02042022_First India_Ahmedabad (1).pdf

First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Thecoun-
try’s top B-School, the
Indian Institute of Man-
agement, Ahmedabad
(IIM-A), finds itself in a
major controversy over
the management’s deci-
sion to change its his-
torical logo, a move
fiercely opposed by the
past and present faculty
members. The institute
on Friday clarified that
it is in the process of
revamping its website
and thus found the need
to “refresh” its logo.
“The Institute is in
the process of revamp-
ing its website and
found the need to re-
fresh the logo. Evalua-
tion, exploration, devel-
opment of wordmark,
development of brand-
mark were all kept in
mind while coming up
with the final design
recommendations,” it
said in a release.
In a recent letter to
KumarMangalamBirla,
chairman of IIM-A
board of governors,
more than 40 faculty
members contended
that the management
did not consult them re-
garding the change in
logo, which would have
“far-reaching implica-
tions and long-term con-
sequences” for the top
management school.
IIM-A’s top governing
body has decided to re-
place the existing icon-
ic logo, adopted in 1961
when the institute was
set up, with two new
logos: one each for do-
mestic and internation-
al audiences.
The current logo
consists of a motif in-
spired by the exquisite-
ly stone latticework
(jaali) in the 16th cen-
tury Sidi Saiyyed
mosque, and the San-
skrit phrase ‘Vidya
v i n i y o g a d v i k a s a ‘
meaning development
through the distribu-
tion or application of
knowledge.
In the new logos, the
impression of the jaali
is present but is less
prominent; the San-
skrit shloka is only
there in the interna-
tional logo.
In website revamp, IIM-A finds need to ‘refresh’ logo
IMAGE MANAGEMENT
Faculty opposes
the proposal to
change the
historic symbol
The existing logo was chosen by Dr Vikram Sarabhai in 1962,
when IIM-A was set up. —FILE PHOTO
LET CHILDREN FOLLOW
THEIR OWN DREAMS
New Delhi: At the fifth
edition of Pariksha Pe
Charcha Saturday,
Prime Minister Naren-
dra Modi Saturday
dealt with a myriad set
of issues related to ex-
ams and education, in-
cluding stress manage-
ment, dealing with so-
cial media distractions
and choosing between
competitive and school
exams.
He also spoke of the
National Education
Policy and the role of
women in education.
He said students
should appear for ex-
ams in a “festive mood”
and without any stress.
...PM MODI’S MESSAGE
TO PARENTS, TEACHERS
PM Narendra Modi interacts with students during ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha’ programme in New Delhi.
l From stress to
social media to NEP:
Modi tackles range of
questions at Pariksha
Pe Charcha
l The event was held
at Talkatora Stadium
and saw the presence
of around 1000
students from schools
of Delhi NCR, along
with their teachers
Technology was not a bane and it should be used effectively.
Students can use ‘online’ medium to gain knowledge and
execute it offline. When you read, do you actually read or
watch reels? In reality, the fault does not lie with online or
offline mediums —Narendra Modi, Prime Minister
MISS UNIVERSE HARNAAZ SANDHU
REVEALS SHE HAS CELIAC DISEASE
Miss Universe 2021 Harnaaz Kaur Sandhu offers prayers at the Golden temple in Amritsar on Friday.

z Miss Universe
2021 Harnaaz Kaur
Sandhu revealed that
she is suffering from
Celiac disease

z Sandhu said, I’m
one of those who was
first bullied that ‘she’s
too skinny’ and now
being labelled as fat

z Celiac disease is an
autoimmune condition,
in which the affected
person’s own immune
system works against
the body causing
weight loss, gain and
neurological diseases
Ready to discuss if India wants
to buy anything from us: Lavrov
Most major
Russian oil
buyers in
Europe: India
response to
UK minister
New Delhi: An un-
scripted sharp ex-
change between Ex-
ternal Affairs min-
ister S Jaishankar
and his counterpart,
visiting British For-
eign Secretary Liz
Truss, highlighted
the divergences be-
tween New Delhi
and London on the
issue of sanctions
on Russia.
With Secretary
Truss listening, Jais-
hankar said that talk
of sanctions “looks
like a campaign” and
it was Europe that
was buying more oil
from Russia than be-
fore the war.
While the British
Foreign Secretary re-
peatedly talked about
Russian aggression,
Jaishankar did not
name Russia in his
statements during
the 45-minute talk.
The Russian Foreign Minister highlighted the possibility of
India becoming a mediator between Russia and Ukraine
and resolve the conflict. He said efforts to move away from
dollar-based payments and pitched for ruble-rupee system
New Delhi: Russian
Foreign Minister
Sergey Lavrov on
Friday, after holding
talks with External
Affairs Minister S
Jaishankar, said that
Moscow is ready to
discuss India’s re-
quirement of crude
oil, if the country
wants to buy it from
them. The high-level
talks come in the
backdrop of indica-
tions that India could
buy greater volumes
of discounted Rus-
sian oil and both
sides were keen on
having a ruble-rupee
arrangement for bi-
lateral trade.
“If India wants to
buy anything from
Russia, we are ready
to discuss it,” he said.
The US warned of
consequences over
attempts to “circum-
vent” American
sanctions against
Moscow. After the
meeting, Lavrov said
that the “Indian for-
eign policies are
characterised by in-
dependence and the
concentration on
real national legiti-
mate interests.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Russian Foreign
Minister Sergey Lavrov. In the 40-minute meeting, PM
Modi called for an end to violence as Lavrov briefed him
on Ukraine situation including peace negotiations.
IN RUSSIAN AIRSPACE,
UKRAINE CHOPPERS
STRIKE FUEL DEPOT
Moscow: Talks to stop
the fighting in Ukraine
resumed on Friday, as
Russia accused the
Ukrainians of a cross-bor-
der helicopter attack on an
oil depot. The governor of
Russia’s Belgorod region,
Vyacheslav Gladkov, said
an airstrike on Russian
soil by a pair of helicopter
gunships caused fires and
wounded two people.
NEPAL PM MEETS EAM,
TO HOLD TALKS WITH
PM MODI TODAY
New Delhi: Nepal Prime
Minister Sher Bahadur
Deuba met External Affairs
Minister S Jaishankar and
Foreign Secretary Harsh
Shringla in Delhi on Friday.
The Nepalese PM arrived
in India today for a three-
day visit, accompanied by
officials and his spouse Dr
Arzu Deuba. Nepal’s Prime
Minister is visiting India at
the invitation of Modi. P6
INDIA IN FAVOUR OF RESOLVING DISPUTES
VIA DIPLOMACY: SAYS EAM JAISHANKAR
New Delhi: India has always been in favour of resolving
disputes through diplomacy, External Affairs Minister
S Jaishankar said on Friday during a meeting with his
Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in New Delhi. In his
opening remarks at the Hyderabad House, Jaishankar
said: “Our bilateral relations have continued to grow
in many areas and we have diversified our cooperation
by expanding our agenda. Our meeting takes place in a
difficult international environment quite apart from the
pandemic,” added Jaishankar.
Punjab Assembly passes
resolution for transfer
of Chandigarh to Punjab
Chandigarh: Days af-
ter Union Home Minis-
ter Amit Shah an-
nounced that the Cen-
tral Service rules will
be applicable to employ-
ees of Chandigarh in-
stead of the Punjab ser-
vice rules, the Punjab
Assembly in a special
session Friday unani-
mously passed the offi-
cial resolution reiterat-
ing the state’s claim on
Chandigarh.
The Resolution was
passed by voice vote in
absence of BJP mem-
bers, who walked out.
The newly-inducted
Punjab Chief Minister,
Bhagwant Mann,
while addressing
the House, said, “I
guarantee the people
of the state that I will
fight for the rights of
the state, seek ap-
pointment with Prime
Minister and take up
the issue with him.”
My life is in danger, says
PM Imran ahead of voting
on no-vonfidence motion
Islamabad: Prime
Minister Imran Khan
said on Friday that he
has credible informa-
tion that his life is in
danger but asserted
that he is not afraid and
will continue his fight
for an independent and
democratic Pakistan.
In an interview with
ARY News ahead of
Sunday’s no-confidence
motion in the National
Assembly against him,
Mr Khan said the “es-
tablishment” (the pow-
erful military) gave him
three options - no-confi-
dence vote, early elec-
tions or resignation as
the Prime Minister.
Pakistan PM Imran Khan
A ‘powerful country’
supporting India is
angry with Pak for
Russia visit: Khan
AHMEDABAD l SATURDAY, APRIL 2, 2022 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/79050 l Vol 3 l Issue No. 126
OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR, AHMEDABAD, LUCKNOW NEW DELHI www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epapers/ahmedabad I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a plea by the Maharashtra government chal-
lenging the Bombay High Court order which rejected its prayer to constitute a Special
Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the cases against former Home Minister Anil Desh-
mukh. “It is a complete red herring…I thought the state will see some sense. But,
these are different nature of battles. Sorry, dismissed,” said Justice S K Kaul. P5
SC REJECTS
MAHARASHTRA
PLEA ON A PROBE
ON DESHMUKH
The police should reclaim social legitimacy and public trust by breaking the “nexus
with the political executive”, Chief Justice of India NV Ramana said on Friday.
Ramana was speaking at the CBI’s D.P. Kohli Memorial Lecture on the topic — ‘De-
mocracy: Role and Responsibilities of Investigative Agencies’. The chief justice said
investigative agencies should “stand by ethics and integrity”.
NEED TO RECLAIM
PUBLIC TRUST: CJI
NV RAMANA AT
CBI FUNCTION
HAPPY
CHAITRA
NAVRATRI
BJP FIRST PARTY
SINCE 1990 TO
TOUCH 100-MARK
IN RAJYA SABHA
New Delhi: For the first
time in its history, the
BJP has reached the feat
of having 100 members
in Rajya Sabha after the
party won one seat each
in Assam, Tripura and
Nagaland in the elections
held on Thursday. In the
recently held biennial
polls for 13 Rajya Sabha
seats across six states,
the BJP lost its solitary
seat from Punjab but
gained one each from the
three northeastern states
and Himachal Pradesh
where all five outgoing
members were from
Opposition parties.
CRUCIAL READ
SRI LANKA CRISIS:
DIESEL RUNS OUT,
POWER CUT; PROTEST
TURNS VIOLENT
Colombo: The curfew
imposed in Colombo and
its suburbs to contain the
protests against Sri Lan-
kan President, Gotabaya
Rajapaksa, demanding
his resignation, was lifted
on Friday. The President’s
office has blamed “organ-
ised extremists” for the
violence, following which
54 arrests have been
made. Five cops and at
least one protester were
reportedly injured during
the clash that erupted
amid shortages of fuel,
electricity and milk. P5

NEWS
AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, APRIL 2, 2022
02
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epapers/ahmedabad I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: The
Comptroller and Audi-
tor General of India
(CAG) has pointed out
several flaws in the fi-
nancial practices of the
Gujarat Education De-
partment such as issu-
ance of utilization cer-
tificate without comple-
tion of work.
The ‘State Finances
Audit Report of the
CAG for the year ended
March 31, 2021’, was ta-
bled on the floor of the
Gujarat Assembly on
Thursday
.
The central body ob-
served that various new
initiatives announced
during the budget were
not implemented by the
department and re-
mained unfulfilled.
A n n o u n c e m e n t s
made in 2018-19, 2019-20
and 2020-21 that re-
mained unfulfilled in-
clude starting three
self-financed Sainik
Schools on PPP mode,
installation of CCTV
cameras in secondary
and higher secondary
schools, NAAC accredi-
tation reforms for gov-
ernment colleges and
establishment of
Emergency Technolo-
gy Lab.
As per the rule, utili-
zation certificate is is-
sued by the grantee or-
ganisation when the
conditions on which
grants were sanctioned
have been duly fulfilled.
In the budget for 2018-
19, the Commissioner
of Mid-Day Meal
(MDM) was provided
Rs19.22 crore for con-
struction of 744 new
kitchen-cum-stores un-
der the scheme.
The commissioner
had provided a utiliza-
tion certificate in re-
spect of the entire
amount of Rs19.22 crore
stating that 841 kitchen-
cum-stores were con-
structed in 2018-19.
However, CAG’s field
visit at six places in Oc-
tober 2021 revealed that
the construction of five
MDM kitchens had
been completed while
the construction of
kitchens at one school
was in progress.
Rule 33 of the Gener-
al Financial Rules
(GFR), 2017, prescribes
that cases of misappro-
priation, theft, and de-
falcation are to be re-
ported to CAG by vari-
ous departments of the
state government. How-
ever, the audit observed
that two cases of misap-
propriation worth
Rs1.08 crore, under the
office of State Project
Director, SSA, Gandhi-
nagar, went unreport-
ed.
“Thus, there is a pos-
sibility of misappropri-
ation, theft, defalcation
cases not being report-
ed to Audit by various
departments,” said the
report.
Further, the Gujarat
Budget Manual states
that spending depart-
ments should surren-
der unspent grants to
the Finance Depart-
ment as and when sav-
ings are anticipated.
These unspent balances
should be credited to
the concerned revenue
expenditure.
However, unspent
balances of grants
amounting to Rs143.76
crore were incorrectly
deposited as revenue
receipts into govern-
ment accounts during
2017-18 to 2021-22. This
affected the correct de-
piction of revenue re-
ceipts and revenue ex-
penditure of the respec-
tive years to that ex-
tent,” the report said.
The CAG pointed out
significant savings by
the Education Depart-
ment under centrally
sponsored schemes.
“On scrutiny of
budget estimates re-
garding centrally spon-
sored schemes, it was
noticed that the pace of
utilization of funds in
some of the schemes,
such as S amagra Shik-
sha Abhiyan, was slow.
The savings exceeded
Rs100 crore in several
Centrally-sponsored
schemes due to slow
pace of execution, it
said.
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Aam
Aadmi Party (AAP)
leaders and Delhi and
Punjab Chief Ministers
Arvind Kejriwal and
Bhagwant Mann will
take part in a roadshow
here on Saturday
.
The event is part of
the duo's two-day visit
to the state, which is
likely to witness As-
sembly polls in Decem-
ber.
“The 2km roadshow,
which we are calling
Tiranga Yatra, will cov-
er Nikol and Bapuna-
gar area of Ahmedabad
city. Nearly 50,000 peo-
ple, including all key
party leaders from
across the state, will
take part,” Gujarat
AAP general secretary
Manoj Sorathiya said
on Friday
.
Against the backdrop
of vandalism amid a
protest outside Kejri-
wal’s Delhi residence
some days ago, the AAP
unit here asked city po-
lice commissioner San-
jay Srivastava to take
extra measures for the
safety and security of
the two leaders.
“Some miscreants re-
cently attacked Kejri-
wal's residence in Del-
hi. We fear some people
may attack our leaders
here too. So, we have
sent a letter to the po-
lice commissioner to
take extra precaution
and ensure the safety of
our leaders here,” Sor-
athiya told reporters.
As per the schedule
released by the party,
Kejriwal and Mann will
arrive on Friday night.
On Saturday, they
will first visit Gandhi
Ashram in the morning
and then reach Nikol
area of the city in the
afternoon to lead the
'Tiranga Yatra'. On
Sunday, they will visit
Swaminarayan Temple
in the Shahibaug area
before going back to
Delhi in the evening.
CAG FINDS FLAWS IN EDUCATION
DEPT’S FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
AAP CMs Kejriwal,
Mann arrive in state
for pre-poll roadshow
‘Why has the state not acted
against Dholka Nagarpalika?’
Ex-Guj Cong chief Modhwadia to lead
fishermen’s protest on pending issues
First India Bureau
Porbandar: Members
of the Congress party
will lead a protest by
fishermen over pend-
ing issues at Por-
bandar, on Saturday.
The Fishing Commu-
nity had demanded
that the BJP govern-
ment address their
pending problems
and bring home boats
seized by the Paki-
stan Marines. Former
GPCC president Ar-
jun Modhwadia, Por-
bandar Congress City
Committee president
Atul Karia and Por-
bandar Nagarpalika
leader of Opposition
Jeevan Jungi will
lead the protest.
“In the last 27 years,
the BJP (Bharatiya Ja-
nata Party) govern-
ment has not developed
a single seaport. The
programmes for the de-
velopment and growth
of the fishing commu-
nity launched under
the Congress regime
have been either
shelved or not imple-
mented, leading to chal-
lenges and survival is-
sues for the communi-
ty,” Modhwadia said,
He added that during
the Congress rule, the
fishermen were given
loans to purchase boats,
and a subsidy when buy-
ing petrol and diesel—
both of which were dis-
continued by the BJP
.
“In the run-up to the
2019 Lok Sabha elec-
tions, BJP had promised
to develop Phase II of
the seaport at Por-
bandar. But there has
been no progress, even
after three years on.
There is no fire-fighting
infrastructure at the
Porbandar jetties where
crores of rupees of
boats are anchored. The
BJP government has
donelittlefortherelease
of 1,164 boats lying at
the Karachi ports cap-
tured by the Pakistan
Marines. They have
done nothing for the re-
lease of the 577 fisher-
men imprisoned in Pa-
kistan’s jail,” he added.
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Ques-
tioning the state on
why it has not taken
any action against the
Dholka Nagarpalika
for allowing illegal
constructions in its
jurisdiction, the High
Court on Friday asked
if the palika was more
powerful than the
state government.
The court is hearing
public interest litiga-
tion seeking its inter-
vention to direct the
lower civic body to de-
molish illegal con-
struction that has
mushroomed in the
form of commercial
complexes and other
low rise-buildings.
“None of these build-
ings have Building Use
certificates or fire
NOCs. Yet the state has
not taken any action,”
the courted noted.
The state govern-
ment in its reply has
submitted that the na-
garpalika has power to
act against illegal
building, the area falls
under palika’s jurisdic-
tion and it should act
against such buildings.
In the last hearing,
the court had issued
notices to the Nagarpa-
lika officer, asked him
to file a reply and had
even fined him
Rs10,000 which he had
to pay personally. The
issue will next be
heard April 21.
In a different case,
one Kajal Majul (36),
residing at a home-
less persons’ shelter
in Surat, has knocked
the doors of the High
Court pleading it to
issue her a “No Caste
No Religion” certifi-
cate. Originally a
member of the Rajgor
Brahmin community,
she has had to suffer
a lot due to the discre-
tionary caste and reli-
gious system preva-
lent in society, the
petitioner stated, add-
ing that she has al-
ready legally dropped
her surname, and the
state has issued a cer-
tificate to prove the
same.
2km ‘Tiranga Yatra’
will cover Nikol
and Bapunagar
in A’bad
‘New initiatives
announced
during the
budget were not
implemented
and remained
unfulfilled,’
report says
The commissioner had provided a utilization certificate stating that 841 kitchen-cum-stores were constructed in 2018-19. However, CAG’s field visit revealed that the
construction of kitchens at one school was still in progress in 2021. —FILE PHOTO
PROTESTING INFLATION
Gujarat Congress in-charge Dr Raghu Sharma, GPCC chief
Jagdish Thakor, and city president Nirav Bakshi were among
those detained while protesting the hike in the cost of essentials
in Ahmedabad on Friday. Later in the day, the Gujarat Congress
sought the registration of FIR against policemen who allegedly
entered the party main office the previous day to stop workers
from holding the protest. The party alleged police carried out
searches and took away an “inflation effigy” that the protesters
wanted to burn during the stir near Amraiwadi Char Rasta.

GUJARAT
03
ASSEMBLY PASSES BILL AIMED
AT TACKLING CATTLE MENACE
CATTLE-REARERS WILL BE REQUIRED TO ACQUIRE A LICENCE TO KEEP THEIR ANIMALS IN URBAN AREAS
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: Aimed
at prohibiting the
movement of stray
cattle on roads and
public places in urban
areas of Gujarat, the
state Assembly on Fri-
day passed a bill that
mandates cattle-rear-
ers to obtain a licence
to keep such animals
in cities and towns and
get them tagged, fail-
ing which they may
face imprisonment.
The bill was passed
in the House in the wee
hours of Friday follow-
ing a seven-hour-long
heated debate on it that
had started around 6
pm on Thursday
.
Opposition Congress
vehemently opposed
the Gujarat Cattle Con-
trol (Keeping and Mov-
ing) In Urban Areas
Bill, and threatened to
launch a state-wide stir
against the BJP govern-
ment for bringing such
a “black Act”.
While tabling the bill,
Minister of State for Ur-
ban Development Vinod
Moradiya said the prac-
tice of keeping cattle,
such as cows, buffaloes,
bulls and goats in urban
areas is causing trouble
for the city-dwellers as
the cattle-rearers let
their animals stray on
roads and other public
places.
“When authorities
impound such stray cat-
tle, the cattle-rearers
take them back after
paying fees and again
release them on roads.
This is causing prob-
lems for the people.
Many people have died
after being hit by such
stray cattle. This prac-
tice is also not good for
cows because they die
on roads eating plas-
tic,” the minister said.
Under this law, cattle-
rearers will be required
to acquire a licence
from a competent au-
thority to keep their
cattle in urban areas,
which comprise eight
cities—Ahmedabad,
Rajkot, Surat, Va-
dodara, Gandhinagar,
Junagadh, Bhavnagar
and Jamanagar—and
156 towns. Without that
licence, no person will
be allowed to keep cattle
in the city limits, said
Moradiya.
Within 15 days of
getting the licence, the
owner will be required
to get their cattle
tagged and refrain
from letting the cattle
move on roads or any
other places in the city,
said the minister.
If the owner fails to
get its cattle tagged in
15 days, he will be pun-
ished with imprison-
ment which may ex-
tend up to one year or a
penalty of Rs10,000 or
both, the bill document
said. The sale of fodder
for cattle in non-desig-
nated areas in cities is
also prohibited under
the bill.
According to the bill,
any person who as-
saults officials or cre-
ates hurdles during cat-
tle catching operation,
will be punished with
one year of imprison-
ment and a minimum
fine of Rs50,000.
In case of seizure of
the tagged cattle, the
owner will be penalized
Rs5,000 the first time,
Rs10,000 the second
time and Rs15,000 as
well as an FIR for the
third time.
Cattle without a tag
will be seized and shift-
ed to a permanent cattle
shed by the authorities
and released after tak-
ing a fine of Rs50,000.
Any cattle-rearers who fails to get their animals tagged within 15 days of acquiring them will be
punished with imprisonment which may extend up to one year or a penalty of Rs10,000 or both.
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: Con-
gress MLA Raghu
Desai and Lakha
Bharwad, both be-
longing to Maldari
or cattle-rearer com-
munity
, warned the
government of a
state-wide stir if the
Gujarat Cattle Con-
trol (Keeping and
Moving) In Urban
Areas Bill was not
withdrawn.
“There are 50 lakh
cattle-rearers in the
state and 70% of them
are poor and illiterate.
Keeping cattle is our
fundamental right
and this bill is a direct
attack on it. This bill
is a conspiracy to dis-
place us. We will not
keep quiet. We will
launch a state-wide
stir against this black
act,” Desai said.
Bharwad said,
“BJP took votes in
the name of cows all
these years. And now,
its government
wants people to get
licences for keeping
the cows. This bill
will only result in un-
necessary harass-
ment of my commu-
nity. I want you to
withdraw this bill for
the sake of cows, con-
sidered as mother.”
In its defence, the
BJP government said
thebillisonlymeantto
regulate the stray cat-
tle and will not create
anytroubleforthelaw-
abiding cattle rearers.
Minister of Law
and Justice Rajendra
Trivedi asked the Con-
gress not to politicise
the issue because it
was the high court,
which had recently di-
rected the state gov-
ernment to enact such
a law to tackle the
menace of stray cattle.
The bill was passed
through majority vote
following a lengthy de-
bate that ended at 1 am
on Friday
.
CONGRESS, MALDHARIS
WARN OF PROTESTS
First India Bureau
Vadodara: Seven
MMA (mixed martial
arts) fighters from
Vadodara etched
their names at the
national champion-
ship of Hand-to-
Hand Fighting held
at Lucknow. The
fighters, out-per-
formed themselves
in the respective cat-
egories and won sev-
en medals, including
four gold at the tour-
nament. They have
now secured a chance
to to fight for a med-
al at the internation-
al championships.
Organised by the
Hand-to-Hand Fight-
ing Sports Federation
of India, this was the
first national champi-
onship of the fight.
Nearly 250 fighters
from different states
took part in the tour-
nament. Preeti Lu-
hach, Adarsh Barot,
Yash Jivani and Ari-
hant Jain all took gold
medals, while Romil
Patel claimed a silver
and Tarun Talpada
and Dhrukan Parekh
won bronze.
“This is new sport
for India, and partici-
pants from the MMA
Warriors fight club
fought well in the tour-
nament against their
opponents and brought
home four gold, one sil-
ver and two bronze
medals. The winners
will now get a chance
to play in internation-
al tournaments and
search for sponsor-
ship,” said coach
Mitesh Macwan.
7 MMA fighters from V’dara bring home 7 medals from nat’l event
SPARRING PARTNERS
lll
Wins give
skilled
practitioners of
mixed martial
arts a place in
the international
circuit
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The
Gaikwad Haveli po-
lice have arrested a
youth under various
sections of the Indi-
an Penal Code for
rape, cheating and
blackmailing a girl.
Accused befriended
the victim on social
media and then
blackmailed her us-
ing intimate photos.
Nafisa (name
changed), a 20-year-old,
met Aqil Mirza on so-
cial media and after
chatting for some days,
they exchanged num-
bers. At Aqil’s request,
they met for the first
time a few months ago,
where he introduced
himself as an invest-
ment consultant and
spoke about market and
investment benefits.
As their relationship
grew, Aqil promised to
marry the victim and
took her to hotel rooms
for physical relations.
On one such occasion,
he clicked her nude
photos and of their in-
timate relations. He
later used them to
blackmail her and
forced her to surrender
whenever he called.
Aqil threatened Nafisa
that he would share her
photos with her family
members.
In the name of in-
vestment in the bitcoin
and equity market,
Aqil also took Rs17
lakh cash, in phases,
from the victim. After
realizing she was
cheated, she com-
plained to the Gaikwad
Police Station.
Police have arrested
Aqil and are investi-
gating where and how
he has used the money.
His phone is given to
the cyber cell unit to
recover data and col-
lect evidence. Police
will also investigate if
Nafisa was Aqil’s only
victim or if there were
other girls too.
First India Bureau
Rajkot: A Class X stu-
dent on Thursday
evening poured kero-
sene on herself. She
was rushed to the
civil hospital in criti-
cal condition but suc-
cumbed to burn inju-
ries late at night. It is
the second such inci-
dent of a student
committing suicide
after a poor perfor-
mance in Board ex-
aminations this year.
Gujarat Secondary
and Higher Secondary
Board Exams com-
menced on Monday
, and
in four days, two stu-
dents died by suicide
after performing poorly
in their exams and fear-
ing they would fail.
Class X student Rak-
sha’s (name changed)
first four papers did not
go well. But she could
not express her fears to
her family or friends.
Fearing she might
fail, on Thursday even-
ing, she carried a kero-
sene jar in the bath-
room and self-immolat-
ed. But unable to bear
the pain, she started
screaming. The family
rushed and doused the
fire and rushed her to
the civil hospital. Late
at night, she suc-
cumbed to the burn in-
juries. A police com-
plaint of accidental
death is registered with
the Bhaktinagar police
station, Rajkot.
It was the second in-
cident of a student com-
mitting suicide after
Vadodara’s incident
when a class XII student
died as his physics pa-
per did not go well.
Two other students
died in the first four
days due to heart at-
tacks. On Monday
, a stu-
dent from Ahmedabad
suffered an attack as he
was writing the exam,
while the other student
died in Navsari.
A’badmanheldforrape,
blackmailandcheating
Studentself-immolates
afterdoingbadlyinexam
Active tally 69 as
Guj adds 7 cases
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: The
state added seven
new cases of COV-
ID-19 in the 24
hours ended 5 pm
on Friday, taking
the total tally to
12,23,911, the
health department
said.
With no new fatal-
ities, the death toll
remained un-
changed at 10,942,
while another 14 pa-
tients were dis-
charged from hospi-
tals during the day,
taking the total num-
ber of recoveries in
the state to 12,12,900.
This leaves the
state with 69 active
cases, with four pa-
tients on ventilator
support.
Ahmedabad led
the district-wise list
for another day,
when it registered
four new cases, a
health department
official said in a
statement.
—FILE
PHOTO
Members of the Maldhari community in Surat protested
against the authorities’ decision to tag cattle on Friday.

PERSPECTIVE
04
l Vol 3 l Issue No. 126
l RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/79050.
Printed and published by
Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf
of First Express Publishers.
Printed at Bhaskar Printing Planet
Survey No.148P, Changodar-
Bavla Highway, Tal. Sanand, Dist.
Ahmedabad. Published at D/302
3rd Floor Plot No. 35 Titanium
Square, Scheme No. 2, Thaltej
Taluka, Ghatlodiya, Ahmedabad.
Editor-In-Chief: Jagdeesh Chandra.
Editor: Haresh Jhala
responsible for selection of news
under the PRB Act
SPIRITUAL SPEAK
It’s rightly said, ‘There is
enough for everyone’s
need but not greed.’
—Bhagavad Gita
IN-DEPTH
Dharmendra Pradhan
@dpradhanbjp
Thank PM @narendramodi ji for taking
out his valuable time to bless guide
our young friends—the pillars of a
strong and an #AatmanirbharBharat.
There is no doubt that Hon’ble PM’s
words of encouragement at the
#ParikshaPeCharcha will boost their
confidence help them excel.
Arvind Kejriwal
@ArvindKejriwal
I am very delighted that Thiru @
mkstalin visited Delhi Government’s
schools and Mohalla Clinics today.
This country can only progress if we all
learn from each other’s good ideas.
TOP TWEETS
AKHILESH-SHIVPAL
BONHOMIE WAS A
PRETENCE ONLY
FOR UP ELECTIONS
he Samajwadi Party,
which flattered to
deceive during the
UP assembly elec-
tions, is back at self-
destruction. The family feud
between Akhilesh Yadav and
his uncle Shivpal years before
the polls dented the party’s fu-
ture prospects. A humiliated
Shivpal was forced to form his
own Pragatisheel Samajwadi
Party. Realising Shivpal’s hold
on Yadav votes in the Mainpuri,
Etawah region, Akhilesh
patched up with his uncle for
the duration of elections. Shiv-
pal won his Jaswantnagar seat
by a margin of 90,000 votes but
couldn’t help the SP to go be-
yond 125 seats. This was an un-
expectedly low number for a
party which was dreaming of
ousting the BJP.
Polls over, Akhilesh and Shiv-
pal were back at feuding. Shiv-
pal was not invited to the SP
legislature party meeting. In
return, Shivpal boycotted the
meeting of allies called by Akh-
ilesh. The bonhomie over, Shiv-
pal met Chief Minister Yogi
Adityanath and set off rumours
of his joining the BJP. What has
soured the chacha-bhatija rela-
tions now, nobody knows.
T
he tragic killing
of some civilians
in Nagaland’s
Mon district in
D e c e m b e r
2021had led to loud protests
over removal of Armed Forc-
es Special Power Act in the
North-eastern states Naga-
land, Assam and Manipur.
Following insurgency, the
three states were put under
the Disturbed Areas Act in
the Nineties. The Act is re-
quired in some border states
where there is insurgency
. It
empowers armed forces with
extraordinary powers to
search and arrest without
warrant and shoot a suspect
without the fear of prosecu-
tion. With a botched opera-
tion like the one in Mon, the
demand for the Act’s with-
drawal gained momentum
and anger against the Cen-
tral government also mount-
ed. Eight civilians and a sol-
dier were killed at Mon. Such
incidents had alienated a
large chunk of the local pop-
ulation and prevented their
integration in society
.
In a welcome move, Union
Home Minister Amit Shah
tweeted to announce the
withdrawal of AFSPA from
several areas in the three
states. It was clarified that
the AFSPA has not been en-
tirely withdrawn and it will
continue to remain in force in
some areas. Disturbed Area
notification is to be scrapped
from 23 of 33 districts of As-
sam. It will remain in force in
nine districts. One district
will have partial withdrawal.
That makes Assam the big-
gest beneficiary of the “his-
toric” decision.
Assam Chief Minister
Himanta Biswa Sarma wel-
comed the move but said it
was fraught with risks. The
withdrawal has, however,
been made possible due to the
vastly improved security
situation and development in
the North-east. Over time the
region may be completely
free of AFSPA.
CENTRE’S WELCOME
MOVE IN NORTH-EAST
The AFSPA has not been
entirely withdrawn and it
will continue to remain
in force in some areas.
Disturbed Area
notification is to be
scrapped from 23 of 33
districts of Assam
T
BALANCED SIDE AND FLYING
START GIVES HOPE FOR ROYALS TO
EMULATE WARNE TRIUMPH IN IPL!!
In their opening game
against Sunrisers
Hyderabad, the Royals
displayed their skills to the
hilt and demolished the
Kane Williamson-led side
by 61 runs. In the process
they pumped their net run
rate which might become
important in the latter
part of the tournament.
Sanju Samson scored
55 off just 27 balls
or Rajasthan royals, IPL 2022
has a special significance – it
comes barely a month after
the stunning death of Shane
Warne, the Aussie legend
who led them to victory in
the 1st IPL in 2008. However,
after being the inaugural
champions, the Royals have
never made it to the finals of
the tournament again and
have finished among the bot-
tom three in most seasons.
But now, with a fresh look
and a balanced side, most
fans and experts hope that
things will change this year
as the mix of young and old
players in the squad looks
not just promising but are be-
ing tipped as the Dark Horses
of the current season.
With a lot of fresh ammu-
nition in their arsenal, the
Royals look impressive on
both fronts - bowling and bat-
ting. Rajasthan had a huge
purse at their disposal going
into the IPL auction. Every-
one expected them to spend it
on big names but the team
selection was done with a
great deal of prudence and
planning to make it a cohe-
sive unit in all departments.
The core of the team re-
volves around new skipper
Sanju Samson and Jos But-
tler who were both retained
by the franchise due to their
fabulous batting and wicket-
keeping abilities. Rest of the
team is equally impressive
with Ravi Ashwin, Yuzi Cha-
hal and Trent Boult leading
the bowling attack.
In their opening game
against Sunrisers Hy-
derabad,theRoyalsdisplayed
their skills to the hilt and de-
molished the Kane William-
son-led side by 61 runs. In the
process they pumped their
net run rate which might be-
come important in the latter
part of the tournament. San-
ju Samson scored 55 off just
27 balls, proving why he is
always the name discussed in
selection meetings for the na-
tional T20 team.
Devdutt Padikkal, one of
the new entrants who has en-
joyedtwosuperbseasonswith
Royal Challengers Bangalore,
batted in the middle order in-
stead of his usual opening
spot scoring 41 along with
power hitter Shimron Hetmy-
er. They took Rajasthan past
the 200 mark and gave a stiff
challenge to Hyderabad.
Giventheirrichexperience,
the Ashwin-Chahal duo kept
the opposition in check in the
crucial middle overs. The 8
overs between them cost only
43 runs and Chahal got 3 cru-
cialwicketsaswell.Moreover,
Prasidh Krishna and Trent
Boult took 2 wickets each, go-
ing less than 6 runs an over.
Prasidh is the most expen-
sive buy at 10 crores for Roy-
alsandprovedhisworthearly
when he got rid of Kane Wil-
liamson. In addition, they
also have the option of play-
ing Nathan Coulter-Nile and
Navdeep Saini to sharpen
their bowling armoury
. Sig-
nificantly, the Royals have
also roped in Sri Lankan leg-
endanddeathbowlingexpert-
Lasith Malinga as their fast-
bowling coach who could play
a key role in bringing some
control in the death overs.
While Royals have got off
to a flying start with a com-
manding win in their season
opener, their next match
against Mumbai presents a
much tougher test. If Royals
can keep up their momentum
and perform to their poten-
tial, they could spring a huge
and most pleasant surprise
this season. Adding to Mum-
bai’s strength would be Indi-
an middle order batsman,
Suryakumar Yadav, who was
out of the first match due to
a wrist injury. Malinga has
been with Mumbai Indians
for a long period and would
be able to build plans for Ra-
jasthan bowlers to tackle the
likes of Rohit Sharma , Ishan
Kishan and Suryakumar.
A possible weakness for Ra-
jasthan might be their bench
strength which has many
young upcoming bowlers but
lacks any stop-gap batsman.
Thatiswhyitiscrucialthatthe
main batters play well along
withkeepingthemselvesfitfor
alongseasonahead.Inthefirst
match Rajasthan looked like a
well-oiledmachinerywitheve-
ryone playing their roles to
perfection. The fielding stand-
ard of the team, barring a few
exceptions like Ashwin and
Chahalistopclassanditseems
they have the wherewithal to
stand up to the rigours of IPL
grind and take the title.
If the dangerous dark
horses go on to reach the fi-
nal and lift the trophy, the
Royals could pay the perfect
tribute to Shane Warne – the
Wizard of leg spin who pro-
vided inspirational leader-
ship to their only champion-
ship win till now!
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
F
While Royals have got
off to a flying start
with a commanding
win in their season
opener, their next match
against Mumbai presents
a much tougher test. If
Royals can keep up
their momentum and
perform to their
potential, they could
spring a huge and
most pleasant
surprise this season
SIDDHAARTH MAHAN
The writer is a specialist on Sports
and Cinema who works as an actor
in the Hindi film industry

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INDIA
05
Bengaluru (Agen-
cies): Congress leader
Rahul Gandhi on Fri-
day virtually sounded
the poll bugle for Kar-
nataka Assembly elec-
tions a year away by
calling upon the party
functionaries to aim to
win a minimum of 150
seats in the 224-mem-
ber house.
“We should not aim
to win these elections
with a close margin. We
should be very clear in
our minds that we are
going to win not less
than 150 seats and we
should start our calcu-
lations from the 150-
seat mark,” said Gan-
dhi, while addressing a
gathering of Congress
functionaries before in-
teracting with different
sections of the state
unit at the party office
including the enrollers
of membership drive.
He said winning 150
seats would not be a dif-
ficult task for the Con-
gress if the party func-
tionaries fight the polls
unitedly, fight on the
right issues and the
party guarantees merit
as the criterion for the
party’s candidates,
leaders and voters.
Alluding to internal
fights among the fac-
tions within the party,
Gandhi called upon
KPCC president DK
Shivakumar, Congress
legislature party lead-
er Siddaramaiah and
leader of opposition in
Rajya Sabha Mallikar-
jun Kharge to work to-
gether.
“Siddaramaiah ji,
Shivakumar ji and
Kharge ji, you are sen-
ior leaders and I know
you very well and
worked with you close-
ly during the previous
elections. The most im-
portant requirement is
that you should fight
unitedly and your high-
est responsibility is
that you should be
more intense in what
you are doing and en-
sureC winning 150
seats,” he said.
Gandhi gave his par-
ty functionaries three
principles to win the
elections: fighting elec-
tions with an objective
on winning it decisively
with a minimum of 150
seats, making decision
of merit, and reward-
ing the party workers
with party ticket strict-
ly based on the loyalty
to the party
.
Sharat K Verma
New Delhi: Elections
are being held for 13
seats of Rajya Sabha, in
which the Congress is
going to face a major
loss. After this, 21 seats
will be falling vacant be-
tween June 21 and 30, 34
betweenJuly1and7and
two seats in August. Ac-
cordingly, elections for
57 seats are going to be
held in the next two-
three months.
The loss that Con-
gress is facing is one as-
pect, but it will gain
someseatsinRajasthan,
Chhattisgarh and Hary-
ana. If allies show good-
will, the Congress can
get one seat each in Ta-
mil Nadu, Bihar and
Jharkhand as well.
Congress will defi-
nitely get three seats in
Rajasthan and two in
Chhattisgarh. The party
can get one seat in Hary-
ana. Apart from this,
there will be one seat
each in Karnataka and
Maharashtra but again
Jairam Ramesh from
Karnataka and P Chid-
ambaram from Maha-
rashtra are likely to be
repeated. So, the eyes of
all the contenders of the
Congress are on Ra-
jasthan, Chhattisgarh
and Haryana. Among
the contenders for the
RajyaSabha seat,onone
side are the old Con-
gress and G-23 leaders,
who are trying to get the
Rajya Sabha seat by
twisting the arm of the
party high command,
and on the other hand
are the leaders of Rahul
Gandhi’s team, who rely
on Rahul and are sitting
in the hope of getting
the Rajya Sabha berth.
Jitendra Singh’s
name has suddenly ap-
peared among the close
friends of Rahul Gan-
dhi. He was in charge in
the states like Odisha,
Assam etc. but the per-
formance of Congress
was not good in either
of these states. It is be-
ing told that he is the
contender for one of the
threeseatsinRajasthan.
He belongs to Rajasthan
and has been a Union
Minister. So, the party
will not face any prob-
lem in giving him a
ticket.
There is already one
outsider in Rajya Sabha
from both Rajasthan
and Chhattisgarh.
Therefore, there will be
opposition in the state
committee, yet Mukul
Wasnik and Anand
Sharma are claiming
berths from Rajasthan,
Chhattisgarh and Hary-
ana. By the way, the
number one contender
from Haryana would be
Kumari Selja, whose
seat was forcefully va-
cated by Bhupinder
Singh Hooda last time,
who in turn sent his son
to RS from the seat. So,
this time Shailja’s has
laid claim on that seat.
However, it is also pos-
sible that Hooda, who is
associated with the
G-23, may pressurize
the high command to
give a seat to a leader of
the same group. It is be-
lieved that Ghulam
Nabi Azad will go to Ra-
jya Sabha from some
state the Congress has a
good presence in.
Among the old leaders,
Subodh Kant Sahai is a
contender for the seat of
his home state
Jharkhand. Milind De-
ora is also pushing, but
party sources reveal
that his chances are not
too strong. Moreover,
Kapil Sibal will retire
from his seat but it ap-
pears that this time the
party will not give him
a seat but he will reach
Rajya Sabha anyhow!
Ruckus in Congress over RS berths!
INTERNAL RIFT
New Delhi (ANI):
The Centre on Friday
extended the Armed
Forces (Special Pow-
ers) Act in three dis-
tricts of Arunachal
Pradesh including
Tirap, Changlang,
and Longding from
April 1 to September
30 this year, according
to a notification is-
sued by the Ministry
of Home Affairs.
In addition, the
Government of India
has also extended AF-
SPA in the areas fall-
ing within the juris-
diction of Namsai and
Mahadevpur police
stations in Arunachal
Pradesh.
“The Central Gov-
ernment in the exer-
cise of the powers
conferred by section 3
of the Armed Forces
(Special Powers) Act,
1958 had declared the
Tirap, Changlang,
and Longding dis-
tricts in Arunachal
Pradesh and the areas
falling within the ju-
risdiction of Namsai
and Mahadevpur po-
lice stations in Nam-
sai district, bordering
the State of Assam as
‘disturbed’ areas,” the
notification read.
Mumbai (ANI): Maha-
rashtra Chief Minister
Uddhav Thackeray on
Friday said that he has
full faith in state Home
Minister Dilip Walse
Patil, dismissing re-
ports of him being up-
set with his Cabinet
minister.
“I have full faith in
Home Minister Patil
and he is doing a good
job,” the Chief Minis-
ter’s office said in a
statement after the
meeting of Thackeray
and Patil concluded at
‘Varsha’ bungalow
here. Their meeting
lasted for more than
an hour.
Uddhav denies
report of row with
Home Min, says
‘full faith in him’
New Delhi (PTI): Tak-
ing a swipe at the BJP
government in Uttar
Pradesh, Congress lead-
er Priyanka Gandhi
VadraonFridayaskedit
to hold a “charcha” on
the paper leak and said
“no bulldozer is target-
ing”thesysteminvolved
in such acts.
Her attack came af-
ter the Uttar Pradesh
secondary school
board’s Class 12 Eng-
lish exam was can-
celled in 24 districts on
Wednesday following a
question paper leak.
“TheBJPgovernment
should have a ‘charcha
on paper leak’ in Uttar
Pradesh,” she said.
“Last year, on Novem-
ber 28, lakhs of youth
suffered a blow due to
theUPTETexamination
paper leak. In the name
of action, nothing hap-
pened except preten-
tious steps,” Priyanka
Gandhi said.
Tilltoday
,theyouthof
Uttar Pradesh do not
knowwhichcorruptsys-
temof theUttarPradesh
governmenthadcarried
out the paper leak, the
Congress general secre-
tary claimed, adding the
result of it was another
paper leak.
Thistimealsothegov-
ernment is not doing
anything except taking
pretentious steps, she
said. “The journalist
who reported the news
of paper leak is being
sent to jail.”
Tushar Kumar
New Delhi: Like Maha-
rashtra, Congress is
said to be in danger in
Jharkhand too. The
membership of Bandhu
Tirkey, one of the two
MLAs who broke away
from Babulal Marandi’s
party and joined the
Congress, is in danger
as a special CBI court
sentenced him to three
years of imprisonment
in the disproportionate
assets case. If the High
Court does not stay the
sentence, then his mem-
bership will be termi-
nated. So, the state BJP
leaders are believing
that now the ‘political
game’ has started as it is
attempting to break the
12 Congress MLAs and
form a separate faction
and join them in the
BJP so that the govern-
ment falls and the BJP
government is formed.
There is a group
of BJP leaders who
want mid-term elec-
tions instead of form-
ing the government
now. Because of this,
the BJP’s campaign
has come to a halt.
On the other hand,
the dilemma of Con-
gress MLAs is how can
they join BJP? This di-
lemma is faced by the
tribal MLAs and espe-
cially the MLAs who
won from Christian ma-
jority seats as they
don’t want to go with
BJP. There are at least
three MLAs from
around Ranchi who are
keeping a distance from
the BJP due to the con-
cern of the Christian
vote and because of this
the BJP’s campaign has
come to a halt. At the
same time, it is also re-
ported that more than
the Congress leader-
ship, Chief Minister
Hemant Soren and his
political manager are in
touch with the Con-
gress MLAs and are tak-
ing care of them. That’s
why these MLAs are not
giving any special at-
tention to the Congress
leadership. It is also dis-
cussed that in the next
election, more than
half of the sitting Con-
gress MLAs can contest
from Jharkhand Mukti
Morcha ticket.
Congress MLAs in a major
dilemma in Jharkhand!
Bandhu Tirkey
Karnataka: RaGa sounds poll
bugle, sets 150-seat target
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Karnataka on Friday.
New Delhi: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Friday
(April 1) targeting the BJP-led Karnataka govern-
ment called it the “most corrupt government in the
country”. Addressing a party meeting in Bengaluru,
Gandhi said that the BJP cannot provide employ-
ment as “they have destroyed small and medium
industries”. “The economy of our country has col-
lapsed. Unemployment and inflation have increased,
these are the biggest issues in the country. Even
if BJP wants, they can’t provide jobs to people in
India because they have destroyed the employment
providing sectors,” the Congress leader said. “The
Prime Minister used to speak about corruption, but
if he speaks about it in Karnataka, people will laugh
as this (BJP govt) is the most corrupt state with 40
percentage (commission) govt,” Gandhi alleged.
Kolkata (PTI): Rights activist
Irom Sharmila, who was on
a 16-year-long hunger strike
demanding repeal of AFSPA,
welcomed the Centre’s decision
to reduce areas under the Act’s
purview in Assam, Nagaland and
Manipur, but maintained that the
“draconian, colonial law” should be rolled back com-
pletely. Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday
announced a reduction in the number of “disturbed
areas” in the three northeastern states where the
Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 continues
to be imposed along with Jammu and Kashmir.
RAHUL SLAMS KARNATAKA GOVT
AS ‘COUNTRY’S MOST CORRUPT’
ACTIVIST IROM SHARMILA WANTS
COMPLETE WITHDRAWAL OF AFSPA
The biggest responsibility of state Congress leaders is to fight
unitedly and win 150 seats in the Assembly polls next year
Government
declares these
areas as
‘disturbed’ areas
from April 1 to
Sep 30, 2022
Centre extends AFSPA in 3 dists
of Arunachal for six months
Colombo (Agencies):
As Sri Lanka’s worst
economic crisis in dec-
ades brought more pow-
er cuts and gloom, peo-
ple in the country are
staring at a very bleak
future. The country ran
out of diesel on Thurs-
day and the island na-
tion of 22 million peo-
ple is struggling with
rolling power cuts for
up to 13 hours a day as
the government is una-
ble to make payments
for fuel imports because
of a lack of foreign ex-
change.
Sri Lankans are now
blaming the govern-
ment for the worst eco-
nomic crisis since its
Independence in 1948.
On Wednesday,
March 30, Sri Lanka be-
gan imposing record
nationwide 10-hour
daily power cuts, up
from the seven-hour
power outage an-
nounced in the first
week of March, as it ran
out of hydroelectricity
.
Mumbai (PTI): Central
Bureau of Investigation
(CBI) will be taking the
custody of former Ma-
harashtra Home Minis-
ter Anil Deshmukh, sus-
pendedcopSachinWaze
and Kundan Shinde on
Friday, in the corrup-
tion case.
The Bombay High
Court will be hearing,
on April 8, Mr Desh-
mukh’s bail plea in the
case. On March 25, the
court granted a week’s
time to the Enforce-
ment Directorate (ED)
to reply to the bail ap-
plication filed by Mr
Deshmukh.
Anil Deshmukh was
previously lodged in
Arthur Road Jail.
The Enforcement Di-
rectorate (ED) in its
charge sheet filed in
February this year in
the Rs 100 crore extor-
tion and money laun-
dering case said that
Anil Deshmukh has
been taking undue ad-
vantage of the posi-
tions he held since 1992.
“Anil Deshmukh
took the wrong advan-
tage of his position
since 1992. He made a
lot of money and prop-
erty through illegal
means. The illegally
earned money was
used in 13 companies.
These are either owned
by his sons or his close
associates,” reads the
chargesheet.
CBI to take custody of
Maharashtra ex-Home,
others in graft case
Yogi Govt should hold ‘charcha
on paper leak’ in UP: Priyanka Violent protests
outside Prez house
SRI LANKA CRISIS
Members of the Socialist Youth Union scuffle with police as they
attempt to enter the Sri Lankan President’s office in Colombo.
Mumbai (PTI): The
Congress in Maha-
rashtra on Friday
accused PM Modi of
ignoring critical issues
facing the country and
sought to know when
he will hold an interac-
tive session on rising
inflation. State Cong
chief Nana Patole said
the PM was en-
grossed in organising
events like ‘Pariksha
Pe Charcha’, his an-
nual interaction with
students, and seems
to have no time to ad-
dress pressing issues
like inflation, sluggish
economic growth
and unemployment.
“The PM is ignoring
burning issues of the
country. The ‘publicity
minister’ is engrossed
in organising events,”
he said.
WHEN WILL PM
HOLD MEHANGAI
PE CHARCHA?
Anil Deshmukh Priyanka Gandhi Vadra

INDIA
06
New Delhi: India effec-
tively handled the Omi-
cron wave, which
caused numerous
deaths in other coun-
tries, because of better
Covid management and
a massive vaccination
drive, Health Minister
Mansukh Mandaviya
said on Friday
.
Replying to a supple-
mentary question in
the Lok Sabha, Man-
daviya said the ICMR
has from time to time
guided the country and
helped in vaccine-relat-
ed research leading to
India having its own
indigenous vaccine.
“It was under PM
Narendra Modi’s guid-
ance that India saw best
Covid management...
While Omicron caused
numerous deaths in
other countries, India
sailed through the Omi-
cron wave because of
v a c c i n a -
tion,” Man-
daviya said
during the
Q u e s t i o n
Hour.
Mahesh Sharma
New Delhi: After the
victory of the BJP in
the elections of four
States, apprehensions
are being raised about
the Maharashtra and
Jharkhand Govern-
ment. The Govern-
ments of both the
States are also engaged
in the ‘siege’ of their
MLAs but now, it seems
that the focus of the
BJP is on Bihar. More
than Maharashtra and
Jharkhand, the BJP is
focussed on making its
Chief Minister in Bi-
har. Keep in mind that
BJP has had a Chief
Minister in both the
States, but in Bihar, the
BJP has not been able
to field its own CM. Bi-
har is the only state
among the big states of
Hindi belt, where till
date the BJP has not
had a Chief Minister.
So, the BJP is desperate
for this achievement.
But the question is,
how will the BJP bring
its own chief minister
in Bihar? Will Nitish
Kumar get the BJP gov-
ernment formed or
will he keep bowing be-
fore the BJP to save his
own Government? Go-
ing to Lucknow for
Yogi Adityanath’s oath
ceremony and bowing
on the stage to greet
Prime Minister Naren-
dra Modi is a sign that
Nitish understands the
game plan of the BJP
and will give his last
try. He is trying to
make sure that some-
how he remains the
Chief Minister.
JD(U) leaders are of
the view that BJP needs
Nitish Kumar till the
next Lok Sabha elec-
tions as Bihar has 40
seats, out of which NDA
got 39 seats last time.
On the contrary, BJP
leaders say that out of
39, BJP has only 17 seats
and JD(U) also has 17,
whereas in 2014, when
BJP fought separately
from them, the BJP had
23 seats and JD(U) was
reduced to two seats.
That’s why many party
leaders want that there
is no point in retaining
Nitish while worrying
about the Lok Sabha
elections.
BJP has included
three MLAs of Mukesh
Sahni’s party — VIP in
its party and it is the
largest party in the As-
sembly. On this basis, a
group of party leaders
want to talk to Nitish
and find a way out for
his honorable farewell.
That’s when it has
been publicised that
Nitish should be made
the Vice-President
or President and in
return he should ap-
point a BJP CM in Bi-
har. BJP leaders are
also proposing merger
of the JD(U) with the
BJP. However, this
does not seem to be
possible immediately.
If Nitish is not ready
for a dignified fare-
well, the BJP is also
thinking of ways to
‘extract’ the ‘desired
result’ through other
means. Be that as it
may, the preparation
of the BJP is to make
its Chief Minister be-
fore the 2025 Assembly
elections.
How will BJP bring about its Chief Minister in Bihar?
New Delhi: The Centre
has told the Supreme
Court that quashing of
reservation in promo-
tion to SC/ST employ-
ees in government jobs
may lead to employee
unrest and multiple
litigations. In an affida-
vit filed before a bench
of JusticesLNageswara
Rao and BR Gavai, the
centre informed it that
the policy for reserva-
tion is in consonance
with the Constitution
and the law laid down
by this court.
If the case is not al-
lowed, it would neces-
sitate withdrawal of the
benefits of reservation
in promotion granted to
SC/ST employees. This
may lead to reversions
of SC and ST employ-
ees, re-fixation of their
salaries including re-
fixation of pension of
many employees who
may have retired in the
meantime, recovery of
excess salaries/pension
so paid to them. This
would lead to multiple
litigations and employ-
ee unrest, the Centre
said. Defending its poli-
cy, the Union of India
stated that representa-
tion of SCs/STs in gov-
ernment jobs is inade-
quate and contended
that grant of reserva-
tion does not in any
manner hamper the ad-
ministration.
The administrative
efficiency is ensured
through the system of
Annual Performance
Assessment Report
which captures assess-
ment of work output,
personal attributes and
functional competency
of each officer, it said.
The centre further
submitted data of 75
ministries and depart-
ments under its juris-
diction and said out of
27,55,430 total employ-
ees, 4,79,301 are SCs,
2,14,738 are STs and the
number of OBC em-
ployees is 4, 57,148.
The court had earlier
directed the centre to
file an affidavit on the
c o n t e m p o r a n e o u s
data that is available
to the government
along with applica-
tion of mind on data
for providing reserva-
tion in promotion to
Scheduled Castes and
Scheduled Tribes in
government jobs.
Quashing quota in promotion
may cause unrest: Centre to SC
Centre contended that policy for reservation is in consonance with Constitution
New Delhi: Russia is
offering India steep dis-
counts on the direct
sale of oil as mounting
international pressure
lowers the appetite for
its barrels elsewhere
following the invasion
of Ukraine.
The sanctions-hit na-
tion is offering its flag-
ship Urals grade to In-
dia at discounts of as
much as $35 a barrel on
prices before the war to
lure India to lift more
shipments, the people
said, asking not to be
identified discussing
confidential delibera-
tions. Headline Brent
prices have risen about
$10 since then, implying
an even larger reduc-
tion from current pric-
es. Russia wants India
to take 15 million bar-
rels contracted for this
year just to begin with,
they said, adding the
talks are taking place at
government level.
Asia’s No. 2 oil im-
porter is among a hand-
ful of nations that have
been doubling down on
Russian crude, defying
international pressure
and sanctions. Russian
barrels have been flow-
ing to Asia in greater
volumes as buyers
across Europe and the
US shun supply follow-
inginvasionof Ukraine.
RUSSIA OFFERS OIL TO INDIA
AT STEEP DISCOUNT: REPORT
New Delhi: The Su-
preme Court collegium
recommended 39 wom-
en for appointment as
high court judges in the
last one year, out of
whom 27 were appoint-
ed and the remaining 12
cases are under various
stages of the process,
Lok Sabha was in-
formed on Friday
.
In written reply to a
question, law minister
Kiren Rijiju said in the
present system of ap-
pointment of Supreme
Court and HC judges
through the collegium
system, the onus to pro-
vide social diversity
and representation to
all sections of the soci-
ety, including SCs, STs,
women and minorities,
primarily falls on the
judiciary
.
Responding to the
question on the repre-
sentation of women in
courts, he said the gov-
ernment remains com-
mitted to social diver-
sity in the appointment
of judges in the higher
judiciary
.
Govt: 27
women judges
appointed in
HCs in one year
‘RECLAIM CREDIBILITY, PUBLIC TRUST’,
CJI NV RAMANA TELLS CBI, POLICE
MATERNITY
SHOULD NOT BE
BARRIER: JUDGE
SC SETS ASIDE
HC’S SABARMATI
ASHRAM VERDICT
New Delhi: Chief Justice of India NV Ramana on
Friday said the CBI, through its “actions and inac-
tions” have often raised “questions on its credibil-
ity”. Speaking at a function of the agency, he also
suggested that the need of the hour is to “reclaim
social legitimacy and public trust” and the first step
to that “is to break nexus with political and execu-
tive”. ““There is an immediate requirement for the
creation of an independent umbrella institution,
so as to bring various agencies like the CBI, SFIO,
ED, etc. under one roof. This body is required to be
created under a statute, clearly defining its powers,
functions and jurisdictions,” he said.
New Delhi: Maternity
should not be a barrier
in women’s careers
and providing access
to quality childcare
at the workplace
would ensure that
motherhood does not
become an obstacle
to women’s empower-
ment, said Supreme
Court Judge Justice BV
Nagarathna on Friday.
Justice Nagarathna,
who was speaking as
the guest of honour
at the inauguration of
a crèche facility at the
Delhi High Court.
New Delhi: The Su-
preme Court on Friday
asked the Gujarat High
Court to hear afresh
Mahatma Gandhi’s
great grandson’s
plea against the state
government’s plan to
redevelop Sabarmati
Ashram. The Supreme
Court has set aside the
high court’s November
21 verdict dismiss-
ing Tushar Gandhi’s
plea against the plan
which he contended
will corrupt the pristine
simplicity of the
Ashram.
India sailed through
Omicron wave due to
vax drive: Mandaviya
WhatwillhappenifNitishdisagrees
to place a BJP CM in Bihar CMO?
Mahesh Sharma
New Delhi: What will
happen if Bihar Chief
Minister Nitish Ku-
mar does not accept
BJP’s plan and does
not agree to get the
BJP filed its own
Chief Minister in Bi-
har. BJP leaders have
a plan for this also. A
meeting of BJP lead-
ers was held in Delhi
last week, which was
attended by all the
members of the core
committee. After the
meeting, there was a
campaign run by
Mukesh Sahni to
merge three party
MLAs with the BJP. It
is being told that the
party’s further strate-
gy was decided in the
meeting. The main
thing in this strategy
is to spoil the image of
Nitish Kumar as
Chief Minister. Under
this scheme, right
from BJP Central
Ministers to State BJP
leaders, are giving
statements on law and
order and opposing
the prohibition of liq-
uor. Giriraj Singh’s
statement on Hindu-
Muslim divide is also
part of this strategy
.
It is also being said
that preparations are
also being made to
hold mid-term elec-
tions in the State, the
timing for which is
not yet decided. Ac-
cording to informed
sources, a new politi-
cally active Governor
will be brought first.
After that initiative
will be taken in this
direction. If every-
thing goes according
to the BJP’s strategy,
it will withdraw its
support and claim to
form its government
as the single largest
party and the Gover-
nor will give it a
chance.
BJP’s effort is to
make its own Chief
Minister once, so that
the message goes to its
voters that BJP can
make its own CM. For
example, when Atal
Bihari Vajpayee be-
came PM for 13 days in
1996, the way for BJP
that the party can
field its own PM, was
opened and in 2000,
when Nitish Kumar
became CM for seven
days, he emerged as
an alternative. Simi-
larly, BJP will try to
give a message to the
hardline Hindutva
voters that it can field
its own CM.
IN THE COURTYARD
New Delhi: Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi and his Nepa-
lese counterpart Sher
Bahadur Deuba will
jointly inaugurate
India-Nepal rail ser-
vice on Saturday
through videoconfer-
encing, at an event at
New Delhi’s Hy-
derabad House.
East Central Rail-
way (ECR) chief pub-
lic relations officer
(CPRO) Birendra Ku-
mar has said the
launch of the much-
awaited rail services
would give further
impetus to the bilat-
eral relations between
the two countries.
MODI-DEUBATOFLAGOFF
INDO-NEPALTRAINTODAY
—FILE
PHOTO
DEUBA
VISITS
BJP HQ
BJP national president
JP Nadda with Nepal’s
Prime Minister Sher
Bahadur Deuba during
their meeting, in New
Delhi on Friday.
NAGALAND
GOVT LIFTS ALL
COVID CURBS
Kohima: In view of
the weekly Covid-19
positivity remain-
ing below two per
cent for the past one
month in Nagaland
and advisory issued
by Ministry of Home
Affairs, the state has
announced that all
curbs stand with-
drawn from Friday.
There will be no re-
striction on number
of people who can
attend event, Chief
Secy J Alam said.
Mansukh Mandaviya
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
SHAH IN KARNATAKA
Union Home
Minister Amit Shah
inaugurates “The
Bharat Darshan
Sushasan Yatra”
along with MP
Tejasvi Surya
and Karnataka
CM Basavaraj
Bommai, in
Bengaluru on
Friday.
—PHOTO BY ANI

BIZ BUZZ
07
Promoted by
AU Small Finance Bank
GST collections hit all-time
high in March at `1.42 trn
New Delhi (Agen-
cies): GST collection in
March touched an all-
time high of over Rs
1.42trillion,anincrease
of 15% annually
, on the
back of rate rationali-
sation and anti-evasion
steps, the finance min-
istry said on Friday
.
With the record col-
lection, the Centre’s
Goods and Services
Tax (GST) mop-up has
exceeded the revised
budget target of Rs 5.7
trillion set for the pre-
vious fiscal ended
March 31, 2022.
The gross GST reve-
nue collected in March
2022 is Rs 1.42 trillion,
of which CGST is Rs
25,830 crore, SGST is Rs
32,378 crore, IGST is Rs
74,470 crore (including
Rs 39,131 crore collect-
ed on import of goods)
and cess is Rs 9,417
crore (including Rs 981
crore collected on im-
port of goods).
The gross GST col-
lection in March 2022 is
all-time high, breach-
ing an earlier record of
nearly Rs 1.41 trillion
collected in January
.
The government has
settledRs29,816croreto
CGST and Rs 25,032
crore to SGST from
IGST as regular settle-
ment. In addition, Cen-
tre has also settled Rs
20,000 crore of IGST on
ad-hoc basis in the ratio
of 50:50 between Centre
and states/UTs in
March. The total reve-
nue of Centre and the
states in the month of
March 2022 after regu-
lar and ad-hoc settle-
ments is Rs 65,646 crore
for CGST and Rs 67,410
crore for the SGST. Cen-
tre also released GST
compensation of Rs
18,252 crore to states/
UTs during the month.
The revenues for the
month of March 2022
are 15% higher than
the GST revenues in the
same month last year
and 46% higher than
the GST revenues in
March 2020. During the
month, revenues from
import of goods was
25% higher and the rev-
enues from domestic
transaction (including
import of services) are
11% higher than the
revenues from these
sources during the
same month last year.
Total number of e-
way bills generated in
the month of February
2022 is 69.1 million as
compared to e-way bills
generated in the month
of January 2022 (68.8
million) despite being a
shorter month, which
indicates recovery of
business activityat fast-
er pace, said the minis-
try in a statement.
SETTLED
CommercialLPGpricehiked
by`250,nowtocost` 2,253
New Delhi (ANI):
The prices of 19 kg
commercial LPG
have been increased
by Rs 250 per cylinder
effective from Friday
.
This is the second
hike in a month. With
this, the 19 kg com-
mercial cooking gas
willnowcostRs2,253.
The commercial LPG
was increased by Rs
105 on March 1.
However, there has
been no increase in
the prices of domes-
tic gas cylinders to-
day
.
Last week, the
price of domestic
cooking gas (LPG)
was hiked by Rs 50
per cylinder. A 14.2-
kg LPG cylinder is
costing Rs 949.50 in
Delhi from March 22
onwards.
Notably, fuel
prices continue
torisewithpet-
rol and diesel
rates rising
by another
80 paise per litre each
on Thursday, netting
an increase of about
Rs 6.40 a litre in nine
revisions in 10 days
so far.
Yesterday, staging
a protest against the
fuel price hike, Con-
gress leader Rahul
Gandhi demanded
the BJP-led Centre to
bring the rising fuel
prices under control.
Congress MPs led
by Rahul Gandhi on
Thursday staged a
protestatVijayChowk
on Thursday
against the
fuel price
h i k e .
Senior party leaders
Adhir Ranjan Chowd-
hury
, Mallikarjun
Kharge, Abhishek
Singhvi, KC Venugo-
pal,ShaktiSinhGohil
and others were pre-
sent at the protest.
The Congress lead-
ers protested with
cutouts of LPG cylin-
ders and placards
having the slogans
‘Rollback fuel price
hike’.
MarketsstartFY23withsolidgains;
Sensexjumps708pts,Niftytops17,670
New Delhi (Agen-
cies): It was a one-way
rally on Dalal Street on
Friday as investors
started the first day of
the new financial year
(FY23) with across-the-
board buying.
The frontline
SP BSE Sensex
zoomed 708 points, or
1.2 per cent, to settle at
59,277. The Nifty50,
meanwhile, soared 206
points or 1.2 per cent to
end at 17,670.
The broader indices,
too, advanced in-line
with large-caps with
the BSE MidCap
and SmallCap in-
dices climbing 1.4
per cent and 1.7
per cent, respec-
tively
.
NTPC, Power-
Grid,IndusInd
Bank, SBI,
HDFC, MM,
HDFC Bank, Bajaj Fi-
nance, Wipro, Axis
Bank, Maruti Suzuki,
and ITC were the big-
gest Sensex gainers,
surging in the range of
1.5 per cent to 6 per
cent.
On the downside,
only Tech M, Dr Red-
dy’sLabs,SunPharma,
Titan,andInfosyswere
the drags, down up to
0.7 per cent.
In the broader mar-
ket space, Adani Pow-
er, BHEL, Bajaj Hold-
ings, RBL Bank, SML
Isuzu, Sahyadri In-
dustries, Mrs Bec-
tors Foods, and
S p a n d a n a
S p h o o r t y
leaped be-
tween 5 per
cent and
10 per
cent.
IndiaInc'screditqualityimprovedsharply
in2ndhalfofFY22:RatingAgencies
New Delhi (PTI): Cor-
porate India’s credit
quality showed a sharp
improvement in the
second half of FY22,
but high input prices
and withdrawal of pan-
demic-related relief
measures can pose
pressures in the new
year, rating agencies
said on Friday
.
Crisil Ratings, which
rates a large number of
financial sector enti-
ties, reported an im-
provement in the credit
ratio -- the number of
upgradestodowngrade
-- to 5.04 times in the
second half of this fi-
nancial year, from the
2.96 per cent in the first
half of the fiscal.
It attributed the im-
provement to a sus-
tained rebound in de-
mand, which lifted rev-
enues of most sectors to
pre-pandemiclevelsand
proactive relief meas-
ures by the government
that cushioned the pan-
demic blow.
The agency gave a
“positive” outlook on
credit quality going
ahead and expects the
upgrades to outnum-
ber downgrades in
FY23 as well.
However, with the
pressure exerted on in-
put prices, courtesy a
push in commodity
prices following the
Russian invasion of
Ukraine, and the pos-
sibility of withdrawal
of pandemic-related
relief measures can
also moderate the cred-
it ratio, it said.
Meanwhile, Icra said
credit quality rebound-
ed in FY22 after the
economic slowdown in
FY20 and the pandemic
scarred FY21.
IMPROVEMENTS
ATF hiked by 2% to all time high
amid surge in global energy prices
FY 2021-22: HAL scales new peak,
records revenue of over ` 24,000 cr
New Delhi (PTI): Jet fuel prices on Friday
were hiked by 2 per cent - the seventh straight
increase this year - to an all-time high, reflecting
a surge in global energy prices. Aviation turbine
fuel (ATF) - the fuel that helps aeroplanes fly -
was hiked by Rs 2,258.54 per kilolitre, or 2 per
cent, to Rs 1,12,924.83 per kl in the national
capital, according to a price notification by
state-owned fuel retailers. There was, however,
no change in the price of petrol and diesel on
Friday. Prior to the second pause in 11 days,
auto fuel rates had gone up by Rs 6.40 per litre.
The increase in ATF price comes on back of the
steepest ever hike 18.3 per cent (Rs 17,135.63
per kl) effected on March 16.
PTI (Bengaluru): Hindustan Aeronautics Limited
said on Friday it has recorded the highest ever
revenue of over Rs 24,000 crore (provisional
and unaudited) for the financial year ended on
March 31, 2022, registering a six percent growth
over the previous fiscal. The corresponding
figure for the previous year stood at Rs 22,755
crore. ‘’Despite the challenges of the second
wave of COVID-19 during the first quarter of
the year and the consequent production loss,
the Company could meet the targeted revenue
growth with improved performance during the
balance period of the year,’’ said HAL CMD, R
Madhavan.
SC asks whether it
can pass orders
restraining alienation
of FRL’s assets
New Delhi (PTI): The
Supreme Court Friday
requested whether or
not it may possibly
move any interim order
on a plea of Amazon
that Future Retail Ltd’s
belongings together
with ‘Big Bazaar shops’
not be alienated until
the dispute over it’s
merger with Reliance
Retail is set by
the arbitral
tribunal. Future
Retail Ltd said it has
missed the due date
for repayment of Rs
5,322.32 crore to
lenders on account of
the ongoing litigations
with Amazon and other
related issues.
India will continue to buy oil from Russia: FM
Mumbai (Agencies):
Finance Minister Nir-
mala Sitharaman on
Friday said that India
will continue buying
cheap Russian oil in the
nation’s interest, said,
evenaspressuremounts
to isolate Kremlin.
Sitharaman said it is
only natural for India to
look for a good deal and
thatthegovernmenthas
alreadystartedpurchas-
ing oil from Russia. She
saidthattheMinisterof
Petroleum and Natural
GasHardeepSinghPuri
is working on a plan to
source more oil.
“We have already
started buying oil from
Russia; we have re-
ceived three to four
days of oil supply from
Russia,” she said.
Russia has offered its
flagship Urals grade to
India at discounts of as
much as $35 a barrel on
prices before the war to
encourage India to lift
more shipments.
“I would put my na-
tional interest first and
I would put my energy
security first. And if
there is fuel available
at discount. Why
shouldn’t I buy it?” the
finance minister said.
Sitharaman said she
was entering the new
fiscal 2022-23 with cau-
tious optimism despite
the Russia-Ukraine sit-
uation. But expressed
concerns over the price
andavailabilityof natu-
ral gas which may pose
a challenge for energy
transition plans, given
the country’s commit-
ment to climate change.
Coal India achieves record production
of 622 million tonnes in FY22
New Delhi (PTI):
State-owned Coal India
Limited (CIL) on Fri-
day reported a record
coal production in
FY22 at 622.6 million
tonnes, registering an
annual growth of 4.4
per cent.
In 2020-21, coal pro-
duction stood at 595.2
million tonnes (MT).
Coal supplies to pow-
er generation compa-
nies during FY22 also
touched a record of
540.4 MT, up 21.4 per
cent as compared to
445 MT in FY21.
“CIL ended FY22
scripting a historic
high in coal produc-
tion, offtake and coal
despatch to power
plants.. amid rising
coal demand from the
country’s (power) gen-
eration companies,’’
the company said in a
regulatory filing.
According to the fil-
ing, CIL began FY22
with 99.13 MT of stock
atitspitheadsandcould
liquidate 38.4 MT of
coal in March 2022-end.
New Delhi (PTI): Air India, Air India Express and
Alliance Air suffered a total loss of ₹ 17,032 crore
between April 2020 and December 2021, Civil Aviation
Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said in the Lok Sabha on
Thursday. He said the highest loss was incurred by
the now privatised Air India with ₹ 9,373 crore loss in
2020-21 and ₹ 6,927 crore in 2021-22 (upto Decem-
ber 2021). Air India Express incurred ₹ 184 crore
profit in 2020-21 and ₹ 161 crore loss in 2021-22 (till
December 2021), he said during the Question Hour.
The minister said Alliance Air’s loss was ₹ 440 crore
in 2020-21 and ₹ 315 crore in 2021-22 (till December
2021).
LOSSES BY AI, AI EXPRESS, ALLIANCE
AIR `17,032 CR DURING APR ‘20-DEC ‘21
Russia is offering
more oil to India at
a discount of as
much as $35 a
barrel on prices
before the Ukraine
war
BSE Power index hits over
14-year high; Adani Power
zooms 64% in 8 days
Mumbai (Agencies):
Shares of power gen-
eration and its related
companies were in
focus on Friday as the
SP BSE Power index
hit over 14-year high
in the intra-day trade,
on expectation that
improved demand
will spur earnings
growth of the sector.
Adani Power,
Bharat Heavy Electri-
cals(BHEL)andNTPC
from the index rallied
between 5 per cent to
10 per cent, while Pow-
er Grid Corporation,
Tata Power, Torrent
Power and JSW Ener-
gy advanced in the
range of 2 per cent to 4
per cent on the BSE.
Among individual
stocks, Adani Power
hit a record high of Rs
203.55, locked at 10 per
cent upper circuit on
the BSE. The stock
has zoomed 64 per
cent in the past eight
trading days.

08
2NDFRONT
‘Stateneedssoundrepaymentstrategy’
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The re-
port of the Comptrol-
ler and Auditor Gen-
eral of India tabled
in the Gujarat As-
sembly has pointed
out that the state gov-
ernment needs to for-
mulate a “well
thought out” debt re-
payment strategy to
avoid falling into a
debt trap.
The ‘State Finances
Audit Report of the
CAG for the year ended
March 31, 2021’ was ta-
bled in the Assembly on
Thursday, the last day
of the Budget session.
Gujarat’s public
debt—consisting of in-
ternal debt of
Rs2,90,031crore, and
loans and advances
worth Rs17,999 crore
from the Centre—was
Rs3,08,030 crore in 2020-
21, the report says.
The maturity profile
of outstanding stock of
public debt as of March
31 indicates that 61% of
the total public debt, or
Rs1,87,973 crore, would
be repayable within the
next seven years, which
may put a strain on the
government budget
during that period, the
report states, adding
that the remaining
39%, or Rs1,20,056
crore, would become
due for servicing after
seven years.
“In view of the in-
creasing committed ex-
penditure on one hand
and revenue deficit on
the other, the state gov-
ernment would have to
work out a well-
thought-out borrowing-
repayment strategy to
avoid falling into a debt
trap,” the report
stressed.
The CAG audit said
the total outstanding
debt of the Gujarat gov-
ernment increased
from Rs3,15,456 crore
in 2019-20 to Rs3,57,893
crore in 2020-21.
It revealed that the
debt to GSDP (gross
state domestic product)
ratio of the state
ranged from 19.02% to
21.02% over five years,
with the ratio of 21.02%
in 2020-21 being the
highest.
The CAG noted that
the internal debt of the
state government,
mainly market borrow-
ings, accounted for 82%
and 81% of the total
outstanding debt in
2019-20 and 2020-21 re-
spectively.
“The share of reve-
nue deficit in the fiscal
deficit indicates the
extent to which bor-
rowed funds were used
for current consump-
tion. Persistently high
ratio of revenue deficit
to fiscal deficit indi-
cates that the asset
base of the state gov-
ernment is continu-
ously getting eroded,”
the CAG stated.
Further, the report
said the ratio of public
debt to GSDP ranged
from 15.99% to 18.01%
in 2018-21.
During this period,
the burden of interest
payment on public debt
ranged from 13.39% to
17.22% of the revenue
receipts, it added.
Stressing the need to
review debt sustainabil-
ity, the CAG pointed out
that the percentage of
public debt repayment
to public debt receipts
decreased sharply over
the previous year.
“Further, during
2016-21, while GSDP
grew at a CAGR (com-
pound annual growth
rate) of 9.19%, the out-
standing public debt
has grown at a CAGR
of 11.49%. The above
indicators show there
is a need to review the
sustainability of debt
of the state,” it said.
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Warning
of another heatwave in
parts of Gujarat—par-
ticularly Banaskantha,
Sabarkantha, Patan,
AmreliandKutch—over
the next five days, the In-
dia Meteorological De-
partment has asked resi-
dents in the state to take
appropriate measures to
protect themselves
against the high temper-
atures.
Ahmedabad on Fri-
day had a maximum of
41.7 °C, four degrees
above normal for this
time of year. The night
time temperature fell
to a minimum of 24.2
°C, but even this was
two degrees above nor-
mal. The maximum
temperature in the city
will remain steady at
around 42 °C until
April 07.
Coastal centres were
slightlybetteroff onFri-
day
, with Surat record-
ing a maximum temper-
ature of 33 °C on Thurs-
day
, four degrees below
normal, and a normal
minimum of 23.1 °C.
Bharuch, which saw a
maximum of 37 °C on
Friday
, is likely to see the
temperature rise to 41 °C
over the next five days.
Heat wave is consid-
ered if maximum tem-
perature of a station
reaches at least 40 °C in
the plains, 37 °C or more
for coastal stations and
at least 30 °C for hilly
regions, or at least four
degrees above normal.
Severe heat wave is an-
nounced when the mer-
cury reaches or crosses
47 °C, or 6.4 notches
above normal.
First India Bureau
Surat: The city’s fire
department has pur-
chased a state-of-the-
art robotic machine
that can go through
narrow lanes that fire
engines can’t reach
and put out flames
even from a distance.
The Rs1.42 crore ma-
chine was inaugurated
on Friday by Mayor
Hemali Bhogawala
and Standing commit-
tee chairman Paresh
Patel.
Chief Fire Officer Ba-
sant Parikh said, “The
machine can discharge
4,000 litres of water per
minute, and fire officers
can douse the fire from
210m away
. It’s two cam-
eras, including a ther-
mal one, will aid fire-
fighters in looking for
people who are trapped.
Meanwhile, a fire
broke out on the second
floor of Kohinoor Mar-
ket in the Salabatpura
area on Friday at 8.30
am.Firefightersbrought
it under control and no
casualties were report-
ed. The cause is as yet
unknown.
Publicdebtwas`3,08,030crorein2020-21;need
well-thought-out plan to avoid debt trap: CAG
First India Bureau
Pune: They came out
on top in the battle
of newcomers but it
will be a different
ball game altogether
for the Gujarat Ti-
tans when they lock
horns with Delhi
Capitals here on Sat-
urday.
Both Gujarat and DC
started their campaign
in the 15th edition of
the Indian Premier
League with wins and
they would look to con-
tinue in the same vein
at the Maharashtra
Cricket Association
Stadium.
Injury-plagued DC
will gain strength fur-
ther in both bowling
and batting, with the
likely inclusion of Lun-
gi Ngidi, Mustafizur
Rahman and Sarfaraz
Khan, who have com-
pleted their three-day
quarantine.
The trio’s return will
bolster the Delhi outfit
against an opponent
that gave enough indi-
cations of its ability to
not just compete with
the best but also pull off
the result it desires.
In their five-wicket
defeat, KL Rahul’s Luc-
know Super Giants
came to know what the
Titans are capable of.
So, despite their four-
wicket win over five-
time champions Mum-
bai Indians in their
tournament opener, DC
know it too well that
they just cannot afford
to take the foot off the
pedal.
Whilethewinagainst
LSG is definitely a huge
confidence booster, Ti-
tans face more seasoned
opponents in Delhi Cap-
itals, who have estab-
lished themselves as
one of the top sides in
recent years.
With a strong top-
order batting, besides
a well-balanced bowl-
ing unit, the Capitals
have all the tools re-
quired to embark on a
winning run early on
in the competition, so
they certainly start as
favourites against Ti-
tans.
Besides, the fact that
DC managed to over-
come the Mumbai chal-
lenge without a few key
players, including flam-
boyant Australian all-
rounder David Warner
and Mitchell Marsh and
South African duo of
Ngidi and Anrich
Nortje, only adds to
their confidence and
makes the win more
praiseworthy
.
While DC are going to
strengthen their play-
ing XI by making useful
additions, the Titans on
the other hand may not
like to tinker with the
combination that gave
them their maiden win
in their very first ap-
pearance.
Australian recruit
Matthew Wade, who
was tasked with open-
ing the Titans’ batting
alongside Shubman
Gill, is eyeing a big
one after failing to
convert his 30 in the
previous game into a
more substantial con-
tribution.
Delhi Capitals test awaits debutants Gujarat Titans
IPL 2022
Gujarat Titans got the better of fellow-debutants Lucknow Super Giants by five wickets in their
opening match. —FILE PHOTO
WITH A STRONG TOP-ORDER
BATTING AND WELL-
BALANCED BOWLING UNIT,
DC START AS FAVOURITES
A’bad to sizzle at 42 °C
amid another heat wave
Girls huddle under a shared dupatta, which serves as protection against the midday sun in A’bad. The Rs1.42 crore machine was inaugurated on Friday.
FOR WANT
OF A
HOME
Beneficiaries under the
Pradhan Mantri Awas
Yojana who have not
received houses despite
being allotted them
protested at the office of
the Ahmedabad Municipal
Corporation on Friday.
—PHOTO BY
HANIF SINDHI
Surat fire dept adds high-pressure robotic arm
Dignity and grace, these ‘mere’
words add beauty and peace to
life-in big doses.
—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO Editor-in-Chief, First India

avya Kapoor has
been walking cat-
walks for a few
years now, one of
those rare models
who has set a huge
benchmark in the
fashion and glamour indus-
try with her charisma.
When asked about her
initial journey, Kavya
shared, “My journey has
been a roller coaster ride
emotionally, mentally as
well as physically. I was a
plump kid
throughout my teens due to
which I was always bullied
andheardcountlesstaunts.”
The passionate young
soul has worked day and
night to achieve her goals
and aspires to rule the mod-
elling industry one day
.
Talking about her
achievements, the beauty
exclaimed, “I have been the
cover girl for Spotless Fash-
ion Magazine, an interna-
tional magazine for fashion
and lifestyle). I have also
been the showstopper for
global fashion week 2021 for
all designers. Have done
various shoots including
print ones for re-
nowned brands, eth-
nic clothing brands
and many more.”
Her victory at
First Miss India, a
national level
beauty pageant
held in Goa on
October 30, 2021,
was indeed a
turning point
in her life.
When asked
what major changes came in
her life post crowning, the
alluring beauty said, “The
moment was surreal and
life has become more beauti-
ful. I wouldn’t say any dras-
tic change followed, but yes,
personally and profession-
ally, I witnessed huge
growth. My confidence level
raised. I learned from my
flaws and developed a better
understandingof mywork.”
Kavya Kapoor doesn’t
just contain multitudes, she
displays them, boldly. For
her, fashion is some-
thing that shifts on
the regular, but it’s
always fun.
“For me, the
whole point of
getting dressed
is, who do you
want to be to-
day? And
who do you
want to be
perceived
as today?”
K a p o o r
said. She
fur ther
added, “For me, I don’t have
one fashion statement that
stays with me every single
day and I just whip out a dif-
ferent shirt or jeans. I am
someone completely differ-
ent every single day and I
love that part about me.”
“But I think after all of
this time, these moments
where you get to express
yourself and show that fash-
ion is, however, you’re feel-
ing,” she concluded.
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epapers/ahmedabad I twitter.com/
thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 9
MITALI DUSAD
mitalidusad01@gmail.com
K
KAVYA
DAUNTLESS BEAUTY!
AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY,
APRIL 2, 2022
Young, fearless
and a woman
with big dreams,
Kavya Kapoor
from Uttar
Pradesh, in a
candid
conversation
with City First,
shares her
modelling
journey and
future plans!
Kavya is a
person who has
found the right
spirit and path
to transform
her dreams
into reality,
without
compromising
on her
principles.

ETC
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10
F
A
C
E
O
F
T
H
E
D
A
Y
VANSHIKA KHATRI, Model
LEO
JULY 24 - AUGUST 23
Those fond of travelling
may get their chance soon.
This is the time when you
enjoy yourself with a new
group of friends or colleagues. A
change of job is likely to give you
better salary and perks. Those in
business will soon get a chance to
make profits.
LIBRA
SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22
You may wait for
someone’s invitation for a
trip. Tenant troubles are
foreseen for some house
owners. You will find family life more
than fulfilling. A senior is likely to put
in a good word for you to the higher
ups. Financially, you will be able to
consolidate your position.
ARIES
MAR 21 - APR 20
You will manage to achieve
what you had aimed for on
the academic front. A
celebration can find you in
your element today. Praise and
honour are likely to greet you in
something that you have managed to
achieve. You will be a pillar of
strength to a friend or associate.
SAGITTARIUS
NOV 23 - DEC 22
Professionals will be able to
give their best in a new
situation. Financially, this
day may prove lucky for
you, so go ask for the raise that is
keeping you on tenterhooks. Don’t take
any chances with your health today.
You will succeed in putting your
stagnant love life back on the track.
GEMINI
MAY 21 - JUNE 21
Some positive changes
can be expected on the
home front. This seems a
good day for job seekers.
New avenues for earning open up as
you get more determined. Fitness
through extra efforts is assured for
the deskbound. Chances of making
an exciting plan is possible.
AQUARIUS
JAN 21 - FEB 19
Your desire for an exciting
time on the social front is
likely to be fulfilled today.
Those looking for buying a
house can get a good bargain.
Appreciation is in store for some
homemakers. A professional victory is
yours if you play your cards well today.
You are likely to enjoy good health.
TAURUS
APR 21 - MAY 20
Some favourable
developments on the social
front are foreseen. Buying
new furniture or a major
appliance is possible. With good
networking, a prized posting can be
yours Those trying to get back their
money will succeed. A healthy phase
of life begins for some.
CAPRICORN
DEC 23 - JAN 20
Your own happiness is in
your hands today. Spouse
may need her space,
respect that. This is a
favourable day for completing
pending jobs. Financially, no
problems are foreseen. Much fun is
in store on the social front. People in
love will hear some exciting news.
VIRGO
AUG 24 - SEP 23
You will have to be more
focussed on the academic
front. You may get busy
organising something on
the social front. You may need to put
your ideas into action, if you want to
prove yourself. A party may be
thrown in your honour at work.
Health-wise a good day is foreseen.
CANCER
JUNE 22 - JULY 23
You are likely to take up
someone’s cause and earn
appreciation from all
quarters on the social
front. Remaining on the good side of
those who matter on the academic
front will help you achieve much.
Good tidings of your well wishers will
keep you going professionally.
PISCES
FEB20 - MARCH 20
Success is foretold on the
academic front. Your
reputation is likely to boost
your image on the social
front. On the work front, you will
manage to keep your superiors in
good humour. This is an excellent
day to spend time with family.
Monetary front will grow strong.
SCORPIO
OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22
A family youngster is likely
to do you proud. A
business trip is indicated
and will achieve much.
Your strategy to promote yourself on
the professional front will bear fruits.
Health-wise a good day is foreseen.
You may need to speed up things on
the academic front to remain ahead.
YOUR
DAY
Horoscope by
Saurabbh Sachdeva
he word ‘Nan-
khatai’ immedi-
ately pops up the
image of a puffed-
up,crumbly
,sweet,
and salty delicious
biscuit that many
of us have grown up eating.
However, mesmerized by
the world of Oreo and
McVities, many, including
us had lost touch with these
native tea time biscuits.
For us, it took a recent
conversation and event
with the popular and bril-
liant, Chef Anahita
Dhondy, to bring back
those sweet, melt-in-mouth
memories of nankhatai.
During her book signing
event, the famed Parsi chef
taught us a simple yet deli-
cious Nankhatai recipe
and also spoke about its
interesting history. This
little encounter not only
piqued our interest in try-
ing this recipe ourselves
but also made us curious to
delve into the enriching
past of this famous
‘biskoot’ that Indians had
enjoyed for generations.
So, in our attempt to pay
an ode to the legacy of the
master chefs who created
this tea snack, we share
with you the chronicles of
Nankhatai, one of the ear-
liest known cookies baked
in our country
.
THE ORIGIN OF THE TERM
‘NANKHATAI’
Nankhatai, or what the
British called ‘nuncitae,’ is
made up of two words-
‘nan’ and ‘khatai.’ While
the Persian word ‘nan’ re-
fers to a flatbread that we
all indulge in hungrily
with dal makhani, ‘khatai’
is an Afghan word mean-
ing biscuit. In short, based
on its name, we can say
that nankhatai is a biscuit
made of flatbread. It is also
known as ‘kulcha-e-
khataye’ in Afghanistan
and Iran.
Some people also believe
that the term ‘Nankhatai’
has a Chinese connection.
For centuries, ammonium
carbonate was used as a
raising agent in China and
other countries to make
cookies and steamed buns.
Hence, it is opined that the
term ‘khatai’ is derived
from the word ‘Cathay,’ the
previous name of China.
THE HISTORY OF NANKHATAI
Today, you may find nan-
khatai packed in aestheti-
cally pleasing boxes in op-
ulent bakeries, but it origi-
nated in the 1600s in a mod-
est Dutch bakery in the
city of Surat, Gujarat.
In the 16th century, Su-
rat was a thriving trading
centre where merchants
and traders from all
around the globe came to
do business. One of its
global partners in India
was the Dutch. To try their
fortunes, a large number
of Dutch people settled in
the bustling port city of
Surat. Among them was an
anonymous Dutch couple
who took the first steps
toward what became
known as the ‘Nan-
khatai.’ The pair found-
ed a bakery and began
selling bread and other
confectionery items,
primarily targeting
their Dutch brethren.
However, as the
Dutch began to leave
the nation, the
Dutch couple sold
their bakery to a
Parsi employ-
ee, Faramji
Pestonji Do-
tivala, who
continued to
bake bread for
the locals. Un-
fortunately, he
was unable to
attractthisseg-
ment of the
populationsince
the bread was
madewithtoddyand
eggs, both of which
were immensely
unpopular among
thenatives.Tosave
his bakery and re-
cover his mounting losses,
Dotivala significantly low-
ered the prices of his un-
solddriedbreadandgained
traction among the local
poor, who often dunked the
dried bread in tea before
eating it.
A savvy businessman as
he was, Dotivala sensed a
lucrative business oppor-
tunity and began drying
the bread before selling it.
This was known as the
‘Irani biscuit.’ After much
experimentation, he later
introduced cookie-shaped
egglessbiscuitsandnamed
them nankhatai. It didn’t
take long for the Indian
biscuit to reach Mumbai’s
markets, where Gujaratis
and Parsis instantly wel-
comed the snack, and soon
it became a must-have dur-
ing tea time. Since then,
these biscuits have become
popular as a teatime snack
in many countries.
Although we have been
lucky enough to have tast-
ed and relished Nankhatai
several times in our lives,
the likelihood that future
generations will also get to
do the same looks slim. In
a world dominated by
heavy marketing cam-
paigns and big conglomer-
ates, our Indian Nankhatai
might perish unless we all
work together to preserve
and promote this simple
delicacy by sharing its rec-
ipes and cooking it with
friends and family
.
So, what are you wait-
ing for? Get some ghee,
flour, and all the other nec-
essary ingredients and
begin baking this great
Indian cookie!
Celebrating the history of ‘Nankhatai,’
the centuries-old Indian tea cookie
ABOUT CAULDRON SISTERS
Ratika Richa Khetan, two
Sisters, started Cauldron
Sisters in 2015. It started as
an exotic food gift hamper
business, but their love for
food encouraged them to
start culinary workshops,
food deliveries, and slowly
and gradually it turned huge
as restaurants and cafes
started approaching them for
consultancy.
T

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11
Fashion flight
Fashion flight
with feather
with feather
CITY FIRST BRINGS TO YOU FEATHERS HAVE NOW FLOWN
CITY FIRST BRINGS TO YOU FEATHERS HAVE NOW FLOWN
THEIR WAY INTO SOPHISTICATED FINE JEWELLERY DESIGNS
THEIR WAY INTO SOPHISTICATED FINE JEWELLERY DESIGNS
WHICH HAVE MADE A MARK AMONG FASHION
WHICH HAVE MADE A MARK AMONG FASHION
ENTHUSIASTS, SATIATING THEIR NEED FOR STYLE
ENTHUSIASTS, SATIATING THEIR NEED FOR STYLE
e w e l l e r y
easily man-
ages to en-
hance the
beauty and
poise of la-
dies. It can
be called a bright
spot amidst the Cov-
id gloom which en-
gulfed the world for
the last two years.
However, nothing
can stop ladies from
keeping themselves
updated with the lat-
est designs and
types of jewellery.
Bracelets, necklac-
es, earrings and
headbands are the
most adorned jewel-
lery chosen by la-
dies. They try to
match everything
with their dresses.
Hence, it becomes
imperative to bring
in novel and stylish
ideas now and then
to team up with all
sorts of apparel.
Therefore, feathers
can make all types
of jewellery look
spectacular and
above all it is afford-
able. We may under-
estimate the beauty
of birds but no one
can deny the visible
grace and elegance
when it comes to
feather jewellery
.
One can utilize
the actual feathers,
faux feathers or
even fabric scrap to
make state of the art
jewellery pieces.
Nothing much but a
little paint or glitter
related work on the
feathers would give
you magical trin-
kets. So, to appear
different every time
you go out here are
some types of feath-
er jewellery designs
to make you look
more nature-in-
spired. From gor-
geous necklaces and
bands to superb ear-
piece you name it
and it is there to en-
hance your appear-
ance! There are mul-
tiple categories to
suit your signature
style.
HALLOWEEN FEATHER
EARRINGS
You can easily com-
plete your Hallow-
een look with faux
feather earrings. In-
tricate cord knots
and metallic hooks
customize these at-
tractive earrings as
per your demands.
They are simple and
sweet without add-
ing too much drama
to your overall look.
PLASTIC FEATHER
NECKLACE
For those people
who love to don
miniature jewellery,
this necklace is an
ideal option. Some
amazing crimp
beads and silver
chains give a mix of
class and funky
style.
LONG REAL FEATHER
EARRINGS
Who doesn’t want a
mesmerizing and
long-lasting ear-
ring? These real
feather earrings are
a combination of el-
egance and
strength. Peacock
feathers make mag-
nificent and eco-
friendly jewellery
which makes one
stand out in the
crowd.
BOHEMIAN SUEDE
FRINGE NECKLACE
Another type of
feather trinket has
acrylic colours in a
bohemian style in it.
This piece of jewel-
lery would be a mes-
merizing addition to
the collection.
FEATHER FALL
NECKLACE
Jewellery lovers can
enjoy the fall season
with this elegant
statement beaded
feather necklace.
Rhinestones in oval
and beaded shapes
are beautiful pieces.
These super pieces
can be customized
in any size and
shape.
FEATHER RINGS
All fashion lovers
are in love with
trendy feather rings.
Tiny faux feathers
in the shape of
rings give a more vi-
brant look. It is
nothing but an invi-
tation to a more vi-
brant look.
J
DHANUSHREE VYAS
cityfirst@firtsindia.co.in

02042022_First India_Ahmedabad (1).pdf

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