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2024 02 15 AZ GOP LD4 Gen Meeting Minutes_FINAL_20240228.docx
03092021 first india new delhi
1. www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
NEW DELHI l FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2021 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNITITLE NO.DELENG/2021/19840 lVol 1 l Issue No.5
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
DELHI
INDIA
47,092
new cases
509
new fatalities
36
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. P3
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.
RAJEEV SHUKLA
IN JAIPUR TODAY
Jaipur: Congress’
Himachal Pradesh
Incharge Rajeev Shukla
will reach Jaipur on
Friday at 1.25 PM
where he will address
a press conference
against Modi govern-
ment’s decision to
sell of government’s
assets. It is believed
that after spending a
night in Jaipur, Shukla
will return back.
Rains continue to lash parts of Delhi-
NCR for second consecutive day
New Delhi: Heavy rain
continued to lash several
parts of the national cap-
ital and the NCR for the
consecutive second day
on Thursday
. People in
any localities of New
Delhi and adjoining are-
as woke up to incessant
rainsonThursdaymorn-
ing. The downpour
caused partial waterlog-
ging on some roads, in-
cluding the stretch of
roads near the All India
Institute of Medical Sci-
ence , Delhi. —More on P2
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. “Inau-
gurated the various de-
velopment projects
Turn to P6,More on P8
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
A waterlogged road in Delhi on Thursday.
2. CAPITOL
NEW DELHI | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2021
02
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First India Bureau
New Delhi: The ambi-
tious Draft Regional
Plan-2041 (DRP-2041)
envisages to make NCR
a smart region by im-
proving connectivity
among towns with the
help of bullet trains,
helitaxi services, and
smart roads to evolve it
into a “future ready”
and economically pros-
perous area with citi-
zen-centric harmoni-
ous infrastructure.
The DRP-2041 was
discussed by the NCR
Planning Board (NCR-
PB) on Tuesday, howev-
er, the approval was de-
ferred. It will now be
taken up for discussion
in board’s next meeting.
The draft plan empha-
sises on making multi-
level parking complexes
a mandatory require-
ment for the city centres
with high rise commer-
cial complexes so as to
make the region conges-
tion free.
It also advocates to
park commercial vehi-
cles at the periphery to
decongest the city along
with strict implementa-
tion of parking policy
.
The NCRPB covers
Delhi, eight districts of
Uttar Pradesh, 14 dis-
tricts of Haryana and
two districts of Ra-
jasthan. Collectively it
covers an area of about
55,083 square kilometre.
FUTURE READY
The Draft
Regional Plan-
2041 report says
that 57 per cent
of the total areas
of the region will
be urbanised by
2031 and 67 per
cent by 2041.
Soon, bullet trains, helitaxi services in Delhi-NCR
CRUCIAL READ
MAN SHOOTS, CRITICALLY INJURES
MOTHER IN MUNDKA VILLAGE
New Delhi: A man shot and critically injured his
mother in Mundka village of Delhi. The incident took
place on Wednesday night. “We received a PCR call
around 9 pm last night regarding the gun firing at
Mundka Police Station. After the son shot his moth-
er on Wednesday, he has absconded from the spot,”
police said. The victim, Roshni, was taken to Balaji
Action Medical Institute by one of her relatives. She
is critical and under medical observation. —ANI
SDMC CHALLANS 150 COMMERCIAL
VEHICLES FOR NOT HAVING RFID TAGS
New Delhi: The South Delhi Municipal Corporation
has challaned 150 vehicles for entering Delhi without
radio frequency identification (RFID) tags. Imple-
mented at toll plazas, the RFID technology allows
for automatic toll deduction. The action was taken
after the corporation had, from August 31, made it
mandatory for all commercial vehicles to enter Delhi
on payment of the toll tax/environment compensation
charge through RFID system. An official said that
repeat violators would face strict legal action.
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has discharged
a woman and her husband in a gangrape case,
observing the allegations were an afterthought to
arm-twist them so that the complainant could sort
out her differences with their business partner.
Justice Subramonium Prasad said the trial court
failed to apply its mind and mechanically dismissed
the application for discharge of the accused man.
DELHI HC DISCHARGES WOMAN, HER
HUSBAND IN GANGRAPE CASE
New Delhi: Heavy rain
lashed several parts of
New Delhi and adjoin-
ing areas in the early
hours of Thursday
.
The downpour
caused partial water-
logging on some roads,
including the stretch of
roads near AIIMS, Del-
hi. India Meteorologi-
cal Department (IMD),
the national weather
forecasting agency in
an official statement
said that thunder-
storms with moderate
to heavy intensity rain
would continue over
many parts of Delhi
and adjoining areas.
For the second day in
a row, people in the na-
tional capital woke up
to incessant rains. IMD
also said that traffic
movement could be dis-
rupted in Delhi and
neighbouring areas.
“Impact expected due
to rain over parts of
Delhi & adjoining are-
as: 1. Slippery roads and
traffic disruption on
roads. 2. Water logging
in low lying areas. 3. Oc-
casional reduction in
visibility. 4. Partial
damage to plantations,
horticulture and stand-
ing crops. 5. Partial
damage to vulnerable
structures,” said IMD.
The forecasting agen-
cy also urged people to
follow any traffic advi-
sories that are issued,
avoid staying in vulner-
able structures and ap-
pealed to people to stay
indoors and avoid travel
if possible.
As per IMD, the cu-
mulative rainfall from
August 31, 8.30 am to
September 1, 8.30 am in
Delhi’s Safdarjung was
recorded at 112.1 mm, in
Palam it was 71.1 mm,
at Lodi road it was 120.2
mm, at Ridge 81.6 mm,
and in Ayanagar it was
68.2 mm. —ANI
Delhi govt to set up 02 plants,
purchase cryogenic tankers
New Delhi: The Delhi
government has invited
applications for setting
up oxygen generation
plants at health care fa-
cilities and purchase of
cryogenic tankers to
prepare for a possible
third wave of the coro-
navirus. The last date to
submit applications is
September 16.
The applications
have been invited under
the “Medical Oxygen
Production Promotion
Policy” for providing
incentives to the private
sector to set up produc-
tion plants and storage
facilities to help im-
prove availability of the
life-saving gas in the
national capital.
This policy aims to
make Delhi self-reliant
in the production of
medical oxygen to meet
any crisis or medical
emergencyinthefuture.
Thegovernmentaims
to set up liquid oxygen
generation plants with
a minimum capacity of
50 metric tonnes per
unit. The total targeted
capacity is 100 MT.
It also targets instal-
lation of non-captive
oxygen generation
plants (PSA/Air Sepa-
ration Unit technology)
of minimum 10 MT and
maximum 50 MT capac-
ity, till total 100 MT ca-
pacity is created.
Power subsidy will be
given to liquid medical
oxygen (LMO) genera-
tion plants and non-cap-
tive oxygen generation
plants at Rs 4 per unit
consumed in the manu-
facturing process for
the first five years from
the date of commence-
ment of commercial
production, according
to the policy document.
—PTI
RAIN CONTINUES TO LASH DELHI,
NCR FOR 2ND CONSECUTIVE DAY
The incessant rain caused waterlogging and traffic jams in several localities. -PHOTO BY ANI
Waterlogging, traffic snarls after rains
New Delhi: After in-
cessant rain hit the
national capital in the
early hours of Thurs-
day, several routes
were either partially
or completely water-
logged causing disrup-
tion in traffic move-
ment. The Delhi Traf-
fic Police informed
that the traffic move-
ment is closed at Azad
market underpass
(both carriageway)
due to waterlogging.
Several areas were
submerged due to a
heavy burst of rain.
Roads were water-
logged in the Ring
road area as the na-
tional capital contin-
ued to receive a heavy
downpour. Waterlog-
ging was also wit-
nessed near India
Gate, Dhaula Kuan,
and ITO.
The incessant rain
caused waterlogging
and long traffic jams in
several localities. —ANI
Delhi University receives 2.87 lakh UG
applications, about 80% from CBSE
First India Bureau
New Delhi: The Delhi
University (DU) has re-
ceived a total of 2.87
lakh applications for
admissions to its under-
graduate (UG) courses,
down from 3.53 lakh ap-
plications last year.
Tuesday was the last
day of registrations.
Following the trends
of previous years, near-
ly 80% applicants are
from the CBSE and
around 40% of them are
from Delhi.
DU has around 70,000
undergraduate seats on
offer, equal to the num-
ber of students from
CBSE who scored above
95% this year – 70,004.
Last year, a total of
3.24% students had
scored above 95% in
Class XII, which has
now gone up to 5.37%.
This potentially
means the number of
colleges and courses
opening with a 100%
cut-off in the first list
could go up, as last year
itself three courses at
the Lady Shri Ram Col-
lege for Women de-
manded the perfect
score for admission.
HC supports anaesthetists’ appointment
New Delhi: The Delhi
High Court on Thurs-
day asked the Delhi gov-
ernment and others to
treat a PIL as represen-
tation sought the ap-
pointment of anaesthe-
tists at Jag Parvesh
Chander Hospital un-
der the national capital
territory government.
The court asked the
respondents to treat the
petition as representa-
tion as per rules, regu-
lations and governmen-
tal policies. Meanwhile,
respondents’ lawyer
informed that appoint-
ment process has al-
ready started. The hos-
pital is not returning
patients and for anaes-
thetists are working
and giving their best.
Hate speech:
Pinky Chaudhary
in judicial custody
New Delhi: A Delhi
court on Thursday de-
cided to send Bhupin-
der Tomar alias Pinky
Chaudhary, president
of Hindu Rakshak Dal,
to judicial custody till
September 17 in connec-
tion with alleged in-
flammatory sloganeer-
ing at Jantar Mantar.
Chaudhary was to-
day produced through
video conferencing be-
fore the court. Metro-
politan magistrate
Prayank Nayak allowed
the application of the
investigation officer
seeking 14 days judicial
custody
. —ANI
All3AIIMS employee
unionsthreatentogo
onstrikefromOct25
First India Bureau
New Delhi: All three
employee unions of
AIIMS Delhi have sent a
notice to the hospital
administration threat-
ening to go on indefi-
nite strike from Octo-
ber 25 if their demands
are not met.
The heads of the
Nurses Union, Karam-
chari Union and Offic-
ers Association wrote
in their notice that they
have had several meet-
ings with authorities
but they have not yield-
ed conclusive results.
Almost all of the de-
mands are regarding
matters of appoint-
ment, pay and pension.
Among the demands
they have presented in
their memorandum is
the setting up of a cadre
review committee, stat-
ing that there has been
no cadre review at
AIIMS for 30 years
when regulations state
that this should be con-
ducted every five years.
The other demands
include putting nurses
under the R1 H1 matrix
of the pay commission,
abolishment of 80/20
gender reservation in
the recruitment of
nursing officers, that
shortage of nursing
staff at various centres
be addressed, and in-
creasing AIIMS contri-
bution in the national
pension scheme from 10
per cent to 14 per cent.
The representatives
of all the three unions
said that they have giv-
en a sufficient time to
the authorities to con-
sider their demands.
DRAFT PLAN
Draft recommends helitaxi services to promote tourism.
Delhi Police
separates law
& order duties
from probe
New Delhi: Acting
on Supreme Court
order and sugges-
tions by successive
administrative re-
forms panels, the
Delhi Police finally
separated law and
order duties from
investigation.
The move shall
ensure specialisa-
tion and improved
police response to
people affected by
crime, especially in
heinous cases, a po-
lice official said.
Multiple commis-
sions and studies
suggested why sepa-
rationof law&order
duties from investi-
gation is significant.
The PCRs that
used to be central-
ised under Police
Headquarters now
stand decentralised
and under the juris-
diction of each sep-
arate district.
First India Bureau
New Delhi: As
schools in Delhi
opened on Wednes-
day after one-and-
a-half-years, some
schools are still very
cautious and are
adopting a wait and
watch approach. Delhi
Deputy Chief Minister
Manish Sisodia has
given an assurance
that if any schools in
the national capital is
found to be at risk of
Covid, it will be closed
within 30 minutes.
WILL SHUT SCHOOLS
IMMEDIATELY IF RISK
RE-EMERGES: SISODIA
APPLICANTS FROM DIFFERENT STATE BOARDS
The aim is to make Delhi self-reliant in production of medical oxygen to meet any crisis in future.
3. INDIA
NEW DELHI | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2021
03
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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, Scin-
dia 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.
BIHAR BJP MLA GYANENDRA HITS OUT
AT SINGH’S TALIBAN REMARK FOR RSS
Patna: Bihar BJP MLA Gyanendra Singh Gyanu has
slammed RJD state president Jagadanand Singh for
his Taliban remark on the RSS. Jagadanand Singh on
Tuesday had said that the RSS is the Taliban of India.
“It has an ideology to create communal tension in the
society, assault people having beards, wearing caps
and makers of bangles. The Taliban is not a name but
a culture based in Afghanistan and the RSS is having
similar mindset in India,” he had said. Reacting sharply
to this, Gyanu said that Jagadanand Singh should be
ashamed of his remark on the RSS.
AFTER 2 CONG MLAs, AIUDF LEGISLATOR
JOINS BJP IN ASSAM
Guwahati: After 2 Congress MLAs, opposition AIUDF
legislator, Phanidhar Talukdar joined ruling BJP after
resigning from the membership of the Assam assembly,
official and party sources
said on Thursday. An As-
sam Assembly official said
that the All India United
Democratic Front MLA from
Bhabanipur constituency
submitted his resignation
to Speaker Biswajit Daimary. With Talukdar’s resignation,
five assembly seats fell vacant. A senior leader of BJP said
that Talukdar on Wednesday met the Assam CM.
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
4. PERSPECTIVE
NEW DELHI | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2021
04
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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 “bro-
ken 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
inPakistanbecauseof its
American origin, this
termringstrue.Geograph-
ical proximity is now aug-
mented by the ideological
proximity of rulers in
both countries. Taliban
style thinking is bound
to spread through the
lengthandbreadthof Pa-
kistan.
Now that the Indians have
been chased out of Afghanistan,
Pakistan’s dream of strategic
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 Af-
ghans 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.)
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.
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
Vol 1 Issue No. 5
RNI TITLE NO. DELENG/2021/19840
Printed and published by
Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express
Publishers. Printed at Impressions Printing
and Packaging Limited, C-21, 22 Sector-59,
Noida-201301. Published at G-20, 3rd Floor, 309,
Preet Vihar, New Delhi-110092.
Phone 011-49846474.
Editor-In-Chief: Jagdeesh Chandra.
Editor: Anita Hada Sangwan responsible for
selection of news under the PRB Act
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
5. INDIA
NEW DELHI | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2021
05
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New Delhi: The Indian
pavilion in the Expo
2020 Dubai, starting
from October 1, will
showcase India’s excep-
tional fightback against
COVID-19 and the coun-
try’s emergence as a
global business hub
presenting huge oppor-
tunities for the world,
the Union Ministry of
Commerce and Indus-
try stated on Thursday
.
According to a gov-
ernment statement.
The expo will go on for
six months.
Outlining the over-
arching theme of In-
dia’s participation, BVR
Subrahmanyam, Secre-
tary, Ministry of Com-
merce and Industry
said: “India Pavilion at
Expo 2020 Dubai will
showcase resurgent In-
dia’s march to becom-
ing a USD 5 Trillion
economy. India’s excep-
tional fightback against
COVID-19 and the coun-
try’s emergence as a
global business hub pre-
senting huge opportuni-
ties for the world will be
the overarching theme
of India’s participation
at Expo 2020 Dubai.”
The India pavilion
will see participation
from number of Indian
states who will be dis-
playing their culture,
tradition and tremen-
dous business opportu-
nities along with the
top corporate groups
from India, and the pub-
lic sector companies.
Subrahmanyam said,
“At Expo 2020 Dubai,
the India Pavilion is
ready to showcase the
face of an India rising
on the pillar of sustain-
ability along with op-
portunity and mobility
— a nation ready to lead
the world’s future.”
The Pavilion will ex-
hibit the country’s cul-
tural diversity, ancient
treasures, achieve-
ments, and leading op-
portunities with cut-
ting-edge technologies.
India to showcase its march to become a $5 trillion economy
EXPO 2020 DUBAI
India’s
exceptional
fightback
against
COVID-19 and
its emergence
as a global biz
hub will be the
overarching
theme
READY TO LEAD WORLD’S FUTURE
BVR Subrahmanyam, Secretary, Ministry of
Commerce and Industry said, at Expo 2020
Dubai, the India Pavilion is ready to showcase
the face of an India rising on the pillar of
sustainability along with opportunity and mobility
— a nation ready to lead the world’s future.
It will exhibit the country’s cultural diversity,
ancient treasures, achievements, and leading
opportunities with cutting-edge technologies.
Image for representative use only.
MPs should
maintain dignity
of House: Birla
Srinagar: Underlining
that MPs should main-
tain the dignity of Par-
liament while sharing
their views, Lok Sabha
Speaker Om Birla said
chairs of Houses don’t
want to act like head-
masters and punish the
members for their mis-
conduct.
All parties should sit
together and devise a
code of conduct for MPs
to restrict them from
entering the well of the
House and raising plac-
ards, he said while ex-
pressing concern over
the disruptions that oc-
curred regularly during
the recently-concluded
Monsoon Session.
“Parliament is ex-
pected to act as a guid-
ing light for all demo-
cratic institutions of
the country. Disrup-
tions and unruly scenes
are not good for democ-
racy. We (Members of
Parliament) all should
ensure that the dignity
of Parliament is upheld
and even raised fur-
ther,” Birla told PTI.
Asserting the dignity
and decorum of Parlia-
ment is sacrosanct, the
Lok Sabha Speaker
said, “We are celebrat-
ing the 75th year of In-
dependence and it is
high time that political
parties sit together and
set standards for MPs
for their decent conduct
in Parliament.”
The parties should
deliberate on how dis-
ruptions and ruckus
can be stopped in Par-
liament.Theyallshould
set such standards that
restrict their MPs from
entering the Well of the
House and raising plac-
ards, he said.
SP leader Rahman, Mulayam Singh’s daughter-in-law welcome HC decision
MOTHERLY LOVE: RAMDEV AIMIM
BACK NAT’L ANIMAL STATUS TO COW
First India Bureau
Lucknow: A day after
the Allahabad High
Court batted for the cow
to be declared as the na-
tional animal, Yoga
guru Baba Ramdev has
come out in support of
the idea.
Samajwadi Party MP
from Sambhal district
Dr Shafiqur Rahman,
Mulayam Singh’s
daughter-in-law and so-
cial worker Aparna Ya-
dav and AIMIM nation-
al spokesperson and UP
in-charge Asim Waqar
have also welcomed the
decision of the HC.
The Allahabad HC
on Wednesday
, while de-
nying bail to a person
accused of cow slaugh-
ter in Uttar Pradesh, as-
serted that the cow
should be declared a
national animal and
their protection should
be made a fundamental
right of Hindus.
“The protection of
cows is not the respon-
sibility of only one reli-
gion. The cow is an inte-
gral part of India’s cul-
ture and should be de-
clared as the National
Animal,” the single-
judge bench of the Al-
lahabad HC had said.
Baba Ramdev, who
had pitched the same
idea in 2018, backed the
court order on Thurs-
day, saying it is time to
declare the cow as a na-
tional animal. Earlier
in 2018, he had told a
news agency: “If tiger
and peacock can be the
pride of the nation, why
can’t a cow be one?”
ABAP CHIEF URGES CENTRE TO PASS LAW
TO DECLARE COWS AS NATIONAL ANIMAL
Dungarpur: Akhil
Bharatiya Akhara Pari-
shad (ABAP) President
Mahant Narendra Giri
on Thursday welcomed
the decision of Al-
lahabad High Court
to observe cows as
national animal and
urged Centre to frame a
law on the same.
“I urge the central gov-
ernment to frame a law,
present it in the Parlia-
ment and pass it so that
when cows become a
national animal people
will respect them
more,” said the ABAP
President. This comes
a day after Allahabad
High Court observed
that cows are an inte-
gral part of the Indian
culture and suggested
the Central
government
to give
funda-
men-
tal rights to the animal
and declare it as the na-
tional animal. Welcom-
ing the decision of the
court, Giri said, “For us,
cows are not animals,
they are our mother.”
He further stressed that
“It is our responsibility
to worship cows and
serve them.”
Highlighting the current
state of cows in the
country, he urged peo-
ple to respect cows.
“ W e are
responsible for the state
of cows today. We take
care of them only as
long as it gives us milk.
This is wrong,” said the
ABAP President.
The Court’s observa-
tions came as a single
bench of Justice Shek-
har Yadav was hearing
the bail application of
a person named Javed
who was arrested under
the Cow Slaughter Act
in Uttar Pradesh. The
bail application was
rejected by the court.
Justice Yadav said that
the Centre should table
a bill in the Parliament
to give fundamental
rights to cows. He
further said that strict
laws should be enacted
to punish those
harming the
animal.
(ANI)
STRUGGLE TO GET WATER
Villagers fill the drinking water from a water tanker supplied by Border Security Force (BSF)
near LoC, in Poonch area of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday. –ANI
Cow is the integral
part of our culture
should be
declared as the
National Animal.
—Baba Ramdev,
Yoga guru
A motion regarding
this should come to
the Parliament.
Every party should
support this.
—Aparna Yadav,
Social worker
Government can
ban it, we have no
objection. There are
other animals for
Muslims to sacri-
fice. But mob lynch-
ing is being done in
the name of cow, we
are against it.
—Dr Shafiqur Rahman,
SP MP
We have been de-
manding from the
beginning that for
the protection and
safety of the cow, a
law should be made
at the level of the
central government.
—Asim Waqar,
AIMIM National Spokesperson
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.
LS SPEAKER
RT-PCR must
for arrivals
from 7 nations
First India Bureau
New Delhi: A
negative RT-PCR
result not older
than 72 hours has
been made manda-
tory for passen-
gers travelling to
India from seven
more countries,
including, China
and South Africa.
The move comes
after the discovery
of a new Covid
variant, C.1.2,
which could be
more infectious
and has shown
signs of evading
protection provid-
ed by vaccines.
While earlier
this rule was only
applicable for ar-
rivals from the
UK, Europe and
Middle East, seven
more countries—
South Africa,
Bangladesh, Bot-
swana, China,
Mauritius, New
Zealand, Zimba-
bwe—have been
added to the list on
Thursday, accord-
ing to a latest
guideline by Min-
istry of Health.
As per the new
guidelines, only
a s y m p t o m a t i c
passengers will be
allowed to board
the flights from In-
dia and on arrival,
they will again be
tested for Covid
through RT-PCR
test. —PTI
Guj BJP known for politics of performance: Singh
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,
stating that Prime
Minister Modi’s deci-
sion to give vaccina-
tion free to citizens
had silenced her.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and other BJP leaders at Gujarat unit’s
executive committee meeting in Kevadiya on Thursday.
6. NEWS
NEW DELHI | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2021
06
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Dr Shakuntala Devi has been promoted to
HAG of ICAS and re-designated as Principal
Chief Controller of Accounts, Department of
Commerce, New Delhi. She is a 1989 batch
ICAS officer
Bhupal Nanda has been transferred and post-
ed as Joint Controller General of Accounts,
Office of Controller General of Accounts, New
Delhi. He is a 1993 batch ICAS officer.
Anupam Mishra, Joint Secretary, Consumer
Affairs has been assigned an additional charge
of CVO, Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and
CVO, NCCF. He is a 1995 batch IES officer.
Dr Suneesh Buxy, IGF, Ministry of Environ-
ment, Forests Climate Change, New Delhi,
is assigned with the charge of IGF (NAEB),
MoEFCC, in addition to his existing respon-
sibilities. He is a 1998 batch IFS officer of
AGMUT cadre.
Nikhil Gajraj (lAS:2008:HY) was on Thursday
appointed as Private Secretary to Dr Mahendra
Nath Pandey, Union Minister for Heavy Industries
Neelam S Kumar has been promoted to HAG
of ICAS and re-designated as Principal Chief
Controller of Accounts, Ministry of Industry, New
Delhi. She is a 1984 ICAS officer.
The tenure of L C Goyal as Chair-
man-cum-Managing Director, Indian Trade Pro-
motion Organisation (ITPO) has been extended
for a period of one year beyond September 1,
2021. He is a 1979 batch retired IAS officer of
Kerala cadre.
The cadre of Ms Bharani S has been trans-
ferred from Tripura cadre to Andhra Pradesh
on marriage grounds. She is a 2020 batch IFS
officer.
POWERGallery
First India Bureau
Varanasi: The police
are tightening the
noose on CMD of Nil-
giri Company, Vikas
Singh, his wife and MD
Ritu Singh and close
friends, who are
trapped in fraud case.
In the last three days,
a total of 23 cases have
been registered at Chet-
ganj police station. The
company has also
cheated people living
abroad. One of the vic-
tims is a resident of
Kuwait.
Police have started
marking the properties
of accused couple. The
immovable property of
both will soon be con-
fiscated under the
Gangster Act. Their
bank accounts will also
be frozen. All the evi-
dence gathered by the
SIT is likely to be
shared with the En-
forcement Directorate
(ED) after which the
ED will start its sepa-
rate investigation.
The accused have
grabbed more than Rs
10 crores in the name
of investment in gold
and land and tour pack-
ages. Police Commis-
sioner A Satish Ganesh
has formed the SIT un-
der the leadership of
ADCP Varuna Zone.
ACP Chetganj, SHO Si-
gra and SHO Jaitpura
have been included in
the SIT.
The 23rd case against
Vikas and Ritu has
been filed in Chetganj
police station by Anand
Kumar, resident of Par-
tapur in Ghazipur dis-
trict. Anand told that
he had signed a deal
with Vikas and Ritu for
Rs 10.40 lakh to get 1300
square feet of land. Af-
ter coming to the reali-
ty and fradury about
CMD Vikas and MD
Ritu, he started de-
manding his money
back.
`10 cr graft: Noose tightens around firm CMD
NILGIRI INFRACITY CASE
Aaccused have
grabbed more
than Rs 10
crores in the
name of
investment in
gold and land
and tour
packages
SupertechCase:CMYogiforms
SITtoinvestigateillegalnexus
First India Bureau
Lucknow: UP CM Yogi
Adityanath has ordered
the setting up of a spe-
cial investigating team
(SIT) to probe the collu-
sion between Noida au-
thority and the real es-
tate company, Su-
pertech for the illegal
construction of two
40-storey twin towers.
Namely Tower Apex
and Ceyane in Noida.
The SIT will comprise
an additional CS, an
ADG of police, a town
planner and some other
officers. The state gov-
ernment has already
suspended town plan-
ner of the NOIDA.
“Chief Minister Yogi
Adityanath has direct-
ed to form an SIT at the
government level im-
mediately for investiga-
tion in Noida’s twin
towers case. Instruc-
tions were given to fix
the accountability of
officers of the authori-
ty who approved the
building plan and were
associated with this
case from 2004 to 2017,”
said a communique
from the Chief Minis-
ter’s office on Thursday
.
It added that the SIT has
been ordered to take
time-bound action.
CM MK Stalin opposes
NMP, will write to Modi
Chennai: Opposing the
National Monetisation
Pipeline, Tamil Nadu
CM MK Stalin on
Thursday said that pub-
lic sector companies
are common property
and he will write to PM
Modi on this.
While speaking at Ta-
mil Nadu Assembly, the
chief minister said,
“The public sector com-
panies are common
property and they are
important for small
businesses, economic
growth and generation
of employment in our
country. It is not in the
national interest to sell
or lease out public sec-
tor enterprises.” —ANI
New Excise Policy: HC
seeks Delhi’s response
New Delhi: The Delhi
HC on Thursday sought
response from Delhi
govt on a petition chal-
lenging a notice invit-
ing bids for grant of 12
zonal retail licenses un-
der the New Excise Pol-
icy on the ground of
being discriminatory
and unworkable.
A bench of Chief Jus-
tice DN Patel and Jus-
tice Jyoti Singh issued
notice on a petition by
an individual who in-
tends to undertake liq-
uor retail business in
the city
. Senior counsel
Darpan Wadhwa, repre-
senting the petitioner,
said that the new Excise
Policy introduced home
delivery of liquor
which may impact the
business of retail ven-
dors.
Retail vends have the
idea of proximity
. When
they start home deliv-
ery, nobody will ever
buy from them. Howev-
er, the court said the
government policy is
for the benefit of the
people and not for the
“earning”.Your issue is
that your policy cur-
tails your income. Poli-
cy is for welfare of pub-
lic and not your earn-
ing. Everything now
online. —PTI
CISF TO PEDAL ON ‘AZAADI KA AMRIT MAHOTSAV’
Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) is organizing 10 cycle rallies all over India, as part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav being
celebrated across the country. The longest of the 10 rallies will begin from the historical Yerwada Jail in Pune on Saturday, 4th
Sept and will conclude at Rajghat, Delhi on 2nd Oct. Along the 1,703-km-long route, the rally will cover historically significant
spots and birthplaces of heroes of India’s freedom struggle, over a period of 27 days. —FIB
IT Dept search seizure
op in Delhi, Guj Dadra
New Delhi: The In-
come Tax Dept carried
out a search and seizure
operation on Wedens-
day, on a manufacturer
and distributor of syn-
thetic yarns and polyes-
ter chips having corpo-
rate office in Delhi and
factories at Dadra
Nagar Haveli and Da-
hej.
During the search,
many incriminating
documents, loose
sheets, digital evidenc-
es, involvemnet of shell
comapnies, have been
found indicating in-
volvement of the group
in unaccounted trans-
actions. 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.
Company routed its
own unaccounted funds
of Rs. 380 crore via bo-
gus loans. —Agencies
GOVT BACKS POLICY
Strict action will be taken
against the guilty officials
in the Noida twin towers case.
—Yogi Adityanath, CM Uttar Pradesh
It was the relentless
pursuit of justice over
a decade by a group
of senior citizens that
resulted in the Su-
preme Court’s order
for demolition of the
illegal 40-storey twin
towers of a real estate
group in Noida.
In 2009, four
residents went up
against Supertech’s
plan for twin towers,
which were coming up
in violation of building
bye-laws, and formed
a core legal committee
that moved the court.
JUSTICE
PREVAILS
HC: IN COVID CONTEXT, DEPRESSION IS SERIOUS
The Gujarat High Court has observed that depression can be
classified as serious illness, while hearing a plea of SVNIT student
The SVNIT has earlier cancelled the admission and registration of
itsstudentwhowassufferingofdepressionduetopandemicperiod
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Depres-
sion can be classified as
a serious illness, espe-
cially in the context of
the COVID-19 pandem-
ic, the Gujarat High
Court has observed,
while setting aside the
cancellationof registra-
tion and admission of
an engineering student
byagovernmentcollege
for not appearing for
requisite exams due to
depression and suicidal
thoughts.The court is-
sued the order on Au-
gust 31 and a copy of it
was made available on
Thursday
. The academ-
ic performance review
committee of the Surat-
based Sardar Vallabhb-
hai National Institute
of Technology (SVNIT)
in October 2020 can-
celled the registration
and admission of the
first-year B Tech (Bach-
elor of Technology) stu-
dent, for not earning 25
credits needed for get-
ting promoted to the
next semester.
The student chal-
lenged this in the HC on
the ground that he had
suffered from “severe
depressive episodes
with suicidal ideation”,
which started in Janu-
ary 2020 and peaked in
May-June last year due
to the COVID-19 pan-
demic situation, which
is why he could not ap-
pear for the examina-
tion.
“In the facts and cir-
cumstances of the case
and more particularly
in the context of the
currency of the pan-
demic period, the de-
pressive state of mind
and the depression cre-
ated in the petitioner
student, can be classi-
fied as serious illness,”
the court of Justice N V
Anjaria observed.
The depressive cycle
which the petitioner
suffered was during the
periodof COVID-19pan-
demic itself. It was a pe-
riod of wide-spread de-
spondency
, the court
noted.
It is reasonable to be-
lieve that the situation
brought about by the
pandemiccreatedanad-
verse effect on the ten-
der-mind of the peti-
tioner, who disengaged
himself from the stud-
ies, it further said.
“The ground ad-
vancedbythepetitioner
could be viewed as gen-
uine as there is nothing
to disbelieve the same.
The stand of the re-
spondent Institute to
doubt is insensitive and
departs from the facts
statedintheletterof the
parents fortified by the
certificate of doctor.
The reason given by the
petitioner has to be ap-
preciated in the special
circumstance of the
pandemic period,” the
HC observed in its or-
der. The institute had
argued before the court
that the case of the peti-
tioner on medical
grounds is governed by
its regulation.
‘THE REASON IS APPRECIATED’
The court, in its interim order on April 23,
allowed the petitioner to appear for the
supplementary examination in May, which he
passed to secure the requisite credits to be
promoted to the next semester. “The reason
given by petitioner is appreciated in the special
circumstance of the pandemic period. The
mind of the petitioner during the pandemic
prevented him from applying even on last day
of examination. Further stopping him to take the
exam on medical ground.” The court said.
The development of SIT probe came after SC upheld the ALD
HC’s verdict, that ordered the demolition of twin towers.
Shah opens...
in Davanagere, K’taka. Also had a great fortune to fe-
licitateandinteractwithourvaliantfreedomfighters
during this event. We will always remain indebted to
their unparalleled role in India’s freedom struggle,”
Shah said. After attending this series of events in De-
vangere,ShahwillheadbacktoHubballi.Fromthere,
Shah will be attending Union Coal Mine Minister
PrahladJoshi’seldestdaughter’swedding.UnionPar-
liamentary Affairs minister Pralhad Joshi’s eldest
daughterArpitaisgettingmarriedtoKSHrushikesh.
FROM PG 1
7. TALKING POINT
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07
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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
8. NEW DELHI | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2021
08
2NDFRONT
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Mahesh Sharma
New Delhi: Is Gautam
Adani, country’s sec-
ond richest business-
man and the one with
the strongest hold in
the current ruling es-
tablishment, caught in
corporate war or has
his troubles increased
due to some other rea-
son?
It is discussed that
his ‘tension’ with the
country’s number one
industrialist has in-
creased and the new
corporate war has in-
creased his problem.
However, whatever the
reason, the reality is
that the Adani group is
in a bad shape. The
company’s shares are
falling and the market
capital is continuously
decreasing.
On top of this, SEBI
has stopped the IPO of
an Adani group com-
pany through which an
amount of more than
four thousand crores
was to be raised from
this. According to SEBI
rules, if any investiga-
tion is going on any
branch of the company
that brought IPO, then
it is stopped. There is a
rule to keep it for 90
days. Just think, what
is the investigation and
stopping of IPO hint
at? Adani’s troubles,
however, are much
larger than anticipat-
ed. National Security
Depository Limited has
frozen the accounts of
three foreign funds in-
vesting heavily in the
shares of the Adani
Group.
As a result, the
shares of Adani Group
have fallen by more
than 50% in last three
months and the Co has
suffered a loss of Rs
43,000 crore in the mar-
ket capital. and the
wealth of 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 Adani Power,
which was selling for
`167, fell 55% to `77.30
on August 18. Adani To-
tal Gas fell 37%, Adani
Transmission 33%,
Adani Green Energy
32% and Adani Port
SEZ fell 21.
ADANI’STROUBLESAREGARGANTUAN!
Gautam Adani
CRUCIAL READ
44 MERITORIOUS TEACHERS WILL BE
AWARDED BY PREZ ON SEPT 5
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
corporations of Belagavi,
Hubballi-Dharwad and
Kalaburagi city, to be held
today. “The election is
happening for 3 corpo-
rations Kalburgi, Hubli
Dharwad and Belagavi.
I couldn’t go for cam-
paigning due to medical
treatment. I request all
the voters to bless the
Congress candidates,” he said at a press conference
on Thursday.
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.
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
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.
After Raj, Punjab C’garh,
Cong hits turmoil in Kerala!
AV Gopinathan
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.
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
A human’s ability to break
barriers is only limited by his
thoughts.
—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO Editor-in-Chief, First India
KARNATAKA DIARIES
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.
Union Home Minister Amit
Shah during a felicitation
ceremony of the heroic
freedom fighters, in
Davanagere on Thursday.
Apart from CM Karnataka
Basavaraj Bommai, the
function was attended
by State Home Minister
Araga Jnanendra and
State Ministers C.C. Patil,
B. Basavaraj, Murugesh
Nirani, Anand Singh,MP
G.M. Siddeshwar and
MLA Ravindranath and
others.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurates various
developmental projects, in Davanagere on Thursday.
9. 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
NEW DELHI, 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. 10
ETC
NEW DELHI | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2021
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
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.
YOUR DAY Horoscopeby
SaurabbhSachdeva
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To Receive the Most Exclusive News from
the Power Corridors of Rajasthan Delhi.
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
11. ETC
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia NEW DELHI | 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