05012022 first india lucknow

Yogi on SP: ‘They worship Kans, they produce Kans’
FRESH SALVO
First India Bureau
Lucknow/Aligarh:
Chief MinisterYogiAdi-
tyanath on Tuesday
compared the Samajwa-
di Party to ‘followers of
Kans’, not of Krishna,
andsaidthattheyshould
fear Lord Krishna for
giving birth to unscru-
pulous elements and for
burning the state in the
fire of hatred.
Speaking in Aligarh,
CM Yogi said, “I am ded-
icating this power pro-
ject here, and Lord
Krishna must be telling
somepeopleinLucknow
in a dream to cry over
their failures, for the
BJP has done the work
they could not. Lord
Krishna must have also
told them that they did
nothing for Mathura,
Gokul,Barsana,orVrin-
davan. Rather, they pro-
ducedKansaandcaused
Jawaharbagh riots in
which SP Mukul Dwive-
di was martyred. Unhe
Bhagwan Krishna se
matlabnahitha,wohlog
Kans ke upasak the, aur
kanshipaidakartethe.”
“Uttar Pradesh has
become riot-free as a re-
sult of the work done by
our public representa-
tives and police in the
last five years. ‘Aaj
pradesh me danga nahi,
ganna paida hota hai’,”
he said.
CM Yogi Adityanath along with Cabinet minister Ashutosh Tondon, CS Durga Shankar Mishra, and Lko Mayor Sanyukta Bhatia lay
foundation of various city development projects at Lok Bhawan in Lucknow on Tuesday. —PHOTO BY SUMIT KUMAR
OUR EDITIONS:
JAIPUR, AHMEDABAD,
LUCKNOW & NEW DELHI
www.firstindia.co.in
www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/
twitter.com/thefirstindia
facebook.com/thefirstindia
instagram.com/thefirstindia
THIRD TIME
UNLUCKY!
Surge in cases indicative of 3rd
Covid wave in India: Experts
New Delhi: In the ma-
jor Indian cities, the
Omicron variant of
coronavirus is account-
ing for more than 50%
of fresh cases of the in-
fection and the massive
surge in the number of
cases over the last one
week is indicative of a
third wave of the pan-
demic, as is being wit-
nessed in several coun-
tries, Dr NK Arora, the
chairman of Covid
working group of NTA-
GI, said on Tuesday
.
Noting that in major
metro centres and sur-
rounding regions, new
variant of the virus is
accounting for over
50% of fresh cases, Aro-
ra stressed there is no
need to panic. He said
over 80% people in
country have been in-
fected with virus natu-
rally, more than 90%
adults have received at
least one dose of vac-
cine and over 65% are
fully vaccinated. —PTI
NEW CORONAVIRUS VARIANT ‘IHU’
IDENTIFIED IN FRANCE
New Delhi: Scientists in France have identified a
new strain of coronavirus with more mutations
than the Omicron variant. The emergence of
the new variant, which probably originated in
Cameroon, as per the study, harbours both
substitutions N501Y and E484K in the spike
protein. At least 12 cases of the new variant have
been reported near Marseilles.
RAHUL QUESTIONS PM’S ‘SILENCE’ OVER
CHINESE BRIDGE ON PANGONG TSO LAKE
7 YEARS OF BJP’S HARDWORK VISIBLE
IN MANIPUR’S DEVELOPMENT: MODI
New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul
Gandhi on Tuesday questioned the
silence of PM Narendra Modi over
reports of China constructing a
bridge on the Pangong Tso Lake in
Ladakh near the LAC. “PM’s silence
is deafening. Our land, our people,
our borders deserve better,” Gandhi
said on Twitter. He cited a news
report claiming that the Chinese have been constructing
a bridge on Pangong Tso Lake for over two months
which is extremely close to the LAC. More on P5
Imphal: Prime Minister Narendra
Modi on Tuesday addressed a
gathering in Imphal and said that
the Northeast region and Manipur
are playing a greater role in India’s
development. He had earlier
inaugurated several developmental
projects worth Rs4,800 crore in
the poll-bound state of Manipur. He
also laid the foundation stones of 5 National Highway
projects and dedicated to people of Manipur, 2,387
mobile towers. PM said previous govts neglected the
region resulting in alienation of the people from the rest
of the country while 7 years of BJP has transformed the
region in terms of development.
I-T DEPT SEARCHES PREMISES OF UP-BASED
REAL ESTATE PROMOTER CLOSE TO SP
New Delhi: The Income Tax (IT) department conducted
searches at the business premises of real estate company
ACE Group and its promoter Ajay Chaudhary in Delhi, Noida
and Greater Noida among other locations, said sources.
Searches are also being conducted at the premises of
companies dealing in the trade of shoes in Agra, said an
Income Tax official. Incidentally, Chaudhary is said to be
close to Samajwadi Party (SP).
LOCKDOWN WILL BE IMPOSED IF
CASES CROSS 20,000: MUMBAI MAYOR
Mumbai: Mayor Kishori Pednekar on Tuesday
said if daily COVID-19 cases
here cross the 20,000-mark, a
lockdown will be imposed in the
city as per Union government’s
rules. Talking to reporters at her
office in the BMC headquarters,
Pednekar suggested that
citizens wear triple-layer masks
while travelling in public buses
and local trains. More on P6
Malik bites the bullet,
shuns his‘Satya’
‘Bulli Bai’ gets
U’khand girl, B’lore
youth in cop net!
Delhi: 5,481 fresh cases,
highest since May 16
New Delhi: Delhi re-
corded 5481 new Cov-
id-19 cases & 3 deaths in
last 24 hours. The
positivity rate
surged to 8.37%
and Tuesday
saw highest
single-day rise
since May 16.
The fatality
rate now stands
at 1.72 per cent
and the recovery rate is
97.26 per cent.
The rise in COVID-19
cases has prompted
Delhi authorities to im-
pose a weekend
curfew from Fri-
day 10 pm to
Monday 5 am
in the city
. Dur-
ing weekend
curfew, no non-
essentialmovement
will be allowed and all
govt employees, bar-
ring essential services,
will ‘work from home’.
New Delhi: With the
Opposition citing his
remarks about PM Nar-
endra Modi, Meghalaya
Governor Satya Pal
Malik said he lauded
PM’s move to withdraw
the contentious farm
laws and “the PM is on
the right track now”.
Malik maintained
that his remarks quot-
ing Union Home Minis-
ter Amit Shah had been
“misconstrued” and
“Shah did not make any
comment on the PM”
but had “asked me to
keep meeting people &
try to convince them”.
“Actually, Amit Shah
had asked me why do I
keep making state-
ments? But when I told
him govt had to find a
middle path for the
farmers and cannot let
them die, he was very
understanding. He un-
derstood the issue too,”
he said. —Agencies
Mumbai: An engineer-
ing student has been ar-
rested in Bulli Bai case
in which Muslim wom-
en vocal on political so-
cial issues were put on
an online ‘auction’. An
18-yr-old woman, Shwe-
ta Singh, from Uttara-
khand who is suspected
to be the main accused
in the case has also
been detained by Mum-
bai police. Mumbai Po-
lice arrested Vishal Jha
in Bengaluru & sent
him to police custody
till Jan 10. Woman is
also being questioned.
Arrested youth is a co-
accused & was in touch
with the woman. —ANI
I have tested positive for Covid. Mild
symptoms. Have isolated myself at
home. Those who came in touch wid
me in last few days, kindly isolate
urself and get urself tested
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, Maharashtra min-
ister Eknath Shinde, Sena MP Arvind Sawant
test Covid-19 positive, Congress leader
Randeep Surjewala too tests positive. P8
Arvind Kejriwal
@ArvindKejriwal
LAUNCHED: INDIA’S 1ST COVID
ANTIVIRAL PILL FOR `1,399
New Delhi: Covid antiviral drug Molnupiravir has
been launched in India at `1,399 for a five-day
course for mild to moderate infection. Amid rising
cases of new Covid variant Omicron in the coun-
try, an expert panel of the Central Drugs Stand-
ard Control Organisation had recently approved
antiviral drug Molnupiravir for restricted use in
emergency situation.
POLL-DANCE!
‘Stampede’ during run
held by Cong in Bareilly
Bareilly: Congress
general secretary Pri-
yanka Gandhi’s ‘Ladhki
Hoon, Ladh Sakti Hoon’
campaign sustained a
jolt on Tuesday when a
‘stampede’ occurred
during marathon or-
ganised by Congress as
part of its poll cam-
paign, leaving 3 girls
injured.
“Permission was giv-
en for 200 children.
However, the number of
those who actually
turned up for the event
was much higher,” City
Magistrate Rajiv Pan-
dey said, adding inci-
dent will be thoroughly
probed and action will
be initiated against the
guilty. “What led to the
near stampede-like situ-
ation? What was the
laxity? How a large
number of children
gathered there, and the
permission given by the
higher education de-
partment are some of
the aspects that will be
probed,” Pandey said.
He claimed organis-
ers had announced a
scooty as first prize for
the marathon’s winner.
Participants were over-
excited to get the scooty
,
leading to pushing and
shoving, and creating a
stampede-like situation,
he said. —ANI/ More on P7
Day after, Satya Pal
Malik says his
remarks about PM
were misconstrued
US SETS GLOBAL RECORD WITH OVER
1 MILLION CASES IN A DAY
Washington: United States reported more than
one million new Covid cases on Monday after the
long New Year’s weekend, according to data from
Johns Hopkins University, as Omicron variant
spread at a blistering pace. There were 1,080,211
new cases in the country, a global record. The
new figure comes a day after top US pandemic
advisor Anthony Fauci said the country was
experiencing “almost a vertical increase” in cases.
LUCKNOW l WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2022 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. UPENG/2020/80229 l Vol 2 l Issue No. 55
Three days after China released a propaganda video, pictures have
emerged of a group of Indian Army soldiers proudly hoisting the
Tricolour in the Galwan Valley on New Year’s Day. The photos released by
Union Law and Justice Minister Kiren Rijiju are perceived as a powerful
counter to a video shared by the Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece
Global Times on January 1 trying to spread misinformation.
JHANDA UNCHA RAHE
HAMARA, SAYS INDIA WITH
TRICOLOUR @ GALWAN!

UTTAR PRADESH
LUCKNOW | WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2022
02
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
FARK SAAF HAI, JO KAHA WO KIYA
YOGI GHERAOES OPPN WITH FACTS
First India Bureau
Aligarh: Chief Minis-
ter Yogi Adityanath
reached Aligarh on
Tuesday to inaugurate
and lay the foundation
stone of 113 develop-
ment projects, includ-
ing the inauguration of
the 660 MW Harduaganj
thermal expansion pro-
ject, the first supercriti-
cal unit of Uttar
Pradesh Rajya Vidyut
Utpadan Nigam Limit-
ed worth more than Rs
7,000 crore.
On this occasion, the
CM also distributed tab-
lets and smartphones to
students in Aligarh. He
also made an announce-
ment to set up a sugar
mill at Satha.
Targeting the Sama-
jwadi Party, the CM
said that it was Mathu-
ra where the first Kosi
Kalan riots took place.
“The Jawaharbagh in-
cident took place in the
same district. Who
would have forgotten
the Muzaffarnagar ri-
ots and the Aligarh con-
troversy?” he said.
Mentioning the Cov-
id management done by
his government, “Even
the brothers and sisters
from Italy are crying
over the bulldozers run-
ning on the mafia,” he
said.
Comparing the gov-
ernment before and af-
ter 2017, CM Yogi said
that earlier public mon-
ey was looted, develop-
ment was of one family
.
The money of the poor
was hidden by them in
the walls.
“Now, we are digging
out the same money
with JCB and giving
tablets and smart-
phones to the youth,
building houses for the
poor.”, he said.
CM Yogi said that in
the earlier govern-
ments, smartphones
and laptops could not be
charged without elec-
tricity, but our govern-
ment is providing unin-
terrupted electricity
.
“In fact, the previous
governments used to
buy electricity at expen-
sive prices and pass the
burden on the public.
The people did not even
get electricity,” he said.
Talking about the
uniformity in the words
and deeds of the BJP,
the Chief Minister also
kept the account of the
seven years of the Modi
government and its five
years in front of the
public.
“We said that we
will end terrorism
from inside the coun-
try, Modi ji and Amit
Shah ji removed Arti-
cle 370 from Kashmir.
‘Fark Saaf Hai, Jo
kaha Woh Kiya’,” the
Chief Minister said.
CM INAUGURATES THERMAL PROJECT, ANNOUNCES SETTING UP OF A SUGAR MILL IN SATHA
CM Yogi Adityanath addresses a rally in Aligarh on Tuesday. He inaugurated and laid foundation stones
of 113 projects, including the 660 MW Harduaganj Thermal Expansion Project.
JIBE@ AKHILESH
Allahabad: The policy
of a university should
not change every time
there is a new vice-
chancellor, Uttar
Pradesh Governor
Anandiben Patel said
here on Tuesday, sug-
gesting universities
should constitute com-
mittees which formu-
late their long-term
policy in sync with the
changes in the country
and across the globe.
In her address at the
fourth convocation cer-
emony of Professor Ra-
jendra Singh (Rajju
Bhaiya) University
here, Patel said it is the
responsibility of every
university to prepare
students keeping in
mind the global reali-
ties so that students
from Uttar Pradesh can
go anywhere in the
country or the world
and perform.
She said priorities of
a university change
with the change of vice-
chancellors. She advo-
cated continuity.
“It is necessary that
such a committee be
formed in universities
which makes a long-
term policy keeping in
mind the changes hap-
pening in the country
and the world. The poli-
cy of a university
should not change with
the change of vice-
chancellor, she said.
A total of 14,503
postgraduate and
1,78,868 undergraduate
students of the Univer-
sitywere awarded de-
grees during the cere-
mony. Also, gold, silver
and bronze medals
were awarded to stu-
dents who achieved ex-
cellent performance.
Professor Dhirendra
Pal Singh, the chief
guest of the convoca-
tion and former chair-
man of the UGC, said
Pandit Madan Mohan
Malviya had said at the
time of the establish-
ment of the Banaras
Hindu University that
character development
is more important than
intellectual develop-
ment for the progress
of an individual or a
society
.
‘Policy of universities should not change with VCs’
EDU TALK
Governor Anandiben Patel distributed medals to 132 meritorious
students of Prof Rajendra Singh University on Tuesday.
Governor Anandiben Patel on
Tuesday addressed the fourth
convocation ceremony of Prof
Rajendra Singh University
SPECIAL COURSE
CM Yogi inaugurates ATS
Commando Training Centre
First India Bureau
Deoband: Affirming
zero-tolerance policy
against terrorism, Ut-
tar Pradesh Chief Min-
ister Yogi Adityanath
inaugurated Anti-ter-
rorist Commando Cen-
tre on Tuesday in
Deoband and said that a
dedicated Commando
force will be established
in UP to eradicate ter-
rorism.
Addressing the gath-
ering here Yogi said
that 56 commandos will
always be deployed in
centre to counter ter-
rorists. He said that ter-
rorist attacks were fre-
quent in previous gov-
ernments’ regime add-
ing that at that time, the
terrorists had political
shelter. But in the BJP
government terrorists
and their attacks have
been neutralised on a
large scale.
Slamming Samajwa-
di Party (SP) president
Akhilesh Yadav, CM
Yogi said “Babua was
also claiming that he
would have flagged off
the construction of
Ram temple if their
government would have
been in power. He also
pointed out that when
SP was in power riots
erupted in Jawahar
Bagh and Muzzafarna-
gar cities adding that
the ones belonging to
SP opened fire on Kar
Sevaks.”
Chief Minister Yogi
Adityanath claimed
that not even a single
riot erupted in the BJP
regime.
CM Yogi inaugurates the ATS Commando Training Centre in
Deoband on Tuesday. Kairana MP Pradeep Chaudhary, MoS
Dharam Singh Saini, MLA (Deoband) Kunwar Brajesh Singh, MLA
(Rampur Maniharan) Devendra Nim, MLA (Gangoh) Kirat Singh,
MLC Srichand Sharma were also present.
CM Yogi said that five cities of UP figure in the top
10 selected for cleanliness. Similarly, 10 cities
have been chosen under the Smart City Mission
and development work was underway in seven
municipal corporations also to deliver utility and
other services at the doorstep to people.
CM Yogi said previous govern-
ment in Uttar Pradesh used to
threaten to demolish the memori-
als built in the name of Baba-
saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar but
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
has developed five places
associated with Babasa-
heb into pilgrimage
centres.
associated with Babasa-
heb into pilgrimage
Yogi Speaks
Yogi Speaks
72 Deputy
Collectors in
UP get grade
pay promotion
Lok Bhawan —FILE PHOTO
First India Bureau
Lucknow: The
state government
is busy making
the officers and
employees happy
ahead of the as-
sembly polls.
The govern-
ment has promot-
ed 72 Deputy Col-
lectors, who have
completed five
years of regular
service and have
done exemplary
work during their
tenure. The state
government has
promoted these of-
ficers to a grade
pay of Rs. 6600.
The benefit of
such promotions
will be missed by
many PCS officers
as their entry was
not complete
while officers
from the recruit-
ment section 3
have been placed
in the promotion
list.
The number of
PCS officers from
the batches from
2007 to 2015 stands
at 22 while 50 PCS
officers are from
the direct recruit-
ment of 2015
batch.
ACS Appoint-
ment Dr. Devesh
Chaturvedi who
issued the order
said that the sala-
ry of these officers
will be based on
the pay fixation
process.
The list of offic-
ers to be promoted
includes PCS Ya-
muna Dhar Chau-
han (Assistant
Municipal Com-
missioner, LMC),
Gunja Singh (OSD
Ghaziabad Devel-
opment Authori-
ty), Siddharth
(Deputy Collector
Lucknow), Shubhi
Kakan (Deputy
Collector Luc-
know) and many
others.
TwowomenIPSofficers
empanelled for IG rank
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Two wom-
en IPS officers from
the 2002 batch of Ut-
tar Pradesh IPS cadre
have been empanelled
for posting as Inspec-
tor General of Police,
IG and equivalent
posts on Central dep-
utation.
IPS officers Shachi
Ghildyal of batch 2002
is currently posted as
DIG, Embassy of In-
dia in Washington
and IPS Aparna Ku-
mar is currently serv-
ing as DIG, ITBP and
is posted in Dehra-
dun.
IPS Aparna has
previously received
numerous national
awards and even
holds many records
in mountaineering.
She is married to
IPS officer Sanjay Ku-
mar who is also from
the 2002 batch.
The Appointment
Affairs Committee
has approved a list of
23 IPS officers whose
orders of listing were
issued by the Union
Home Ministry
.
IPS Aparna has earned a
reputation for scaling some
of the higest peaks across
the world including the
South Pole. —FILE PHOTO
FOUR IPS OFFICERS TRANSFERRED
Properties belonging to
mafia Satendra Mukhiya
confiscated in Baghpat
First India Bureau
Baghpat: Police have
taken action against
mafia Satendra Mukhi-
ya under gangster act
and have confiscated
his properties worth Rs
11 lakh.
Satendra Mukhiya
was close aide of notori-
ous criminal Dharmen-
dra Kirthal. Actions
havebeen takenagainst
Kirthal and his associ-
ates earlier and their
properties were seized
under gangster act.
On orders of District
Magistrate Rajkamal
Yadav, a team consist-
ing of administrative
officers including SDM
Subhash Singh, circle
officer Hareesh Bha-
dauriya and other po-
lice officials reached at
Sunheda village and
completed the confisca-
tion proceedings.
Satendra Mukhiya ,
who has more than 22
cases against him is
lodged in Baghpat jail
and was arrested by th
e police in 2021.
—FILE PHOTO
Ex-U’khand Cong Chief
MEETS BJP LEADERS
Lucknow: Former
president of Uttara-
khand Congress
Kishore Upadhyay met
senior state BJP leaders
here on Monday night
fuelling speculation in
the media that he might
join the saffron party
.
The meeting took
place at the residence of
state BJP’s organisa-
tional general secretary
Ajeya Kumar in the
presenceof BJPelection
in-chargePralhadJoshi.
However, Upadhyay
dismissed the specula-
tion in this regard as ru-
mour saying he was
meeting different people
in connection with his
Vanadhikar Andolan as
hewantedthecomingas-
sembly polls in Uttara-
khandtobefoughtonthe
concernsof thehillstate.
He appealed to people
not to pay heed to such
“rumours”.
It is to be noted that
Upadhyay is the founder
of VanadhikarAndolan,
a movement that fights
for the right of locals on
the state’s forest re-
sources.
Updahyay’s meeting
with BJP leaders in the
election season when
political affiliations
and loyalties are often
being switched was
quick to fuel specula-
tion about his likely
cross-over.
Kishore Upadhyay
Upadhyay
however has
appealed to
people not to pay
heed to such
“rumours”.

PERSPECTIVE
04
Promoted by First India
News International Pvt. Ltd.
UN TAG GIVES A WIDER PAN TO BENGAL’S BIGGEST
FESTIVAL OF DAUGHTER UMA’S HOMECOMING
Evolution of Durga puja
from the Brahminical
origin began after it
(Durga Puja) became
“Sarbojonin” or
Barowari– which means
when the puja was
organised by a
community for the
masses and this
happened widely in 1919
et us start the year with a
piece of good news which
broke during the middle of
Decemberlastyear.Politics
can wait for a while and
even as the festive season
albeit overshadowed by the
Covid menace continues…
let’s look at what the UNE-
SCO tag for Durga Puja ac-
tually means and we shall
also talk or mention about
a host of other events
which come under the cat-
egory and while we do so,
we would also touch upon
Durga Puja and the Free-
dom Struggle.
UNESCO’S Intergovern-
mental Committee for the
Safeguarding of the Intan-
gible Cultural Heritage put
“DurgaPujainKolkata”on
the Representative List of
the Intangible Cultural
Heritage of Humanity
. The
Committee met virtually
for its 16th Session between
December 13 and 18.
Eric Falt, director of UN-
ESCO, New Delhi, said he
was “confident that this in-
scription will offer encour-
agement to the local com-
munities that celebrate
Durga Puja, including all
thetraditionalcraftspeople,
designers, artists, and or-
ganisers of large-scale cul-
tural events, as well as tour-
ists and visitors… .”
Although celebrated
across the country — and
notably in states like West
Bengal, Tripura, Bihar,
Odisha, Jharkhand, As-
sam, Delhi, Maharashtra,
andUttarPradesh—andin
Bangladesh, the soul of the
10-day annual Sharodotsav
festival actually lies in Kol-
kata, where around 3,500
community Durga Pujas
are organised apart from a
large number of pujas in
Bengali households, apart-
ments and areas.
THE INTANGIBLE
HERITAGE
According to UNESCO,
“cultural heritage does not
end at monuments and col-
lections of objects”, but
“also includes traditions or
living expressions inherit-
ed from our ancestors and
passed on to our descend-
ants, such as oral tradi-
tions, performing arts, so-
cial practices, rituals, fes-
tive events, knowledge and
practices concerning na-
tureandtheuniverseorthe
knowledgeandskillstopro-
duce traditional crafts”.
Intangible cultural her-
itage, according to UNE-
SCO, is “traditional, con-
temporary and living at the
same time”, “inclusive”,
“representative”, and
“community-based”. It is
“an important factor in
maintaining cultural di-
versity in the face of grow-
ing globalisation” — and
“an understanding of the
intangible cultural herit-
age of different communi-
ties helps with intercul-
tural dialogue, and encour-
ages mutual respect for
other ways of life”.
WHAT’S ON THE LIST
The Representative List of
the Intangible Cultural Her-
itageof Humanitycurrently
has 492 elements, UNESCO
saidinitsrelease.Thelistof
Intangible Cultural Herit-
age elements on the UNE-
SCO website includes 13 en-
tries from India.
Besides Durga Puja in
Kolkata (2021), the India
list has: Kumbh Mela
(2017); Nowruz (2016); tra-
ditional brass and copper
utensil-making among the
Thatheras of Jandiala
Guru, Punjab (2014);
Sankirtana of Manipur
(2013); Buddhist chanting
of Ladakh (2012); Chhau
dance, Kalbelia dance of
Rajasthan, and Mudiyettu
of Kerala (2010); Ramman
festival of Garhwal (2009);
and Kutiyattam Sanskrit
theatre, Ramlila, and Vedic
chanting (2008).
The 2021 Representative
List of the Intangible Cul-
tural Heritage of Humani-
ty also has entries includ-
ing Arabic calligraphy,
Uzbekistan’s Bakhshi art,
Congolese rumba, falconry
,
Inuit drum dancing of
Denmark, and the tradi-
tional Italian knowledge
and practice of truffle
hunting and extraction.
Some historians have
also scripted that Durga
Puja had a special place
during the Freedom strug-
gle and invoking Goddess
Durga as the Mother was to
send a message across that
it is the responsibility of
her “sons” to rescue her
when the country is under
the British rule.
In 1882, Bankim Chan-
dra Chattopadhyay wrote
Anandamath and hailed
the association of Goddess
Durga with the concept of
a nation. Around this time
onlyhepennedVandeMata-
ram which went on to be-
come India’s Freedom
movement song. In 1905,
when the British proposed
theDivisionof Bengal,Dur-
ga Puja was very much a
major part of Freedom
Movement. Evolution of
Durga puja from the Brah-
minical origin began after
it (Durga Puja) became
“Sarbojonin” or Barowari–
which means when the
puja was organised by a
community for the masses
and this happened widely
in 1919. And thereafter, the
puja transformed the cele-
bration from a prayer to
sharodotsav… that is the
festival in autumn.
Sarbojonin or Barowari
refers to the public organi-
zation of a religious entity
,
mainly in West Bengal.
Barowari has significance
associated with Durga Puja
festival. The word “Baro-
wari” comes from the San-
skrit words “bar”, which
means public, and Persian
word “wari”, means For.
And subsequently from
then (1919) onwards the
number of sarbojonin Dur-
ga Pujas started increasing
manifold. Several freedom
fighters from the state were
actively associated with or-
ganising Durga Puja. They
believed Durga Puja could
be a platform to motivate
and thereby unite people
for the bigger cause that is
to liberate the country
.
Netaji Subhas Chandra
Bose was directly involved
with both Baghbazar Sar-
bojanin Durgotsav and
Simla Bayam Samity Sar-
bojanin Durga Puja. When
Netaji was Mayor of Cal-
cutta (1930), he donated Rs
500 to the Puja organizers.
Later, in 1938-1939, Netaji
himself became the presi-
dent of Baghbazar Sarboja-
nin Durgotsav committee.
However, since 2016,
Mamata Banerjee’s TMC
government has been or-
ganising the Durga Puja
Carnival — a parade of
popular pujas from Kolka-
ta and adjoining districts
along with cultural exhib-
its at Kolkata’s famed Red
Road to attract global at-
tention towards the festi-
val and uplift tourism.
Following the Unesco’s
tag,theChief Ministersaid
she was “proud and hon-
oured for what we have
achieved”, and took a jibe
at her political opponents
especially the BJP who she
said had “spread lies that I
don’t allow Durga Puja cel-
ebrations in the state”.
In September 2021, West
Bengal chief minister
Mamata Banerjee had re-
quested the UNESCO to
declare Durga Puja as “In-
tangible Cultural Herit-
age” and a global festival.
With this recognition by
UNESCO, the cottage indus-
tries of rural Bengal, devas-
tated by the pandemic, will
again limp back to life.
All Bengali households
consider Ma Durga as their
daughter and the celebra-
tion is a saga where the
daughter visits her father’s
home for the festivities and
after that… on the last
day… that is on Bijoya
Dashami, she returns to
her Kailash.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
L
In September 2021, West Bengal chief
minister Mamata Banerjee had
requested the UNESCO to declare Durga
Puja as “Intangible Cultural Heritage” and
a global festival. With this recognition by
UNESCO, the cottage industries of rural
Bengal, devastated by the pandemic,
will again limp back to life
ROBIN ROY
The writer is Senior Associate Editor,
Free Press Journal, Mumbai and former
Managing Editor, First India
l Vol 2 l Issue No. 55 l RNI NO. UPENG/2020/80229. Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Amar Ujala Ltd. B-5 Amausi Industrial Area Kanpur Road Lucknow.
Published at 98, Friend’’s Colony, Raheem Nagar, Dudouli Road, Madiyaon, Lucknow (UP). Editor-In-Chief: Jagdeesh Chandra. Editor: Vishal Srivastav responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act
Piyush Goyal
@PiyushGoyal
Celebrating the Grandeur
of #IndiaAtDubaiExpo with
7 Lakh+ Footfall Footprints
The buzz continues at Flag of
India Pavilion as it achieves
remarkable feat in less than
100 days The iconic India
Pavilion at @Expo2020Dubai
has left the whole world in
awe with our dynamic culture
& futuristic plans.
Dharmendra Pradhan
@dpradhanbjp
The flag of India is on Galvan.
Under what compulsion
does @RahulGandhi support
Chinese propaganda?
Why does Rahulji starts
questioning India’s
sovereignty, integrity and
bravery of the country’s
soldiers on every mysterious
foreign tour? Rahul ji, break
the silence.
TOP TWEETS
SPIRITUAL SPEAK
DO YOUR WORK WITH THE WELFARE
OF OTHERS ALWAYS IN MIND.
—BHAGAVAD GITA
his is poll sea-
son and a great
season for free-
bies. Political
parties are
ready to offer the moon in
order to influence the vot-
ers’ preference. Whether
they stand a chance to win
or not, no political party
is ready to lag behind in
offering allurements to
voters.
In fact they are trying to
outdo one another. The
Congress, which stands no
chance of victory, has of-
fered free scooty and mo-
biles, three free LPG cylin-
ders a year to housewives,
Rs 10,000 monthly hono-
rarium for Asha and Aan-
ganbadi workers, appoint-
ment of 40 percent women
on new government jobs
and Rs 1000 pension to wid-
ows and elderly women.
It is a fairly long list of
promises which are easy to
make but may be difficult
to deliver.
Akhilesh Yadav, who is
leading the Samajwadi
Party into the poll battle
and is the main challenger,
has promised 300 units of
free electricity to house-
holds unmindful of the
state power corporation’s
frail economic health.
He expects Arvind Kejri-
wal’s Delhi formula to
work in UP. The financial
impact of the promise has
obviously not been worked
out. Kejriwal has offered
300 units of free units of
electricity 24x7 to Punjab
voters to better the Con-
gress offer of 200 units.
These promises fall in
the category of allure-
ments or bribing of voters.
Having been adopted by all
political parties, whether
ruling or in Opposition,
nobody raises a question
about the legality of the
practice. The Election
Commission of India also
overlooks it, giving its tac-
it approval. Should it not
frown upon political par-
ties for making pre-poll
promises?
SEASON OF
FREEBIES IS IN
FULL SWING
Akhilesh Yadav,
who is leading the
Samajwadi Party
into the poll battle and
is the main challenger,
has promised 300
units of free electricity
to households
unmindful of the
state power
corporation’s frail
economic health
T

To Receive Free Newspaper
PDF Daily
Whatsapp:
https://bit.ly/whatsapplko
Telegram:
https://t.me/firstindialucknow
Click the above link☝ & subscribe us on your
preferred platform.

INDIA
05
Postponing the census is a bad idea!
Anita Hada
New Delhi: So far, the
central government is
saying that it will con-
duct the 2021 Census,
but if the government
postpones it and justi-
fies it in the name of
getting the population
figures from the coro-
na vaccination data,
then, experts believe,
it will be a bad idea.
This is so because only
the number of people
will be known from the
vaccination data,
whereas from the Cen-
sus, many types of
data are made availa-
ble, on the basis of
which the policies of
the government are
made. Without these
figures, the public wel-
fare schemes of the
government are not
possible. At present,
the work is going on
with the 2011 Census
data and the estimates
based on it.
Vaccination data
cannot be a substitute
for Census data. The
Census data shows the
number of houses, SC-
ST data, mother
tongue and two other
languages, as well as
socio-economic data.
The policies of the gov-
ernment are made on
the basis of these so-
cio-economic data.
Since only the popula-
tion numbers will be
known from the vacci-
nation data, therefore
the government
should start Census as
soon as possible.
All the work of the
government has been
happening in the midst
of Corona. If elections
and election rallies in
the states were not
stopped due to Corona,
then what is the point
of postponing the Cen-
sus? Crowds do not
gather during Census
work. The government
is terming employees
conducting the elec-
tions as frontline work-
ers and getting the pre-
caution dose started,
in the same way, Cen-
sus can also be started
by applying precaution
dose to those involved
in the programme.
SIT begins probe, seer
offers to bail out accused
Dehradun: As an SIT
began its probe into the
recent Haridwar event
where hate speeches
were delivered against
Muslims, a seer on
Tuesday said he will
personally secure bail
for anyone booked in
connection with the
case.
Bhooma pithadhish-
war Achyutananda
Teerth asserted this at
the conclusion of a five-
day mahayagya for god-
dess Baglamukhi in Ut-
tarakhand’s Haridwar,
where the controversial
dharma sansad too was
held last month.
At the mahayagya
held at Haridwar’s
Karshni ghat, he urged
seers to sacrifice them-
selves for making the
country a Sanatan Ve-
dic Rashtra.
Panch Dashnam
akhara’s Yati Narasim-
hanand and Niranjani
akhara’s Sadhvi An-
napurna, who are
among those named in
the two FIRs lodged
over the dharma san-
sad, were actively in-
volved in organising
the mahayagya as well,
reports said.
The special investi-
gation team constitut-
ed on Sunday to probe
into the dharma san-
sad began its work on
Tuesday. Two separate
FIRs have been lodged
in this connection but
no arrests have been
made so far. —PTI
‘Bulli Bai’ row: Police
transfers case to IFSO
New Delhi: Delhi Po-
lice on Tuesday said
that the ‘Bulli Bai’ case
had been transferred to
the Special Cell Cyber
Unit/Intelligence Fu-
sion and Strategic Op-
erations (IFSO) unit.
Additional CP, Chin-
may Biswal said, “Un-
derstanding the seri-
ousness of the case, we
have transferred the
case to IFSO unit. In
cases of cyber crime in-
volving companies
from international loca-
tions, it gets difficult for
us. But we are expedit-
ing the MLAT process.”.
The case was first regis-
tered by Cyber Cell,
South East Zone.
Meanwhile, a 21-year-
old engineering student
from Bengaluru has
been remanded to po-
lice custody till Janu-
ary 10. While another
woman, said to be the
main accused, has been
detained by Mumbai
Police. The woman is
being brought to Mum-
bai for investigation.
She will be produced in
Uttarakhand court for
transit remand. —ANI
HARIDWAR HATE SPEECH
Kabul: The Taliban
which has been sanc-
tioned by the UN for ter-
rorism has started hold-
ing talks with neigh-
bouring nations about
returning Afghan
planes that Afghan pi-
lots used to flee to Uz-
bekistan and Tajikistan
after the Taliban took
over in August, accord-
ing to the Taliban move-
ment’s senior officials.
“Over 40 aircraft have
been flown to neigh-
bouring countries, espe-
cially Tajikistan and
Uzbekistan. The negoti-
ations have begun over
the return of the air-
craft,” Islamic Emirate
deputy spokesman Ina-
mullah Samangani was
quoted. The actual num-
ber of Afghan planes
that have travelled to
Central Asian countries
is unknown, although
accordingtocertainesti-
mates, there are over 164
aircraft, as per the news
agency
.“Thegovtsof the
two countries have been
called upon many times
to return the aircraft to
the current Afghan gov-
ernment. Of course,
they made offers, but so
fartheyhavenothanded
themover(aircraft),”the
media quoted defence
ministry spokesman.
—ANI
Taliban negotiating return of Afghan
aircraft with neighbouring countries
BJP worried of caste census!
First India Bureau
New Delhi: While both
the Central Govern-
ment and BJP have said
that castes will not be
counted in the popula-
tion Census, but the way
many state govts have
put pressure on Centre
over this issue and the
fact that Centre is post-
poning 2021 Census, it
also raises a question
whether it is being post-
ponedfor10yearsjustto
avoid caste census? If
theCensusispostponed,
both Centre BJP will
be spared the charge
that they deliberately do
not want to give their
due to other backward
castes and hence are not
conducting the caste
census. It is noteworthy
that the parties doing
politics of OBC are de-
manding a count of
OBCs.
In Bihar, BJP’s ally
Janata Dal-U had de-
manded this and now
CM Nitish Kumar has
announced that Bihar
government will get the
OBC census done at its
own expense. State BJP
leaders are opposing it
but they will not be able
to stop the government
from going ahead. Simi-
larly, in Uttar Pradesh,
SP leader Akhilesh Ya-
dav has announced that
if his government is
formed, he will get an
OBC census done.
Meanwhile,OBCcensus
has started in Chhattis-
garh after HC order.
Yati Narsinghanand Giri
CBI denies reports
of ‘not finding
proof’ in 21 sexual
assault cases
New Delhi: CBI on
Tuesday denied the me-
dia reports claiming
the agency didn’t find
any evidence in 21 cas-
es of rape and attempt
to rape received by the
National Human
Rights Commission
(NHRC).
CBI in a statement
mentioned that it has
been reported in a sec-
tion of media on Mon-
day and Tuesday that
21 instances of Sexual
Assault forwarded by
NHRC, were closed by
CBI alleging that no
evidence of Rape, At-
tempt to Rape, Molesta-
tion, Sexual Assault
was found in those
complaints. News has
been published saying
it to be based on source
input and Second Sta-
tus Report dated 22 De-
cember 2021 submitted
by CBI in the Calcutta
High Court on Post Poll
Violence Cases.
Image for representational purpose only.
‘Beijing’ Janata Party Leaders
busy in election rallies: Kharge
PM’s silence is deafening. Our land, our people, our borders deserve better: Rahul Gandhi
New Delhi: Leader of
Opposition in Rajya
Sabha Mallikarjun
Kharge said: “China is
busy building a bridge
on Pangong Tso to make
it easier to deploy
troops. Meanwhile,
‘Beijing’ Janata Party
leaders led by PM HM
are busy in election ral-
lies. Enemy is at our
gates. PM Modi is tak-
ing a siesta.”
The Congress alleged
that government is si-
lent over China as it has
occupied and set up a
village in “our” terri-
tory in Arunachal
Pradesh and renamed
26-27 places in the state.
On Monday
, the Cong
slammed the govt over
reports of Chinese
troops celebrating new
year at Galwan valley
but later it emerged that
PLA was not present at
the disputed area of Gal-
wan valley
, which is now
a demilitarised zone af-
ter the June, 2020 clash
between the two armies
andsubsequentseriesof
talks between India and
China through proper
diplomatic channels.
It all started after a
video surfaced on social
media site, shared by
the Chinese media,
showing PLA troop cel-
ebrating new year and
unfurling the Chinese
flag, with a caption,
“China’s national flag
rises over Galwan Val-
ley on the New Year Day
of 2022,” which further
read, “the flag was spe-
cial since it once flew
overTiananmenSquare
in Beijing”. —ANI
Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi.
SINGHVI SAYS DON’T RELY
ON CHINESE MEDIA,
CONGRESS EMBARRASSED
New Delhi: In a ma-
jorembarrassmentto
the party, Congress
leader Abhishek
Manu Singhvi on
Tuesday said that In-
dian media should
not fall for Chinese
propaganda after few
reports emerged that
Chinese have hoisted
flag which turned out
to be fake.
Singhvi said,
“Would urge the In-
dian media not to
take the CCP Glob-
al Times propaganda
machinery seriously
.
They are nothing but
an absolute joke espe-
cially in the digital
age,apsyopsthatcan
be easily busted by
few minutes of Goog-
le search.”
But his own party
on Monday attacked
the government on
the same report and
former Congress
President Rahul Gan-
dhi too criticized the
government.
The Congress on
Monday slammed the
govt over reports that
Chinese troops are
celebrating new year
at Galwan Valley
.
IN THE COURTYARD
No non-bailable warrant against Ranaut
in defamation case: Mumbai court
Mumbai: A Mumbai
courttodayrejectedthe
lyricist Javed Akhtar’s
demand for a non-bail-
able warrant against
actor Kangana
Ranaut, his lawyer Jay
Bhardwaj said.
“The court rejected
the demand for issu-
ance of a non-bailable
warrant. The next
hearing will be on Feb-
ruary1atAndheriMet-
ropolitan Magistrate,”
the lawyer said.
Akhtar had filed a
criminal defamation
complaint on Nov 3,
2020, against Ranaut
forreportedlydragging
his name in her fight
with Hrithik Roshan.
NEET-PG: SC to
hear EWS quota
case today
Air India was
facing losses of
`20 cr: Centre
New Delhi: The Su-
preme Court has
agreed to hear the case
relating to reservation
of EWS category in
NEET admissions for
Post-Graduate medi-
cal courses on Wednes-
day after the Central
government sought an
urgent hearing in the
matter. Solicitor Gen-
eral Tushar Mehta, ap-
pearing for the Centre,
mentioned the matter
before a bench of
Chief Justice of India
NV Ramana and Jus-
tices Surya Kant and
Hima Kohli for urgent
hearing.
New Delhi: Air India
was in continuous
losses and the Centre
couldn’t afford further
losses, the Union of
India informed the
Delhi High Court on
Tuesday. There were
losses of approximate-
ly Rs 20 crore everyday
and it could not allow
wastage of more pub-
lic money, the Union
of India lawyer stated.
Air India was in
continuous losses and
the Centre couldn’t af-
ford further losses, the
Union of India in-
formed the Delhi High
Court on Tuesday
.
North-east Delhi violence: High Court reserves
order on bail pleas of six accused in murder case
New Delhi: The Delhi
HC has reserved orders
on the bail pleas moved
by six persons accused
in a case relating to the
North East Delhi violence
in Feb 2020. The ac-
cused were booked
in a case relating to
vandalism, putting fire
to a sweet shop which
caused the death of a
22-year-old man, who
died after sustaining
burn injuries. An FIR
under various sections
of the IPC was registered
against the accused.
Nadda flays KCR Govt for arrest
of Telangana unit chief Bandi
Hyderabad: Amid po-
lice restrictions, BJP
President JP Nadda on
Tuesday paid floral trib-
utes to Mahatma Gan-
dhi’s statue here as part
of the party’s “peace
rally” in protest against
thearrestof BJP’sTelan-
gana unit president Ban-
di Sanjay Kumar.
Highdramaprevailed
on Tuesday evening as
Nadda arrived at the
city airport to partici-
pate in the party rally
but police denied per-
mission for holding it in
view of COVID-19-relat-
ed norms.
Nadda told reporters
at the airport that city
joint commissioner of
police Kartikeya met
him and told him that
the COVID-19 norms
should be adhered to
and that no permission
was accorded for the
event. Nadda said he
told the police official
that he would follow all
COVID-19 norms and go
to Mahatma Gandhi’s
statue accordingly
.
Asserting that he
would follow COVID-19
norms, Nadda said he
requested the police of-
ficial to make necessary
arrangements so that he
can pay his respects at
Mahatma Gandhi’s stat-
ue as per the norms.
The official, however,
expressed his inability
saying he had no per-
mission for it, he said.
“I said you wanted me
to adopt the norms and
I adopted the norms. I
will go as per the norms.
They can tell me where
they feel that I am not
following it. I will fulfil
if there is any short-
coming in following the
norms.” —ANI
FRESH SNOWFALL!
A bench layered with snow as Narkanda receives fresh
snowfall, in Shimla on Tuesday. —PHOTO BY ANI

INDIA
06
New Delhi: Former
Punjab Chief Minister
Captain Amarinder Sin-
gh on Tuesday urged the
Centre to work with the
Pakistan government to
allow pilgrims to enter
Kartarpur Sahib with
an Aadhaar card.
“During my tenure @
PunjabGovtIndia had
announced to bear the
$20 fees for the pilgrims
visiting Kartarpur sa-
hib via the corridor,
however due to Covid
restrictions the passage
was closed. To ensure
‘Khule Darshan Didar’
of the holy shrine, GOP
must implement this de-
cision,” Singh tweeted.
Capt also said, the
BJP is the only party
that can take care of
the state’s securi-
ty and economic
challenges and he
slammed the Con-
gress and AAP of
making poll
p ro m i s e s
w h i c h
can’t be fulfilled.
Amarinder Singh also
claimed his party’s alli-
ance with the BJP and
Shiromani Akali Dal-
Sanyukt for the next
year’s Assembly
polls is in the na-
tional and state’s
interest.
He further
said, “Currently
a pilgrim
m u s t
have a
pass-
port
t o
visit Kartarpur Sahib. I
will urge GOI to relax
this requirement to
work with the Pakistan
govt to allow entry with
an aadhar card. I am
hopeful that both gov-
ernments will agree to
this in the interest of
Nanak Naam Leva
Sangat.”
The Kartarpur Cor-
ridor links Gurdwara
Darbar Sahib in Paki-
stan, the final resting
place of Sikhism found-
er Guru Nanak Dev, to
Dera Baba Nanak
shrine in Gurdaspur
district.
In a major decision,
Prime Minister Naren-
dra Modi-led govern-
ment decided to re-open
the Kartarpur corridor
from November 17. It
was closed in
wake of the Covid-19
pandemic.
The visa-free 4.7-kilo-
metre long corridor
joins the Indian border
to Gurdwara Darbar Sa-
hib in Pakistan. It be-
came operational in
2019. —ANI
Amarinder urges Centre to work with Pak Govt
PILGRIMAGE TO KARTARPUR
PM MODI TO RALLY
DESPITE CURBS
Ludhiana: Though the
Punjab government
has closed educational
institutions and imposed
night curfew amid rising
Covid infections, political
rallies including the
one to be addressed by
the Prime Minister at
Ferozepur on Wednesday
are expected to go ahead
as per the schedule. The
BJP said the Wednesday
rally, touted as “the big-
gest ever political rally
in the state” wouldn’t be
affected by curbs.
NEP follows Gandhi’s
‘Nai Talim’: Vice Prez
New Delhi: Vice Presi-
dent M. Venkaiah
Naidu on Tuesday said
that the New Education
Policy follows the ‘Nai
Talim’ of Mahatma
Gandhi by giving im-
portance to the mother
tongue as a medium of
instruction at the
school level.
Addressing Virtually
the Silver Jubilee Cele-
brations of Mahatma
Gandhi International
Hindi University in
Wardha, the Vice Presi-
dent recalled that the
“Nai Talim” proposed
by Mahatma Gandhi in
Wardha in 1937 laid em-
phasis on making moth-
er tongue as the medi-
um of instruction in
addition to free compul-
sory education.
Naidu said that our
Constituent Assembly,
after a long debate, ac-
cepted Hindi as the of-
ficial language and also
accorded constitutional
status to other Indian
languages in the Eighth
Schedule.
AIMPLB defies Surya Namaskar, asks
Muslim students to stay away from it
New Delhi: Opposing
the Central Govern-
ment’s directive to or-
ganize “Surya Nam-
askar” program in
schools on the 75th an-
niversary of Independ-
ence Day, the All-India
Muslim Personal Law
Board (AIMPLB) has
said that it is a form of
“Surya puja which is
not allowed in Islam”.
The programme has
been launched in line
with a tribute to 75
years of India’s inde-
pendence “Azadi ka
Amrit Mahotsav” be-
tween January 1 to
January 7.
In a letter, the Board’s
generalsecretaryMaula-
na Khalid Saifullah
Rahmani on Monday
askedMuslimstudentsto
stayawayfromtheSurya
Namaskar program.
“India is a secular,
multi-religious and
multi-cultural country.
On the basis of these
principles, our consti-
tution has been written,
instructions have been
given to take care of it
in the school curricu-
lum and non-curricu-
lars also. Here the cus-
toms and rituals of the
majority community
cannot be imposed on
all religions,” the state-
ment read.
The Constitution
does not allow us to
teach teachings of a
particular religion in
government education-
al institutions or to or-
ganize celebrations
based on the beliefs of a
particular group, the
statement further said.
—Pic
for
representation
purpose
only
‘MAY LOCK
GOES AWRY’
MUMBAI IF SITUATION
AS COVID-19, ITS VARIANT OMICRON CASES CONTINUE TO RISE LIKE WILDFIRE IN MAHARASHTRA;
STRICTER CURBS LIKELY TO BE IMPOSED IF THINGS GO OUT OF HANDS: CHAHAL, BMC COMMISSIONER
Himanshu Rawat
Mumbai: While viru-
lent third wave of Cov-
id is knocking on In-
dia’s door, Brihanmum-
bai Municipal Corpora-
tion (BMC) commis-
sioner Iqbal Singh
Chahal on Tuesday said
the Covid-19 task force
report suggests that
80–85 per cent of cases
in Mumbai are of the
Omicron variant.
The commisioner
also said that Maha-
rashtra is expressing
the onset of the third
wave of Covid-19. If the
number of Covid cases
rises to 20,000 per day
and things go out of our
hands, then strict re-
strictions will be
clamped in the city
.
Explaining the rising
of cases in the state,
Chahal said, “We are at
the beginning of the
third wave because the
positivity rate has been
increasing since Decem-
ber 21. In the months of
August and September
last year, the positivity
rate was less than 1 per
cent. For the first time,
the positivity rate went
beyond 1 per cent on De-
cember 21, and after 14
days, we are at a positiv-
ity rate of 17.4 per cent.”
While assuring the
presence of adequate
medical resources to
fight the anticipated
thirdwavewithcomplete
preparedness, Chahal
said that there is no need
to panic but people must
remainguardedandcau-
tiousbecausethewaythe
virus is spreading, the
number of cases can be
humungous.
Talking about the im-
position of curbs, Cha-
hal said, “On December
30, 2020, two factors
were discussed in a
Maharashtra is
expressing the onset of
the third wave of
Covid-19. If the
number of Covid cases
rises to 20,000 per
day and things go out
of our hands, then
strict restrictions will
be clamped in the city.
Iqbal Singh Chahal,
BMC commissioner

z Despite huge
Omicron surge, data
signals end of pan-
demic: Scientists

z US sets world daily
record of over 1 mil-
lion Covid cases

z Omicron becoming
dominant strain in In-
dia not a ‘bad thing’,
says expert

z Offline ticket counters
of Taj Mahal, Agra
Fort closed in view of
Covid-19

z Over 80 Kolkata
Police personnel test
positive for Covid

z As Covid-19 spreads,
Punjab imposes night
curfew; schools, col-
leges shut
INDIA GRAPPLES WITH THE HIGHLY MUTATED OMICRON VARIANT
80
DOCTORS,
STUDENTS
AT PATIALA
MEDICAL
COLLEGE
TEST COVID
POSITIVE
50
DELHI’S
AIIMS DOCS
IN ISOLATION
AS COVID-19
CASES
SPIRAL INTO
HOSPITALS
33
HOSPITAL
STAFF IN
LUCKNOW’S
MEDANTA
TEST
POSITIVE FOR
COVID-19
CHHATTISGARH
BANS RALLIES,
SOCIAL EVENTS
Raipur: Chhattisgarh
government on Tuesday
banned rallies, proces-
sions, and social, cul-
tural as well as sports
events in all the districts
of the state in the wake
of surging COVID-19
cases and imposed a
statewide night curfew
from 10 pm to 6 am. A
statement issued by the
Chief Minister’s Office
said, “Ban imposed
on processions, ral-
lies, public gather-
ings, social, cultural
and sports events in
every district.” It further
informed that random
testing for Covid-19 will
be conducted at railway
stations and borders of
the state. “Daily report-
ing of hospital beds,
stock of medicines, and
availability of oxygen,”
read the statement. The
statement further read,
“In districts with a posi-
tivity rate of 4 per cent
or more all schools,
Anganwadi centres,
libraries, swimming
pools, malls, cinemas,
marriage palaces,
hotels, restaurants,
auditoriums should be
closed.
10,860 FRESH COVID-19 CASES IN
MUMBAI, 89% ARE ASYMPTOMATIC
Workers arrange hospital beds for the setup of a COVID
centre in view of rising Omicron cases.
Mumbai: Mumbai on Tuesday saw another huge
jump in coronavirus infections with 10,860 new
cases, 34 per cent higher than yesterday (8,082).
Eighty-nine per cent of these infections are asympto-
matic.Of the total fresh cases, 834 needed hospitali-
sation, the daily bulletin shows, further highlighting
that 52 patients needed medical oxygen too.
SEC TO HOLD MEETING ON BHARAT
BIOTECH’S NASAL BOOSTER DOSE
New Delhi: The Subject Expert Committee (SEC)
of the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) is
expected to meet on Tuesday afternoon to discuss
Bharat Biotech’s application for clinical trials of its
intranasal Covid vaccine as a booster or a third dose.
The Hyderabad-based manufacturer has proposed
the booster dose for those who have been already
been innoculated against COVID with Covishield and
Covaxin vaccines. Bharat Biotech aims to conduct
clinical trials on 5,000 subjects (50 per cent vac-
cinated with Covishield and 50 per cent vaccinated
with Covaxin). The interval between the second dose
and booster dose will be six months, sources said.
EVERY PASSENGER OF CORDELIA TO UNDERGO
COVID TEST ONCE THE SHIP REACHES MUMBAI
Mumbai: Every passenger of the Cordelia cruise ship, which will reach
Mumbai on Tuesday evening, will undergo COVID-19 test as it has been
sent back to Mumbai from Goa with all the passengers after more than
66 out of 2,000 onboard tested
COVID-19 positive. “The ship is
scheduled to arrive in Mumbai
today evening and everyone
onboard will undergo COVID-19
test,” said Brihanmumbai Mu-
nicipal Corporation (BMC) official.
“BMC has constituted a special
team to conduct the test of pas-
sengers on board. Those who test positive will be sent to COVID centres or
hospitals. Those who test negative will be sent to compulsory quarantine,”
the official added.
meeting with Chief
MinisterUddhavThack-
arey
. The new yard-
sticks, unlike the posi-
tivity rate during the
first and second waves,
should be the bed avail-
ability in hospitals and
the requirement for oxy-
gen. The future decision
to impose lockdown will
dependonthesefactors.”
Adding to the data,
Chahal said, “In the last
14 days, though the
number of cases has in-
creased from 100 to al-
most 8,000 now, the hos-
pitalisation rate is not
more than 5 per cent.
Also, these 5 per cent of
infected patients do not
require any oxygen or
ICU beds.”
“Currently, the beds
are being activated in a
phased manner. So far,
out of 30,000 beds, only
14,000 are in use, he said.
“Wehavetakenanum-
ber of steps in order to
curb the spread of Omi-
cron. The measures in-
clude the banning of
public gatherings from 5
pm to 5 am and the clo-
sure of schools from
Class I to VIII. 4.54 lakh
studentsfromClassesIX-
XIIwillbetransportedto
nine jumbo centres for
vaccination. Online
classes will continue,”
Chahal added.
Iqbal Singh Chahal
JAISHANKAR SPEAKS
TO US SECRETARY OF
STATE BLINKEN
New Delhi: In his first
phone calls to his coun-
terparts in the new year,
External Affairs Minister S.
Jaishankar has spoken to
US Secretary of State An-
tony Blinken and Russian
Foreign minister Sergey
Lavrov within 24 hours.
With Blinken, they covered
a range of bilateral and
global issues, including the
situation in the Indo-Pacif-
ic region. The telephonic
conversation took place on
Monday night, Jaishankar
said. “A broad ranging
conversation yesterday
night with @SecBlinken.
Covered current bilateral
issues, Indo-Pacific.
4 OF A FAMILY FOUND
DEAD INSIDE HOUSE
IN LUDHIANA
Ludhiana: Four members
of a family were found
dead inside their railway
quarter in Mullanpur
Dakha of Ludhiana in the
wee hours of Tuesday. The
deceased were identified
as Sukhdev Singh (56),
his son Jagdeep (28),
daughter-in-law Jyoti (24)
and granddaughter Jot (2).
Ludhiana Rural police said
that Sukhdev Singh was
posted as a Mate with the
Railways. The bodies were
first noticed by Sukhdev’s
wife Balbir Kaur, who was
sleeping in the adjoining
room. When she opened
the door of their room, all
four were found dead.
CRUCIAL READ
BJP WILL REGISTER HAT-TRICK WIN IN
UPCOMING GOA POLLS, SAYS CT RAVI
New Delhi: BJP’s national general secretary and party’s
in-charge for Goa CT Ravi on Tuesday claimed that the BJP
will register a hat-trick win in the upcoming Goa Assembly
polls. “BJP will definitely hit
a hat-trick win in Goa. Differ-
ent surveys are showing that
the party will come to power
again and will win the upcom-
ing elections. On issues like
social harmony, law and order
and development, we will contest elections in Goa and will
come in power once again,” said the BJP leader. Ravi said
that BJP will contest elections on all 40 seats.
ISRO EYES GAGANYAAN LAUNCH BEFORE
I-DAY, CHANDRAYAAN 3 BY MID-2023
New Delhi: The Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO), India’s space agency, is targeting the launch of first
of the two planned uncrewed flights under the Gaganyaan
mission before Independence
Day this year and the third
lunar mission Chandrayaan-3
by “middle of the next year”,
said the chairperson Dr K Sivan
on Monday. “If you look at the
immediate task at hand this
year, we have many missions to execute. Some of these
are launch of EOS-4 and EOS-6 on board PSLV. Launch of
EOS-02 on board maiden flight of SSLV.

NEWS
07
PRISONER FLEES
AFTER COURT
HEARING IN
JALAUN
Ajail inmate brought to a local
court here escaped from
police custody with handcuffs
after the hearing on Tuesday,
police said. The entire area has
been cordoned off and the
search is on to nab him, police
said. Six policemen, including an
inspector had brought five
prisoners to the court of Junior
Division Civil Munsif Court,
Kalpi, from the jail in the prison
vehicle for hearing, Additional
Superintendent of Police Rakesh
Kumar Singh said. As after
completion of the court hearing
the inmates were being made to
sit in the jail vehicle, when one of
the prisoners Bhupendra Yadav
said he wanted to urinate and
just as he was getting down, he
gave a jerk to the policeman
holding him and fled, the ASP
said. On information, additional
police force reached the spot and
cordoned off the entire area and
a hunt was launched to nab him,
the ASP added. The escaped jail
inmate, Yadav, resident of
Mohalla Rawtan Kotwali of
Jalaun, was arrested for theft,
police added. —PTI
MUSLIM
PERSONAL LAW
BOARD OPPOSES
DIRECTIVES ON
‘SURYA
NAMASKAR’
The All India Muslim Personal
Law Board (AIMPLB) has
opposed the Centre’s order to
organise a week-long yoga Surya
Namaskar session in all schools
across the country from January
1 to 7. In a statement, AIMPLB
general secretary Maulana Khalid
Saifullah Rahmani asked Muslim
students to not participate in the
event. The board said that Surya
Namskar means praying to Sun
and Islam didn’t consider Sun a
god. Calling the move
unconstitutional, the board also
criticised the government for
deviating from the principle of
secularism and trying to endorse
the ideology and tradition of the
majority community. The Ministry
of AYUSH on January 3 launched
a 75 crore Surya Namaskar
Initiative to promote a healthy
lifestyle through the practice of
yoga. The programme has been
launched to celebrate 75 years of
India’s independence and is part
of the government’s “Azadi ka
Amrit Mahotsav”. The initiative
was launched by Union Ayush
Minister Sarbananda Sonowal in
Hyderabad. “For those who can
participate in the project, the
yogic practice of Surya Namaskar
which literally means ‘sun
salutation’ is slated for 21 days
for 13 times a day. The project will
last from 1 January–20 February
2022,” the government said in a
statement. This is not the first
time that the board has opposed
Surya Namaskar or yoga, saying
these are not in agreement with
Islam. —First India Bureau
BUSINESSICONVIKRAMKOTHARIDIES
Sumit Awasthi
Kanpur: Vikram
Kothari, Managing Di-
rector of Rotomac
Group, passed away on
Tuesday following a bat-
tlewithillness.Thenews
of his death led to many
big businessmen reach-
ing the city to visit his
residence to pay their
condolences homage.
Vikram Kothari had
beenbattlingillnessfora
while and was taken to
hospital by his servants
whenhisconditionwors-
ened on Tuesday
. He
passed away before they
couldgethimadmittedto
a hospital. Kothari, who
started out as a pan mas-
alabusinessman,became
ahouseholdnamefollow-
ing his launch of Roto-
mac pens.
He used to run an im-
port-export business
and was even awarded
as the ‘Best Exporter’
by the then Prime Min-
ister in the year 1997.
He started Rotomac in
the year 1995 which be-
came a Rs 100 crore
company in 10 years’
time. He had always
dreamed of making it a
company worth Rs 2000
crore. Vikram Kothari
was currently residing
in a bungalow located
in Tilak Nagar, Kanpur.
He lived with his family
,
including wife Sadhna
and son Rahul Kothari,
but on Tuesday he was
alone as his wife and
son had gone to Luc-
know due to some per-
sonal work.
On the fateful day, the
servants of the house
found Vikram Kothari
lying unconscious in
the morning, following
which a doctor was
called. But he reported-
ly passed away without
responding to treat-
ment. Last year, in the
month of March,
Kothari was admitted
to hospital after he suf-
fered a brain haemor-
rhage. He was shifted to
Apollo Hospital, Luc-
know, by air from Kan-
pur after he remained
unconscious after the
haemorrhage.
First India Bureau
Lucknow: The Con-
gress today assailed the
BJPgovernmentformis-
usingthecentralgovern-
ment funds allocated for
“Beti Bachao, Beti Pad-
hao” project. Congress
said the UP government
had utilised 80% of the
budget of this project on
advertisements.
Addressing a press
conference today
, the na-
tional spokesperson of
Congress Supriya Shri-
natesaidthatinthename
of womenempowerment,
there had been massive
misuse of the money
.
Pointing out that women
in the state were fighting
for their rights, Shrinate
said the national presi-
dent of BJP JP Nadda
should know that wom-
en’s fight was not just for
“toilet”butfortheirprop-
er right in the system.
Criticising BJP for
anti-women mindset,
Shrinate said if BJP
was really interested
in women empower-
ment, then it should
come forward with
concrete action plan.
Referring to sarcastic
comments of Nadda on
Congress slogan of
“Ladki Hoon Lad Sakti
hoon” Shrinate said his
statement was extreme-
ly unfortunate and
against entire women
society
. She said the BJP
was not concerned
about women’s security
and respect Nadda
was not the only leader
to ridicule women but
other BJP leaders were
also doing the same.
First India Bureau
Hamirpur: A 22-year-
old person was arrested
on Tuesday in connec-
tion with the rape of a
teenage Dalit girl in a
village in Kurara area
here, police said. An-
other accused person is
yet to be arrested.
Additional Superin-
tendent of Police
Anoop Kumar on Tues-
day said that the al-
leged rape of the
13-year-old Dalit girl
took place on the night
of December 31.
Citing the complaint
lodged, Kumar said
that the incident took
place when the girl
went to the toilet built
outside her house, and
she was allegedly
raped by two youths of
the same village.
The youths flashed a
country-made pistol,
abducted her, and al-
legedly raped her at a
deserted place after
giving her sedatives, he
said, adding that on
Saturday morning, the
girl reached her home
and narrated the entire
incident to her mother.
The Additional SP
said that based on the
complaint lodged by
the girl’s father, a case
was registered on Sun-
day evening, and the
girl was sent for medi-
cal examination. He
added that efforts are
on to arrest the second
accused youth.
Bareilly: Some girls
participating in a
long-distance run or-
ganised by the Congress
as part of its “Ladki
Hoon, Lad Sakti Hoon”
campaign were injured
in a stampede-like situ-
ation here on Tuesday
.
Congress leaders in
Lucknow termed it a
conspiracy hatched by
the BJP-led UP govern-
ment. “Some girls have
been injured, and we
are waiting for further
details,” state Congress
spokesperson Ashok
Singh told PTI.
Alleging that it was a
“conspiracy hatched by
the BJP government” in
the state, he said, “The
district administration
knew that the run was
being held and did not
cooperate.” The inci-
dent was a “fallout of
laxity on the part of the
local administration”,
Singh added. —PTI
First India Bureau
Hardoi: Anti-corrup-
tion team has arrested
the supply inspector
red-handed when he
was taking a bribe of Rs
10,000. Police sources
said that as per informa-
tion, supply inspector
Amit Chaudhary was
demanding Rs 10,000
bribe for clearing com-
plaints against a Subsi-
dised ration vendor in
Chhotaikheda village.
The vendor filed a com-
plaint against the sup-
ply inspector in the An-
ti-corruption depart-
ment in Lucknow fol-
lowing which the team
arrested the accused
inspector while taking
bribes in the office. PN
Tewari, inspector An-
ti-corruption said that
Kalawati, Subsidised
Grain shop owner had
complained about the
supply inspector Amit.
He had threatened to
cancel the allotment of
the government shop if
the vendor will not give
him Rs 50,000. It was re-
ported that Amit had
suspended allotment of
government shop earli-
er when the bribe was
refused and when the
vendors got relief from
High Court, he contin-
ued to trouble them.
The anti-corrup-
tion team has registered
a case against the ac-
cused inspector in rele-
vant sections of IPC and
he was sent to jail.
Founder of Rotomac pens, he also helped
his father establish the Pan Parag brand
Servants found him unconscious, alone
in house, as wife son had gone to Lko
Vikram Kothari —FILE PHOTO
Congress national spokesperson Supriya Shrinate addresses a
press conference at party office in Lucknow on Tuesday.
MASTER OF TAGLINES
BJP misusing ‘Beti
Bachao, Beti Padhao’
fund on ads: UP Cong
‘ANTI-WOMEN MINDSET OF BJP’
ONE HELD, ANOTHER ABSCONDING
IN DALIT GIRL’S RAPE, SAY POLICE
Supply
inspector
held for
taking bribe
More IT raids on business owners
‘close’ to Samajwadi Party
First India Bureau
Agra: The Income
Tax (IT) department
on Tuesday conducted
searches at the busi-
ness premises of real
estate company ACE
Group and its promot-
er Ajay Chaudhary in
Delhi, Noida and
Greater Noida among
other locations, said
sources. Chaudhary is
said to be close to Sam-
ajwadi Party (SP).
Searches were also
conducted at the prem-
ises of companies
dealing in the trade of
shoes in Agra, said an
Income Tax official.
The Income Tax De-
partment raided three
different places in
Agra. The Income Tax
team reached the resi-
dence of shoe export-
ers Vijay Ahuja and
ManuAlagh,residents
of Lajpat Kunj, in the
morning. Manu Alagh
is considered close to
Akhilesh Yadav. Just a
few months ago, after
the death of Manu
Alagh’s mother, Akh-
ilesh Yadav had come
to his house on Sep-
tember 6. Apart from
this, the IT Depart-
ment team reached the
residence of Agra’s
prominent business-
woman, Mansi Chan-
dra, in Vijay Nagar
area. Chandra is also
in the shoe export
business.
GUARD REMOVED
FROM JAIN’S HOUSE
The IT raids and inves-
tigations at the prem-
ises of SP Legislative
Council (MLC) mem-
ber Pushpraj Jain
alias Pampi in Kan-
nauj and Kanpur near-
ing completion. On
Tuesday, the police
guard stationed at
Jain’s residence in
Kanpur was removed
signaling impending
end of the investiga-
tion. On Monday, in-
vestigations took
place at several places
in Kanpur and the
team also took the SP
MLC to Kannauj late
in the night.
Ajay Chaudhry Mansi Chandra Manu Alagh
Girls injured in stampede-like
situation in Cong-organised run
The scene at the long-distance run organised by Congress in
Bareilly on Tuesday. —PHOTO BY PTI
First India Bureau
Bahraich: A man
killed his maternal un-
cle over an illicit rela-
tionship with his aunt.
The cousin managed to
escape and informed
the villagers when the
youth was trying to kill
him too. Police sources
said that Santosh Ku-
mar, a resident of Bedi-
an Purwa village was
married to Vimla Devi
had four children.
Amarjeet Singh contin-
ued his illicit relation-
ship with his aunt even
after a police complaint.
and when Santosh ob-
jected, he killed him.
Singh was caught when
the son of the deceased
shouted for help and vil-
lagers caught him.
Man kills his
uncle over illicit
affair with aunt
—PHOTO BY SUMIT KUMAR
—REPRESENTATION IMAGE

08
2NDFRONT
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Reeta Yadav,
35, who crossed over to
the Congress from the
Samajwadi Party last
month,andwasrecently
in news for showing
blackflagstoPrimeMin-
ister Narendra Modi at
his November 16 rally in
Sultanpur, where she
wasledoutof theground
andarrested,wasshotin
the leg by three uniden-
tified assailants in Sul-
tanpur district on Sun-
day evening.
The Indian Express
reported that Yadav told
police that three assail-
ants forced her driver to
stop at gunpoint on the
Lucknow-Varanasihigh-
way and opened fire. An
FIR has been lodged
againstunidentifiedper-
sons at Lamhua Police
Station in Sultanpur. No
arrests have been made
yet. Police said that Ya-
davisinhospitalandout
of danger.
Additional SP
, Sultan-
pur,VipulKumarSrivas-
tava told The Indian Ex-
press that police had re-
cordedthestatementsof
Yadav and her driver
Mustakeem, and also
visited the spot. Musta-
keem,50,alocalresident
who owned the SUV that
Yadavhadhired,escaped
without any injuries. A
panelof doctorsisexam-
ining Yadav, the ASP
said. Police said they
suspect a sophisticated
weapon was used in the
attack. They have found
no eyewitnesses to the
incident so far.
Yadav told police that
on Sunday afternoon,
she went to Sultanpur
for some work in a vehi-
cle. On her way back, as
she reached an over-
bridge on the Luc-
know-Varanasi Express-
way
, three men on a
black motorcycle forci-
bly stopped her vehicle,
firedonherandescaped.
“Inquiry is on and the
picture would be clear
soon,”saidtheSeniorSP
.
Congress Sultanpur
district president
Abhishek Singh Rana
said that Sultanpur bor-
ders the traditional
Gandhi constituency of
Amethi. Rana said they
would wait till the eve-
ning to decide what to do
onthebasisof theaction
taken by police.
Yadav had shown black
flags to the PM at a rally
addressed by him after
inaugurating the Pur-
vanchal Express.
First India Bureau
Lucknow: The Yogi
government in Uttar
Pradesh has given 4.5
lakh government jobs in
the last five years. Yogi’s
mission employment
did not slow down even
during the Covid-19 pan-
demic. As per the need
of the time, the health
infrastructure was
strengthened by filling
up vacant posts of the
health department.
The UP Public Ser-
vice Commission made
a big contribution in
strengthening the
health infrastructure by
making recruitment in
a time-bound, fair and
speedymannerinhealth
and medical education
along with other depart-
ments. The commission
completed recruitment
process timely so that
the selected candidates
can take up the respon-
sibilityof theirassigned
posts at the earliest.
UPPSC Chairman
Sanjay Shrinet appreci-
ated the commitment
and determination of
the Commission person-
nel, who contributed in
the national interest to
keep the health services
strong even during the
period of Covid pan-
demic. He said that the
advertisement of re-
maining 448 vacancies
of Staff Nurse (Male)
would also be issued
this month.
In all 4062 candi-
dates were interviewed
for 3620 posts of allo-
pathic medical special-
ists like Pediatrician,
Anesthetist, Physi-
cian, Pathologist etc.
on priority basis. The
UPPSC took just about
four months to select
1237 specialists.
New Delhi: The Su-
preme Court has stayed
the order of the Alla-
habad High Court grant-
ing bail to one of the
mainaccusedYogeshraj,
a Bajrang Dal leader,
whoallegedlyleadamob
that killed a police offi-
cer in Bulandshahr in
December 2018.
A Bench of Justices
Sanjay Kishan Kaul and
MM Sundresh stated
that the matter is ‘quite
serious’whereunderthe
pretext of the cow
slaughter,apoliceofficer
has been lynched and di-
rected Yogeshraj to sur-
render before the trial
court within seven days.
The SC further asked
thetrialcourtinBuland-
shahrtosendareporton
the status of the case.
Yogeshraj was out on
bail since September
2019. The petition was
filed by Rajni Singh, the
wife of police inspector
Subodh Kumar Singh,
who was killed in the
mob attack.
“The matter is quite
serious. Prima facie, it
is a case of people tak-
ing law into their own
hand.Weareof theview
thatYogeshrajshouldbe
askedtosurrenderwith-
in seven days and thus
to that extent, the im-
pugned orders granting
him bail are stayed. We
call for a report from the
trial Court, Buland-
shahr as to how much
time do they need to
framethechargesandto
record the testimonies
of the independent wit-
nesses,” the Bench said.
—ANI
First India Bureau
Lucknow: The UP gov-
ernment has drawn
praise from American
virologist and immunol-
ogist, Dr Robert Malone,
for its ‘miraculous’ han-
dling of the Covid-19
pandemic and for pro-
tecting the people of the
state by ensuring early
treatment.
During the December
episode of the ‘Joe Ro-
ganExperience‘podcast,
Dr Malone said that UP
was able to take control
of the pandemic by pro-
vidingearlytreatmentto
patients. The virologist,
known for his work in
mRNA technology
, said,
“They deployed early
treatment as packages,
and managed the pan-
demiceffectivelydespite
being such a densely
populated province.”
“It was done in coor-
dination with the WHO.
The state adopted mi-
cro-planning and pre-
ventive measures as a
result of which it con-
tained the pandemic
more successfully than
the rest of the world,”
he added.
UP despite being the
state with the largest
population base and a
high population density
maintained a relatively
low positivity rate and
cases per million of
population and fared
well in managing the
pandemic in compari-
son with all other states
and countries having
equal populations.
First India Bureau
Lucknow: With
Covid-19 infections now
doubling in less than
two days, the Yogi Adi-
tyanath government
has started prepara-
tions for preventive
measures on a war foot-
ing. CM Yogi has di-
rected his officials to
make the facility of Ge-
nome Sequencing avail-
able in major medical
institutions of Gorakh-
pur, Jhansi, Ghaziabad
and SGPGI, Lucknow.
The Covid-19 data for
December 2021 showed
a six-fold increase in
the number of active
cases in the state.
“Lockdown comes at
a price while preven-
tion is easier. Omicron,
the new variant, may
appear to be less lethal
than the Delta strain,
but it will cost lives
when the pandemic
peaks. No matter how
much the government
tries, prevention of
pandemic remains a
shared responsibility
with citizens,” a senior
health official said.
Addressing a
high-level meeting, CM
Yogi on Tuesday said,
“Genome sequencing is
being done in many in-
stitutions of the state
for accurate identifica-
tion of C-19 variants.
Seeing the rise in cases,
it is necessary to in-
crease the means of ge-
nome sequencing.”
Asking his officials to
make sure citizens are
constantly made aware
of the preventive mea-
sures, the CM said, “Sit-
uationinallthedistricts
is being monitored. Pre-
caution is the best first
aid measure, therefore,
people should follow the
mantra of SMS (saniti-
zation, mask and social
distancing).”
He also urged people
not to panic unneces-
sarily over the situation
and directed the offi-
cials to provide correct
and proper information
regarding the situation.
Directing not to allow
anyone without screen-
ing and sanitisation,
the CM stated that the
C-19 help desk should be
made functional with
immediate effect in all
government, semi-gov-
ernment, private, trust,
institutions, compa-
nies, educational insti-
tutions, offices, and in-
dustrial units of the
state. Daycare centers
should also be estab-
lished as per the need.
Cong leader who showed black flags at PM rally shot at
WHODUNNIT
Congress leader Rita Yadav undergoing treatment at a hospital.
Dr Robert Malone
UPPSC conducted fair, timely
impartial recruitment in health dept
MAKE GENOME SEQUENCING
AVAILABLETOMEDINSTS:CM
Schools till class X shut till Jan 14;
10 PM night curfew from tomorrow
In case of 1K cases, 50% attendance
in cinema halls, gyms, spas
Hi-tech scanner
machines installed
at Kanpur Metro
Newly installed scanner machine at Kanpur Metro on
Tuesday.
Sumit Awasthi
Kanpur: The bag-
gage scanner ma-
chines manufactured
by Bharat Electron-
ics Ltd. have been in-
stalled at the stations
and depots of Kan-
pur Metro. These ma-
chines are known as
X-Ray Baggage In-
spection System.
The newly in-
stalled machines will
make the security
system of the metro
stations fool proof
and help security per-
sonneltoidentifypeo-
ple carrying restrict-
ed items into the met-
ros. The Metro sta-
tions are guarded by
Securitypersonnelof
UttarPradeshSpecial
Security Force (UP-
SSF) and guards of
privatesecurityagen-
cies. The responsibil-
ity of monitoring the
baggage scanning is
in the hands of UP-
SSF, whose security
personnel have been
trained at the train-
ing center in Noida.
The X-BIS ma-
chines have two mon-
itors which project
the contents of the
baggage being
scanned by the secu-
rity personnel. While
one monitor shows
colour image of the
scanned baggage, the
other one shows a
black and white im-
age of the scanned
baggage. The black
and white image
helps with contour
while the colour im-
age helps in the col-
or-coding of the con-
tents of the baggage.
The baggage scan-
ner helps identify the
contents of the bag-
gage. The scanner
can also identify kept
inside 35 mm thick
steel.Thesemachines
have a store capacity
of 2 lakh images.
First India Bureau
Gorakhpur: The Na-
tional Highways Au-
thority of India
(NHAI) has appointed
a consultant for pre-
paring detailed proj-
ect report (DPR) for
500-kilometre-long
Gorakhpur-Shamli
expressway.
The final router of
the proposed express-
way will be known
only after the DPR is
finalised. But Live-
hindustan reported
that it will pass
through 20 districts,
including Sant Kabir-
nagar, Basti and Sid-
dharth Nagar.
This will be third
expressway to start
from Gorakhpur, Live-
hindustan reported.
Currently, a link ex-
pressway to connect
the Purvanchal Ex-
pressway is being con-
structed in the region.
Livehindustan added
that 40 per cent work
on this link road is
completed.
A DPR is being pre-
pared for another
519-kilometer-long
road which will link
Gorakhpur to Siligu-
ri in West Bengal, it
further said. Chief
minister Yogi Aditya-
nath recently spoke
how the number of
expressways in-
creased significantly
in UP in the last few
years. He was speak-
ing at a function in
Shajahanpur where
PM Narendra Modi
laid the foundation
stone for Ganga Ex-
pressway. He said
that from 1947 to
2017, just one ex-
pressway was built in
the state, but since
then six expressways
are being made. The
594-kilometre-long
Ganga Expressway is
expected to be the
longest expressway
in Uttar Pradesh. It is
being built at a cost
of 36,200 crore.
Starting near Bi-
jauli village in
Meerut, the Ganga
Expressway will ex-
tend till near Judapur
Dandu village in
Prayagraj via Meerut,
Hapur, Bulandshahr,
Amroha, Sambhal,
Budaun, Shahjahan-
pur, Hardoi, Unnao,
Rae Bareli, and Prat-
apgarh.
Gorakhpursettogetthirde-way,toserve20dists
—FILE PHOTO
As many as 33 medical
staff, including doctors,
at Medanta Hospital
have tested positive for
Covid-19, the hospital
said on Tuesday. Of the
33 new patients, 32 are
hospital staff and one is
a doctor, working at the
emergency ward. All the
patients are asymptom-
atic. Medanta Hospital
Director Dr Rakesh
Kapoor said, “Most of
the doctors who have
been infected are those
who go for sample
collection this could
be the reason that they
have contracted the dis-
ease.” Dr Kapoor said,
“The hospital is also
collecting samples from
other staff members
and doctors.” —ANI
33 MEDANTA
STAFF TEST
POSITIVE
QUICK LOOK
American virologist Dr Robert Malone
praises UP’s Covid-19 management
COP LYNCHING:
SC STAYS BAIL
GRANTED TO
ACCUSED
Ghaziabad
Noida
Lucknow
Meerut
Moradabad
Prayagraj
Kanpur City
Varanasi
Agra
992 DAILY CASES IN UP
174
165
150
38
37
35
32
24
102
A girl taking the first dose of Covid vaccine at La Martiniere Girls
College in Lucknow on Tuesday. —PHOTO BY SUMIT KUMAR
Within five months of the
release of the advertisement,
the process of selection on
4743 posts of Staff Nurse
was completed transpar-
ently, which is an inspira-
tional criterion in itself
—Sanjay Shrinet,
UPPSC chairman
Hard work and luck are good
friends - they go hand in hand!
—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO Editor-in-Chief, First India

LUCKNOW, WEDNESDAY
JANUARY 5, 2022
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia
facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09
t’s a big world
holding the
dreams of
many in its
fists and some
find the right
spirit and path
to steer their dream
into transforming
them into reality
.
Kanishka Bhagat
is one of the names
in the long list of
those achievers.
Bhagat who hails
from Chandigarh
bagged the title of
Miss Confidence at the
First Miss India Teen
2021 and is a teen mod-
el, all at the young age
of 13.
Talking about her
journey as a teen mod-
el, Kanishka said, “Ini-
tially, I was inclined
towards dancing but
for the last 3-4 years, I
have been pursuing
modelling and my jour-
ney from small photo-
shoots to competitions
and beauty pag-
eants has been ex-
tremely beautiful
and enriching. It
has transformed
me as a person
and offered
great opportu-
nities to ex-
plore and im-
bibe more to
excel and
shine.”
Speaking
about the
support she
gets from family, Bha-
gat said, “There is no
greater support system
than the core family in
your life. My parents
are my pillars, support-
ing me both emotional-
ly and financially
.”
Sharing her motiva-
tion to work through
life, she said, “Success
doesn’t taste good with-
out failures as they say
.
My experience has also
been the same. There
are times when you feel
low and locked over the
slow pace of things but
eventually, the bless-
ings of God, parents
and consistent hard
work pays off.”
Lastly, Kanishka
spoke about being in the
First Miss Teen India
pageant and said, “First
miss India teen was a
breakthrough in my life
at such an early age. I
can’t thank the platform
enough for providing us
with such a great oppor-
tunity to nurture and
display our talent.”
MONICA PRABHAKAR
cityfirst@firstindia.co.in
I
Kanishka Bhagat, a 13 year old dancer and a finalist of First Miss India Teen 2021 from Chandigarh
shared her journey with City First about navigating her way in the modelling industry!
BIG DREAMS
BIG DREAMS
BIG DREAMS
Small Steps,
—PHOTOS BY MUKESH KIRADOO

10
ETC
PRIYANKA
KHERA,
Model
FACE
OF
THE
DAY!
Aries
MARCH 21 - APRIL 20
Satisfaction is foreseen
for the image conscious
people trying to achieve
perfect figure and
physique. Your efforts
on the academic front will keep you in
contention. You are likely to spend an
enjoyable time with a close relation
today. Your helping hand to someone
in need will be greatly appreciated.
Gemini
MAY 21 - JUNE 21
A rethink is in order for
those going in for a
heavy investment.
Recovering a loaned
amount from someone
will not pose much difficulty. You will
manage to defuse tensions prevailing at
home by your tactful ways. A work trip
is on the cards for some. Manage to
weave your magic on the one you love.
Leo
JULY 24 - AUGUST 23
Homemakers can
exceed budget in doing
up their homes. An old
friend or a relative is
likely to pay you a visit.
You succeed in putting an ambitious
project on the tracks and cross all
hurdles in making it a success. Love
beckons and promises to give
immense joy and fulfillment.
Libra
SEPTEMBER 24 - OCTOBER 22
Financial worries evapo-
rate as new avenues of
earning open up. You
will put in extra efforts
to complete a task
entrusted to you. Your academic
aspirations may take some time to get
realised. A contentious property issue
may not show any signs of getting
sorted out amicably, so have a backup.
Sagittarius
NOVEMBER 23 - DECEMBER 22
You will manage to
ignore distractions and
interruptions at work to
complete a pending task
in time. Job prospects
for those freshly out of professional
institutes are set to brighten up soon.
Those not in a stable job can expect
permanency. Health will be satisfactory,
as you remain regular in workouts.
Aquarius
JANUARY 21 - FEBRUARY 19
A major purchase may
make a dent in your
savings, but will help in
keeping up with the
flow .Speculation may
not be profitable and you can very well
burn your fingers. Some of you may
get hard pressed to find a good match
for someone eligible in the family.
Spending time with family.
Taurus
APRIL 21 - MAY 20
A lot of time may be
wasted in socialising,
but you will love every
moment of it. You will
succeed in surmounting
the odds to get a stalled job back on the
tracks. Something concerning property
will work out in your favour. A romantic
outing is on the cards and promises
much fun and frolic.
Cancer
JUNE 22 - JULY 23
Spirituality will have a
special allure for you.
Your innovative ideas
on the professional
front are likely to be
well received. Good health will keep
you fit and energetic. You are likely to
expand your social circle. You are likely
to get immense fulfillment in your
current romantic relationship.
Virgo
AUGUST 24 - SEPTEMBER 23
It is one of those days
when you will feel
satisfied with whatever
you do today on the
social front. Those
seeking love may not get lucky, but
persistence will pay! A friend or relative
can touch a sensitive nerve and get you
all upset. A job switch needs to be
considered. Taking care of everything.
Scorpio
OCTOBER 23 - NOVEMBER 22
Sticking to workout
routine may benefit you
on the health front.
Meeting relatives at a
marriage or party
cannot be ruled out. Support from the
family may seem most encouraging
for those aiming an academic pursuit.
A passion-filled evening is foreseen, as
romantic front brightens.
Capricorn
DECEMBER 23 - JANUARY 20
Homemakers will get a
chance to implement
their ideas. You are
likely to be recognised
for your efforts on the
professional front. Chance of a raise is
possible for some. Timely and correct
decision will help you in saving a lot of
money. You will be able to de-stress
yourself completely today.
Pisces
FEBRUARY 20 - MARCH 20
A profitable day for
entrepreneurs is
envisaged. You may be
played upon for
spending on someone
else’s needs and desires. Homemakers
are likely to enjoy the day in the
company of neighbors and friends.
Fatigue threatens in a long journey, but
adequate breaks will keep you going.
YOUR DAY Horoscopeby
SaurabbhSachdeva
Whatsapp Subscription
Subscribe “First India” Daily
E-News Paper For Free On Whatsapp
To Receive the Most Exclusive News from
the Power Corridors of Uttar Pradesh.
o and a half dec-
ades after my
Boarding School
education fin-
ished, I’m still
regularly asked -
“Should we send
our kid to boarding
school?” I suppose people
feel that I can offer them a
unique insight into the
world of residential
schooling, one that per-
haps eludes the vast ma-
jority of folks who attend-
ed regular day school.
Perhaps they’re right.
And then perhaps, it
comes down to common
sense.
That a boarding school
education can be infinite-
ly enriching. That it can
expose a young mind to
limitless possibilities of
self-discovery
. That it can
liberate a student from
many conscious or uncon-
scious constraints. These
are foregone conclusions.
Ones that most people are
aware of.
Having said all of this,
there is one insight I can
offer. And that is, that for
all the wonderfully ex-
ploratory benefits of a
boarding school; these
don’t need to prove to be
assets for each and every
child. Boarding School is
a testing environment.
People used to believe that
as long as a particular
boarding school does not
have bullying, it is well
and good. But even WITH-
OUT bullying or ragging,
it is STILL a testing envi-
ronment. It is a space
where a child needs to be
strong-willed, self-confi-
dent, and self-driven. If
there is a child who is ex-
tremely attached to a
home, isn’t particularly
self-motivated; chances
are that the atmosphere a
boarding school offers
will not sit well with that
student. In the best-case
scenario, that student will
go through the motions
(years) at school not ben-
efitting at all. The worst-
case scenario could be
much more tragic, with
the student developing
many complexes and is-
sues!
So, when it comes time
to send you to ward to
boarding school, it is less
the advice of other people,
less the reputation of a
school, less your own en-
thusiasm as parents that
should determine your
choice - and more your
own child’s disposition,
of which, you should have
a clear, objective, unbi-
ased perception and as-
sessment. ONLY if you
feel that your son or
daughter can ‘handle the
pressures’ of a competi-
tive space where one has
to work immensely hard
to carve out a niche,
should you take the
plunge.
Additionally, parents
should also be aware of
some general truths that
hold of all residential
schools. Focus on Overall
Development rather than
High Marks or Academic
Excellence ALONE: If
your ward and/or you are
set on the IIT/IIM and
Competitive Examina-
tions path post-schooling,
boarding school may not
be the ideal option since
the singular focus of a
boarding school is NOT
maximum academic per-
formance.
Sense of Independence
Can Be Extreme: Some-
times, the freedom and
the sense of independ-
ence that comes with a
boarding school educa-
tion, living away from
home and family since a
very early age, might
manifest in a familial dis-
connect, later on, making
products of a boarding
school unwilling or una-
ble to cohabit with family
.
One should be aware of
this tendency and guard
against it.
Maximum Exposure:
While I have advised
against the ‘negatives’,
the fact remains, very few
homes, or day-school envi-
ronments, can recreate
even a third of the board-
ing school experience in
terms of sheer exposure
to LIFE. It can be life-al-
tering for a student.
Minimum Interference:
Many residential schools
also discourage too much
involvement of parents/
home front in the day-to-
day goings-on with wards
on campus. This is my
view is by and large a
good ideology since an
interference-free environ-
ment teaches students
and learners to become
independent and become
leaders for life.
Skilled For Life: Experi-
ences on the Sports field,
team-building, bonding
over a Trek in the moun-
tains, encountering and
traversing harsh terrain
andchallengesonaCamp-
ing or Cycling Expedition,
all this immense exposure
builds character and inad-
vertently imbibes life-les-
sons in pupils of boarding
schools that then con-
sciously or unconsciously
are applied in different
scenarios throughout
their lives.
Like I said at the begin-
ning, while people may be
able to present many ad-
vantages and disadvan-
tages of a boarding school
education, it is for you as
a parent, to judge what
you feel your child is best
suited to. And if that
means sacrificing a
boarding-school educa-
tion to preserve his or her
well-being. It can be a life-
altering education but it
can unfortunately also be
a scarring one. So THINK
hard before you commit
your child to it.
KARTIK BAJORIA
The author is a Jaipur-based
Communication
Skills Educator Writer
T

ETC
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia LUCKNOW | WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2022
11
The Government of India has announced vaccination for the 15 to 18-year-old age group against
the covid virus and its variants from January 3. City First interacted with parents from Rajasthan,
Delhi, Lucknow and Ahmedabad to have their opinions on their children getting vaccinated!
ince the authorisa-
tion of the first
COVID-19 vaccines
in December 2020,
millions of people
in the world have
been safely vacci-
nated. More than 10 months
of data show the vaccines
are safe and effective at pre-
venting serious disease or
death due to COVID-19.
Amid concerns over the
new, highly transmissible
Omicron variant of SARS-
CoV-2, additional shots and
boosters are also being au-
thorised for certain groups
to make the protection even
stronger.
The Indian Government
has announced vaccination
for the 15 to 18-year-old age
group against the coronavi-
rus disease from Monday.
But, it is to be noted that
only Bharat Biotech’s indig-
enously-made shot ‘Covax-
in’ will be used for vaccinat-
ing this age frame. Where
some parents showed signs
of relief with the announce-
ment others went helter-
skelter about the risks of
vaccines that they forget to
worry about the risks of the
diseases vaccines prevent.
City First asked parents to
send in personal stories and
testimonials about why
they vaccinate their chil-
dren.
UTTKARSHA SHEKHAR
The Government of India has announced vaccination for the 15 to 18-year-old age group against
COVID
VACCINE
S
W
hile I do educate
myself about my
children’s health
concerns so that I can be
an active participant in
their health care, I also
trust their paediatrician
and the medical commu-
nity as a whole to be the
experts. Being informed
does not mean being at
odds or weird”.
I
think everyone should
immediately register
for the COVID vacci-
nation for for safekeeping
of their children. The new
COVID variant is spread-
ing like wildfire and
children are most at risk.
We must do what we can
to keep them safe. While
I have not registered yet, i
will soon enough. I need
to know my son is safe
out there. —Deepshikha Sharma,Rajastan
T
here are so many
things I cannot
protect my child
from, so I will take every
safe and healthy way to
protect her that I can
find. Vaccinating her
from potentially deadly
diseases is a gift—one
that she needs now that
diseases we thought we
had conquered are start-
ing to come back.”
—BHARTI SAXENA, RAJASTHAN
—RANI THAKUR, UP
T
he omicron vari-
ant has a looming
mirage on all of us
and the new decision to
vaccinate the kids is a
good one. I support it and
I’m going to book the slot
as soon as it’s available.
I hope everyone does it
soon because this is the
only way to overcome
this virus.
—BHUPENDRA SINGH BISHT, UP
W
e were relieved
to learn that
children would
be vaccinated. We are
fully vaccinated and
want our children to be
vaccinated as soon as
possible. And we will
not wait to see how
other children react be-
cause covid is spreading
quickly
and we
want our
children
to be
safe.
—PRIYANKA KASLIWAL, GUJARAT
I
am glad about the
government‘s deci-
sion to vaccinate the
younger generation too.
Since my children have
to attend schools too,
they should be vacci-
nated to better battle the
virus. Although, I will
wait for a little before
booking an appointment
for my child to see how
the initial vaccine drive
works, as a precaution.
But in my opinion we
should encourage each
other for this important
step, After all our chil-
dren is important! —MANUJ BIDALIYA, GUJARAT
PARENTS FEEDBACK
IT’S JAB TIME
IT’S JAB TIME
FOR KIDS
FOR KIDS

12
CITY BUZZ
GET VACCINATED
STAY MASKED
LIGHTS,
LIGHTS,
CAMERA,
CAMERA,
ACTION
ACTION
GOOD ROLES ARE THE MOTIVATING
FACTOR, NOT JUST MONEY: PARAM SINGH
aram Singh, the handsome
hunk hailing from Kanpur,
Uttar Pradesh, rose to fame
with TV shows like Sadda
Haq: My Life, My Choice on
Channel V
, and was last seen
in the Sony TV daily soap,
‘Ishk Par Zor Nahi’.
In an exclusive interview with City
First, Param Singh talked about his
journey as a theatre, TV and Web
actor and shared his thoughts on
gender pay disparity in the industry
.
How do you achieve a balance as
an artist in all mediums ranging
from theatre to TV to the web?
I am grateful to be working as an
actor in all the mediums, and
when you truly enjoy your craft,
there's no need to strive for a bal-
ance. Everything flows and works
in a symphony
.
Among TV, Web and theatre, which
is your favourite?
I don't have a favourite, I take
breaks and work in different
mediums. I started shooting
in January 2021 and by the
end, I took a break and went
back to doing theatre. For me,
it's a great mix of all mediums.
You recently returned to the thea-
tre, would you say the pandemic
had any role in it?
I did return to theatre after
10 years but the pandemic
had no role in it. I had been
busy shooting for TV since
the start of 2021 but, soon af-
ter I was approached for a
drama, Hardit Kaur Gill and
the experience was amazing
to go back to the theatre and
work with marvels like Ila
Arun and KK Raina.
What are your thoughts on
gender pay disparity in
the industry?
Gender pay dispari-
ty is a neutral con-
cept for me. I think it
depends on the role and
the work it requires
more than it depends on
the gender. The pay usually
depends on what the protago-
nist (male or female ) has to do
to prepare for the role. For me,
good roles are the motivating
factor, and not just money
.
Where can we expect to see
you next, TV or Theatre and
in what kind of role?
You can see me in any ele-
ment. I would love to appear
in grey characters, or even
as Boy Next Door but defi-
nitely, in some different ava-
tar. The medium isn't decid-
ed, it can be both TV or the
ongoing theatre.
MONICA PRABHAKAR
P
nist (male or female ) has to do
VACCINATION CAMP!
A vaccination camp for teenagers was
organised at Ram Manohar Lohia Institute in
Gomti Nagar, Lucknow on Tuesday. Several
teenagers, most of whom had come with
their parents, lined up outside the centres
to get their first shots of Covaxin against
Covid Virus. Currently, Covaxin is the only
vaccine approved for children under 18 by
the Centre. —PHOTOS BY ASHOK DUTTA
WINTER
BLUES!
DEVANSHI MUDGAL
D
on’t dismiss
that yearly
feeling be-
cause you’re
suffering from the
“winter blues” or a sea-
sonal funk that you’ll
have to get over on your
own. Recognize what’s
going on with you and
take efforts to maintain
a consistent attitude
and motivation.
SAD (seasonal affec-
tive disorder), often
known as Winter de-
pression, is a kind of
sadness caused by
seasonal variations.
People refer to it as
such, since it gener-
ally begins in late au-
tumn and ends in early
spring. “SAD is not a
minor condition, but
because people typical-
ly experience it only
during certain months,
they don’t see it as a se-
rious issue. However, it
is imperative to treat”
- Dr Paolo Cassano
(psychiatrist specialis-
ing in low-level light
therapy at Harvard-af-
filiated Massachusetts
General Hospital).
It has an impact on
more than simply one’s
emotions. It’s also
linked to issues with
focus and working
memory, such as hav-
ing difficulties memo-
rising new knowledge
or finding the proper
words when speaking.
Every year, about
264 million individu-
als suffer from SAD
yet do nothing about
it. Its symptoms in-
clude: feeling hopeless
or worthless, losing in-
terest in activities you
once enjoyed, having
problems with sleep, ex-
periencing changes in
your appetite or weight,
and feeling sluggish or
agitated. It can be
caused due to chemical
imbalances in the brain
because of lack of sun-
light reception.
While it is normal to
feel down some days, if
you feel down for days
at a time, and can’t get
motivated to do activi-
ties you normally en-
joy, it is time you see
your doctor.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
FELICITATIONS!
APPOINTED!
The birthday of IAS Sangeeta
Singh, IAS Monoj Kumar and
IAS Dhirendra Singh Sachan
was on Tuesday, January 4. We
wish them all the best!
Sujit
Singh was
appointed
as General
Secretary of
All India LPG
Distributor
Federation
by President
Chandra
Prakash. Sujit
Singh will
also continue
the duties
of State Co-
ordinator.
—PHOTOS BY AESANA BHUTA
Sahitya Akademi Award winners list brought a wave of
happiness to the city recently. Lucknow’s Dastango, Himanshu
Bajpai bagged the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar 2021 in
Hindi, for his debut work,‘Qissa Qissa Lucknowa-Lucknow
ke Awami Qisse’. Notably, apart from proving his mettle as a
storyteller, author and journalist, Himanshu has also garnered
praise for his cameo in the Netflix original series Sacred Games.
Param Singh

05012022 first india lucknow

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

Similar to 05012022 first india lucknow

Similar to 05012022 first india lucknow (20)

More from FIRST INDIA

More from FIRST INDIA (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (17)

05012022 first india lucknow