05072022_First India_Mumbai.pdf

MUMBAI l TUESDAY, JULY 5, 2022 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI TITLE NO. MAHENG/2022/14652 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 60
OUR EDITIONS:
JAIPUR, NEW DELHI
& MUMBAI
www.firstindia.co.in
www.firstindia.co.in/epapers/mumbai
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THE NEW
COLLECTIVE
LEADERSHIP!
Anita Hada & Renni Abraham
nder a Narendra Modi-
Amit Shah mandate, a
new collective leader-
ship of Shinde and Fad-
navis has taken over the
reins of Maharashtra,
the state that is home to
India’s commercial capital of Mum-
bai, on June 30. In fact, it was a mo-
ment of some sort of a mental humil-
iation for the top Maharashtra man—
Fadnavis--because of an eleventh-
hour U-turn by New Delhi. At face
value, this new team looks to be a
“united front” but insiders are not
confident of smooth sailing in the
long run. One major reason is that
the “remote control” of this gov-
ernment will likely remain in the
hands of Fadnavis, with a discreet
understanding with the central
agencies that Fadnavis’s position
will be unmatchable.
Fadnavis will likely emerge as the
only “gainer” in the long run. Accord-
ing to sources in the larger scheme of
things, Fadnavis may be asked to re-
tain the charge of home portfolio.
Political observers added that the
the higher IAS and IPS echelons will
be also more in tune and comfortable
with an experienced and dignified
Fadnavis because of his earlier stint
as CM. Now, as things stand the
Un-Common Man CM Eknath
Shinde has joined with Maha BJP
Chanakya Devendra Fadnavis for
a Double-Engine Sarkar.
U
CM Eknath Shinde Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis

PERSPECTIVE
MUMBAI | TUESDAY, JULY 5, 2022
02
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epapers/mumbai I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
ays after two
murders and
nationwide pro-
tests comes a
controversial
poster of “Kaali” which
shows the goddess smok-
ing a cigarette, enough to
raise the hackles of Hin-
dus. LGBT community’s
flag can also be seen in the
background.
The earlier protests in
several states were sparked
by the BJP spokesperson
Nupur Sharma’s irrespon-
sible remark on Prophet
Mohammed. The outrage
culminated in the brutal
murder of a tailor in
Udaipur. Another murder,
of a chemist in Aurang-
abad, is also being attrib-
uted to the remark on the
Prophet. Both the cases are
being investigated by the
National Investigation
Agency. Nupur Sharma
was chastised by the Su-
preme Court when she ap-
proached it for clubbing
FIRs lodged against her in
different cities. Her re-
quest was declined.
Some people take hurt-
ing religious sentiments
quite casually in the name
of freedom of expression.
That is what has happened
in the case of “Kaali”, “a
performance documenta-
ry” by Leena Manimekalai.
Incidentally
, the entire pro-
duction team comprises
Hindus. Leena, who has
also acted in and directed
the film, posted a tweet say-
ing,“Superthrilledtoshare
the launch of my recent
film---today at @Aga Khan
Museum…Feeling pumped
up with my CREW…” So
far protests are confined to
social media but it may not
be long before they spill on
to streets. There’s a chorus
for Leena’s arrest and a
complaint has been filed
with the Delhi Police and
the Home Ministry for
hurting religious senti-
ments.
Leena is reported to have
said that “this Kaali talks
about choosing love instead
of hate in the midst of so
many racial differences”.
STIRRING
THE POT WITH
‘KAALI’ POSTER
Nationwide protests
comes a controversial
poster of “Kaali”
which shows the
goddess smoking a
cigarette, enough to
raise the hackles of
Hindus. LGBT
community’s flag can
also be seen in the
background
D
Jagat Prakash Nadda @JPNadda
The wheels of transformation
under the leadership of Hon. PM
Shri @narendramodi Ji have been
taking the nation forward. It’s time
for the wheels to be installed in
Telangana too and for this corrupt
TRS regime to be democratically
uprooted, allowing us to take the
state forward.
TOP TWEETS
SPIRITUAL SPEAK
And know for certain that Krishna
will resolve everything in the end, in
a way you would never imagine.
—Bhagavad Gita
Piyush Goyal @PiyushGoyal
Ushering in Digital India’s
Techade! India’s transformative
tech capabilities have enabled its
transition from being a passive
consumer of technology to
becoming the future of technology.
#IndiasTechade
BANKS LOSING THE
FIGHT AGAINST FRAUDS?
years back in a bankers’
summit organized in a
Mumbai 5-star hotel, a vet-
eran banker shared a joke
with a small gathering of
journalists. A reporter
askedhimaboutthemount-
ing corporate defaults to
whichheanswered,“If you
owe the bank Rs. 1 lakh,
that’s your problem but if
you owe the bank Rs. 100
crore, it’s the bank’s prob-
lem.” The joke although
long forgotten still holds. It
pointed toward the lapses
in the Indian banking sys-
tem and a sinkhole of de-
faulted loans that it has
managed to create.
It has been three dec-
ades since the Harshad
Mehta securities scam
was unearthed in 1992 but
serious lapses in banking
operations still exist. The
scam exposed the gaping
loopholes in the country’s
stock markets and the
banking system. Harshad
Mehta manipulated the
stock prices by illegally
obtaining funds from the
banks using fake bank re-
ceipts and diverting them
to the stock market. He
created a vicious cycle of
fraud with some of the
leading banks in those
times like SBI and Nation-
al Housing Bank.
Thankfully, the scam
resulted in sweeping
changes in the securities
market. Stricter laws were
introduced and the pow-
ers of SEBI were widened.
However, amendments in
the banking laws have not
been sufficient and are
still exploited by wealthy
corporates.
Several corporates in
the past few years have
“wilfully” defaulted on
thousands of crores worth
of loans from banks and
have simply fled the coun-
try to never come back. All
attempts at extradition
have failed, leaving very
little hope that the money
will ever be recovered.
Wilful defaulters are
those who can pay back
the borrowed money to
the banks but do not do so
willingly. They have the
money and muscle to fight
arduous legal battles that
carry on for years.
BIGGEST SCAMS IN
LAST DECADE
The latest Dewan Housing
Finance Limited (DHFL)
scam defrauded a consor-
tium of 17 banks worth Rs.
34,000 crore is the biggest
banking fraud India has
ever seen. Only ABG Ship-
yard comes close with a
fraud case of about Rs.
20,000 crore, reported only
afewmonthsback.Thelist
however doesn’t end here.
From diamond trader
Nirav Modi and his uncle
Mehul Choksi’s Rs. 14,000
crore scam, The Sande-
saras of Sterling Biotech’s
Rs. 15,000 cr scam, another
diamantaire Jatin Mehta’s
Rs. 10,000 cr fraud to Vijay
Mallya’s Rs. 9,900 crore
scam,thelistof consseems
endless.
All these and many
more such cases simply
bring forth the systemic
faults and vulnerabilities
in our banking processes.
Lack of regulation, flawed
lending policies, and an
inadequate fraud moni-
toring mechanism are
among the many reasons
for the rise in fraud cases
in the country leading to
mounting non-perform-
ing assets (NPA).
The push toward digiti-
zation and financial inclu-
sion during the pandemic
significantly changed the
way the industry operates.
It has however brought
along with it, its own set
of problems of data theft
and cyber-crimes.
Even though RBI and
the government have tak-
en coherent steps to ad-
dress these pain points
and plug the loopholes,
they are not enough.
THE ELEPHANT
IN THE ROOM
Numbers up, value down:
As per RBI’s annual report
for FY 2021-22, total num-
ber of frauds reported in
FY 2022 was up 23% from
last year but the total
amount of fraud cases in
value terms reduced to
half from Rs 1.4 trillion in
FY 2021 to Rs 60,000 crore
in FY 2022. There isn’t
much to cheer about coz
the DHFL case forms more
than half of the total fraud
amount of last year! FYI,
RBI data considers frauds
of Rs1lakhandaboveonly
.
PSUs: The weakest link
– If one were to assess the
frauddataforthelastthree
years, private sector banks
reported the maximum
number of frauds while in
value terms public sector
banks’ contribution was
more,aspertheRBIreport.
Advances to be moni-
tored: The nature of
frauds reported by private
sector banks were mainly
on account of small value
card/internet frauds,
while those for public sec-
tor banks were mainly in
the loan portfolio. Advanc-
esformedthemajorchunk
of all the fraud in value
terms (97% of all frauds)
while cards/ internet con-
tributed to just 0.2% of all
frauds in value terms.
Time Lag: There is a sig-
nificant time lag between
the date of occurrence of
fraud and its detection.
94% of all frauds detected
last year occurred in pre-
vious fiscal years.
WAKE UP AND
SMELL THE COFFEE
Risk is an inherent aspect
of banking and needs to be
dealt with. Frauds are on
the rise and are expected
to rise further especially
in the current adverse
business environment.
Pandemic-induced loan
extensions’, moratoriums,
and government support
to businesses can open up
a new pandora’s box if not
addressed early
.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
3
While banks have been making
investments to strengthen their
fraud risk management
framework and monitoring
systems, they have not been
sufficient, it’s a no-brainer.
Every red flag and an early
warning signal is important
and should be identified and
closely monitored. Banks need
an Independent fraud risk
management department that
can avoid delays in decision-
making, especially in large
value frauds. After all, most of
the scams take place with help
from bank staff. All in all, the
current state reminds us of the
line quoted in the Harshad
Mehta web series: “Bohot
Kuch badla, lekin Phir bhi,
Kuch nahi badla”
It has been three decades since the Harshad Mehta
securities scam was unearthed in 1992 but
serious lapses in banking operations still exist.
The scam exposed the gaping loopholes in the country’s
stock markets and the banking system. Harshad
manipulated the stock prices by illegally
obtaining funds from the banks using fake bank
receipts and diverting them to the stock market.
BIGGEST BANK SCAMS
IN THE LAST DECADE

z DHFL scam defrauded a
consortium of 17 banks
worth `34,000 CRORE is
the biggest banking fraud

z ABG Shipyard comes
close with a fraud case of
about `20,000 CRORE

z Diamond trader Nirav
Modi and Mehul Choksi’s
`14,000 CRORE scam

z The Sandesaras of
Sterling Biotech’s
`15,000 CRORE scam

z Diamantaire Jatin Mehta’s
`10,000 CRORE fraud

z Bizman Vijay Mallya’s
`9,900 CRORE scam
Bohot Kuch Badla,
Lekin Phir Bhi, Kuch Nahi Badla.
—Harshad Mehta web series quoted
l Vol 1 l Issue No. 60 l RNI TITLE NO. MAHENG/2022/14652 Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Dangat Media Pvt Ltd, No.22, Dighe MIDC, Vishnu Nagar, TTC Industrial Area, Dighe, Navi Mumbai-400701.
Published at Plot No. 3 Scheme C of Manglorean Garden Home, CHS Limited, Survey No. 5, 6C (Part) Ville Parle East, Mumbai 400057. Editor-In-Chief:DrJagdeeshChandraEditor: Anita Hada Sangwan responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act

MUMBAI l TUESDAY, JULY 5, 2022 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI TITLE NO. MAHENG/2022/14652 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 60
DIGITAL INDIA WEEK: CATALYZING NEW INDIA’S TECHADE
CM SHINDE WINS TRUST
VOTE WITH 164-99 MARGIN
Queueless India!
Renni Abraham
Mumbai: The new
Eknath Shinde-led gov-
ernment in Maharash-
tra won the floor test on
Monday by a 164-99 mar-
gin, proving his govern-
ment’s majority and
cementing his position
as CM of the state.
As many as 164 votes
were polled in favour of
Shinde, while 99 votes
were polled against the
newly formed BJP-Shin-
de camp coalition. Sena
MLAfromShetkariKam-
gar of Uddhav faction
ShyamSundaralsovoted
in favour of Shinde. He
did not join Shinde fac-
tion but voted in favour.
Ajit Pawar new
Oppn leader in
Maharashtra
Assembly
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde & Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis
after a special session of Maharashtra Assembly, at Vidhan Bhavan in Mumbai on Monday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits the exhibition of ‘Digital India
week 2022, in Gandhinagar on Monday. Also seen here are Ashwini
Vaishnaw, Bhupendra Patel, Rajeev Chandrasekhar and others.
PM Narendra Modi seeks blessings from Pasala Krishna Bharathi,
daughter of a respected Andhra Pradesh freedom fighter Pasala
Krishna Murthy, in Bhimavaram on Monday.
Modi was in AP’s Bhimavaram
to attend 125th birth anniv event
of freedom fighter Alluri Raju.
4 Cong workers were arrested
after many black balloons were
released close to PM’s chopper.
HINDUTVA ON OUR
AGENDA: SHINDE
Maharashtra CM
Shinde said his
faction of Shiv Sena
and BJP will get 200
MLAs elected in next
polls. He also said the
agenda of new govt
were development and
Hindutva. “We were
Shivsainiks, we are
Shivsainiks and will
continue to be Shivs-
ainiks,” said Shinde.
UDDHAV CAMP
MOVES TOP COURT
Uddhav Thackeray-
led camp of Shiv
Sena on Monday ap-
proached SC challeng-
ing newly appointed
Maha Assembly
Speaker`s recognition
of whip of CM Shinde
group as the whip of
Shiv Sena. SC posted
the matter for hearing
on July 11, along with
other pending pleas.
TRUE, THE NEW GOVT IS
FORMED BY ED: FADNAVIS
BLACK BALLOONS NEAR
MODI’S CHOPPER IN AP;
4 CONG WORKERS HELD
Maha’s Dy CM Fadnavis on
Monday said that there
won’t be any power tussle in
days to come and Sena-BJP
govt led by CM Shinde will con-
tinue its full term. “I would have
even sat at home had party told
me - same party that made me a
CM. We’ll continue cooperating.
People taunt that it’s an ED govt.
Yes, it’s an ED govt of Eknath
Devendra,” Fadnavis said.
MAHARASHTRAASSEMBLY
l India has eliminated all
queues by going online, gap
in facilities in rural urban
India has been bridged: PM
l PM Modi launches a
single sign-in portal
Meri Pehchaan including
other digital portals
Gandhinagar (ANI):
Prime Minister Naren-
dra Modi on Monday in-
augurated the Digital
India Week 2022 at Gan-
dhinagarinGujarat.Ad-
dressingthegatheringat
thelaunchevent,thePM
said: “All programmes
launched today are go-
ingtostrengthenEaseof
Doing Business and
Ease of Living. They’ll
give a fillip to India’s
startup ecosystem... In-
dia can proudly say that
India is not just part of
Industry 4.0 Revolution
butisactuallyleadingit.”
Modi said that Digi-
tal India has empow-
ered people by making
technology more acces-
sible, through platform
that `23L cr have been
transferred to benefi-
ciaries, added that Ind
had eliminated queues
by going online and it is
working to eliminate
middlemen in all fields.
l Digital India Bhashini
l Digital India
GENESIS
l Chips to Startup
(C2S)
l Indiastack.global
l MyScheme
l Meri Pehchaan
MODI LAUNCHES
PM IN AP!
Just remember
the situations
of 8-10 years
ago. The line for taking
birth certificate. If you
want to pay bill, then
line, ration line, line for
admission line for result
and certificate, line in
banks, India solved so
many lines online. India
is guiding the world in
4th industrial revolution,
Industry 4.0.
—Narendra Modi, PM
MOOSE WALA MURDER
Shooter, a teen, had
fired 6 times; 2 held
New Delhi (ANI): A
19-year-old man was
arrested on Sunday
night in connection
with the gruesome
killing of Punjabi
singer Sidhu Moose-
wala. Special Cell of
Delhi Police identified
the accused as Ankit
Sirsa and said that he
was one of the shoot-
ers hired to kill Moose-
wala. Sirsa’s associate
Sachin was also ar-
rested.
“We have recovered
2 pistols, with 19 live
cartridges, 3 police
uniforms and 2 mobile
handsets, with a don-
gle and SIM,” a police
officer said.
HGS Dhaliwal, Special Commissioner of Police, addresses
media at Delhi Police headquarters, in New Delhi on Monday.
Ankit poses with cartridges
spelling out ‘Moose Wala’.
Why is the govt unable to find a new AG?
Sharat K Verma
New Delhi: Thecentral
government is once
again going to give one
year extension to Attor-
ney General KK Venu-
gopal. He is 91 years old
andhasbeenwantingto
be relieved of this re-
sponsibility for more
than two years. He was
appointed as the coun-
try’s highest legal offic-
er - the Attorney Gen-
eral - by the Central
Government in 2017.
Whenhistermendedin
2020, he had expressed
his desire to retire. On
the insistence of the
central government, he
had said that he could
take a service exten-
sion, that is, in 2021, he
hadtoretireatanycost.
But in 2021 also he got
extension of service
and now in 2022 also he
is to be given extension
for one year. Think, af-
ter coming to power at
the Center, the Naren-
dra Modi government
made Mukul Rohatgi as
Attorney General in
2014, who retired in
2017.Butithasbeenfive
years since the second
attorney general and
the government is go-
ingtoextendhisservice
for one more year. The
question is, why is the
central government not
gettinganalternativeto
KKVenugopal?Isitthat
the government is not
getting any new Attor-
ney General or is it due
to the respect accorded
to him in the judiciary
that the government
doesnotwanttoremove
him? Keep in mind that
Venugopal has been
practicing law for the
last67yearsandthereis
no one senior to him in
the whole country
. He is
highly respected both
because of his ability
and age. His presence
makes it easier for the
government to imple-
ment many of its agen-
das. The second reason
is being told that the
government is trying to
make Harish Salve as
Attorney General but it
is waiting as he has
taken a lot of work
abroad. It is being told
that it will take a long
time to settle his work.
CRUCIAL READ
33 IAS, 16 IPS, 36 IFS
TANSFERRED IN RAJ
Jaipur: In a major bureau-
cratic reshuffle, Raj govt on
Monday transferred 33 IAS,
16 IPS and 36 IFS officers.
Collectors of Jaipur, Bundi,
Alwar, Jaisalmer, Dholpur,
and Dungarpur are among
transferred IAS. 4 IAS offic-
ers were given addl charge
of some other posts.
6 MEN STRIKE BANK,
LOOT OVER `1 CRORE
Alwar: Six unidentified
armed miscreants looted
the Axis Bank located at
RIICO Chowk in Bhiwadi in
broad daylight on Monday.
The miscreants wearing
masks entered the bank and
began assaulting the em-
ployees. There was panic all
around.
FEMINA MISS INDIA 2022
RAJ’S RUBAL CROWNED
FIRST RUNNER-UP!
Rajasthan’s Rubal
Shekhawat was
crowned as First
Runner-Up during
the glamorous
Femina Miss India
2022 ceremony
held on Sunday,
July 3 at the Jio
World Convention
Centre in Mumbai.
READ MORE
ABOUT THE
JAIPUR GIRL
ON CITY
FIRST, P9
OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR, NEW DELHI MUMBAI
NOMINATION FOR VP POLLS BEGIN TODAY
New Delhi: The process of filing nominations for August 6 vice-
presidential polls will start from today and will go on till July 19.
Term of incumbent Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu ends on
August 10. The last date for withdrawal of candidature is July 22.
GYANVAPI: HEARING ADJOURNED TILL JULY 12
Varanasi: The Varanasi court on Monday adjourned till July
12 hearing in Gyanvapi case. Advocate AN Yadav, represent-
ing Muslim side, has presented 47 arguments out of 51 in the
court, 5 more arguments is expected to be completed today.
K’TAKA ADGP AMRIT PAUL ARRESTED BY CID
Bengaluru: AGDP Amrit Paul, who was chief of recruitment
when the Police Sub-Inspector (PSI) recruitment scam took
place, has been taken into custody by the CID on Monday.
UAPA CHARGES AGAINST AMRAVATI ACCUSED
Mumbai: Maha Police has slapped the UAPA against all the 7
accused in Amravati murder case. The NIA took over case on
Monday – which suspects that there is a terror angle to case.
BSE SENSEX 53,234.77 326.84 | NSE NIFTY 15,835.35 83.30
STATE GOVT TO ANNOUNCE CUT IN VAT ON PETROL DIESEL,
DECISION TO BE TAKEN IN CABINET, SAID SHINDE FADNAVIS
Ex-Mumbai police commissioner
to face strong ED action?
Satish Nandgaonkar and
Renni Abraham
Mumbai: IPS officer
and former Mumbai Po-
lice Commissioner San-
jay Pandey, who has
been summoned by the
Enforcement Directo-
rate on Thursday morn-
ing, is likely to face
strong action.
Those familiar with
the issue say iSec Ser-
vices Pvt. Ltd--the IT
firm company Pandey
founded in 2001 when he
had quit the IPS in frus-
tration after being re-
peatedly sidelined by
the political establish-
ment--was one of those
auditing NSE servers
between 2010 and 2015
but failed to point out
the breach.
“iSec officials were
aware of the breach of
the NSE servers, but did
not raise any red flags,”
a person close to the in-
vestigating agencies
told First India. Pandey,
however, has refused to
comment on the allega-
tions.
The 1986-batch IPS of-
ficer suddenly found fa-
vour with the political
class when a series of
sensational cases dent-
ed the image of the
Mumbai police. These
include the TRP scam
that led to anchor Arnab
Goswami’s arrest, the
Antilia case that ex-
posed the role of police
officer Sachin Vaze and
finally the Rs100 crore
corruption allegations
by then-Mumbai com-
missioner Param Bir
Singh against then-
Home Minister Anil
Deshmukh.
The Maha Vikas
Aghadi government
brought Pandey in as
Mumbai Police Com-
missioner to restore the
image of the police
force. Pandey connected
with the Mumbaikars
on social media
and earned
praise for
his peo-
p l e -
friend-
ly ini-
t i a -
tives.
How-
ever, Pan-
dey--an IIT
Kharagpur
computer
e n g i n e e r
who also
went to
Harvard--found him-
self unwittingly in the
middle of the political
battle between the BJP
and the Shiv Sena-led
MVA government on
several occasions. For
instance, as the head of
the three-member pan-
el that probed the
phone-tapping of poli-
ticians, Pandey was in-
strumental in charge-
sheeting ex-state intel-
ligence chief Rashmi
Shukla.
When Amra-
vati MP
Navneet
Rana al-
l e g e d
m i s -
treat-
ment
by the
police
a f t e r
her ar-
rest on se-
d i t i o n
ch a r g e s,
Pandey re-
l e a s e d
CCTV vid-
eos showing she and her
husband Ravi Rana
peacefully sipping tea at
the police station.
Similarly, Kirit So-
maiya and Mohit
Kambhoj--who have
been making corrup-
tion allegations against
Shiv Sena leaders--have
accused Pandey of al-
leged bias against the
BJP, a charge he has de-
nied.
The Economic Offenc-
es Wing also filed a case
against Kirit Somaiya’s
son Neil Somaiya’s com-
pany Niccon Infra alleg-
ing that purchase of FSI
was hugely underval-
ued. “Out of 66,110 sq.m,
Niccon Infra had pur-
chased only 12,890sq.m
of FSI in two projects.
However, The EOW of-
ficer had created an im-
pression of undervalua-
tion: that Niccon bought
66,110 sq.m and paid for
12,890 sq.m,” the source
said.
Pandey’s decision to
send a team to New Del-
hi to arrest BJP spokes-
person Nupur Sharma
after several FIRs were
lodged against her over
her remarks on Prophet
Muhammad had fur-
thered irked the Centre,
insiders say
.
Sanjay
Pandey could
pay a heavy price for
actions when BJP was
firing at all cylinders
to topple Sena
IPS officer Sanjay Pandey retired as Mumbai Police Commissioner on June 30. —FILE PHOTO
Attorney General KK Venugopal
EXCLUSIVE

Renni Abraham
Mumbai: Chief Minis-
ter Eknath Shinde’s
impassioned speech
lasted slightly over an
hour in the Vidhan
Sabha and was a di-
rect assault on former
CM Uddhav Thacker-
ay for the ignominies
he suffered personal-
ly, as well as the step-
brotherly treatment
his party Ministers
faced from NCP
, Con-
gress Ministers in the
“unnatural” MVA alli-
ance.
Shinde made a no-
holds-barred disclosure,
prompting his deputy
,
Devendra Fadnavis, to
interrupt him at one
pointwithadviceagainst
placing all the facts in
the public domain as
they could have rele-
vance in future politics.
An un-fettered Shin-
de, however, revealed
that he was never desir-
ous or greedy for the
post of CM even as his
party Chief Uddhav
Thackeray informed
him of his choice as the
MVA government was
being cobbled together
through the machina-
tions by NCP Chief
Sharad Pawar in 2019.
“I was told I would be
the CM and I said no
problem. Then I was in-
formed that Sharad Pa-
war had decided to in-
stall Thackeray as the
CM, which did not make
me unhappy either.
However, when MVA
minister Ajit Pawar re-
ferred to the alliance as
an accident within my
earshot, the sentiment
among the Sena MLAs
was being roused about
the unnatural political
alignment we were
forced to join,” Shinde
said.
Hehintedatthepoliti-
calignominyfacedevery
day by Sena ministers at
the hands of leaders
suchasJayantPatil,Ajit
Pawar, some Congress
leaders, and lamented
that his five attempts to
seek redressal from CM
Thackeray failed to re-
solve the issue.
“Who was responsi-
ble for disenfranchising
Balasaheb Thackeray
forsixyears?Wewanted
to publicly speak of our
great love and affection
for Swatantra Veer Sa-
varkar but could not, as
the Congress was
against it. When a min-
ister was arrested for
his close ties with un-
derworld gangster Da-
woodIbrahim(responsi-
ble for the 1993 Mumbai
bomb blasts) we had to
remain quiet on the is-
sue,” Shinde revealed.
The CM then said that
the Sena ministers and
MLAs alike compelled
him to fight to ensure
the continued existence
of Balasaheb Thacker-
ay’s Hindutva and his
political mentor Anand
Dighe’s concept of Jwal-
ant (burning passion for
the Sena values of pub-
lic service), leaving him
no choice but to exit the
government.
CM Shinde not only
addressed the points
raisedbyShivSenalead-
ers during their respec-
tive speeches but also
has thrown down the
political gauntlet at his
former chief Uddhav
Thackeray through his
speechthatleftmanyab-
solutely speechless.
NEWS
04
New Delhi: The Su-
preme Court Monday
agreed to hear on
July 11 a fresh plea of
the Uddhav Thacker-
ay faction challeng-
ing the decision of
the newly-elected
Speaker of the Maha-
rashtra legislative as-
sembly to recognise
the new party whip
of Shiv Sena rebels
led by Chief Minister
Eknath Shinde.
A vacation bench
comprising Justices In-
dira Banerjee and J K
Maheshwari said the
fresh plea would be
heard by the same
bench after the summer
break along with other
pending pleas.
Senior advocate AM
Singhvi, appearing for
the Thackeray group,
said, “The speaker has
no jurisdiction to recog-
nize whips. This is
changing the status quo
of proceedings before
this court. The speaker
at the stroke of the pen
at midnight on July 04
elected the whip.
In response, Justice
Banerjee said, “Let all
of this come up togeth-
er on July 11.”
First India Bureau
Mumbai: Maharash-
tra Deputy Chief
Minister Devendra
Fadnavis, who was
ridiculed over his im-
passioned “Me punha
yein (I will be back)”
claim while cam-
paigning for the 2019
state Assembly polls,
said his ultimate re-
venge would be to for-
give the trolls.
Fadnavis’ comment
about forgiveness came
after the Chief Minister
Eknath Shinde won the
floor test in the state
Legislative Assembly,
on the last day of the
special session called.
The catchphrase by the
former chief minister
had led to many social
media memes.
Speaking in the
House on Monday, Fad-
navis said, “I have been
trolled severely for my
remark that ‘I will re-
turn’. I am going to take
revenge against the
trolls by forgiving
them. “ He also said
when some MLAs were
voting (during the floor
test), members from the
opposition benches
shouted “ED, ED”.
Taking the heckling
in stride, the senior
Bharatiya Janata Party
leader said, “It is true
the new government is
formed by ED, which
stands for Eknath and
Devendra.”
Fadnavis claimed
that Maharashtra wit-
nessed a “deficit of
leadership availabili-
ty” in the last few
years—pointing fingers
at Uddhav Thackeray,
without naming the for-
mer chief minister.
“But, there are two
leaders in the House
(Shinde and himself),
who will always be
available for people,”
he said.
Decades-long allies
Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) and the Shiv Sena
had parted ways after
the results of 2019 state
Assembly polls were an-
nounced over the issue
of revolving chief min-
isters. The Sena then
teamed with the Nation-
alist Congress Party
(NCP) and the Indian
National Congress
(INC) to form the Maha
Vikas Aghadi (MVA)
coalition government.
Last month, Shinde
rebelled against the
Sena and with a major-
ity of Sena MLAs sid-
ing with him, the MVA
government collapsed.
Forgiveness is Dy CM’s revenge for ‘Me punha yein’ trolling
LETTING GO
lll
The
catchphrase
was
massively
trolled on
social media
during 2019
Assembly
elections
Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis during the special session of the Maha
Assembly on Monday. —PHOTO BY PTI
DETERMINED
Speaking in the House
on Monday, Fadnavis
said, “I have been
trolled severely for
my remark that ‘I will
return’. I am going to
take revenge against
the trolls by forgiving
them. “He also said
when some MLAs
were voting (during
the floor test), mem-
bers from the opposi-
tion benches shouted
“ED, ED”, which he
referred to as “Eknath
and Devendra.”
CM Eknath Shinde leaves Opposition speechless
Targets Shiv Sena chief Uddhav
Thackeray in impassioned plea for
Balasaheb’s Hindutva and Anand
Dighe’s ‘Jwalant’ Sena politics
Renni Abraham
Mumbai: Seven more
Uddhav Thackeray
loyalist MLAs and a
whopping 20 Members
of Parliament (includ-
ing Shiv Sena, Con-
gress, NCP and inde-
pendents MPs) have
opened back-room
parleys with BJP’s
M a h a r a s h t r a
Chanakya Devendra
Fadnavis over the last
few days, even as one
more Sena MLA joined
the Eknath Shinde
camp on Monday
.
When asked about
this, Deputy CM Deven-
dra Fadnavis did not ac-
cept or deny the fresh
hobnobbing of MLAs
and MPs but noted that
the Sena only had 18
MPs.
A senior BJP leader,
however, told First In-
dia, “BJP’s Maharash-
tra Chanakya will nev-
er openly talk about
ongoing operations like
‘Lotus’ that just bore
fruit and returned him
and the Shinde-led Shiv
Sena faction to power in
Maharashtra. The state
has reverted to our nat-
ural alliance, which
was hijacked into an
unnatural
and hybrid
p o l i t i c a l
formation
of the Maha Vikas
Aghadi for the past 2.5
years.”
In addition to the re-
maining Sena’s public
figures, Fadnavis has
also offered some politi-
cal advice to MNS Chief
Raj Thackeray
. “It is the
most opportune time
for the MNS, when the
Uddhav Thackeray
camp is at its lowest, to
launch an all-out attack
to ensure that his part
fights for
each and
e v e r y
seat in
the forthcoming Bri-
hanmumbai Municipal
Corporation elections,”
Fadnavis told a select
bunch of news persons
on Sunday
, immediately
after his blue-eyed boy
Rahul Narvekar was
elected Speaker of the
Legislative Assembly
.
“Fadnavis’s political
gameplan is clear. He is
seeking to blunt any
possible sympathy that
the Uddhav-led faction
will seek to derive from
voters in the forthcom-
ing municipal elections,
particularly in Mumbai
and Thane, by empow-
ering CM Eknath Shin-
de who was in the Sena.
Additionally
, he is goad-
ing Raj Thackeray to
launch a political drive
to capture disillusioned
Hindutva voters who
may feel a similar sense
of displacement d in re-
maining with the UT
camp and thus vote for
the MNS party,” a sen-
ior BJP leader said.
The BJP seeks to im-
prove on its tally of 83
councillors, against the
Sena’s 85 seats bagged in
the 2017 BMC polls. Div-
ing Marathi Hindutva
voters between the Shin-
defactionandRajThack-
eray factions against the
Uddhav faction may
spell sweet success for
the BJP to win the civic
polls, the BJP feels.
Who was responsible for disenfranchis-
ing Balasaheb Thackeray for six years?
We wanted to publicly speak of our
great love and affection for Swatantra Veer Sa-
varkar but could not, as the Congress was
against it. When a minister was arrested for his
close ties with underworld gangster Dawood
Ibrahim (responsible for the 1993 Mumbai
bomb blasts) we had to remain quiet on the issue
in the Legislature. —Eknath Shinde, CM
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde speaks during a special session of the State Legislative Assembly, in
Mumbai on Monday. —PHOTO BY PTI
Drop‘juvenile insistence’
on metro rail carshed at
Aarey: Mumbai Congress
Shinde faction cannot
claim to be original Shiv
Sena,says Sanjay Raut
First India Bureau
Mumbai: Coming
out in strong oppo-
sition to the con-
struction of the
metro rail carshed
in green lung Aar-
ey, the Mumbai
Congress on Mon-
day urged the Un-
ion government
and Maharashtra
Deputy Chief Min-
ister Devendra Fad-
navis to drop their
“juvenile insist-
ence” on going
ahead with the
plan.
City unit chief
Bhai Jagtap said,
“The Aarey forest is
the breath of Mum-
bai. It is the lung of
Mumbai. By destroy-
ing the forest and
cutting down trees,
the BJP government
at the Centre and De-
vendra Fadnavis are
doing juvenile insist-
ence to set up a metro
carshed there.”
One of the first de-
cisions taken by the
Eknath Shinde gov-
ernment was to al-
low construction of
the carshed for Met-
ro Line 3 at Aarey, a
move that has met
with opposition from
environmental activ-
ists and some politi-
cal parties, overturn-
ing the previous gov-
ernment’s plan to
build it at Kanjur-
marg.
Issuing a release
during the day, Jag-
tap said the Congress
would oppose the
plan to build the
carshed for Colaba-
Seepz Metro Line 3
in Aarey
.
“This is a project
that destroys the en-
vironment. Mumbai-
kars don’t want this
project in Aarey
. The
metrocarshedshould
come up in Kanjur-
marg,” the Congress
leader added.
First India Bureau
Mumbai: Shiv
Sena MP Sanjay
Raut on Monday
questioned the le-
gitimacy of the
faction led by Ma-
harashtra Chief
Minister Eknath
Shinde, and said
the group cannot
claim to be the
original Sena.
In a jolt to former
CM Uddhav Thack-
eray, ahead of the
Eknath Shinde-led
government’s floor
test, Maharashtra
Assembly Speaker
Rahul Narvekar has
reinstated Shinde as
the Shiv Sena legis-
lature party leader,
removing Ajay
Chaudhary
.
Narvekar also rec-
ognized the appoint-
ment of Bharat
Gogawale from the
Shinde camp as the
chief whip of the
Sena, removing
Sunil Prabhu, who
belongs to the Thack-
eray faction.
Speaking to re-
porters in Delhi,
Raut said, “These
MLAs (of the Shinde
group) should ask
themselves some
questions. They used
the party symbol and
all benefits that
come along with it to
win the election, and
then broke the same
party
.”
He added, “We
will definitely con-
test it in court. The
Shinde faction left
the Shiv Sena, then
how can they claim
that their group is
the original party,
and not the one led
by Uddhav Thacker-
ay. The Thackeray
name is synony-
mous with the Shiv
Sena.”
When a ruling is
given as per the con-
venience of a person
or a party, it is not
parliamentary de-
mocracy
, Raut added.
Many activist groups have opposed car shed plan at Aarey. Sanjay Raut
Uddhav Thackeray,
after becoming the
chief minister in
2019, had shifted
the carshed site to
Kanjurmarg
Sena spokesperson
asserts party’s
intention to contest
the claim in court
MORE SENA MLA/MP REBELS
LIKELY TO SWITCH SIDES
SC to hear plea against whip on July 11
CM Eknath Shinde with rebel Shiv Sena MLAs during the special
session of Maha Assembly, at Vidhan Bhavan. —PHOTO BY PTI
EXCLUSIVE

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MAHARASHTRA
05
First India Bureau
Pune: All electric me-
ter-reading agencies
have come under the
scanner of the Maha-
rashtra State Elec-
tricity Distribution
Company Ltd (MSED-
CL) following com-
plaints of widespread
discrepancies.
MSEDCL has termi-
nated services of five
private agencies tasked
with recording read-
ings of consumer me-
ters.
“Three agencies are
from Solapur district,
while two are from
Pune district,” an
MSEDCL spokesperson
told media on Monday.
Five agencies have been
found negligent in tak-
ing meter readings.
“In the last two
months, it was noticed
that these private agen-
cies have made no im-
provement in meter
readings. Despite me-
ters being in a good
state, they have given
adverse remarks and
recorded wrong aver-
age meter readings,”
the spokesperson said.
In Western Maha-
rashtra, the MSEDCL
has hired as many as
110 private agencies
that have appointed
their own manpower
for recording meter
readings at the resi-
dences of consumers.
First India Bureau
Mumbai: The Bom-
bay High Court on
Monday pulled up the
Brihanmumbai Mu-
nicipal Corporation
(BMC) for not crack-
ing down on illegal
nursing homes in the
city.
A bench comprising
Justice Anil K Menon
and Justice Makarand
S Karnik posed the
question to the civic
body
, after taking cogni-
zance of an inspection
conducted by the civic
body in December last
year. The outcome of
the on-ground review
showed that of 1,574
clinics or private hospi-
tals, only 687 had com-
plied with fire safety
and other norms.
The justices were
hearing a public inter-
est litigation (PIL) filed
by Shakeel Shaik
through his counsel, ad-
vocate Mohammed Zain
Khan.
The plea highlighted
an incident from 2019,
where an unauthorized
health camp organized
in the city had resulted
in the accidental death
of a three-ye ar-old. Ac-
cording to Shaik, the
gathering had been
held without due dili-
gence of meeting requi-
site fire norms.
Senior counsel
Milind Sathe, who ap-
peared on behalf of the
BMC, told the court that
it had taken action
against unlawful nurs-
ing homes, but was of-
ten unable to close them
due to patients admit-
ted there.
“We cannot under-
stand how the BMC is
so powerless that it can-
not stop an illegal nurs-
ing home from func-
tioning, just because of
10 people there? If such
nursing homes do not
have fire safety and yet,
there are people in
them, it is a disaster
waiting to happen,”
said the bench.
The High court asked
the civic body to file an
additional affidavit de-
tailing how many clin-
ics or nursing homes
continued to operate in
the city without requi-
site licenses and, or, fire
safety norms.
The HC further di-
rected BMC and the city
fire department to file
their respective affida-
vits within three weeks.
MAN ARRESTED WITH 12 STOLEN
MOTORCYCLES WORTH `7.20 LAKH
SEVEN PEOPLE GET STUCK IN THANE
BUILDING ELEVATOR; RESCUED
RE-EXAMINE SCHOOL BUSES’ FITNESS
IN NAVI MUMBAI: MNS YOUTH WING
Latur: Police seized twelve stolen motorcycles
worth Rs7.20 lakh from a man in Udgir town of
Latur district. Netaji Narayan Ghodke (39), a resi-
dent of Nanded, was held by police on Sunday after
receiving a tip off that he was selling motorcycles at
low cost at some spots along the Karnataka border,
said Udgir rural police station Inspector Deepakku-
mar Waghmare. We have initiated further investiga-
tion into Ghodke’s activities, he added.
Thane: Seven people were stuck in an elevator
of a seven-storey building that houses the police
residential quarters in Thane city on Monday. Ac-
cording to a civic official, local firefighters rushed
to the spot and rescued them, after being alerted.
The elevator got stuck on the second floor of the
building, informed Avinash Sawant, Thane Munici-
pal Corporation’s Regional Disaster Management
cell chief.
Mumbai: The youth wing of MNS has asked Navi
Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) to re-
examine all fitness-related documents of school
buses to prevent any untoward incidents. Sand-
esh Dongre, president of MNS’ youth wing of Navi
Mumbai wrote to Jaideep Pawar, Deputy Commis-
sioner (Education) at NMMC and Surendra Nikam,
RTO’s Assistant Sub-Regional Transport Officer
on the issue.
CRUCIAL READ
First India Bureau
Mumbai: Cautioning
parents about the rise
in the number of cas-
es of chickenpox and
viral fever among
children, schools
have issued adviso-
ries and shared in-
structions with them.
Doctors too have giv-
en a word of caution.
In an official message
to parents, Sanjeevani
World School in Da-
hisarstated: “Dear par-
ent, this is to notify that
chickenpox is on the
rise in children. If your
child develops any
symptoms of chicken-
pox, you should notify
the school. Do not allow
your child to attend
school until all of the
blisters become crusted
or no lesions appear, as
it may spread to other
children.”
“ Last month we had
five students from jun-
ior kindergarten and
Class I with symptoms
and blisters on their
body. Two of them
turned out to be chick-
enpox. We have asked
the parents to closely
watch out for symptoms
and not send kids to
school to prevent fur-
ther spread of the dis-
ease,” said the principal
of a school in Andheri.
Dr Vishal Parmar,
consultant paediatri-
cian, Wockhardt Hospi-
tal, Mira Road, said,
“Nowadays there is
slight rise in chicken-
pox cases. We see 4 to 6
cases in a week. The
reason may be missing
the chickenpox vaccine,
reopening of school, in-
crease in socialisation.”
HC slams BMC for failing to
pull up illegal nursing homes
TAKES COGNIZANCE OF AN INSPECTION THAT SHOWED ONLY 687 OUT OF 1,574
CLINICS OR PVT HOSPS COMPLYING WITH FIRE SAFETY AND OTHER NORMS
IN THE COURTYARD
HC seeks govt reply to
plea against renaming of
Pathanwadi Metro station
First India Bureau
Mumbai: The Bom-
bay High Court on
Monday asked the
state government to
respond to a public
interest litigation
(PIL) challenging the
renaming of a metro
station from Pathan-
wadi to Dindoshi,
within two weeks.
Filed by a social or-
ganization, Naee Rosh-
ni, through advocate
Sahood Anwar Naqvi,
the PIL challenged the
Mumbai Metropolitan
Region Development
Authority (MMRDA)’s
July 18, 2019 order to
revise the station
names on lines 2A and
7 of the Mumbai Met-
ro.
According to the or-
ganization, the re-
christening was in
“sheer violation of
policy framed by
MMRDA”.
It also alleged that
the name change was
ordered due to political
pressure from two
MLAs namely Atul
Bhatkhalkar and Sunil
Prabhu. “This was
done despite Right to
Information (RTI) re-
plies stating that Din-
doshi is a revenue vil-
lage and not the near-
est wadi,” stated the
organization. It fur-
ther said that the re-
naming was “arbi-
trary”, had affected the
sentiments of Pathan-
wadi residents and
was against their con-
stitutional rights.
On June 09, the court
had directed Naee
Roshni to deposit Rs1
lakh as a precondition
to hear its petition. On
Monday, the organiza-
tion informed a bench
comprising Justice
Anil K Menon and Jus-
tice Makarand S
Karnik that the depos-
it had been made, after
which the court grant-
ed two weeks for the
government to file its
reply
.
Name changed to
Dindoshi under
political pressure
from legislators
Atul Bhatkhalkar
and Sunil
Prabhu, points
out the PIL filed
at the High Court Bombay High Court
“We cannot
understand
how the
BMC is so powerless
that it cannot stop
an illegal nursing
home from func-
tioning, just be-
cause of 10 people
there? If such nurs-
ing homes do not
have fire safety and
yet, there are people
in them, it is a dis-
aster waiting to
happen.
—Bombay HC
Bench
HC QUESTIONS BMC’S ACCOUNTABILITY
The HC asked the BMC what it did about the patients who are undergoing treat-
ment in such nursing homes. “We expect that the least you can do is to shift
them to another facility. Can you say so in an affidavit? Also, how difficult is it to
know who is behind it? You have conducted COVID-19 treatment in many of these
unauthorized clinics, so you should know who is behind them,” said the bench.
—FILE PHOTO
IIT-Bombay plans a course on caste sensitization
COMING UP
First India Bureau
Mumbai: The Sched-
uld Caste/Schedule
Tribes cell of IIT-
Bombay is planning
to launch a compul-
sory course on caste
awareness to up the
ante on caste and ra-
cial sensitization in
the institution.
Professor Bharat Ad-
sul from department of
Computer Science and
Engineering, and Pro-
fessor Madhu N Belur
from the department of
Electrical Engineering
would be the convenor
and co-convenor of the
course.
The initiative to in-
troduce the course has
been taken on the basis
of surveys conducted
by the SC/ST cell of the
educational body
.
The surveys further
asked the students
about the need of hav-
ing more events focused
towards sensitizing the
youth and introduction
of a mandatory course
on caste sensitization.
While the the course
is yet to be designed and
the SC/ ST cell has de-
cided to introduce a
mentorship pro-
gramme, where seniors
will reach out to the
juniors of the SC/ST
communities and make
sure that there is no
caste-based distinction
in the campus.
The SC/ST cell re-
cently organised an
open house discussion
regarding challenges
faced by students. It
also threw light on steps
that can be taken to
solve these issues.
Many participants
came forward with or-
deals faced by them.
It was observed that
the students belonging
to SC/ST categories
were subjected to taunts
pertaining to reserva-
tion of seats, which at
times invoked the feel-
ing of self-doubt in stu-
dents.
Surveys, that included understanding
of various issues faced by students on
the basis of caste distinctions,
catalysed the initiative
IIT Bombay
With rise in chickenpox,
Mumbai schools issue
advisories to parents
Meter-readingagenciesnowunderMSEDCL
SHOW
MUST
GO ON
A man pulls a hand
cart loaded with gas
cylinders across a
street amidst the
downpour in Mumbai
on Monday.
—PHOTO BY PTI
WOMAN, INFANT AMONG THREE KILLED
IN TRUCK COLLISION, TWO INJURED
UNIDENTIFIED MAN’S BODY FOUND IN
CAR ON MUMBAI-A’BAD HIGHWAY
Pune: Three persons, including a six-month-old
child, were killed after being hit by a truck in Piran-
gut area on the outskirts of Pune on Sunday. As per
primary investigation, the brakes of the truck failed,
which led to the accident near Lavale intersection,
said police. “Due to brake failure, the truck first hit
a motorcycle of one Pawan Patel, due to which his
wife and six-month-old child died. It later dashed
another motorcycle of one Tanaji Dhamale, who
was also killed in the accident,” said a cop.
Thane: The body of an unidentified man was found
in a car parked on a roadside on the Mumbai-
Ahmedabad highway near Maharashtra, said police
officials on Monday. A police team patrolling the
area on Sunday evening spotted the car in Sha-
hapur area. On checking the car, they found the
body of a man, aged 35 to 40 years, with a head
injury, lying inside the vehicle, confirmed an official
from Shahapur police station. The body was later
sent for a post-mortem examination.

06
INDIA
‘NEW INDIA SHOULD BE INDIA OF
DREAMS OF FREEDOM FIGHTERS’
Andhra Pradesh
(ANI): Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on Mon-
day said that the new
India should be an India
of the dreams of fight-
ers who gave their lives
for the freedom of the
country
.
PM Modi also called
on youths to work to-
ward building New In-
dia with new opportuni-
ties, growth avenues
and dreams. He was ad-
dressing the 125th birth
anniversary celebra-
tions of Alluri Sitarama
Raju in Andhra
Pradesh’s Bhimavaram.
“Our new India
should be an India of
the dreams of fighters
who gave their lives for
our freedom. In past
eight years, we have
worked with full devo-
tion, walking on princi-
ples of Alluri Sitarama
Raju, we’ve worked to-
wards the welfare of
tribals,” he said.
The Prime Minister
said when the poor, mar-
ginalized, women,
youth, and all citizens
of the country come to-
gether, nothing can
come in the way of New
India.
“During India’s free-
dom struggle, the youth
played a pivotal role. To-
day, as we are building a
New India, the youth
needs to come forward
and contribute to this
vision,” he said.
The freedom struggle
is not just the history
of a few years, some
regions or some people.
It is the history of sac-
rifices from every nook
and corner of the
country. Alluri in-
volved himself in the
country’s fight for in-
dependence early.
Narendra Modi,
Prime Minister
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with G Kishan Reddy, Biswabhusan Harichandan, YS Jagan Mohan
Reddy and other dignitaries, during the celebrations of the 125th birth anniversary of freedom
fighter Alluri Sitarama Raju, in Bhimavaram. —PHOTO BY PTI
ALLURI SYMBOLISES
SPIRIT OF EK
BHARAT SHRESHTHA
BHARAT: MODI
PM NARENDRA
MODI TO VISIT
VARANASI ON
7 JULY
Andhra Pradesh (ANI):
PM Narendra Modi
on Monday said that
the freedom fighter
Alluri Sitarama Raju
symbolises the spirit
of Ek Bharat Shreshtha
Bharat that has unified
our country. “As the
country celebrates
Amrit Mahotsav of 75
years of independence,
we alongside celebrate
the 125th anniversary
of Alluri Sitarama Raju.
At the same time, 100
years of ‘Rampa Kranti’
for the country’s inde-
pendence are also com-
pleted. I bow down my
head and give a tribute
to him,” said PM.
New Delhi: PM Naren-
dra Modi will be visiting
Varanasi on 7 July,
where he will be taking
part in a slew of pro-
grammes. PM Modi will
inaugurate the Akshay
Patra Mid Day Meal
Kitchen at LT College,
Varanasi, which has a
capacity of cooking mid
day meals for around
one lakh students.
During his visit, he will
also inaugurate and lay
the foundation stone of
multiple projects worth
over Rs 1,800 crores.
He will visit the Interna-
tional Cooperation and
Convention Centre-
Rudraksh.
PM MODI
UNVEILS
ALLURI’S STATUE
IN ANDHRA
Prime Minister
Narendra Modi
unveiled a 30-feet
tall bronze statue of
revolutionary fighter
Alluri Sitarama Raju
as part of his 125th
birth anniversary
celebrations at
Pedda Amiram
village near Bhi-
mavaram in West
Godavari district
on Monday. On the
occasion, Mr. Modi
said Sitarama Raju,
popularly known as
‘Manyam Veerudu’
in these parts of the
State, had been an
inspiration for the
entire nation.
PM GETS
UNUSUAL GIFT
FROM ANDHRA
PRADESH CM
Bhimavaram (IANS)
Andhra Pradesh CM
Y.S Jagan Mohan
Reddy on Monday
presented an unu-
sual gift to PM Modi
at the launch of the
125th birth anniver-
sary celebrations of
revolutionary freedom
fighter Alluri Sitarama
Raju. Taking every
one by surprise, the
CM presented a bow
and a quiver to Modi.
Bow and quiver of
arrows is a symbolic
representation of
‘Manyam Veerudu’ or
forest hero as Alluri
Seetarama Raju was
popularly known.
Cooperative model is middle
path that succeeds, says Shah
New Delhi (ANI): Un-
ion Minister for Home
and Cooperation Amit
Shah on Monday said
that the cooperative
model is the middle
path between the two
models adopted in the
last 100 years by differ-
ent countries in the
world, and it is the
mode that succeeds.
He said, “We have
done a lot in the last 100
years. Now, we have to
move forward with a
resolution to do much
better in the next 100
years”.
Shah said he was hap-
py and felt proud of
whatever we could do in
this movement despite
all kinds of odds in the
long journey
.
Amit Shah speaking at the 100th International Day Of Cooperatives
Use of cellular
signal jammer,
illegal: Centre
New Delhi: The Centre
on Monday said the use
of cellular signal jam-
mer, GPS blocker or
other signal jamming
device is illegal, except
specifically permitted
by the govt, warning e-
commerce platforms
against illegally selling
such wireless mobile
jammers online.
Alarmed at its open on-
line sale, the dept
warned all e-commerce
companies from selling
the sale of wireless jam-
mers on their online
platforms, stressing that
private organisations
cannot use jammers.
BJP slams Sinha over rubber
stamp Rashtrapati remark
Bengaluru (PTI): Hit-
ting back at joint opposi-
tion candidate for Presi-
dential polls Yashwant
Sinha for his “rubber
stamp Rashtrapati”
comments, BJP national
General Secretary C T
Ravi on Monday said a
feeling that an Adivasi
woman is not capable for
the position, itself de-
picts one’s “nasty mind-
set”. He was reacting to a
question regarding Sin-
ha urging BJP-led NDA’s
nominee for the elec-
tions, Droupadi Murmu,
who belongs to a tribal
community, to make an
affirmation that she will
not be a “rubber stamp
Rashtrapati”.
“Certainly the coun-
try doesn’t need a rub-
ber stamp Rashtrapati,
but also, in the same
way, the mindset of in-
dulging in a false propa-
ganda against a self-
made Adivasi woman,
who has proved her ca-
pability, is dangerous,”
Ravi said.
FIR against BJP
MPs for fake
RaGa’s video
New Delhi: The Con-
gress on Monday said
an FIR has been regis-
tered against BJP MPs
Rajyavardhan Singh
Rathore and Subrat
Pathak on its complaint
over a doctored video of
former Congress presi-
dent Rahul Gandhi be-
ing shared by them on
social media and alleg-
edly aiming at disturb-
ing communal harmony
.
The FIR against the
MPs and three others
was registered in Bilas-
pur in Chhattisgarh,
chief of the party’s me-
dia and publicity team
Pawan Khera said in a
presser.
He said the Congress
has also lodged com-
plaints against them in
Delhi, Jharkhand, Ma-
harashtra, Madhya
Pradesh, Rajasthan and
Uttar Pradesh.
DRAUPADI MURMU VISITS RANCHI
NIA CHIEF MEET
In last 100
years, different
countries adopt-
ed two models – commu-
nism and capitalism. But
I can say it definitively
that the Cooperative mod-
el is the middle path, it is
a model that succeeds.
Amit Shah,
Union Minister for Home and
Cooperation
IN THE COURTYARD
NORTHEAST DELHI VIOLENCE: HC ADJOURNS
HEARING ON UMAR KHALID’S BAIL PLEA
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Monday adjourned the
hearing on the bail plea of Umar Khalid in the larger conspir-
acy of North East Delhi violence due to the non-availability
of his counsel. His counsel senior advocate Trideep Pais has
contracted COVID-19. In April, Khalid challenged the denial
of bail in a larger conspiracy of North East Delhi riots 2020.
The division bench headed by Justice Siddharth Mridul
adjourned the hearing for two weeks. Now the matter will be
heard on July 27. This matter was to be heard at 2.15 pm
today. Karkardooma Court had denied bail to former JNU
student leader Umar Khalid in March 2022.
HC ASKS CENTRE TO
CONSIDER PIL AGAINST
VT ON INDIAN AIRCRAFT
New Delhi (ANI): The Delhi
HC on Monday asked the
Centre and Concern Authori-
ties to consider the repre-
sentation seeking direction
to change the Call Sign ‘VT’
written on Indian aircraft
which stands for ‘Victorian
Territory and Viceroy Terri-
tory’. The Bench of Justice
Satish Chandra Sharma
and Justice Subramonium
Prasad said, the issue raised
by the petitioner is a policy
matter and asked the Govt
to consider the issue.
SC TO HEAR PLEA ON
AIADMK LEADERSHIP
ROW ON JULY 6
New Delhi (ANI): The SC
on Monday agreed to list
on July 6 a petition filed by
AIADMK leader Edappadi
K Palaniswami challenging
the Madras High Court
order restraining the AIAD-
MK General Council from
amending the party bye-
laws during its meeting. A
vacation bench of headed
by Justice Indira Baner-
jee posts the matter for
hearing on July 6, subject
to CJI’s approval for listing
the plea.
Dr Singh inaugurates
‘Autonomous Navigation’
Hyderabad: Union
Minister of State (Inde-
pendent Charge) Sci-
ence Technology;
Minister of State (Inde-
pendent Charge) Earth
Sciences; MoS PMO,
Personnel, Public
Grievances, Pensions,
Atomic Energy and
Space, Dr Jitendra Sin-
gh today launched lat-
est, first-of-its-kind,
state-of-the-art “Autono-
mous Navigation” facil-
ity to develop “un-
manned driverless”
ground and aerial vehi-
cles, in the IIT Hy-
derabad campus.
He also interacted
with Startups develop-
ing “unmanned”
ground motor vehicles
like driverless self-driv-
en motor cars, driver-
less self-driven bicycles
etc., as well as “un-
manned’ aerial vehicles
including drones in dif-
ferent shapes and sizes.
He keenly listened to
the experience of the
young Startups
Draupadi Murmu being felicitated during a programme in Ranchi,
Monday. —PHOTO BY PTI
Dr Jitendra Singh addressing people at IIT Hyderabad on Monday.
Prime Minister Modi also called on youths to work toward building New India
Renni Abraham
Mumbai: Seven more
Uddhav Thackeray loy-
alist MLAs and a whop-
ping 20 Members of Par-
liament (including
Sena, Congress, NCP
and independents MPs)
have opened back-room
parleys with BJP’s Ma-
harashtra Chanakya
Devendra Fadnavis over
the last few days, even as
one more Sena MLA
joined the Eknath Shin-
de camp on Monday
.
When asked about
this Deputy Chief Min-
ister Devendra Fad-
navis did not accept or
deny the fresh hobnob-
bing of MLAs and MPs
while noting that Sena
only had 18 MPs.
A senior BJP leader,
however, told First In-
dia, “BJP’s Maharash-
tra Chanakya will nev-
er openly talk about
ongoing operation like
‘Lotus’ that just bore
fruit and returned him
and the Shinde led Shiv
Sena faction back to
power in Maharashtra.
The state has reverted
to our natural alliance
that was hijacked into
an unnatural and hy-
brid political formation
of MVA for the last tw0-
and-a-half years.”
In addition to the re-
maining Sena’s public
figures, Chanakya Fad-
navis has also offered
some political advise to
MNS Chief Raj Thack-
eray. “It is the most op-
portune time for the
MNS, when the Uddhav
Thackeray camp is at
its lowest political situ-
ation, to launch all out
and ensure that his part
fights for each and eve-
ry seat in the forthcom-
ing Brihanmumbai Mu-
nicipal Corporation
elections,” Fadnavis
told a select bunch of
news persons on Sun-
day immediately after
the election of his blue-
eyed boy Rahul
Narvekar as the Speak-
er of Maharashtra Vid-
han Parishad.
“Fadnavis political
gameplan is clear, he is
seeking to blunt any
possible sympathy wave
that the Uddhav Thack-
eray led faction will
seek to derive from vot-
ers in the forthcoming
municipal elections
across Maharashtra,
particularly in Mumbai
and Thane cities by em-
powering as CM Eknath
Shinde who was in the
Sena. Additionally
, he is
triggering Raj Thacker-
ay to launch into a po-
litical drive to capture
disillusioned Hindutva
voters who may feel a
similarly displaced
sense of Hindutva in re-
maining with the UT
camp and thus vote for
the MNS party
,” a senior
BJP leader said.
BJP seeks to improve
onitstallyof 83corpora-
tors, to the Shiv Sena’s
85 seats bagged in the
2017 civic polls of BMC.
A division of the Mar-
athi Hindutva voters
between the Shinde fac-
tion against the Uddhav
and Raj factions may
spell sweet success for
the BJP to win the civic
polls, the BJP feels.
BJP pushes MNS Chief Raj Thackeray to go the whole hog for civic
polls, to edge out Sena establish BJP rule over Mumbai, Thane
MORE SENA MLA/MP REBELS IN OFFING
Eknath Shinde Devendra Fadnavis Uddhav Thackeray
Punjab Cabinet expansion:
5 new ministers sworn in
Chandigarh (ANI): Five
AAPMLAswereinducted
asministersinthePunjab
government on Monday
as CM Bhagwant Mann
expanded his cabinet. It
was the first cabinet ex-
pansion of the Mann-led
govtafterAAPstormedto
power in the state during
the Assembly elections
earlier this year. Punjab
Governor Banwarilal
Purohit administered the
oath of office and secrecy
to the MLAs at Guru
Nanak Dev Auditorium
of Punjab Raj Bhawan
here. Aman Arora, Dr In-
derbirSinghNijjar,Fauja
Singh, Chetan Singh Jau-
ramajra and Anmol Ga-
gan Mann inducted into
Cabinet.
Punjab minister Fauja Singh Sarari administered oath by governor
Banwari Lal Purohit.

BIZ BUZZ
07
But govt is open to discuss narrowing down the three slabs of 5, 12 and 18% into two
28% GST ON LUXURY, SIN GOODS
TO CONTINUE: REVENUE SECRETARY
New Delhi (PTI): The
government intends to
continue with the top
GST slab of 28% for
luxury and sin goods,
but is open to discuss
narrowing down the
three slabs of 5, 12 and
18% into two, Revenue
Secretary Tarun Bajaj
said on Monday
.
Addressing the in-
dustry leaders, Bajaj
said the rate rationali-
sation exercise of the
GST Council is a result
of introspection of
GST, five years after its
rollout, and the policy-
makers do not have a
“fetish” to raise the tax
rates to the revenue-
neutral level of 15.5%.
On the industry de-
mand for bringing pe-
troleum products un-
der GST net, he said
since fuel constitutes a
larger part of their rev-
enues, both the Centre
and states have some
apprehension. “We will
have to wait for some
time.”
“Of the 5, 12, 18 and
28%, we would have to
continue with 28% be-
cause in a developing
economy, in an econo-
my with so much of
income disparity, there
would be some luxury
and sin items that
would and should at-
tract a higher rate of
taxation.
“But, whether on 5,
12 and 18 (%), we can
bring down to 2 rates to
start with and then see
how the country grows
and whether there is a
capacity to bring it to
one rate or not is some-
thing to be seen. It is a
very difficult chal-
lenge,” Bajaj said at an
Assocham event.
Under the GST, a
four-rate structure that
exempts or imposes a
low rate of tax of 5 per
cent on essential items
and a top rate of 28%
on cars is levied. The
other slabs of tax are 12
and 18%.
Besides, there is a
special 3% rate for
gold, jewellery and pre-
cious stones and 1.5%
on cut and polished dia-
monds.
Also, a cess is levied
on the highest tax slab
of 28% on luxury, sin
and demerit goods. The
collection from the cess
goes to a separate cor-
pus—Compensation
fund — which is used to
make up for revenue
loss suffered by the
state due to the GST
rollout.
The GST Council has
set up a GoM, under
Karnataka Chief Min-
ister Basavaraj Bom-
mai, to suggest ration-
alisation in tax rates,
merging of slabs, re-
viewing the exempt list
and correcting duty
inversion in cases
where taxes on final
output in lower than
that in inputs. The
GoM has been given
3-month more time to
submit a final report.
New Delhi (PTI): Guja-
rat and Karnataka have
been ranked as the best
performers in develop-
ing startup ecosystem
for budding entrepre-
neurs, according to the
ranking of states and
Union territories by the
department for promo-
tion of industry and in-
ternal trade (DPIIT).
Among smaller states
having population of
less than one crore,
Meghalaya has been ad-
judged as the best per-
former.The rankings
are based on the initia-
tives taken to develop
the startup ecosystem
for promoting budding
entrepreneurs.
For the third time in
a row, Gujarat was
ranked as the best per-
former.
The exercise is aimed
at supporting states and
Union territories (UTs)
in developing their
startup ecosystem and
learning from each oth-
er’s best practices.
A total of 24 states
and 7 UTs participated
in the exercise, which
ranked them under five
categories -- best per-
formers, top perform-
ers, leaders, aspiring
leaders and emerging
startup ecosystems.
The states and UTs
were also ranked under
these five categories
based on the population
of less than one crore.
Kerala, Maharashtra,
Odisha, Telangana and
Jammu and Kashmir
were categorised as the
top performers.
Punjab, Tamil Nadu,
Uttarakhand, UP, Anda-
man and Nicobar Is-
lands, Arunachal
Pradesh, and Goa are in
the leaders category
.
States and UTs in the
aspiring leaders’ cate-
gory include Chhattis-
garh, Delhi, Madhya
Pradesh, Rajasthan,
Chandigarh, Puduch-
erry and Nagaland.
Gujarat, K’taka top in developing startup eco
DPIIT RANKINGS 2022
lll
24 states 7
UTs were
ranked under
five categories
of best, top
performers,
leaders and
aspiring leaders
and emerging
startup
ecosystems
Govt to review oil export,
windfall tax every fortnight
government will re-
view the just intro-
duced windfall tax on
domestically produced
crude oil and fuel ex-
ports every two weeks
based on foreign cur-
rency rates and inter-
national oil prices, but
no levels have been
fixed for its recall, top
officials said on Mon-
day
. Revenue Secretary
Tarun Bajaj said the
$40 per barrel level of
oil prices being talked
about for a rollback of
the levy is unrealistic,
considering the inter-
national oil rates cur-
rently. The review is
based on the premise
that if crude prices
fall, then windfall
gains will cease and
new taxes would be
rollback.
“There is a way we
will monitor it every 2
weeks, depending on
the foreign currency
rates and depending
on where the interna-
tional prices are,” Ba-
jaj said.
“What is the dollar
to rupee, the interna-
tional price of diesel,
crude, what is the do-
mestic cost of crude,
will keep reviewing it.
You can decipher it
yourself once we re-
view it.”
Govt committed to
6.4% fiscal deficit
New Delhi (PTI): In-
dia’s macroeconomic
fundamentals are
strong to deal with
global challenges
and the central govt
is committed to stick
to the fiscal deficit
target of 6.4% of the
GDP for the current
fiscal. The govt is
taking steps to deal
with the spiralling
crude oil prices in in-
ternational market.
PACS may be allowed to
sell petroleum products
Centre has proposed to
allow primary agricul-
ture credit societies
(PACS) to undertake ac-
tivities like dealership
of petroleum products,
running PDS shops,
and developing hospital
and educational institu-
tions, in addition to
their regular functions.
In this regard, the
Ministry of Coopera-
tion has floated a draft
‘Model By-laws of
PACS’ on which it has
invited suggestions
from the state govern-
ments and other stake-
holders by July 19.
The draft model by-
laws propose that PACS
should be allowed to
work as Bank Mitras
and common service
centres, provide cold
storage and godown fa-
cilities, set up PDS
shops besides enabling
them to work in dairy,
fishery, irrigation and
green energy sectors.
Mumbai (PTI):
The Reserve
Bank on Mon-
day said it has
imposed penal-
ties of about `1
crore each on
Kotak Mahin-
dra Bank and
IndusInd Bank
for deficiencies
in regulatory
compliance.
A penalty of
`1.05 crore has
been imposed
on Kotak Mahi-
ndra Bank for
contravention
of certain
norms related
to ‘The Deposi-
tor Education
and Awareness
Fund Scheme,
2014’ and for
n o n - c o m p l i -
ance with the
directions on
‘Customer Pro-
tection – Limit-
ing Liability of
Customers in
Unauthorised
E l e c t r o n i c
Banking Trans-
actions’, and
‘Loans and Ad-
vances – Statu-
tory and Other
Restrictions’,
the RBI said.
`1.05 crore
penalty on Kotak
Mahindra Bank
Sensex snaps 3-day losing run
Mumbai (PTI): The
BSE benchmark Sensex
climbed 326.84 points on
Monday, tracking gains
in global equity mar-
kets and buying in in-
dex majors ICICI Bank
and Hindustan Unile-
ver. The 30-share BSE
index gained 326.84
points to settle at
53,234.77. The NSE Nifty
went higher by 83.30
points or 0.53 per cent to
close at 15,835.35.
Among the Sensex
pack, HUL, IndusInd
Bank, ITC, ICICI Bank,
Power Grid and SBI
were among the major
gainers.
Tata Power
signs MoU
with Tamil Nadu
New Delhi (PTI): Tata
Power on Monday an-
nounced that it has
inked a pact with the
Tamil Nadu govern-
ment to invest `3,000
crore for setting up a
new facility to manufac-
ture solar cells and
modules in Tirunelveli.
“Tata Power has
signed a MoU with the
Tamil Nadu govern-
ment to invest approxi-
mately `3,000 crore for
setting up a greenfield
4GW solar cell and 4GW
solar module manufac-
turing plant in
Tirunelveli district,” a
statement said.
Office leasing jumps over
2.5 fold in April-June
New Delhi (PTI):
Gross leasing of office
space jumped over 2.5
fold annually in April-
June across six major
cities at 14.7 million
square feet on lower
base effect and rise in
demand from corpo-
rates. The gross leas-
ing of office space
stood at 5.6 million
square feet in the year-
ago period, Colliers
India said on Monday
.
The demand for
housing as well as of-
fice was badly impact-
ed during April-June
quarter of last year
because of the strong
second wave of the
COVID pandemic.
During January-
June 2022, Colliers
said the gross leasing
of office space jumped
more than 2.5 times to
27.5 million square
feet across six cities,
from 10.3 million
square feet in the cor-
responding period of
the previous year.
Mumbai (PTI): The
rupee paired its early
losses and settled on
a flat note at 78.94
(provisional) against
the US dollar on Mon-
day. At the interbank
forex market, the local
unit opened at 78.97
against the greenback
and fell to an intra-
day low of 79.06. It
finally settled at 78.94,
unchanged from its
previous close.
RUPEE SETTLES
FLATAT 78.94
AGAINST USD
New Delhi (PTI): Stocks of companies related to paper
industry have gained amid a ban on certain Single-Use
Plastic (SUP) items that kicked in from Friday. Since
June 30, shares of Seshasayee Paper and Boards
jumped 7 per cent, Andhra Paper gained 6.21%, Tamil
Nadu Newsprint Papers climbed 4.62%.
PAPER STOCKS IN DEMAND
Hotels, restaurants barred
from levying service charge
New Delhi (PTI):
The Central Consum-
er Protection Author-
ityonMondaybarred
hotels and restau-
rants from levying
service charge auto-
matically or by de-
fault in food bills and
allowed customers to
file complaints in
case of violation.
Amid rising com-
plaints, the CCPA
has issued guidelines
for preventing unfair
trade practices and
violation of consum-
er rights with regard
to levying of service
charge.
As per the guide-
lines, “No hotels or
restaurants shall add
service charge auto-
matically or by de-
fault in the bill.”
There should not
be any collection of
service charge by
any other name, it
added.No hotel or
restaurant can force
a consumer to pay
service charge. They
have to clearly in-
form the consumer
that service charge is
voluntary, optional
and at consumer’s
discretion.
“No restriction on
entry or provision of
services based on col-
lection of service
charge shall be im-
posed on consum-
ers,” the guideline
said.
Further, service
charge cannot be col-
lected by adding it
along with the food
bill and levying GST
on the total amount.
If any consumer
finds that a hotel or
restaurant is levying
service charge in vio-
lation of the guide-
lines, s/he can re-
quest the concerned
establishment to re-
move it from the bill
amount.
The consumers
can also lodge a com-
plaint on the Nation-
al Consumer Hel-
pline (NCH), which
works as an alter-
nate dispute redres-
sal mechanism at
the pre-litigation
level, by calling 1915
or through the NCH
mobile app.
AKASA AIR UNVEILS FIRST
LOOK OF ITS CREW UNIFORM
Mumbai (PTI): Akasa
AironMondayunveiled
the first look of its crew
uniform as the startup
carrier prepares for
take-off in the coming
weeks. In a statement,
Akasa Air said the uni-
form fit focuses on pro-
viding the best possible
stretch to ensure their
comfort over their busy
flight schedules.
The company said it
is the first Indian air-
line to have introduced
custom trousers and
jackets, with their fab-
ric specially made for
Akasa Air (using recy-
cled polyester fabric
which is made from pet
bottle plastic salvaged
from marine waste) and
comfortable sneakers
for its airline in-flight
crew keeping in mind
ergonomics, aesthetics
and comfort.
Acc to the company,
given the mobile life-
style of crew members
and long hours spent
standing, Vanilla Moon
designed sneakers that
are light, and contain
extra cushioning from
heel to toe to ensure
better support.
GoM SET UP

08
2NDFRONT
The sign of an intelligent man is one,
who is still keen to learn more, in spite
of his accomplishments.
— Dr Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO Editor-in-Chief, First India
Medha Somaiya defamation
case: Warrant out for Raut
BJP winning Speaker’s poll
unsurprising, says Sena
First India Bureau
Mumbai: Calling this
a tough time, the Shiv
Sena in an editorial in
its mouthpiece
‘Saamana’, on Mon-
day, said it was not
surprising to see the
BJP winning the As-
sembly Speaker’s elec-
tion as the Sena was
broken and “someone
from the party” was
pitted against it.
It said following the
resignation of Uddhav
Thackeray from the
chief minister’s post,
there was no “state of
law” left in Maharash-
tra.
With the new govern-
ment (led by CM
Eknath Shinde) in the
state, the issue of nom-
ination of 12 MLCs
from the governor’s
quota will be resolved
soon. The old file (sent
by the previous Uddhav
Thackeray-led govern-
ment) will be replaced
with a new one and it
will be cleared by the
governor within 24
hours, it claimed.
If “protectors of the
Constitution” take a
dual stand, these peo-
ple can make any reso-
lution and win any
election, it said, with-
out taking any names.
“Though this is a
tough time, it too shall
pass,” the Marathi dai-
ly said.
“Like the current CM
(Eknath Shinde), (pre-
sent Assembly Speaker)
Rahul Narvekar was
also a Shiv Sainik. In
his journey from the
Shiv Sena, NCP to the
BJP and now as Speak-
er of the Maharashtra
Assembly, he perfectly
knows when to go and
where to go,” the edito-
rial said.
“It is not surprising
to see the BJP winning
the Assembly Speak-
er’s election as the
Sena was broken and
someone from the par-
ty was pitted against
it,” it added.
During the Speaker’s
election on Sunday,
Narvekar bagged 164
votes, while Uddhav
Thackeray-led Shiv
Sena candidate Rajan
Salvi got 107 votes.
“The BJP-sponsored
MLAs of the Shinde
group did not follow
the party’s whip and
action of disqualifica-
tion will start, but to
avoid that, the BJP has
made a person having
legal knowledge as the
Speaker, and now they
will take convenient de-
cisions,” the Sena
mouthpiece claimed.
It said when a peti-
tion seeking disqualifi-
cation of 16 MLAs (of
the Shinde group) is
under consideration
before the Supreme
Court, it is illegal to al-
low them to take part in
the voting process.
First India Bureau
Mumbai: A court on
Monday issued a bail-
able warrant against
Shiv Sena MP Sanjay
Raut after he failed to
appear before it in
connection with a
defamation com-
plaint. It was filed by
former Bharatiya Ja-
nata Party (BJP) MP
Kirit Somaiya’s wife
Medha Somaiya.
Last month, the Se-
wri metropolitan mag-
istrate’s court had is-
sued a process (sum-
mons) against Raut,
asking him to appear
before it on July 04.
However, neither
Raut nor his lawyers
were present in the
court on Monday, said
Medha Somaiya’s law-
yer Vivekanand Gupta.
“Hence, we made an
application for the issu-
ance of a warrant
against him, which the
courtallowed,”headded.
The court later ad-
journed the matter and
kept it for hearing on
July 18.
Earlier, while issuing
summons, the magis-
trate had held that doc-
uments and video clips
produced on record
prima facie revealed
that the accused made
defamatory statements
against the complain-
ant (Medha), so that it
will be seen by the pub-
lic at large and read by
people in newspapers.
It was also prima fa-
cie proved by the com-
plainant that the words
spoken by accused San-
jay Raut were such that
it harmed the complain-
ant’s reputation, the
court had said.
In her complaint,
Medha Somaiya, filed
through advocates Gup-
ta and Laxman Kanal,
claimed Raut had made
baseless and defamato-
ry allegations against
her and Kirit Somaiya.
Medha Somaiya with her husband Kirit outside the Sewri metro court in Mumbai on Monday.
IMD issues
orange alert
in Konkan
region for
next 5 days
First India Bureau
Mumbai: The Nation-
al Disaster Response
Force (NDRF) has de-
ployed two teams in
the coastal Konkan
region of Maharash-
tra in view of an or-
ange alert issued by
the India Meteorolog-
ical Department
(IMD) for the next
five days. The order
comes as a precau-
tionary measure after
last year’s massive
floods in two districts
in the region, said an
official on Monday.
Ateamof NDRFissta-
tioned at Chiplun in the
Ratnagiri district and
another team at Mahad
in the Raigad district.
The orange alert, pre-
dicting heavy to very
heavy rains at isolated
places from June 04 to
June 08, has been issued
for Raigad, Ratnagiri
and Sindhudurg dis-
tricts.
It also said that
post Uddhav
Thackeray’s
resignation as the
CM there was no
state of law
Rahul Narvekar bagged 164 votes to become Assembly Speaker
on Sunday. —PTI PHOTO
ALLEGATIONS
Like the current CM (Eknath Shinde),
(present Assembly Speaker) Rahul
Narvekar was also a Shiv Sainik. In his
journey from the Shiv Sena, NCP to the BJP and
now as Speaker of the Maharashtra Assembly, he
perfectly knows when to go and where to go.
—‘Saamana’

—PHOTO BY BHUSHAN KOYANDE
Mumbai student youngest
Indian to scale Mt Denali
First India Bureau
Pune: Kaamya
Karthikeyan became
the youngest Indian
to scale the summit
of Mount Denali last
week, when she car-
ried the Tricolour to
the top of the highest
mountain peak in
North America, a de-
fence ministry re-
lease said on Monday
.
Karthikeyan, a
Class X student of
Navy Children School
(NCS) in Mumbai and
daughter of Navy
Commander S
Karthikeyan, is the
youngest Indian to
achieve the feat, it
said.
The remote Alaskan
peak is the highest in
North America at
20,310 feet, and per-
haps the toughest of
the seven summit
challenges, the release
said, adding that, with
this climb, Kaamya
has crossed the fifth
milestone on her way
to climbing the high-
est peaks on all seven
continents and ski to
both the poles.
While she is yet to
scale Mount Everest
and Mount Vinson,
and ski across the
poles, she is well
placed to complete the
Explorer’s Grand-
slam, the release add-
ed.
Fadanvis responsible for OBC
reservations: Chhagan Bhujbal
First India Bureau
Mumbai: Pointing out
at the need of getting
OBC reservations in
the local bodies’ elec-
tions, Nationalist
Congress Party (NCP)
leader Chhagan Bhu-
jbal said that it is now
the responsibility of
Maharashtra Deputy
CM Devendra Fad-
navis to sort it out
from the Supreme
Court.
The NCP organised a
meetingattheYashwan-
trao Chavan Centre au-
ditorium on Sunday to
discuss the further
course of action, amidst
the ongoing political
drama in Maharashtra.
Amid the high-voltage
political drama in Maha-
rashtra,NCPheldameet-
ing at Yashwantrao
Chavan Centre auditori-
um on Sunday to discuss
further course of action.
“We discussed the is-
sue of OBC reserva-
tions in the meeting
and have submitted the
needed reports. Now,
the onus lies on the
Deputy Chief Minister
to get the reservation is-
sue sorted by the Su-
preme Court”, Bhujbal
told reporters.
It is to be noted that
Deputy Chief Minister
Devendra Fadnavis on
Friday, held a meeting
with regards to the OBC
reservation issue in the
Mantralaya in Mumbai.
The meeting also wit-
nessedpresenceof Chief
Secretary Manukumar
Srivastava and BJP lead-
ers Pravin Darekar and
Dr Sanjay Kute.
The apex court, in
March, declined to ac-
cept Maharashtra State
Backward Class Com-
mission’s recommenda-
tion to restore 27% res-
ervation status for Oth-
er Backward Classes
(OBC) in the upcoming
local body elections.
Uddhav Thackrey-led
Mana Vikas Aghadi
(MVA) government had
then decided to explore
legal options with re-
gards to the issue.
We discussed the issue of OBC reservations
in the meeting and have submitted the
needed reports. Now, the onus lies on the
Deputy Chief Minister to get the reservation issue
sorted by the Supreme Court.
—Chhagan Bhujbal, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader
NCP on Sunday
had organised a
meeting to
discuss further
course of action
Chiplun in Ratnagiri dist
witnessed severe flooding last
year.
At 1,515, COVID-19 cases register 50% drop in Maha
First India Bureau
Mumbai: The state’s
Covid tally reported
as many as 1515 new
COVID-19 cases,
which were 50% less-
er than the previous
day. The day also saw
three deaths linked to
the disease. The over-
all tally of infected
patients in the state
stood at 79,86,811,
while the total num-
ber of people who lost
their lives to the dis-
ease was 1,47,943.
A drop of 1,447 cases
as compared to Sunday
was registered when
the daily tally reported
2,962 cases. The number
of COVID-19 linked fa-
talities also dipped to
three from six the previ-
ous day
.
The state capital re-
ported 431 COVID-19
cases in the last 24
hours, the health de-
partment informed in a
bulletin.
It further added that
2,062 more patients re-
covered from the infec-
tion on the day, leaving
the state with 21,935 ac-
tive cases.
Of these the highest
7,040—were in Mumbai,
followed by 5,221 in
Pune district and 4,605
in Thane.
Maharashtra’s coro-
navirus recovery rate
stood at 97.87%, while
the fatality rate was
1.85%.
The health depart-
ment revealed that out f
the 1,515 new cases, 810
were from Mumbai cir-
cle including the metro-
politan city and its sat-
ellite towns. Among
other circles, Pune re-
ported 459, Nashik 89,
Nagpur 62, Akola 46,
Aurangabad 16 and Kol-
hapur 16 cases respec-
tively
.
COVID-19 also
claimed three lives.
While two of the pa-
tients died in Mumbai,
one succumbed to the
disease in Ratnagiri,
the bulletin said.
With 23,701 new coro-
navirus tests conducted
in the last 24 hours, the
number of swab sam-
ples examined so far in
Maharashtra rose to
8,21,42,847, it said.
SOME RESPITE
The health department
revealed that out f the
1,515 new cases, 810
were from Mumbai circle
including the metropolitan
city and its satellite towns.
Among other circles,
Pune reported 459, Nashik
89, Nagpur 62, Akola 46,
Aurangabad 16
and Kol-
hapur 16
cases
respec-
tively.
1,447
drop cases as
compared to
Sunday
Maharashtra’s case positivity rate—cases detected per 100 tests—at
6.39%; state capital Mumbai reported 431 cases in last 24 hours
23,701
new coronavirus
tests conducted
in the last 24
hours
431
cases in the last
24 hours
CM Shinde has asked
collectors of Raigad,
and Ratnagiri districts
to take adequate
precautions

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MUMBAI, TUESDAY,
JULY 5, 2022
1ST RUNNER-UP, FEMINA MISS INDIA 2022
he gorgeous Rubal
Shekhawat, who was
announced as the 1st
Runner up at the grand
finale of VLCC Femina
Miss India 2022, co-
powered by Sephora,
Moj Rajnigandha Pearls on
Sunday in Mumbai, is a true
role model for lakhs of girls.
She is the first girl to be chosen
from the state of Rajasthan,
bringing laurels to the desert
state.
Hailing from a defence back-
ground, Rubal has travelled pan
India and this not only made
her very confident but also in-
terested in travelling to various
places so that she can discover
new cultures and participate in
adventurous activities. Her hob-
bies include painting, horse rid-
ing and swimming.
Rubal has been an Elite Miss
Rajasthan model with Gaurav
Gaur, Director EMR as her men-
tor. A proud Gaurav said, “This
is a victory for all of us. Rubal
has made me so proud. She has
always been very consistent
and passionate about her work.
I’m glad to see her grow and
come this far. Wish her a huge
success.”
Rubal puts a lot of impor-
tance on being healthy and fit,
she is very regular with her
food and exercise. Giving a
strong message she says, “In
my opinion, determination, a
consistently healthy lifestyle
and true dedication to the pro-
fession are essential for
modelling. Getting into
modelling for fun or
only for money
should not be the
aim of people”.
Inspired by Sush-
mita Sen, Aishwarya Rai, Pri-
yanka Chopra and Manushi
Chhillar, Rubal has crafted her
own identity in the world with
her passion and dedication and
a zeal of taking up challenges.
With this latest
achievement, Ru-
bal has become
an inspiration
for lakhs of
girls who as-
pire to be-
come models
or make a
mark on the
w o r l d
stage, rep-
resenting
their na-
tion. City
F i r s t
w i s h e s
her all
t h e
best!
ANITA HADA
anita.hada@firstindianews.com
T
RUBAL:AQUEENATHEART,PRIDEOFRAJASTHAN!
Rubal Shekhawat, the 1st Runner-up at the grand finale of VLCC Femina Miss India 2022 created history by being the first girl ever to be
chosen from Rajasthan. Hailing from a defence family, the Elite Miss Rajasthan model is a fitness freak and a true patriot!
Rubal Shekhawat with Gaurav Gaur
YOU READ IT FIRST IN CITY FIRST
MAY 7, 2022
Rubal Shekhawat
(L-R) Rubal Shekhawat, Femina Miss India 2022 1st Runner Up, Sini Shetty,
Femina Miss India World 2022 Winner and Shinata Chauhan, Femina Miss India 2022 2nd Runner Up
Rubal Shekhawat walks the ramp with other participants during the Femina Miss India 2022 grand finale

10
ETC
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epapers/mumbai I twitter.com/thefirstindia facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
F
A
C
E
O
F
T
H
E
D
A
Y
PRERNA MANDLOI, Model
ARIES
MAR 21 - APR 20
Your efforts at
work will be
richly rewarded
by getting
noticed by those
who matter. A
balanced diet will
be the first step
in achieving good
health, so stick to it. Help people out as
much as you can as monetarily you face
no problems. Overall a very good day for
you.
LIBRA
SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22
You may find
it difficult to
convince a
family member
regarding
something you
want to achieve.
Clarity of mind
and retentive
power will help you forge ahead on the
academic front. Some of you can safely
say goodbye to depression, as positivity
enters your life once again.
TAURUS
APR 21 - MAY 20
A diet plan
adopted
recently will suit
your system
well. Your
performance may
leave you feeling
good today on
professional or
academic front. Maintain confidentiality
regarding a property deal being
negotiated by you. A chance for an outing
with lover finally arrives.
SCORPIO
OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22
Positive steps
may be required
to be taken to
restore perfect
health. It will
be in your
interest to speed
up a financial
transaction. You
will come out with flying colours in a
competitive situation. Appreciation for the
work done on the professional front is in
the pipeline for some.
GEMINI
MAY 21 - JUNE 21
Praise of a
family member
by someone will
make you proud.
Getting unwell
due to changing
weather cannot
be ruled out for
some. You may
need to monitor your finances closely.
You will win the day on the professional
front by your original ideas. Keep options
open on the investment front.
SAGITTARIUS
NOV 23 - DEC 22
Things are
likely to move
favourably on
the professional
front. Health
may become a
concern. You will
need to muster all
your persuasive
powers to swing a deal in your favour.
Good negotiating skills are likely to bring
a lucrative deal within your grasp on the
professional front.
CANCER
JUNE 22 - JULY 23
A new health
routine may start
giving health
benefits right
away. You gel
well with a new
acquaintance.
Opportunities
to further your
career will come only if you make efforts.
Self-discipline may help you achieve
peak physical fitness. Financial scene will
stabilise if you review investment options.
CAPRICORN
DEC 23 - JAN 20
Your initiative will
help mend fences
with someone
you were not in
talking terms.
Academic
pursuits will be
fruitful. Taking
up a regular
fitness routine will help you get into
shape. Increase in household expenditure
is possible, so cut it down. Choose
investment schemes wisely for profit.
LEO
JULY 24 - AUGUST 23
Some of you may
feel the home
environment
serene and
restful. There is
a fair chance of
some property
getting allotted
to you. Good
opportunities are likely to appear on the
academic front. Good health is assured
through own efforts. A healthy bank
balance will allow you to buy an item.
AQUARIUS
JAN 21 - FEB 19
Someone close
may pay you a
visit and brighten
your You will get
the opportunity
to acquire new
property at a
good price.
Health may
become a concern. Think twice before
investing in anything big. A healthy
debate with someone will open up your
mind to the possibilities in your field.
VIRGO
AUG 24 - SEP 23
A new plot, house
or apartment
can be acquired
by some.Be
more assertive
in dealing with
workplace issues,
otherwise you
can be taken for
granted by others. Joining an online
exercise routine is indicated and will
prove beneficial. Those trying to boost
income may figure out newer ways.
PISCES
FEB20 - MARCH 20
Do not
misunderstand
the motives of
someone trying
to help you. A
friendly bet with
a friend or a
colleague may
turn into a fight,
so be careful. Will power, will be your
key to remain in shape. An exciting time
lies ahead as travelling with friends is
foreseen.
YOUR
DAY
Horoscope by
Saurabbh Sachdeva
Weight Management:
Weight Management:
KNOW YOUR BODY
KNOW YOUR BODY
he term weight
management im-
plies that the weight
of an individual
must be according
to his/her height,
gender, and the per-
centage of fat in the body. It
is done by increasing, de-
creasing, or maintaining
the current weight.
Obese people face several
problems daily. For in-
stance, they might not be
able to move around freely
because of the extra weight
and the pressure it places
on their joints. Trips to the
shopping mall or super-
market, which are nor-
mal for other people,
are a painful and of-
ten humiliating ex-
perience.
They might be
concerned about
their health and
the long-term
consequences of
their obesity.
Countless studies
have shown that
carrying around ex-
cess weight comes
with significant risk
and is associated with a
higher chance of prema-
ture death.
Hence, some of the neces-
sary factors to be looked
upon to maintain a proper
healthy weight are as fol-
lows:
PHYSICAL
ACTIVITY
One must be involved in
some sort of physical activi-
ty on daily basis. For exam-
ple, yoga, exercise, cycling,
swimming, etc.
AWARENESS
Consuming foods after read-
ing their labels.
LIFESTYLE AND
EATING HABITS
Food habits should not be in-
fluenced by emotional behav-
iour. Rather, one should re-
main aware of what, how,
and when they are taking
food. Positive changes are ap-
preciable in both, lifestyle
and food habits.
PROPER SLEEP
One should have stress-free
and deep sleep so that the
hormones are balanced.
DIETARY
RESTRICTIONS
Less intake of sodium and
sweet foods. Restriction of
high-calorie and other junk
foods like potato chips, burg-
ers, coke, etc.
FIBRE FOODS
More intake of high fibre
foods like green leafy vegeta-
bles, fruits, salads, sprouted
legumes, etc.
YOGA
The weight can be main-
tained by doing regular Yoga.
TIPS FOR
INCREASING
THE WEIGHT
Consumption of dry fruits
such as dates, walnuts, figs,
etc in the morning. They sup-
ply antioxidants to the body
and are good for healthy
weight gain.
Adequate quantities of dairy
products such as milk, curd,
butter and cottage cheese
s u p p l y
g o o d
q u a l i t y
proteins to
the body
.
Adequate
sleep of sev-
en to eight
hours.
Foods rich
in calories
such as pota-
toes, butter,
cottage cheese
and fried items
can be taken.
Foods such as
rice, pulses, kidney
beans, chickpeas,
etc should be con-
sumed regularly
.
A balanced diet that in-
cludes foods from all food
groups should be consumed.
Fish, eggs, soyabean, etc
should be taken for the sup-
ply of protein to the body
.
SURBHI UPADHYAY
cityfirst@firstindia.co.in
T

T
iger Shroff and Kriti are
making the headlines as they
have collaborated once again
after eight years for Vikas
Bahl’s directorial Ganapath Part 1
which is an action entertainer. Inter-
estingly, the actress is quite excited to
share the screen with her first co-star
and is all praises for him. Kriti said,
“We have taken very long to reunite.
Next time we should do it sooner. It was
a lot of fun also because I feel like we
both have a soft corner for each other
because we started our journey to-
gether literally. We were like ba-
bies and we both have grown as
people and also as actors, profes-
sionally and personally
. So, it’s
nice to be back on set with him
and see him like a
much more
evolved per-
son. I think
we have
g r e a t
chemistry
,
we always
have had.
Some peo-
ple have
seen some
footage of
the film and
they have
loved the
chemistry”.
S
ushmita Sen had won the hearts of her fans
all over again when she made a powerful
comeback with her web series Aarya. Af-
ter a break of around 5 years, the actress
left everyone speechless with her performance
in the web series. The show was loved by eve-
ryone so much that it was renewed for a second
season which yet again created waves on its
release. Director Ram Madhvani had started
working on the third season of the show and
now Sushmita made the official announcement
about it. Sushmita Sen shared a small clip from
Aarya season 2 to take all her fans on a nostalgic
ride. We can see the fierce mother going beyond
miles to protect her kids. Sharing this video, Su-
shmita wrote, “Sherni begins a new jour-
ney. #HotstarSpecials #AaryaS3 de-
velopment begins. @disneyplu-
shotstar @madhvaniram @
amitamadhavni @ende-
molshineind @siabhuyan @
officialrmfilms I love you
guys!!! #duggadugga.” Be-
sides Sushmita, the show
also features Sikandar
Kher, Ankur Bhatia, and
Vikas Kumar among many
others in pivotal roles.
A
rjun Kapoor is an actor who is known for his
presence on social media. The actor often
treats fans with stunning pics, be it from
hison-setfun,movieannouncement,fam-
ily moments, his vacation, romantic moments
with Malaika Arora, workout pics and more. We
still can’t get enough of his Paris vacation with
Malaika.However,Arjunismakingtheheadlines
today for his adorable post with his little niece
Thea Marwah which has
got our and Malaika’s at-
tention. To note, Thea hap-
pens to be Mohit Marwah
and Antara’s daughter. In
the pic, the Sandeep Aur
Pinky Faraar actor was
seen dressed in a black
sweatshirt and a black
beanieandwasseenhold-
ing his niece in his arms
wholookedcuteinheroff-
white outfit. Arjun, being
the doting chachu that he is, was seen kissing
little Thea. The Ishaqzaade actor captioned the
image as, “Saala main toh chacha ban gaya”.
Soon, Malaika Arora took to the comment sec-
tionanddroppedaheartemoticon,heartineyes
emoticon and evil eye emoticon.
KONKANI
ROOTS
eepika Padukone never
fails to make heads turn
with her fashion game
and has been winning
hearts always. The diva
recently stunned every-
one with her fashionable
outfits at the prestigious 75th
Cannes Film Festival. Well, the
actress always makes sure to
stick to her culture and roots in
everything she does and especial-
ly in her outfits. We often see her
gracing in a saree or a salwar ka-
meez. She shared a couple of pic-
tures acing her traditional look.
In the first picture, we can see
Deepika Padukone flaunting her
million-dollar smile in a red kur-
ta with golden work on it. She
paired it with golden palazzo
pants and golden pumps. The ac-
tress also took on a golden dupat-
ta and looks stunning.
D
FAMILY TIME
AARYA
SEASON 3
V
ijay Deverakonda is a heartthrob
of the South. It's not just fans who
go gaga over him, but female celebs
too. On Monday, Sara created a
storm on the Internet when she shared a
post on her Instagram with the
caption 'Fan Moment.'
When Vijay was in Mum-
bai, he attended a party
hosted by Karan Johar
and that was when Sara
Ali Khan met him prop-
erly for the first time. She
couldn't resist but click a
perfect pic with him and
post it. In the pic, The ac-
tress looked stun-
ning in her black
dress as she
posed happily
for her fan girl
moment with
the Arjun Red-
dy star who
looked dapper
in his white t-
shirt.
FAN MOMENT
FAN MOMENT
GANAPATH
PART 1
Deepika Padukone
her post...
Sara Ali Khan
Malaika Arora
Kriti Sanon
Sushmita Sen
her post...
her post... her post...
ETC
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05072022_First India_Mumbai.pdf

05072022_First India_Mumbai.pdf

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