02032022 first india ahmedabad-1

CM Patel performs Maha Shivrarti aarti at Sursagar Lake
First India Bureau
Vadodara: Chief Min-
ister Bhupendra Pa-
tel performed the
maha aarti at the
111-feet tall Sarvesh-
war Mahadev statue
in the middle of Sur-
sagar Lake in Va-
dodara to mark Maha
Shivratri on Tuesday.
The structure, which
is being covered in
gold, will be complet-
ed by 2023. A grand
procession common-
ly known as ‘Shivji
Ki Savari’ was also
taken out in the city.
Extending warm
wishes for the festival,
CM Patel said, “I
prayed to Lord Shiva
and asked that peace be
maintained in the
whole world. I also
wished that Prime Min-
ister Narendra Modi’s
efforts to bring Indians
safe from war-torn
Ukraine are success-
ful.” Referring to the
glory of Maha
Shivratri, he added,
“This is the day when
knowledge is manifest-
ed in the whole uni-
verse. Lord Shiva him-
self is the epitome of
knowledge.”
He thanked MLA
Yogesh Patel and
Satyam Shivam
Sundaram Samiti for
continuing the maha
aarti tradition. The
event was also at-
tended by state Rev-
enue Minister Rajen-
dra Trivedi, Minister
for Women and Child
Welfare Manisha Va-
kil, Minister of State
Vinubhai Mordia,
Vadodara Mayor
Keyur Rokadia,
among others.
SEEKING DIVINE INTERVENTION
CM performing the maha aarti.
Prays for safe return of Indians
trapped in Ukraine and extends
best wishes to people of Gujarat
YOUTH DIES AT AARTI
AHMEDABAD l WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2, 2022 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/79050 l Vol 3 l Issue No. 96
OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR, AHMEDABAD, LUCKNOW & NEW DELHI www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
Bengaluru: A case has been registered against the
administrator of a Facebook page ‘Mangalore Muslims’
and another person who had posted against one of the
three judges of the Karnataka High Court hearing the
hijab case.
HIJAB ROW:
REMARK AGAINST
JUDGE, FB PAGE
ADMIN BOOKED
Guwahati: The Assam government on Tuesday said it
has extended the controversial Armed Forces (Special
Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA) in the entire state for six
more months with effect from February 28.
CONTROVERSIAL
AFSPA EXTENDED
IN ASSAM FOR 6
MORE MONTHS
Gurugram (PTI): The
Gurgaon police on
Tuesday launched a
search operation after
receiving information
about the presence of
explosives and ammu-
nition in an unoccupied
house in Sector 31 in
Gurugram, officials
said. The search re-
vealed two grenades, 15
practice grenades, long-
range cartridges. Sur-
prisingly, the ammuni-
tion was found just me-
ters away from a CNG
petrol pump where
three men were hacked
to death on Monday
.
One of the grenade
was diffused in a con-
trolled explosion in a
deep trench near the
house.
Gurugram: Explosives
found in empty house
ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS
Cong looted Manipur,
derailed devp works,
charges PM Modi
New Delhi (PTI):
Prime Minister Naren-
dra Modi on Tuesday
slammed Congress for
“looting” Manipur and
not working for its de-
velopment.
PM also announced
that an AIIMS centre
would be set up in Ma-
nipur while the BJP
government will take
up work for the develop-
ment of sports infra-
structure and Startups.
Addressing a virtual
rally in Manipur, PM
Modi said, “Congress
did not work for the de-
velopment of Manipur
and encouraged separa-
tism. The people of Ma-
nipur have to be aware
of this. This is destroy-
ing their plans of di-
vide and rule.”
BJP leaders stay
among the Manipuri
people and work with
them for their growth.
PM Modi addresses a virtual rally for the second phase of
Manipur polls, in New Delhi on Tuesday. —PHOTO BY ANI
Police bomb squad at Sec 31,
Gurugram.
CONG COULDN’T
BRING AIIMS TO
MANIPUR: SHAH
Thoubal: Union
Home Minister
and senior BJP
leader Amit Shah on
Tuesday took a jibe
at Congress saying
that the party could
not bring an AIIMS
to Manipur in its 15
years of governance.
Shah said that BJP
has announced to
build an AIIMS as
soon as the Bharatiya
Janata Party forms
the government again
in the state.
IN THE GRIP OF FESTIVE FERVOUR
Hindu Devotees take part in ‘Palki Yatra’ of Lord Shiva, on the occasion of ‘Maha Shivratri’
at Kantareshwar Mahadev Mandir, in Surat on Tuesday —PHOTO BY PTI
FIRST INDIAN CASUALTY IN
BATTLE-SCARRED UKRAINE
21-yr-old medical student, Naveen Shekharappa Gyanagoudar from K’taka, dies in Russian Shelling
New Delhi (Agencies):
A twenty-one year old
Indian, studying as
fourth-year medical stu-
dent at the Kharkiv Na-
tional Medical Universi-
ty
,waskilledinUkraine’s
Kharkiv on Tuesday
morning in shelling as
the war between Russia
andUkrainereachedbig
cities’ streets.
The Indian student
has been identified as
Naveen Shekharappa
Gyanagoudar, a native
of from Karnataka. In-
dia’s Ministry of Exter-
nal Affairs spokesper-
son Arindam Bagchi
said, “With profound
sorrow we confirm that
an Indian student lost
his life in shelling in
Kharkiv this morning.
The Ministry is in
touch with his family.
We convey our deepest
condolences to the fam-
ily.” India’s foreign sec-
retary Harsh Vardhan
Shringla is calling in
Ambassadors of Russia
and Ukraine to reiter-
ate India’s demand for
urgent safe passage for
the Indian nationals
who are still in Kharkiv
and cities in other con-
flict zones.
EMBASSY DIDN’T REACH OUT TO
STUDENTS: NAVEEN’S FATHER
EFFORTS ON TO BRING
MORTAL REMAINS: CM
PM BRIEFS PRESIDENT
ABOUT SITUATION IN UKRAINE
No one form the Indian Embassy reached
out to stranded Indian students in Kharkiv
in Ukraine, where a Karnataka native
pursuing medicine was killed in shelling
amid a Russian military offensive, the
victim’s father alleged on Tuesday. The
youth was killed when he stepped out
of his bunker to exchange currency and
fetch some food, his uncle Ujjanagouda
claimed. Shekaragouda complained that
no one from the Indian embassy reached
the students stuck in Kharkiv, which is
witnessing hostilities. Learning about the
tragedy, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai
called up Shekaragouda over phone and
expressed his sorrow.
Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bom-
mai has expressed shock at
the killing of
21-year-old Kar-
nataka medical
student Naveen
Shekharappa
Gyanagoudar in
Ukraine’s Kharkiv.
Offering condolence, Bommai
said that the state government is
in constant touch with the Min-
istry Of External Affairs and “will
make all efforts” to bring back his
body. We are constantly in touch
with MEA,” he said in a Tweet.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has
apprised President Ram Nath Kovind
about the situation in Ukraine. Sources
said Modi met Kovind Tuesday morn-
ing and briefed him on various issues.
In this handout photo
released by Ukrainian
Emergency Service, a burnt
car is seen in front of a
damaged City Hall building,
in Kharkiv, Ukraine on
Tuesday. Russian shelling
pounded civilian targets in
Ukraine’s second-largest
city, Kharkiv, Tuesday and a
40-mile convoy of tanks and
other vehicles threatened the
capital - tactics Ukraine’s
embattled president said
were designed to force him
into concessions in Europe’s
largest ground war in
generations.
—PHOTO BY PTI
We’ll be coordinating
the overall evacuation
operation in Slovakia
and will seek co-operation from
their government regarding
visas for our students coming
from Ukraine. Our top priority
would be to bring them back safely.
—Kiren Rijiju, Union Minister
Asif Khan
Jaipur:Inamajoraction
of theCBIJaipurteam,a
senior official of AG of-
ficewastrappedonTues-
day night while taking
bribe. The CBI sleuths
arrested Umesh Sinha
red handed for seeking
bribe of 12.50 lakh ru-
pees from an employee
of his own department.
The Bureau team laid a
trapandnabbedtheman
acepting the first instal-
ment of the bribe of one
lakh rupees.
Jpr: AG official
held with `1L
bribe by CBI
‘OPERATION GANGA’: PM MODI ASKS
IAF TO JOIN EVACUATION EFFORTS
LEAVE KYIV ‘URGENTLY’, INDIAN
EMBASSY TELLS ITS CITIZENS
UNION MINISTER
PURI HEADS FOR
BUDAPEST
‘PROVE YOU’RE
WITH UKRAINE’:
ZELENSKYY
40-MILE CONVOY
OF RUSSIAN ARMY
THREATENS KYIV
In order to scale up the ongoing evacuation efforts
under ‘Operation Ganga’, Prime Minister Narendra
Modi on Tuesday asked the Indian Air Force to join the
evacuation efforts, said sources. The sources said that
leveraging the capacities of the Air Force will ensure
that more people can be evacuated in a shorter time
frame. IAF is likely to deploy several C-17 aircraft.
India on Tuesday advised its citizens in Kyiv to leave
the city “urgently”. The Indian Embassy in Ukraine
posted on Twitter, “All Indian nationals including
students are advised to leave Kyiv urgently today.
Preferably by available trains or through any other
means available.”
New Delhi: Union
Minister Hardeep
Singh Puri left for
Budapest to oversee
evacuation of Indians
from Ukraine. “All
set to bring back our
young students back
home safely. Enroute
to #Budapest with
a refuelling stop in
Istanbul with the ever
efficient 6E boys &
girls,” Puri tweeted.
Addressing the Euro-
pean Parliament via a
video call, Ukraine’s
President Volodymyr
Zelenskyy on Tuesday
delivered an emo-
tional speech, urging
European leaders to
“prove that you are
with us” and added
that “light will win
over darkness”. “We
are just fighting for
our land and for our
freedom.
A 40-mile convoy of
Russian tanks and
other vehicles threat-
ened Ukraine’s capital
Tuesday as an intense
shelling attack
targeted the country’s
second-largest city,
and both sides looked
to resume talks in the
coming days aimed at
stopping the fighting.
Naveen Shekharappa
Gyanagoudar
CORONA CATASTROPHE
Gujarat A’bad
NEW
CASES
65
NEW
CASES
162 NEW
DEATHS
02

First India Bureau
Vadodara: Ontheauspi-
cious day of Maha
Shivratri, commence-
ment of the maiden Va-
dodara to Jaipur IndiGo
flight was marked with
water cannons. Va-
dodara Collector Atul
Gor inaugurated flight
ATR72-550 in the pres-
ence of Vadodara Air-
port Advisory commit-
tee members, airport di-
rector, CASO CISF and
team of IndiGo manage-
ment. It will be operated
by Indigo airlines with a
seating capacity of 72
passengers.
The flight will depart
from Jaipur at 12.40 pm
daily and land in Va-
dodaraat02.25pm.Itwill
then depart Vadodara at
03.10 pm and land at
Jaipur at 04.50 pm.
Inaugural flight re-
ceived a water cannon
salute from the fire bri-
gade staff of the Air-
ports Authority of India
(AAI) after it landed at
the Vadodara Airport.
The first flight had 46
passengers who trav-
elled from Jaipur to Va-
dodara, and the second
one had 66 passengers
who travelled from Va-
dodara to Jaipur. Other
cities connected to the
city of Vadodara are
Delhi, Mumbai, Hy-
derabad and Bengaluru.
NEWS
AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2, 2022
02
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First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: The
month-long budget ses-
sion of the Gujarat
state assembly will
commence on March 02,
marking the first budg-
et of the new cabinet
led by Chief Minister
Bhupendra Patel. Fi-
nance Minister Kanub-
hai Desai will be pre-
senting the state budget
for fiscal 2022-23 on the
day. The session will
culminate on March 31.
Just as the state is
gearing up for upcom-
ing assembly elections,
which are only eight
months away, the new
Bharatiya Janata Party
will present the assem-
bly’s final budget for the
fiscal 2022-23.
According to sources,
the budget is likely to be
a populist one due to up-
coming elections in De-
cember. The Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP) gov-
ernment, which had re-
ceived much flak dur-
ing the second wave of
COVID-19 pandemic
last year, would defi-
nitely look to lure vot-
ers with a host of at-
tractions. A special fo-
cus on Other Backward
Classes (OBC) is likely
as its traditional vote
bank-- the Patidar com-
munity-- has been di-
vided on three fronts
due to Aam Aadmi Par-
ty’s (AAP) entry in the
state.
On the other hand,
the main opposition
party Congress will
also try to corner the
government on a num-
ber of issues such as
unemployment, rising
crime rates and worsen-
ing law and order situa-
tion in the state.
The 22-day session
will see an increase in
grants from the depart-
ments of education,
health, social justice
and empowerment, and
also agriculture. It will
begin with Governor
Acharya Devvrat’s ad-
dress to the House on
March 02. During the
month-long session,
there will be 21 working
days, where five-day
sessions will comprise
of two sittings. The
budget will be debated
in the assembly for four
days.
The government may
table certain legisla-
tions, but there is no
certainty as to how
many. On Wednesday,
two legislations will be
tabled, The Organic Ag-
riculture University Re-
form Bill and the Guja-
rat Land Acquisition
Prevention Amend-
ment Bill.
Gujarat assembly budget session for 2022-23 to commence today
FINAL BUDGET
lll
Finance
Minister
Kanubhai
Desai to
present
his first
budget in
the Vidhan
Sabha on
March 03 Gujarat Vidhan Sabha. —FILE PHOTO
Two water cannons commemorating the maiden flight.
Son of
Congress
taluka prez
found dead
First India Bureau
Vadodara: After
going missing
four days ago,
Bhadarva police
found the body of
Congress taluka
president Vijay-
sinh Vaghela’s
son from a pond
located in the out-
skirts of Jhum-
khal village near
Alindra on Tues-
day. An investiga-
tion has been ini-
tiated by officials
into the death of
22-year-old Kul-
deepsinh Vaghela.
A complaint had
been lodged by Kul-
deepsinh’s family
members after he
went missing for
four days. He ran a
business of renting
out hydraulic exca-
vators and had not
returned home
from work since
February 25.
Police will
probe different
angles including
foul play after the
body’s post-mor-
tem results come
through.
On the occasion of Maha Shivratri,
devotees in Ahmedabad and
Vadodara thronged temples to
worship Lord Shiva, to whom the
day is dedicated. People were
spotted performing rituals on the
lingam idol of the Lord at Shiva
Temple and Kameshwar Mahadev
Temple in Ahmedabad. In sanskari
nagari Vadodara, a procession
of Bholenath and his consort
Goddess Parvati’s likenesses
was taken out in a chariot from
the renowned Ranmukteshwar
Mahadev Temple at Pratapnagar.
Citizens joined in huge numbers
and celebrated the festival with
folk dance, religious chants
(bhajans) and music. It passed
through Chowkhandi, Mandvi,
Nyay Mandir, Sursagar, Raopura
Road, Kothi and ended at Shivpuri
near Aradhana Talkies.
—PHOTOS BY HANIF SINDHI
HAR HAR MAHADEV!
Kuldeepsinh Vaghela, the
deceased.
1st JAIPUR-VADODARA INDIGO FLIGHT
RECEIVES WATER CANNON SALUTE
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Gujarat
State Pharmacy
Council (GSPC) has
blacklisted four phar-
macy colleges in Ra-
jasthan and Punjab
for ‘selling’ degrees.
Although students
never attended any
courses, they were is-
sued pharmacy de-
gree certificates,
which were then used
to secure pharmacy
shop licenses from
the state government.
According to sourc-
es, Rajasthan’s Pacific
College of Pharmacy,
Pacific Institute of
Pharmacy, Sunrise Col-
lege of Pharmacy, and
Punjab’s Marwah Col-
lege of Pharmacy had
been issuing degree
certificates against fee
payment.
Council’s executive
member Montu Patel
said, “Several students
have received certifi-
cates without studying
pharmacy
. Notices have
already been issued to
all those who have se-
cured certificates from
these colleges. They
will also not be granted
registration for phar-
macy shops.”
It had also come to
the knowledge of the
council that in the year
2018, candidates ex-
ceeding the age of ad-
mission were also given
degree certificates
against fee payment.
“The council is work-
ing on procuring a list
of such ‘students’ and
plans to initiate action
against them. But, it
will be a challenging
task to identify them
and get their pharmacy
shop licenses can-
celled,” added Patel.
GSPC blacklists 4 colleges for
‘sale’ of pharmacy degrees
Health min dedicates 31 GDP
centres to patients in need
First India Bureau
Vadnagar: State
Health Minister Ru-
shikesh Patel dedi-
cated 31 dialysis ser-
vice centres under
the Gujarat Dialysis
Programme (GDP)
managed by the Insti-
tute of Kidney Dis-
eases Research
Centre (IKDRC),
through a virtual cer-
emony held in Vadna-
gar town, on Tuesday.
Minister of State for
Health Nimisha Su-
thar also attended the
ceremony virtually
from Devgadh Baria
in Dahod district.
Patel interacted with
a few patients undergo-
ing dialysis from Gotri,
Devgadh Baria and
Vadnagar GDP centres
virtually, to gauge the
quality of dialysis fa-
cilities and services
available at the various
centres across the state.
“The facilities avail-
able in Gujarat will be
replicated and imple-
mented across India
with the support of re-
spective state govern-
ments, in no time,” Pa-
tel said, while address-
ing the people at the
inauguration ceremo-
ny. The GDP centres
commissioned by the
government were built
at a cost of Rs16 crore to
serve thousands of di-
alysis patients in vari-
ous parts of the state.
“GDP is the largest
governmental net-
work of dialysis cen-
tres in the world and
we are committed to
offering free of
charge dialysis ser-
vices to every person
in need of renal care
in the state,” assert-
ed Dr Vineet Mishra,
Director of IKDRC-
ITS, at the event. He
also confirmed plans
to open more GDP
centres to make dial-
ysis services accessi-
ble to all.
Rushikesh Patel.—FILE PHOTO
‘Cong has strong roots
due its dedicated workers’
Gargi Raval Patel
Ahmedabad: Despite
the Congress party bat-
tling defection from its
established political
leadersaheadof the2022
stateassemblypolls,vet-
eran leader Babubhai
Patel aka ‘Balukaka’
still believes that the op-
position party has a
strongfoundationdueto
its committed workers.
Patel, who is 89 years
old, is one of the senior-
most Congress leaders
in the state. With no de-
mands for tickets to con-
test elections or office-
bearer positions, he has
a history of asking to be
relieved from official
charges and do work
dedicated towards the
party’s welfare. A
staunch Gandhian, Bal-
ukaka believes that poli-
tics without principle is
a social sin.
Speaking with First
India,hespokeabouthis
first memory of joining
the party
. “I joined the
Congress Seva Dal at the
age of 10 years, before
our country secured its
independence. The key
to working for a party is
to have no expectations;
if an individual can do
that then there will nev-
er be any dissatisfaction
over ‘things’ the party
givesyouordoesn’t.One
mustensurethattheydo
not join any party for
personal or professional
gains.”
Lamenting about the
steady defection of Con-
gress leaders to the
Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP), Patel asserted,
“Things have changed
over time. People have
become self-absorbed
and selfish. When some-
one joins a party, it
should not be for them-
selves. Those who are
switching parties do not
follow any ideology and
they know it too.”
A qualified lawyer by
educational qualifica-
tions,Patelexplainedthe
importance of ethos and
morals in politics. “The
lifeof apersonishisown
reflection. A party is
formed with people, and
thereforenothingshould
take over the ideals and
ethos enshrined in its
mandate. No political
worker should have
greed for office-bearers’
post or power. The party
should always come first
and not our own ego,” he
said.
Despite misgivings,
Balukaka showed confi-
dence in Congress’ abil-
ity to pull itself up and
perform well in the up-
coming polls.
Senior leader ‘Balukaka’ aka
Babubhai Patel engaged in a
candid chat with First India
about politics and more..
Babubhai Patel

GUJARAT
03
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The gov-
ernment is set to lift all
restrictions imposed to
contain the spread of
novel coronavirus in the
state on March 02. How-
ever, people will have to
follow the nCoV-appro-
priate behaviour includ-
ing, wearing of face
masks and maintaining
social distancing.
The easing of restric-
tions was announced on
Monday and as per the
latest circular, the cap
on the number of peo-
ple who can attend po-
litical, social, educa-
tional, social and reli-
gious programmes has
also been removed. The
government also
waived the requirement
to show a COVID-19 cer-
tificate for entry to gov-
ernment and semi-gov-
ernment offices. Self-
declaration on vaccina-
tion status will be ac-
cepted henceforth.
However, the manda-
tory wearing of face
masks, maintaining so-
cial distancing, prohibi-
tion of spitting in pub-
lic and sanitization,
which are part of COV-
ID- appropriate behav-
iour, will continue to be
in force in Gujarat, said
the official statement.
Earlier, the govern-
ment had lifted the
night curfew from Feb-
ruary 24, which re-
mained in force in only
two cities- Ahmedabad
and Vadodara- between
12 midnight and 5 am.
“After thorough con-
sideration, all the re-
strictions as per the
February 24 order of
the state home depart-
ment are lifted,” said
the circular issued on
Monday by the General
Administration Depart-
ment (GAD).
12,10,211
TOTALRECOVERED
333 MORE
IN A DAY
12,22,844
TOTAL CASES
162 CASES
IN A DAY
65 MAX
CASES IN
A’BAD
ACTIVE CASES
10,932
TOTAL DEATHS
1,647
02 DEATHS
IN A DAY
COVID-19 UPDATE
A’BAD FIRE DEPT GETS NEW INTERIM CHIEF IN JAYESH KHADIA
MILD TREMOR HITS KUTCH, NO CASUALTIES REPORTED
MAHESH SAVANI SUFFERS MINOR
HEART ATTACK, HOSPITALIZED
HIGH-TECH LAB FOR FOOD
TESTING SET UP BY SMC IN VESU
Ahmedabad: The
Ahmedabad Municipal
Corporation (AMC)
on Monday appointed
Jayesh Khadia --cur-
rently serving as
Deputy Chief Fire Of-
ficer-- as the in-charge
Chief Fire Officer (CFO)
of the Ahmedabad
Fire and Emergency
Services (AFES).
Rajesh Bhatt, the
previous CFO, retired
on January 31 this
year but had continued
discharging his duties
on contract. He was
relieved from duty on
Monday.
Mithun Mistry, the
current deputy CFO in
Ahmedabad with addi-
tional charge as deputy
director of the Gujarat
State Fire Prevention
Service (GSFPS), was
also appointed addi-
tional CFO of AFES on
the day.
Ahmedabad: A mild
tremor of 3.4 magni-
tude on the Richter
scale was recorded
in Kutch district on
Tuesday morning.
There was no casualty
or property damage,
confirmed the district
administration.
The tremor was
recorded at 7.50 am,
with its epicentre 19
km west south-west of
Rapar. It was located
at a depth of 21.7 km,
informed the Insti-
tute of Seismological
Research (ISR) in
Gandhinagar.
In the last two
weeks, three tremors
of 3.4 magnitude
have been recorded in
the district, which is
located in a very ‘high
risk’ seismic zone.
In January 2001, a
massive earthquake
had jolted the dis-
trict in which 13,800
people were killed and
another 1.67 lakh were
injured.
Surat: Diamond busi-
nessman and philanthro-
pist Mahesh Savani—
who recently quit Aam
Aadmi Party (AAP) – was
admitted to PP Savani
Hospital in the city late
on Monday night after
experiencing chest pains.
Doctors have deemed it
a minor heart attack and
kept him under observa-
tion. His condition is said
to be stable.
Vipul Talaviya,
Spokesperson of PP Sa-
vani Hospital, informed
media persons, “He had
not been feeling well
for the past two days.
On Monday morning,
he had told his wife in
advance that he might
have a heart attack. After
it happened, his sugar
levels shot up and he
had to be admitted to the
hospital.”
Surat: A state-of-the-art
laboratory has been set
up at Vesu Health Centre
for testing food samples
by the Surat Municipal
Corporation (SMC). With
the launch of this lab,
food samples will now
be tested locally instead
of being outsourced to
Rajkot. The time taken to
produce test reports has
also been cut down to 10
days from 14.
The facility will also be
open to citizens who wish
to get any food samples
tested, at a nominal cost
of Rs200. Built on 5,000
square feet, the lab has
been divided into 30
sections such as chemi-
cal lab, water analysis,
computer department,
report generation depart-
ment, sample warden as
well as administration
department, instruments
lab and balance room. It
is equipped to cover food
testing parameters as
per National Accredita-
tion Board for Testing
Calibration Laboratories
(NABL).
CRUCIAL READ
Gujaratliftsallcurbsexcept
facemasks,socialdistancing
A man distributing free face masks in Ahmedabad. —FILE PHOTO
First India Bureau
Vadodara: Taking
cognizance of war-
torn Ukraine, Va-
dodara Collector
Atul Gor on Tuesday
visited the families
of city students
trapped in the for-
eign nation amid ten-
sions with Russia.
Other district offi-
cials also visited
war-affected families
in their homes to get
information about
the children still try-
ing to come back
home from Ukraine.
Collector Gor and
Resident Additional
Collector Kuldeep Sin-
gh Zala reached a Jat-
inbhai Bhatt’s house
on Tuesday morning.
They both interacted
with the Bhatt family
and asked about Ronik,
who was studying med-
icine in Kiev and left
the city with fellow stu-
dents and other Indi-
ans, when it was at-
tacked by Russian
forces.
“Attempts are cur-
rently being made to
find Ronik,” assured
Gor. He also informed
the Bhatt family about
details sought by the
central government
and urged them to fill
out an online form im-
mediately
. “This online
form asks for neces-
sary details about stu-
dents trapped in
Ukraine, so that they
can be easily brought
back home,” stated the
collector.
He also assured the
family that Chief Min-
ister Bhupendra Patel
was in constant touch
with the Centre for
news on evacuation
operations. “Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi is also trying to
bring back Indians liv-
ing in Ukraine under
‘Operation Ganga’,”
said Gor.
Officers of addi-
tional and deputy
collector level in Va-
dodara district visit-
ed 14 such families to
assure them of sup-
port from the Guja-
rat government.
They also took initia-
tive to take down in-
formation about
their loved ones who
are trapped in the
war-torn country
.
V’dara collector visits families
of students stuck in Ukraine
ASSURES SUPPORT FROM STATE AND CENTRAL GOVT FOR SWIFT
RESCUE OF THEIR LOVED ONES FROM THE WAR-TORN COUNTRY
SAFE RETURN HOME
Gor interacting with families of students still trapped in Ukraine and awaiting rescue, amid tensions with Russia.

PERSPECTIVE
04
lVol3lIssueNo.96
l RNINO.GUJENG/2019/79050.
Printed and published by Anita
Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Ex-
press Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar
Printing Planet Survey No.148P,
Changodar-Bavla Highway, Tal. San-
and, Dist. Ahmedabad. Publishedat
D/3023rdFloorPlotNo.35Titanium
Square,SchemeNo.2,ThaltejTaluka,
Ghatlodiya,Ahmedabad.
Editor-In-Chief: Jagdeesh Chandra.
Editor: Haresh Jhala
responsible for selection of news
under the PRB Act
he UN Intergov-
ernmental Panel
onClimateChange
has warned that
the Earth will de-
grade in many ways if global
warming does not come down
drastically
. “The cumulative
scientificevidenceisunequiv-
ocal. Climate change is a
threat to human well-being
andplanetaryhealth”andany
further delay in cutting car-
bon emissions would mean
missing a brief opportunity
,
the report said. Battered as it
is by extreme weather condi-
tions, rising temperature and
sea level, the Earth will wit-
nessmorenaturaldisastersin
the years to come. In a stark
warning the IPCC said that a
mere2degreeCelsiusincrease
in temperature could result in
fivetimesmorefloods,drought
and heat waves. The rise in
temperature has to be kept be-
low 2 degrees.
The report on the basis of
which governments tailor
their responses to climate
change also said that the cli-
mate change impacts were far
greater than anticipated.
“Based on increased observa-
tions and a better understand-
ingof processes,wenowknow
that the extent and magnitude
of climate change impacts on
nature are greater than previ-
ously assessed,” the IPCC sci-
entistssaid.InIndia,thereport
says that Mumbai is facing a
high-risk rise in sea level and
flooding, while Ahmedabad
could experience more heat
waves. In other parts of the
country too, extreme weather
conditionscanbeexperienced.
The sense of urgency ex-
pressed in the report re-
quires weightage to be given
to reducing the heat-trapping
gases over development. De-
pendence on fossil fuel has to
be discouraged as much as
possible. India must make
speedier efforts to switch to
alternative energy sources.
TIME RUNNING OUT ON
GLOBAL WARMING
UKRAINE CRISIS
INDIAAND CHINA ABSTAIN:
DRAGONINA WIN-WIN SITUATION,
BUTELEPHANT IS TRAPPED
n the ongoing debates at the
UN headquarters in New
York, both India and China
have abstained in favour of
Russia. However, it appears
India is supporting Russia for
retainingitspoliticalandstra-
tegic support in the interna-
tional arena, but in fact is
climbing down from her high
pedestal of commitment to
democracyandhumanrights.
Itisnotdifficulttofindoutthe
reasons of the poor show of
India before the democratic
world. It is the lack of vision
at the highest level in India’s
foreign office. This lack of
perspective reminds us of Su-
shma Swaraj. The efforts of
media-driven approach is fi-
nally boomeranging on the
Indian position. The anguish
of this policy paralysis is re-
verberating across the conti-
nents, especially among the
people of the Indian sub-con-
tinent, whether living in the
homeland or abroad.
Putin might have had all
the possible genuine reasons
to punish Ukraine, but his
mindless aggressive posture
has brought together NATO
and the European countries
on the same page that too un-
der the US President Joe
Biden, he might be cursing
him. The counter response
fromEuropeshouldhavebeen
anticipated at the Kremlin;
such as the decision of Ger-
many to change its constitu-
tion to supply weapons to the
Ukraine Government and the
European Union offering ‘un-
limited’ financial support. It
is yet to be ascertained wheth-
er the Russian oligarchs, the
formerCommunistsandKGB
operators, who had been con-
trolling most of the wealth of
Russia following the end of
the USSR in 1990, would be
able to prevent the Russian
President Vladimir Putin to
return to peace, who already
hasmissedtheopportunityof
withdrawing forces honoura-
bly during the first ceasefire
talks held at the Belarusian
border on February 28. The
Russian did not agree for a
ceasefire.
Amidst these develop-
ments, India needs to rein-
vent her policies, which ap-
pears to be a tall order for a
career diplomat turned poli-
tician. Sushma Swaraj, one
of the most vibrant foreign
ministers, Inda had in recent
years, had served quite well
during the first inning of
Modi’s tenure, is being sud-
denly remembered in the cor-
ridors of the South Block,
especially in the context of
the ongoing Ukraine crisis.
However, Modi’s attempt to
replace seasoned public fig-
ures by a bunch of ‘non-polit-
ical persons’ is not only going
to hurt the creditability of
his government, but under-
mining the country’s vital
strategic and long-term in-
terests. With the anger brew-
ing in Russia, eve the future
of Putin might become un-
certain, India needs to rein-
vent her policies in the
changing context, which is
getting more tilted in the fa-
vour of people of Ukraine.
The immaturity of the
South Block (foreign office) in
New Delhi to compare India’s
standwithChinaisjustoneof
such examples. While China
is in a ’win- win’ situation,
whether Putin wins or loses,
India is going to suffer in each
situation. If Putin succeeds,
China would annex Taiwan;
and if he fails, China would
emerge as the most trusted
ally of the western powers.
India suffers on both the
counts; her 70-year old posi-
tionasacountrycommittedto
the high ideals of democracy
is being compromised, and
her vital economic and strate-
gic interests with the western
powers is going to suffer im-
mensely
. It is yet to be ascer-
tained that who briefed the
‘buffoons’of theIndianmedia
that Modi ‘scolds’ Putin, but
it not only reflects naïveté of
the Indian news anchors. It
should be remembered that
media projection is a part of
politics, but it cannot replace
a policy
. If not careful, it is of-
ten counterproductive and
could hurt the nation.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
SPIRITUAL SPEAK
For the senses wander, and
when one lets the mind
follow them, it carries wisdom
away like a windblown ship
on the waters.
—Bhagavad Gita
IN-DEPTH
Narendra Modi
@narendramodi
On his birthday, best wishes
to Punjab CM Shri @
CHARANJITCHANNI Ji. Praying for
his good health and long life.
Piyush Goyal
@PiyushGoyal
‘We are safe and secure’ say
Indian students evacuated from
Ukraine. Govt.’s #OperationGanga
on in full steam.
TOP TWEETS
CONCERN
GROWS FOR
STUDENTS IN
UKRAINE AFTER
ONE IS KILLED
IN FIRING
ragedy has struck
the Indian student
community in
Ukraine. Naveen, a
20-year-old from Kar-
nataka was killed in firing by
Russian troops when he was
standing in a queue outside a
grocery store in Kharkiv. With
the situation in Kharkiv worsen-
ing and as Russian troops are
killing unarmed and innocent
men, women and children, there
is growing concern for students
stranded in Ukraine who are in
real danger. At the same time a
60-km long Russian army con-
voy is advancing towards Kyiv,
Ukraine’s capital, and the situa-
tion is going to soon get difficult
for the government’s rescue
teams to reach them.
How do these students, who
are located in different parts of
Ukraine, move out to safer plac-
es in a conflict zone? Under sub-
zero temperatures, with no shel-
ter and no commute available
for them to move to borders of
neighbouring countries it is ad-
visable for students to stay
where they are and not venture
out unless the need is pressing.
T
he UN Intergov-
ernmental Panel
onClimateChange
has warned that
the Earth will de-
grade in many ways if global
warming does not come down
drastically
. “The cumulative
scientificevidenceisunequiv-
ocal. Climate change is a
threat to human well-being
andplanetaryhealth”andany
further delay in cutting car-
bon emissions would mean
missing a brief opportunity
,
the report said. Battered as it
is by extreme weather condi-
tions, rising temperature and
sea level, the Earth will wit-
nessmorenaturaldisastersin
the years to come. In a stark
warning the IPCC said that a
mere2degreeCelsiusincrease
in temperature could result in
fivetimesmorefloods,drought
and heat waves. The rise in
temperature has to be kept be-
low 2 degrees.
The report on the basis of
which governments tailor
their responses to climate
change also said that the cli-
mate change impacts were far
greater than anticipated.
“Based on increased observa-
tions and a better understand-
ingof processes,wenowknow
that the extent and magnitude
of climate change impacts on
nature are greater than previ-
ously assessed,” the IPCC sci-
entistssaid.InIndia,thereport
says that Mumbai is facing a
high-risk rise in sea level and
flooding, while Ahmedabad
could experience more heat
waves. In other parts of the
country too, extreme weather
conditionscanbeexperienced.
The sense of urgency ex-
pressed in the report re-
quires weightage to be given
to reducing the heat-trapping
gases over development. De-
pendence on fossil fuel has to
be discouraged as much as
possible. India must make
speedier efforts to switch to
alternative energy sources.
TIME RUNNING OUT ON
GLOBAL WARMING
The Earth will witness
more natural disasters
in the years to come.
In a stark warning the
IPCC said that a mere 2
degree Celsius increase
in temperature could
result in five times
more floods, drought
heat waves
T
UKRAINE CRISIS
INDIAAND CHINA ABSTAIN:
DRAGONINA WIN-WIN SITUATION,
BUTELEPHANT IS TRAPPED
The However, Modi’s
attempt to replace seasoned
public figures by a bunch of
‘non-political persons’ is not
only going to hurt the
creditability of his
government, but
undermining the country’s
vital strategic and long-term
interests. With the anger
brewing in Russia, eve the
future of Putin might
become uncertain
n the ongoing debates at the
UN headquarters in New
York, both India and China
have abstained in favour of
Russia. However, it appears
India is supporting Russia for
retainingitspoliticalandstra-
tegic support in the interna-
tional arena, but in fact is
climbing down from her high
pedestal of commitment to
democracyandhumanrights.
Itisnotdifficulttofindoutthe
reasons of the poor show of
India before the democratic
world. It is the lack of vision
at the highest level in India’s
foreign office. This lack of
perspective reminds us of Su-
shma Swaraj. The efforts of
media-driven approach is fi-
nally boomeranging on the
Indian position. The anguish
of this policy paralysis is re-
verberating across the conti-
nents, especially among the
people of the Indian sub-con-
tinent, whether living in the
homeland or abroad.
Putin might have had all
the possible genuine reasons
to punish Ukraine, but his
mindless aggressive posture
has brought together NATO
and the European countries
on the same page that too un-
der the US President Joe
Biden, he might be cursing
him. The counter response
fromEuropeshouldhavebeen
anticipated at the Kremlin;
such as the decision of Ger-
many to change its constitu-
tion to supply weapons to the
Ukraine Government and the
European Union offering ‘un-
limited’ financial support. It
is yet to be ascertained wheth-
er the Russian oligarchs, the
formerCommunistsandKGB
operators, who had been con-
trolling most of the wealth of
Russia following the end of
the USSR in 1990, would be
able to prevent the Russian
President Vladimir Putin to
return to peace, who already
hasmissedtheopportunityof
withdrawing forces honoura-
bly during the first ceasefire
talks held at the Belarusian
border on February 28. The
Russian did not agree for a
ceasefire.
Amidst these develop-
ments, India needs to rein-
vent her policies, which ap-
pears to be a tall order for a
career diplomat turned poli-
tician. Sushma Swaraj, one
of the most vibrant foreign
ministers, Inda had in recent
years, had served quite well
during the first inning of
Modi’s tenure, is being sud-
denly remembered in the cor-
ridors of the South Block,
especially in the context of
the ongoing Ukraine crisis.
However, Modi’s attempt to
replace seasoned public fig-
ures by a bunch of ‘non-polit-
ical persons’ is not only going
to hurt the creditability of
his government, but under-
mining the country’s vital
strategic and long-term in-
terests. With the anger brew-
ing in Russia, eve the future
of Putin might become un-
certain, India needs to rein-
vent her policies in the
changing context, which is
getting more tilted in the fa-
vour of people of Ukraine.
South Block (foreign office) in
New Delhi to compare India’s
standwithChinaisjustoneof
such examples. While China
is in a ’win- win’ situation,
whether Putin wins or loses,
India is going to suffer in each
situation. If Putin succeeds,
China would annex Taiwan;
and if he fails, China would
emerge as the most trusted
ally of the western powers.
India suffers on both the
counts; her 70-year old posi-
tionasacountrycommittedto
the high ideals of democracy
is being compromised, and
her vital economic and strate-
gic interests with the western
powers is going to suffer im-
mensely
. It is yet to be ascer-
tained that who briefed the
‘buffoons’of theIndianmedia
that Modi ‘scolds’ Putin, but
it not only reflects naïveté of
the Indian news anchors. It
should be remembered that
media projection is a part of
politics, but it cannot replace
a policy
. If not careful, it is of-
ten counterproductive and
could hurt the nation.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
I
South Block (foreign
office) in New Delhi to
compare India’s stand
with China is just one
of such examples.
While China is in a ’win-
win’ situation, whether
Putin wins or loses,
India is going to suffer
in each situation
GOPAL MISRA
The writer is accredited as a journalist
of long and distinguished service with
the Press Information Bureau of the
Information and Broadcasting Ministry

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INDIA
05
Microsoft CEO
Satya Nadella’s
son Zain dies
Seattle (Agencies): Mi-
crosoft Corp. said Zain
Nadella, son of Chief
Executive Officer Satya
and his wife Anu, died
on Monday morning. He
was 26 years old and had
been born with cerebral
palsy
.
The software maker
told its executive staff
in an email that Zain
had passed away. The
message asked execu-
tives to hold the family
in their thoughts and
prayers while giving
them space to grieve
privately. Since taking
on the CEO’s role in
2014, Nadella has fo-
cused the company on
designing products to
better serve users with
disabilities and cited
lessons he learned rais-
ing and supporting
Zain. Last year, the
Children’s Hospital.
Bengal Chief Secy
calls on Governor
Jagdeep Dhankhar
Kolkata: West Bengal
Chief Secretary Hari
Krishna Dwivedi called
on Governor Jagdeep
Dhankhar on Tuesday
in connection with the
issue of summoning of
legislative Assembly in
pursuance to February
28 cabinet decision.
Ahead of the Assem-
bly session scheduled
on March 7, the Chief
Secretary met the Gov-
ernor and apprised
him.
A few days ago, the
Governor accepted the
state Cabinet’s decision
to summon the Assem-
bly Session at 2 am on
March 7.
Re-election demanded at
several polling stations
Imphal (Agencies):
Several sections of peo-
ple in Manipur, includ-
ing tribal students, have
demanded re-election at
27 polling stations in
the Henglep Assembly
constituency in Chura-
chandpur district and
eight other stations in
the Keirao constituen-
cy, on charges of booth
capturing.
Meanwhile, tribal
groups withdrew an
“indefinite lockdown”
after INC candidate
Lanminthang Haokip
was unconditionally re-
leased by police at 1
a.m. on Tuesday
.
Four parties — NPP,
INC, Shiva Sena and
JD(United) — in Chura-
chandpur district have
filed a complaint with
the Election Commis-
sion, seeking repoll in
22 polling stations.
They said repoll
should be done after
beefing up security in
the polling stations.
They alleged that cadre
of four Kuki tribal
armed groups, who had
come overground after
signing the suspension
of operation pact, inter-
fered with polling at
many stations. Voting
slips were snatched
from voters.
INC candidate in the
Saitu Assembly
Landengthang Haokip
pacified the people after
reports said that even
EVMs were smashed.
MANIPUR CONG CANDIDATE HELD FOR
ASSAULTING POLL OFFICIAL, RELEASED
Imphal: High drama was witnessed as a Congress candi-
date was arrested for allegedly assaulting an on-duty poll-
ing personnel during the first
phase of Manipur assembly
elections, and later released
on bail. Senior Congress
leader Jairam Ramesh has
decried the action against
party candidate Lamtinthang
Haokip in Saitu constituency
of Kangpokpi district as a
“murder of democracy” by Union Home Minister Amit
Shah and Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh.
MANIPUR ASSEMBLY POLLS
HC to hear Nawab Malik’s
plea against arrest today
Mumbai (PTI): The
Bombay High Court
will hear on Wednesday
the petition filed by Ma-
harashtra minister
Nawab Malik, who was
arrested last week,
seeking quashing of the
case registered against
him by the ED which is
probing money laun-
dering linked to fugitive
Dawood Ibrahim.
Malik, who is cur-
rently in the ED’s cus-
tody till March 3, had on
Monday filed a petition
in the HC, claiming his
arrest was “illegal”,
and sought immediate
release. On Tuesday, his
advocate Taraq Sayed
mentioned the plea be-
fore a division bench of
Justices SS Shinde and
NR Borkar seeking ur-
gent hearing.
The court was in-
formed that the regular
bench of Justices PB
Varale and SP Tawde,
designated to hear peti-
tions, would not be
available this week.
ED SUMMONS NAWAB MALIK’S SON IN
PMLA CASE CONNECTED TO DAWOOD
Mumbai (Agencies): In a latest development in the
PMLA case involving underworld Don Dawood Ibrahim
and unknown Mumbai-based politician, the Enforcement
Directorate (ED) has now summoned Faraz Malik, son of
NCP leader and Maharashtra Minister Nawab Malik, who
is already in police custody. The ED wants to confront him
with his father Nawab Malik and also a few documents
and other evidence collected by them. On February 23, the
ED arrested Malik and later got his remand till March 3.
Nawab Malik taken for medical examination. —FILE PHOTO
ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS
UP POLLS SEEM TO BE OF ‘CHHALIA’
VERSUS BALLIA: AKHILESH YADAV
Ballia (PTI): Samajwa-
di Party (SP) chief Akh-
ilesh Yadav on Tuesday
said the ongoing Uttar
Pradesh Assembly elec-
tions seem to be of
chhalia (deceit) ver-
sus Ballia.
Addressing an elec-
tion meeting in the
Phephana assembly
constituency, Yadav
said, The BJP had
promised to double the
income of farmers if
voted to power. Farmers
should say if their in-
come has doubled?
People of Ballia
know how many times
the BJP has cheated
them. This election is
appearing to be of
'chhalia' versus Ballia,
he said.
The BJP's partners
have also come to know
of its lies, the SP chief
said.
The people of Ballia
have always given a
new direction to poli-
tics. This is not an ordi-
nary election. This is an
election to save the Con-
stitution and the de-
mocracy. I am happy
that along with 'sama-
jwadis', 'Ambedkar-
wadis' are involved in
saving the democracy
and the Constitution,
he said.
PM extends wishes, Yogi
prays on Maha Shivratri
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav addresses a public meeting. —PHOTO BY ANI
‘BAGHI BALLIA’
NO CAKEWALK
FOR BJP
Ballia: The ruling BJP
may face a close fight
in some Assembly
constituencies of Ballia
district this election.
The party shifted its
sitting MLA from Ballia
Sadar and UP minister
Anand Swaroop
Shukla to Bairia to field
state vice-president
Dayashankar Singh.
Shukla got Bairia
after BJP dropped
controversial MLA
Surendra Singh, who
has now entered the
fray as a candidate of
Vikassheel Insan Party.
IN 30-40 YRS, NO PARTY HAS WON UP FOR
2ND TIME, BJP TO BREAK TREND: RAJNATH
Ballia (PTI): No party has been able to form government
in Uttar Pradesh for two consecutive terms in decades, but
the BJP is set to break this trend, Defence Minister Rajnath
Singh said on Tuesday. Addressing an election meeting in
Rasra, he also urged voters not to fall prey to any tempta-
tions or get misled, and said that while voting, it should be
kept in mind that the country is above all. “The trend from
the first phase to the fifth phase has made it clear that the
voters of Uttar Pradesh are going to write a new history. In
the past 30 to 40 years, no one was able to form govern-
ment in the state for the second consecutive time.
Poll percentage
in UP same as in
2017 Assembly
elections
Lucknow (PTI): Vot-
ers’ turnout in almost
two-thirds of the As-
sembly seats during
five rounds of polling in
UP is more or less the
same as in the 2017
polls, leaving political
parties and experts
guessing whether it’s
pro-incumbency or an-
ti-incumbency votes.
A look at the voters’
turnout in the 2019 gen-
eral elections in the
state also doesn’t reflect
much of a difference.
While some attribute it
to coronavirus, others
say voters have tested
all the parties in the
polls and hence are not
enthused by new poll
promises.
Out of the seven-
phase polls, the impor-
tant state has completed
five rounds and the rest
two are lined up on
March 3 and March 7.
Results will be declared
on March 10 along with
that of Punjab, Uttra-
khand, Goa, and Ma-
nipur.
Gorakhpur (ANI): Ut-
tar Pradesh Chief Min-
ister Yogi Adityanath
offered prayers at the
Gorakhnath temple on
Tuesday on the occa-
sion of Maha Shivratri.
Devotees in the state
took holy dips and of-
fered prayers at Magh
Mela in Prayagraj early
morning today
.
Prime Minister Nar-
endra Modi also extend-
ed wishes to all on the
occasion. “Best wishes
toallof youontheauspi-
cious occasion of Maha
Shivratri. May the God
of gods, Mahadev, bless-
es everyone. Om Namah
Shivay
,” he tweeted.
Meanwhile, devotees
across India thronged
temples of Lord Shiva
to offer prayers on one
of the most auspicious
festivals of Hindus,
Maha Shivratri.
It’sbelievedthatwhile
there is a Shivratri eve-
ry lunisolar month of
the Hindu calendar, the
MahaShivratrihappens
only once every year, in
February/March, when
winter comes to an end
and spring and summer
begin. Out of the 12
Shivratris observed in
any given year, Maha
Shivratri is especially
considered auspi-
cious.
Yogi Adityanath at Gorakhnath temple on the occasion of Maha
Shivratri, in Gorakhpur on Tuesday. —PHOTO BY ANI
MAYAWATI’S PARTY
CANDIDATES
DECIDED IN SHAH’S
ROOM: RAJBHAR
Mubarakpur, UP (PTI):
The names of Bahujan
Samaj Party candidates
were decided in Home
Minister Amit Shah’s
room and the party is
fighting the Uttar Pradesh
Assembly polls with
an aim to help the BJP,
alleges SBSP chief Om
Prakash Rajbhar, while
cautioning people against
voting in favour of the
Mayawati-led party. The
SBSP chief also slammed
Yogi Adityanath over
his repeated bulldozer
jibes, saying “will put his
bulldozer on pokland, and
send it back to his home”.
In an interview with news
agency PTI during his
hectic campaign schedule
in the Poorvanchal region,
Rajbhar said people have
made up their mind, and
expressed confidence
that the SP-led alliance
of which his
party is a
part will
get a clear
majority.
BIRLA SADHGURU
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla participated in the Maha
Shivaratri festival organised at Isha Yoga Institute in
Coimbatore, during which he worshiped Adi Yogi Mahashiv
and prayed for peace, harmony and welfare of all in the
world. Earlier, the head of Isha Yoga Institute, Sadhguru
welcomed Speaker Om Birla.
DID HYPER-LOCAL ISSUES REALLY DOMINATE?
Mahesh Sharma
New Delhi: Assembly
elections in 5 states are
nearing its conclusion.
Voting has already been
held in three states of
Uttarakhand, Punjab
Goa. The 5 phase of poll-
ing in UP was held on
Sunday, after which
there will be 2 steps left.
Polling for 60 seats in
Manipur is to be held in
2 phases, 1st phase of
which was held on Mon-
day and the 2nd phase
will be held on March 5.
A special thing has been
seen in the election cam-
paign of these 5 states,
which has been special-
ly marked by the anti-
BJP parties. In the last
60 years, very few polls
have been held like this,
like the 1 held this time.
The polls in all states
were fought entirely on
local issues. The parties
campaigned on state is-
sues and the BJP’s at-
tempt to take the assem-
bly polls on national is-
sues failed. In a state
like Punjab, where the
BJP tried to make a big
issue of national secu-
rity, it did not succeed.
The campaign of Cap-
tain Amarinder Singh
and the BJP about Pun-
jab being a border state,
narcotics and weapons
being dropped in from
Pakistan by drones did
not have much effect.
The polls ranged from
sacrilege to the spread
of drugs and farmers.
Similarly, Goa BJP
could not raise any na-
tional issue. No issue
like PM Narendra
Modi’s image, his im-
portanceasaworldlead-
er,Article370orthetem-
ple in Ayodhya was
raised in Goa. In Goa,
issues like mining, de-
velopment, polarization
of the Catholic Chris-
tian community, anti-
incumbency against the
10-year-old BJP govern-
ment remained in the
headlines. This is the
situation in Manipur
also, where elections are
being fought broadly on
the Armed Forces Spe-
cial Powers Act (AFS-
PA). In the country’s
largest and sensitive
state like Uttar Pradesh,
no narrative of BJP’s
national issues is being
created. In Ayodhya,
where Ram temple is be-
ing built, soil of Ram
Janmabhoomi is being
distributed to make the
BJP candidate win. Sim-
ilarly, despite the Kashi
Corridor, the BJP might
not be comfortable. No
one is discussing abro-
gation of Article 370 or
enacting a citizenship
law. Instead, in the first
three phases, the issue
of farmers was domi-
nant, while in the fourth
and fifth phases, the is-
sue of stray animals
dominated the electoral
discourse. The issue
dominated so much that
the PM had to explain it
and make a promise.
Mayawati right before
the fifth phase of polling
said that inflation and
unemployment are elec-
tion issues and this is a
good thing. In Uttara-
khand, the BJP certain-
ly raised the issue of
national security
, army
,
death of first CDS Gen-
eral Bipin Rawat etc.
But even there, people
remained adamant on
issues like inflation, un-
employment and local
problems.
OVERVIEW OF POLLS IN 5 STATES

INDIA
06
CONG DEMANDS ALL PARTY MEET ON UKRAINE
At such a crucial time, PM should convene meeting; dialogue will help Indian Govt take best possible step forward, says Gaurav Gogoi
The Congress on Tues-
day demanded that the
governmentshouldcon-
vene all-party meet on
Ukraine and apprise
the situation to the par-
liamentarians.
Gaurav Gogoi, party
deputy leader in the
Lok Sabha said, “At
such a crucial time in
history, Prime Minister
Modi should convene
an all-party parliamen-
tary meeting on the
Russian-Ukraine war.
Such a dialogue will
help the Indian govern-
ment take the best pos-
sible step forward.”
The Congress has
been critical of the gov-
ernment’s evacuation
exercise and said it
should deter from mak-
ing it a public relations
exercise, “India has glo-
rious history of 30+
evacuations — “There
should be no politics on
ongoing evacuations
but at same time no
drum beating in elec-
tion rallies should be
done till every single
Indian stranded is res-
cued — GOI must pres-
sure Russia to ensure
safetyof Indianscaught
in crossfire.”
The Prime Minister
on Monday evening
chaired a high-level
meeting, his second on
Monday, to review the
ongoing efforts under
Operation Ganga to
bring back Indians
stranded in Ukraine,
and said that the entire
government machinery
is working round the
clock to ensure that all
Indian nationals there
are safe and secure.
India has never aban-
doned it’s citizens al-
ways evacuated them
from war zones.
A family member of an Indian student, breaks down upon her arrival from Romania under Operation
Ganga due to the ongoing Ukraine-Russia crisis, at Mumbai Airport. —PHOTO BY ANI
Indians in Ukraine should stay put at
bomb shelters: Ex- Army chief Gen
New Delhi (ANI): Indi-
ans should stay put in
“bomb shelters” and
other safe locations in
Ukraine till arrange-
ments are made by In-
dian missions for their
evacuation and safe re-
turn, former Army
chief Gen NC Vij said.
His remarks came
amid rising tensions in
Ukraine in the wake of
Russian action.
“They (Indians) are
in bomb shelters and
other places. They
should not be moving
around on the roadside
looking for some ar-
raignment till the time
the immigration part is
organized, and the em-
bassy tells them about
it. When you reach the
immigration point, you
will be taken care of be-
cause there is some ar-
rangement already
done on the ground.
Thatisveryimportant,”
Gen Vij said.
‘It was like
hell’: Student
from Ukraine
after landing
New Delhi (Agen-
cies): A mother and
her son hug each
other after he
walked out of the
arrival terminal at
Delhi airport. The
teen, arrived from
Ukraine.
“It was like hell,”
the student said, on
a day an Indian stu-
dent lost his life
when Russian sol-
diers blew up a
Ukrainian govern-
ment building in
the east European
nation’s second-big-
gest city Kharkiv.
Shubhanshu nar-
rated the long jour-
ney he and hun-
dreds of Indian stu-
dents made to reach
the Romanian bor-
der and the difficul-
ties they faced as
they desperately
tried to get out of
Ukraine to neigh-
bouring countries.
FOREIGN MINISTER S JAISHANKAR WRITES TO
MPs ON EVACUATION OF INDIANS FROM UKRAINE
New Delhi: With
several MPs receiving
anxious calls from
families of Indian
nationals stuck in war-
hit Ukraine, External
Affairs Minister S
Jaishankar has asked
parliamentarians to
directly contact his of-
fice to flag “particular
concerns” and share
information about
such people. “Please
be assured that we are
taking cognizance of
all enquiries and in-
formation. All of them
will be attended to by
Team MEA representa-
tives on the ground,”
the Union minister
said in a letter sent out
to all MPs on Monday.
He also shared an e-
mail ID and WhatsApp
numbers on which the
MPs can share details.
Mostly students,
from Ukraine, which
has been attacked by
Russia. The govern-
ment decided to send
four ministers to
several neighbouring
countries of Ukraine to
coordinate the evacua-
tion exercise.
MARRIAGE AMID CONFLICT: UKRANIAN
WOMAN TIES KNOT IN HYDERABAD
Hyderabad: Thousands
of miles away from
her war-torn country, a
Ukrainian woman tied
the knot with a Hyderab-
adi here. At a time when
conflict has engulfed
Ukraine, a woman from
that country found her
love in Hyderabad. The
couple who entered the
wedlock before com-
ing to India last week
exchanged vows as
per Hindu customs at
a ceremony here on
Monday. Their love story
appeared straight from a
Bollywood flicker. It was
love at first sight when
Lyubov met Prateek in
Ukraine a few months
ago. They decided to
spend the rest of their
lives together with love.
However, the Russian
invasion spoiled their
plans.
Indian delegation in Pak for
annual Indus panel meeting
Islamabad: A 10-mem-
ber Indian delegation
has arrived in Pakistan
for the annual meeting
of the Permanent Com-
mission on Indus Wa-
ters (PCIW) and the two
sides will discuss
among other topics ar-
rangements about flood
flow information dur-
ing the current season
and finalise future pro-
grammes, meetings and
inspections.
The delegation, head-
ed by the Indian Com-
missioner for Indus Wa-
ters, arrived here via
Wagah border on Mon-
day to attend the annual
PCIW meeting being
organised by the office
of Pakistan’s Commis-
sioner for Indus Waters
under obligations of
the Indus Water Trea-
ty-1960, the Dawn news-
paper reported.
The meeting is sched-
uled for March 1-3 in
Islamabad. The Indian
delegation’s visit was
earlier scheduled for
mid-January, but it was
postponed at the re-
quest of India due to
Covid-related restric-
tions.
“The Indian delega-
tion entered the coun-
try via Wagah border
(Lahore) and then
reached Islamabad. The
delegation, headed by
Indian Commissioner
P.K. Saxena, includes
three female officers,” a
senior official of the of-
fice of Pakistan’s Com-
missioner for Indus Wa-
ters was quoted as say-
ing in the report.
This is the first time
since the signing of the
treaty that three female
officers will also be part
of the Indian delega-
tion, which will be ad-
vising the Indian Com-
missioner on various
issues during the meet-
ing.
The delegation will
comprise Saxena’s advi-
sors from the Central
Water Commission, the
Central Electricity Au-
thority, the National
Hydroelectric Power
Corporation and the
Ministry of External
Affairs.
The Pakistani official
said the participants
are set to discuss ar-
rangements regarding
communication of ad-
vance information
about flood flows dur-
ing the current season,
maintenance of free
flow of water into Sutlej
river and finalisation of
future programmes,
meetings and tours and
inspections.
The meeting is taking
place amid the chill in
bilateral relations over
the Kashmir issue.
Sharat K Verma
New Delhi: Protests
are taking place around
the world regarding
Russia’s attack on
Ukraine and the largest
and most effective dem-
onstrations are taking
place in Russia itself.
President Vladimir Pu-
tin attacked Ukraine on
the slogan of Russian
nationalism and a unit-
ed Russia. So, by law,
the whole country
should have come out in
support of him, but
there are demonstra-
tions against this attack
all over the country.
Demonstrations are
taking place in all the
countries of the world
against this barbaric at-
tack, except India. No
party or organisation in
India has decided its
stand on this. No one
felt the need to officially
support or oppose it,
and neither engage in
any demonstration. The
one protest reported in
India was done in front
of the Russian Embassy
in Delhi by the parents
of students who went to
study in Ukraine and
got trapped there.
Think, of the parties
in India and their ideo-
logical thinking! A sov-
ereign nation has been
attacked by another
country and there is no
reaction in India, the
largest democratic
country in the world!
By law, the parties
should have opposed
this barbaric attack.
Whatever be the stand
of the government. Re-
gardless of the compul-
sion in which the Indi-
an government is sup-
porting Russia, the
democratic parties can-
not have the same com-
pulsion as the govern-
ment. After all it is a
question of democracy
and a law based world
order! The stand of the
country’s communist
parties is also under-
standable, which are
still under the illusion
that China and Russia
are communist coun-
tries. But the silence of
Congress, BJP and oth-
er socialist parties and
NGOs working in hun-
dreds cannot be under-
stood. The country
should have come to a
boil in protest against
the kind of barbarism.
But there is such si-
lence, as if nothing is
happening. This si-
lence, in future, could
turn out to be a ‘diffi-
cult proposition’ for In-
dia as well.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE CRISIS POSES A DILEMMA FOR INDIA!
SITTING ON THE FENCE
NO PROTEST YET
A delegation of Indian officials left for Pakistan via the Attari-Wagah border on Monday to take part
in the 117th annual meeting of the Permanent Indus Commission (inset).
CRUCIAL READ
JOINT ENTRANCE EXAMINATION MAIN
2022 TO BE HELD TWICE; IN APRIL, MAY
New Delhi: The Joint Entrance Examination (JEE)
Main dates for the 2022 exams have been an-
nounced. The National
Testing Agency (NTA)
will conduct JEE Main
2022 twice. The first
session of JEE Main
2022 will be held in
April while the second
session has been scheduled to be conducted in May.
The applications for JEE Main 2022 will start from
today, March 1 and the last date to fill the JEE Main
2022 application form is March 31, 2022.
NITI AAYOG
DEVELOPING
NATIONAL
GENDER INDEX
New Delhi: Niti Aayog
is in the process of
developing a National
Gender Index to meas-
ure the progress and
identify the persisting
gaps in gender equality
to make informed policy
decisions. In its latest
annual report, Niti Aay-
og said the index will
serve as a tool to map
the progress of states
and UTs on defined
gender metrics and
build the foundation for
change. The index will
support policy action
and advocacy.
SACRED PORTALS
OF KEDARNATH
TEMPLE TO OPEN
ON MAY 6: REPORT
Ukhimath: The sacred
portals of Kedarnath
will open for devotees
this year at 6:25 am on
May 6. The auspicious
date and timing for the
opening of the Himala-
yan temple dedicated
to lord Shiva were an-
nounced after a brief
religious ceremony held
at Omkareshwar temple
on the occasion of Ma-
hashivaratri on Tuesday.
The temple gates will be
thrown open in Vrish-
chik Lagna, Badri-Kedar
temple committee of-
ficial Harish Gaud said.
IN THE COURTYARD
KERALA HIGH COURT VERDICT ON MEDIAONE
APPEAL AGAINST BAN LIKELY TODAY
Kochi: The Kerala High Court is likely to pronounce on
Wednesday its verdict on Malayalam news channel Media-
One’s appeal against a single judge order upholding the Cen-
tre’s decision to stop its telecast by not renewing its licence.
Besides the channel, appeals were also moved by some of
its employees, including its Editor, as well the Kerala Union
of Working Journalists whose pleas against the Centre’s
decision were also rejected by the single judge on February
8. According to the cause list uploaded on HC website, it will
pronounce the verdict in all three appeals on Wednesday.
SC: RETAILERS CAN’T ESCAPE BLAME FOR
QUALITY OF PACKAGED FOOD IN STORES
New Delhi: In a strong warning to retail chain stores, the
Supreme Court refused to reverse the conviction of a su-
perstore owner found guilty of keeping packaged foodgrain
with impermissible preservatives but agreed to consider
his release under Probation of Offenders Act. Appearing
for owners of Theni Anantham Super Store Wonder, senior
advocate Anitha Shenoy argued that her client was a mere
retailer and not producer of the foodgrain, which was found
to contain preservative sulphur-dioxide. “This does not
entail any injury to the consumer,” she argued.
SECURITY TO BE GIVEN
FOR DELHI LIQUOR VEND
New Delhi: The city police
have assured the Delhi
High Court that adequate
security would be provided
to a liquor vend and its
employees for ingress and
egress to the outlet and
no interference would be
caused by protestors in its
functioning. The submis-
sions were made by the
police during the hearing
on a petition by the owner
of a liquor vend.
HC ISSUES NOTICE ON
REMOVING TFI CHIEF
New Delhi: The Delhi High
Court on Monday issued
notice to the Central gov-
ernment, Indian Olympic
Association and others on
the plea moved by Odisha
Taekwondo Association
and others. The associa-
tion moved a plea seeking
a direction for appointment
of Administrator of India
Taekwondo and immediate
removal of Chairman, ad-
hoc committee of TFI.
—FILE PHOTO

BIZ BUZZ
07
Ilker Ayci declines position
of Air India CEO: Tata Group
New Delhi (PTI): For-
mer Turkish Airlines
chairman Ilker Ayci on
Tuesday said he has de-
clined the Tata Group’s
offer to be the chief ex-
ecutive officer and
managing director of
Air India as “some sec-
tions of the Indian me-
dia” have attempted to
“colour” his appoint-
ment in an undesirable
manner.
Ayci is considered to
be close to Turkish
President Recep Tayy-
ip Erdogan, an ally of
Pakistan.
Swadeshi Jagran
Manch had last Friday
told PTI that the gov-
ernment should not
give clearance to the
appointment of Ayci,
the chief executive of-
ficer (CEO) and manag-
ing director (MD) of
Air India, “keeping in
view national securi-
ty”.
Tata Sons had on
February 14 an-
nounced the ap-
pointment of Ayci
as the CEO and MD
of recently-priva-
tised Air India.
“Since the an-
nouncement, I have
been carefully follow-
ing news in some sec-
tions of the Indian me-
dia attempting to color
my appointment with
undesirable colors,”
Ayci said in a state-
ment.
“As a business leader
who has always priori-
tised professional cre-
do and more impor-
tantly, the happiness
and well being of my
family above all else, I
have come to the con-
c l u -
sion that it would not
be a feasible or an hon-
ourable decision to ac-
cept the position in the
shadow of such narra-
tive,” he added.
Ayci said he remains
grateful to the Tata
Group and its chair-
man N Chadrasekaran
for extending to him
the honour and the op-
portunity to lead Air
India.
Former Turkish
Airlines chairman
turns down Tata’s offer,
accuses media of
‘colouring’ his
appointment
BharatPeco-founderAshneer
GroverresignsascompanyMD
Bengaluru (PTI):
BharatPe cofounder
Ashneer Grover has
resigned from the com-
pany and its board,
capping almost two
months of high drama
which unfolded after
an audio clip surfaced
online where he alleg-
edly abused a Kotak
Mahindra Bank em-
ployee. Grover, who
was managing director
at BharatPe, said in an
email sent to the fin-
tech’s board that he
had been ‘vilified’ and
treated in the ‘ most
disrespectful manner’
since the beginning of
the year.
“I write this with a
heavy heart as today I
am being forced to bid
adieu to a company of
which I am a founder. I
say with my head held
high that today this
company stands as a
leader in the fintech
world. Since the begin-
ning of 2022, unfortu-
nately, I’ve been em-
broiled in baseless and
targeted attacks on me
and my family by a few
individuals who are
ready not only to harm
me and my reputation
but also harm the rep-
utation of the compa-
ny, which they are os-
tensibly trying to pro-
tect.”
Grover said that
from being celebrated
as the face of Indian
entrepreneurship he is
now wasting his time
fighting a long, lonely
battle against his own
investors and manage-
ment. Unfortunately,
in this battle, the man-
agement has lost what
is actually at stake –
BharatPe, he said.
Grover’s resignation
comes on the back of
SIAC rejecting Grov-
er’s emergency plea.
WIFE SACKED
GST collection up
18% at over `1.33
lakh crore in Feb
New Delhi (PTI):
GST collections in
February grew 18% to
over `1.33 lakh crore
even as the Omicron
wave dented the
month-on-month col-
lection momentum.
This is for the fifth
time in the current fis-
cal that the GST col-
lection has crossed
`1.30 lakh crore mark.
Also, this is the first
time, cess collection
has crossed the `10,000
crore mark, signifying
recovery in certain
key sectors, especially
automobile sales,
the Finance Min-
istry said on
Tuesday
.
T h e
GST rev-
e n u e s
had hit a record high
of `1,40,986 crore in
Jan.
“The gross Goods
and Service Tax (GST)
revenue collected in
February 2022 is
`1,33,026 crore of
which Central GST is
`24,435 crore, State
GST is `30,779 crore,
Integrated GST is
`67,471 crore (includ-
ing `33,837 crore col-
lected on import of
goods) and cess is
`10,340 crore (includ-
ing `638 crore collect-
ed on import of
goods),”
the minis-
try said in a
statement. The rev-
enues for Feb 2022 are
18% higher than
the GST revenues
inthesamemonth
last year and 26
per cent higher
than in Feb 2020.
Power consumption grows 2.2% in Feb
New Delhi (PTI): In-
dia’s power consump-
tion growth remained
subdued at 2.2% year-
on-year in February to
105.54 billion units
(BU), showing the im-
pact of local restric-
tions imposed by the
states due to the third
wave of COVID-19.
Power consumption in
February 2021 was
103.25 Billion Units, a
tad lower than 103.81
Billion Units in the
same month of 2020, as
per the power ministry
data.
Govt may
review timing
of LIC IPO
New Delhi (Agen-
cies): India may take
another look at the
timing of Life Insur-
ance Corp of India’s
initial share sale, the
state-owned insurer,
following Russia’s in-
vasion of Ukraine,
Finance Minister
Nirmala Sitharaman
said. “Ideally, I’d like
to go ahead with it
becausewe’dplanned
it for some time
based purely on In-
dian considera-
tions,” Sitharaman
said in an interview
with Businessline
“But if global consid-
erations warrant
that I need to look at
it, I wouldn’t mind
looking at it again,”
she said.
New Delhi (FIB):
Reliance Retail Ven-
tures Limited
(RRVL), a subsidiary
of Reliance Indus-
tries Limited and the
holding company of
all retail companies
within the group,
has invested in Abra-
ham Thakore Ex-
ports Pvt Ltd for a
majority stake.
RRVL seeks to lev-
erage its subsidiary
Reliance Brands
Limited’s (RBL)
deep understanding
of the affluent Indi-
an customer and
their heft across
digital, retail opera-
tions, marketing,
and supply chain
platforms, to build
brand Abraham
Thakore’s global
appeal in the fash-
ion and lifestyle
category.
ATF price hiked by 3.3%; fifth increase this year
New Delhi (PTI): Jet
fuel prices on Tuesday
were increased by 3.3%
to all-time high levels
across the country, in
step with international
oil prices surging to
over seven-year-high.
This is the fifth hike in
jet fuel or Aviation Tur-
bine Fuel (ATF) prices
this year following an
unrelenting rise in
global oil prices, but
petrol and diesel prices
remained unchanged
for a record 116th day
in a row, coinciding
with electioneering to
elect new governments
in states like Uttar
Pradesh and Punjab.
ATF price was hiked
by `3,010.87 per kiloli-
tre or 3.22% to
`93,530.66 per kl in the
national capital, ac-
cording to a price noti-
fication of state-owned
fuel retailers.
Jet fuel, which
makes up for almost
40% of the running
cost of an airline, has
this year surged to new
highs.
The previous peak
of `71,028.26 per kl was
recorded in August
2008 when internation-
al crude oil prices
touched $147 per bar-
rel.
Brent crude oil on
Tuesday was trading
above $100 per barrel.
New Delhi (Agencies): Amid the
ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, oil
marketing companies have hiked
the price of 19kg commercial LPG
cylinders by `105 in Delhi and `108
in Kolkata. Prices of 5kg commercial
LPG cylinders have also been raised
by `27. New rates are effective from March 1. With
this price hike, a 19kg commercial cylinder will now
cost `2,012 in Delhi and `2,095 in Kolkata from
Tuesday. While there have been no changes in the
rates of domestic cylinders, many expect that the
prices of it will also witness a surge after March 7.
COMMERCIAL LPG CYLINDER
PRICES HIKED IN DELHI
COAL INDIA OUTPUT RISES 4% TO 64 MT
New Delhi (PTI): State-
owned CIL produced
64.3 million tonnes
of coal in February,
registering a growth of
nearly 4% compared
to the year-ago period.
Coal India Ltd (CIL) had
produced 61.9 MT of coal in the corresponding
month of previous fiscal. In a statement on Tues-
day, the company said that stepping up its output
tempo, it produced 64.3 MT of coal in February.
INDIA’S ECONOMY FACES
HEADWINDS: EMKAY
India could face economic
headwinds in the fourth
quarter and the weakness
could spill into the next
quarter as Russia’s inva-
sion of Ukraine slows glob-
al growth and fans inflation, according to Emkay
Global Financial Services. “Fourth quarter implied
growth is also likely to be sub 5%,” Madhavi Arora,
lead economist at Emkay, said in an interview with
Bloomberg TV. “You could see some bump down
in the first quarter of the next fiscal because of the
Ukraine impact,” the economist said.
IC15 TO BE TRADED ON BITBNS
EXCHANGE SOON
INDIA SLIPS 3 SPOTS TO RANK
120 ON 17 SDG GOALS
New Delhi (Agencies): CryptoWire, a
global crypto super app, has entered
into an agreement with Bitbns, a cryp-
tocurrency exchange, for listing India’s
first crypto index IC15. The index, which
was launched by CryptoWire on January
3 2022 this year, will begin trading on Bitbns
exchange in the first week of April 2022, an official
release said.
New Delhi (PTI): India has slipped
three spots from last year’s 117 to
rank 120 on the 17 Sustainable Devel-
opment Goals adopted as a part of the
2030 agenda by 192 United Nations
member states in 2015, a new report
said. With the latest rankings, India is now behind
all south Asian nations except Pakistan, which
stands at 129.
RRVL join
hands with
Abraham
Thakore
No of ultra HNIs in India up 11% in 2021
New Delhi (PTI): The
number of ultra-high-
net worth-individuals,
having net assets of $30
million or more, in In-
dia increased 11% last
year on the back of
buoyant equity markets
and digital revolution,
according to Knight
Frank. India also
ranked third in billion-
aire population globally
in 2021. US is number
one with with 748 bil-
lionaires, followed by
Chinese mainland at
554 and India with 145
billionaires.
In its latest edition of
The Wealth Report 2022,
property consultant
Knight Frank said the
number of ultra-high-
net-worth-individuals
(UHNWIs) globally in-
creased by 9.3% in 2021
to 6,10,569, from 5,58,828
in the previous year.
In India, the number
of UHNWIs (net assets
with $30 million or
more) has grown by
11% YoY in 2021, the
highest percentage
growth in APAC,”
Knight Frank said in a
statement.
The number of UHN-
WIs in India grew to
13,637 in 2021 from
12,287 in the previous
year. Amongst key In-
dian cities, Bengaluru
witnessed the highest
growth in the number
of UHNWIs at 17.1% to
352, followed by Delhi
(12.4%, 210) and Mum-
bai (9%, 1,596).
BIZ BRIEFS
‘Value of UPI
transactions
declined in Feb’
New Delhi (PTI):
India’s cashless retail
transactions on UPI
platform
were worth
`8.27 lakh
crore in
February,
slightly lower than the
amount recorded in the
previous month, data
from the NPCI showed
on Tuesday. There were
a total of 452 crore
(4.52 billion) transac-
tions in February 2022.
RBI penalises 3 co-op banks
New Delhi (PTI): The Reserve Bank
of India has imposed a penalty on
three cooperative banks, includ-
ing Nagrik Sahakari Bank Maryadit,
Raipur, Chhattisgarh, for deficiencies
in regulatory compliances. A fine of
`4.50 lakh has been imposed on Nagrik Sahakari
Bank Maryadit for contravention of the directions
issued by the RBI to urban cooperative banks on
exposure norms and statutory/other restrictions-
UCBs and Know Your Customer (KYC), the central
bank said.
Hero Electric
unveils new
model
New Delhi (PTI): Hero
Electric on Tuesday
unveiled a new two-
wheeler
Hero Eddy
for the
domestic
market.
The electric scooter
is easy to manoeuver
product that strikes
a perfect balance be-
tween technology and
convenience to fulfil the
need for short-distance
commutes.
Ilker Ayci
Ashneer Grover

COVID-19
UPDATE
WORLD
5,977,899
TOTAL DEATHS
369,284,201
TOTAL RECOVERED
62,376,320
ACTIVE CASES
437,638,420
TOTAL CASES
INDIA
514,054
TOTAL DEATHS
42,324,550
TOTAL RECOVERED
92,441
ACTIVE CASES
42,931,045
TOTAL CASES
The life skills one develops through
experience and on-ground
learning, are more help than the ‘
taught’ ones.
—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO Editor-in-Chief, First India
08
2NDFRONT
Corruption charges surface
against BJP MLA Jayesh Radadiya
Rajkot: The Rajkot po-
licecommissionerManoj
Agrawal is battling cor-
ruptionallegationsmade
by a BJP MLA but on
Monday was transferred
and appointed as the
principal of the State Re-
serve Police Training
Centre in Junagadh,
while corruption allega-
tions also surfaced
against Jetpur MLA
Jayesh Radadiya.
On February 2, Rajkot
SouthMLAGovindPatel
wrote to Gujarat minis-
ter of state for home
Harsh Sanghavi alleging
that Agrawal demanded
a cut of 15% from one
Mahesh Sakhiya from
the money restored of
financial fraud.
In the letter, Patel said
Sakhiya was defrauded
of Rs15 crore eight
months ago, and instead
of anFIR,Agrawalasked
him for the share.
Patel’s letter alleged
that after Rs7 crore was
recovered, Agrawal de-
manded Rs75 lakh
through an inspector.
Sakhiya was pressured
to pay Rs30 lakh more as
commission.
Anewdevelopmenton
Tuesday was that four
BJP members alleged
that Jetpur assembly
MLA Jayesh Radadiya,
chairman of the Rajkot
District Cooperative
Bank was charging a fee
against employment in
the bank.
“Every year around 60
posts of peons are filled
and each one was
chargedRs20lakhforthe
post. The new rates are
Rs45 lakh, and the sys-
tem is in practice for 20
years,” said Hardevsinh
Jadeja, president Sardar
Sahkari Mandli and for-
mer chairman Rajkot
Marketing Yard, to First
India.
“We have also written
to the PMO, Vigilance
Commissioner, State
Registrar and the chief
minister of Gujarat on
February 2, 2022. We
were quiet, but govern-
ment insiders have
leaked details of this
malpractice and so, we
came out in the open,”
added Jadeja, who also
said they have enough
evidence to prove their
claims. Former minister
Food and Civil Supplies
and Consumer Affairs
Jayesh Radadiya told
First India, “It is their
subject.Weareoneof the
top cooperative banks in
the country
, with eight
awards. My father (Vit-
thal Radadiya) took
charge in 1996.”
AMID CORRUPTION ALLEGATIONS, GAMES OF POLITICOS IN RAJKOT GET MURKIER
CORRUPTION AT PEAK
Two burnt to death in car
collision with container truck
First India Bureau
Surat: Two youths
were charred to death
after their car collided
with a container truck
transporting two-
wheeler vehicles on a
highway near Chalthan
area of Surat in the wee
hours of Tuesday
morning. The vehicle
hit the diesel tank of
the truck which is why
it went up in flames,
said fire officials who
arrived on the scene at
around 2 am.
Primary investiga-
tion by the police has
revealed that the de-
ceased were friends and
had gone out for dinner
that night.
“The container was
loaded with bikes and
mopeds. The car dashed
into the diesel tank of
the container and
caught fire. The youth
who had been driving
the car has been identi-
fied as Sonukumar Sa-
roj Singh (24), resident
of Jalaramnagar in
Chalthan. The deceased
accompanying him in
the passenger seat was
his friend Satish alias
‘Satio’ Babu Nayak (22).
The family of the two
youths have been traced
and informed about the
tragic accident,” said a
police official.
Praveen Patel, Fire
Officer, Kamrej said,
“The car crashed into
the diesel tank of the
container truck, due to
which both vehicles
may have caught fire.”
Father and son end life over
pressure from financier
First India Bureau
Rajkot: On Tuesday
afternoon, a father
and son died by sui-
cide by consuming
poison in the Badma-
lia village of the Jas-
dan Taluka in Rajkot
district. The com-
plaint registration is
under process as the
family wants the po-
lice to invoke sec-
tions of the Indian
Penal Code for culpa-
ble homicide.
Ramesh Badelia and
his son Satish were
running a salon in Jas-
dan town. For business
and social reasons,
they borrowed money
from a private financi-
er at a high rate. Due to
the pandemic, business
was dull, and revenue
dropped, making it dif-
ficult for the father and
son duo to repay the
loan. On the other
hand, the financier
built pressure to recov-
er his money.
On Tuesday even-
ing, around 3.30 pm,
Satish called his
cousin Nirav, inform-
ing him that they had
taken poison near a
canal at the Kothi
village. Nirav in-
formed the police,
and they rushed to
the site with other
relatives. Finding
them in a critical
condition, they were
first taken to Jasdan
hospital but then re-
ferred to the Rajkot
civil hospital, where
the doctors declared
them dead on arrival.
Police have sent the
bodies for post-mortem
after receiving the re-
ports and recording
the family’s statement
they will invoke IPC
sections against the fi-
nancier. Satish is sur-
vived by a wife and a
one-half-year-old baby
girl.
ALL IS WELL’: Russian rough
diamond exporter assures SDB
First India Bureau
Surat: Amid the Rus-
siaUkrainewar,Russia’s
rough mining company
Alroza has written a let-
tertotheSuratDiamond
Bourse (SDB) informing
them, “Don’t worry
, we
will not allow a shortage
of rough diamonds.”
The letter was written
after a rumour spread
that Surat’s diamond in-
dustry will be affected
due to the war. Around
25% to 30% of the rough
diamonds are imported
from Russia to Surat.
Ontheotherhand,the
traders have stated that
itdoesnotmatteraslong
as the factory owners
and traders still have
stock. But if the prices
of roughimportedgoods
rise and the finished
goods are not sold, it will
impact Surat’s economy
.
“Ihavealsospokentothe
CEO of Alroza. He has
assured that their rough
mining is going on, and
we should not worry
,”
said chairman of SDB,
Vallabh Lakhani.
First India Bureau
New Delhi: England’s
flamboyant batsman
Jason Roy has pulled
out of the upcoming
Indian Premier League
(IPL) citing extended
stay in the tournament
bubble, dealing a blow
to his new franchise
Gujarat Titans weeks
before the event gets
going.
According to a re-
port, Roy informed the
franchise of his deci-
sion last week and cit-
ed his wish to spend
time with his family as
the reason. The Titans
are yet to finalize a re-
placement.
The 31-year-old
South African-born
English cricketer was
signed by Gujarat Ti-
tans for his base price
of Rs2 crore at the
mega auction.
The development is a
big blow to the Gujarat
franchise as Roy was
the only specialist
opener picked by them
apart from young
Shubman Gill.
This is the second
time the English player
is pulling out of the
IPL. He had earlier
withdrawn from the
2020 edition due to per-
sonal reasons after be-
ing picked up by the
Delhi Capitals for Rs1.5
crore.
The 15th edition of
the IPL is scheduled to
begin on March 26 and
will conclude in the
last week of May.
Last season, Roy had
represented Sunrisers
Hyderabad and played
a few decent knocks be-
fore carrying his form
to the Pakistan Super
League this year, where
he turned out for the
Quetta Gladiators. The
PSL too was played in a
bio-secure bubble.
He played only six
matches for the fran-
chise and still ended up
as their highest run-
scorer with 303 runs at
an average of 50.50 and
a strike-rate of 170.22.
Notably, Roy was
blessed with his sec-
ond child in January
this year.
The IPL 2022 will be
a 10-team event and
will take place in Mum-
bai and Pune.
Guj Titans’ Jason Roy pulls out of IPL citing bubble fatigue
TAKING A BREATHER

In a blow to new
franchise, the
English
batsman’s
withdrawal
means it has
lost a specialist
opener, is yet to
finalize a
replacement
Roy in action for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL’s last season.
Decomposed
body of woman
deemed murder
in post-mortem
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Two days
ago, Naroda police re-
ceived a call about a wom-
an’s decomposed body.
And two days later, the
post-mortem revealed it
was a murder, and there
were marks of struggle
on the body. The police
have lodged a murder
case.
Mahesh Joshi bought a
flat in Devanandan
Sankalp city, and he rent-
ed the flat to a woman,
Kailashben Chauhan. A
few days ago, Joshi re-
ceived a call from one
Ashish, informing him
that Kailashben had left
the house. As there was
no communication from
Kailashben, Joshi contin-
uedtocallherbutinvain.
Recently, Joshi was in
Ahmedabad to attend a
marriageceremonywhen
he decided to see his flat.
Finding it locked from
outside, he broke the lock
and on entering found a
decomposed body on the
bed. He immediately
called the police.
Naroda Police Sub-In-
spector SM Thakor, in his
complaint,said“Thepost-
mortem report revealed
that there were several
marks of struggle on the
deceased’s body. She was
perhaps also hit with a
hard weapon, leading to
haemorrhage.” Police in-
formed the deceased’s
family
,buttheyrefusedto
take possession of the
body
,aslongago,theyhad
cut all ties with her.
Police now have to
crack the murder case,
find the accused, and also
investigate the back-
ground of the deceased.
EXPRESSING DISSENT
Police dispersed
protestors
causing a traffic
jam at AEC
Crossroads on
Tuesday. The
demonstrators
were protesting
against a builder
for dumping
building materials
in an open plot.
—PHOTO BY
HANIF SINDHI
(Left) Father Ramesh and (Right) son Satish Badelia.
Authorities towing the charred car.
The deceased, Sonu Singh and Satish Babu Nayak.
Jetpur MLA and chairman of the Rajkot District Cooperative Bank,
Jayesh Radadiya.

Leh Couture show, 2022, by First India
was held on Friday, February 25 at
Hotel Sinjee Palace, Leh and the
gorgeous supermodels notched up
the temperature with their oomph!
s a fashion show in the snow is
incongruous, garments can
challenge perception and con-
text. Outfits combine different
intentions, different dreams
and realities, to create different
characters. Inside and outside,
protectiveandseductive,likethediverse
identities found within each woman.
The fashion and glamour industry
witnessedthebestof thefashionworld
on the runway at an exotic destination,
Leh. In the Leh Couture show, 2022, by
First India held on Friday
, February 25
atHotelSinjeePalace,peoplewitnessed
the attractive designer outfits and the
extravaganza of the fashion world.
Directors of Leh Couture Show,
Gaurav Gaur, Ankur Jain and Nakul Vi-
jay were beyond excited and grateful to
the entire team for the grand show.
There were 4 designer sequences in
whichmodelsshowcasedtheirexquisitecol-
lectiononthebackdropof snowymountains.
Aesthetic gowns of Ashfaque Ahmad, beauti-
ful Jewellery Collection of Brand Citrine by
designer Radhika and Ayesha, Indo-western
garments by brand LAMHE and The grand
finale witnessed 25 beautiful gowns from
Moon Bohra, an ace designer from Jaipur
showcasing her beautiful Brand ‘Dungri. The
officialphotographerandvideographerof the
show was Sunny Rajwani.
Gaurav Gaur, director Elite Miss Ra-
jasthan said, “It wasn’t easy to shoot at such
low temperature, -5 degrees Celcius, but as
they say
, where there is a will, there’s a way
.
Everyone did a commendable job and man-
aged to successfully shoot day and night. I
am grateful to the entire team.”
AHMEDABAD, WEDNESDAY,
MARCH 2, 2022
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia
facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09
MITALI DUSAD
mitalidusad01@gmail.com
MELTING
MELTING
THE ICE
THE ICE
A
leh couture show 2022!
Akanksha Bhalla, Vasudha Tiwari, Riya Sain, Swati Jangid, Tanu Choudhary Soni Kumari, Himakshi Choudhary, Megha Shyam Soni, Neelanjana Jangid and Shubdha Panwar

10
ETC
APPORVA GOSWAMI, Model
LEO
JULY 24 - AUGUST 23
You will succeed in
resolving misunderstanding
with family members,
normalizing ties. Seek
proper valuation of the property you
are planning to buy. You will remain
much in demand on social front. You
need to stand by romantic partner
during hard times.
LIBRA
SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22
You will have an awesome
day today .Continue to put
in efforts at work and you
will see promising
opportunities coming your way.
Matrimonial match for siblings will
bring happiness for entire family. You
will get a good price for your
property.
ARIES
MAR 21 - APR 20
Some of you are going to
experience emotional
fulfillment on romantic
front. Yoga would help in
raising energy levels. Place emphasis
on domestic affairs to enhance the
domestic tranquility and harmony.
Associating yourself with
humanitarian groups.
SAGITTARIUS
NOV 23 - DEC 22
Investment antiques and
jewellery would bring
handsome financial gains.
On professional front,
recognition for good work would
motivate you to work harder. Those
awaiting an affirmation on romantic
front are likely to get lucky today, as
partner responds positively.
GEMINI
MAY 21 - JUNE 21
Your hard work and
dedication are likely to be
noticed by seniors, paving
way for promotion or
increment. Family will be supportive
of career aspirations. A promising
day overall as you stay in limelight
without any efforts. Harsh words
may create a rift in your relationship.
AQUARIUS
JAN 21 - FEB 19
A sound financial health of
businessmen would enable
to give monetary benefits to
employees. Your sole
dependency on friends may fail to
bring any respite from loneliness today.
It is good day to confess your love as
stars appear favourable for positive
reply.
TAURUS
APR 21 - MAY 20
Seek the opinion of your
family before finalizing a
property deal. An
impromptu invitation to a
function from an unexpected friend is
likely to be received. Your bold
initiatives on romantic front bring
back passion and spark in romantic
relationship.
CAPRICORN
DEC 23 - JAN 20
You succeed in completing
an important project well
before deadline. Disagree-
ments on the family front
are foreseen. Be careful about the
legal apprehensions in the property
you are planning to buy. Your
intuition will save you from a tricky
spot today.
VIRGO
AUG 24 - SEP 23
Paying special attention to
plan your career would
give immense joy. You are
likely to get clearance or
approval for your construction plans.
You find things moving in the way
you want them. Gifting something to
your beloved is likely to make the day
memorable.
CANCER
JUNE 22 - JULY 23
Those suffering from
chronic ailments may find
remarkable improvement
in their health with home
remedies. Minor domestic disputes
may snowball into a major row.
Rewards and recognition will come
your way for your involvement in a
social endeavour.
PISCES
FEB20 - MARCH 20
Implementation of new
ideas and projects would
add to your prestige on the
professional front. A sound
monetary position would enable you
to keep pace with changing times.
Avoid raising controversial issues at
home. It is a wonderful day to build
new connections.
SCORPIO
OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22
Health tips from an expert
will enable you to get
closer to your fitness
goals. Chances of being
misled by competitors in business
are high, so remain alert. Your
generous behavior would enable to
enjoy some lovely moments with
family.
YOUR
DAY
Horoscope by
Saurabbh Sachdeva
wife, who has
been married
for 25 years
says, “I like
when my hus-
band doesn’t of-
fer solutions
right away
. He doesn’t
even have to find out
why the problem arose.
I just want him to listen
to me.”
Since open ears are
not visible like open
eyes or an open mouth,
how can one show one’s
partner that he/she is
listening? One way is by
mirroring or active lis-
tening. This involves
both the speaker and lis-
tener understanding
each other. By paying
careful attention with-
out judging, criticizing
or disputing, one can
listen to the feelings be-
hind the words.
“When we talk about
our problems,” says a
wife married for 30
years. “I always listen so
I can understand my
husband’s thoughts and
feelings.” When one
partner speaks, it is
time to keep quiet and
listen with empathy
.
Listening with empa-
thy helps one to feel his
or her partner’s deepest
emotions. It creates an
atmosphere of trust, re-
spect and dignity where
the opinions of each are
valued. One partner can
sense the level of re-
spect by the way the
other person listens.
Some men and wom-
en hesitate to express
themselves and get un-
comfortable if their
partner pressurizes
them to talk. A wife re-
cently married discov-
ered that her husband
takes a long time to open
up and share his
thoughts. She says, “I
have to be patient and
wait for him to express
naturally
.”
When a partner
speaks, the other must
resist the urge to reply
immediately
. One can
ask, “Did you feel that I
was listening to you?”
Some husbands often
say to their wives, “You
never listen to me!” But
the wife replies, “I do!”
Later, she may realize
missing important de-
tailsof theconversation,
even though thinking
that she was listening.
At times one can be
tired or distracted with
other matters on one’s
mind which can hamper
listeningability
.Bycare-
fullyobservingbodylan-
guage, eye movement
and tone of voice, mis-
understandings can be
prevented from develop-
ing. Feigning to listen
can be very hurtful.
A man married for
over 40 years advises,
“Keep listening even if
your partner is criticis-
ing you. This involves
patience but it benefits.”
It reflects thoughtful-
ness. If one partner
talks while the other
one is in another room,
will he or she hear prop-
erly? It is better to avoid
speaking till one gets
undivided attention and
circumstances are con-
ducive for listening.
When the wife says,
“You never spend any
time with me!” The hus-
band can get irritated
and deny the charge. “I
spent a whole day with
you last week.” But if
the husband would lis-
ten empathetically, he
will know that his wife
is not really asking for
more minutes or hours.
Instead, she wants at-
tention because she
feels neglected.
If the husband ex-
presses his concern
over a recent purchase
by saying, “Why did you
spend that much mon-
ey?” The wife may im-
pulsively defend herself
with facts regarding the
finances or by compar-
ing her shopping with
one of the husband’s
purchases. But deep
thinking will help her to
see that he may not be
talking about the
amount. Instead, he
could be troubled since
he was not aware or was
left out of the decision-
making process.
Our being willing to
listenmakesiteasierfor
the other person to talk.
Listening first is a way
to get others to listen to
us. Making such sympa-
thetic statements as
“that must have been
upsetting” or “you must
have had a tough day,”
can be a soothing balm
for the other partner.
A husband married
for 10 years says, “I
switchoff thetelevision,
putdownthenewspaper
and keep the mobile
aside when my wife
speaks to me. I patiently
listen even if means lis-
tening to the same
things over and over
again.”Makinganeffort
to see one’s partner as
he/sheis,notaswewant
him/her to be, reflects
real consideration.
It is in the hands of a
man or a woman to
make their marriage
weak or strong. By be-
ing open and consulting
together, trust can be
built. In time, a couple
can weave a priceless
tapestry of history that
each can cherish. Pat-
terns of kind listening,
if ingrained, remain in-
tact even if emotions
run high during disa-
greements, minimizing
long-lasting damage.
The ability to listen
does not come naturally
.
It requires effort and
care. Keenly listening to
each other fosters coop-
eration that adds beauty
to any relationship and
is an important signpost
on the road to marital
happiness.
MARITAL BLUES: Are You Listening?
REKHA KUMAR
The writer is a personal
development skills facilitator.
A

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