04012023_ First India New Delhi.pdf

A FAMILY
LEFT
DESTITUTE
BY A FATAL,
HORRIFIC
ACCIDENT
First India Bureau
New Delhi: Heavy se-
curity was deployed
outside the home of An-
jali Singh, who was
killed in the early hours
of the New Year after
her scooter was hit by a
car, which dragged her
for 12 kilometres, and
outside the crematori-
um where she was con-
signed to flames on
Tuesday evening.
Her remains were
carried to the cremato-
rium in an ambulance
while her family mem-
bers and neighbours
walked alongside.
Scores of people car-
rying banners that read
“Anjali ko insaaf do
(Give justice to Anjali)”
also joined the funeral
procession. Turn to P2
20-yr-old Anjali, sole
breadwinner of family
of six since her
father’s death,
cremated amid
tight security
Anjali’s mother (at centre) wails along with family members as
the mortal remains reach home in Karan Vihar, Sultanpuri, on
Tuesday. —PHOTO BY ANI
TRAGIC NEW YEAR
MOVINGSCIENCE
FROMLABTOLAND!
Need to make India advance science lab in 75th year of Independence,
PM Modi says while inaugurating the 108th Indian Science Congress
First India Bureau
New Delhi: Prime Min-
ister Narendra Modi on
Tuesday underlined the
importance of women’s
involvement in scien-
tific research and that
the increasing partici-
pation of women is a
reflection of progress
of society and science.
PM said in his vir-
tual address to 108th
Indian Science Con-
gress (ISC) said that
the aim is to give new
impetus to science and
research. He pointed
out that the efforts of
science can bear fruit
only when they are
taken from labs to the
land. Underlining In-
dia’s positional growth
in Global Innovation
Index PM said, “Today
India is among the top
3 nations in startups.
Till 2015 we were at
81st place in the Global
Innovation Index of
130 countries, but in
2022 we have reached
40th place.”
Science should make India
Atmanirbhar. The efforts of
Science can bear fruit only when
they go from labs to land. With 2023
being declared as the International Year
of Millets, India’s millets and their use
should be further improved with the use of
science. —Narendra Modi, Prime Minister
Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari and Dr Jitendra Singh,
CM Eknath Shinde, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis and other dignitaries listen to PM Modi as he
virtually addresses during inauguration of the ISC Mega Expo, at Nagpur University on Tuesday.
THE PRIME MINISTER SPEAKS...
l The role of India’s
scientific power will be very
important in the height at
which India will be in the
next 25 years
l Data, Technology can
take India’s science to
new heights, it helps in
converting info into insight
and analysis into action-
able knowledge
l Women lead devp is also
major priority among major
topics of G-20
l The scientific community
to work towards innovation
of energy requirements, it’d
help the country
l Development of science
in India, to meet the needs
of India, should be the
basic motivation of our
scientific community
SC: Can’t attribute minister’s
comment vicariously to Govt
First India Bureau
New Delhi: A minis-
ter’s statement cannot
be attributed “vicari-
ously” to the govern-
ment even when apply-
ing the principle of col-
lective responsibility,
the SC said on Tuesday
and held that there can
be no additional restric-
tions on freedom of
speech for public func-
tionaries.
A five-judge Constitu-
tion bench headed by
Justice SA Nazeer said
no additional restric-
tions, except those men-
tioned under Article
19(2) of the Constitu-
tion, can be imposed on
a public functionary’s
right to freedom of
speech and expression.
No additional restrictions, except those
mentioned under Article 19(2) of the
Constitution, can be imposed on a public
functionary’s right to freedom of speech and ex-
pression. —Justice SA Nazeer
In this era
of changing
priorities and
interests of the nations,
it is necessary for any
nation to keep itself
empowered. India has
always been against
war. Our Armed forces
are always ready to face
any kind of situation
and BRO is walking
along with them.
—Rajnath Singh,
Defence Minister
Fundamental right under Article 19(1)
(a) can be exercised even against other
instrumentalities other than the state.
Statement made by a minister even if traceable to
any affairs of state or protecting the government
cannot be attributed vicariously to the government
even applying the principle of collective responsi-
bility. —Justices BR Gavai, AS Bopanna
V Ramasubramanian
HATE SPEECH
STRIKES AT...:
JUDGE DISSENTS
IN ORDER ON
MINISTER
STATEMENT
A hate speech strikes at foundational values of our Constitution, Jus-
tice BV Nagarathna said held that such remarks can be vicariously
attributed to govt in case a min makes disparaging remarks in his
“official capacity”. She said it is for party to control speeches made by
their mins which can be done by forming a code of conduct added
for a country like ours which is a parl democracy, freedom of speech
and expression is a must right for ensuring a healthy democracy.
Boost to border infra!
l Rajnath Singh is on his first
visit to Arunachal Pradesh after
the India-China border skirmish
l Defence minister inaugurates
crucial bridge to LAC in AP 28
other projects worth `724 crore
First India Bureau
Itanagar: In a massive
infra push amid sim-
mering border tension
between India and Chi-
na over the recent clash
in AP’s Tawang, De-
fence Minister Rajnath
Singh on Tuesday inau-
gurated strategically-
importantSiyomBridge
and 28 other infrastruc-
ture projects. He inau-
gurated 22 bridges, 3
roads and 3 other misc
projects. Highlight of
event was inauguration
of state of the art “100
meter long, Class 70
steel arch superstruc-
ture Siyom Bridge on
Along-Yinkiong Road
over Siyom River”. P6 Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurates the Siyom Bridge on Along-Yinkiong Road on Tuesday.
SECOND BATCH OF 12
CHEETAHS LIKELY TO
ARRIVE AT KUNO SOON
New Delhi: A second batch
of 12 cheetahs is likely
to arrive in India from
South Africa in January,
sources said on Tuesday.
Discussions with SA
authorities to translocate
12 cheetahs to Kuno are
at an advanced stage, the
Environment ministry said.
RUSSIAN FOUND DEAD
ONBOARD CARGO SHIP
IN ODISHA, 3RD CASE
New Delhi: Russian national
who was working as a chief
engineer in a cargo ship,
was found dead onboard
in Odisha on Tuesday. This
is 3rd Russian found dead
in State within a span of 2
weeks. Police with other
statutory authorities will
carry out an probe of death
of namely Milyakov Sergey.
READ
Crucial
Crucial
RABINDRA SANGEET
LEGEND SUMITRA SEN
PASSES AWAY AT 89
Kolkata: Acclaimed
Rabindra Sangeet artist
Sumitra Sen died on
Tuesday in Kolkata. She
was 89. She is survived by
her two daughters, Indrani
Sen and Sraboni Sen, both
of whom are acclaimed
Rabindra Sangeet singers.
BSE SENSEX 61,294.20 126.41 | NSE NIFTY 18,232.55 35.10
NEW DELHI l WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 4, 2023 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI TITLE NO. DELENG/2021/19840 l Vol 2 l Issue No. 126
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epapers/delhi I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR, NEW DELHI MUMBAI
IND VS SL: MEN IN
BLUE SURVIVE
LATE SCARE TO
WIN THRILLER
New Delhi: An IndiGo flight from New Delhi to Phuket in Thailand was forced
to return to Delhi due to a technical snag shortly after takeoff. Sources told
IndiGo flight, 6E-1763, was involved in an airturnback due to the loss of its
hydraulic green system. Sources revealed that a full emergency was declared.
Mumbai: India secured a thrilling two-run win against
Sri Lanka in the first T20I to go 1-0 up in the three-
match series. Chasing 163, the Sri Lankan innings got
folded in the final ball of the match as they reached 160
in 20 overs. Shivam Mavi had a brilliant outing with ball.
GANGULY SET TO
JOIN DELHI
CAPITALS AS
DIR OF CRICKET
Kolkata: Sourav Ganguly is all set to join Delhi
Capitals as Director of Cricket during IPL starting in
April. He will also oversee all cricket verticals of the
franchise along with the ILT20 team Dubai Capitals
and the SA T230 league side Pretoria Capitals.
PHUKET-BOUND INDIGO RETURNS DELHI DUE TO GLITCH
INAUGURATION OF THE CONSTITUTION PARK AT RAJ BHAVAN RAJASTHAN
Constitution capable of containing people’s
changing aspirations: President Murmu
Ours is first Raj Bhavan
where Constitution Park
has been created: Gehlot
CM Ashok Gehlot
welcomed Presi-
dent Droupadi Mur-
mu in his address and
said that with crea-
tion of our Constitu-
tion, equal rights
were given to all citi-
zens including women
in this country. “Guv
Mishra is working
with great commit-
ment for constitution-
al awareness,” Gehlot
said and expressed
confidence that newly
constructed Constitu-
tion Park here will
spread constitutional
ideals, values and its
core spirit. CM said,
“Ours if the first Raj
Bhavan of country,
where Constitution
park is established.
Women have been giv-
en equal rights to
vote, but it took Amer-
ica 130 years to give
women same rights.”
Kashiram Choudhary and
Abhishek Shrivastava
Jaipur: President Drou-
padiMurmuhasstressed
on working to awaken
senseof theconstitution-
al morality among the
countrymen. Appreciat-
ing creation of Constitu-
tion Park at Raj Bhavan,
the President said that it
will increase awareness
about the Constitution.
President Murmu ad-
dressed the inaugura-
tion of the Constitution
Park at Raj Bhavan here
on Tuesday
. “Inaugurat-
ing this park makes me
very happy
. The Consti-
tution Park with Pea-
cock Pillar and Maha-
rana Pratap post are
good initiatives. This is
my first visit to Ra-
jasthan and this is the
land of brave warriors.
Veer Durgadas played
an important role in
post-independencewars
here along with Maha-
rana Pratap. The contri-
bution of Pannadhaya
and Bhamashah cannot
be forgotten.
Prez Droupadi Murmu being presented a memento by Rajasthan
Governor Kalraj Mishra and CM Ashok Gehlot during inauguration
of ‘Samvidhan Udyan’ at the Raj Bhavan in Jaipur on Tuesday.
President Droupadi Murmu with Governor Kalraj Mishra, CM Ashok
Gehlot, Speaker Dr CP Joshi and UDH Minister Shanti Dhariwal
during inauguration of Samvidhan Udyan at Raj Bhavan on Tuesday.
You (Prez
Murmu) are the
second female
President of our coun-
try. Coincidentally, the
first President was the
Governor in this very Raj
Bhavan. Governor Kalraj
Mishra took new initiative
and teaches the basic
rights and duties of the
Constitution.
—Ashok Gehlot,
Chief Minister
Our democracy
is the largest and
most vibrant de-
mocracy in the world. The
Constitution is the basis of
our great democracy.
—Droupadi Murmu, Prez
Indian constitu-
tion is a living re-
flection of Indian
culture. This park could be
prepared with support and
interest of CM Gehlot, UDH
Minister Shanti Dhariwal.
—Kalraj Mishra, Raj Guv

Anjali Singh, 20, took
care of a large family of
six siblings, an unwell
mother, and a grand-
mother. Her family in
Karan Vihar area of
Sultanpuri is shattered.
“She was the sole bread-
winner. She lost her fa-
ther many years ago
and her mother is a kid-
ney patient,” said her
grandmother Kanta.
Anjali, said neigh-
bours, was a “good
girl”, the “guardian of
the family”.
“She got two sisters
married. She was pay-
ing for her brothers’
education. She really
was the guardian, took
care of her entire fami-
ly,” a neighbour said.
Anjali had to drop out
of school to start earn-
ing. She began with a
job at a salon and went
on to work as an usher
at weddings for daily
remuneration.
At weddings, she was
usually in charge of
guests, flowers and
dressing the bride.
New Delhi (PTI):
Shock and haemor-
rhage due to injury to
the head, spine and low-
er limbs led to the death
of the 20-year-old wom-
an, Anjali Singh, who
was hit and dragged by
a car here, according to
a preliminary autopsy
report which also indi-
cated “no injury sugges-
tive of sexual assault,”
police said on Tuesday
.
Sources said that doc-
tors who conducted the
autopsy have opined
that there were no in-
jury marks on her pri-
vate parts.
However, the final re-
port will be given after
the receipt of chemical
analysis and biological
samples’ reports, the
sources said quoting
the doctors
Her autopsy was con-
ducted under the super-
vision of a medical
board at the Maulana
Azad Medical College
premises on Monday
.
“All injuries pro-
duced by blunt force
impact and possible
with vehicular accident
and dragging,” said Sa-
gar Preet Hooda, Spe-
cial Commissioner of
Police (Law and Order),
quoting the autopsy
report.
CAPITOL
NEW DELHI | WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 4, 2023
02
‘DEATH DUE TO SHOCK AND HAEMORRHAGE FROM INJURY TO HEAD, SPINE, LIMBS’
Autopsy report says no sexual assault
n ‘No injury
marks on her
private parts’
n ‘All injuries
due to blunt
force impact’
Friend recounts the horrific accident
New Delhi (PTI): “I
can never forget what
happened that night.
We had a fight over rid-
ing the two-wheeler. I
let her drive as she kept
insisting. We nearly
missed hitting a truck
first but were struck by
another vehicle a few
metres away,” recalled
the friend of the woman
who was killed.
She said that after the
impact, her friend An-
jali got stuck under the
car and was dragged by
the vehicle, with its oc-
cupants not once trying
to slow down or save the
woman. The friend said
she did not inform any-
one about the accident
as she was scared and
feared that she would be
blamed for it.
Narrating the se-
quence of events that
night, the eyewitness
told PTI, “We left the
hotel at around 1.45 am.
She (Anjali) wanted to
ride the scooty but I
said no I will ride it. Af-
ter we left and were on
the move, Anjali said
she would jump from
the two-wheeler if she
was not allowed to
drive. It is my scooty
and I will drive it she
told me,” she said.
“I gave her the scooty
.
After traversing some
distance, we nearly hit
a truck. Although I was
sitting behind, I some-
how managed to apply
the brakes. We left that
spot after that and
moved ahead. But an-
other car hit our scoot-
er. Anjali got stuck un-
der the vehicle while I
fell on the other side of
the road,” she claimed.
“The car did not stop.
The vehicle went ahead
and then reversed and
then went forward
again at high speed. No
music was playing in
the car,” she claimed.
The five accused arrested by Delhi Police.
Body of the woman being brought to her residence at Karan Vihar area of Sultanpuri on Tuesday.
The report indicates that there is no inju-
ry suggestive of sexual assault. The final
report will be received in due course..
—Sagar Preet Hooda, Special CP (Law and Order)
New Delhi (PTI): The
High Court has refused
to permit two success-
ful Delhi University as-
pirants to mutually in-
terchange their chosen
course and seats but
asked the authorities to
consider their griev-
ance as a “one-off case”.
Justice Vibhu Bakh-
ru also rejected their
claim that this year's
Common Seat Alloca-
tion System (CSAS) was
unconstitutional and
observed the change of
seats, as sought by the
petitioners, is not per-
missible in terms of al-
location system.
The petitioners, who
were high-performing
students in the CUET,
approached court after
they felt their “first
preference” at the time
of accepting admission
was incorrect and
sought to alter it.
The DU said it was
not permissible for a
candidate to change the
seat after securing ad-
mission in the course.
HC refuses to permit DU aspirants
to interchange course and seats New Delhi (ANI): The
Rouse Avenue Court on
Tuesday granted inter-
im bail to five accused
who were not arrested
by the CBI in its probe
into the Delhi Govern-
ment Excise police case.
Special Judge MK
Nagpal granted bail to
two former Excise De-
partment officials Kul-
deep Singh and Naren-
der Singh and to Gau-
tam Mootha and Arun
Pillai and businessman
Sameer Mahandru. The
court granted bail to
them on Rs 50,000 per-
sonal bail bond and one
like amount surety
.
The court also sought
a response from CBI on
their regular bail plea
and fixed the matter for
January 24.
Two accused, Vijay
Nair and Abhishek
Boinpally, were granted
bail earlier by the same
court. Sameer Mahan-
dru, Vijay Nair and Ab-
hishek Boinpally are to
remain in judicial cus-
tody as they were also
arrested by the ED in an
Excise Money Launder-
ing case.
CUTE COMPANIONS
A parrot and a squirrel seen near Rajpath lawn, in New Delhi on Tuesday. —PHOTO BY ANI
This court
considers it
apposite to di-
rect the respondents
(Delhi University and
St Stephen’s College) to
consider this as a one-
off case.
—Justice Vibhu Bakhru,
Delhi HC Judge
Excise case: Interim bail to
Mahandru, 2 ex-officials
A family left destitute by a fatal...
New Delhi (PTI): Ac-
cording to the FIR filed
in the case, the five ac-
cused had borrowed the
car hours before the in-
cident which took place
around 2am on Sunday
.
Deepak Khanna and
Amit Khanna took the
car from their friend
Ashutosh and later left
it at his residence. The
two told Ashutosh that
the car met with an ac-
cident with a scooty in
Krishan Vihar area, the
FIR sates, adding they
later fled towards Kan-
jhawala.
A sub-inspector from
Kanjhawala police sta-
tion found out that a
grey Boleno car was in-
volved in the incident,
following which police
reached Budh Vihar,
Phase-1 where the own-
er of the vehicle, Loke-
sh, was traced.
He stated that his car
was with his brother-in-
law Ashutosh, a resi-
dent of Rohini Sector-1,
according to the FIR.
Ashutosh further
stated that his friend
Deepak and Amit took
the car from him on Sat-
urday around 7 pm and
later left the vehicle at
his residence on Sun-
day around 5 am.
After the police ar-
rived at his place, Ashu-
tosh called Deepak and
Amit. Deepak told the
sub-inspector that he
was driving the car and
Manoj Mittal, another
accused, was sitting
next to him.
Accused borrowed car hours before
Bhim
Army chief
Chandra
Shekhar
Azad speaks
with media
during his
visit to Karan
Vihar area of
Sultanpuri on
Tuesday.
—PHOTO
BY PTI
People carrying banners walk to the crematorium on Tuesday.
The cremation of Anjali taking place on Tuesday. —PHOTOS BY ANI
POLICE CHIEF BRIEFS HOME SECY
New Delhi (ANI): Delhi Police Commissioner San-
jay Arora on Tuesday met Union Home Secretary
Ajay Bhalla at the Home Ministry office in North
Block here, a day after the MHA sought a detailed
report on the incident in which a 20-year-old
woman was dragged to death by a car in national
capital’s Kanjhawala on January 1. Speaking to
reporters after coming out of the North Block,
Arora said that his meeting with the Union Home
Secretary was on a different matter and not re-
lated to the Kanjhawala case and said that Special
Commissioner Shalini Singh is investigating the
incident. IPS officer Shalini Singh is at present
posted as Special Commissioner of the Economic
Offences Wing (EOW) of the Delhi Police.
Delhi Police personnel deployed near the residence of the
woman at Karan Vihar area of Sultanpuri on Tuesday.
New Delhi (PTI): Spe-
cial Commissioner of
Police Shalini Singh
with her team inspected
the 12-km-long stretch
from Sultanpuri to Kan-
jhawala along which a
20-year-old woman was
dragged after her two-
wheeler was hit by a car
in outer Delhi, police
said on Tuesday
.
Union Home Minis-
ter Amit Shah has
sought a detailed report
of the incident from the
Delhi Police.
The Delhi Police has
constituted an inquiry
committee, headed by
Special Commissioner
Shalini Singh. Accord-
ing to sources, the
team’s primary respon-
sibility is to do an anal-
ysis of the stretch and
suggest improvements
to prevent similar inci-
dents from occurring.
Special Commissioner visits site
CCTV SHOWS VICTIM FIGHTING WITH
HER FRIEND OUTSIDE HOTEL
New Delhi (PTI): A fresh CCTV footage surfaced
on Tuesday that showed the 20-year-old woman
fighting with another woman (her friend who
was riding the scooty with her at the time of the
accident) outside a hotel just hours behind the
incident. The CCTV footage was retrieved by
police. The woman, a Sultanpuri resident, worked
part-time with an event management firm and had
been out for work on the New Year eve.
GAMBHIR
ACCUSES AAP OF
PLAYING POLITICS
New Delhi (PTI): A delegation of AAP MLAs
met Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Aro-
ra Tuesday to demand strictest punishment
for the people involved in the Kanjhawala inci-
dent. A group of @AamAadmiParty MLAs will
be meeting the @DelhiPolice Commissioner
at 11 am, to discuss strongest possible action
against perpetrators of Kanjhawala crime and
those protecting the perpetrators. Will also
discuss how to make Delhi safer for women,
AAP MLA Atishi said in a tweet.
New Delhi (ANI):
Former cricketer and
BJP's Delhi MP Gautam
Gambhir on Tuesday
accused the AAP of
playing politics over the
death of the 20-year-
old. “A girl has lost
her life, yet the Aam
Aadmi Party wants to
do all kinds of politics.
I believe that there
should be no politics
on such issues,” he
said. “Whoever is the
accused should be
punished severely,
Gambhir added.
AAP MLAs MEET POLICE CHIEF
Greater Noida (ANI):
A car hit three engi-
neering students, leav-
ing one girl student se-
riously injured, in
Greater Noida on New
Year's eve, police said
on Tuesday
.
The incident hap-
pened on December 31
when car-borne youths
hit the three students
from the rear, near the
Alpha 2 bus stand. The
girl with serious inju-
ries is undergoing treat-
ment in hospital, while
the other two have been
discharged, police said.
An unidentified ve-
hicle hit them from be-
hind. The passersby im-
mediately rushed the
injured to hospital,”
Additional Deputy
Commissioner Dinesh
Kumar said.
Car hit 3 engineering students in Greater
Noida on New Year’s eve, 1 critical
FROM P1…
—PHOTO
BY
PTI

CAPITOL
03
Fervid marchers enter UP to
drum beats, patriotic songs
Aparna Bose
New Delhi : The stretch
leading towards Ghazi-
abad from Kashmiri
Gate was decked with
tricolours and balloons
as Congress leader Ra-
hul Gandhi's Bharat
Jodo Yatra resumed on
Tuesday from Delhi and
entered Uttar Pradesh
in the afternoon.
Scores of Congress
leaders and workers
gathered at Hanuman
Mandir in Yamuna
Bazar, from where the
Yatra resumed, holding
flags, banners and
chanting the slogan
'Bharat Jodo'.
Party workers joined
the Yatra amid singing
of patriotic songs and
beating of drums, as
they proceeded toward
Uttar Pradesh.
Camps were set up by
Congress workers and
members at various
points across the route
towards Ghaziabad.
Small cultural events
were also organised at
several points along the
way
. While many yatris
were spotted wearing
white T-shirts with pic-
ture of Rahul Gandhi
on it, several others
joined the Yatra wrap-
ping tricolour scarf
around their neck.
Many citizens also
gatheredacrosstheroad
and on their terraces to
catch a glimpse of the
Yatra. A large number
of policepersonnelwere
deployedandroadswere
intercepted with barri-
cades at several loca-
tions to provide the
yatraasafepassage.The
security arrangements
were heightened at the
UP border near Loni,
where the flag handover
ceremony took place.
The Yatra will re-
main in Uttar Pradesh
for 2 days and will enter
Haryana's Panipat by
Thursday evening. Af-
ter traversing Punjab
and a day through
Himachal Pradesh, the
Yatra will enter Jammu
and Kashmir, where it
will conclude. —PTI
n Camps were
set up by Cong at
various points
across the route
towards Gzb
n Small cultural
events were also
organised at
several points
MANY YATRIS WERE SPOTTED WEARING WHITE T-SHIRTS WITH PICTURE OF RAHUL GANDHI ON IT
Ghaziabad (PTI): Congress leader Priyanka
Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday called her brother
Rahul Gandhi a warrior and said he is not
afraid of the might of the government which
spent thousands of crores to destroy his im-
age. Welcoming Rahul Gandhi and the Bharat
Jodo Yatra at the Loni border as it entered
Uttar Pradesh from Delhi, she said big indus-
trialists like Adani and Ambani may have
bought many a politician, PSUs and the me-
dia, but they have not been, and will never
be, able to buy my brother.
People say Rahul Gandhi does not feel cold
even in winter, this is because he is wearing
the shield of truth, the Congress leader said.
Priyanka said she was proud of welcoming
the yatra, which entered UP traversing 3,000
kms from Kanyakumari.
Look at my elder brother, I take the maxi-
mum pride in you. Because the establishment
put all its pressure. The government spent
thousands of crores to destroy his image.
But, he did not deter from the path of
truth. Agencies were deployed but he did not
feel afraid, as he is a warrior, she said to
thunderous applause at the Loni border here.
Rahul a warrior, not
afraid of govt: Priyanka
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi with supporters during the party's 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', at Yamuna
Vihar, in east Delhi on Tuesday. —PHOTO BY PTI
RAHUL VISITS MARGHAT HANUMAN
TEMPLE AHEAD OF YATRA RESUMPTION
New Delhi (ANI): Congress leader Rahul Gan-
dhi visited the Marghat Hanuman temple in the
national capital ahead of the resumption of the
Bharat Jodo Yatra on Tuesday. Gandhi offered
prayers at the temple and sought strength for the
yatra to reach its destination. Taking to social me-
dia, Gandhi said, Today, started the yatra after do-
ing darshan at Marghat Hanuman Temple. I hope
that Lord Hanuman, the giver of strength, wisdom
and knowledge, guides every Indian traveller and
gives strength to reach his destination.
SPECIAL VISITORS
(Top) National Conference (NC) chief Farooq Abdullah
joined the Bharat Jodo Yatra on Tuesday.
(Center) Amarjit Singh Dulat, former Chief of the
Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and former special
director of the Intelligence Bureau, also joined the Rahul
Gandhi-led march on Tuesday.
(Above) Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi joined
Bharat Jodo Yatra with RG in Seelampur. She said, The
time has come for the opposition to unite and confront
the current situation in the country. —PHOTO BY ANI
‘COLD DAY’ IN CITY, ‘COLD WAVE’ THIS WEEKEND
New Delhi (PTI): ‘Cold
day’ conditions gripped
Delhi on Tuesday as
frosty winds from the
Himalayas swept
through the plains, ac-
cording to India Mete-
orological Department.
The maximum tem-
perature dropped five
notches below normal
at many places in the
national capital includ-
ing Lodhi Road, Palam,
Jafarpur and Mayur
Vihar, the IMD said.
Safdarjung observa-
tory recorded a mini-
mum of 8.5 degrees Cel-
sius -- a notch above
normal. The maximum
was recorded at 16.1
Celsius, a departure of
three degrees from nor-
mal. ‘Moderate’ to
‘dense’ fog is predicted
in Delhi for the next
two days. Coldwave
conditions are set to re-
turn on the weekend
and the mercury may
drop to 4 degrees Celsi-
us, the IMD said.
At least 21 trains to
Delhi were delayed by
one-and-a-half to five
hours due to the foggy
weather, a Railways
spokesperson said.
An official at the IGI
Airport said five flights
were diverted to Jaipur
on Monday night.
New Delhi (PTI): Del-
hiites guzzled over one
crore bottles of liquor
worth more than Rs 218
crore during week-long
celebrations and party-
ing spanning Christ-
mas eve to New Year
eve, officials said.
The highest liquor
sale, of 20.30 lakh bot-
tles, was reported in the
national capital on De-
cember 31, the New
Year Eve. The city
gulped down liquor
worth Rs 45.28 crore on
the day welcoming the
new year, a senior Ex-
cise department official
said on Monday
.
A record 1.10 crore
bottles of liquor of dif-
ferent types, mostly
whiskies, were sold in
Delhi during December
24-31. The sold volume
of liquor was worth Rs
218 crore, he said.
Official figures
showed December 2022
recorded an average
sale of 13.8 lakh liquor
bottles in Delhi, the best
year-end sale in the last
three years.
The Delhi govern-
ment earned a revenue
of Rs 560 crore from liq-
uor — excise duty and
value added tax — in
December 2022, data
showed.
Delhiites guzzle over 1 cr liquor bottles
worth `218 crore between Dec 24-31
Assam Rifles contingent rehearses for the Republic Parade 2023 at the Kartavya Path during a cold
and foggy morning, in New Delhi, Tuesday.
‘Moderate’ to
‘dense’ fog is
predicted in
Delhi for the next two
days. Coldwave con-
ditions are set to re-
turn on the weekend
and the mercury may
drop to 4 degrees Cel-
sius. —IMD
Noida/Ghaziabad
(PTI): Scores of Con-
gress workers and sup-
porters from Noida on
Tuesday reached Ghazi-
abad to join Bharat Jodo
Yatra being led by party
leader Rahul Gandhi.
Led by local leader
Pankhuri Pathak, Con-
gress workers from Noi-
da and other areas of
Gautam Buddh Nagar
district assembled at
the Loni border in Gha-
ziabad to join the Yatra.
Meanwhile, traffic di-
versions were put in
place in the Loni area
from 10 am to 6 pm in
anticipation of the
Yatra rush. No vehicles,
including e-rickshaws
and cars, are permitted
ontheroutebetweenthe
Loni Border (with Del-
hi) Mandola Border
(with Baghpat) during
the period, traffic police
said in an advisory
.
Rousing welcome for Rahul at Loni border
Congress supporters during the party's 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', at Loni border, on Tuesday. —PHOTO BY PTI
‘Perpetually confused’: BJP takes a dig at RaGa
New Delhi (PTI): The
BJP on Tuesday derided
Rahul Gandhi for being
“perpetually confused”
and accused the Con-
gress leader of wanting
India to surrender be-
fore China following his
recent remarks on the
border tensions.
India cannot be un-
derstood only by travel-
ling across the country,
one needs to under-
stand Indianness, BJP
Spokesperson Sudhan-
shu Trivedi said.
“Discovery of India
has been going on for
four generations (of
Gandhi’s family),”
Trivedi said in an ap-
parent reference to
Jawaharlal Nehru’s
‘Discovery of India’.
Addressing a press
conference at the BJP
headquarters here,
Trivedi took a dig at
Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo
Yatra and said the Con-
gress leader had be-
come a victim of confu-
sion during his travels.
Referring to Gandhi’s
remarks on the tensions
along the border with
China in his interview
with actor Kamal
Hasan, Trivedi said,
“Rahul Gandhi has
made his intention
clear that India should
surrender before China
in the same way it used
to happen during his
party’s government.”
TRAFFIC JAMMED AS YATRA TRAVELS
Ayodhya (ANI): Head
priest of the Ram Jan-
mabhoomi temple,
Acharya Satyendra
Das, has written a letter
to Congress leader Ra-
hul Gandhi extending
his support for the
'Bharat Jodo Yatra'.
In the letter dated De-
cember 31, 2022, Das
wished that the bless-
ings of Lord Ram be al-
ways upon the Congress
leader. The letter has
been trending on social
media platforms. In the
letter, Das prayed for the
successof thecampaign
(Bharat Jodo Yatra) that
is being run to connect
the country from Kan-
yakumari to Kashmir.
He also wished Rahul
Gandhi success in his
work undertaken in the
country's interest. He
prayed for the Congress
leader's good health
and long life.
Ram Janmabhoomi priest extends support to RaGa
Rahul Gandhi
has made his
intention clear
that India should sur-
render before China in
the same way it used
to happen during his
party’s government.
—Sudhanshu Trivedi,
BJP National Spokesperson
New Delhi (PTI): The city witnessed traffic snarls in
several places on Tuesday as the Bharat Jodo Yatra
progressed towards UP with hundreds of support-
ers. A huge police force was also deployed to ensure
there is no untoward incident.

l Vol 2 l Issue No.126
l 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: Dr Jagdeesh Chandra
Editor: Anita Hada Sangwan
responsible for selection of news
under the PRB Act
PERSPECTIVE
04
Nitin Gadkari
@nitin_gadkari
Pained by hearing about the demise of
Paramapujya Shri Siddheshwara Swami
Ji. He will be eternally remembered for
his teachings to spread humanism. My
thoughts and prayers are with all his
devotees. Om Shanti.
Anurag Thakur
@ianuragthakur
Regards on the birth anniversary of
eminent social reformer Savitribai
Phule, pioneer of the women’s
liberation movement, who laid the
foundation of the first girls’ school in
the country and played a leading role in
the advancement and empowerment of
Indian women. Your movement against
the evils prevalent in the 19th century
will always be remembered.
SPIRITUAL SPEAK
Let all-embracing
thoughts for all beings be
yours. —Buddha
IN-DEPTH
ULTRAS TRYING
TO DERAIL GOVT’S
NORMALISATION
PLANS IN JK
errorists had their
murderous way in a
Jammu village
where they shot
down four villagers
in another case of targeted kill-
ing. The attacks followed the
killing of four suspected terror-
ists of Lashkar-e-Taiba in an
encounter on Jammu’s outskirts
on Wednesday. They identified
their victims after asking for
their Aadhaar cards. The tar-
geted killings coming close on
the heels of the encounter with
terrorists indicates that terror-
ists are down but not out.
Targeted killings of Kashmiri
Pandit employees had earlier
triggered a wave of fear in the
community. After a series of
killings, Pandits demanded that
they be moved out of the Kash-
mir Valley. Their demand was
turned down by the Lieutenant
Governor Manoj Sinha with the
warning that they won’t be paid
salaries for “sitting at home”.
Terrorists look intent on derail-
ing the Prime Minister’s Special
Employment Scheme to bring
Pandits back to the Valley and
also instill confidence among
Hindus. Fortunately, in this war
of attrition terrorists are on the
losing side.
TOP TWEETS
T
y 4-1 majority ver-
dict the Supreme
Court has upheld
the much-criti-
cised decision of
the Narendra Modi govern-
ment to demonetise the
Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 denomi-
nation currency notes. The
sudden announcement was
no less than a tremor that
jolted the economy in 2016.
The success of its intended
objectives of wiping out
black money, bringing down
the excess liquidity in circu-
lation and dealing a blow to
fake currency were, and are
still, disputed. The Supreme
Court’s decision has there-
fore come as a shot in the arm
for the government. The Con-
gress does not see the judg-
ment as a vindication of the
government’s decision.
The Congress has picked
up the judgment of Justice
BV Nagarathna, who dissent-
ed from the majority verdict,
to repeat its earlier line that
the decision was illegal and
there were irregularities. In
her judgment Justice Nagar-
athna pointed out that scrap-
ping of old currency notes
was done through a notifica-
tion and not through legisla-
tion. Based on this Cong ar-
gued that majority verdict
deals with the limited issue
of decision-making process
and not with outcomes and
that it will be wrong to say
that DeMo has been upheld.
“None of these goals---re-
ducing currency in circula-
tion, moving to cashless
economy
, curbing counterfeit
currency, ending terrorism
and unearthing black money-
--was achieved in significant
measure,” Jairam Ramesh
said. P Chidambaram called
it a “slap on wrist of govt”.
Congress cannot deny that
cashless economy has grown
exponentially after govern-
ment began to discourage the
cash payments.
BOTTOM CONG UPBEAT
ON DISSENTING ORDER
By a 4-1 majority
verdict, SC has upheld
the much-criticised
decision of Modi govt
to demonetize `1,000,
`500 denomination
currency notes. Sudden
announcement was no
less than a tremor that
jolted economy in 2016
B
WHEN SLOGANS ‘RAM’ POLITICAL
IDEOLOGIES TO ‘MAR’ A SHOW…
hat happened on January 23,
2021 at a Government of In-
dia programme, was “re-en-
acted” again on December 30,
2022 and again at a Govern-
ment of India programme.
The venue may be different
but the dignitaries present at
both occasions were same.
A controversy erupted at
the inaugural ceremony of
West Bengal’s first Vande
Bharat Express on Friday
morning as irked by ‘Jai Shri
Ram’ slogans on her arrival,
CM Mamata Banerjee re-
fused to share dais. Instead,
throughout programme, she
sat on a chair adjacent to the
dais. From here she ex-
pressed her condolences over
demise of Heeraben, mother
of PM Narendra Modi.
GoingbythelocalBJPlead-
ers and even by the Union
Railway minister, that even if
they tried to persuade the
workers not to chant the slo-
gans, they refused to stop. The
matter, for the common man,
forwhomdevelopment“only”
matters is really becoming a
matter of concern. The com-
mon man who actually wants
toremainawayfromsuchsen-
sitive issues today is in a fix.
It is becoming such an issue
that it encompasses everyone
and whether you like it or not,
the aam aadmi is coming un-
der the ambit of such issues.
A RECAP
As soon as CM arrived at the
inauguration venue at the
Howrah Station on Friday
morning, the BJP supporters
present there raised ‘Jai Shri
Ram’ slogans.
Union Railways Minister,
Ashwini Vaishnaw, who was
present on the dais, tried his
best to control the BJP sup-
porters and requested them
to refrain from shouting slo-
gans, but they refused to pay
heed. CM refused to come on
the dais. The railways minis-
ter was seen pleading to her
again and again to get on the
dais but she refused.
CM Banerjee even refused
to deliver her speech on the
occasion. However, following
repeated requests from the
Governor, CV Ananda Bose,
she agreed to deliver the
speech, which she did with-
out getting on to the dais.
FLASHBACK
On January 23, 2021, on the
occasion of celebrating the
birthday of Netaji Subhas
Chandra Bose at Victoria Me-
morial Hall in Kolkata, the
BJP supporters shouted slo-
gans. PM Modi and other Un-
ion ministers were present
on the occasion. Expressing
her grievance over the inci-
dent, CM Banerjee said any
govt programme should fol-
low certain decorum. “It is
unwise to insult any invited
person at such a function. So,
in protest I refuse to say any-
thing here. Jai Hind. Jai
Bangla,” she had said.
MORE CONTROVERSY?
Meanwhile, a political slug-
fest erupted over the develop-
ment on Friday morning.
State municipal affairs ur-
ban development minister
and Mayor of KMC, Firhad
Hakim said, “Jai Shri Ram
should be said in a temple or
house with a pure mind. But
the BJP supporters are using
this slogan to irritate our
CM. Had we wished we could
have stopped them immedi-
ately
. But we believe in politi-
cal courtesy,” he said.
During 2019 LS polls, WB
CM stepped off her vehicle to
slam those shouting Jai Shri
Ram. In May 2019 after gen-
eral polls results were an-
nounced, 7 persons were ar-
rested in WB for shouting Jai
Shri Ram as Mamata’s caval-
cade passed through their
area. AND TATHAGATA
ROY, Governor of Tripura
from 2015 to 2018 and Gover-
nor of Meghalaya from Au-
gust 2018 to end of his term
in August 2020 had tweeted at
7.58 pm on May 31, 2019. It is
perfectly possible that the
people who shouted ‘Jai Shri
Ram’ would be slapped with
non-bailable attempt-to-mur-
der (S.307 IPC) cases. I should
know,it happened to ME in
2011! I was booked under 307
because I made a speech local
MLA didn’t like. Had to spend
a night in JC.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
W
BJP Lok Sabha MP,
Locket Chatterjee, said
the Jai Shri Ram
slogans were raised
when the Prime Minister
appeared online to
inaugurate Vande
Bharat Express. “The
slogans were not raised
to irritate the Chief
Minister,” she said
ROBIN ROY
The writer is Senior Journalist and
former Managing Editor, First India
BJP DEMANDS NIA PROBE...
THE EARLIER ATTACKS...
Stones were hurled at Newly-launched Vande Bharat Express, con-
necting Howrah to New Jalpaiguri near Malda station, WB. Hours after
the incident, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari took to Twitter to slam WB
CM Mamata Banerjee linking it to ‘Jai Shree Ram’ chants incident that
took place on the Inaugural day of the premium train. “Unfortunate
sickening. Stones pelted at India’s pride Vande Bharat Express in
WB’s Malda district. Is this revenge for ‘Jai Shree Ram’ chants on the
Inaugural day? I urge @PMOIndia @RailMinIndia to handover the
probe to @NIA_India punish the perpetrators. @AshwiniVaishnaw,”
BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari tweeted.
On its third commercial run on February 20, 2019, stones were
thrown at Vande Bharat Express breaking one of its window panes.
The railways had said that was the third incident in the last two
months. The first one took place in December, 2018 during the train’s
trial run between Delhi and Agra with the second following earlier in
February, 2019. The train was crossing Tundla junction in UP when
stones were hurled at it. The RPF had started campaigns to stop such
incidents across the areas where they were reported. Investigations
established that most stone-throwers were young children.

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‘JUNGLE RAJ’
HAS RETURNED
TO BIHAR: NADDA
Patna (PTI): BJP presi-
dent JP Nadda on Tues-
day alleged that ‘Jungle
Raj’ has returned to Bi-
har, alluding to the for-
mation of the ‘Maha-
gathbandhan’ (Grand
Alliance) govt in Bihar
around five months ago.
At a rally in Muzaf-
farpur’s Paru, which
falls under Vaishali Lok
Sabha constituency
, Na-
dda claimed there has
been a complete break-
down in law and order
in the state after the Ni-
tish Kumar-led JD(U)
formed the government
with Congress and RJD.
“Since the formation
of the ‘Mahagathband-
han’ govt in Bihar, not a
daygoeswithouthearing
about murders, loot, kid-
napping, rape and other
crimes. ‘Jungle Raj’ has
returned to the state.
There is a complete
breakdowninlawandor-
der in the state,” he said.
“Nitish Kumar be-
trayed the people of Bi-
har.Hisdecisiontoform
an alliance with the
RJD and other parties is
against the mandate of
the people. The people
of the state will give a
befitting reply to Ku-
mar in the coming polls.
The ‘Mahagathband-
han’ government will be
thrown out by voters in
the next election,” Na-
dda added.
Nitish Kumar had
formed the government
with the Opposition
parties after ending its
coalition with BJP in
August last year.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National President JP Nadda being garlanded during a public rally, at
Paroo High school, in Vaishali on Tuesday. —PHOTO BY ANI
BJP NATIONAL EXECUTIVE MEET ON JAN 16,
17; NADDA’S TENURE EXTENSION ON CARDS
New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) national execu-
tive meeting will be held in the national capital on January
16 and 17, said sources on Tuesday. According to the
sources, the party is expected to deliberate on the upcom-
ing Assembly elections and 2024 Lok Sabha elections. BJP
national president JP Nadda’s tenure may be extended at
the executive meeting. Nadda’s three-year term as the party
president will end later this month. Apart from this, many
organizational decisions will be taken. The ruling party has
increased the number of Lok Sabha seats which it consid-
ers difficult to win in 2024 from 144 to 160 now.
Mahesh Sharma
New Delhi: Senior Con-
gress leader and former
Chief Minister of Mad-
hya Pradesh Kamal
Nath has bluntly said
that Rahul Gandhi will
be the prime ministerial
candidate of the Con-
gress in the 2024 Lok
Sabha elections. He said
that Rahul is the face of
the Congress. But at the
same time he also said
that Rahul would be the
face of the opposition as
well. The question is
how will this happen?
How and why will the
oppositionaccepthimas
its leader? It is also a big
question whether any-
one from the Congress
has talked to the leaders
of the opposition? At
least as of now, it does
not appear that the Con-
gress has created any
channel of dialogue
withtheoppositionlead-
ers behind the scenes.
No senior Congress
leader that holds a tall
statureinoppositionpar-
ties can be seen for this
work. That’s why the an-
nouncement of Kamal
Nathissurprising.There
was no point in praising
Rahul’s yatra and men-
tioning the sacrifices of
the Nehru-Gandhi fami-
ly
, but by mentioning
these things, he tried to
make Rahul the face of
the opposition. That is
why the opposition par-
tieshavenottakenitseri-
ously
. A big leader like
Kamal Nath should have
given such a statement
after thinking. It is not a
matter of forcing the op-
position by putting any
pressure.Itisnotthatthe
opposition will accept
Rahul as the leader after
repeated statements
from the Congress. The
firstconditionforconsid-
ering Rahul Gandhi as
theLeaderof theOpposi-
tion is that the strength
of the Congress should
increase and it should be
established that the
strength of the Congress
hasincreasedbecauseof
Rahul. That is, Rahul
should be established as
the leader who won the
elections for the Con-
gress. If he can do this
work in the new year,
thentheoppositionitself
will consider him as the
leader.
How will Oppn consider Rahul Gandhi as its leader?
CAN BJY UNITE OPPOSITION?
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi waves during the Bharat Jodo
Yatra at Gokulpuri, in east Delhi, on Tuesday. —PHOTO BY PTI
IN THE COURTYARD
APEX COURT GRANTS INTERIM BAIL TO
SUSPENDED IAS OFFICER POOJA SINGHAL
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted
interim bail of one month to suspended IAS officer Pooja
Singhal who sought the relief to look
after her ailing daughter. A bench of
Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Abhay
S Oka granted interim bail to Singhal and
imposed some conditions on her, includ-
ing that she will not visit Ranchi unless a
court case is listed for hearing in the city.
The top court has now listed the plea for
hearing on February 6 and asked Enforcement Directorate
to file response in three weeks to Singhal’s main bail plea.
SC SEEKS CBI’S
REPLY ON BAIL PLEA
OF EX-COUNCILLOR
New Delhi: The Supreme
Court has sought reply
from the CBI to the bail
plea of former Congress
councillor Balwan Khokhar,
sentenced to life imprison-
ment in a 1984 anti-Sikh
riots case, on several
grounds including having
already served almost
nine years in jail. Besides
him, ex-Congress MP
Sajjan Kumar and ex-MLA
Mahender Yadav are serv-
ing life imprisonment and
10-year term respectively.
‘Allegation doesn’t
make a person guilty’
Chandigarh (PTI):
Haryana CM ML Khat-
tar on Tuesday termed
as “absurd” the allega-
tions of sexual harass-
ment against minister
Sandeep Singh and said
a person does not be-
comeguiltyjustbecause
an accusation is levelled
against him. He said the
police are investigating
the matter and further
action will be taken
once the report comes.
Sandeep Singh gave
up the sports portfolio
saying he has taken the
step on moral grounds,
and claimed that the
charges levelled against
him by the woman
coach are baseless.
BJP’s ideology is
to be self-centred,
says Mamata
Kolkata (ANI): West
Bengal Chief Minister
Mamata Banerjee on
T u e s d ay
hit out at
t h e
Bharatiya
J a n a t a
P a r t y
(BJP) and
said that the BJP’s ide-
ology is to be “self-cen-
tred “ while her party
Trinamool Congress
abides by the Constitu-
tion.
Gayathri Raguramm quits BJP,
claims women not safe in TN unit
Chennai (PTI): Actor-
politician Gayathri
Raguramm, who was
suspended from the BJP
in November last year,
announced on Tuesday
thatsheisresigningfrom
the party and claimed
that women are not safe
intheTamilNaduunitas
“nobodycaresabouttrue
karyakartas”. She
blamedstateBJPchief K
Annamalai for her deci-
sion to quit the party
.
A senior leader, how-
ever, rejected her claims
and said she is not a loss
to the party. The leader
said they do not give
much importance to
her allegations.
K’TAKA BIZMAN SUICIDE:
CONG DEMANDS ARREST
OF BJP MLA NAMED IN FIR
Bengaluru: Congress leaders
on Tuesday demanded the
arrest of Karnataka BJP MLA
Arvind Limbavali and five
others named in the FIR in
connection with the alleged
suicide of a businessman,
and urged the state govt to
ensure justice to his fam-
ily. Congress leaders met
Pradeep’s family at their resi-
dence here. Pradeep (47) was
found dead in his car at Net-
tigere near here on Sunday.
He had allegedly shot himself
in the head inside his car.
INDIA
05
CBI GETS TIME TILL FRIDAY TO REPLY TO
KOCHHARS' PLEA AGAINST ARREST
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Tuesday granted
the CBI time till Friday to file its reply to the plea of former
ICICI Bank Chief Executive Officer and MD
Chanda Kochhar and her businessman-
husband Deepak Kochhar, challenging
their arrest in an alleged loan fraud case.
The Kochhar couple has moved the HC
seeking to quash their remand order,
calling their arrest “illegal”. Seeking their
release from jail, they have also submitted
that their son is getting married later this month and invita-
tions have already been sent out to guests.
UP GOVT CANNOT
STOP SALARY OVER
NPS: ALLAHABAD HC
Lucknow: The Allahabad
High Court on Tuesday
said the Uttar Pradesh
government cannot not
stop salary of its employ-
ees on the ground that
they had not opted for
National Pension System
(NPS). The Lucknow
bench of Justice Pankaj
Bhatia directed the state
that the salary of the
petitioners would not be
stopped until its further
orders as the matter
required consideration.
New Delhi (PTI): A
second batch of 12 chee-
tahs is likely to arrive
in India from South Af-
rica in January
, sources
said on Tuesday
.
Discussions with
South African authori-
ties to translocate 12
cheetahs to Kuno Na-
tional Park are at an
advanced stage and the
animals are likely to ar-
rive in January
, a Union
Environment ministry
source said.
Officials from the
Kuno National Park
gave a presentation on
the preparedness for
the introduction of the
12 cheetahs.
Second batch of
12 cheetahs
arriving this month
Ayurveda institute introduces millet-based meals
First India Bureau
New Delhi: The All In-
dia Institute of Ayur-
veda introduced a new
range of millet-based
dishes in its canteen as
a part of its healthy
food offerings, marking
the start of the new
year 2023 as the ‘Inter-
national year of mil-
lets’ in presence of Ru-
ral Development Minis-
ter Giriraj Singh.
Spearheaded by the
Prime Minister, the
Government of India
sponsored the proposal
for International Year
of Millets (IYM) 2023
which was accepted by
the United Nations Gen-
eral Assembly (UNGA).
The declaration has
been instrumental for
the Government of In-
dia to be at the forefront
of celebrating the IYM.
“It has been a tradi-
tion here to do some-
thing new at the start of
the new year. So, in
2023, we have intro-
duced a new range of
healthy millet-based
dishes in our canteen,
which are healthier and
more nutritious”, said
Dr (Professor) Tanuja
Manoj Nesari, Director
of All India Institute of
Ayurveda.
Giriraj Singh, hon-
ourable Minister of Ru-
ral Development said,
“Introduction of ‘Path-
yahaar’ meal at the can-
teen has been a wel-
come step as this will
expand the option of
healthy foods that have
been made available to
the patients and schol-
ars in AIIA.”
Giriraj Singh said
that his ministry would
soon introduce training
programmes in ‘Pan-
chakarma’ therapy of
Ayurveda in rural are-
as. This move, based on
the Prime Minister
Narendra Modi’s vision
of Health for all, will
also help in expanding
self-employment oppor-
tunities in the rural sec-
tor, he said.
A special Hawan and
Dhanwantri Puja was
performed for the over-
all well-being of people
and marked the begin-
ning of Sneh Milan, the
new year get-together
of All India Institute of
Ayurveda.
Professor Mahesh
Vyas (Dean PhD), Pro-
fessor Anand More
(Dean PG), Joint Direc-
tor Shri Umesh Tagde,
Additional Medical Su-
perintendent Yogesh
Bhadve, Professor Med-
ha Kulkarni and other
professors and scholars
were present on the oc-
casion.
Payal Mehta
New Delhi: The
Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) is gearing up for
the forthcoming Assem-
bly elections in the
northeastern states—
Tripura, Meghalaya,
and Nagaland—all
three of which go to the
polls during the first
quarter of this year and
Mizoram at the end of
the year.
“The Prime Minister’s
focus is simply on the
prosperity, progress,
and welfare of the peo-
ple of the region. That
is why it’s even more
important that the con-
tinuity of NDA govern-
ments in the state along
with the Centre hap-
pens,” a senior Union
minister told ANI.
As per the sources,
the saffron party may
make a pre-poll alliance
in Tripura with the ex-
isting alliance partner
Indigenous Nationalist
Party of Tripura
(INPT). The party allied
with BJP in the 2018
Tripura Assembly elec-
tion and won 8 seats out
of 9 contested seats.
However, the number
of seats that the two
may contest in the up-
coming polls may be
firmed up soon. On the
possibility of an alli-
ance with Tipraha In-
digenous Progressive
Regional Alliance (Ti-
pra Motha) headed by
Pradyot Bikram Man-
ikya Deb Barman, a
senior leader of BJP
said, “We cannot be
seen forming an alli-
ance with a unit that is
demanding a separate
state—Greater Tipura-
land’—for tribes.”
In Meghalaya where
the BJP is in an alliance
with NPP, it has already
announced that they
will fight on all the seats
and no pre-poll alliance
will be made with Chief
Minister Conrad Sang-
ma’s party
.
Nagaland currently
has a ‘no opposition’
government headed by
Nephiu Rio. The NDPP
president who is the
nine-time Nagaland CM
has struck a pre-poll ar-
rangement with BJP to
contest 20 of 60 seats.
PM Narendra Modi has
coined the term ‘Ashta-
lakshmi’ for the states
of the northeast and has
had a special focus on
the region. —ANI
BJP gears up to continue winning run
Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha, former State Chief Minister
Biplab Kumar Deb and BJP leaders hold a protest rally against
alleged financial irregularities in Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous
District Council (TTAADC), in Agartala. —PHOTO BY ANI
Union minister Giriraj Singh partakes of the millet meal at All
India Institute of Ayurveda.
PLATTER OF PROTEIN, FIBRE, VITAMINS
Dishes such as
Kodo Upma, Besan
Chilla, Ragi But-
termilk, vegetable
soup, Gajar ka hal-
wa, Sothiyadi Laddu,
Lauki ki Barfi, Jau
Daliya, Pongal
Khichda, Bajre ka
Khichda were some of the items made available for
the patrons of the canteen at All India Institute of
Ayurveda. Speaking about the benefits of millet-
based foods, Professor (Dr) Medha S. Kulkarni,
H.OD. Swasthyavritta department said, “Millet is
a good source of protein, fibre, key vitamins, and
minerals. The potential health benefits of millet
include protecting cardiovascular health, preventing
the onset of diabetes, helping people achieve and
maintain a healthy weight, and managing inflam-
mation in the gut. Millet is an adaptable grain.”

INDIA
06
Beijing (Agencies):
Beijing is blasting test-
ing requirements on
passengers from China
and threatening coun-
termeasures against
countries involved
based on reciprocity
.
“We believe that the
entry restrictions
adopted by some coun-
tries targeting China
lack scientific basis,
and some excessive
practices are even more
unacceptable,” Foreign
Ministry spokesperson
Mao Ning said at a daily
briefing Tuesday
.
“We are firmly op-
posed to attempts to ma-
nipulate the COVID
measures for political
purposes and will take
countermeasures based
on the principle of reci-
procity,” he said.
Shamsher Singh
New Delhi: National
President of the Sama-
jwadi Party (SP) Akh-
ilesh Yadav made a
wonderful statement
recently. He talked
about not getting the in-
vitation of Congress for
Bharat Jodo Yatra and
distanced himself from
it but at the same time
said that the Congress
is also like the Bharati-
ya Janata Party (BJP).
He made another inter-
esting point that the Sa-
majwadi Party has a
different ideology
. How-
ever, leaving aside the
matter of ideology
, even
the attack he made on
Congress by calling
Congress like BJP is as-
tonishing. No one asked
him since when has the
Congress become like
the BJP? Obviously it
must have happened
only after 2017 because
in 2017 it was not like
the BJP
, that’s why Akh-
ilesh had coordinated
with the Congress and
‘two boys from UP’
came out to stop the
Bharatiya Janata Party
.
However, the way he
attacked the Congress,
the question has arisen
whether he too will fol-
low the path of Bahujan
Samaj Party leader
Mayawati? Mayawati
has been describing
CongressastheBharati-
ya Janata Party for a
long time. She has been
helping the BJP in one
way or the other for
some time now. Her in-
action has resulted in
transfer of BSP’s vote to
BJP and in the last elec-
tions their candidates
helped BJP. Is there
some unknown reason
why Akhilesh Yadav is
keeping distance from
opposition unity and in-
directly ensuring that
the Bharatiya Janata
Party wins the elec-
tions? Or is it the reason
that he is worried about
Congress or he is feeling
that Congress can make
a comeback? By describ-
ing Congress as BJP, he
is making SSP the sole
contender for the mi-
nority votes of the state.
It is possible that he has
attacked the Congress
in the concern of Con-
gress benefiting from
Rahul’s yatra.
Is Akhilesh on the path of bête noire Mayawati?
SIMILARITY IN DISPARITY
Permanent members clearly not in hurry to see UN reforms: Jaishankar
Vienna (PTI): External
Affairs Minister S Jais-
hankar has slammed
the slow pace of the UN
reforms, saying those
who are enjoying the
benefits of permanent
membership are not in
a hurry to see reforms.
India has been at the
forefront of efforts at
the UN to push for ur-
gent long-pending re-
form of the Security
Council, emphasising
that it rightly deserves
a place at the UN high
table as a permanent
member.
“You will have a situ-
ation when the world’s
most populous country
is not among the perma-
nent members of the
security council, what
does it say about the
state of the UN”, Jais-
hankar said in an inter-
view to Austria’s na-
tional broadcaster ORF
on Monday
.
When asked how long
will it take until this re-
form of the UN Securi-
ty Council, he said, “...
those who are today en-
joying the benefits of
permanent member-
ship clearly are not in a
hurry to see reform. I
think it’s a very short-
sighted view Because at
the end of the day, the
credibility of the UN
and their own interests
and effectiveness are at
stake.”
“So my sense is, it
will take some time,
hopefully not too much
time. I can see a grow-
ing body of opinion
among UN members
who believe that they
must be changed. It’s
not just us,” Jaishankar
said.
EAM S Jaishankar with Foreign Ministers Alexander Schallenberg of Austria, Jan Lipavský of Czech
Republic and Rastislav Kácer of Slovak Republic during a meeting in Vienna. —PHOTO BY PTI
You will
have a sit-
uation
when the world’s
most populous
country is not
among the perma-
nent members of
the security coun-
cil, what does it
say about the state
of the UN,
—S Jaishankar, EAM
Akhilesh Yadav with Mayawati. —FILE PHOTO
Agnipath game changer for
Armed forces: Rajnath Singh
First India Bureau
New Delhi: Agnipath
is a game changer
scheme for the Armed
Forces which is going to
act as force multiplier
in making Indian mili-
tary as one of the best
in the world with youth-
ful, high-tech and ultra-
modern outlook.
Defence Minister Ra-
jnath Singh said during
hisvirtualaddressatthe
MoU Exchange Ceremo-
ny ‘Outreach Pro-
gramme with Ministry
of Education (MoE)
andMinistryof SkillDe-
velopmentandEntrepre-
neurship (MoSDE’) on
Tuesday
. He elaborated
on the paradigm shifting
changes the Agnipath
scheme is going to make
in transforming the
Armed Forces into a
tech-savvy
,well-equipped
andcombatreadyunitto
face future challenges.
He said, “As the De-
fence Minister, I do see
the Agnipath scheme as
helpful in building a
strong, capable Armed
Forces. Also, being a
citizen, I am seeing this
scheme as a helper in
nation-building.”
Defence Minister calls upon State govts pvt sector to provide opportunities to Agniveers
Rajnath Singh at inauguration of Siyom Bridge in Arunachal Pradesh.
BRO are actually our
brothers Defence Minister
Siang (ANI):Defence
MinisterRajnathSin-
gh on Tuesday said
that during his child-
hood he used to think
that the acronym
‘BRO’ of the Border
Roads Organisation
actually meant ‘bro’ a
slang for brother but
nowafterseeingtheir
work he pointed out
that they could be
seen as brothers of
ourarmedforces.The
defence minister also
lauded the spirit and
speed with which the
BRO carried out de-
velopment works in
the recent past.
“When i used to see
the short form of
BRO (Border Roads
Organisation) on
signboards in my
childhood, I used to
think it meant ‘Bro’
which our younger
generation uses for
brother. But after see-
ing the work they are
doing, they are actu-
ally brothers of our
Armed forces and
people,” Singh said.
Winter tourism thrives in Valley;
celebrations end on a high note
Srinagar (ANI): Tour-
ists thronging Kashmir
to celebrate Christmas
and New Year created a
buzz in the Valley as all
the tourist resorts, in-
cluding Gulmarg, Pa-
halgam and Sonamarg,
were sold out even be-
fore the celebrations
could begin. The festivi-
ties ended on a high
note as tourists started
their New Year amid
snow-clad mountains
and peaks in the Valley
.
Nearly 26 lakh tour-
ists visited Kashmir
from January 1, 2022, to
December 21, 2022. The
highest grossing
months were April (2.72
lakh), May (3.75 lakh)
and June (3.33 lakh)
while in lean months,
there were 62,000 arriv-
als in January, one lakh
arrivals in February
and 1.05 lakh in Decem-
ber (up to December 21).
INDIAN HELD IN
NEPAL FOR‘KILLING’
ELDERLY WOMAN
MAN DROWNS
WHILE TRYING TO
RESCUE PET DOG
Kathmandu: A 23-year-old
Indian national has been
arrested for his alleged
involvement in the murder
of an elderly woman in
the Arghakhanchi district
of western Nepal, police
said on Tuesday. Sushanta
Singh, a permanent resident
of Haryana, was arrested
on Sunday on the charges
of murdering 60-year-old
Radha Thapa, police said.
Thapa’s body was recovered
with deep head injuries
from a forest near the
municipality on Sunday.
Chandigarh: A 40-year-old
merchant navy officer was
drowned in Bhakra canal
in Punjab while trying to
rescue his dog, police said
on Tuesday. The incident
occurred near Morinda
town on Monday. Deceased
Ramandeep Singh was on
a picnic with his family, and
when they were strolling on
the bank of the canal, the
pet accidentally fell into the
canal. Ramandeep jumped
into the canal to save it but
drowned. However, the dog
was rescued by passers-by.
New Delhi: Ministry of Home Affairs has upgraded
the security of Minister of State for Home Nityanand
Rai to ‘Z’ category for all
India level, sources said on
Tuesday. Central Reserve
Police Force (CRPF) will be
providing round the clock
security cover to the minis-
ter at his residence as well
as during his travel to other states across the country.
Earlier, the CRPF used to provide Rai ‘Z’ category secu-
rity during his stay and travel in West Bengal.
UNION MINISTER NITYANAND RAI’S
SECURITY UPGRADED TO ‘Z’ CATEGORY
FIVE OF FAMILY
DIE IN VEHICLES’
PILEUP IN TN
Cuddalore: Five of a family
were killed in a six-vehicle
pileup on the Trichy-Chen-
nai National Highway in
Tamil Nadu’s Cuddalore
district early Tuesday,
police said. The vehicles in
the pileup were two private
buses, two lorries, and two
cars. The deceased mem-
bers of the family, who are
yet to be identified, were
in one of the cars, added
the police. The bodies were
recovered with the help
Veppur Firemen team.
INDIAN CHARGED
FOR MOLESTING
WOMAN IN S’PORE
Singapore: A 25-year-old
Indian national has been
arrested on charges of al-
legedly molesting a woman
in the Sentosa resort island
here on New Year’s Day,
a report said on Tuesday.
Subramanian Muraliman-
ogarjoshi was charged on
Monday with one count
each of criminal trespass
and outrage of modesty of
a woman and wrongful re-
straint, Channel News Asia
reported. The police are
investigating the matter.
COULD USE HARSHER WORDS...’ JAISHANKAR ON USE OF
PHRASE ‘EPICENTRE OF TERRORISM’ FOR PAKISTAN
Vienna: External Affairs
Minister S Jaishankar
has said that he could
have used “much harsh-
er words than epicentre”
for Pakistan for its role
in promoting cross-
border terrorism as he
underlined that the world
needs to be concerned
about terrorism. Jais-
hankar, who has often
described Pakistan as
the “epicentre of terror-
ism’, in an interview to
Austria’s national broad-
caster ORF on Monday
also criticised European
nations for not con-
demning the (terrorism)
practices that have been
going on for multiple
decades. “Because you
are a diplomat, doesn’t
mean you are untruth-
ful. I could use much
harsher words than
epicentre. So believe me,
considering what has
been happening to us, I
think epicentre is a very
diplomatic word,” he
said while responding to
a question on using the
word “epicentre of ter-
rorism” for Pakistan.
Tearful adieu to twin
terror victims in JK
Rajouri (PTI): Themor-
tal remains of six people
including two minor
cousins who were killed
in twin terrorist inci-
dents in Jammu and
Kashmir’s Rajouri dis-
trict were given a tearful
and emotional farewell
astheywerecrematedat
their native place on
Tuesday
.
Hundreds of mourn-
ers — relatives, friends
and neighbours —
queued up with flowers
and wreaths to pay their
last respects to the mor-
tal remains at the gov-
ernment higher second
school, where the bodies
were kept for the night.
Amid slogans by peo-
ple who took out proces-
sions, the bodies of the
six victims of the terror
attacks at Dhangri vil-
lage, were brought to the
cremation ground for
last rites. The bodies of
four-year-old Vihan
Sharma, 16-year-old Sa-
miksha Sharma, Satish
Kumar (45), Deepak Ku-
mar (23), Pritam Lal (57)
and Shishu Pal (32) were
cremated in six pyres
lined up at Dhangri cre-
mation ground.
Members of Shiv Sena Dogra Front protest the killing of people in
Rajouri attack, in Jammu. —PHOTO BY PTI
NIGHT CURFEW IMPOSED ALONGSIDE
INT’L BORDER IN JK’S SAMBA DISTRICT
Jammu (PTI): Authorities on Tuesday imposed night
curfew along a kilometer stretch along the International
Border in Jammu and Kashmir’s Samba district to en-
sure better area domination by BSF troops, according to
an official order. The step was taken in view of the threat
of cross-border infiltration and smuggling of weapons
through drones in the present foggy weather, it stated.
China warns nations
of tit-for-tat curbs
INDIA SEES
SLIGHT RISE IN
COVID CASES
New Delhi: For the sec-
ond week running, India
recorded a marginal
rise in Covid-19 cases
although the numbers
remained very low. In
the week ending Sun-
day, 1,526 fresh cases
were recorded in the
country, up 25% from
the previous week’s tally
of 1,219. Meanwhile,
in a first since March
2020, Covid deaths dur-
ing the week (December
26-January 1) dipped to
single figures at six.
Ankita murder:
Accuseds’ narco
test on Jan 5
Dehradun (ANI): The
First Class Judicial
Magistrate Court Kotd-
war on Tuesday fixed
the date of narco and
polygraph tests of the
three accused in the An-
kita Bhandari murder
case for January 5.
The Court of Judicial
Magistrate First Class,
Kotdwar fixed the date
after hearing the argu-
ments of both parties.
The case pertains to
19-year-old Ankita,
whose body was recov-
ered from the Chilla ca-
nal in Rishikesh on Sep-
tember 24.
She was reported
missing for at least six
days before the officials
found her body
.
FOG SHROUDS LUCKNOW AMID SEVERE
COLD CONDITION; MERCURY DROPS
Lucknow (ANI): The India Meteorological Department
(IMD) on Tuesday said severe cold and fog conditions
will continue to prevail in the Uttar Pradesh capital
where the mercury can drop further. The IMD said that
dense to very dense fog and cold wave conditions are
very likely to prevail over the plains of northwest India
during the next five days till Saturday.
CRUCIAL READ

07
Commodity Price Change % Chg
GOLD 55,940.00 506.00 0.90 (Per 10g)
SILVER 71,224.00 1374.00 1.92 (Per 1kg)
COMMODITIES
Currency Price Change % Chg
USDINR 82.86 0.08 0.09
GBPINR 98.78 0.89 0.89
CURRENCIES
ME sector likely to grow 12-14 percent
First India Bureau
New Delhi: Indian media
and entertainment sector
is likely to grow 12-14% to
clock `1.6 lakh crore reve-
nue in FY24, according to a
report by rating agency
Crisil.
The revenue growth of
the Indian media and en-
tertainment (ME) from
advertising would be led by
digital platforms, followed
by TV and print, it added in
the report.
“Ad revenue, which ac-
counts for 55% of the sec-
tor’s revenue, will grow
14%, given its strong cor-
relation with economic ac-
tivity. Also, the general
elections expected in mid-
2024 will trigger an in-
crease in ad spending in
the last quarter of the next
fiscal,” Crisil said.
The rest 45% would come
from subscription revenue,
which will grow at a slower
pace of 12%, according to
the report.
TO TOUCH `1.6 LAKH CR REVENUE IN FY24
ACC TO REPORT
BY CRISIL
z Ad revenue, which
accounts for 55% of the
sector’s revenue, will grow
14%, given its strong
correlation with economic
activity. Also, the general
elections expected in
mid-2024 will trigger an
increase in ad spending
in the last quarter of the
next fiscal
business
BRIEFS
Austin: Tesla said that
sold a record 1.3 million
vehicles last year. The
2022 figure topped the
prior record of 936,000
vehicles delivered in
2021, but it was shy of
the 1.4 mn needed to
reach the company’s 50%
growth target. Sales grew
40% year over year, while
production climbed 47%
to 1.37 mn. The shortfall
came despite a major
year-end sales push that
included rare $7,500 dis-
counts in the US on the
Models Y and 3, the top-
selling models. —PTI
TESLA SAYS IT SOLD
A RECORD 1.3 MN
VEHICLES IN 2022
New Delhi: German auto-
motive group BMW on
Tuesday reported record
sales of its luxury cars
and motorcycles in India
at 19,263 units in 2022.
Customer deliveries of
cars of both brands BMW
and MINI registered a
growth of 35% at 11,981
units last year. BMW India
registered sales of 11,268
units at a growth of 37%
and MINI India of 713
units, up 11% from 2021,
it added. SUV range, in-
cluding the X1, X3, X5
and X7 grew at over 60%,
while luxury sedans such
as the 3 Series, 5 Series
and 6 Series continued
their strong run, the com-
pany said. —PTI
BMW INDIA POSTS
RECORD SALES AT
19,263 UNITS IN 2022
New Delhi: The Indian
Energy Exchange’s total
trade volume in Decem-
ber 2022 dipped 7% to
8,452 million units as
compared to the year-ago
period. “The overall vol-
ume on the exchange in
December 2022 increased
9% on a MoM basis.
However, it declined by
7% on YoY basis due to
high REC (renewable en-
ergy certificates) traded
volumes of 13.85 lakh in
(December 2021) the pre-
vious year,” an IEX state-
ment said. —PTI
IEX TRADE VOLUME
FALLS 7% TO 8,452
MILLION UNITS
New Delhi: Capital mar-
kets regulator Sebi has
asked Oravel Stays Ltd,
the parent company of
travel-tech firm OYO, to
refile the draft IPO papers
with certain updates. The
move might delay the Gu-
rugram-based hospitality
unicorn’s initial public of-
fering (IPO). OYO filed
preliminary documents
with the Sebi in Septem-
ber 2021 for a `8,430
crore IPO. The proposed
offering consists of a
fresh issue of shares of
up to `7,000 crore and an
offer-for-sale of as much
as `1,430 crore. —PTI
SEBI RETURNS OYO’S
DRAFT IPO PAPERS;
ASKS TO REFILE
*Rates till the edition went to print.
INDIA’S OCT-DEC SUGAR
OUTPUT UP 3.69% AT
120.7 LAKH TONNES
New Delhi: The country’s sugar
production rose 3.69% to 120.7
lakh tonnes in the October-De-
cember quarter
of the ongoing
marketing year,
according to
the industry
body ISMA. Sugar production in
India, one of the world’s major
producers of the sweetener,
stood at 116.4 lakh tonnes in
the same period of the previous
marketing year. Sugar marketing
year runs from October to Sep-
tember. According to the Indian
Sugar Mills Association (ISMA),
about 509 mills were operating
as against 500 mills in the said
period. —PTI
MARUTI SUZUKI INDIA
LOGS 28% RISE IN
EXPORTS IN 2022
New Delhi: Maruti Suzuki India
on Tuesday reported a 28% rise
in exports at 2,63,068 units
in 2022, its
highest ever
overseas
shipments.
The company’s
previous highest exports was
achieved in 2021 with 2,05,450
units. The highest exported
models in 2022 were Dzire,
Swift, S-Presso, Baleno, Brezza.
“Crossing the 2 lakh milestone
in exports for the second con-
secutive year signifies the trust,
quality, reliability, performance,
and affordability of our prod-
ucts,” MSIL MD CEO Hisashi
Takeuchi said. —PTI
OTHER STORIES
GOLD RATE INCREASES BY `506; SILVER
PRICE ALSO ZOOMS BY RUPEES 1,374
New Delhi: Gold price in the national capital jumped `506 to `55,940
per 10 grams on Tuesday amid a rally in prices of the precious metal
internationally, according to Housing Development Finance Corpora-
tion (HDFC) Securities. The yellow metal
had touched `55,434 per 10 grams in
the previous trade. Silver also zoomed
to `1,374 to `71,224 per kilogram. In
the overseas market, gold was trading in
green at $1,843 per ounce while silver
was up at $24.37 per ounce. —PTI
ON EXPORT OF DIESEL, ATF
Govt hikes windfall
tax on crude oil
First India Bureau
New Delhi: The govern-
ment has raised the wind-
fall profit tax levied on do-
mestically produced crude
oil as well as on the export
of diesel and ATF, in line
with firming international
oil prices, according to an
official order.
The levy on crude oil
produced by companies
such as Oil and Natural
Gas Corporation (ONGC)
has been increased to
`2,100 per tonne from `1,700
per tonne, the order dated
January 2, said.
Crude oil pumped out of
the ground and from below
the seabed is refined and
converted into fuel like
petrol, diesel and aviation
turbine fuel (ATF).
The government has also
raised the tax on the export
of diesel to `6.5 per litre,
from `5 and the same on
overseas shipments of ATF
to `4.5 a litre, from `1.5 a
litre.
The new tax rates are ef-
fective from January 3.
Tax rates were cut at the
last fortnightly review on
December 16, following a
decline in global crude oil
prices. International oil
prices have since then
firmed up, necessitating
the raising of windfall tax.
India first imposed wind-
fall profit taxes on July 1,
joining a growing number
of nations that tax super
normal profits of energy
companies. At that time,
export duties of `6 per litre
($12 per barrel) each were
levied on petrol and ATF
and `13 a litre ($26 a barrel)
on diesel.
A `23,250 per tonne ($40
per barrel) windfall profit
tax on domestic crude pro-
duction was also levied.
The export tax on petrol
has since been scrapped.
The tax rates are re-
viewed every fortnight
based on average oil prices
in the previous two weeks.
TOP TALKING
POINTS
z The levy on crude oil
produced by companies
such as Oil and Natural Gas
Corporation (ONGC) has been
increased to `2,100 per tonne
from `1,700 per tonne, the
order dated January 2, said
z The tax on the export of
diesel to `6.5 per litre, from
`5 and the same on overseas
shipments of ATF to `4.5 a
litre, from `1.5 a litre
z Tax rates were cut at the last
fortnightly review on December
16, following a decline in global
crude oil prices
EAM Jaishankar
defends India’s
move to import
Russian oil
Vienna (PTI): EAM S Jais-
hankar has defended In-
dia’s move to import crude
oil from Russia, saying that
Europe has imported six
times the fossil fuel energy
from Russia than India has
done since February 2022.
Jaishankar also said
that if the European politi-
cal leadership would like
to soften the impact of the
ongoing Russia-Ukraine
conflict to their popula-
tion, it’s a privilege they
should extend to other po-
litical leaderships as well.
“Europe has managed to
reduce its imports while
doing it in a manner that is
comfortable. If at a (per
capita income) of 60,000
euros, you are so caring
about your population, I
have a population at $2,000.
I also need energy, and I am
not in a position to pay
high prices for oil,” Jais-
hankar said. Jaishankar
also pointed out that Eu-
rope has imported six
times the energy from Rus-
sia than India has done
since February 2022.
Market benchmarks
settle with gains in
day’s volatile trade
Mumbai (PTI): Equity
benchmarks ended with
gains on Tuesday amid a
largely firm trend in global
markets after facing bouts
of volatility during the ses-
sion. The 30-share BSE
Sensex climbed 126.41
points or 0.21% to settle at
61,294.20. During the day, it
hit a high of 61,343.96 and a
low of 61,004.04.
The broader NSE Nifty
gained 35.10 points or
0.19% to end at 18,232.55.
From the Sensex pack,
Axis Bank, Titan, Tata
Consultancy Services,
Tech Mahindra, IndusInd
Bank, Wipro, Nestle and
Bajaj Finance were among
the major winners.
Mahindra Mahindra,
Reliance Industries,
Hindustan Unilever and
Tata Steel were the main
laggards.
RUPEE FALLS 8 PAISE
TO CLOSE AT 82.86
AGAINST US DOLLAR
Mumbai (PTI): The rupee pared
initial gains and settled 8 paise
lower at 82.86 (provisional)
against the US dollar on Tuesday,
weighed by a strong greenback
overseas and sustained foreign
fund outflows. At the interbank
foreign exchange market, the
rupee opened on a positive note
at 82.69 against the greenback,
but pared the gains and fell to
an intra-day low of 82.92. The
domestic currency finally settled
at 82.86, down 8 paise over its
previous close of 82.78.
Indian economy
exports will
be moderately
impacted: GTRI
New Delhi (PTI): The In-
dian economy and exports
will be moderately impact-
ed in 2023 by weak global
demand and recession in
large economies and to im-
prove its current account,
the country should aim at
reducing energy import
bill, economic think tank
GTRI said on Tuesday
.
The Global Trade Re-
search Initiative (GTRI)
said that in 2022, India will
pay $270 billion in imports
of crude oil and coal, which
is about 40% of total mer-
chandise import bill.
It also said the US effort
to create alternate supply
chains excluding China is
gradually leading to re-
structuring of global sup-
ply chains and relocation
of few large manufactur-
ing firms shows that India
is in a good position to ben-
efit from this trend.
‘5G rollout to drive
telecom hiring in 2023’
New Delhi (PTI): The 5G
rollout is expected to drive
hiring in the telecom sector
in 2023, as the expansion of
the high-speed service un-
leashes a “compounding
impact” on recruitment for
both non-niche skills and
technical skills, according
to NLB Services. Demand
for specialised telecom
technology talent grew by
almost 20% in 2022, the in-
ternational staffing and
recruiting company said.
Going forward, the hir-
ing demand is not going to
be restricted to the telecom
sector alone, it estimated.
AIRTEL LAUNCHES 5G
SERVICES IN INDORE
New Delhi (PTI): Bharti Airtel on
Tuesday announced the launch
of its 5G services in Indore. The
company said customers with
5G-enabled devices will experi-
ence high speed Airtel 5G Plus
network at no extra cost until the
rollout is more widespread. Airtel
5G Plus service will boost the
entire portfolio of services that
the telco offers.
Government has
pipeline of 44
port projects till
2024-25: Min
New Delhi (PTI): Public-
private partnership in port
infrastructure has been an
important source of invest-
ment in the sector and the
Ministry of Ports, Ship-
ping and Waterways has a
pipeline of 44 projects for
total investment of `22,900
crore till 2024-25, Union
Minister Sarbananda
Sonowal said on Tuesday
.
Moreover, the govern-
ment is working on the
guidelines for dealing
with stressed public-pri-
vate partnership (PPP)
projects at major ports
and has also come up with
policies to support the
shipbuilding industry in
India, Sonowal said.
Cloud a big game
changer: Nadella
Mumbai (PTI): Microsoft
Chairman and CEO Satya
Nadella on Tuesday said
there is tremendous mo-
mentum in cloud adoption,
as he termed cloud a “big
game changer”.
Nadella, in his address
on Tuesday, listed cloud
and Artificial Intelligence
(AI) as imperatives that
can be helpful in driving
economic growth. “Cloud
has been a big game chang-
er... Cloud is in early-to-in-
termediate innings...,” Na-
della said and noted the
“tremendous momentum
in cloud adoption.”
According to research
firm IDC, the overall Indian
public cloud services mar-
ket is expected to reach $13
billion by 2026, growing at
a CAGR of 23.1% for 2021-
26. The revenue totaled $2.8
billion for the first half of
2022. Public cloud service
(PCS) makes computing
and storage applications
available on demand to or-
ganisations and individu-
als over the public internet.
A private cloud model’s re-
sources are available only
to a single organisation.
Top cloud computing
providers in India include
Amazon Web Services
(AWS), Google Cloud and
Microsoft’s Azure.
Hyderabad-born Nadella
also lauded the way in
which India is building
public infrastructure.
He said, “... We see tre-
mendousmomentumtoday
,
when it comes to cloud
adoption. In fact, when
I think about Microsoft
Windows, in the client
server era, we sold a few
servers in the cloud. It’s a
completely different ball-
game. But I look at every
businessinthecloudcon-
sumption.”
ACC TO IDC
RESEARCH FIRM
z The overall Indian public
cloud services market is
expected to reach $13 billion
by 2026, growing at a CAGR
of 23.1% for 2021-26. The
revenue totaled $2.8 billion
for the first half of 2022
z Top cloud computing
providers in India include
AWS, Google Cloud and
Microsoft’s Azure

08
2NDFRONT
Be selective in what you expose
your mind to-What you watch,
read or listen to.
—Dr Jagdeesh Chandra,
CEO Editor-in-Chief, First India
IN THE COURTYARD
NOT ALL CONVERSIONS CAN BE
SAID TO BE ILLEGAL, SAYS SC
If the state (of
MP) has any
counter, it may
be presented
on next date of
hearing on
February 7,
says bench
SC refuses to stay High Court
order which struck down part
of MP’s new anti-conversion law
The HC stated that Section 10 of
Madhya Pradesh Freedom of
Religion Act was unconstitutional
Section 10 makes it obligatory for
a citizen desiring conversion to
give a declaration of this to the DM
1 2 3
First India Bureau
New Delhi: The Su-
preme Court on Tues-
day refused to stay a
recent order by the
Madhya Pradesh High
Court which had struck
down the mandatory re-
quirement under the
Madhya Pradesh Free-
dom of Religion Act for
making a declaration to
the District Magistrate
before converting one’s
religion.
A bench comprising
Justice MR Shah and
Justice CT Ravikumar
issued notice to the ap-
peal filed by the govern-
ment of Madhya
Pradesh against the
verdict of the High
Court.
The bench said that
not all conversions can
be said to be illegal. The
bench asked to issue no-
tice on the SLP as well
as interim relief, re-
turnable on February 7.
Dasti permitted.
During the hearing,
Solicitor General Tush-
ar Mehta said that there
is no prohibition
against marriage or
conversion. District
Magistrate may only be
intimated, that is all a
stay would do.
The bench said that it
cannot entertain this
and if the State has any
counter that may be
presented on next date
of hearing. The matter
will be heard next on
February 7.
In an order of No-
vember 14, 2022, a bench
of Justice Sujoy Paul
and Justice Prakash
Chandra Gupta of the
MP High Court asked
the State government
not to take any coercive
action against any per-
son who contravenes
Section 10 (declaration
before conversion of re-
ligion) of the Act.
The order had stated
that Section 10 makes it
obligatory for a citizen
desiring conversion to
give a declaration in
this regard to the Dis-
trict Magistrate, which
in the Court’s opinion
ex-facie was unconsti-
tutional in the teeth of
aforesaid judgments of
this Court.
It further said that
till further orders, the
respondent shall not
prosecute adult citizens
if they solemnize the
marriage of their own
volition and shall not
take coercive action for
violation of Section 10
of the Act.
A bench comprising Justice MR
Shah and Justice CT Ravikumar
said the respondent shall not
prosecute adult citizens if they
solemnise the marriage of their
own volition and shall not take
coercive action for violation of
Section 10 of the Act.
Indian Army’s bomb disposal experts inspect the site where a live
explosive was found a day earlier close to the helipad used by
Punjab and Haryana chief ministers, in Chandigarh, Tuesday.
There is no
prohibition
against mar-
riage or conversion.
District Magistrate
may only be intimat-
ed, that is all a stay
would do.
—Tushar Mehta,
Solicitor General
SC LISTS PLEAS ON
SAME-SEX MARRIAGE
First India Bureau
New Delhi: The Supreme Court has directed the listing
of two petitions which seek the transfer of pending
petitions in Delhi High Court and Kerala High Court to it
seeking the recognition of same-sex marriages in India
on January 6.
The transfer petitions were mentioned before the bench
comprising Chief Justice of India Justice DY Chandra-
chud and Justice
PS Narasimha by
Senior Advocate
Menaka Guruswa-
my and Advocate
Karuna Nundy.
Nundy asked for
transfer petitions
also to be listed
on January 6 while submitting that petitions relating to
same-sex marriage are listed on that day. CJI Chan-
drachud stated that the bench would list the transfer
petitions along with the main matter on January 6. The
petition contained a PIL filed by Supriyo Chakraborty
and Abhay Dang, who are a couple for almost 10 years.
They recently had a ceremony in December 2021,
where their relationship was blessed by their parents,
family, and friends. They have asked for their marriage
to be recognized under the Special Marriage Act. Anoth-
er PIL by Parth Phiroze Mehrotra and Uday Raj Anand,
who have been in a relationship for the last 17 years,
said they are presently raising two children together.
CINEMA HALL CAN
PROHIBIT OUTSIDE FOOD
First India Bureau
New Delhi: A Supreme Court bench comprising Chief
Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice PS Narasimha
on Tuesday held that a cinema hall owner can prohibit
movie-goers from carrying their own food and bever-
ages inside cinema halls.
The issue arose as the Jammu and Kashmir High Court
had given directions to owners of multiplexes/cinema
halls to allow cine-
ma-goers to carry
their own food
articles and water
inside the theatre.
The top court was
approached against
this impugned
judgement of the
Jammu and Kashmir High Court. Senior Advocate KV
Vishwanathan, who appeared for appellants, said that
cinema halls are private properties, and have all rights
to reserve admission rights.
The advocate added that the Jammu and Kashmir
Cinema (Regulations) Rules 1975 did not provide that
a moviegoer should be allowed to bring eatables inside
theatres. While dictating the order, CJI DY Chandrachud
said that the property of the cinema hall is the private
property of the owner of the hall. The owner has all
the rights entitled to set terms and conditions so long
as such terms and conditions are not contrary to the
public interest, safety, and welfare, the CJI said.
CUSTODIAL DEATH CASE: SC to hear plea of Sanjiv Bhatt
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme
Court Tuesday said it will
consider on January 10 the
petition filed by sacked
Gujarat-cadre IPS
officer Sanjiv Bhatt
seeking to bring in
additional evidence
in an appeal filed
by him
in the
Gujarat
High Court. Bhatt has filed an appeal
in the high court challenging his
conviction in a 1990 custodial death
case. A bench of Justices MR Shah
and CT Ravikumar asked senior
advocate Devadatt Kamat, appear-
ing for Bhat, if he was serious with
regard to a plea seeking recusal of
Justice Shah. Kamat submitted the
idea was not to attach ‘bias’ to the
Judge but apprehension of ‘bias’.
He said certain issues which are
the subject matter of the Special
Leave Petition had been decided by
Justice Shah on an earlier occasion
when he was a judge in the high
court. Justice Shah then remarked,
“Your objection is rejected. Merely
some order has been passed in
some discharge application, it has
nothing to do with this controversy.
Apprehension should have a rea-
sonable nexus.” Kamat said he can
demonstrate apprehension of bias.
Experts from Army
shift live bombshell
from Chandigarh site
Chandigarh (PTI):
The Indian Army’s
bomb disposal experts
on Tuesday removed
the live explosive,
which was found a day
earlier close to the heli-
pad used by Punjab and
Haryana chief minis-
ters here.
Earlier in the day, ex-
perts of the Indian
Army reached the spot
where the live explosive
was found. After exam-
ining the object, they
experts decided to take
the shell with them,
Sanjeev Kohli, nodal of-
ficer, disaster manage-
ment, Chandigarh, told
reporters here.
When asked if the
bomb would not be dif-
fused here, Kohli said,
“They will take it to the
command. They have to
analyse it—it is a tech-
nical part of their pro-
cess after which they
will (defuse it)”.
The shell was seen
being carried in an
Army vehicle with
police escort vehicles
accompanying it.
The experts exam-
ined the live shell in
protective gear inside a
police cordon. A fire
tender and an ambu-
lance were stationed at
the spot in the morning.
The police questioned
several people, includ-
ing many scrap dealers
in nearby areas, for
clues on how the bomb
could have reached the
mango garden.
z
z
z
z
ROBOT USED
DMRC STAFFERS CAUGHT
SELLING METRO CARDS AT
DISCOUNTED RATES
New Delhi (ANI):
Delhi Metro Rail Cor-
poration (DMRC) on
Tuesday removed two
employees involved
in unauthorised re-
charge and selling of
Metro Smart Cards to
people at discounted
rates outside Metro
premises, officials
said.
DMRC officials
caught two employ-
ees, one from DMRC
and another working
as a Customer Care
(CC) operator at
Qutab Minar Metro
station from an out-
sourced agency
.
DMRC officials had
been keeping a tab on
their suspicious ac-
tivities for the past
week and caught
themred-handedwith
23 such Smart Cards
at Qutab Minar Metro
station. The CC oper-
ator has been re-
moved from the ser-
vice and the DMRC
employee has been
suspended with im-
mediate effect.
Ahd-Del Sampark Kranti to be
renamed Akshardham Express
Ahmedabad (PTI):
Railway Minister Ash-
wini Vaishnaw has said
the Sampark Kranti Ex-
press train between
Ahmedabad and Delhi
will be renamed as Ak-
shardham Express as a
tribute to Pramukh
Swami Maharaj, the
spiritual guru of the
BAPS Swaminarayan
Sanstha.
Vaishnaw made the
announcement on Mon-
day as part of the
month-long Pramukh
Swami centenary cele-
brations of the BAPS
Swaminarayan sect,
which were launched
on December 14 by
Prime Minister Naren-
dra Modi and current
BAPS chief Mahant
Swami Maharaj.
“As a tribute to Pra-
mukh Swami Maharaj,
the Sampark Kranti Ex-
press connecting Delhi
and Ahmedabad will
soon be renamed as Ak-
shardham Express,”
Vaishnaw told report-
ers at Pramukh Swami
Maharaj Nagar, which
has been set up over 600
acres in Ahmedabad.
Woman officer deployed at Siachen for first time
New Delhi (PTI): Cap-
tain Shiva Chauhan
from the Corps of Engi-
neers has reached a
frontline post at
Siachen Glacier, in first
such operational de-
ployment of a woman
Army officer.
The officer will serve
at the Kumar post, lo-
cated at an altitude of
around 15,600 feet. She
joined on Monday for a
three-month stint,
Army officials said.
Defence Minister Ra-
jnath Singh conveyed
his best wishes to Capt
Chauhan and said he
was happy to see more
women joining the
armed forces and take
every challenge in
stride.
The Army said Capt
Chouhan became the
first woman officer to
get operationally de-
ployed at the world’s
highest battlefield.
“It was a proud mo-
ment for Indian Army
when Capt Shiva Chou-
han became the first
woman officer to get
operationally deployed
at the world’s highest
battlefield,” Army said.
Captain Shiva Chouhan during the rigorous training at the
Siachen Battle School, on Tuesday. —PHOTO BY ANI
z Capt Shiva Chouhan
from Rajasthan is a Ben-
gal Sapper Officer.
z She has done her
schooling from Udaipur
and holds a bachelor’s
degree in Civil Engineer-
ing from NJR Institute of
Technology, Udaipur.
z The officer was put
through rigorous training
at the Siachen Battle
School where she trained
alongside the officers and
men of the Indian Army,
officials said.
z The training included
endurance training, ice
wall climbing, avalanche
and crevasse rescue and
survival drills, they said.
z The Army said the
team of Sappers led by
Capt Shiva Chouhan will
be responsible for numer-
ous combat engineer-
ing tasks and will be
deployed at the post for
three months.
UDAIPUR GIRL WITH ENGG DEGREE
Justice MR Shah (L) and Justice CT Ravikumar (R) issued notice in the matter and posted the matter for hearing on February 7. —PHOTO BY PTI

www.firstindia.co.in I https://firstindia.co.in/epapers/delhi I twitter.com/
thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09
NEW DELHI, WEDNESDAY,
JANUARY 4, 2023
corset is a
t y p i c a l
s u p p o r t
g a r m e n t
worn to
mould the
torso into
a desired form,
traditionally a
smaller waist or
wider bottom, for
aesthetic or medi-
cal reasons or to
support the chest
area . Corsets are
known to be worn
by both sexes, de-
spite the fact that
for a long time
they were exclu-
sively worn by
women.
Corsets certain-
ly conjure up im-
ages of bygone
eras in your mind.
Or, if not exactly
the past, at least
Netflix’s selec-
tion of histori-
cal dramas.
We under-
stand that
while this
may look like a
lovely aesthetic,
it is scarcely real-
istic or feasible
for a day-to-day
look. However,
the Bridgerton
costume depart-
ment has more
than simply
standard corsets.
They are quickly
becoming funda-
mental wardrobe
pieces like T-
shirts. I kid you
not! In fact, they
complement prac-
tically everything
and quickly dress
up or down any-
thing that is too
fussy or informal.
The most typi-
cal and well-
known applica-
tion of corsets is
to contour the
body to a trendy
silhouette. Nar-
rowing the waist
and so emphasis-
ing the breast and
hips, commonly
highlights a cur-
vaceous body in
women.
Traditionally, a
corset spreads
the strain from
enormous gowns,
such as the bustle
and crinoline,
and supports the
visible garment.
Sometimes a cor-
set cover is used
to hide the cor-
set’s lines and
shield outside
clothing from it.
To provide a bar-
rier between the
corset and the
body, the origi-
nal corset cover
was worn below.
Corsets were not
worn near the
skin, presumably
because they
were difficult to
clean in the 19th
century since
they contained
steel boning and
rust-prone metal
eyelets.
C o r s e t s
can be worn
as a top with
low-slung
s l a c k s ,
t i n y
s k i r t s ,
c a r g o
pants,
or as a
coordi-
n a t e d
set. It
will give
you the best
out of your
b o d y .
You can also
wear this
trendy spectac-
ular look on a
loose-fit dress
to add a pinch
of glam to
your look. A
smoky bold
makeup would
look the best
with this type of
fashion.
LET
YOUR
CURVES
CURVES
SPEAK
SPEAK
MRIDULA SHARMA
cityfirst@firstindia.co.in
A
The corset
fashion in 2022
was more
Euphoric than
bright hues,
metallic sheens,
and edgy
designs. Let’s
dive into the
magical world
of corset fashion
with City First

04012023_ First India New Delhi.pdf

04012023_ First India New Delhi.pdf

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