar-
rested four people, in-
cluding two deputy
mamlatdars, under the
Prohibition Act.
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Amid the
rising cases of Omicron
variant of coronavirus,
Union Health Minister
Mansukh Mandaviya
visited the RT-PCR
screening centre at the
Ahmedabad interna-
tional airport in Gujarat
and interacted with pas-
sengers and officials.
India has mandated
additional measures,
including testing, for the
passengers arriving at
airports from “at-risk”
countries. A facility has
also been set up at the
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
International Airport. As
per the airport authori-
ties, the facility with a
waiting area sufficient
for 220 passengers, 17
registration counters,
eight sampling booths
has been set up for
such passengers. “Dur-
ing my Gujarat visit, I
took stock of the RT-
PCR screening centre at
the Sardar Vallabhbhai
Patel International Air-
port and interacted with
the passengers,” the
Union Minister tweeted.
Khattar orders stations to check water pollution
First India Bureau
Chandigarh: Haryana
Chief Minister Mano-
har Lal Khattar has di-
rected the officers to set
up online water quality
monitoring stations at
the district boundaries,
so that real time data of
pollution in rivers can
be tracked. Along with
this, directions have
also been given to pre-
pare a detailed report
from the year 2015 to
2021, so that the actual
status of pollution in
rivers can be known
and measures to be tak-
en to deal with it can be
assessed.
Khattar was presid-
ing over the review
meeting of the State
Pollution Control Board
here.He said that dis-
trict wise plans should
be made to eliminate
pollution in rivers and
samples of rivers
should be collected at
the entry and exit
points of every district
from where Ghaggar
and Yamuna rivers flow
so that according to
each district report, ad-
equate measures can be
taken accordingly
.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Army soldiers holding Tricolor climb to wish new year to countrymen from a forward location along the Line of Control, in
Kupwara on Saturday. —PHOTO BY ANI
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami hands over a tablet to a school student.
Haryana CM Khattar presides over a PCB meeting.
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya takes stock at the
RT-PCR screening centre at the Ahmedabad airport.
Uttar Pradesh is slated to go to the Assembly elections early this year.
`347 cr ‘fake
billing scam’
found; 1 held
government’s GST de-
partment on Saturday
unearthed a 347-crore
“fake billing scam” in-
volving 11 firms and
one person was arrest-
ed in connection with
it, according to an offi-
cial statement.
“The firms were en-
gaged in circular trad-
ing and issuing fake
bills to claim fraudu-
lent input tax credit to
evade taxes,” the state-
ment said.
The arrested person
has been identified as
Mayank Jain. —PTI

08
2NDFRONT
New Delhi: Director
General of India Mete-
orological Department
(IMD) Mrutyunjay Mo-
hapatra on Saturday
said that under the in-
fluence of an active
western disturbance
approaching north-
west India, there could
be rainfall or snowfall
at most places over the
western Himalayan re-
gion like Jammu and
Kashmir, Ladakh,
Himachal Pradesh and
Uttarakhand between
January 4 and 7.
“A western distur-
bance is impacting
Jammu and Kashmir,
Ladakh, region. Under
its influence, we are ex-
pecting scattered rain-
fall or snowfall over the
region in the next 48
hours. From January 4,
an active western dis-
turbance will approach
northwest India. Under
its influence from Janu-
ary 4-7, there could be
rainfall or snowfall at
most places over the
western Himalayan re-
gion like J-K, Ladakh,
Himachal Pradesh and
Uttarakhand. It will
cause light to moderate
rain or thundershower
over plains of north-
west India including
Rajasthan, Punjab, Har-
yana, Chandigarh, Del-
hi, west Uttar Pradesh,
and Madhya Pradesh,”
Mohapatra told ANI. He
further informed that
this western distur-
bance will move east-
wards and its intensity
will decrease but rain-
fall activity will expand
towards eastern India.
“As the western dis-
turbance approaches
north east India, the
temperature rises.
Therefore, the cold
wave conditions that we
are experiencing in
some places over north-
west India, will gradu-
ally abate. From Janu-
ary 4, the temperature
in the planes of the
country will be normal
or above normal,” the
IMD official said. —ANI
First India Bureau
Lakshadweep: Laud-
ing Lakshadweep for
ban on single use plastic
and shifting towards
greenenergy
,VicePresi-
dent M Venkaiah Naidu
on Saturday said that
the Union Territory
shouldbecomerolemod-
el in eco-tourism and
sustainable fisheries.
On this occasion,
Naid inaugurated two
Colleges of Arts Sci-
ences in Kadmat and
Androth islands on his
first State visit to the UT
of Lakshadweep.
The Vice President,
who is on a two-day tour
of the Union Territory
(UT) of Lakshadweep,
was received by the
UT’s Administrator,
Praful Patel, and was ac-
corded a guard of hon-
our on his arrival on
Friday
.
Addressing the gath-
ering at Kadmat island
on Saturday, Naidu ex-
pressed happiness
about his first official
visit to the islands as
the Vice President of
India. He said that Lak-
shadweep boasts of a
‘unique confluence of
ancient cultural herit-
age and pristine natural
beauty’ and that he was
humbled by the hospi-
tality of the people.
Naidu lauded the re-
solve of the people and
administration of Lak-
shadweep for enforcing
the complete ban on sin-
gle use plastic on the
islands. He also appreci-
ated the fact that islands
are moving towards 100
per cent shift to green
energy in a span of two
years. He called for a
people’s movement for
continuing the high
cleanliness standards
of the island under the
‘Swachh Lakshadweep’
programme.
Referring to tourism
and fisheries as the
great strengths of Lak-
shadweep, Naidu said
islands should aspire to
become the role model
for the country in eco-
tourism and sustaina-
ble fisheries, without
risking its fragile and
sensitive biodiversity.
He noted various initia-
tives such as submarine
optical fibre connectiv-
ity, expansion of air-
ports, strengthening of
infrastructure and plan
to introduce water vil-
las on some islands as
laudable efforts.
New Delhi: Nearly 5.89
crore Income Tax Re-
turns (ITRs) have been
filed till December 31,
2021, the extended due
date for ITRs for the fi-
nancial year 2020-21, the
government data
showed on Saturday
.
More than 46.11 lakh
ITRs were filed on a sin-
gle day on December 31.
Out of 5.89 crore ITRs
filed for the assessment
year 2021-22 (the finan-
cial year 2020-21) as on
December 31, 49.6 per
cent of these are ITR1
(2.92 crore), 9.3 per cent
are ITR2 (54.8 lakh),
12.1 per cent are ITR3
(71.05 lakh), 27.2 per
cent are ITR4 (1.60
crore), 1.3 per cent are
ITR5 (7.66 lakh), ITR6
(2.58 lakh) and ITR7
(0.67 lakh).
“Over 45.7 per cent of
these ITRs have been
filed using the online
ITR form on the portal
and the balance have
been uploaded using
the ITR created from
the offline software util-
ities,” the Finance Min-
istry said in a state-
ment.
In comparison, as on
January 10, 2021 (the ex-
tended due date for
ITRs for AY 2020-21), the
total number of ITRs
filed was 5.95 crore with
31.05 lakh ITRs filed on
the last day ie on 10th
January 2021 as against
over 46.11 lakh ITRs
filed on the last day this
year.
“The Department
gratefully acknowledg-
es the contribution of
the taxpayers, Tax
Practitioners, Tax Pro-
fessionals and others
who have made this
possible. We reiterate
our resolve to work tire-
lessly to ensure a
smooth stable taxpay-
er service experience to
all,” the Income Tax
Department said. —ANI
Western Himalayan region to receive rainfall,
snowfall between January 4 to 7: IMD DG
Build a brand name for UT
Lakshadweep, says VP Naidu
VP Naidu delivers his speech after inaugurating 2 Colleges of Arts
Sciences in Kadmat and Androth in Lakshadweep, on Saturday.






NAIDUSPEAK
Nearly 5.89 crore Income Tax
returns filed till December 31
Punjab guv working under
BJP’s pressure, says Channi
Mahesh Kumar
Chandigarh: Blam-
ing the Punjab Gover-
nor for deliberate and
inordinate delay in
clearing the file re-
garding regulariza-
tion of the services of
contractual employ-
ees, Punjab Chief
Minister Charanjit
Singh Channi on Sat-
urday said that Gover-
nor being the Consti-
tutional head of the
state was functioning
under the political
pressure of BJP in
wake of forthcoming
assembly polls.
Channi said that the
Chief Secretary and
even he had personal-
ly met Governor to get
this file cleared adding
that earlier he thought
Governor might be
busy elsewhere but
now it is crystal clear
that he was unneces-
sarily sitting over the
file. He said several
employees are anx-
iously waiting for
their services to be
regularized.
The Punjab Chief
Minister said that the
state government has
already got this legis-
lation passed in the
special session of Pun-
jab Vidhan Sabha af-
ter thoroughly worked
out all the modalities
to pave a way for the
regularization of
these contractual em-
ployees with utmost
care and caution.
PUNJAB’S
ELECTION
TURMOIL AT AN
INTERESTING
JUNCTURE!
The election turmoil
in Punjab has
reached an interesting
point. On one hand, the
electoralbattleinPunjab
was hinting towards
fierce multi-cornered
fight, now 22 out of 32 or-
ganisations involved in
the farmers’ movement
have formed a new party
SKMandwillfieldcandi-
dates in polls here. Some
organisations are com-
pletely right-wing who
have support of JatSikh
‘ Land Lords’ there. Be-
fore this united front
took shape, its leader
Balbir Singh Rajewal
had held several rounds
of talks with Kejriwal.
Kejri agreed to make Ra-
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 Raw- a t .
Now it is be-
ing heard
that Pri-
yanka
h a s
prepared 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 bil-
lionaire
owner of a
w e l l - k n o w n
pan masala
brand, which is
represented 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
chartered flight. All
these guests were ac-
commodated in Par-
is’s expensive five-star
Hotel Four Seasons
George V and the
Prince de Gaulle Mar-
riott. Sources claim
that at least Rs 600 to
700 crore were spent
on this wedding cere-
mony in cryptic lan-
guage. The set of Hol-
lywood’s famous film
‘Avatar’ was made for
the entire wedding cer-
emony. 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 Anwar, he
dashed Shakeel’s inten-
tions by saying that
‘There are already 4
Muslim sec-
retaries
in the
All In-
d i a
C o n -
gress or-
g a n i z a -
tion,’.
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
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

NEW DELHI, 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
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
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
cityfirst@firstindia.co.in
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

02012022 first india new delhi

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