03092021 first india ahmedabad

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AHMEDABAD l FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2021 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/79050 l Vol 2 l Issue No. 277
OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR, AHMEDABAD, LUCKNOW & NEW DELHI
Mumbai: Sensex closed at all time high of 57,852.54,
up 514.33 points, or 0.90%, while Nifty closed at
17,234.15, up 157.90 points, or 0.92%. Auto, PSU
Bank stocks were top drags. Rupee settled with a
marginal gain of 2 paise at 73.06 against US dollar.
New Delhi: Covid-19 cases in India witnessed a rise
on Thursday, with the country registering over 47K
new infections, according to health ministry. The last
time cases were higher than this was 63 days ago,
on July 1, when India had reported 48,786 cases.
New Delhi: Centre has notified new income tax rules
under which the existing provident fund accounts
will be split into two separate accounts, to enable
the government to tax PF income generating from
employee contributions which exceed Rs 2.5 L p.a.
SENSEX AT
ALL TIME
HIGH, NIFTY
AT 17,234
RECORD
COVID CASES,
HIGHEST IN
TWO MONTHS
RULES TO
BIFURCATE
PF ACCOUNT
NOTIFIED
CORONA CATASTROPHE
GUJARAT
INDIA
47,092
new cases
509
new fatalities
10
new cases
00
new fatalities
CRUCIAL READ
PM MODI TO VIRTUALLY ADDRESS
‘EDUCATION CONCLAVE’ ON SEPTEMBER 7
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be ad-
dressing an ‘Education Conclave’ on September 7 virtually,
informed Santosh Kumar Sarangi, Additional Secretary,
Department of School Education and Literacy on Thurs-
day. “Shikshak Parv will be celebrated from September
5-17. With this, we will be starting with National Award for
teachers. National Award will be given to 44 teachers.
SONIA TO TAKE FINAL
CALL ON PK IN CONG
New Delhi: Congress interim
chief Sonia Gandhi will take
a final call on inducting
election strategist Prashant
Kishor in party as Congress
leaders are divided over the
issue. According to party
sources, Sonia has already
started consultation. P6
WB’S 10 IPS OFFICERS
TO ASSIST SIT PROBE
Kolkata: The West Bengal
government has appointed
10 IPS officers to assist a
SIT formed by the Calcutta
High Court to probe cases
of post-poll violence in
the state, a senior official
said on Thursday.
DESHMUKH KNOCKS
ON HIGH COURT DOOR
Mumbai: Former Maha-
rashtra Home Minister
Anil Deshmukh has
approached the Bombay
High Court seeking to
quash the summons
issued to him by the En-
forcement Directorate.
New Delhi: The Su-
preme Court on Thurs-
day expressed concern
over fake news being
spread over social me-
dia platforms and web
portals stating that
they exhibit no ac-
countability.
The bench led by
Chief Justice of India N
V Ramana noted that
“web portals are not
governed by anything.
There is an attempt to
give communal colour
to news and that is the
problem. It ultimately
brings bad name to
country
.”
The Solicitor General
Tushar Mehta respond-
ed that the new Infor-
mation Technology
Rules, 2021 seek to “take
care of this.”
SC STEPS ON WAGGING TAIL OF
1
SC was hearing petition filed by Jamiat
Ulema-i-Hind seeking action against those
responsible for disseminating “fake news”, which
links the spread of Covid-19 with the Tablighi
Jamaat gathering at the Markaz Nizamuddin
2
SC expressed
serious concern
over fake news on
social media platforms
and websites
The problem is, everything in this
country is shown with a communal
angle by a section of the media. That
is the problem. The country is going
to get a bad name ultimately
Web portals and social media
platforms like Twitter, Facebook and
YouTube only listen to powerful
voices and write anything against
judges, institutions without any
accountability. Web portal only
worry about powerful men and not
judges, institution or common
people. That is our experience
—NV Ramana, Chief Justice
LAPDOG
MEDIA
‘Communalising of
news a problem, brings
bad name to country’
As expected, new Taliban cabinet
& senior posts to have no women
Shah opens `50 crore
worth projects in K’taka
Kabul: Women can
continue to work in
government in Afghan-
istan but are not guar-
anteed cabinet or other
senior positions, a Tali-
ban spokesman has
said.
The deputy head of
the Taliban political of-
fice in Qatar said sen-
ior positions in the new
administration would
be filled on merit.
Nearly half of civil
service jobs in Afghan
ministries were occu-
pied by women who
“should come back to
their work”, the official
said, but “in the new
government that will
be announced, in the
top posts, in the cabi-
net, there may not be
women”.
Davangere: Union
Home Minister Amit
Shah on Thursday inau-
gurated three develop-
ment projects worth
over Rs 50 crore in Kar-
nataka’s Davanagere.
The projects include a
library
, Gandhi Bhavan,
and a public school and
hostel building.
“Inaugurated the var-
ious development pro-
jects Turn to P6
DIGITAL MEDIA RULES: SC TO
CONSIDER TAKING OVER CASES
PENDING IN OTHER COURTS
‘ISI BEHIND QAEDA’S
KASHMIR STATEMENT’
AF TRUCKS TO BE
X-RAYED AT ATTARI
CHINA TRYING TO TAKE AFGHAN AIR
BASE, USE PAK AGAINST INDIA: NIKKI
Supreme Court will consider trans-
ferring to itself all cases linked
to the new Information and
Technology for digital media and
giving it a combined hearing.
New Delhi: The terror outfit
Al Qaeda released a state-
ment in which it called for
“global jihad” to liberate “Is-
lamic lands”, and mentioned
Kashmir. The inclusion of
Kashmir and omission of
Chechnya and Xinjiang ex-
poses the hand of Pakistan,
government sources said.
New Delhi: Amid the ongo-
ing situation in Pakistan
and Afghanistan, India has
installed its first Radiation
Detection Equipment at
Integrated Check Post at the
Attari Border. Machines will
help the border guarding
forces to detect illicit traffick-
ing or smuggling.
Washington: The US needs to
closely watch China as it might try to
take over the Bagram air force base
in Afghanistan following the Taliban’s
takeover of the war-torn country and
use Pakistan to get stronger to go
against India, a former senior American diplomat has
warned. America’s former envoy to the United Nations
Nikki Haley said President Joe Biden has lost the trust
and confidence of American allies after his hasty deci-
sion to withdraw troops from Afghanistan.
AMIT SHAH LAUDS
CM BOMMAI
Amit Shah on Thursday
lauded Chief Minister
Basavaraj Bommai for
his “small but significant
moves” in a short
time and said those
monitoring Karnataka
from Delhi say that the
BJP has strengthened
its position in the state
under him.
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai welcomes Union
Home Minister Amit Shah at Hubbali airport on Thursday.
Chandan Mitra breathes his last
Veteran journalist and former Ra-
jya Sabha MP Chandan Mitra died
late Wednesday at his south Delhi
residence after a long ailment. He was
65. Mitra, who did a stint in various
newspapers, including the Times of
India and the Hindustan Times, in his
long career as a journalist before he
became editor of The Pioneer.
opular TV and film actor Sidharth Shukla died at
the age of 40 on Thursday. He was brought dead
to Cooper Hospital. Since the
news of his demise, an
outpouring of grief and condo-
lences has flooded the internet.
He found immense fame after
winning Bigg Boss 13. After
hearing the unfortunate news,
a number of celebrities and
colleagues of Sidharth took to
social media to pay their
tribute. Congress leader
Rahul Gandhi and
other political leaders
also condoled his
death. P11
BIG BOSS OF REALITY
TV, SIDHARTH NO MORE
P
DEFENCE EXPO 2022 WILL TARGET EXPORTS
OF $5 BILLION BY 2024: DEFENCE MINISTER
First India Bureau
Kevadia: With the Gu-
jarat government set to
play host to the Defence
Expo 2022, Defence Min-
ister Rajnath Singh and
Gujarat Chief Minister
Vijay Rupani jointly re-
viewed preparations for
the event, in Kevadia on
Thursday
.
The 12th edition of
DefExpo--India’s flag-
ship event showcasing
her land, naval and air
capabilities as well as
homeland security sys-
tems--will be held in
Gandhinagar March 10-
13, 2022.
The event aims to at-
tract domestic and in-
ternational manufac-
turers to set up plants
and export from India.
The target is that, by
2024, the nation should
be exporting $5 billion
worth of defence equip-
ment and armaments,
Defence Minister Singh
said on Thursday
.
Turn to P6
(From left) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Defence Secretary (operations) Raj Kumar, Industries
Commissioner and Chairman iNDEXTB Rahul Gupta, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, Additional Chief
Secretary (Industries and Mines) Rajiv Gupta after signing the MOU for the Defence Expo.
Rajnath Singh and
CM Vijay Rupani
jointly reviewed
preparations for
the event to be
held in Gujarat
next year

First India Bureau
Ahmedabad/Valsad:
The health department
on Thursday reported
various incidents that
have jolted the health-
care services sector in
the state. From an in-
fant being abducted
from Ahmedabad’s
Sola Civil Hospital, a
youngster jumping to
death from the fourth
floor of the Civil Hos-
pital (Asarwa), to a
pregnant woman being
administered an ex-
pired medicine in
Dharampur and three
senior doctors resign-
ing from their depart-
ments-- the day brought
shock and uncertainty
to the people.
INFANT
ABDUCTED FROM
SOLA CIVIL HOSP
Sarasvati Pasi, a native
of Amethi, had deliv-
ered a baby girl on Au-
gust 31 at Sola Civil
HospitalinAhmedabad.
In the wee hours on
Thursday, the infant
was abducted from the
Prenatal Care ward.
Around 2 am, when Sar-
asvati woke up and saw
that the baby was not in
her cradle, she began
searching for the baby
with her mother-in-law.
When they could not lo-
cate her, they filed a
complaint with Sola po-
lice station.
Till 1.30 am, the baby
was very much in the
cradle, claimed Dr Bina
Soni, Superintendent
of Sola Civil Hospital.
“The ward incharge
doctor has been asked
to proffer an explana-
tion for the incident.
The police are investi-
gating the case. CCTV
footage will help them
with the probe,” she
said.
While Sola police
have formed several
teams to investigate the
case, nothing has been
established yet. Police
are not ruling out the
human trafficking an-
gle as well, said sources.
NEWS
AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2021
02
CRUCIAL READ
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Con-
gress spokesperson
Pawan Khera on
Thursday hit out at
the Narendra Modi
government over its
recently-announced
asset monetization
plan, saying that the
BJP was selling what
the Congress created
in 70 years, and if the
Centre was not
stopped, an entire
generation would get
destroyed. He also
asked where the Rs23
lakh crore earned by
the Modi government
so far from the hike
in fuel prices has
been spent.
Speaking at the Gu-
jarat Congress head-
quarters here, Khera
told the media the BJP
government has an-
nounced a “clearance
sale” of assets since it
did not consider the
country as important.
“If we do not stop
them now, govern-
ment-owned public as-
sets will not be avail-
able to the nation or
its future generations
for 30-50 years. This
will destroy a whole
generation. This is the
single biggest anti-na-
tional act. Before com-
ing to power, BJP used
to ask what Congress
did during the last 70
years. The answer is
the list of assets that
they are now selling.
While we built India
in those 70 years, BJP
is now busy selling In-
dia,” he alleged.
“There is a differ-
ence between the pre-
vious Congress gov-
ernments and the
BJP dispensation. No
sensible government
encourages monopo-
ly. But, for the BJP
government, the
country is not impor-
tant,” he said.
“The time has come
to seek answers. Assets
worth Rs 60 lakh crore
are being given to a se-
lect few for just Rs6
lakh crore,” he added.
Khera also accused
the government of
engaging in Hindu
appeasement. “The
government indulges
in Hindu appease-
ment for votes. Now,
they are dismantling
the social fabric of
the country. They be-
lieve in Godse, then
why are they not
erecting statues of
Godse?” he asked.
(From left) Leader of the Opposition Paresh Dhanani,AICC Spokesperson Pawan Khera and GPCC
president Amit Chavda during a press conference at the Gujarat Congress headquarters on Thursday.
BJPSELLINGWHATCONGCREATEDIN70YEARS:CONGSPOKESPERSONKHERA
‘CENTRE’S ASSET MONETISATION PLAN
WILL DESTROY ENTIRE GENERATION’
First India Bureau
Rajkot: The Akhil
Bharatiya Vidyarthi
Parishad (ABVP), a
students’ body organ-
ization, plans to reach
its target of one crore
members across India
by next year, with 6
lakh members in Gu-
jarat state alone.
Addressing media-
persons at HN Shukla
College in Rajkot on
Thursday, Himalay-
sinh Jhala, ABVP Gu-
jarat secretary said, “I
have faith that the way
ABVP has helped raise
student issues and
also resolved them
will definitely in-
crease our member-
ship.”
A membership cam-
paign will be organized
at educational institu-
tion campuses across
Gujarat in two phases.
The first phase will be-
gin from September 04
and culminate on Sep-
tember 08 in Saurashtra
region and the second
phase will be held from
September 14-17 across
other parts of the state.
Formed in 1949,
ABVP claims that it
does not confine it-
self to issues related
to education, but
also focuses on en-
suring students are
useful to society.
Apart from an online
campaign, students
will also be contact-
ed offline on campus-
es, where classes
have resumed.
Target of 1 cr members in India, 6L in Guj by 2022: ABVP
NEW BLOOD
The organization is set to launch
a two-phase campaign at college/
uni campuses this month
ABVP Guj secy Himalaysinh Jhala (centre) addressing the media in Rajkot on Thursday.
Aravalli: District Collector Narendra Kumar Meena
and his team participated in a virtual meeting
chaired by Chief Secretary Pankaj Kumar, Additional
Chief Secretary
(Panchayat and
Rural Development)
Vipul Mitra, and
Additional Chief
Secretary (Reve-
nue) Kamal Dayani.
In this meeting, the Chief Secretary took stock of the
ground situation of vaccination, disaster prepared-
ness, and the progress of development projects.
Chief Secretary Pankaj
Kumar took to micro-
blogging site Twitter on
Wednesday to appreciate
the Limbdi Prant Officer’s
initiative. “Such Direct
Public Outreach Efforts
are very effective, strategy
to achieve #COVID-19
vaccination to all eligible
persons,” he tweeted.
CS LAUDS PRANT
OFFICER’S
INITIATIVE
ARAVALLI COLLECTOR JOINS
VIRTUAL CONFERENCE
Surat: Collector Aayush Oak chaired a meet-
ing and discussed issues pertaining to Suchit
societies, where he
instructed organiza-
tions to organize
camps in such
societies in the
presence of elected
representatives. If
there are any pending proposals for the Suchit
society, he has asked the relevant authorities to
expedite the approval.
Botad: Collector Tushar Sumer made a surprise
visit to Gadhada’s urban health centre to review
the vaccination programme. Earlier, he had
felicitated
paramedical
personnel and
doctors in
whose juris-
diction 100%
vaccination
has been achieved. He has also appreciated the
health team’s door-to-door vaccination drive.
SURAT COLLECTOR CHAIRS
SUCHIT SOCIETY MEETING
COLLECTOR MAKES SURPRISE
VISIT TO GADHADA HEALTH CENTRE
‘BlackDay’forthreegovthospitals
First India decodes incidents that occurred at civil hospitals in the past 24 hours
A youth aged between 20 to 30 years
climbed the fourth floor of G-Block in
the Civil Hospital (Asarwa) campus on
Thursday morning and jumped from a
window. Accord-
ing to reports,
hospital securi-
ty
, nursing staff-
ers tried to rea-
son with the
man and get
him to change
his mind, to no
avail. Naresh
Solanki suffered
severe head injuries and was immedi-
ately rushed for treatment at the trau-
ma centre but succumbed to his inju-
ries in the afternoon. Shahibaug police
are investigating the reason behind the
youth’s extreme step.
YOUTH JUMPS FROM
4TH FLOOR OF CIVIL
HOSPITAL (ASARWA)
On Wednesday, Civil Hospital
(Asarwa) superintendent Dr JV
Modi’s resignation was accepted
by the state health department.
Following his exit, three more
doctors resigned from the hospi-
tal on Thursday, including Dr
Pranav Shah, dean of BJ Medical
College, Dr Bipin Naik of the
Medicine wing and Dr Shailesh
Shah head of anaesthesia wing.
Sources from the health depart-
ment said that the doctors have
resigned due to internal politics.
Despite attempts by First India,
no officer from the health depart-
ment commented on the issue.
3 SENIOR DOCTORS AT
CIVIL HOSPITAL RESIGN
A video clip has gone
viral on social media
platforms wherein a
person can be seen al-
leging that expired fluid
medicine was adminis-
tered to a pregnant
woman at a government
hospital in Dharampur.
After the negligence
came to the attention of
one of the woman’s fam-
ily members, he imme-
diately informed the
medical staff on duty.
The medicine had ex-
pired in July 2021, but
was being used by the
hospital and was ad-
ministered to the female
patient on September
01. So far, there has been
no news of action being
taken against responsi-
ble paramedical or
pharmacy store staffers
for the oversight.
EXPIRED MEDICINES ADMINISTERED
TO PREGNANT WOMAN
Youth who jumped from
4th floor.
State Hospital, Dharampur
BJ Medical College
Infant that was stolen away

GUJARAT
03
CRUCIAL READ
NDRF BATTALION DEPLOYED ACROSS
DISTRICTS OF GUJARAT, RAJASTHAN
Vadodara: The National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF)
06 Battalion based in Jarod near Vadodara has been
deployed across various districts of Gujarat and Ra-
jasthan in keeping with
the monsoon pattern. Six
teams have been reserved
at Vadodara headquarters
in case of emergency.
There are currently 16
teams, of which two have
been deployed in Kota and Udaipur districts of Rajasthan
to deal with any possible situation of rain disaster, while
8 teams are deployed in Surat, Navsari, Valsad, Gir Som-
nath, Junagadh, Kutch, Rajkot and Porbandar in Gujarat,
Deputy Commander of the Force Anupam said.
CLASS IX STUDENT COMMITS SUICIDE IN
VADODARA FOR UNKNOWN REASONS
Vadodara: Police are investigating the death of a
14-year-old Class IX student living in the Gajrawadi Gom-
tipura area of the city, who is believed to have committed
suicide. Panigate police
have taken possession of
the body and sent it for a
post-mortem to SSG Hos-
pital. Officials said the girl
reportedly hanged herself
after coming home from
school, at 1pm. Her family
found her dead body. “We
have launched an investigation and will be able to con-
firm the exact cause of death only after the body comes
back from post-mortem,” an official stated on Thursday.
CASH, JEWELLERY WORTH `37 LAKH
STOLEN OVER JANMASHTAMI WEEKEND
KAKRAPAR TO PROVIDE 93 MW NUCLEAR
POWER TO MP FOR THE NEXT 15 YRS
Rajkot: Burglars got away with Rs23 lakh in cash
and jewellery worth Rs14 lakh from a house in Pa-
trakar society near Rajkot’s Airport Road, while the
homeowners were away for the Janmashtami holi-
days. According to the police complaint filed by the
owner of the house, businessman Mohsin Patel, he
and his family had been visiting Udaipur in Rajas-
than since August 28. They returned home around
midnight on Wednesday to find their belongings in a
disarray. CCTV footage shows two thieves breaking
into the house twice in the owners’ absence.
Surat: The Kakrapar Atomic Power Station (KAPS) will
provide Madhya Pradesh with 93-megawatt pow-
er for the next 15 years, an official said. Under the
fresh power purchase agreement inked on Thursday
between the Madhya Pradesh Power Management
Company Ltd (MPPMCL) and the Nuclear Power
Corporation of India, the plant will supply the power
at Rs2.289 per unit, he added. “MPPMCL has signed
a fresh power purchase agreement for the supply of
93 MW power for the next 15 years,” MPPMCL’s chief
general manager Pramod Chowdhary said, adding that
the old agreement had ended in 2020.
NAVRACHANA UNI STUDENTS TAKE FIELD
TRIP ON ENVIRONMENTAL JOURNALISM
Vadodara: Experts from different environmental
streams guided Journalism and Mass Communication
students of Navrachana University in a three-hour field
trip to the Vishwamitri
river. Renowned birder
Avi Sabavala showed
them wetland, terrestrial
birds and explained their
behaviour, while botanist
and entomologist Suvarna
Sonavane talked about the role of insects in an ecosys-
tem. Dr Jitendra Gavali, Botanist and Director of Commu-
nity Science Centre, connected the concept of nature with
cultural traditions.
PLEASE SEND US YOUR PRESS STATEMENTS &
INVITES AT: news.ahmedabad@firstindia.co.in
DEPRESSION CAN BE SERIOUS ILLNESS: HC
Court set aside cancellation of admission of an engineering student who was suicidal due to pandemic
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Depres-
sion can be classified
as a serious illness,
especially in the con-
text of the COVID-19
pandemic, the Guja-
rat High Court has ob-
served, while setting
aside the cancellation
of registration and
admission of an engi-
neering student by a
government college
for not appearing for
exams due to depres-
sion and suicidal
thoughts.
The court issued the
order on August 31 and
a copy of it was made
available on Thursday
.
The academic perfor-
mance review commit-
tee of the Sardar Vallab-
hbhai National Institute
of Technology (SVNIT)
in Surat cancelled the
registration and admis-
sion of the first-year
BTech student October
2020, after he failed to
earn the 25 credits need-
ed for getting promoted.
The student chal-
lenged this in the HC on
the ground that he had
suffered from “severe
depressive episodes
with suicidal ideation”.
He submitted that his
mental health issues
had surfaced in January
2020 and peaked in May-
June last year due to the
pandemic, which is why
he could not appear for
the examination.
“In the facts and cir-
cumstances of the case
and more particularly
in the context of the
pandemicperiod,thede-
pressive state of mind
and the depression cre-
ated in the petitioner
student, can be classi-
fied as serious illness,”
the court of Justice NV
Anjaria observed.
The depressive cycle
whichthepetitionersuf-
fered was during the
pandemic, which was a
period of wide-spread
despondency, the court
noted. It is reasonable to
believe that the situa-
tion brought about by
thepandemiccreatedan
adverseeffectontheten-
der mind of the petition-
er, who disengaged him-
self from the studies, it
further said.
“The ground ad-
vanced by the petitioner
could be viewed as genu-
ine as there is nothing to
disbelieve the same. The
stand of the respondent
Institute to doubt is in-
sensitive and departs
from the facts stated in
the letter of the parents
fortified by the certifi-
cate of doctor. The rea-
son given by the peti-
tioner has to be appreci-
ated in the special cir-
cumstance of the pan-
demic period,” the HC
observed.
The court, in its in-
terim order on April 23,
2021, allowed the peti-
tioner to appear for the
supplementary exami-
nation in May 2021,
which he passed to se-
cure the requisite cred-
its to be promoted to the
next semester.
High Court of Gujarat. —FILE PHOTO
COUNTERPOINT
First India Bureau
Vadodara: A student
from Zenith School in
Vadodara has created
a solar-powered bicy-
cle from scrap mate-
rial. Neel Shah, a
Class XI student, used
the vehicle’s mecha-
nism and turned it
into one with a mile-
age of 25-30 kilome-
tres per charge.
With a passion for sci-
ence and an inclination
towards Physics, Neel
opted for the science
stream after Class X. He
began working on the
solar-powered bicycle
project with support
fromhisPhysicsteacher.
“I worked on using
solar energy as the
main power source for
the bicycle and fit a 10
Watt solar plate and 1
Ampere battery
. The bi-
cycle can charge itself
continuously due to the
solar panel and go at a
speed of at 25 to 40 kilo-
metres on one charge.
The mileage yielded is
around 10 to 15 kilome-
tres due to the solar
plate and battery in-
stalled on it. It can car-
ry a load of 80 to 90 kg
easily,” said Neel of his
creation.
His teacher, Santosh
Kaushik expressed sur-
prise at the design of
Neel’s solar- powered cy-
cle. “We had presented
the concept of design-
ing a bicycle using re-
newable energy such as
solar power to the stu-
dents. Neel came up
with his bicycle in just
a month’s time and sur-
prised us when he came
to school riding his new
design. The vehicle has
been made from scrap,
which was another sur-
prise for us,” he said.
V’dara student designs solar vehicle from scrap
WUNDERKIND
Neel Shah of Zenith School used
10 Watt solar plate and a 1 Amp
battery to power it; bicycle has
mileage of 25-30 km per charge
Neel surprised teachers and students with his solar-powered cycle, especially since it took him just a month to build it.
Govt says 292.38 ha forest land
encroached, experts say ‘more’
Gargi Raval
Ahmedabad: Accord-
ing to data released by
the Ministry of Envi-
ronment, Forest and
Climate Change, over
292.38 hectares of for-
est land has been en-
croached on by the
state. However, envi-
ronmentalists believe
that the government
data is incorrect.
The ministry has stat-
ed that over 21,647 sq.
km in Gujarat is record-
ed as forest area, with
14,372 sq. km being re-
served forest area and
2,886 sq. km falling un-
der protected forest
area. A total of 13.35
lakh hectares forest
area in the country has
been encroached upon.
Environmentalist
Mahesh Pandya has
deemed the information
incorrect. “The data is
insufficient and limited.
I am skeptical about the
claims of the ministry
that only 292 hectares of
forest land has been en-
croached. It is difficult
to ascertain the exact
number, but the data
given is not accurate,”
he said.
He further stated, “A
few companies have
beenfinedbytheNation-
alGreenTribunal(NGT)
forencroachingonforest
lands in the past. Even
the Supreme Court had
ordered said companies
to pay fines.”
A retired forest offic-
er under condition of
anonymity said, “Some
of the forest lands have
slipped into the hands
of ‘mighty people’ and
we cannot take them
back. In fact, those par-
cels of land are nowhere
in the records of the for-
est reserve lands data.
There are several re-
sorts, farms and villas
that have been built on
such lands and are be-
ing used for commercial
purposes.”
The ministry stated
that the protection and
management of forests
is primarily the respon-
sibilityof theconcerned
state or union territory
.
“The states and UTs
also take various meas-
ures such as demarca-
tion and digitization of
forest boundaries,
strengthening infra-
structure for forest pro-
tection, involving fringe
areaforestcommunities
such as Joint Forest
Management Commit-
tees, Eco-Development
Committees, among oth-
ers, to prevent and con-
trol encroachments,”
stated the ministry
.
Thol Lake, where these flamingos roost, is a protected area in Guj.
Weatherman predicts
more rain across Guj,
in the coming week
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The In-
dia Meteorological
Department has said
that the widespread
rainfall being wit-
nessed in Gujarat
since August 31 is
likely continue in the
coming days.
The department has
predicted rainy weath-
er for the next 48 hours
and said that “good
rains” are likely to fall
across the state next
week as well. However,
heavy rains are likely
to recede slightly from
Thursday, the depart-
ment said in a release.
On Thursday, a total
of 129 talukas of the
state received rainfall,
with Dwarka receiving
the highest, with
61mm.
The next two days
are likely to bring tor-
rential rain, with the
weatherman forecast-
ing heavy to very
heavy rains in Sau-
rashtra, Kutch and
South Gujarat with the
activation of three
weather systems.
The first of these is a
trough from Porbandar,
Surat to Jalgaon, and
Machhipatnam to the
Bay of Bengal.
The second system
is a cyclonic circula-
tion over the South Gu-
jarat region, which is
moving in the south-
westerly direction, i.e.,
towards Saurashtra.
The meteorological de-
partment has forecast
heavy rains in South
Gujarat and nearby Ut-
tar Pradesh and Ra-
jasthan as well, due to
the low wind pressure
across the region.
Heavy rain over the past few days has left roads in Ahmedabad
battered; a gaping appeared on the main junction of Usmanpura
crossroads on Thursday. —PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI
Guj adds 10 new cases, active cases now 151
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: Guja-
rat reported 10 new
COVID-19 cases on
Thursday, taking the
infection tally to
8,25,445, said the
Health Department.
A release from the de-
partment said since no
new death was reported
in the last 24 hours, Gu-
jarat’s COVID-19 toll re-
mained unchanged at
10,081.
With 12 patients get-
ting discharged from
hospitals during the day
,
the tally of recoveries
rose to 8,15,213, leaving
the state with 151 active
cases, it said.
Gujarat’s COVID-19
recovery rate is 98.76%.
Of the total 151 active
cases,onlythreepatients
are on ventilators.
151
04 MAX
CASES IN
V’DARA
ACTIVE CASES
8,15,213
TOTAL RECOVERED
12
RECOVERED
IN A DAY
10,081
TOTAL DEATHS
00 DEATH
IN A DAY
8,25,445
TOTAL CASES
10 CASES
IN A DAY
COVID-19 UPDATE
—FILE
PHOTO

PERSPECTIVE
04
fter capturing Kabul the Taliban
want to be seen as rulers rather
than just as a religious militia.
Eager to secure legitimacy – in-
ternationally and among Af-
ghans – closed-door negotiations
are afoot for a government inclu-
sive of non-Taliban Afghans. Will
these actually work out? And
what lies ahead for young, urban-
ised, internet-savvy Afghans
seeking to live in the 21st century
rather than the 7th? This choice
had been denied just a while ago.
UnderMullahOmar,theearlier
phase (1996-2001) of Taliban rule
had single-mindedly concentrat-
ed upon rigorous enforcement of
the Quranic injunction amr bil
ma’roof wa nahi ‘anil munkar
(promote that which is good and
approved, and forbid that which
is evil and disapproved). Imbibed
from madrasas scattered across
Pakistan, this was understood in
the sense of a demand for strict
religious policing.
Liberal Islamic scholars, how-
ever, say the injunction merely
enjoins believers to seek piety
through self-control. The Taliban
under Mullah Omar disagreed
emphatically with this inter-
pretation.
They carried
out stoning
of adulter-
ers to death, amputation of
limbs for theft, public floggings,
closure of girls’ schools, extreme
limits on the mobility of women
and destruction of the 2,000-year-
old Bamiyan Buddhas. Similar
actions do not exist in the living
memory of older Afghans.
The new face suggests that
amr bil ma’roof will henceforth
be more liberally interpreted.
Whether rank-and-file fighters
will see eye to eye on this cannot
presently be foreseen. But some
leaders of this religious militia
– one that thrived for decades on
foreign aid and extortion – have
become aware that economic rea-
sons demand change.
This is understandable. Those
accustomed to the comfort of Do-
ha’s luxury hotels, and of their
bungalows in Quetta and Pesha-
war, are unfit for returning to the
mountain villages from where
they fought against an invader. In-
stead, they now want the good life
the invader has invented. In time
they
, or maybe the generation that
succeedsthem,willsendtheirchil-
dren to regular schools instead of
Pakistani or Afghan madrasas.
For this to happen, the spigot
of international aid must be
turned on again. Still more ur-
gent: under Afghan soil lies a tril-
lion dollars ready to be scooped
up. But to extract these minerals,
technology and organisation
have to come from outside. Many
countries are eager, China and
Russia particularly
. This implies
complicated geopolitics and
much wheeling and dealing.
‘NAYA TALIBAN’
In this new game, Pakistan hopes
to play a big part. While the Chi-
nese are said to be capable of eat-
ing everything that moves, they
cannot stomach an unreformed
Taliban.Thiswouldcreatehellish
indigestion within Xinjiang. For-
mer Taliban allies, Saudi Arabia
andtheUnitedArabEmirates,are
wary of Taliban radicalism spill-
ing over and wrecking attempts to
liberalise their countries. Much
needs to be thrashed out.
That Pakistan may be accepted
as a mediator is possible because
the “Naya Taliban” – an
evocative term first used by
Dawn’s columnist Niaz Murtaza
– feel ideologically comfortable
with the leader of Naya Pakistan.
The commonality lies in shared
opposition to western dress, edu-
cation and language. Both place
a high value on symbols such as
shalwar-kameez and turban, and
both equate morality with the
regularity of prayers and fasting.
Indeed, unable to contain his joy
at the Taliban takeover of Kabul,
Pakistan PM Imran Khan de-
clared that Afghanistan had
“broken the shackles of slavery”.
In creating a new dispensa-
tion, the Naya Taliban will natu-
rally turn towards those who
made their ascent possible. But
here caution will kick in. Even if
pragmatism presently forces
them to deal with those they
know to be hypocritical, the Tali-
ban are not hypocrites them-
selves. They also know full well
who packed off their comrades to
Guantanamo Bay – from where
some are yet to return.
To quote from the back cover of
General Musharraf’s autobiogra-
phy, written in 2006 while still in
office: “We have captured 672 and
handed 369 to the United States.
Wehaveearnedbountiestotalling
millions of dollars.” Memories
cannot disappear easily although
the freshly victorious may not
dwelluponsuchbetrayalsfornow.
On the other hand, the Taliban
have fully trustable allies inside
Islamabad. When some days ago
the white Taliban flag flew – al-
beit briefly – from Jamia Hafsa,
this sent across an important
message from Maulana Abdul
Aziz and his likes to their victori-
ous Afghan colleagues: we were
with you when you were being
bombed in Tora Bora. And we are
with you now that you have won.
AFGHANISTAN
AND PAKISTAN
Like it or not, AfPak has
become reality
. Despised
in Pakistan because of
its American origin, this
term rings true. Geo-
graphical proximity is
now augmented by the
ideological proximity of
rulers in both countries.
Taliban style thinking
is bound to spread
through the length and
breadth of Pakistan.
Now that the Indians
have been chased out of Afghan-
istan, Pakistan’s dream of strate-
gic depth stands fulfilled. So has
the country reached nirvana?
Well, almost, but not quite.
Fears that the Naya Taliban
are no different from the Purana
Taliban has made millions of
Afghans desperate to flee. But
there is opposition to accepting
these refugees into Pakistan
even from those who might have
on their lips Iqbal’s couplet: bu-
tan-e-rang o khoon ko tor kar
millat mai gum ho ja; na toorani
rahay baqi na irani na afghani.
(Smash the idols of blood and
colour, become Muslim; be not
Turani nor Irani nor Afghani, be
just Muslim.)
Subcontinental pan-Islamism
– that which created Pakistan –
ends at the Durand Line for most
Pakistanis. But the Naya Taliban
could think differently. Afghan
nationalism has come into its
own. The cultural and ethnic con-
tinuity from ages past cannot be
eliminated by fencing. Indeed,
after booting out the mightiest
power of all times, why should
the Taliban consider as sacred
the arbitrary straight lines
drawn by a long dead, stuffy old
Englishman?
Pakistan must open its doors
for fleeing Afghans – to not do so
is immoral. Using its considera-
ble influence it must also im-
press upon Taliban victors that
the world will not accept their
old-style barbarity. This is not
the age when women should be
confined to their homes and
shoved into burqas, or where re-
ligious and ethnic minorities are
persecuted and killed. For this
message to get across, Pakistan
might first have to get its own
house in order.
handed 369 to the United States.
A
Fears that the Naya
Taliban are no different
from the Purana Taliban
has made millions of
Afghans desperate to flee.
But there is opposition to
accepting these refugees
into Pakistan even from
those who might have on
their lips Iqbal’s couplet:
butan-e-rang o khoon ko
tor kar millat mai gum
ho ja; na toorani rahay
baqi na irani na afghani.
(Smash the idols of blood
and colour, become
Muslim; be not Turani
nor Irani nor Afghani, be
just Muslim.)
PERVEZ HOODBHOY
THE WRITER IS AN ISLAMABAD-BASED
PHYSICIST AND AUTHOR
accustomed to the comfort of Do-
ha’s luxury hotels, and of their
WILL ‘NAYA TALIBAN’
FIND IDEOLOGICAL COMMON GROUND
‘NAYA PAKISTAN’?
WITH
Vol2IssueNo.277
RNINO.GUJENG/2019/79050.Printed and pub-
lished by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First
Express Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar Printing
Planet Survey No.148P, Changodar-Bavla Highway,
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3rdFloorPlotNo.35TitaniumSquare,SchemeNo.
2,ThaltejTaluka,Ghatlodiya,Ahmedabad.
Editor-In-Chief:JagdeeshChandra.
Editor:AnitaHadaSangwanresponsibleforselectionof
newsunderthePRBAct
India is showing signs of
robust economic recovery
under the @narendramodi
Govt. India’s top 10 IT
companies hired 1.21 lakh
people between Jan-June
2021, which is the highest
for this period in the last
5 years. Digital India is
growing unprecedentedly in
the post-COVID era.
Ravi Shankar Prasad
@rsprasad SPIRITUAL SPEAK
That deed is not well done,
if one has to repent for
having done it, and if, with
a tearful face, one has to weep
as a result of that deed.
—Buddha
TOP
TWEETS
India galloping towards
$400 bn merchandise
export target for
current financial
year. 45% growth in
merchandise exports
in August 2021 over
same period last year.
Big boost to local
businesses in capturing
global markets.
Piyush Goyal
@PiyushGoyal

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INDIA
05
Mahesh Sharma
New Delhi: Is Gautam
Adani, country’s second
richest businessman
and the one with the
strongest hold in the
current ruling estab-
lishment, caught in the
corporate war or has his
troubles increased due
to some other reason?
It is being discussed
that his ‘tension’ with
the country’s number
one industrialist has in-
creased and the new
corporate war has in-
creased his problems.
However, whatever be
the reason, the reality is
that the Adani Group is
in a bad shape. The com-
pany’s shares are falling
and the market capital
is continuously decreas-
ing. On top of this, SEBI
has stopped the IPO of
an Adani Group com-
pany through which an
amount of more than
Rs4,000 crores was to be
raised. It is reported
that SEBI has stopped
IPO of Adani Wilmar.
According to SEBI
rules, if any investiga-
tion is going on in any
branch of the company
that brought IPO, then it
is stopped. There is a
rule to keep it for 90
days.
As the investigation
of irregularities in for-
eign portfolio invest-
ment against Adani En-
terprises, the flagship
company of the Adani
Group, is going on, SEBI
has stopped the IPO of
Adani Wilmar.
Adani’s troubles,
however, are much larg-
er than anticipated. Na-
tional Security Deposi-
tory Limited has frozen
the accounts of three
foreign funds investing
heavily in the shares of
the Adani Group.
As a result, the shares
of Adani Group have
fallen by more than 50
per cent in the last three
months and the compa-
ny has suffered a loss of
Rs 43,000 crore in the
market capital. Due to
this, the wealth of Gau-
tam Adani has fallen
from $ 77 billion to close
to $ 55 billion.
Adani Group’s shares
were at a peak in June
this year. A share of
AdaniPower,whichwas
selling for `167, fell 55%
to `77.30 on August 18.
Adani Total Gas fell
37%, Adani Transmis-
sion 33%, Adani Green
Energy 32% and Adani
Port SEZ fell 21.
ADANI’STROUBLESAREGARGANTUAN!
Anita Hada
New Delhi: Elections
are going to be held in
Uttarakhand next year
and it seems that the
ruling BJP is prepar-
ing to fight on issues
other than works done
by it in past five years.
After all, in a span of
four-and-a-half years,
the BJP has made three
chief ministers in the
state. Therefore, the
question of fighting
over the work of a
Chief Minister does
not arise. There will
definitely be publicity
for the work of the Cen-
tral government for
seven years, but in that
too the focus will be
only on the face of
Prime Minister Naren-
dra Modi.
Informed sources in
the BJP say that the
party will fight the
elections on a cultural
and religious agenda
and to further the reli-
gious agenda, the sup-
port of cultural work-
ers, especially singers,
will be taken.
Recently, famous
singer Anuradha Paud-
wal met party general
secretary Arun Singh
and media in-charge
Anil Baluni at the BJP
headquarters. Baluni
hails from Uttara-
khand. It is being told
that Paudwal ex-
pressed her desire to
do some social work in
Kedarnath Dham and
sought help from BJP.
Paudwal has sung
songs on Kedarnath
Dham and her working
there will promote
BJP’s agenda. Recently,
Chief Minister Push-
kar Singh Dhami ap-
pointed Pawandeep Ra-
jan, who won the song-
music reality show In-
dian Idol, as the cultur-
al brand ambassador of
the state.
On the day of the fi-
nale of Indian Idol, the
video of Chief Minister
Dhami was broadcast
several times, in which
he appealed to the peo-
ple to vote for
Pawandeep. The leader
of any other state had
not appealed for the vic-
tory of its contestant.
Obviously Dhami had
appealed according to
the election and the ef-
fect of his appeal was
that Pawandeep won.
After winning, he made
a programme to visit
Kedarnath Dham with
the six contestants who
reached the finals of In-
dian Idol. In this way,
through singers, the
BJP is carrying for-
ward the cultural and
religious agenda.
Syed Umer
New Delhi: In most of
its ‘premier’ states, the
Congress is witnessing
a turmoil and now it
has witnessed one in
Kerala where senior
Congress leader AV
Gopinathan has re-
signed due to infight-
ing within the party.
Gopinathan’s resigna-
tion came about after a
controversy regarding
election of new presi-
dent of 14 districts.
Gopinathan, a senior
leader, is a former MLA
and party president of
Palakkad district of
Kerala. He left the Con-
gress saying that now
he does not have faith
in the top leadership,
and because of this
there is no justification
for continuing in the
party.
“I have been working
in Congress for the last
50 years, but now I have
lost all hope. Now there
is no question of con-
tinuing in Congress,”
he stressed.
According to re-
ports, the Congress
party had earlier not
given ticket to Gopina-
than in the Assembly
elections, due to which
he was reportedly an-
gry and now the party
did not even accept the
demands raised by his
supporters to appoint
Gopinathan as district
president.
However, after re-
signing from the Con-
gress party, there are
speculations of Gopi-
nathan going to anoth-
er party.
State’s ruling CPM
leader AK Balan has
said that the decision
is in Gopinathan’s
hands.
Since then there are
speculations that Gopi-
nathan may go towards
CPM. However, Gopi-
nathan has said that he
is not going to join any
other party as of now.
BJP’s ‘mission election’ depends on singers in Uttarakhand!
Singer Anuradha Paudwal recently met BJP leader Arun Singh.
BJP will fight polls
in U’khand on cultural
religious agenda
and to further it
support of cultural
workers, especially
singers, will be taken
First India Bureau
New Delhi: A negative
RT-PCR result not old-
er than 72 hours has
been made mandatory
for passengers travel-
ling to India from sev-
en more countries, in-
cluding, China and
South Africa.
The move comes af-
ter the discovery of a
new Covid variant,
C.1.2, which could be
more infectious and
has shown signs of
evading protection pro-
vided by vaccines.
While earlier this
rule was only applica-
ble for arrivals from
the UK, Europe and
Middle East, seven
more countries—
South Africa, Bangla-
desh, Botswana, Chi-
na, Mauritius, New
Zealand, Zimbabwe—
have been added to the
list on Thursday, ac-
cording to a latest
guideline by Ministry
of Health.
As per the new
guidelines, only
asymptomatic passen-
gers will be allowed to
board the flights from
India and on arrival,
they will again be
tested for Covid
through RT-PCR test.
—PTI
RT-PCRtestmustforarrivalsfrom
7morenationsamidnewstrainfear
A healthcare worker takes a nasal swab sample of a child for the
COVID-19 test in Hyderabad on Thursday. —PHOTO BY ANI
After Raj, Punjab C’garh,
Cong hits turmoil in Kerala!
Andhra High Court’s
historic judgment sends
5 IAS officers to jail
Rakesh Ranjan
New Delhi: Justice for
a woman named Sai
Brahma has culminat-
edinjailingof 5Andhra
cadre IAS officers for
occupying her land in a
village called Tallapaka
located in Nellore dis-
trict. While Brahma
knocked at every door
in vain, Andhra
Pradesh HC admitted
her case and on Thurs-
day sentenced five ac-
cused IAS officers to
jail for having illegally
occupied her land.
Their irresponsible
behavior provoked HC
to initiate a contempt of
court case.
Manmohan Singh, a
retired IAS officer, is
jailed for a month and
fined Rs1,000, while Nel-
lore Collector Seshagiri
Babu was fined Rs 1,000,
and jailed for two
weeks. Finance Minis-
try official SS Rawat
jailed for a month and
fined Rs 1,000, and for-
mer Nellore Collector
Muthyala Raju, cur-
rently holding key re-
sponsibilities in CMO
jailed for 2 weeks and
fined Rs 1,000.
Another IAS officer,
Imtiaz, sentenced to one
month in jail, with Rs.
1000 fine.
AV Gopinathan
Gautam Adani
BSF NABS PAK SMUGGLER WITH OVER
2 KGS SUSPECTED HEROIN
Ferozepur: BSF has caught a Pakistani smuggler with
two packets of suspected Heroin weighing 2.124 kgs
in the Ferozepur sector in Punjab when he was trying
to intrude into Indian territory through the IB. Officials
in BSF find it a great achievement as it may help in
finding involvement of traffickers of Indian side and
their cross-border linkages. Smuggler was caught on
intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday. He was
injured during an anti-narcotic operation conducted by
BSF troops and evacuated to Civil Hospital, Ferozepur.
CRUCIAL READ
44 MERITORIOUS TEACHERS WILL BE
AWARDED BY PREZ ON SEPT 5: MEENA
New Delhi: On the occasion of Teachers’ Day on Septem-
ber 5, President of India Ram Nath Kovind will virtually
award 44 meritorious teachers who
have been selected by the jury in their
respective fields. Event will take place
virtually due to pandemic. RC Meena,
Joint Secy, Ministry of Education said,
“Selection for National Teachers’
awards first begins at dist level, then at
state level finally meritorious teachers are selected at
national level selected teachers will be awarded.”
JAISWAL ADMITTED TO AIIMS, DIAGNOSED
WITH STEVENS-JOHNSON SYNDROME
Patna: BJP Bihar state president Sanjay Jaiswal has been
admitted to Patna AIIMS after being diagnosed with a
rare disease Stevens-Johnson syndrome. Jaiswal took
to Facebook on Thursday to inform about his health. The
Bihar BJP president informed that he will remain admitted
in AIIMS Patna for next 7 days. In the meantime, he won’t
meet anyone. Jaiswal in video message said, “I devp a fe-
ver in Kolkata on August 25. Since I am chairman of Water
Resources Committee, I finished work came Patna.”
SIDDARAMAIAH URGES PEOPLE TO
SUPPORT CONG IN CORPORATION POLLS
Bengaluru: Senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah
on Thursday appealed to the people to support the
Congress candidates in the polls for the city corpora-
tions of Belagavi, Hubballi-Dharwad and Kalaburagi
city, to be held today. “The election is happening for 3
corporations Kalburgi, Hubli Dharwad and Belagavi. I
couldn’t go for campaigning due to medical treatment.
I request all the voters to bless the Congress candi-
dates,” he said at a press conference on Thursday.
New RS SG urges officers to prioritise
House and members’ requirements
Rakesh Ranjan
New Delhi: The newly-
appointed Secretary-
General of Rajya Sabha
(SG RS), Dr Parasaram
Pattabhi Kesava Ra-
macharyulu, on Thurs-
day urged the senior
Secretariat officials to
be “imaginative” and
proactive to fulfil the
needs of the House and
its members.
Holding a two-hour-
long meeting with sen-
ior officials after as-
suming new charge, he
called for identifying
the bottlenecks in the
present functioning of
the Secretariat and
evolving an action plan
for removing them to
ensure improvement in
performance. “While
the functioning of Ra-
jya Sabha and the Sec-
retariat are guided by
defined sets of rules,
there is substantial
scope for taking initia-
tives, imagination, an-
ticipation, and dyna-
mism within the frame-
work of rules for more
effective functioning of
the House and Secre-
tariat,” Dr. Ramachary-
ulu said.
Thanking the Rajya
Sabha Chairman M
Venkaiah Naidu for re-
posing confidence in
and appointing an in-
sider for the first time
in about 70 years as
Secretary-General, Dr.
Ramacharyulu urged
the officials to work as
a more dynamic team to
meet the expectations
of the Chairman.
Naidu on Tuesday ap-
pointed Dr. Ramachary-
ulu as the SG to benefit
RS from the latter’s
over 40 years of experi-
ence.
The new SG has suc-
ceeded Desh Deepak
Verma, a retired 1978
batch UP cadre IAS,
who demitted office on
August 31, 2021, after
serving for four years.
Dr. Ramacharyulu has a
wide experience of han-
dling various aspects of
the functioning of Par-
liament. He joined the
RS Secretariat in 1983
after serving in the Lok
Sabha Secretariat for a
year earlier. He served
as Special Secretary,
Andhra Pradesh Leg-
islature in 2017.
Dr Parasaram Ramacharyulu
Biological E gets nod for trials on kids
ALSO READ
 Karnataka has made
institutional quarantine
must for people enter-
ing state from Kerala.
Such travellers will have
to quarantine them-
selves for a week.
 Indian visa or stay
stipulation period
of foreign nationals
stranded in India due to
pandemic will be con-
sidered as deemed to be
valid till September 30,
said MHA on Thursday.
 Kerala Edu Minister
said state is considering
reopening schools in
Kerala and a decision
will be taken based on
a report by an expert
panel constituted for it.
GOVT: CELEBRATE
FESTIVALS AT HOME
Warning against lower-
ing the guard against
coronavirus disease
ahead of festive sea-
son, Health Ministry on
Thursday said people
should celebrate festivals
at home, follow Covid-
appropriate behaviour
and get vaccinated as and
when their turn comes.
The ministry stated that
mass gatherings have to
be discouraged and full
vaccination should be a
prerequisite if attending a
gathering is essential. The
WHO said that it is closely
monitoring a new corona-
virus “variant of interest”
named Mu, warning that
the new variant shows
signs of possible resist-
ance to vaccines. The new
variant was first identified
in Colombia in Jan 2021.

INDIA
06
IN THE COURTYARD
CRUCIAL READ
MAKE FIGHT AGAINST TB PEOPLE’S
MOVEMENT: HEALTH MIN MANDAVIYA
New Delhi: The Union Health Minister Mansukh Man-
daviya on Thursday interacted with the state Health
Ministers and Secretaries of
all states and union territories
to review the progress made
in the fight against TB through
focussed and concerted ef-
forts. Expressing satisfaction
at the convergence of focus
to eliminate TB, Mandaviya
suggested the continuance of regular interaction so
that best practices of States/UTs may be discussed and
taken up for emulation.
SCINDIA WRITES TO CMs OF TELANGANA,
MEGHALAYA TO STRENGTHEN AVIATION
New Delhi: Minister of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya
Scindia has requested the personal intervention of CMs
of Telangana and Meghalaya for expediting the work of
strengthening aviation infrastructure in these states. In
a letter, to Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao, Scindia
has drawn his attention towards the issue of extension
of the period of Concession Agreement for HIAL. He
has requested for the personal intervention of Conrad K
Sangma, CM of Meghalaya, in expeditious operationali-
sation of Tura Airport.
CAG GC MURMU URGES AUDITORS FOR
GREATER USE OF DATA ANALYTICS, AI
New Delhi: Comptroller and Auditor General of India
G.C. Murmu on Thursday urged auditors to make far
greater use of data analytics, Artificial Intelligence
Machine Learning for optimizing efficient use of their
own scarce resources. Speaking at the e-seminar “IT
Audit in Era of Industrial Revolution 4.0: Oppor-
tunities and Challenges” of INTOSAI WGITA, he
emphasized that in 4th industrial revolution, must
prepare themselves to face multi-faceted changes.
Kishor’s induction into Cong
Sonia to decide soon
AS PER PARTY SOURCES, GANDHI HAS ALREADY STARTED PREPS
New Delhi: Congress
President Sonia Gandhi
will take a final call on
inducting election strat-
egist Prashant Kishor
in the party as Congress
leaders are divided over
the issue. According to
party sources, Sonia
has already started the
consultation process.
AsKishorwantsafull-
fledged role and decision
making authority on
election related issues,
party leaders are averse
of givingfreehandtoone
person on the selection
of candidates.
Rahul has informally
discussed the plan with
theCongressleadersand
sought their view for
Kishor’s entry into the
party
, and to what extent
he can be given responsi-
bility for the party’s poll
strategy
, said party lead-
ers who were part of
these deliberations.
Kishor who has also
met General Secretary
Priyanka Gandhi and
interim chief Sonia
Gandhi in these delib-
erations, has given a
plan to the Congress
leadership and the talk-
ing points are being dis-
cussedamongthesenior
leaders. Kishor is likely
to take political plunge
soon in Congress. —ANI
WHY
KISHOR?
Prashant Kishor
has more
recently worked
with the Trinamool
Congress and has
been credited as
the man behind the
thumping victory
of the party in the
WB assembly elec-
tions. After 2 poll
debacles, Congress
is in search of ad-
visors. With the de-
mise of seasoned
leader Ahmed
Patel, Congress
has already lost an
ace strategist.
SOURCES SAY...
Kishor has met
Congress leader and
party’s former president
Rahul Gandhi quietly a
few times to discuss the
party’s revival ahead of
several Assembly elec-
tions -- including Uttar
Pradesh, scheduled
to be held next year,
sources said.
CONGS' UPCOMING POLL PREPS...
The Congress is preparing for polls in Uttar Pradesh,
Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and some northeastern
states next year. Kishor has recently handled cam-
paigns of the TMC, the DMK and the YSRCP and has
relations across party lines.
‘All is not well’
IN PUNJAB CONG: RAWAT
OVER SINGH-SIDHU RIFT
BJP selling assets
created by Cong: Singh
New Delhi: Taking a
jibe at Centre, senior
Congress leader Digvi-
jaya Singh on Thursday
said that Centre has an-
nounced NMP to sell
national assets created
by Cong from 1947-2014.
“Monetisation Pipe-
line to sell projects or
the assets build by the
Congress from 1947-
2014,” said Digvijaya
Singh while speaking to
reporters. Emphasising
on allegations made by
BJP that Cong has done
nothing in 70 years, he
said, “that’s difference
between worthy un-
worthy son, between
Cong BJP. Modi ji
says nothing happened
in last 70 years. Then
what are you selling?”
he asked. Furthermore,
he said, BJP has refused
to debate in Parl over
inflation, unemploy-
ment, Pegasus. —ANI
Chandigarh: Amid the
ongoing rift in the Pun-
jabCongress,AICCstate
in-charge Harish Rawat
on Thursday revealed
that all is not well in the
party but claimed that
state Congress is head-
ing towards the ‘all is
well’ situation.
“I won’t say all is
well, but we are heading
towards it. I do not want
to hide from you. We are
trying to solve the is-
sue,” Rawat said. This
comes after Punjab PCC
general secretary Par-
gat Singh on Sunday
questioned AICC state
in-charge Harish Rawat
over the decision that
Congress will contest
the 2022 Punjab Assem-
bly elections under the
leadership of Chief
Minister Captain Ama-
rinder Singh.
If Rawatissayingpolls
will be fought under the
leadership of CM Cap-
tain Amarinder Singh,
then he should also
tellwhenthisde-
cision was
taken. —ANI
MODI GOVT RUINED
ECONOMY: RAHUL
New Delhi: Accusing
the Centre of mishan-
dling the country’s
economy, Congress
leader Rahul Gandhi
on Thursday said the
nation was at a “critical
crossroad” and the
Congress, as a major
opposition party, has
a moral duty to fight
the forces that threaten
the very idea of India.
“Modi Government has
clearly mishandled the
economy. And, what
this country has
built over
the last 70
years, is
being given
away to select
few friends
of Modi-ji”,
Gandhi said.
Harish Rawat talking to media
in Chandigarh on Thursday.
l NARADA STING OPERATION
ED files prosecution plaint
against 4 leaders, IPS officer
New Delhi: ED has filed
aProsecutionComplaint
under PMLA in case of
Narada sting operation
case against TMC lead-
ers Firhad Hakim, Sub-
rata Mukherjee, Madan
Mitra, Sovan Chatterjee
and IPS Officer SMH
Meerza before the Spe-
cial Judge (PMLA) in
Kolkata.
According to the of-
ficial statement by the
government agency,
“Enforcement Directo-
rate has filed a Prosecu-
tion Complaint under
Prevention of Money
Laundering Act, 2002
(PMLA) in the case of
Narada Sting Opera-
tion, against Firhad
Hakim, Transport and
Housing Minister, Gov-
ernment of West Ben-
gal, Subrata Mukher-
jee, Panchayat Minister,
Government of West
Bengal, Madan Mitra,
MLA West Bengal, So-
van Chatterjee, former
Mayor of Kolkata and
SMH Meerza, an IPS Of-
ficer of West Bengal
Cadre before the Spe-
cial Judge (PMLA), Kol-
kata with the prayer for
awarding punishment
to the accused for com-
mitting offence of mon-
ey laundering and con-
fiscation of the amount
of gratification.” —ANI
ED FILES CASE IN `200 CR DUPING OF
EX-RANBAXY PROMOTER’S WIFE
New Delhi: The ED has registered an ECIR against
Rohini Jail inmate Sukesh Chandrashekar for alleg-
edly duping the wife of former promoter Ranbaxy
Shivinder Mohan Singh of Rs 200 crore, a source told.
A money laundering case has been registered against
Chandrasekhar and his aides Deepak Ramdani and
Pradeep Ramdani and others for duping Aditi Singh,
wife of Shivinder Mohan Singh. The ED has registered
the case based on the FIR registered by Delhi Police,
alleging that she was cheated of Rs 200 crore by a man
posing as a Home Ministry official who promised to
help with her husband’s cases.
Puri blames UPA
govt for `1.5L cr
unpaid oil bonds
New Delhi: Union min
of Petroleum Natural
Gas, Hardeep Singh
Puri on
T h u r s d ay
blamed UPA
govt said
govt has
burdened fu-
ture govts
with oil bonds of more
than Rs 1.5L crore. Union
Min said it is limiting fis-
cal space and restricting
fin freedom of OMCs and
thus tying up crucial re-
sources. “Important EP
sector was fund-starved.
So, our import bill con-
tinues to be high. Nearly
Rs 3.6L cr profits of oil
companies were instead
used for price stabilisa-
tion by a remote-con-
trolled govt of ‘economic
experts’ to hide behind
an ‘All is Well’ smoke-
screen,” Puri said. —ANI
It is a big resolution to protect
life of Indian citizen: Rajnath
Kevadia: Indicating to-
ward the successful
evacuation of over 500
Indians Afghan na-
tionals from Afghani-
stan, Defence Minister
Rajnath Singh on Thurs-
day said govt works dili-
gently when it comes to
question of protecting
Indian citizens.
“It is a big resolution
for us to protect the life
and property of an In-
dian citizen. That is
why when it comes to
the question of protect-
ing Indian citizens, our
government works dili-
gently to get them out of
foreign countries as
well,” he said while ad-
dressing the inaugural
session of Gujarat BJP
Executive meeting in
Kevadia. He empha-
sised making country
‘
Atmanirbhar.’ “Defence
production has been
promoted in India. 64%
of total purchase is re-
served to purchase De-
fense Equipment made
in India,” he said. —ANI
MoU signed between Ministry of Defence, Gujarat Govt for organizing
DefExpo-2022. Seen here are, Rajnath Singh, Vijay Rupani others.
Rajnathsingh_in
@RajnathSingh_in
Congress and Rahul Gandhi
made unnecessary Rafale
issue. What was the result?
Raphael got ready in France.
Rafale has also landed in
India but Rahul ji still has not
been able to ‘Take off’.
India ready to join
the like-minded
towards IT: MoS IT
New Delhi: India is
ready to partner with
nations towards devel-
opment in technology
embedded governance,
said MoS for Electron-
ics and Information
Technology Rajeev
Chandrasekhar on
Wednesday
.
Speaking at a pre-
event organised in the
run-up to the fifteenth
session of Ministerial
Conference of UNC-
TAD through VC, Min-
ister shared India’s suc-
cess story of digitalisa-
tion. He also said that
India has demonstrated
the power of technolo-
gy in businesses. —ANI
Currently, India is
poised as one of the
largest connected
countries in the world in
terms of internet connectivi-
ty with “around 80 Crore
people online” and one of the
“world’s largest rural broad-
band connectivity projects
being executed”.
—Rajeev Chandrasekhar,
MoS for Electronics and IT
Nitin Gadkari addresses 29th AGM of AMCHAM session on ‘Infra
Propelling India in the Global Supplying Chain’, on Thursday.
India to be 5 Trillion Dollar
economy in 5 yrs: Gadkari
New Delhi: Emphasis-
ing importance of infra-
structure for improving
revenue base of govt,
Union Minister for Road
Transport Highways
Nitin Gadkari on Thurs-
day said that well-devel-
oped infrastructure
would play an impor-
tant role in fulfilling vi-
sion of India in becom-
ing Five Trillion Dollar
economy in 5 years.
Minister said, the bilat-
eral trade between India
US has grown from
USD 16 Billion USD to
USD 149 Billion in 2 dec-
ades is projected to
reach more than USD
500 Billion by 2025. —ANI
4 FIRs in NORTH EAST
VIOLENCE QUASHED
New Delhi: The Delhi High
Court has quashed four FIRs
lodged for the alleged of-
fences of looting and setting
on fire a compound during
the North East Delhi riots
last year, saying there cannot
be a second FIR and fresh
investigation for the same
cognisable offence.
DELHI HC ISSUES NOTICE TO CENTRE
ON PLEA FILED BY TELECOM WATCHDOG
New Delhi: The Delhi HC has issued notice to Centre on plea
filed by Telecom Watchdog alleging that whistleblower has been
harassed pressurised on pretext of an FIR lodged against
him. CJ DN Patel Justice Jyoti asked Centre through Dept of
Telecommunications others to file reply, listed matter on Sept
17. Petition was represented by advocate Prashant Bhushan. The
petitioner has sought to pass appropriate orders initiating suo
moto contempt proceedings against Anshu Prakash, Secy of DoT,
Ashi Kapoor of T-II, USO Fund, DoT, Ajay Karan Sharma, SHO,
Manish Kumar, SI, Parl PS, for interfering with administration.
DELHI HC ISSUES NOTICE TO CENTRE ON
NCISM CHAIRMAN APPOINTMENT PLEA
New Delhi: The Delhi HC on Thursday issued notice to the
Centre and others on a petition challenging the appointment
of the Chairman of the regulatory body of the NCISM. The
plea sought the court’s direction to quash the appointment of
Vaidya Jayant Yeshwant Deopujari as Chairperson of NCISM,
stating he is a disqualified candidate as per the prescribed
qualification under the relevant act. The bench of Justice DN
Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh sought a response from the Un-
ion of India through the Ministry of Ayush, NCISM Vaidya
Jayant Yeshwant Deopujari and posted matter for October 22.
Digvijay Singh speaks to media at Sadaqat Ashram in Patna on Thursday.
Sonia Gandhi
Prashant Kishor
Defence Expo...
TheGujaratgovernment
aims to utilise the oppor-
tunitytofurtheritsaero-
spaceanddefencevision
and seek foreign invest-
ments.
The DefExpo has wit-
nessed year-on-year
growth, both in the
quantity and quality of
participation.
A hybrid system will
be set up for attendees
to join the events virtu-
ally and participate in
seminars, hold B2B
meetings, view prod-
ucts and exchange ide-
as/business proposi-
tions. Live demonstra-
tions by the services,
defence public sector
undertakings and in-
dustry to showcase
land, naval, air and
homeland security sys-
tems will also be held.
Business seminars by
both international and
Indian industry cham-
bers to capture the in-
tellectual capital of re-
nowned subject matter
experts is expected to be
another draw for at-
tendees.
Shah opens...
in Davanagere, Karna-
taka. Also had a great
fortune to felicitate and
interactwithourvaliant
freedom fighters during
this event. We will al-
ways remain indebted to
their unparalleled role
in India’s freedom strug-
gle,” the home minister
said.
After attending this
series of events in De-
vangere, Amit Shah will
head back to Hubballi.
From there, Shah will be
attending Union Coal
Mine Minister Prahlad
Joshi’s eldest daughter’s
wedding. Union Parlia-
mentary Affairs minis-
ter Pralhad Joshi’s eld-
est daughter Arpita is
getting married to KS
Hrushikesh.
FROM PG 1

TALKING POINT
07
HOW
HOW
JAPAN’S
JAPAN’S
OLYMPIC
OLYMPIC
SUCCESS
SUCCESS
HASBEEN
HASBEEN
FOLLOWED
FOLLOWED
BYCOVID
BYCOVID
FAILURE
FAILURE
WHERE IS THIS
ALL GOING?
Japan’s current wave has begun to
slow but is yet to crest. Its impact
on the health system is already vis-
ible and will likely worsen. The
fallout in terms of long COVID will
reveal itself in time.
A key problem is that the gov-
ernment has lost credibility. Stag-
ing the Olympics was only the lat-
est in a series of mixed messages
on COVID-19 – last year the gov-
ernment’s “Go To” travel cam-
paign encouraged tourism in the
middle of the country’s third
wave, while the delayed vaccina-
tion campaign is partly the result
of prioritising domestic-vaccine
development over imports. The re-
cent cover up of Japan’s first case
of the lambda variant, as it was
related to the Olympics, has added
to public distrust.
The government meanwhile has
expanded the scope of the current
states of emergency that are in
place, adding more prefectures.
Suga’s top adviser Omi has called
for a 50% reduction in mobility to
flatten the curve and to relieve
pressure on hospitals. Experts
have also demanded legal changes
to allow for stricter lockdown
measures, like those implemented
in Europe. Yet legal changes will
require time.
With a general election sched-
uled for October, growing frustra-
tion over the government’s crisis
management is threatening Suga
and his Liberal Democratic Par-
ty’s electoral prospects. In post-
Olympic polls, support for the gov-
ernment slipped below 30%, the
lowest since the prime minister
took office.
For various reasons, his party’s
victory had seemed preordained.
Although the opposition has so far
failed to take advantage of the gov-
ernment’s failures, with two poten-
tially devastating months ahead,
Suga’s position has never been
more precarious. If the situation
becomes dire, the challenge may
even come before the election from
within his own party.
Right now, it is hard to see the
government regaining the public’s
trust, and the short-term outlook is
bleak. However, as the situation de-
teriorates, the Japanese public it-
self may sufficiently alter behav-
iour to slow the virus’s spread.
THE ROLE OF THE
OLYMPICS
There was widespread opposition to
the staging of the Olympics before
they began, as the public was scepti-
cal of the claims of a “risk-free”
games. Undoubtedly the event
helped the virus spread. In the end
it was not the athletes that were the
problem, but rather the mixed mes-
saging of staging the world’s big-
gest mega-event in the middle of a
pandemic. Despite spectators not
being allowed into Olympic venues,
people still gathered to watch the
games in parks and bars across the
country. Public compliance with
government measures deteriorat-
ed. As the Suga government’s own
chief COVID-19 expert, Shigeru
Omi, has explained, the Olympics
“affected the public’s perception”
of the crisis, weakening the govern-
ment’s own stay-at-home message
and undermining the declaration
of a state of emergency.
VACCINATIONS TO
THE RESCUE?
Taro Kono, the minister in charge
of Japan’s vaccine rollout, has
trumpeted his country’s success in
inoculating its population. Japan
went from vaccine laggard to one
million doses per day in an astonish-
ingly short time, and the majority
of the elderly population have re-
ceived two doses.
Still, with only 43% of the popula-
tion fully vaccinated (approximately
54% had received at least one shot as
of August 26), Japan is near the bot-
tom of the OECD vaccination table.
So far Japan’s death rate has not
increased in tandem with the infec-
tion rate. While there is likely some
degree of lag, other countries have
shown that high vaccination rates do
help to erode the link between infec-
tion and death – meaning the climb-
ing vaccination rate may have spared
the country from a worse outcome.
Nonetheless, the dominance of the
more infectious delta variant, togeth-
er with Japan’s still relatively low
vaccination rate, bodes ill for the
coming months.
F
rom a sporting perspective,
the Tokyo Olympics were a
massive success for Japan.
Finishing third behind the Olympic
behemoths of the US and China, Ja-
pan secured a record 27 gold medals.
Yet, as the closing ceremony reached
a crescendo, on the Tokyo streets am-
bulances were taking patients from
hospital to hospital in a desperate
search for available beds.
During the first week of August,
there were 2,897 cases of ambulances
unable to admit patients to hospitals
nationwide, a sharp increase from
previous weeks. And with the delta
variant now dominant, each day is
currently seeing a record-breaking
number of new COVID-19 cases.
Just before the Olympics, every-
thing had seemed to be on track: Ja-
pan’s vaccination programme had
just reached the impressive mile-
stone of one million vaccinations per
day, case numbers were manageable,
and both the International Olympic
Committee and Japanese govern-
ment had promised a “safe and se-
cure” games. Since then, though,
Japan’s situation has nosedived.
OPERATING IN
‘DISASTER MODE’
Japan is now facing not only record
cases, but also record numbers of se-
verely ill patients: 1,974 as of August
26, 2021. In Tokyo alone, daily infec-
tions have topped 4,000 throughout
August, including more than 270 se-
vere cases at the time of writing.
New guidelines stipulating that
only high-risk patients be hospital-
ised mean that more than 20,000 in-
fected individuals in Tokyo are stay-
ing at home. Unsurprisingly, reports
are emerging of patients whose con-
ditions have deteriorated rapidly, in
some cases ending in death.
To deal with this spike of patients
unable to receive medical care, the
prime minister, Yoshihide Suga, has
outlined plans to set up “oxygen sta-
tions” to give supplemental oxygen
outside of hospital and to offer the
Ronapreve antibody cocktail treat-
ment for patients to use at home.
The government’s expert panel has
described the situation as “out of
control”, with the capital’s hospitals
now operating in “disaster mode”.
The panel is advising that at this
stage, the public should take its own
measures to protect itself from the
virus. Public attention has fixed on
the Tokyo metropolitan area, but the
virus has now spread and is rampant
throughout the country
.
PAUL O'SHEA
Senior Lecturer, Centre for East
and South-East Asian Studies,
Lund University
SEBASTIAN MASLOW
Senior Lecturer in International
Relations, Sendai Shirayuri
Women’s College
SOURCE: THECONVERSATION.COM
—FRANCK
ROBICHON/EPA-EFE
Suga (left) with Omi. The prime minister’s bid to be reelected this
autumn hangs in the balance. —KAZUHIRO NOGI/EPA-EFE
Even with cases rising, many people were keen to get out and make
the most of the Olympics. —KIMIMASA MAYAMA/EPA-EFE

08
2NDFRONT
First India Bureau
Surat: In a shocking
incident in Surat, a
17-year-old boy mur-
dered his father and
took his body to hos-
pital. He faked it as
an accidental death to
the hospital authori-
ties, police and his
own mother. But it
was found during the
police investigation
that the son had mur-
dered his own father.
Police have registered
a case against the mi-
nor and launched fur-
ther investigation.
The deceased, identi-
fied as Arjun Sarkar
(40), was brought to
New Civil Hospital on
Tuesday by his son.
ACP A.K. Verma stated,
“The son made a state-
ment that his father fell
in the bathroom 6 days
ago and has a medical
history
.”
Inspector N.A Desai
and a team of FSL (fo-
rensic science labora-
tory) took the samples
from the house and
they revealed that it
was a case of murder.
The post mortem re-
vealed that the minor
son had strangled his
father to death. In-
spector Desai stated
that the accused killed
his father as he
stopped him from
playing mobile games.
He also misguided his
mother, but she filed a
complaint after find-
ing the truth.
Analysing the inci-
dent, assistant pro-
fessor of psychology
department at NCH
Dr Kamlesh Dave
said that minors have
more anger issues as
compared to adults.
“Most the youth and
minors play games
involving violent ac-
tivities, which makes
it acceptable to their
minds,” Dr Dave
said.
Prevented from playing mobile games, teen strangles father to death
JUVENILE CRIME!
Ichhapore police station is investigating the case; and (right) the deceased, Arjun Sarkar, 40.
The boy lies to the hospital,
police and his own mother
that it was an accident
BLESSING THE NEWLY WEDS!
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Union Home Minister Amit Shah attended the wedding of Union Minister Pralhad Joshi’s
eldest daughter Arpita who was wedded in holy matrimony to the Bengaluru businessman KS Hrushikesh on Thursday at
Hubli, Karnataka. Governor TC Gehlot, RS Dy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh, Goa CM Pramod Sawant, Union Ministers
Piyush Goyal, Dharmendra Pradhan, Arjun Ram Meghwal and many other leaders blessed the newly weds.
CRUCIAL READ
HC PULLS UP BHARUCH COLLECTOR FOR
SEEKING ADJOURNMENT OF PASA CASE
Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court on Thursday
pulled up the Bharuch District Magistrate during
the hearing of a petition in which two accused had
challenged their detention orders under PASA. When
the court was hearing the submissions, the officer
requested for adjournment that irked the court.
The court believes that officers seek adjournments
when they don't have details of the case. The judges
orally observed that “It is the question of the court's
trustworthiness, it can't grant adjournment, such
practices are disturbing the court system.”
NOTICE SLAPPED ON RAJKOT DCP IN
CONTEMPT OF COURT PETITION
Ahmedabad: Congress party's farmer leader Pal
Ambaliya has moved a contempt of court petition
against the Deputy Commissioner of Police of
Rajkot. The petitioner's contention is that there are
specific Supreme Court guidelines laying down
when and how the police should behave with the
public. He said recently when he and other farmers
staged a protest in Rajkot, the DCP in violation
of the Supreme Court order indulged in atrocity
against farmers. The court issued notices to the
DCP asking him to file reply on or before October 4.
Doc refuses to treat
rat bite patient sans
police complaint!
First India Bureau
Surat: A patient of
rat-bite was shocked
when a resident doctor
at the New Civil Hospi-
tal (NCH) refused to
treat him without an
MLC (medico legal
certificate). The case
was forwarded to the
Associate Professor of
the medicine depart-
ment of the hospital
and he stated that no
legalities are needed
to be done for cases of
rat bite. The case was
settled only when the
Medical Officer pre-
scribed the medicine
and sent the patient
back home.
Working in a finance
firm and a resident of
Udhana Darwaja,
Chetan Kiranbhai Ra-
jput (23), rushed to the
New Civil Hospital after
he was bitten by rats, on
Wednesday night, while
sleeping. The resident
doctor of the medicine
department on duty
pushed him to file an
MLC (police) case, but
he reached out to the
medicine department to
get his treatment done.
Here the doctor on
duty officially wrote on
paper about not de-
manding the MLC.
Even then, the resident
doctor refused to treat
him. However, after a
while the doctors inter-
vened in the issue and
Rajput was treated and
sent home.
FREE INDIAN FISHERMEN JAILED IN
PAKISTAN: RS MEMBER NATHWANI
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: Rajya
Sabha member Parimal
Nathwani on Thursday
expressed concern over
Indian fishermen lan-
guishing in jails in Pa-
kistan and suggested
that there needs to be a
tribunal in association
with Pakistan for fast
clearance to release of
innocent fishermen.
Nathwani in a tweet
said, “It is unfortunate
that 500 Indian fisher-
men are still in Paki-
stan jails. Most often,
fishermen from both
countries accidentally
cross the water borders
in search of fish then
get caught by maritime
guards.”
In another tweet he
stated that he had re-
quested the Govern-
ment of India in the
past to set up a tribunal
in association with Pa-
kistan, with retired
High Court/Supreme
Court Judges from each
country to take up fish-
ermen cases from both
sides.
Recently the Lok Sab-
ha member of Juna-
gadh, Rajesh Chudasa-
ma, called on Union
Home Minister Amit
Shah and made a pres-
entation regarding the
same issue. Opposition
Congress party had also
recently organized a
press conference re-
garding the same in Ra-
jkot, in presence of the
wives of the jailed fish-
ermen.
Parimal Nathwani
Chetan Rajput, who was bitten by rats.
I-T dept detects huge tax
evasion by textile unit
First India Bureau
New Delhi: In a series
of raids, the Income
Tax (I-T) department
has detected tax eva-
sion worth crores of
rupees by a synthetic
yarns and polyester
chips making compa-
ny with factories in
Union Territory of
Dadra and Nagar
Haveli and Dahej in
Gujarat.
An official release by
the Central Board of
Direct Taxes (CBDT) on
Thursday claimed that
the searches were
launched on Wednes-
day and “are still con-
tinuing”.
It said, “The group
has routed its own un-
accounted funds to the
tune of Rs 380 crore in
its books in the form of
bogus unsecured loans,
through paper entities,
over the past few
years.”
“Besides,anamountof
Rs 40 crore has also been
introduced in its books
through shell entities in
the form of share premi-
um,” the CBDT claimed.
The directors and the
auditors of the shell en-
tities “admitted” in
their statements that
these entities were es-
sentially used to pro-
vide accommodation or
bogus entries.
“Substantialevidence
of cash purchase and
documents revealing
movement of cash
through ‘angadias’ has
been recovered and evi-
dence of booking bogus
purchases of Rs 154
crore has also been de-
tected,” it claimed.
“Substantial evi-
dence of transactions
outside the regular
books of accounts, cash
purchases, suppression
of sales and booking of
sales to bogus parties
have also been found,”
it claimed.
Some “unaccounted”
jewellery was also
found, and 11 lockers
have been put under re-
straint during the oper-
ation, it said.
GUJ BJP IS KNOWN FOR POLITICS
OF PERFORMANCE: RAJNATH
Gujarat BJP executive meet sees Rajnath, Bhupendra Yadav praising State Govt’s work
First India Bureau
Kevadiya (Narmada
district): The executive
committee meeting of
the Gujarat unit of
Bharatiya Janata Party
on Thursday adopted
two political resolu-
tions thanking the State
and Central Govern-
ments for good govern-
ance and delivery of
services during the test-
ing times as well as re-
affirming its commit-
ment towards the ma-
jority community and
nationalism.
Addressing the meet-
ing, Union Defence
Minister and veteran
leader Rajnath Singh
said, “The continued
success of the party in
Gujarat can be credited
to its politics of perfor-
mance. Chief Minister
Vijay Rupani has per-
formed, the organiza-
tion too has performed
and so has the last sol-
dier of the party. I
would like to give credit
to CR Patil and every-
one. This has built a dif-
ferent image of the
state unit across the na-
tion.”
Union Minister for
Labour and Employ-
ment Bhupendra Yadav
also attended the meet-
ing as the former in-
charge of the state as a
special invitee.
Rajnath Singh also
praised Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and Un-
ion Home Minister
Amit Shah for retaining
their quality of grass-
roots workers despite
becoming national lead-
ers. He said CR Patil’s
techno-savvy attitude
had also made the party
workers techno-savvy
and this will benefit the
party in long run.
Speaking on the occa-
sion, CR Patil said Sep-
tember 17, the birthday
of Prime Minister Nar-
endra Modi, would be
celebrated at 7,100 plac-
es with Aarti. He also
said now onwards the
party would issue man-
dates even for elections
to cooperative societies.
Deputy Chief Minis-
ter Nitin Patel said the
government and party
were two sides of the
same coin and were in-
complete without each
other. He taunted
Mamata Banerjee, stat-
ing that Prime Minister
Modi’s decision to give
vaccination free to citi-
zens had silenced her.
Union Animal Hus-
bandry Minister Pur-
shottam Rupala said it
was a historical deci-
sion of Modi and Shah
to revoke Article 370
and also thanked Chief
Minister Vijay Rupani
for ensuring loans to
farmers at zero percent
interest. He ridiculed
the Congress party for
“its negative approach
and criticizing the gov-
ernment for the sake of
criticism.”
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and other BJP leaders at Gujarat unit’s
executive committee meeting in Kevadiya on Thursday.
—FILE PHOTO
The firm routed its
own unaccounted
funds of `380
crore in its books in
the form of bogus
unsecured loans
and paper entries
WHY PUBLIC BUSES?
A human’s ability to break
barriers is only limited by his
thoughts.
—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO Editor-in-Chief, First India

ell us about your
journey so far.
Ans: My modelling
journey has not been
very easy, I’ve faced
hardships but I keep
my focus on myself
and how I can do better. I was
always an all-rounder and en-
joyed playing badminton. Cur-
rently, I’m pursuing psychology
and besides modelling, I strong-
ly wish to be a successful psy-
chologist one day. Since my
school days, I was fascinated
with the modelling and glamour
industry
.
Ques: What do you think
makes you stand out?
Ans: My willpower and my con-
fidence and the way I handle
things set me apart. The
amount of hard work I
pour into any-
thing is ir-
respec-
tive of the work allotted to me.
I have great respect for ‘dignity
of labour’ and I like to sign my
work with excellence. I feel the
three D’s are a must in life, ded-
ication, devotion and determi-
nation which would help soar
heights.
Ques: Who is your source of
inspiration?
Ans: My mother is my true
source of inspiration each day
.
My mom is the epitome of love,
sacrifice and strength. Besides
her, I strongly look up to Ur-
vashi Rautela in the field of
modelling and acting.
Ques: Did your family/par-
ents support you, if yes, how?
Ans: My family has been very
supportive of my work.
Ques: Why did you choose psy-
chology?
Ans: I believe that psychology
helps in understanding life bet-
ter and also we become more
accepting of the faults of oth-
ers. The depth of character that
studying psychology has given
me has helped me immensely in
not just the modelling field but
my day-to-day life.
Ques: Chahak, any message
you’d like to give?
Ans: My motivation Mantra
is ‘Never Give Up’. There
are no roses without
thorns so learn
from your strug-
gles too and al-
ways respect
your men-
tors and
Gurus.
DARE TO
DREAM
AHMEDABAD, FRIDAY
SEPTEMBER 3, 2021
thorns so learn
from your strug-
gles too and al-
ways respect
your men-
tors and
Gurus.
Ans: My willpower and my con-
fidence and the way I handle
things set me apart. The
amount of hard work I
pour into any-
thing is ir-
respec-
ter and also we become more
accepting of the faults of oth-
ers. The depth of character that
studying psychology has given
me has helped me immensely in
not just the modelling field but
my day-to-day life.
Ques: Chahak, any message
you’d like to give?
Ans:
is ‘Never Give Up’. There
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia
facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09
MITALI DUSAD
cityfirst@firstindia.co.in
T
CHAHAK BHANDULA, AN ALL-ROUNDER, IN
AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH CITY
FIRST ARTICULATED HER VIEWS ON
MODELLING AND SHARED HER HOPES FOR
THE FUTURE OF FASHION AND HER DREAM
OF BECOMING A PSYCHOLOGIST!

10
ETC
YAMINI,
Model
FACE
OF
THE
DAY!
Aries
MARCH 21 - APRIL 20
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. A new deal is likely to
come through and give you a taste of
success.
Gemini
MAY 21 - JUNE 21
Excellent opportunities
may knock at your door.
Professionals will be
able to give their best.
Financially, this day may
prove lucky for you, so go ask for the
raise. Don’t take any chances with your
health today. You will succeed in
putting your stagnant love life back on
the track.
Leo
JULY 24 - AUGUST 23
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. Those in business
will be able to maintain good earning.
You may enjoy good health. Young
lovers mayenjoy total bliss.
Libra
SEPTEMBER 24 - OCTOBER 22
You may wait for
someone’s invitation for
a trip. Your profession-
alism in handling
problem areas will be
appreciated. 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.
Sagittarius
NOVEMBER 23 - DECEMBER 22
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 on the
professional front.
Aquarius
JANUARY 21 - FEBRUARY 19
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. A party may
be thrown in your honour at work.
Your good performance may be
noticed by higher ups.
Taurus
APRIL 21 - MAY 20
A family youngster is
likely to do you proud.
Your strategy to
promote yourself on the
professional front will
bear fruits. You may need to speed up
things on the academic front to remain
ahead. On the social front, the day finds
you in your element. Something special
awaits you on the romantic front today.
Cancer
JUNE 22 - JULY 23
Your performance at
work will be commend-
able. Your 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.
It is best to avoid outside food. Much
fun is in store on the social front.
Virgo
AUGUST 24 - SEPTEMBER 23
Getting into a favourable
situation on the
academic front is
possible. Good luck
promises to brighten
your day. 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.
Scorpio
OCTOBER 23 - NOVEMBER 22
Good performance at
work will help enhance
your reputation. Some
favourable develop-
ments on the social
front are foreseen. Buying new
furniture or appliance is possible. With
good networking, a prized posting can
be yours. Those trying to get back their
money will succeed.
Capricorn
DECEMBER 23 - JANUARY 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.Good planning will see you
complete a task at work in record time.
Pisces
FEBRUARY 20 - MARCH 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.
jjain a.k.a Mahakal ki
Nagri is a historic city
situated on the banks of
the holy Shipra River.
Several pilgrimage sites
including Mahakalesh-
war, one of the twelve
Jyotirlingas and are located in
the city. The indigo-stained
house is a landmark to those
searching for traditional wood-
en comb makers in the area,
which earlier had a flourish of
such craftsmen. Hence, Ujjain
is swarmed with devotees and
tourists across the globe
throughout the year. However,
beyond being a significant Hin-
du pilgrimage destination, the
city is home to ancient crafts
and rich heritage that draw
travellers’ attention. Years ago,
the Kangi mohalla of Ujjain
was a residence of several
comb makers who crafted
wooden combs. The intricately
crafted teeth, organic material
and ergonomic design of these
combs resulted in improved
blood circulation, reduced hair
fall, dandruff/lice free scalp
and other remedial benefits.
But, as the plastic market
boomed, people switched to
mass-produced plastic combs.
These combs were available at
cheaper prices and fancy de-
signs. As a consequence, many
craftsmen relocated and opted
for alternative sources of in-
come. Today, there is only
Thedalal Banjara left, who is
continuously struggling to pre-
serve this craft and keeping
the ancient art of comb mak-
ing alive.
He carves beautiful pieces in
Sheesham wood to date with
his ageing hands. The crafts-
man derives inspiration from
nature and carves designs like
peacocks, fishes, lotus over
combs, making each piece
unique. Thedalal has received
many awards and was also ap-
preciated by many prominent
personalities like Sonia Gan-
dhi, Kamal Nath to name a few.
Additionally, Thedalal keeps
innovating and enhancing the
techniques, designs and quali-
ty of these handcrafted combs
at his workshop. Although he is
proud of his achievements, he
is extremely saddened by the
fact that nobody in his family
wants to continue the legacy.
Nevertheless, his contribu-
tions to the Indian crafts indus-
try is laudable. Since people are
moving towards sustainability,
switching back to wooden
combs would be a healthy and
eco-friendly option. So when in
Ujjain, do not forget to visit his
indigo blue workshop in Kangi
Mohalla, listening to his inter-
esting stories and shopping for
some pieces of art.
COMB MAKING
The intricate designs and re-
medial advantages of a wooden
comb were once used to be the
driving factors behind the pur-
chase. With the growing plastic
market, it has become hard to
find wooden combs that pro-
vide good sustenance to hair.
But Ujjain has kept the art of
wooden comb making alive!
The kangi mohalla in town
used to be the hub of comb
makers however today, there is
only Thedalal Banjara left who
is preserving this art by creat-
ing beautiful combs out of
sheesham wood. From duck
shape to peacock, he tries to
give each of his art pieces a dif-
ferent design. According to
him, the wooden comb has its
own importance. It improves
blood circulation and stops
hair fall. Not just this, one can
pour in some oil and enjoy a
head massage too. If you are
visiting Ujjain anytime soon,
do not forget to pay a visit to
Thedalal Banjara’s workshop
and do bring some pieces to gift
and keep as a souvenir.
Continuing
Continuing
the Legacy
the Legacy
of Comb-
of Comb-
making
making
NITIKA PANJWANI
cityfirst@firstindia.co.in
U
YOUR DAY Horoscopeby
SaurabbhSachdeva
Whatsapp Subscription
Subscribe “First India” Daily
E-News Paper For Free On Whatsapp
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ETC
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2021
11
Saira Banu and Late Dilip Kumar
GET WELL SOON,
SAIRA BANU!
V
eteran actress Sai-
ra Banu was re-
cently admitted to
hospital after facing
serious blood pressure
issues. She is being
treated in Mumbai’s
Hinduja Hospital and
as per the doctor attend-
ing her, she has suffered
a left ventricular fail-
ure. An official state-
ment on Wednesday
from her family in-
formed that the actress
had to be taken to the
hospital three days ago.
Meanwhile, her doctor,
Dr Nitin Gokhale in an
interview, mentioned
that she was suffering
from breathing
problems and dia-
betes too. The
doctor further
added that even
though Saira
Banu is stable
now she would
need to undergo
an angiogra-
phy soon. He
said, “She is
fine, she has
c o m p l e t e l y
stabilised, and
we will be mov-
ing her out of the ICU
either tonight or tomor-
row. It will be cured. We
first need to control her
diabetes.” The daily
quoted a source close to
Saira’s family as say-
ing, “We are not in a
hurry to go in for the
angiography. We will
decide in 4 or 5 days.”
On the other hand, the
actress’ family told that
she hasn’t been keeping
very well after her hus-
band, megastar Dilip
Kumar passed away.
Family friend Fais-
al Farooqui said, “Dilip
saab ki death ke baad
she suffered a lot of
stress, and that has
also added to
her health
struggle. Cur-
rently, she is
in the ICU
but overall is
stable.”
—Agency
idharth was 40
when he breathed
his last on Thurs-
day. Mumbai’s
Cooper hospital
confirmed his
death. According
to one of the hospital offi-
cials, around 9:25 am, he
was brought dead to the
hospital. However, the ex-
act reason behind his de-
mise has not been revealed
yet. A source tweeted a
Mumbai Police quote that
reads, “No injuries were
sustained on the body of
actor Sidharth Shukla.
The cause of the death is
yet to be ascertained. A
team of police is present at
the Shukla’s residence for
investigation”. A senior
doctor from Cooper’s fo-
rensic department told,
“Initial report indicates
that he died of a heart at-
tack. We, however, won’t be
able to confirm the cause
of his death until we com-
plete the post mortem.” As
per a statement issued by
Sidharth’s family, he was
fine until last evening, and
it was only around 3-4 AM
that the actor started feel-
ing a bit uneasy, and com-
plained of chest pain. He
asked for cold water, and
went to sleep, said the fam-
ily adding that again in the
morning, he complained
of chest pain and asked for
water. While drinking wa-
ter, he suddenly fell uncon-
scious, the family further
said, adding that on the
recommendation of a doc-
tor, he was rushed to the
Cooper hospital, where he
was declared dead before
admission. After hearing
about his untimely death,
several members from the
entertainment industry
took to their social media
handles to pay their re-
spects to the late star. Talk-
ing to a source, Shehnaaz
Gill’s father Santokh Sin-
gh Sukh said that he was
shocked to hear the news
and it is unbelievable for
him that Sidharth is no
more. Sukh added that he
talked to Shehnaz Gill and
she is not in good condi-
tion. According to Sukh,
Shehnaaz’s brother She-
hbaaz has left for Mumbai
to be with her. Actor
Riteish Deshmukh said
that he is “shocked beyond
words.” “Gone toooooo
soon.... Condolences to his
family
, loved ones. - He was
loved by millions. #Sid-
dharthShukla you will be
missed - rest in peace
brother,” he wrote on Twit-
ter. Actor Vicky Kaushal,
too, expressed his grief
over Sidharth’s
death.”Unable to process
this. So shocking. My deep-
est condolences to his fam-
ily and friends. May his
soul Rest in Peace,” Vicky
posted on his Instagram
Story. Shukla starred in
major TV shows like Ba-
lika Vadhu and also par-
ticipated in reality
shows, including
Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa
and Fear Factor:
Khatron Ke Kh-
iladi 7, and won
Big Boss 13. After
winning Bigg Boss
13, he featured in
numerous music vid-
eos alongside ru-
moured girlfriend
Shehnaaz Gill such
as “Shona Shona” and
“Bhula Dunga”. The
actor also featured in the
series “Broken But Beau-
tiful 3”. —Agency
S
GONE TOO SOON
THE FILM
FRATERNITY ANDTV
INDUSTRY MOURNS
THE UNTIMELY
DEMISE OF
SIDHARTH SHUKLA
AS HE LEFT FOR HIS
HEAVENLY ABODE
Late Sidharth Shukla
Late Sidharth Shukla and Shehnaaz Gill

03092021 first india ahmedabad

03092021 first india ahmedabad

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