07012023_First India_Mumbai.pdf

BHUJBAL STANDS FOR ‘RAJA’ PAWAR
‘You call Modi Vishnu’s avatar, why cant Sharad be called king’
Mumbai: Recently,
NCP leaders dubbed
the party supremo -
Sharad Pawar - as a
‘Raja’ (king). However,
with the remarks and
counter-remarks being
passed on Chhatrapati
Shivaji and his son
Sambhaji, the ruling
parties and opposition
have been at logger-
heads with each other.
As a result, labelling
Pawar as King received
reactions from various
quarters and specially
from BJP. Now senior
leader Chhagan Bhu-
jbal, who had firest
termed Pawar a King,
has responded to BJP
President Bawankule’s
attack and questioned
if the NCP even com-
ments on BJP styling
Prime Minister Naren-
dra Modi as an avatar
of Vishnu.
“Chandrashekhar
Bawankule is the state
president of BJP. He
should not make ridic-
ulous, unrelated state-
ments. Sharad Pawar’s
work makes him the
king. The loan of 80
thousand crores of the
farmers was waived in
one stroke. He brought
industries and contrib-
uted to the develop-
ment of the state of the
country. In this age,
overcoming all difficul-
ties, he is still running
to help people. That’s
why I called him the
king of knowledge. It
does not mean that I am
comparing him with
Chhatrapati Shivaji
Maharaj. I said so be-
cause he did good
work,” Bhujbal said.
Delving further in
his theory, Bhujbal
said, “Basaveshwar
was a Mahatma. After
that we started ad-
dressing Mahatma
Phule as a Mahatma.
Gandhi came to be ad-
dressed as the third
Mahatma. So what’s
the problem? What’s
the harm in giving an
adjective to a good
worker?”
“You called Modi an
incarnation of Vishnu.
What did we say then?
Well if you think he is
an incarnation of
Vishnu, then say so. We
have nothing to say. We
feel that Pawar Saheb
is the king of the poor.
That’s why we call him
the king of knowledge.
Then what’s the prob-
lem? We didn’t criticize
you. How do you say
Avatar of Vishnu? No
such question was
asked. You decide what
you want to say to your
leaders,” Bhujbal said,
further adding, “A title
like Mahatma is not a
title like Bharat Ratna
given by government.
Such titles are given by
the people. People
knew Pawar by the
name of Raja. People
gave him this title be-
cause Pawar runs to
address the problems
of the people. What is
your problem in that?
When I have no prob-
lem with you calling
Modi an avatar of Vish-
nu, then why are you
raising the issue?”
Calling him king,
doesn’t mean
comparing him with
Shivaji, he said
Chhagan Bhujbal —FILE PHOTO
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MUMBAI l SATURDAY, JANUARY 7, 2023 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI TITLE NO. MAHENG/2022/14652 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 241
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OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR MUMBAI
DHAMI ORDERS
EVACUATION AT
JOSHIMATH
New York: India is set to deploy a platoon of Women Peacekeepers in
Sudan’s Abyei region as part of the Indian Battalion in the United Nations
Interim Security Force (UNISFA). It will be India’s largest single unit of
women Peacekeepers in a UN Mission. P5
Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Dhami on Friday ordered
immediate evacuation of around 600 families living
in houses which have developed huge cracks and
are at risk in Joshimath town, which is sinking.
“Saving lives is our first priority, he said. P5
DELHI COPS
SUMMON CREW
MEMBERS OF
AIR INDIA FLIGHT
New Delhi: Delhi police on Friday issued summons
to 6-8 crew members, including the pilot of the Air
India flight in the urination incident in a New York-
Delhi flight last year. According to the complaint, the
crew brought the accused to her seat. P6
INDIA TO SEND PLATOON OF WOMEN PEACEKEEPERS
BJP freed Manipur from
terrorism, bandhs, says Shah
Imphal: Union Home
Minister Amit Shah on
Friday asserted that the
BJP government in the
state freed Manipur
from bandhs and terror-
ism and brought it on
thepathof development.
Addressing a public
rally at Moirang in
Bishnupur district af-
ter virtually inaugurat-
ing 12 projects worth Rs
300 crore and laying the
foundation stone of
nine projects worth Rs
1,007 crore, Shah said
the BJP government de-
feated insurgency and
lifted Armed Forces
(Special Powers) Act,
1958 or AFSPA from six
districts of the state.
“There was a situa-
tion of terror during the
Congress rule in Ma-
nipur. Now, it is among
the best governed small
states,” he said.
Shah said the BJP-led
government at the Cen-
tre has invested Rs 3.45
lakh crore in the North-
east in less than eight
years and Prime Minis-
ter Narendra Modi has
visited the region 51
times during this peri-
od. He said the BJP will
make Manipur drug-
free by next election.
DELHI MCD’S
MAIDEN MEETING
No Mayoral
polls as House
adjourned
New Delhi: Amid a
clash between the coun-
cillors of the AAP and
the BJP
, the maiden
meeting of the newly
electedMunicipalCorpo-
ration of Delhi House on
Friday
, was adjourned
withoutelectingthemay-
or and the deputy mayor.
AAP also accused the
BJP of trying to win the
mayoral polls through
“wrong means”. The
BJP, in response, said
that “AAP doesn’t have
faith in the established
rules and norms.”
Protests on Friday
erupted after BJP coun-
cillor Satya Sharma in-
vited an alderman to
take oath. AAP repre-
sentatives rushed to the
centre of the House, say-
ing that elected council-
lors should have been
sworn in before the
nominated members.
The oathtaking was
stopped and AAP coun-
cillors stood on tables.
Amid chaos, both sides
alleged manhandling
by other. More on P5
NSA AJIT DOVAL MEETS
FRENCH COUNTERPART
NSA Ajit Doval on Thursday
met his French counterpart
Emmanuel
Bonne, and
reiterated their
commitment
to take forward
their strategic
partnership to ensure peace,
stability and security in
the Indo-Pacific based on
common beliefs.
SONIA GANDHI STABLE
AND RECOVERING
Senior Congress leader
Sonia Gandhi is stable and
recovering, said officials at
the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital
in Delhi. Sonia was admitted
for viral respiratory infection
is making a gradual recovery.
READ
Crucial
Crucial
Pilot dies, another injured as plane
crashes in a temple in MP’s Rewa dist
REWA (Madhya
Pradesh): One pilot
died and another was
injured after plane
they were flying in
crashed into a temple
in Rewa of Madhya
Pradesh in the early
hours of Friday. The
mishap took place
early this morning
and the flight was a
training flight.
The aircraft of a
private company was
taxiing from Chorhata
Airstrip, when it
crashed after collid-
ing with the dome of a
temple in Dumri Vil-
lage of Rewa district.
The incident
occurred due to
bad weather and
foggy conditions
Dr Jagdeesh Chandra addressing the event at Hotel Clarks Amer.
Minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas addressing the conclave.
Minister Tikaram Jully addressing the event.
Minister Parsadi Lal Meena addressing the event.
PM MODI HERALDS NEW ERA
OF CO-OP FEDERALISM
First India Bureau
New Delhi: PM Naren-
dra Modi chaired the
national conference of
Chief Secretaries fo-
cused on achieving rap-
id and sustained eco-
nomic growth in part-
nership with the states,
in the national capital
on Friday. The idea be-
hind this conference is
that cooperative feder-
alism, through Central
Ministries and depart-
ments working together
with States in seamless
coordination, is an es-
sential pillar for the de-
velopment and progress
of New India.
With this vision in
mind, PM Modi concep-
tualised this confer-
ence, which was held for
the first time in June
2022 in Dharamshala.
This year, National
Conference of Chief
Secretaries started on
January 5 and will con-
clude on 7. More than
200 bureaucrats com-
prising representatives
of the central govern-
ment, chief secretaries
and other senior offi-
cials of all States/Union
Territories and domain
experts, are participat-
ing in the conference.
Having had vast expe-
rience of governing a
state as CM of Gujarat,
PM Modi knows that
key to development for
states is availability of
sufficient resources.
Taking a significant
step in this direction,
government took deci-
sion to increase states’
share in divisible pool
of taxes from 32% to
42%. This has provided
states with more re-
sources to design and
implement pro-
grammes as per their
requirement and need.
Modi has initiated the
concept of PRAGATI.
This unique initiative
brings the highest offi-
cials of the central govt
(Secretary), state govt
(Chief Secretary) and
other officials on one
table along with the PM.
Prime Minister
chairs CS
conference for
PRAGATI
FIRST INDIA’S HEALTH FIRST CONCLAVE AWARD 2023
PM Narendra Modi during the national conference of Chief Secretaries, in New Delhi on Friday. —PHOTO BY ANI
Leaders hail initiative to honour
the messiahs in medical field
Vikas Sharma and
Ziauddin Khan
Jaipur: During the
Corona period, the
work of the hospital
and the doctors of Ra-
jasthan was appreci-
ated in the country
and all over the world.
Day by day Rajasthan
is progressing in the
medical field, be it
government hospital
or private hospital.
Better medical facili-
ties are provided to
the people of the coun-
try and the state
through the best doc-
tors. To honour such
hospitals and doctors,
Health First Conclave
Award ceremony was
organized by First In-
dia Channel at Hotel
Clarks Amer on Friday.
First India Channel
Head Dr. Jagdeesh
Chandra, Health Minis-
ter Parsadi Lal Meena,
CM Advisor Dr. Rajku-
mar Sharma, Minister
Tikaram Jully
, Minister
Pratap Singh Khachari-
yawas, Vice Chancellor
of RUHS Dr. Sudhir
Bhandari, JMC Herit-
age Mayor Munesh
Gurjar, FI Channel Edi-
tor Jinendra Singh and
several doctors attend-
ed the event.
At the beginning of
the program, Dr
Jagdeesh Chandra said
that First India News
has social concern and
keeps on fulfilling its
social concerns.
Dr Jagdeesh Chandra with (L-R) Rafeek Khan, Dr. Sudhir Bhandari.Tikaram Jully, Parsadi Lal Meena,
Pratap Singh Khachariyawas, Munesh Gurjar Jinendra Singh Shekhawat during the First India’s Health
First Conclave at Hotel Clarks Amer on Friday. —PHOTOS BY SUNIL SHARMA MUKESH KIRADOO
‘CHIRANJEEVI’
will help Gehlot to
make a comeback:
Dr Chandra

NEWS
MUMBAI | SATURDAY, JANUARY 7, 2023
02
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First India Bureau
Mumbai: A special
court issued summons
to former Mumbai May-
or Kishori Pednekar’s
son, a firm linked to
him, and three others,
observing that they
were prima facie re-
sponsible for the al-
leged “submission of
forged and false docu-
ments” and other of-
fences under the Com-
panies Act.
Those summoned are
KishCorporateServices
Pvt Ltd; additional di-
rector Saiprasad, who is
Pednekar’s son; direc-
tors Shaila Gavas and
Prashant Gavas; and an-
other additional direc-
tor, Girish Revankar.
CRUCIAL READ
Navi Mumbai: The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corpora-
tion has now shifted their focus on ensuring all food
joints segregate their waste. Intially, the focus was on
household level. The municipal commissioner Abhijit
Bangar directed officials to pay special attention to the
food joints and make it compulsory for them to keep
separate bins for wet and dry waste. The civic body
ahead of Swacch Survekshan 2023 was focused on
promoting waste segregation in households.
Mumbai: Three Govandi residents have been booked
for allegedly stealing Rs4 lakh worth of pots and pans
from a caterer to launch their own catering business.
Based on a complainant by Shafi Mohammed Shaikh,
the accused—identified as Aabid Sayyed, Shoaib Khan
and Aftab Khan—were nabbed from different areas in
the Govandi-Shivaji Nagar belt after three days of inves-
tigation and charged with cheating and criminal breach
of trust. The stolen utensils were recovered from them.
NMMC PLANS TO ENSURE WASTE
SEGREGATION AT FOOD JOINTS
FAKE IT TILL YOU MAKE IT? WANNABE
CATERERS HELD FOR STEALING SUPPLIES
CIDCO GETS LAND
FOR TALOJA-
KHARGHAR ROB
Panvel: The City and
Industrial Development
Corporation (CIDCO) has
got possession of a land
pocket that had affected
the completion of the
construction of a road
over-bridge (ROB) on
the Diva-Panvel railway
line and National High-
way 4. A local eatery
occupying around 100m
of the land in question
had raised objections,
which were quashed by
a court order.
MAN ARRESTED
FOR MURDERING
LIVE-IN PARTNER
Thane: Nearly two
months after the crime,
a 30-year-old man has
been arrested in Thane
district for allegedly kill-
ing his live-in partner. A
woman had been found
strangled and stabbed
multiple times at her
home in Ambernath
on November 07. An
inquiry revealed that she
had frequent fights with
her partner, who was
arrested on Wednesday,
the police said.
COPS NAB MAN
WANTED IN MORE
THAN 50 CASES
Thane: A man wanted in
more than 50 serious of-
fences including attempt
to murder, attacking
public servant, cheating,
dacoity, causing hurt
during the robbery was
arrested in Thane, police
said on Friday. The ac-
cused used to allegedly
pose as a policeman and
rob people, assistant
police inspector Anil
Gaikwad of the Khadak-
pada police station said,
adding that the man was
nabbed on Wednesday,
CAR OF VVCMC
COMMISSIONER
VANDALIZED
Palghar: A man has
been detained for
allegedly vandalizing the
official car of Vasai-Virar
City Municipal Corpo-
ration commissioner
Anikumar Pawar on
Friday morning, police
said. The man rushed
to the car, which was
being parked after drop-
ping off Pawar at his
office, smashed its front
windshield with a stick,
a police official said. A
case has been filed, the
official added.
First India Bureau
Mumbai: “Pet-par-
ents” may treat cats
and dogs like family
members but they are
not humans, and of-
fences related to “en-
dangering life of a per-
son” can not be invoked
when animals are vic-
tims, the Bombay High
Court has said.
A division bench of
Justices Revati Mohite
Dere and Prithviraj
Chavan slammed Mum-
bai Police for register-
ing an FIR mindlessly
against a food delivery
executive accused of
hitting a dog while rid-
ing a two-wheeler.
Quashing the FIR, it
also ordered the govern-
ment to pay him costs.
While the judgement
was delivered on De-
cember 20, the detailed
order became available
this week.
“No doubt, a dog/cat
is treated as a child or
family member by their
owners, but basic biol-
ogy tells us that they
are not human beings.
Sections 279 and 337 of
the Indian Penal Code
pertain to acts endan-
gering human life, or
likely to cause hurt or
injury to any other per-
son,” the bench said.
Section 279 deals
with rash driving, while
337 deals with “causing
hurt by act endanger-
ing life or personal safe-
ty of others”.
“Thus, legally speak-
ing the said sections
will have no applica-
tion to the facts in
hand, this essential in-
gredient necessary to
constitute the offences,
being amiss. The said
sections do not recog-
nize and make an of-
fence any injury
caused otherwise than
to human beings,” the
court added.
An FIR had been reg-
istered on the com-
plaint of a woman who
was feeding stray dogs
against Manas Godbole,
the petitioner, after his
motorbike allegedly hit
a stray dog in Marine
Drive area during lock-
down in 2020. The peti-
tioner, who was deliver-
ing a food order, him-
self was injured as the
motorbike skidded.
First India Bureau
Pune: Nationalist Con-
gressPartychief Sharad
Pawar has said that the
Uniongovernmentmust
change its attitude to-
wardscooperativebanks
and support them be-
cause they serve the
common people.
There is a misconcep-
tion that irregularities
largely take place in co-
operative banks, the
former Union agricul-
ture minister said dur-
ing the closing ceremo-
ny of the golden jubilee
of Vishweshwar Coop-
erative Bank Ltd, here
on Thursday
.
“Generally, there is a
misconception that peo-
ple in the cooperative
sector are involved in
wrongful practices....
there are irregularities
in the cooperative sec-
tor but if you look at the
overall percentage of
irregularities, you will
realize that the percent-
age of irregularities in
the nationalized and
scheduled banks is 92%
and the percentage of
irregularities in the co-
operative sector is hard-
ly 0.43%. Not even 1%,”
Pawar claimed.
Maharashtra, which
leads in the number of
cooperative banks and
is followed by Gujarat
and Karnataka, has a
unique position in the
cooperative movement
in the country, Pawar
noted.
“I worry when I see
how the cooperative
bank sector is seen. The
Union government has
invested heavily in na-
tionalized banks. It had
to be done because if
money had not been in-
fused, the health of
these banks would have
deteriorated,” he said.
Cooperative banks
safeguard the interest
of the common people,
he added.
“Therefore, the (Un-
ion government's) per-
spective towards coop-
erative sector banks
should change.... if
these banks face any
kind of crisis, we
should stand by these
banks,” he said.
First India Bureau
Mumbai: A local mag-
istrate’s court on Fri-
day cancelled a non-
bailable warrant issued
against Shiv Sena MP
Sanjay Raut after he ap-
peared before it in a
defamation case filed by
Medha Somaiya, the
wife of Bharatiya Ja-
nata Party (BJP) leader
Kirit Somaiya.
Earlier in the day,
Raut’s lawyer had
sought exemption from
personal appearance
for the Rajya Sabha
member. However, the
Sewri metropolitan
magistrate rejected the
plea and issued a non-
bailable warrant
against Raut for not at-
tending the proceed-
ings despite a previous
order.
The court on Friday
began recording the
statement of the com-
plainant in the case.
The court cancelled
the warrant after Raut
appeared before it in
the post-lunch session.
The next hearing would
be on January 24.
Somaiya has moved
the court claiming that
Raut made baseless and
defamatory allegations
that she and her hus-
band were involved in a
Rs100 crore scam relat-
ed to the construction
and maintenance of
public toilets in the
Mira Bhayander area
near Mumbai.
Mumbai (PTI): The
Balasahebanchi Shiv
SenaledbyMaharashtra
Chief Minister Eknath
Shinde has appointed a
six-member team that
will be responsible for
organizational work in
Mumbai, ahead of the
upcoming civic polls.
The team comprises
MPs Rahul Shewale and
Gajanan Kirtikar, Mum-
bai city guardian minis-
ter Deepak Kesarkar,
deputy leaders Sheetal
Mhatre and Asha Ma-
midi and Shewale's wife
and former corporator
Kamini Shewale.
The team was consti-
tuted on Wednesday
,
party secretary Sanjay
More said.
TheShinde-ledfaction
of the Shiv Sena is yet to
strengthen its position,
especially in the Brihan-
mumbai Municipal Cor-
poration (BMC) which
the undivided Sena con-
trolled for two and a half
decades.
A majority of Shiv
Sena“shakhas”(branch-
es) in the city and the
party mouthpiece
‘Saamana’ are still with
the Uddhav Thackeray
camp.
Six of the 40 MLAs in
theBalasahebanchiShiv
Sena are from Mumbai
Prakash Surve, Mahesh
Lande,DilipLande,Sada
Sarvankar, Yamini Jad-
hav and Mangesh Ku-
dalkar. Two of the three
SenaMPsfromMumbai,
Shewale and Kirtikar,
are with Shinde.
First India Bureau
Thane: Inmates of the
Thane Central Jail hav
a reason to cheer this
New Year, having sold
baked goodies worth a
whopping Rs11 lakh
this Christmas sea-
son—all produced at
the in-house bakery,
where inmates are
trained to bake for self-
consumption and sale.
Each year, before the
Christmas season, the
jail receives a large
number of orders for
cakes from several gov-
ernment and non-gov-
ernment institutions.
“Our bakery unit is
functional throughout
the year, and it goes
back at least 20 years.
However, the idea of
taking up ‘special’ or-
ders for Christmas
started in 2019. We take
up orders before De-
cember 17, and then
bake between Decem-
ber 17 and December
24,” Harshad Ahirrao,
Superintendent of Po-
lice, Thane Central
Jail, said.
Nearly 17-20 inmates
are involved in the bak-
ing process, says Ahir-
rao. “All of them are
trained under a special
instructor and now
they are skilled bak-
ers,” he added.
Ahirrao further con-
firms that all the bak-
ery goodies are tested
by the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA)
before being sold for
consumption. The
range of cakes—includ-
ing sponge cakes and
cupcakes—were sent to
several jails including
Taloja Jail, Byculla
women and men’s jail,
Kalyan’s Adharwadi
Jail and Arthur Road
Jail. They were also
sent to the Thane Men-
tal Hospital, Mantra-
laya and several civic
hospitals across Mum-
bai, Thane, and Kalyan.
Additionally, this year,
cakes were sent to
churches as well.
According to Ahir-
rao, inmates worked 14
hours a day during the
festive season, as op-
posed to their usual
eight-hour shifts, to
meet the high volume of
orders, earning Rs140 a
day
. This year, they sold
more than 40,000 cup-
cakes and 2,000kg of
sponge cakes, bringing
in Rs11 lakh, more than
doubling last year’s
Christmas revenue of
Rs5 lakh for the jail.
Thane jail inmates rake in `11L from spl X’mas orders
LET THEM EAT CAKE!
Active for 20 years, in-house bakery
started taking special orders in 2019
WORKING DOUBLE-TIME
‘Hittingadognotthesame
asendangeringhumanlife’
HC quashes case of endangerment and rash driving against food
delivery agent who was injured in crash; directs state to pay him
Bombay High Court. —FILE PHOTO
Considering
that the police
had lodged the
said prosecu-
tion despite no
offence having
been disclosed,
we deem it ap-
propriate to di-
rect the state
government to
pay costs of
Rs20,000 to the
petitioner. The
amount shall be
recovered from
the salary of the
police officers
responsible for
the lodging of
the FIR and
subsequent fil-
ing of the
charge sheet.
—Bombay High Court
Centre should change attitude
on co-op banks: Sharad Pawar
There are irregularities in the co-
operative sector but, overall, the
percentage of irregularities in
nationalized and scheduled banks is
92% and the percentage of irregularities
in the cooperative sector is hardly
0.43%. Not even 1%.
—Sharad Pawar, NCP chief
Ex-mayor’s son
and firm served
court summons
CM Shinde names
6-member org team
ahead of BMC polls
Warrant nixed after Sanjay
Raut appears before court
Kirit and Medha Somaiya outside the Sewri Court, in Mumbai on
Friday. —PHOTO BY BHUSHAN KOYANDE
Medha Somaiya has
filed a case of
criminal defamation
against the Uddhav
Thackeray loyalist
and RS MP
CM Eknath Shinde —FILE PHOTO

First India Bureau
Mumbai: Speaking at
the first Marathi Tituka
Melavava or Marathi
WorldConference,Maha-
rashtraCultureMinister
Sudhir Mungantiwar, on
Thursday
, said that Mar-
athi language is among
the most important glob-
allanguages.Healsosaid
that the conference is a
pivotal platform through
which the language can
reach the public.
Organized at the Na-
tional Sports Club of
India in Mumbai's Wor-
li, it was the first such
conference held in
Mumbai. Prominent
journalists like Atul
Kulkarni,NileshKhare,
Prasanna Joshi, Abhi-
jeet Kamble and Nived-
ita Ajit Chavan were
present on the stage.
IamproudtobeaMa-
harashtrian. The World
Marathi Conference is
an effective medium to
spread the Marathi lan-
guage far and wide. The
importance of the Mar-
athi language will be
highlightedthroughthis
conference, Munganti-
war said. Higher and
Technical Education
Minister Chandrakant
Patil informed that tech-
nical subjects will now
be taught in Marathi to
reach more students in
higher and technical ed-
ucation in the state.
First India Bureau
Pune: City’s civic au-
thority Pune Munici-
pal Corporation (PMC)
has hinted towards pos-
sible financial losses if
ongoing construction
activities under the
River Front Develop-
ment (RFD) project are
stopped.
National Green Tri-
bunal’s (NGT) western
zone branch has al-
lowed the works for
which the orders have
already been issued
and the civic body has
been directed not to is-
sue new orders for any
kind of construction
till the Environment
Clearances (EC) are
obtained for the same.
The bench of Judi-
cial Member Dinesh
Kumar Singh and Ex-
pert Member Vijay
Kulkarni heard activist
Sarang Yadwadkar’s ap-
plication in which he
urged the tribunal to
direct PMC to immedi-
ately stop all construc-
tion activities under-
taken for RFD of Mula,
Mutha and Mula-Mutha
rivers and impose a
penalty on the civic
body for violation of a
tribunal judgment of
November 11.
In its earlier order,
the NGT had asked the
PMC to approach the
State Environment Im-
pact Assessment Au-
thority (SEIAA) for
amendment of Envi-
ronmental Clearance
(EC). The amend-
ments, both in the
terms of project scope
and additional condi-
tions are to be stipu-
lated before proceed-
ing with any construc-
tion activity.
The tribunal, how-
ever, has not set aside
the previous environ-
mental clearance.
“We are of the opin-
ion that the prayer
made by the applicants
that PMC should be di-
rected to stop all con-
struction activities
would entail financial
loss to them which can
be avoided, particularly
in view of the fact that
we have not quashed
the EC and have per-
mitted PMC to ap-
proach the SEIAA for
seeking amended EC.
But that has to be done
on a priority basis,”
the bench said.
MAHARASHTRA
03
First India Bureau
Mumbai: With the rail-
ways achieving new feat
day by day, a feather is
now attached to its cap
as nearly 10 stations on
the 16km long Mumbai
Metro line 7, operating
from Dahisar East-And-
heri East, have bagged
the coveted top ranking
of Platinum Rating by
Indian Green Building
Council (IGBC).
The glorious achieve-
ment was confirmed by
a top official of Mumbai
MetropolitanRegionDe-
velopment Authority
(MMRDA).
The station, which
were evaluated by the
IGBC’s Green Mass
Rapid Transport Sys-
tem Rating (GMRTSR)
Program are Ovaripa-
da, Rashtriya Udyan,
Devipada, Magathane,
Poisar, Akurli, Kurar,
Dindoshi and Jogesh-
wari E. and Aarey
.
Besides these, the
MMRDA has sought
evaluation of other sta-
tions too and it is likely
that in future, all sta-
tions of upcoming Met-
ro lines shall be eligible
for the council’s top-
most rankings, said
SVR Srinivas, MMRDA
Commissioner.
“The certification by
IGBC emphasizes the
compliance by design
to sustainability meas-
ures such as water ef-
ficiency, energy effi-
ciency, passenger com-
fort, multimodal inte-
gration of the Metro
System among others,”
said Srinivas.
The evaluation is cat-
egorized into 6 types
namely- Site Selection
Planning, Water Effi-
ciency, Energy Efficien-
cy, Material Conserva-
tion, Indoor Environ-
ment Comfort, and
Innovation in Design
Construction, he added.
“The MMRDA is fo-
cusing on sustainability
and eco-friendly devel-
opment,” said Srinivas.
10 Mumbai Metro stations get IGBC honour
REMARKABLE
The MMRDA has sought evaluation
of other stations and it is likely that
all of them shall be eligible in future
Mumbai Metro Station. —FILE PHOTO
Pune Municipal Corporation. —FILE PHOTO
State Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, and state Industries
Minister Uday Samant at the All-India Marathi Literary Conference 2023, at Worli, in Mumbai on
Friday. —PHOTO BY BHUSHAN KOYANDE
First India Bureau
Mumbai: The state
cabinet has decided to
redevelop Kamathipura
in south Mumbai on the
lines of BDD chawl.
Flats of 500 square feet
area will be given free
of charge to 8,238 resi-
dents currently resid-
ing on about 27 acres of
land. The area has
about 100 years old ,943
cessable buildings and
has 8,238 residents.
Along with 349 non-
cessable buildings and
14 religious places.
In addition, there are
a total of 11 reconstruct-
ed buildings construct-
ed by MHADA. Due to
the narrow roads, and
small dilapidated build-
ings in this area, the
residents of this place
had demanded that
their area should be de-
velopedlikeBDDchawls
and 500 square feet of
houses should be given
like the residents of
BDD chawls.
First India Bureau
Mumbai/Yavatmal:
The Maharashtra As-
sociation of Bonded
Resident Doctors (MA-
BRD) on Thursday
urged the state govern-
ment and the adminis-
tration of the Shri
Vasantrao Naik Govt.
Medical Hospital in
Yavatmal to strength-
en security provided
to doctors there.
The demand, issued
in a statement, comes
a day after a resident
was stabbed in the
neck, by a patient, and
another was injured
while attempting a
rescue.
“Dr Sebastian Paul,
was stabbed in the
neck from behind by
an alleged psychiat-
ric patient. His col-
league Dr Abhishek
Jha tried to save him,
but sustained inju-
ries to his hand. An-
other female resident
who witnessed the in-
cident is still in
shock,” the statement
reads.
Earlier, “a 2019-batch
(resident) was stabbed
to death in his own col-
lege campus,” the
statement says, add-
ing, “We are already
sacrificing our food
and sleep for the wel-
fare of the patients. It
is the primary duty of
the hospital and its ad-
ministration to
provide security to our
resident doctors
and students in all
situations.”
Aurangabad (PTI):
The police have asked
the Archaeological Sur-
vey of India (ASI) to in-
crease the number of
CCTV cameras at the
world heritage sites of
Ajanta and Ellora Caves
to increase security, a
senior official said on
Friday
.
The Aurangabad Ru-
ral police had conduct-
ed a security audit at
these sites last month
and recently wrote to
the ASI, Superinten-
dent of Police Maneesh
Kalwaniya said.
“We have told the ASI
to increase the number
of CCTV points in both
the cave complexes.
Apart from this, there
are some entries that
need to be shut and a
boundary wall should
be constructed there.
We have also asked
them to engage more
security guards,”
Kalwaniya said.
The police have also
written to the forest de-
partment to inform
about some rocks that
have come loose above
the cave complex in the
forest area and suggest-
ed that nets may be put
at these spots, he added.
First India Bureau
Mumbai: To prevent
fatalities among people
and birds during the
upcoming Makar Sank-
ranti festival, Mumbai
police have banned the
use, sale and storage of
nylon kite strings or
manja from January 12
to February 10, an offi-
cial said on Friday.
Competitive kite-fly-
ing is popular during
this festive season.
However, the order is-
sued on Thursday ob-
served that the use of
nylon kite strings, made
of plastic or other syn-
thetic materials, often
results in injuries and
in some cases, death
among people and
birds, the official said.
The nylon strings
can also harm the envi-
ronment, as they are
non-biodegradable and
can block sewers and
pollute water, he said.
As per the order,
people found using,
selling and storing
nylon kite strings
will be penalized
under Section 188 (diso-
beying order issued by
public servant) of the
Indian Penal Code, the
official said.
THE JUDGMENT POINTS
The evaluation is categorized into 6 types
namely- Site Selection Planning, Water Effi-
ciency, Energy Efficiency, Material Conservation,
Indoor Environment Comfort, and Innovation
in Design Construction
PoliceaskASItoplaceextra
CCTVcamsatAjanta,Ellora
Some entries need to be shut, officials say. —FILE PHOTO
NO HALT ON RIVERFRONT DEVT,
BUT NO NEW WORK ORDERS: NGT
The Pune civic body will have to wait for environmental
clearances before issuing new orders for construction
AMENDMENT OF
ENV CLEARANCE
In its earlier order, the
NGT had asked the PMC
to approach the State
Environment Impact
Assessment Authority
(SEIAA) for amendment
of Environmental Clear-
ance (EC). The amend-
ments, both in the terms
of project scope and
additional conditions are
to be stipulated before
proceeding with any
construction activity. The
tribunal, however, has
not set aside the previous
environmental clearance.
Docsdemandbettersecurity
afterpatientattackinjures2
The incident took place late on Thursday.
The patient attacked the surgical residents with a
fruit knife when they attempted to examine the
self-inflicted injuries to his stomach, Yavatmal
superintendent of police Pavan Bansod said
It was first such conference held in Mumbai and
prominent journalists like Atul Kulkarni, Nilesh
Khare, Prasanna Joshi, Abhijeet Kamble and
Nivedita Ajit Chavan were present
Marathi is a soulful language: Sudhir Mungantiwar
NylonmanjabannedaheadofSankranti
Unlike traditional manja, nylon manja can be fatal to humans.
—FILE
PHOTO
Kamathipura redevelopment:
Residents to get 500 sq. ft flats
Mumbai (PTI): A
four-memberDelhipo-
lice team on Friday
afternoon landed in
Mumbai in search of
the man, who had al-
legedly urinated on
his female co-passen-
ger on an Air India
(AI) flight on Novem-
ber 26 last year, but
found his home here
locked,anofficialsaid.
The Delhi police
haveregisteredanFIR
(First Information Re-
port) against the man
basedonthecomplaint
given by the victim to
the Tata group-owned
airline.Thepolicesaid
the accused, Shankar
Mishra, is the vice-
president of the India
Chapter of an Ameri-
can multinational fi-
nancial services firm
headquarteredinCali-
forniaandiscurrently
absconding.
According to a
Mumbai police offi-
cial,theteamreached
the Nehru Nagar po-
lice station in the
suburbs and made an
entry into the station
diary informing au-
thorities there that
they had come in
search of Mishra.
The visiting team,
without taking along
any Mumbai police
staff, launched a
search for the ac-
cused and reached
his bungalow “B 47”
at Kamgar Nagar in
Kurla (East) which
was found to be
locked, he said.
The official said
the Mumbai police
will help their Delhi
counterparts as and
when their assis-
tance is sought.
Delhi cops in Mum on
hunt for man wanted
in AI ‘urination’ case

PERSPECTIVE
04
l Vol 1 l Issue No. 241
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.
Phone 022-46031417.
Editor-In-Chief: Dr Jagdeesh Chandra
Editor: Kartikey Dev Singh
responsible for selection of news
under the PRB Act
SPIRITUAL SPEAK
You have a right to
perform your prescribed
duties, but you are not
entitled to the fruits of
your actions.
—Bhagavad Gita
IN-DEPTH
Jagat Prakash Nadda
@JPNadda
Visited the Sri Kanaka Guru Peeta
and received the blessings of Sri Sri
Niranjananad Puri Ji. The Guru Peetha
has been striving for the upliftment of
the people while working extensively
to foster feelings of harmony and
brotherhood in society.
Anurag Thakur
@ianuragthakur
At the Y20 Sumit, India will not only
speak but also provide an audience
to youth from across the world, to be
heard in the worlds largest democracy
amongst those young leaders geared
up with the baton to the future.
TOP TWEETS
WHO ALLOWED
50,000 PEOPLE TO
BUILD HOMES ON
HALDWANI LAND
he Uttarakhand High
Court’s order evict-
ing thousands of
people living on land
allegedly belonging
to the Railways in this shivering
cold lacked sensitivity. The Su-
preme Court stayed the order
much to the relief of around
50,000 people living on the land
for 50 years.
It is strange on the part of
Railways to have first over-
looked people building their
dwellings and living there for
close to 50 years and suddenly
waking up to the “encroach-
ments”. It is, of course, not pos-
sible for dwellings to have come
up without the consent of suc-
cessive governments that ruled
the state over the years. The BJP
and Congress blaming each oth-
er for the plight of the poor is
only a gimmick which they in-
dulge in for political gains at an
opportune time.
The Railways’ argument that
the land is needed for expansion
in the region is fair but, as the
Supreme Court said, these peo-
ple have to be rehabilitated be-
fore being displaced.
T
ndia and Taiwan have a com-
mon neighbour who believes
in expansion of frontiers by
force. India has ignored the
existence of Taiwan for long
and carrying on with the
legacy of ‘Hindi Chini, Bhai
Bhai’. India has so far avoid-
ed diplomatic relations with
Taiwan, just not to annoy
PRC but unfortunately, Chi-
na is more and more belliger-
ent in its attitude with India.
China believes in ‘One China
Theory’ and wants all na-
tions to only recognize PRC
as ‘The China’.
The links between India
and Taiwan have gathered
good momentum in recent
years. India is set to expand
its economic ties with Taiwan
significantly
. India has fired
the warning shots, regardless
of China’s reaction and It’s a
welcome change. Our EAM
has often stated that India is
strong enough to take inde-
pendent decisions in its na-
tional interest and extending
a hand to Taiwan is in India’s
national interest now.
TEPID RELATIONSHIP
Taiwan,officiallytheRepublic
of China (ROC), is no longer a
member of the UN, having
been replaced by the PRC in
1971. India is among the 179 of
the 193 member states of the
UN that do not maintain for-
mal diplomatic ties with Tai-
wan. India and Taiwan do not
have diplomatic relations so
they have opened Cultural
Centers,ineachother’scapital
in 1995. This has played a sig-
nificant role in improving the
people-to-people contacts, and
in expansion of cultural, eco-
nomicandacademicrelations.
IndiaandTaiwanhave recent-
lysignedanumberof bilateral
agreements in the field of ag-
riculture,civilaviation,invest-
ments, customs cooperation,
doubletaxationavoidance etc.
STEPPING UP
ECONOMIC TIES
Economic cooperation be-
tween India and Taiwan got a
fillip in 21st Century after a
hibernation of 50 years since
Independence. In 2018, India
and Taiwan signed a bilat-
eral investment agreement to
give a boost to economic ties
between India and Taiwan.
Presently
, more than 100 Tai-
wanese companiesandenter-
prises are working in India.
India – Taiwan trade is grow-
ing at annual rate of 20%.
Both the countries are work-
ing on free trade agreement
(FTA)toremoveallbarriersin
trade and investment, to boost
the economic cooperation
SEMI CONDUCTORS
CONNECTING
FRIENDSHIP
India’s adversarial relations
with China, pandemic-in-
duced disruptions, and Bei-
jing’s weaponization of sup-
ply chains have pushed New
Delhi to begin reducing criti-
cal technology dependencies
and build up domestic capac-
ity
. Going by the principle of
‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ India
also started opening up to
‘Make in India’ and manufac-
turing of all essentials in In-
dia. Establishing semicon-
ductor manufacturing hubs
has been a matter of priority
for India in the last few years
and Taiwan is a leader in
semiconductor manufactur-
ing. The central government
has allocated $9 Billion for
setting up its semiconductor
manufacturing ecosystem.
Semiconductor manufactur-
ing will emerge as a key area
for cementing India-Taiwan
relations and fostering closer
cooperation.
CAUTIOUS APPROACH
Taiwan has tried to reach out
to India, many times. Its care-
fully crafted ‘New South-
bound Policy’, which has
served as a roadmap for great-
er engagement with Taiwan’s
potentialfriendsandpartners
– especially India. India is a
key focus country within the
framework of the New South-
bound engagements.
Recent conflict of interests
with PRC have compelled In-
dia to revisit it’s ‘One China
Policy’ and there has been a
growing sentiment in India
that it should establish closer
ties with Taiwan. Indian gov-
ernment has been careful to
avoid taking steps related to
Taiwan which might worsen
already strained ties with
China. India’s trade with the
Indo-Pacific region passes
through the South China Sea(
SCS) route. It’s time for India
tobeproactivetosafeguardits
interests in the SCS region.
CHINA FACTOR
For a long time, the China fac-
tor has overshadowed India-
Taiwan relations. China
has played significant role in
preventing Delhi and Taipei
from intensifying their rela-
tionship. China’s reluctance
to address India’s territorial
concerns and two major Chi-
nese territorial incursions
have forced India to rethink
its China policy
. Consequent-
ly, India is making efforts to
revamp its Taiwan policy
.
WAY AHEAD
India and Taiwan’s new for-
eign policies are aligned in
expressing official determi-
nation to carry forward the
present developments in of
trade, economic, academic
and finally diplomatic rela-
tions. India should consider
some immediate changes to
its policy. Firstly, it should
join the US, in backing ob-
server status for Taiwan in
international bodies /groups
like G-7 and G-20. Secondly,
regular political interactions
should be strengthened. In-
dia should firmly establish
itself as a friendly and trust-
worthy partner to Taiwan.
CONCLUSION
Realities in the Indo-Pacific
region have changed, and it’s
time for New Delhi to deepen
its political ties with Taipei.
India also needs to build
strongeconomicties andTai-
wan will be too glad to recip-
rocate with equal warmth.
India’s Taiwan moment has
arrived and our leaders
wouldbewiseenough toseize
it. Certainly
, India of 21st cen-
tury
, is strong enough now to
ignore China’s displeasure.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
Your enemy’s enemy is your friend — Sun Tzu
HINDI-TAI, BHAI BHAI !!!
I
New foreign policies of
India and Taiwan are
aligned in expressing
official determination to
carry forward the present
developments of trade,
economic, academic and
finally diplomatic relations.
India should consider
some immediate changes to
its policy. India should
firmly establish itself as a
friendly and trustworthy
partner to Taiwan
India and Taiwan do not
have diplomatic relations
so they have opened
Cultural Centers, in
each other’s capital in
1995, which played a
significant role in
improving the people-to-
people contacts, and in
expansion of cultural,
economic and
academic relations in
both the nations
MAJ GEN
CP SINGH (RETD)
The writer is a scholar soldier accredited
with MA, MSc, LLB, MBA, M Phil (Def Mgt)
and M Phil (International Strategic Affairs)
pening the educa-
tion sector for for-
eign universities
tosetupcampuses
in India has been
much-awaited. Thousands of
students leave the country to
studyabroadastheyyearnfor
better quality education in
famed universities like Ox-
ford,Cambridge,Harvardand
others. Indian institutions
which can match those stand-
ards include IITs, IIMs, JNU
andtheIndianInstituteof Sci-
ence but to get admission into
thesethecompetitionisequal-
ly tough. Getting into any of
the world class universities is
noteasyeitherbutif astudent
has the required percentage,
the ability to pay high fees
takes care of the rest.
Studying abroad involves a
big outgo of money and stu-
dents have to take huge edu-
cational loans as not all par-
ents can bear the educational
and living expenses. Allow-
ing foreign universities to set
up campuses in India would
meet aspirational objectives
of those who can’t study
abroad for various reasons
and also lower the financial
burden of parents.
The regulations being
framed will ensure that there
is no compromise on the qual-
ityof facultyandallowforeign
universities complete autono-
my in academic matters, fee
structure, remuneration, gov-
ernance and admissions. For-
eign universities may still not
findtheoffertemptingenough
asgovernmentinterventionin
one way or another cannot be
ruled out. The freedom en-
joyed by faculty and students
in foreign universities may be
frowned upon by various reli-
gious and political bodies if
permitted here. Autonomy in
academics could also prove
prickly
.
Once implemented, India
will be in competition with
China and Dubai which host
maximum campuses. India’s
market potential may not be
enough.
STUDY IN FOREIGN
UNIVS MADE EASY
Allowing foreign universities
to set up campuses in India
would meet aspirational
objectives of those who
can’t study abroad for
various reasons and also
lower the financial
burden of parents
O

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05
INDIA
New York (ANI): India
is set to deploy a platoon
of Women Peacekeep-
ers in Sudan’s Abyei re-
gion as part of the Indi-
an Battalion in the Unit-
ed Nations Interim Se-
curity Force (UNISFA).
It will be India’s larg-
est single unit of women
Peacekeepers in a UN
Missionsinceitdeployed
the first-ever all-women
contingent in Liberia in
2007, stated the Perma-
nent Mission of India to
the UN press release. In
2007, India became the
firstcountrytodeployan
all-women contingent to
a UN peacekeeping mis-
sion. The Formed Police
Unit in Liberia provided
24-hour guard duty
, con-
ducted night patrols in
capital Monrovia, and
helpedtobuildthecapac-
ity of Liberian police.
The Indian contin-
gent, comprising two
officers and 25 Other
Ranks, will form part of
an Engagement platoon
and specialize in Com-
munity outreach,
though they will be per-
forming extensive secu-
rity-related tasks as
well, added the release.
Their presence will
be especially welcome
in Abyei, where a re-
cent spurt in violence
has triggered a spate of
challenging humanitar-
ian concerns for women
and children in the con-
flict zone.
India to send platoon of women peacekeepers to Sudan
UNITED NATIONS MISSION
PM Modi is most sought after World leader today: Shringla
New Delhi (ANI):
dra Modi is one of the
most sought-after world
leaders in any global
decision-making, Chief
Coordinator for G20
Presidency Harsh Vard-
han Shringla said.
In the podcast with
ANI, Shringla said,
“PM Modi is probably
one of the most sought-
after leaders of the
world for any global de-
cisions making that you
have whether it’s in cli-
mate change, whether it
is an issue that is politi-
cal in nature or eco-
nomical in nature, he is
always called in. He is
also called in all the G7
summits. We are part of
BRICS, SCO, I2U2, and
Quad... We have got
these mechanisms that
enable us to engage
with organizations or
groups of countries
across the world.”
Shringla also said that
PM Modi’s chemistry
with world leaders has
helped in foreign policy
and one can see the im-
pact in the world lead-
ers’ (Family) pictures.
Talking about the In-
dia-China relationship,
the Chief Coordinator
of G20 said that since
the Doklam crisis, a
number of discussions
were carried out to
solve the issue but nev-
er reached any diplo-
matic conclusions.
Shringla called the is-
sue with China “One of
the biggest challenges
in my career”. He also
said that India cannot
expect a normal diplo-
matic relationship on
territorial issues.
Replying to a ques-
tion about trade rela-
tions despite the terri-
torial issue, Shringla
said, “Trade is an essen-
tial part of the give and
take, the exchange that
you have with any coun-
try where China is a
very large neighbour
and you know your in-
dustry also requires
raw materials that do
come from China
whether it is Pharma-
ceuticals or any other
raw material and you
also export a number of
items to that country
.”
PM MODI GOVT ‘HERALDING NEW ERA OF
COOPERATIVE FEDERALISM’: OFFICIALS
New Delhi (PTI): With PM Narendra Modi chairing the second national conference of chief
secretaries, official on Friday said the govt has heralded a “new era of cooperative federal-
ism” by making the process of policy making and implementation more collaborative and
consultative. The chief secretar-
ies conference is aimed at rapid
and sustained economic growth
in partnership with states in
coordination as the PM believes
that it is an essential pillar for the
development and progress of
new India, they said. Modi had
conceptualised this conference,
which was held first time last
year in Dharamshala, they said
citing several programmes and
instances in which he has tried to
leverage cooperative federalism. The Centre and states have been working together in “Aspi-
rational Districts Programme”, launched by PM in January 2018 to fast-track development in
most backward districts across India through convergence of govt programmes and schemes.
BHARAT JODO YATRA
2 Indias under Modi, one of poor,
other of richest: Rahul Gandhi
Panipat (PTI): Con-
gress leader Rahul Gan-
dhi on Friday said there
are two Indias under
dra Modi — one of la-
bourers, farmers and
theunemployed,andthe
second of around 100
people who hold half of
the country’s wealth.
Addressing a rally
here as part of the Con-
gress’ Bharat Jodo
Yatra, Gandhi said 90
per cent of profits are
in the hands of 20 com-
panies while the com-
mon man has nothing.
He also hit out at the
Centre over the Goods
and Services Tax and
demonetisation which
he said were “weapons”
to destroy small and
medium businesses.
The yatra reached here
on Thursday evening
and the march resumed
on Friday morning.
KHARGE: BJP IS DESTABILISING
DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED GOVTS
Panipat: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge
alleged that BJP is misusing the power to
destablise the democratically elected government
through various means including misuse of ED
and Income tax. While addressing a rally in Pa-
nipat, Kharge said, “No Prime Minister, no home
minister has lied, they are lying, sometimes they
say they will give 2 crore jobs some time 15 lakh
rupees to each one account, but all false.”
KHARGE TRAINS
GUNS AT CENTRE
OVER INFLATION,
UNEMPLOYMENT
Panipat (PTI): Congress
chief Mallikarjun Kharge
slammed the Centre on
Friday over a host of is-
sues, including inflation
and unemployment, and
accused it of making tall
promises during election
time and going back on
those words after com-
ing to power. Addressing
a rally here as part of
the Congress’s Bharat
Jodo Yatra, Kharge said
there is rising inflation
and unemployment
in the country but the
government, led by the
BJP, does not seem to
be bothered. Senior
party leaders Kumari
Selja, Bhupinder Singh
Hooda, KC Venugo-
pal, Shaktisinh Gohil,
Kiran Choudhary and
DK Shivakumar were
among those present at
the rally.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi with former Haryana Chief Minister and party leader Bhupinder Singh
Hooda during party’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, in Panipat on Friday. —PHOTO BY ANI
Joshimath: Dhami
orders evacuation of
600 affected families
Dehradun (PTI): Utta-
rakhand CM Pushkar
Singh Dhami on Friday
ordered immediate
evacuation of around
600 families living in
houses which have de-
velopedhugecracksand
are at risk in Joshimath
town which is sinking.
“Saving lives is our
first priority. Officials
have been asked to shift
around 600 families liv-
ing in endangered hous-
es in Joshimath to safe
locations,” Dhami told
reporters here after re-
viewing the situation in
the sinking town with
officials via video con-
ference.
“We are also working
on short and long term
plans to address the
situation in Joshi-
math,” he said.
CM TO REVIEW
RESCUE WORK
PM HAILS DEPLOYMENT OF INDIAN
WOMEN PEACEKEEPERS IN UN MISSION
Dehradun: Uttarakhand
CM Pushkar Singh
Dhami on Friday said
that in the wake of the
land subsidence at
Joshimath in Chamoli
district, he would hold
a high-level meeting in
Dehradun. “I will hold a
high-level meeting with
top officials in Dehradun
regarding landslides in
Joshimath and cracks in
houses,” Dhami said.
New Delhi: PM Narendra Modi on Friday praised the par-
ticipation of largest Indian women UNA peacekeeping con-
tingent to be deployed in Abyei.
“I’m Proud to see this. India has
a history of actively taking part
in UN peacekeeping operations.
Even delighted is the fact that
our Nari Shakti is participating
“Modi said in a tweet replying to
a tweet sent out by the ministry
of defense. “The largest group
of female peacekeepers from the
#IndianArmy is sent to the #UnitedNation mission in #Abyei,
#UNISFA. Under the @UN flag, the team will offer relief
support to women children in one of the highly operational
difficult terrain circumstances” defence ministry tweeted.
Attempt to get nominated members to
vote in House ‘unconstitutional’: Kejriwal
New Delhi (Agencies):
After the chaos and
clashes between AAP
and BJP councillors on
the first day of MCD
proceedings which ulti-
mately led to the ad-
journment of the
House, Delhi Chief Min-
ister Arvind Kejriwal
said that the attempt to
getnominatedmembers
to vote in the House is
unconstitutional.
Sharing the Article of
composition of Munici-
pality Act, Kejriwal
tweeted, “
Article 243R of
the Constitution clearly
debars nominated mem-
bers from voting in the
House. Attempt to get
themtovoteintheHouse
is unconstitutional.”
As proceedings began
onFridaytochooseMay-
or and Deputy Mayor,
theHousewasadjourned
amid the chaos and
clashes between AAP
and BJP councillors.
BJP SLAMS AAP
FOR HOUSE RUCKUS
New Delhi: Union Minister
and BJP leader, Meenakshi
Lekhi has slammed the AAP
and alleged that it was AAP’s
conspiracy to stall the smooth
functioning of the MCD House
and therefore they created
ruckus there. Addressing
media, Lekhi said, “Section
33B(1) of the Municipal
Corporation Act has been
brought into action. Delhi L-G
V.K. Saxena has exercised
his power and nominated
people, and Chairperson to
the House. There was a con-
spiracy that AAP will not allow
smooth functioning and thus
they created ruckus.”
Central Vista:
New tender for
construction of
MPs’ chambers
“Will adhere to
timelines on
the judicial
appointments”
New Delhi (PTI): The
Central Public Works
Department (CPWD)
hasfloatedarevisedpre-
qualificationbidtobuild
an office complex for
MPs at a cost of Rs 1,210
crore, reducing the pro-
ject cost by Rs 225 crore.
The proposed build-
ings will come up at plot
number 119 in Lutyens’
Delhi, where the Trans-
port Bhawan and the Sh-
ram Shakti Bhawan are
currently located. Ac-
cordingtotherevisedbid
document floated on
Thursday
,thetotalplinth
area of the proposed
buildings is approxi-
mately 98,000 square me-
treswhileintheprevious
tender, it was 1,18,000
square metres.
New Delhi (PTI): The
govt on Friday told the
Supreme Court that “all
effortsarebeingmadeto
conform to timelines”
setbythetopcourtinthe
matter of clearing
names recommended by
its Collegium for ap-
pointment of judges. At-
torneyGeneralRVenka-
taramani told the court
that“thetimelineshould
notbedeviatedfromand
alleffortsarebeingmade
toconformtothosetime-
lines”. He added that
“somerecentrecommen-
dations sent by the High
Courts are being pro-
cessed” and that “about
44of thoserecommenda-
tions will be cleared
probably by Saturday or
this weekend.” Notably
,
the Supreme Court col-
legium will now have to
decidetheappointments
of Chief Justicesof high
courts.Vacanciesareex-
pected due to retire-
mentsandrecommenda-
tions for elevation of
Chief Justices to the Su-
preme Court.
APEX COURT CLUBS
PLEAS ON SAME-SEX
MARRIAGES
New Delhi: The Supreme
Court on Friday clubbed
and transferred to itself all
petitions pending before
different high courts
seeking legal validation
for same-sex marriages. A
bench of Chief Justice DY
Chandrachud and Justices
PS Narasimha and JB
Pardiwala asked the Centre
to file a joint reply to the
petitions by February 15
and directed their listing
on March 13. The bench
said any petitioner, if not
available to argue physically
before the court or unable
to engage a counsel or to
travel to Delhi, can avail the
facility of a virtual platform
to join the hearing.
MEHRAULI MURDER: DELHI COURT EXTENDS
POONAWALA’S JUDICIAL CUSTODY BY 4 DAYS
New Delhi: A court here on Friday extended the judicial
custody of Aaftab Amin Poonawala, accused of killing his
live-in partner and dismembering her body, by four days.
Poonawala was produced before the court through video
conference. “I am giving four days judicial custody. Accused
will be produced before me physically on January 10,”
Metropolitan Magistrate Aviral Shukla said.
SC STAYS ORDER
AWARDING 2-MONTH
JAIL TO NTPC CHIEF
Court on Friday stayed the
Telangana High Court order
awarding two-month jail term
to the NTPC chairperson in
a contempt case. A bench
took note of the submissions
of Solicitor General Tushar
Mehta, appearing for the
NTPC chief, that the high court
order needed to be stayed.
SC STAYS ORDER ON
MEGHALAYA-ASSAM
BORDER AGREEMENT
Court on Friday stayed the
Meghalaya High Court’s order
which had put a stay on the
MoU between Meghalaya and
Assam to resolve the long-
standing interstate boundary
dispute. A bench issued
notices to the concerned
parties on the plea filed
against the High Court order.
IN THE COURTYARD
Indian platoon of Women Peacekeepers in Sudan’s Abyei. —PHOTO BY ANI
Pushkar Singh Dhami during a meeting with officials on Friday.
Harsh Vardhan Shringla

06
INDIA
Rajnath visits Indira Point in
Andaman and Nicobar islands
New Delhi (ANI): De-
fence Minister Rajnath
Singh on Friday visited
Indira Point, the south-
ernmost part of India,
to review the operation-
al preparedness of An-
daman and Nicobar
Command and infra-
structure development
at operational areas.
Defence Minister was
accompanied by Lieu-
tenant General Ajai Sin-
gh AVSM, Commander-
in-Chief Andaman and
NicobarCommand(CIN-
CAN) visited Campbell
Bay
. En route to Camp-
bellBay
,hewasfamiliar-
ised with the terrain of
the Southern Group of
Andaman and Nicobar
Islands and on arrival at
Campbell Bay he visited
Indira Point, the south-
ernmost tip of the coun-
try
.Thereafter,hevisited
INS Baaz and interacted
with joint services
troops of Andaman and
Nicobar Command.
Defence Minister
thereafter visited the
Air Force Station at Car
Nicobar and interacted
with the troops, prior to
return to Delhi.
He was briefed about
the geo-strategic poten-
tial of the Andaman and
Nicobar Islands and
about the role they can
play towards enhancing
India’s influence and
support to military op-
erations in the area.
Singh was on a two-
day visit to Andaman
and Nicobar Islands.
This is the first visit of
the Defence Minister to
Indira Point since Janu-
ary 2019.
Apart from the Strate-
gic Signalling in view of
the proximity of these
far-flung islands to the
Indo-Pacific, the visit of
the Defence Minister to
Andaman and Nicobar
Command (ANC) also
motivated the troops de-
ployed in these distant
and remote islands.
The visit assumes
special significance in
view of ANC being the
only integrated Quad-
Services Command. It
is also important to
mention that ANC is a
21-year-old successful
‘Integrated Theatre
Command’ which is
now being planned at
the national level.
Defence minister also took stock of the defence preparedness during his visit to the region
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at Indira Point, country’s southernmost tip, during his visit to Andaman and Nicobar Islands on Friday. (R) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh
at INS Baaz during his visit to Andaman and Nicobar Islands on Friday. —PHOTO BY ANI
DEFENCE MINISTER VISITS INS BAAZ
Port Blair (PTI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Friday
visited INS Baaz, the Indian naval air station under the
joint services Andaman and Nicobar Command of the
Indian Armed Forces, at Campbell Bay in Great Nicobar
Island, defence sources here said. He was accompanied
by Lieutenant General Ajai Singh AVSM, the com-
mander-in-chief of Andaman and Nicobar Command
(CINCAN) and interacted with the troops there. INS
Baaz, which is a full-fledged forward operating base of
the Indian Naval Air Arm, also overlooks the Six Degree
channel between Great Nicobar and the Indonesian
island of Sumatra.
First India Bureau
New Delhi: The 74th
National Cadet Corps
(NCC) Republic Day
Camp (RDC) 2023,
which commenced at
Cariappa Parade
Ground in Delhi Cantt
on January 2, will see
participation of cadets
and officers from 19
friendly countries as
part of the youth ex-
change programme. A
total of 2,155 cadets in-
cluding 710 girls from
all 28 States and 8 Union
Territories are partici-
pating in the one month
long Camp.
This was stated by Di-
rector General NCC, Lt
Gen Gurbirpal Singh,
at a press conference in
New Delhi on Friday
.
Speaking to the me-
dia, the DG NCC high-
lighted that Cadets and
Officers participating in
the RDC 2023 are from
the 19 friendly countries
includingUSA, UK, Ar-
gentina, Brazil, Mongo-
lia, Russia, Kyrgyz Re-
public, Kazakhstan, Ta-
jikistan, Uzbekistan,
Nepal, Vietnam, Mal-
dives, Mozambique,
Mauritius, Seychelles,
Sudan, New Zealand
and Fiji. This is the
highest participation of
foreign cadets ever in
any Republic Day camp.
Out of 2155 cadets, 114
cadetsarefromJKand
Ladakh and 120 cadets
hail come from North
EastRegion(NER).With
cadets drawn from all
over the country, the
camp portrays a reflec-
tion of ‘Mini India’.
Lt Gen Gurbirpal
Singh said that Cadets
attending the camp
would participate in a
number of activities
like Cultural Competi-
tions, National Integra-
tion Awareness Pro-
grammes and various
Institutional Training
Competitions. Two
NCC marching contin-
gents will participate in
the Republic Day Pa-
rade on January 26.
This myriad and de-
manding set of activi-
ties would culminate
with the PM’s Rally on
the evening of January
28, he added.
DG NCC said the aim
of the Republic Day
Camp is to provide an
exposure to the rich cul-
ture and traditions of
our nation through the
important events that
take place in the Nation-
al Capital during the
run up for the Republic
Day and Beating the Re-
treat as well as to hone
the personal traits of
cadets and strengthen
their core value system.
The RDC cadets have
been selected after sev-
eral rounds of rigorous
screening at Groups
and Directorates level
in the last one year.
Each cadet had under-
gone four to five screen-
ings before reaching to
the RDC-23.
Lt Gen Gurbirpal
Singh also highlighted
major achievements of
the NCC in the year
2022. He appreciated the
contribution by cadets
in various initiatives
such as Puneet Sagar
Abhiyan, Saheedon Ko
Shat Shat Naman, In-
ternational Yoga Day,
Har Ghar Tiranga, Uni-
ty Flame Run etc.
Cadets from 19 countries to participate in NCC R-Day camp
PREPARATIONS FOR R-DAY
Director General NCC Lt Gen Gurbirpal Singh addressing media in New Delhi on Friday.
More than 2,150
cadets including over
700 girls to take part
in this year’s Republic
Day NCC camp
URINATION INCIDENT
Delhi cops summon crew
members of Air India flight
New Delhi (ANI): Delhi
police on Friday issued
summons to 6-8 crew
members, including the
pilot of the Air India
flight in the urination
incident in a New York-
Delhi flight last year.
According to the
complaint filed on
Wednesday by the vic-
tim, the crew brought
the accused to her seat
and forced her to face
him as he begged to be
spared arrest. The
woman was “stunned”
when the offender was
brought before her and
he “started crying and
profusely apologising”.
The complainant has
alleged that the pilot ve-
toed giving her a seat in
the first class after the
incident. “The flight
crew told me that the pi-
lot had vetoed giving me
a seat in first class,” she
wrote in the complaint.
A drunk passenger
urinated on a woman
flyer in the business
class of an Air India
flight last year on No-
vember 26. The accused
is identified as Shankar
Mishra and is a resi-
dent of Mumbai.
On November 26,
Shankar Mishra, alleg-
edly drunk, unzipped
and urinated on the
woman.
DCW DEMANDS ARRESTS, ISSUES NOTICE
TO DELHI POLICE, DGCA AND AIR INDIA
New Delhi: DCW chief Swati Maliwal has is-
sued a notice to Delhi Police, DGCA and Air In-
dia. “Recent incidents of drunk men urinating
on women on flights are extremely disgusting
and shameful. It is shocking to note that the
accused haven’t been arrested yet. Simply
banning the person isn’t enough. I am issuing notices to
Delhi Police, DGCA Air India in the matter,” she said.
MAN ACCUSED OF INFLIGHT URINATION
ISSUES STATEMENT, DEFENDS HIMSELF
New Delhi: Shankar Mishra, the accused
of urinating inflight on an elderly woman
has issued a statement through his lawyers
and said that the lady in her message has
clearly condoned the alleged act and has
displayed no intention to lodge a complaint.
The statement was issued by Ishanee Sharma and Ak-
shat Bajpai who are the lawyers for Shankar Mishra.
VICTIM SAYS CREW
MADE HER NEGOTIATE
WITH PERPETRATOR
New Delhi: The woman
who complained about a
male passenger urinating
on her during an Air India
flight in November had
informed the crew that she
did not want to see him
and was “stunned” when
offender was brought be-
fore her and “started crying
and profusely apologising”.
ACCUSED SHANKAR
MISHRA FREQUENTLY
CHANGING LOCATIONS
New Delhi: Two teams of
Delhi Police are on lookout
for Shankar Mishra, ac-
cused of urinating on an
elderly woman in an Air
India flight flying from
New York to Delhi, sources
in the know of things said,
adding he is continuously
changing his locations and
evading arrest.
UP: 200 IAS officers
dream to be collectors
Ahtesham Siddiqui
Lucknow: About 200
IAS officers of batches
from 2006 to 2015 are
hoping to become col-
lectors in the new year
in Uttar Pradesh.
It is a very difficult
tasktobecomeacollector
in UP because the num-
ber of IAS officers who
are in the race of collec-
tor in 75 districts is 200.
In such a situation, 3
to 4 IAS officers come in
the competition list in
one district.
Aftertheelectoralroll
revision work of the
Election Commission of
India is over, collectors
canbetransferredinUP
.
There are also chances
that transfers may be
done after the Global In-
vestors Summit to be
held in February
.
The increasing num-
ber of IAS officers in the
state is spoiling the aspi-
rationsof manyIASoffic-
ers.Thereare3mainrea-
sons, one, the number of
IAS officers is very high
ineverymatch,makingit
difficult to become a col-
lector, second reason is
thatIASofficersof direct
recruitmentareconstant-
ly marrying IAS officers
of othercadresandbring-
ing them to UP
.
The third reason is
that the Yogi govern-
ment does not believe in
changing the collector
repeatedly. CM Yogi
knows very well how to
get better performance
from an officer.
Out of 51 IAS officers
of 2014batch,only10IAS
officershavebeenableto
become collector last
year, 41 IAS officers still
could not become collec-
tor whereas in the year
2023, 35 IAS officers of
2015batchareintherace
to become collector.
IAS Suhas LY IAS Rakesh K Singh IAS Chandra P Singh
“Ashutosh met with
accused after incident”
❍ DELHI KANJHAWALA DEATH CASE
New Delhi (ANI): New
security footage re-
veals that hours after
the hit-and-run case in
which a 20-year-old
woman died after being
dragged under a car for
several kilometers in
the national capital’s
Kanjhawala, the ac-
cused are seen outside
the home of Ashutosh,
the owner of the car.
Delhi Police on Fri-
day arrested Ashutosh,
the sixth suspect to be
taken into custody in
connection with the
January 1 incident and
a hunt has been
launched to apprehend
a seventh person. In the
fresh CCTV visuals,
Ashutosh is seen talk-
ing to the accused two
hours after the time of
the incident.
Accused in the Kanjhawala
death case leaves Rohini court.
SIXTH ACCUSED HELD IN
DELHI’S KANJHAWALA
HIT AND DRAG CASE
New Delhi: Delhi Police has
arrested a sixth accused
in the horrific incident in
Delhi’s Khanjawala on New
Year’s night where a woman
died after being dragged for
several kilometers by a car
that hit her scooter, officials
said on Friday. The accused
identified as Ashutosh has
been arrested and according
to police it was Ashutosh’s
car under which the victim
was dragged for over 12
kilometers on Sunday.
“89 Rohingyas held in
2022 on India-B’desh
for trans-border crime”
New Delhi (ANI): A to-
tal of 89 Rohingyas
among 501 miscreants
werecaughtin2022along
the India-Bangladesh
border with Meghalaya
and Tripura on charges
of their involvement in
trans-border crimes,
mentions an official re-
portpreparedbytheBSF
.
Of thetotal30Rohingyas
were caught from the
Meghalayaborderand59
from the Tripura border
with Bangladesh.
The 30 Rohingyas ap-
prehend on Meghalaya
border were among 132
miscreants including 41
Bangladeshis and 61 In-
diannationalswhowere
found involved in one or
other trans-border
crime. They were appre-
hended by BSF Megha-
laya while conducting
various operations.
However, 59 Rohing-
yasapprehendedbyBSF
Tripura in different op-
erationswereamong369
miscreants that includ-
ed 160 Indian and 150
Bangladeshi nationals.
The Rohingyas are a
stateless Indo-Aryan
ethnic group who pre-
dominantlyfollowIslam
and reside in Rakhine
State, Myanmar (previ-
ously known as Burma).
CRUCIAL READ
1200 TRANSGENDERS
HELD FOR CREATING
NUISANCE IN TRAINS
New Delhi: The RPF has
caught more than 1200
transgenders for creating
a nuisance and indulging
in misbehaviour in trains.
The RPF is responsible
for security of railway
property, passengers,
passenger areas and
related matters. The RPF
launched a campaign
against unauthorised en-
try into coaches reserved
for women and persons
with disabilities.
10 INJURED AS GAS
PIPELINE EXPLODES
IN LUCKNOW HOTEL
Lucknow: Ten people
were seriously injured in
a gas pipe line explosion
at a hotel in Lucknow.
The injured have been
admitted to a nearby
hospital. Sources said
that the explosion in Ho-
tel Emperio Grand in the
Krishna Nagar area was
so strong that shards of
glass were seen strewn
on the road. Fire tenders
were rushed to douse
the flames.
WOMAN DRAGGED,
BEATEN IN TEMPLE
IN KARNATAKA
Bengaluru: A video of
a woman being beaten
in a temple in Ben-
galuru has went viral on
social media. The victim
Hemavathi had lodged
a complaint with police
stating the said incident
occurred on December
21 and the accused is
Munikrishna, ‘dharam-
darshi’ of the Lakshmi
Narasimha Swamy tem-
ple in Amruthahalli.
BOMB SCARE
TRIGGERS PANIC AT
B’LURU SCHOOL
Bengaluru: Panic trig-
gered staff of NAFL school
in Basaveshwara Nagar
locality of Bengaluru after
the educational institution
received a bomb threat
on Friday. The police said
the bomb threat was sent
to e-mail ID of the school
claiming that four gelatin
sticks have been kept on
the premises, which may
explode anytime.

07
Commodity Price Change % Chg
GOLD 55,650.00 153.00 0.27 (Per 10g)
SILVER 68,700.00 7.00 0.01 (Per 1kg)
COMMODITIES
Currency Price Change % Chg
USDINR 82.71 0.09 0.10
GBPINR 98.41 0.89 0.90
CURRENCIES
Oil cos making `10 a litre profit on petrol
First India Bureau
New Delhi: Oil companies
in India are selling petrol
at a profit of Rs 10 per litre
but retail prices haven’t
been reduced as they re-
coup past losses and make
up for a `6.5 a litre loss on
diesel, a report said.
State-owned IOC, BPCL
and Hindustan Petroleum
Corporation Ltd (HPCL)
have for the past 15 months
not revised petrol and die-
sel prices in line with the
cost. They have times of
low oil prices to recoup
losses incurred when rates
were high.
“Post record high losses
of `17.4 per litre on petrol
and `27.7 a litre diesel for
the week ended June 24,
2022, margins for petrol are
estimated at a positive `10
per litre for Q3 (October-
December 2022) while die-
sel losses too have likely
narrowed to `6.5 a litre for
the same quarter,” ICICI
Securities said in a report.
BUT ` 6.5 LOSS ON DIESEL
RATE NOT
REVISED
z State-owned IOC, Bharat
Petroleum Corporation
Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan
Petroleum Corporation Ltd
(HPCL) have for the past 15
months not revised petrol
and diesel prices in line with
the cost. They have times
of low oil prices to recoup
losses incurred when rates
were high
business
BRIEFS
New Delhi: Bharti Airtel
on Friday announced the
launch of its 5G services
in Hissar and Rohtak, ex-
panding the reach of the
new age hi-speed network
in Haryana. Airtel’s 5G
services are already live
in Gurugram and Panipat.
“Hissar and Rohtak gets
ultrafast Airtel 5G Plus
services in addition to
Gurugram and Panipat,”
the company said. Airtel
‘5G Plus’ services will be
available to customers in
a phased manner as the
company continues to
construct its network and
complete the rollout. Air-
tel 5G Plus will boost the
entire portfolio of servic-
es that Airtel offers. —PTI
New Delhi: Gold price in
the national capital de-
clined `153 to `55,650
per 10 grams on Friday
amid a fall in precious
metal prices globally, ac-
cording to HDFC Securi-
ties. The yellow metal had
ended at `55,803 per 10
grams in the previous
trade. Silver also fell `7 to
`68,700 per kg. “Gold
price fall was extended af-
ter stronger than expect-
ed US job market data al-
lowed US Fed to continue
with higher interest rate,”
said an analyst at HDFC
Securities. —PTI
GOLD DECLINES
`153 AMID WEAK
GLOBAL TRENDS
AIRTEL LAUNCHES
5G SERVICES IN
HISSAR, ROHTAK
Kolkata: Tea exports from
India have increased
18.1% at 185.31 million
kilograms between Janu-
ary and October 2022,
from 160 million kilo-
grams in the similar pre-
vious first ten months.
According to Tea Board
data, the CIS block coun-
tries remained the largest
importer at 43.65 million
kilograms during the first
ten months of 2022. The
UAE surfaced as the sec-
ond largest importer at
32.95 million kg during
the period in 2022. —PTI
TEA EXPORTS RISE
18 PER CENT IN 1ST
10 MONTHS OF 2022
Mumbai: No-frills carrier
IndiGo on Friday said its
fleet size has grown to
300 aircraft, which will
help it cater to the grow-
ing passenger volume
amid the recovery in trav-
el demand and growth in
2023. Besides operating
Airbus A320 NEO and
A320 CEO aircraft along
with A321 Neo, the Guru-
gram-based airline’s fleet
also has regional jets ATR
72-600. The airline offers
180 seats on its A320
CEO fleet while its A320
NEO planes are 180 and
186 seaters, IndiGo said
in a statement. —PTI
INDIGO’S FLEET
SIZE GROWS TO 300
AIRCRAFT
*Rates till the edition went to print.
AMAZON TO LAY OFF
AROUND 1,000 STAFF
IN INDIA: SOURCES
New Delhi: E-commerce
company Amazon plans to lay
off around 1,000 employees in
India as part
of its biggest
retrench-
ment exercise
across the
globe, according to sources.
The company has announced
the elimination of over 18,000
roles across the globe due to
uncertain economic condi-
tions. “The decision to elimi-
nate 18,000 job roles across
the globe will impact about
1,000 employees in India,” the
source said. —PTI
RELIANCE HAS AN
OFFER TO GET MORE
OF CHOCOLATE BOX
New Delhi: Two Reliance
group firms - RCPL RRVL
- have an-
nounced an
open offer to
acquire a 26%
additional
stake in Lotus Chocolate. The
firms will together acquire
33.38 lakh shares of Lotus
Chocolate from the open mar-
ket at a fixed price of `115.50
per share, said a notice by
DAM Capital, which is manag-
ing the offer. The offer will
aggregate to a total considera-
tion of `38.56 crore over the
full acceptance. —PTI
WHEAT SOWING UP
NEARLY 1% SO FAR
THIS RABI SEASON
New Delhi: Area sown to
wheat has increased by less
than 1% to
332.16 per
hectare (ha)
so far in the
ongoing rabi
season of the 2022-23 crop
year (July-June), as per the
agriculture ministry data
released on Friday. Sowing of
wheat, the main rabi (winter)
crop, had begun from October
onwards. Maize, jowar, gram
and mustard are other major
rabi crops. Harvesting of these
crops will begin in March/April
next year. —PTI
INDIA IN A RELATIVE
‘BRIGHT SPOT’, SAYS
IMF DEPUTY MD
New Delhi: India is in a rela-
tive “bright spot” in the world
economy, but needs to lever-
age its existing
strength
in services
exports and
extend it
to job-rich manufacturing
exports, a top official at the
International Monetary Fund
(IMF) said on Friday. “India
is a relative bright spot in the
world economy today, growing
at rates significantly,” IMF
Deputy Managing Director
Antoinette Sayeh saidm on
Friday. —FIB
DPIIT TO UNDERTAKE THIRD PARTY ASSESSMENT
OF STARTUP INDIA SEED FUND SCHEME
New Delhi: The DPIIT is in the process of undertaking a third
party assessment of Startup India Seed Fund Scheme to see its
impact on the ground, a senior gov-
ernment official said on Friday. The
`945-crore scheme was launched
in 2021. It aims to provide financial
assistance to startups for proof of
concept, prototype development,
product trials, market entry, and
commercialization. The fund was
divided into four years for providing seed funding to eligible start-
ups through eligible incubators across India. —PTI
OTHER STORIES
Govt, RBI in talks with S Asian nations
New Delhi (PTI): RBI Gov-
ernor Shaktikanta Das on
Friday said the govern-
ment and the central bank
are in discussion with
South Asian countries to
have cross-border trade in
rupee.
He also said the central
bank digital currency
(CBDC) is in trial phase
and the RBI is moving very
carefully and cautiously on
digital rupee launch.
“For UPI, we have al-
ready entered into agree-
ments with countries in
this region, for example,
with Bhutan and other
countries like Nepal and
we are trying to provide the
UPI facility to make cross-
border payments much
easier in this region...
“The other initiative is
the RBI, together with the
Government of India, have
initiated rupee settlement
of international trade. We
are already in discussion
with some of the countries
in this region and to facili-
tate rupee settlement of
cross border trade in the
South Asian region,” Das
said.
The Governor also said
that the RBI has launched
a pilot project of CBDC.
“It’s in a trial phase, we
are moving about it very
carefully, very cautiously
because this is something
where the approach has to
be very cautious, very
careful. If there is cloning
or anything which hap-
pens, it can be very, very
risky
... So that could be an-
other area where there can
be room for cooperation
(between South Asian
countries),” Das said.
After the successful
launch of the pilot for the
wholesale segment on No-
vember 1, 2022, the RBI on
December 1, last year, be-
gan its retail CBDC pilot
project. The use of the dig-
ital rupee is expected to
make the inter-bank mar-
ket more efficient, as settle-
ment in central bank mon-
ey will reduce transaction
costs by pre-empting the
need for settlement guar-
antee infrastructure or for
collateral to mitigate settle-
ment risk, the RBI had said
while launching the pilot.
Das said with global
trade outlook for 2022-23
overcast, greater intra-re-
gional trade in the South
Asian region can enhance
opportunities for growth
and employment.
MAJOR
HIGHLIGHTS
z RBI Governor Shaktikanta
Das said the government
and the central bank are in
discussion with South Asian
countries to have cross-
border trade in rupee
z He also said the central bank
digital currency is in trial
phase and the RBI is moving
very carefully and cautiously
on digital rupee launch
Taming inflation top priority
for South Asia: RBI Governer
New Delhi (PTI): Taming
inflation is the top priority
for South Asian countries
like India as an unchecked
price rise may pose risk to
growth and investment
outlook, Reserve Bank
(RBI) Governor Shaktikan-
ta Das said on Friday
.
He said rising levels of
debt, alongside sustained
price pressures, pose risks
to the region’s economic
growth and both must be
contained.
Multiple external shocks
in the form of COVID-relat-
ed global supply chain dis-
ruptions, food and energy
crisis following the war in
Ukraine, and financial
market volatility arising
from the aggressive mone-
tary policy tightening have
exerted sustained price
pressures in the South
Asian economies, he noted.
During the first three
quarters of 2022, food price
inflation in South Asia av-
eraged more than 20%.
“While the recent soften-
ing of commodity prices
and supply chain bottle-
necks should help in lower-
ing inflation going ahead,
risks to growth and invest-
ment outlook may rise if
inflation persists at a high
level,” he said.
Das said the region’s
heavy dependence on im-
ported fossil fuels has made
it vulnerable to imported
fuel inflation.
“For successful disinfla-
tion, credible monetary
policy actions accompa-
nied by targeted supply
side interventions, fiscal,
trade policy and adminis-
trative measures have be-
comethekeyinstruments,”
he said.
New Delhi (PTI): The In-
dian economy is estimated
to grow at 7% in the 2022-23
fiscal, down from 8.7% a
year ago, mainly due poor
performance of mining
and manufacturing sectors.
As per the first advance
estimates of national in-
come released by the Na-
tional Statistical Office
(NSO) on Friday, the manu-
facturing sector output is
estimated to decelerate to
1.6% in the current fiscal
from 9.9% in 2021-22.
Similarly, mining sector
growth is estimated at 2.4%
in the current fiscal as
against 11.5% in 2021-22.
“Real GDP or GDP
(Gross Domestic Product)
at Constant (2011-12) Pric-
es in the year 2022-23 is es-
timated at `157.60 lakh
crore, as against the Provi-
sional Estimate of GDP for
the year 2021-22 of `147.36
lakh crore, released on
31st May, 2022,” an NSO
statement said.
It stated that growth in
real GDP during 2022-23 is
estimated at 7.0% as com-
pared to 8.7% in 2021-22.
India’s GDP may grow
7 per cent this fiscal Mumbai (PTI): The Re-
serve Bank of India (RBI)
on Friday said that maiden
Sovereign Green Bonds
(SGrBs) would be issued in
two tranches of `8,000
crore each on January 25
and February 9.
The proceeds will be de-
ployed in public sector pro-
jects which help in reduc-
ing the carbon intensity of
the economy
, Reserve Bank
of India (RBI) said in a
statement.
As announced in the Un-
ion Budget 2022-23, Govern-
ment of India, as part of its
overall market borrowings,
will be issuing Sovereign
Green Bonds (SGrBs), for
mobilising resources for
green infrastructure.
RBI to issue SGrBs
in two tranches of
`8,000 cr each
No need to visit
bank to update
KYC: RBI
New Delhi (PTI): Bank ac-
count holders are no longer
required to visit their bank
branches to update ‘know
your customer’ (KYC) de-
tails provided they have
already submitted valid
documents and not
changed their address, the
RBI has said.
Instead, if there is no
change in KYC informa-
tion, they can submit a self-
declaration through email-
id, registered mobile num-
ber, ATMs, or any other
digital channels. Following
up on RBI Governor stating
that banks should not in-
sist on branch visits for
KYC updation, the central
bank issued guidelines for
the same.
Benchmarks skid for 3rd straight day;
end first week of 2023 with losses
Mumbai (PTI): Equity
benchmarks pared initial
gains to end lower on Fri-
day, recording their third
day of decline, amid weak
trend in IT counters.
The 30-share BSE Sensex
tumbled 452.90 points or
0.75% to settle at 59,900.37.
The broader NSE Nifty
went lower by 132.70 points
or 0.74% to end at 17,859.45.
From the Sensex pack,
Tata Consultancy Services,
Bajaj Finserv, IndusInd
Bank, Tech Mahindra, Ba-
jaj Finance, Kotak Mahin-
dra Bank, Infosys and Tata
Motors were the major lag-
gards. MM, RIL, Nestle,
ITC and Larsen Toubro
were the winners.
RUPEE FALLS 9 PAISE ON FRIDAY TO CLOSE
AT 82.71 AGAINST AMERICAN CURRENCY
Mumbai (PTI): The rupee pared initial gains and settled 9 paise lower
at 82.71 (provisional) against the US dollar on Friday, tracking a
rebound in the greenback overseas and a muted trend in domestic
equities. At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened
on a positive note at 82.52 against the greenback, but pared the gains
and fell to an intra-day low of 82.75. The domestic currency finally
settled at 82.71, down 9 paise over its previous close of 82.62.
FOR CROSS-BORDER RUPEE TRADE

08
2NDFRONT
Do you regret the time wasted
in the past? You can change
the future right now, this
minute for the better with no regrets.
— Dr Jagdeesh Chandra,
CEO Editor-in-Chief, First India
Nagpur (PTI): Clinical
trials of a new BCG vac-
cine for tuberculosis
will soon start in India,
former DG of CSIR Dr
Shekhar Mande said on
Friday
. He was speaking
at the ongoing Indian
Science Congress here.
Earlier in the day, Dr
Mande gave a presenta-
tion on Biophysical
Methods in Tuberculo-
sis Research’ and spoke
about how technology
has helped doctors and
researchers understand
TB better, paving ways
to combat the infectious
disease.
CSIR is working to-
wards rapid diagnosis,
vaccination and treat-
ment to eliminate the
bacterial disease from
India by 2025 as envi-
sioned by the govern-
ment, he said, speaking
to reporters later.
According to the In-
dia TB Report 2022, the
number of “incident
TB patients” (new and
relapse cases) notified
during 2021 stood at 19.3
lakh.
The goal is a huge
challenge as the TB load
in India is extremely
high, he said. “It is an-
ticipated that about
30% of the population
is already infected with
mycobacterium tuber-
culosis (the bacterium
that causes TB). But the
good news is that about
90% of that 30% will
never ever develop TB
in their lifetime. And
only 10% of those 30%
would develop TB at
some point in time.”
The objective is to
suppress even those
10%. “So by 2025, we
will actually be able to
control that particular
population and make
India TB-free,” he said.
The National Insti-
tute of Tuberculosis
Research, Chennai,
will start clinical trials
of the new BCG (Bacil-
lus Calmette Gurin)
vaccine, which is pri-
marily used against
TB, he said.
Clinical trials of new BCG vaccine to
start soon: Dr Mande, ex-CSIR chief
FIGHTING TB
It is anticipated that about 30% of the pop-
ulation is already infected with mycobacte-
rium tuberculosis (the bacterium that caus-
es TB). But the good news is that about
90% of that 30% will never ever develop
TB in their lifetime. And only 10% of
those 30% would develop TB at some
point in time...
—Dr Shekhar Mande,
former director-general, CSIR
SHINDE’S BIG BLOW TO OPPOSITION
BEFORE LOCAL BODY POLLS
30 councillors join ruling coalition!
First India Bureau
Mumbai: Chief Minis-
ter Eknath Shinde’s
Balasaheb’s Shiv Sena
has given a big blow to
Uddhav Thackeray’s
group right before local
body polls. Thackeray
was going to hold a
meeting in Nashik after
a few days to keep the
organization in Nashik
intact, and Sanjay Raut
is on a Nashik tour for
the preparations. How-
ever, on Friday, as many
as 30 corporators, in-
cluding those from NCP
also, joined the Shinde
group after Raut left for
Nashik. Earlier, several
office bearers of the
Thackeray faction had
joined the Shinde group
a few days ago. Now, the
Shinde group has given
a second blow.
CM Shinde, while
welcoming the office
bearers at the party in-
duction program in
Mumbai, said, “What-
ever decisions were
taken in the last six
months, were taken for
common people. From
farmers to youth, wom-
en, and teachers, the
problems of every class
were solved. The oppo-
sition pretended that
the government had
committed a huge
scam, but nothing was
done. If the opponents
had gotten the informa-
tion earlier, they would
not have been deceived
like this. So many lead-
ers are joining our
group, which means
they like our work. No
matter how much any-
one accuses us, we will
continue to work for
the people.”
Interestingly, the
blow to Thackeray
group has come at a
time when the faction
leader and MP Sanjay
Raut is on a visit to Na-
shik for organizational
building. He had visit-
ed Nashik earlier too.
Uddhav Thackeray
was going to hold a
meeting in January to
control damage in Na-
shik as well. On Friday
morning, Naresh
Mhaske, leader of the
Shinde group and for-
mer Mayor of Thane
Municipal Corpora-
tion, also tweeted on
the matter.
Notably, of the Shiv
Sena’spublic repre-
sentatives - 40 of the 55
MLAs and 13 of 19 MPs
- have shifted to the
Shinde camp and thus
leaving Thackeray to
bank on the grass root
worker for the upcom-
ing civic polls.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde with other leaders.
First India Bureau
Thane: In Na-
shik, with 50 Shiv
Sena (Thacker-
ay) workers join-
ing the Shinde
faction, Sena’s
Sanjay Raut criti-
cized the move say-
ing that a few ‘bro-
kers’ leaving the par-
ty will not end it.
Onthis,Shinde
faction lead-
er Naresh Mhaske has
attacked Sanjay Raut
and said that themore
Raut makes such re-
marks,themoreThack-
eray faction workers
and leaders will join
the Shinde faction.
“It is important for
us that Sanjay Raut
stays out of jail. The
more he (Raut) keeps
on speaking, the more
people will come to us
and the remaining
Thackeray army will
also be finished. San-
jay Raut has brokered
for NCP and destroyed
Shiv Sena,” he said.
Mhaske further
said, “Even though one
MP of the Thackeray
faction had already
gone to Nashik for
damage control and
another MP was about
to leave, the Thackeray
faction has been hurt
by the blow.”
SANJAY RAUT ENDED SHIV SENA BY
BROKERING FOR NCP, MHASE ALLEGES
‘If Rane’s financial affairs are
investigated, he will land in jail’
Sandeep Shukla
Mumbai: BJP leader
and minister Narayan
Rane said on Friday
that he will not spare
Thackeray group lead-
er and MP Sanjay
Raut. “I have given an
implicit warning that
I am going to file a
complaint against
Sanjay Raut,” said
Rane. Now, Sanjay
Raut has responded to
the warning of Naray-
an Rane.
Raut said, “If Rane’s
financial affairs are
released, he will go to
jail for 50 years. If you
dare, take off your
royal clothes and come
out. I will share the de-
tails later.”
“We are not cowards
like them. We are not
goingtochangeparties
as soon as the ED no-
tice comes. I haven’t
said anything about
them yet. They were
our colleagues, they
should not issue
threats. I have bravely
gone to jail for my par-
ty
,” warned Raut.
The Rajya Sabha MP
further added, “I didn’t
run away when called
by ED like you. We are
not scared. We are Bal-
asaheb Thackeray’s
Shiv Sainiks. We are
sending everyone’s
statement to the Chief
Justice.If thefinancial
affairs of Narayan
Rane are taken out, he
will not come out of
jail for 50 years.”
First India Bureau
Pune: A politics of al-
legation and counter-
allegation is going on in
Maharashtra regarding
the statements made
about historical icons
these days. While on the
one hand statements
are being made by the
ruling party regarding
Chhatrapati Shivaji
Maharaj and Savitribai
Phule, on the other
hand politics has start-
ed with some state-
ments given by the op-
position party regard-
ing Aurangzeb and
Chhatrapati Sambhaji
Maharaj. Ajit Pawar’s
statement in the assem-
bly has started affecting
the politics of the state
as well. Ajit Pawar has
now responded to the
statement given by Dep-
uty Chief Minister Dev-
endra Fadnavis on
Thursday
.
When the media rep-
resentative in Pune
asked Ajit Pawar about
Devendra Fadnavis’
statement, he replied, “I
do not want to raise
these topics again and
again. I want to contin-
ue my work. We give
importance to our work
and the cause of the
people.”
“What they say is
their right. Is the power
in their hands? If you
feel cheated, file a case.
Is this case in accord-
ance with the rules? As
long as we are alive, we
will never lose sight of
Chhatrapati’s views.
We will not betray
. Such
betrayal will not hap-
pen in our next 10 gen-
erations as well,” Ajit
Pawar said.
The senior NCP lead-
er further added, “Con-
stitution should be fol-
lowed by everyone. Eve-
ryone has the right to
express their opinion. I
am not saying that eve-
ryone should agree
with the position I have
presented. But the posi-
tion I have presented,
who is to judge me
wrong? What crime
have I committed to
apologise? Governor,
ruling ministers and
MLAs made absurd
statements, used abu-
sive words, no one is
ready to talk on this.
Some political parties
unnecessarily try to vi-
tiate the atmosphere. It
is not right. They
should present the role
they want to present.
We will present the role
we want to present and
people will welcome a
role that people under-
stand”.
Notably,Sena’sSanjay
Raut was in Nashik
for ‘strengthening
organization’
Work in full swing
to eliminate the
bacterial disease
from India by
2025
What have I said wrong to
apologize for, questions Ajit
CM, special CM listen
to Delhi not Maha,
says Aaditya Thackeray
First India Bureau
Mumbai: After corpo-
rators from the Uddhav
Thackeray faction
joined the Shinde group
on Friday
, former minis-
ter Aaditya Thackeray
questioned the shifting
loyalties of the party
workers. He claimed
that people who want
developmentinthestate
were still standing with
the Thackeray faction.
“Under MVA, Covid
was handled properly
.
State had achieved sus-
tainable development,
and good investment
came to Maharashtra.
Job opportunities were
increasing. Those who
like all these things are
with us. Youth is unem-
ployed. Women’s and
farmers’ voices are not
heard. Only Delhi’s
voice is heard,” said
Aaditya while criticiz-
ing CM Eknath Shinde.
Taking a jibe at the
government, Aaditya
said, “The political lev-
el has fallen. No new
investment is forthcom-
ing. No investor is will-
ing to come to Maha-
rashtra because there is
a CM and a special CM.
The political environ-
ment is very dirty
.” The
Thackeray scion
stressed that days of
the Shinde-Fadnavis
government are num-
bered. “All the political
parties should come to-
gether and think about
how Maharashtra can
be taken forward. This
government will fall
soon,” Aditya said.
CHITRA WAGH -
UORFI JAVED FEUD
SWC SERVES
NOTICE TO
WAGH, SEEKS
REPLY IN 2 DAYS
First India Bureau
Pune: Chairperson of
Women’s Commission
- Rupali Chakankar -
held a presser on Fri-
day and revealed that
BJP’s Chitra Wagh has
been issued a notice by
the Women’s Commis-
sion, asking to respond
within two days.
“Chitra Wagh has de-
famed the Women’s
Commission, so action
will be taken. Women’s
Commission is an
autonomous body.
We have reached a
decision after a discus-
sion with the legal
department. We have
sent a notice to Chitra
Wagh by mail. If reply
is not given within two
days, action will be
taken,” informed
Chakankar.
First India Bureau
Aurangabad: Alleging
that the contract work-
ers are being exploited
in Aurangabad Munici-
pal Corporation, the
contractual workers
protested in front of the
DivisionalCommission-
er's office on Friday
.
Supporting the cause,
Aurangabad MP Imti-
yaz Jaleel also partici-
pated in this protest and
said,“Workersarebeing
treated unfairly
. There
is collusion between the
contractor and the au-
thorities. Everything
has been predicided as
to who should be award-
ed the contract. ESIC of
contract workers is not
credited.”
“There are 1500 work-
ers in Aurangabad Mu-
nicipal Corporation,
who are being exploit-
ed. We have approached
the Divisional Commis-
sioner against this,”
added Jaleel while rais-
ing a question on the
authorities for remain-
ing silent 'when injus-
tice was happening to
the contract workers'.
Jaleel also said that
the contractors are rela-
tives of leaders in po-
litical parties. Crores
of rupees are spent on
these contractors. The
salary of the workers is
around 3.5 thousand
crore rupees per year.
Out of which, only 2.5
thousand crore rupees
are distributed to the
workers, he said and
asked for the details of
who gets the other thou-
sand crore rupees.
“Wages should be
paidasperESIC,PF,and
Minimum Wages Act.
Otherwise, a big move-
ment would take place,”
warned Jaleel while
adding that this move-
ment was started to re-
duce the exploitation of
contractual workers.
Whathappenedto`1,000cr?
MPJaleelquestionsofficials

09
MUMBAI, SATURDAY,
JANUARY 7, 2023
hen you dance,
youcanenjoythe
luxury of being
you, said ravish-
ing beauty Neha
Shekhawat, Miss
India Glam 2023.
The dance can reveal eve-
rythingmysteriousthatis
hidden in music, and it
has the additional merit
of being human and pal-
pable. Dancing is poetry
with arms and legs. This
18-year-olddivawritesher
own rule when asked
about her early life, the
ravishing beauty said, “I
am currently pursuing a
BBAdegreefromManipal
University
, I am a trained
dancer and professional
choreographer and now a
model by passion.”
I am a confident and
focused girl. Hard effort,
devotion, and discipline
have always motivated
me to stay enthused in
what I do. As I grew old-
er, I realised that moving
outside of my comfort
zone would enable me to
live the life of my desires
while being brave. I be-
lieve that to follow, with-
out halt, one aim: There’s
the secret of success.”
Neha aspires to earn a
huge name and fame and
leave her footprint wher-
ever she
goes.
The diva
also paid
gratitude to
DrJagdeeshChan-
dra and her mentor
Pawan Tank, Director,
India Glam for provid-
ing her with this won-
derful platform and
making her believe
that she got the poten-
tialtobeasupermodel.
While talking about
the biggest rookie
mistake, the beauty
said “I made was a
lack of knowledge
about the career and
patience compelled
me to do many free
shoots (just to make
my name famous but
was of no use),
which then slowly I
looked up to my men-
tors and learned a lot
in my life. So I believe
knowledge and pa-
tience is a very impor-
tant part of any ca-
reer.”
When asked about
the most memorable or
rewarding moment in
your, the diva said
“The most memora-
ble and rewarding
moment was win-
ning the crown of
Miss India Glam
2023.”
Gorgeous beauty Neha Shekhawat, winner of
Miss India Glam Season 4 opens up to City
First about her life as a young model and
her down-to-earth approach to beauty!
UTTKARSHA SHEKHAR
uttkarsha.shekhar@firstindia.co.in
W
I am currently pur-
suing a BBA degree
from Manipal
University, I am a
trained dancer
and professional
choreographer
and now a model
by passion.
www.firstindia.co.in I https://firstindia.co.in/epapers/mumbai I twitter.com/
thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
Pawan Tank crowning the
gorgeous beauty Neha

07012023_First India_Mumbai.pdf

07012023_First India_Mumbai.pdf

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