09022022 first india ahmedabad (1)

Guj touches 10-cr
vaccine doses mark
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The Gu-
jarat government said
the number of COV-
ID-19 vaccine doses ad-
ministered in the state
crossed the 10 crore-
mark on Tuesday
.
So far, 95.7% eligible
beneficiaries above the
age of 18 have received
both doses of the vac-
cine, while it is 52.2% in
the 15-18 age segment, a
state government re-
lease said.
It said 4.87 crore peo-
ple in the 18-plus seg-
ment have been given
the first dose while 4.59
crore have received the
second jab as well.
It added that 79% of
the 35 lakh children in
the 15-18 age group have
been given the first
dose, while 52.2% are
fully vaccinated.
The precaution dose,
which is the third jab
for a select set of people
as mandated by the Cen-
tral government, has
been given to over 16.21
lakh health workers
and those over 60 years
with comorbidities, the
release informed.
Gujarat Chief Minis-
ter Bhupendra Patel
congratulated the state
health department for
achieving the 10-crore
mark feat in little over a
year after the vaccina-
tion drive started on
January 16 last year.
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: A spe-
cial court here on
Tuesday convicted 49
accused in the case of
Ahmedabad serial
bomb blasts in 2008 in
which 56 people were
killed.
Judge AR Patel also
acquitted 28 other ac-
cused in the case, giv-
ing them the benefit
of doubt.
The 49 accused were
convicted under vari-
ous sections of the In-
dian Penal Code, Un-
lawful Activities (Pre-
vention) Act (UAPA),
Explosive Substances
Act and the Damage to
Public Property Act.
One accused was
also convicted under
the Arms Act.
The accused were
convicted under IPC
sections 302 (mur-
der), 307 (attempt to
murder), 121 (a) (con-
spiracy to wage war
or attempt to wage
war against the na-
tion) and 124 (a) (sedi-
tion), and section
16(1)(a)(b) of the
UAPA which con-
cerns terrorist acts.
The convicts can at-
tract a maximum pun-
ishment of death or
imprisonment for life,
and the prosecution
will seek capital pun-
ishment for some of
them, said special
public prosecutor
Amit Patel.
The prosecution ar-
gued before the spe-
cial court that the
blasts were an act of
terrorism, he said,
adding that as many
as 547 charge sheets
were filed and 1,163
witnesses examined.
The hearing on the
quantum of sentence
for those convicted
will start from
Wednesday.
Of 28 acquitted, all
but six have one or
more other cases
pending against them
or are already serving
sentences in past cas-
es including under
the Maharashtra Con-
trol of Organized
Crime Act and cases
investigated by the
NIA, Patel said.
Hence, only six out
of 28 acquitted per-
sons will be released
from jail, he added.
The court had con-
cluded the trial
against 77 accused in
September last year.
The trial began in
December 2009 against
78 people connected to
the banned terror out-
fit Indian Mujahideen.
The number of ac-
cused later came down
to 77, after one of
them turned approver.
Four more accused-
-including Yasin Bhat-
kal, a leader of the
terror organization
Indian Mujahideen
(IM)--were arrested
later, but their trial
has not yet com-
menced, Patel said.
Fifty-six people
were killed and more
than 200 injured in 21
blasts that occurred in
a span of 70 minutes
on July 26, 2008.
49 convicted, 28 acquitted in 2008 A’bad serial blasts case
Sentencing hearing to begin on
Wednesday; maximum punishment
may be death or life imprisonment
Govt prosecutor Amit Patel Inspector PG Vaghela
—PHOTOS
BY
HANIF
SINDHI
52.2% beneficiaries in the 15-18 age segment have received
both jabs. —FILE PHOTO
NEW
DEATHS
28
AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2022 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/79050 l Vol 3 l Issue No. 75
OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR, AHMEDABAD, LUCKNOW NEW DELHI
59-year-old mogul Gautam Adani’s net worth reached $88.5 billion on Monday, according to
Bloomberg Billionaires Index, eclipsing fellow countryman Mukesh Ambani’s $87.9 billion.
With an almost $12 billion jump in his personal fortune, Adani is now Asia’s richest person.
A FOR
ADANI
CORONA
CATASTROPHE
GUJARAT
NEW
CASES
2,502
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
NEW
CASES
894
A’BAD
RAJYA SABHA PROCEEDINGS
KARNATAKA HIJAB ROW
All schools, colleges
shut for three days
Sidhu would have been right
choice for Punjab CM,says wife
PM: Cong used U’khand for leisure,
we’re promoting it as pilgrimage
New Delhi: PM Modi, virtually addressing a Vijay Sankalp
Sabha in Uttarakhand, said that Congress had treated Uttara-
khand for leisure when they were in power but never thought
of it becoming a center for pilgrimage tourism. “Congress’s
intention loyalty can be figured out with their poll campaign
slogans. They were in power in Delhi UP for years, used
to travel to Uttarakhand for leisure, but never thought of it as
pilgrimage. Villages got empty, people migrated.” —ANI
Expert view be
taken on vax
for kids below
15 years: Min
New Delhi: With reo-
pening of schools rais-
ing concern over the
safety of children below
15 years of age, Health
Minister Mansukh
Mandaviya said in RS
that government will
take a decision to vac-
cinate this group based
on suggestions of an
expert group. Govt has
constituted an expert
group to give sugges-
tions on which age
group to be given COV-
ID-19 vaccine first ac-
cordingly jab for kids
aged 15-18 years is un-
derway, he said during
Question Hour. —ANI
South Korean FM conveys
regret to EAM Jaishankar
Bengaluru: CM Basa-
varaj Bommai ordered
closure of all high
schools and colleges in
Karnataka for the next
three days in an attempt
to prevent further esca-
lation of the row over
students wearing hijab
and saffron shawls in
classrooms.
The CM, who is in
New Delhi to meet vari-
ous Union ministers,
issued the order from
there following reports
of confrontations and
violence from a few col-
lege campuses on Feb-
ruary 8. There was
stone-pelting in one col-
lege and caning by po-
lice in another.
“I appeal to all stu-
dents, teachers and
managements of
schools and colleges, as
well as people of Karna-
taka, to maintain peace
and harmony,” the CM
tweeted. —ANI
Amritsar: Congress
leader Navjot Kaur Sid-
hu said that her hus-
band and party’s Pun-
jab chief Navjot Singh
Sidhu would have been
the right choice for CM
face for the upcoming
Assembly polls.
On being asked if Ra-
hul Gandhi was misled
on making the decision
for CM face of Punjab,
Navjot Kaur replied
saying, “Yes...education
should be counted for
choosing someone at
such a high position.
Navjot Sidhu would’ve
been the right choice
(for CM), irrespective
of him being my hus-
band,” she added. —PTI
New Delhi: South Ko-
rea’s Foreign Minister
Chung Eui-yong on
Tuesday called up Ex-
ternal Affairs Minister
Jaishankar to ‘regret’
the offence caused to
people of India by a so-
cial media post on
Kashmir by Hyundai
Pakistan.
MEA spokesperson,
Arindam Bagchi, said
the Chung “conveyed
that they regretted the
offence caused to the
people and GoI by the
social media post”. The
Ambassador of South
Korea was summoned
by the Ministry of Ex-
ternal Affairs on Tues-
day. “Strong displeas-
ure of the Government
on the unacceptable so-
cial media post by
Hyundai Pakistan was
conveyed to him. It was
highlighted that this
matter concerned In-
dia’s territorial integ-
rity on which there
could be no compro-
mise,” said Bagchi.
—PTI
New Delhi: From dy-
nastic politics to curbs
on freedom of expres-
sion, PM Narendra
Modi on Tuesday tore
into the Congress and
said that Congress’s
thinking has been hi-
jacked by ‘urban Nax-
als’. “Congress accused
us of trying to change
history. Congress’s
thinking has been now
been hijacked by ‘urban
Naxals’,” he said.
He said that if there
was no Congress, there
would be no Emergency
,
no caste politics, Sikhs
would never have been
massacred and Kash-
miri Pandits would not
have happened. ‘Con-
gress na hoti, toh kya
hota’. It’s a result of
thinking, ‘India is Indi-
ra, Indira is India.’ I
think ‘Congress na hoti,
toh kya hota’ because
Mahatma Gandhi want-
ed. He knew what will
happen if they continue
to be and he wanted to
disband them before-
hand,” said in his reply
to the debate on the mo-
tion of thanks to the
President’s address in
Rajya Sabha. —ANI
‘NEHRU WAS
WORRIED MORE
ABOUT HIS IMAGE’
CONG WALKS OUT OF RS AS PM LAUNCHES
SHARP ATTACK ON PARTY’S RULE IN THE PAST
PM MODI’s SCATHING
ATTACK ON CONGRESS
BJP’s PB MANIFESTO:
BOON FOR FARMERS
BJP RELEASES UP’s
POLL MANIFESTO
‘LATA DIDI’s FAMILY
WASN’T SPARED’
Launching a scathing
attack on Jawaharlal Nehru,
PM Modi said Goa had
to remain under imperial
rule for years so that the
former PM could maintain
his image at international
level. “The media reports
from back then will tell you
that the then PM (Jawahar
Lal Nehru) was concerned
about his international
image. That is why he
thought that if Goa’s foreign
government was attacked,
his image of a peace-loving
global leader would have
been harmed. So he let Goa
suffer,” the PM said. —ANI
Cong members in RS walked out of Upper House while Modi
was speaking. In a sharp dig at Congress, PM accused it
of becoming “leader of tukde-tukde gang” by following the
Britishers’ policy of ‘divide rule.’ “They are now objecting to
‘nation’. If idea of ‘nation’ is unconstitutional, then why is your
party called Indian National Congress,” PM Modi stated.
After stating how Congress
had doubted country’s abil-
ity to deliver on vax for all,
welfare measures for poor
by his govt etc, Modi said in
a direct attack on Congress
how one can never learn
lessons in a democracy
from ‘those who trampled
over democracy in 1975.”
Chandigarh: BJP released
its manifesto for Punjab
Assembly polls, promising
to entirely waive off debt of
all farmers with less than
five acres of land-holdings
in state. Besides, party also
promised ‘Mehnat Da Pakka
Mull’ under which MSP for
farmers will be guaranteed.
Lucknow: With an aim to
honour legacy of legendary
singer Lata Mangeshkar,
Home Min Amit Shah
while releasing ‘Lok Kalyan
Sankalp Patra-2022’ for UP
said that BJP led govt will
establish a ‘Performing Arts
Academy.’ ‘Sankalp Patra’ is
UP govt’s resolution, he said.
“Nation is sad due to Lata
Mangeshkar’s death. Her
family is from Goa, all should
know how they were treated.
Her younger brother, Hri-
daynath, was removed from
AIR. His crime? He presented
a poem by Veer Savarkar.
This was Cong’s freedom of
expression,” the PM said.
HYUNDAI ROW
PM MODI’s TAKE...
CONGMEN SPEAK
“When family is supreme in party, then
first casualty is talent.”
“Some Members asked if there was no
Congress, what would happen...I would
like to say, if there was no Congress there
would be no Emergency, there would
be no caste politics, Sikhs would never
have been massacred, the problems
of Kashmiri Pandits would not have
happened?
“There are people who think that India
was born in 1947.”
“We do not see any conflicts between
national progress and regional
aspirations. India’s progress will be
stronger when it addresses regional
aspirations keeping in mind the
development of the country. When our
states progress, the country progresses.”
“If Congress would not have been there,
Rajya Sabha would’ve remained the
council of states under Govt of India
Act of 1919 where instead of ordinary
citizens, princes rulers would have
been sitting there singing the praises of
Queen Elizabeth II”
—P Chidambaram, Congress leader
“PM Modi’s ‘divide and rule’ comment
applies only to him”—Mallikarjun Kharge
1
1
2
2
3
4
PM MODI:CONGRESS’ THINKINGHAS
BEEN HIJACKED BY‘URBAN NAXALS’

NEWS
AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2022
02
First India Bureau
New Delhi: The Su-
preme Court Tuesday
took note of the settle-
ment arrived at between
Adani Power (Mundra)
Ltd and the Gujarat
Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd
(GUVNL) and closed the
curative plea of the
state PSU challenging
the apex court’s 2019
verdict upholding the
private firm’s termina-
tion of a power pur-
chase agreement (PPA).
A five-judge Constitu-
tion bench headed by
Chief Justice N V Ra-
mana was informed by
Attorney General KK
Venugopal, appearing
for GUVNL, that a set-
tlement has been ar-
rived at between the
state PSU and Adani
Power on January 3.
The top law officer
said that in view of the
settlement, the curative
plea be closed and the
verdict may be modified
accordingly
.
We dispose of the cu-
rative petition (of GU-
VNL) by saying that
both parties will be gov-
erned by the settlement
deed, ordered the bench
which also comprised
Justices UU Lalit, DY
Chandrachud, BR Ga-
vai and Surya Kant.
At the outset, Venugo-
pal referred to the settle-
ment and said that the
court was required to
modify the judgment to
theextentthatthetermi-
nation of the PPA by the
Adani group firm will
not be given effect to.
Secondly
, the court is
needed to note that the
liberty
,whichwasgrant-
ed to the Adani Power to
seek compensatory tar-
iff whichhadledtofiling
of a claim of around
Rs10,000 crore from us
(the PSU) before the
CERC, now stands with-
drawn and closed due to
the settlement, he said.
The aspects which
hurt the state PSU have
been neutralized and
therefore both the par-
ties seek to close the
case... Please record
the settlement and
modify the judgement,
Venugopal said.
The counsel for Ada-
ni Power also supported
Venugopal’s submis-
sion and said the pri-
vate firm would resume
supplying electricity to
the GUVNL as per the
settlement deed once it
is recorded by the apex
court in its order.
The bench later pro-
ceeded to record that as
per the settlement deed
enteredintobetweenthe
parties on January 3 it
disposed of the curative
plea of the Gujarat PSU.
SC CLOSES CURATIVE PLEA OF GUVNL AGAINST ADANI POWER
‘CURRENT’ AFFAIRS
Court notes settlement
over termination of PPA
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: Chief
Minister Bhupendra
Patel has announced a
new IT and ITeS poli-
cy to give a rapid
boost to the state’s IT
sector. This new poli-
cy will be applicable
for five years, i.e.,
from 2022 to 2027. The
objective of this poli-
cy is to revolutionize
the IT sector of the
state and to give it a
new direction, the CM
said, while announc-
ing the new policy in
Gandhinagar in the
presence of the Minis-
ter of Education and
Science and Technol-
ogy Jitubhai Vaghani.
“I am sure that this
policy will help us in
making a significant
contribution to one of
the eight dreams of
Hon’ble Prime Minis-
ter Narendrabhai
Modi--unemployment
free, employable,” CM
Patel said, adding that
the objective of this
policy is also to realize
the vision of ‘At-
manirbhar Gujarat to
Atmanirbhar Bharat’
in the information
technology sector.
The policy introduc-
es a unique concept of
Capital Expenditure
(CAPEX) - Operational
Expenditure (OPEX)
model which is the
first of its kind in the
country: The policy en-
visages 25% CAPEX
support up to Rs50
crore and Rs200 crore
for general projects.
Under the OPEX model
for mega projects, the
government will pro-
vide 15% assistance up
to Rs20 crore and Rs40
crore per annum for
general projects per
year for mega projects.
In an effort to boost IT
employment in the
state, the Gujarat gov-
ernment has envis-
aged two specific in-
centives in the policy:
Employment Genera-
tion Incentive (EGI) up
to Rs60,000 per employ-
ee and 100% Reim-
bursement of Employ-
er’s EPF contribution
through Atmanirbhar
Gujarat Rozgar Sahay
Support for interest re-
payment at 7% on term
loans up to Rs5 crore,
as well as 100% reim-
bursement of electric-
ity charges to all eligi-
ble IT/ITES units, and
the establishment of
the Gujarat AI School /
AI Center of Excel-
lence for the IT indus-
try with an aim to be-
come a leading source
of industry-ready
skilled talent.
Guj govt launches new 5-year policy to boost IT and ITeS sectors
CM Patel announced the new IT policy in Gandhinagar on Tuesday.
The Holstein
Fresian cow's calf
was stuck mid-way
during delivery
causing labour pain
to the mother
First India Bureau
Vadodara: Aveterinary
doctor and the pilot of
Mobile Veterinary Dis-
pensary (MVD) of
Dessar taluka rescued a
cross-breed cow Hol-
steinFresiananditscalf
during her first delivery
.
On duty veterinary
doctor Kirti Dhobi of
MVD Valavav and pilot
Manish Parmar were on
their scheduled visit in
the morning when they
received a call routed
through 1962 from Kada-
chla village. The call was
by Kamleshbhai Suthar,
owner of the cow. The
cow was in labour pain,
alsocalledDystocia--diffi-
cultorobstructedlabour-
-as the baby was stuck in
the mother's womb.
Theconditionwasse-
rious but commonly
seenincross-breedcows.
Twofrontlegsof thecalf
were out but, the head
was stuck. I first set the
legs in the right position
and then helped the cow
complete the delivery
.
There were complica-
tions but, thankfully
, we
managedtosaveboththe
mother and the calf,
said Dr Dhobi.
First India Bureau
Vadodara: In a shock-
ing incident, a man
threw a gas cylinder
and hurled abuses at
Vadodara Municipal
Corporation (VMC)
standing committee
chairman,deputymay-
or and local council-
lors, after they showed
up to raze his hotel as
an illegal encroach-
ment. According to of-
ficials, the land be-
longs to Rana Samaj
located in front of the
city’sKarelibaugKasa-
maala cemetery
.
Hussain alias Sun-
ny threatened to kill
himself with a knife
when the team began
clearing out the space.
Instead of bowing
down, they continued
with the operation.
On Tuesday morn-
ing, based on a com-
plaint from Rana Sa-
maj, Standing Com-
mittee Chairman Dr
Hitendra Patel, Depu-
ty Mayor Nandaben
Joshi and local coun-
cillors of ward 07
reached the spot and
asked for documents
from Hussain.
“We received a com-
plaint about an illegal
hotelbeingrunonRana
Samaj land and we
reached the spot to ob-
serveandaskforowner-
ship documents. When
he (Hussain) failed to
produce it, he threw a
cylinder and hurled
abuses. This type of an
act will not be accepted
in any circumstances
and the corporation
will target illegal en-
croachments to solve
traffic and other is-
sues,” said Dr Patel.
Top police officials
reached the spot and
detained the accused
for further investiga-
tion. Mayor Keyur
Rokadia, BJP city
president Dr Vijay
Shah later met Collec-
tor AB Gor and de-
manded strict action.
Vet and pilot save cross-breed cow calf
ENRAGED ENCROACHER THROWS
GAS CYLINDER AT VMC OFFICIALS
Dr Kirti Dhobi and pilot Manish Parmar.
Party members presenting memo to Collector Aayush Oak.
VMC Standing Committee Chairman Dr Hitendra Patel (centre)
at the site.
The Holstein Fresian cow with her calf.
First India Bureau
Surat: The Congress
party, as part of their
nationwide drive
“Nyay Padyatra”, pre-
sented a memorandum
to the District Collec-
tor of Surat on Tues-
day, seeking Rs4 lakh
compensation for the
kin of nCoV victims.
The acting president of
Surat’s Congress body
Naishadh Desai said,
“The BJP govern-
ment is doing injustice
to the families of the
deceased. It is because
they failed, Congress is
working towards re-
trieving the compensa-
tion from the govern-
ment under the Disaster
Management Act, 2005.”
Members of the par-
ty said that the govern-
ment, instead of wast-
ing crores of rupees on
the Bullet Train and
Central Vista projects,
should consider pay-
ing back to families
who lost their loved
ones during the pan-
demic, irrespective of
being admitted to the
hospital or not.
Congress’ ‘Nyay
Padyatra’ to seek `4
lakh compensation
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Hitesh
Barot, the standing
committee chairman of
the Ahmedabad Munic-
ipal Corporation on
Tuesday tabled a budg-
et of Rs8,807 crore for
fiscal 2023--Rs696 crore
more than the draft
budget proposed by Mu-
nicipal Commissioner
Lochan Sehra under
the title Clean, Healthy
and Pollution Free last
Wednesday
.
This is a considerable
rise from last year’s re-
vised budget of Rs7,475
crore. In addition to not
imposing any new taxes,
the budget also has a
100% tax exemption on
electric vehicles. Barot’s
budget also gives prop-
erty tax relief to proper-
ty owners in areas that
were recently merged
with the city limits.
The city has allocated
Rs30 crore for a railway
overbridge in Makarba,
and Rs3 crore for an un-
derbridge at Ramdevna-
gar. A bridge is also
planned from Hatijan to
Vivekanandnagar.
A plant for hotmix,
which is widely used in
road construction, will
be set up in western
Ahmedabad. Moreover,
the city has also set
aside Rs3 crore for a
crematorium for dead
animals and Rs54 lakh
for the beautification of
Ellisbridge.
Lakes will be devel-
opedinChandkhedaand
Ranip, which Rs3 crore
allocatedforthebeautifi-
cation of Chandola lake.
Sardar Baug will be
beautified at an invest-
ment of Rs5 crore and
Gaurav Path in Chand-
kheda, at Rs50 lakh.
Thecouncillors’budg-
et has been set at Rs30
lakh, while those for the
specialcommitteechair-
man and deputy chair-
man have been in-
creased to Rs20 lakh and
Rs10 lakh, respectively
.
The budget for the
Smart City project has
been increased from the
current Rs25 crore to
Rs53 crore, as per the
recommendation of
Commissioner Sehra.
Standing
committee gives
nod to hike of
`316.58 cr on draft
First India Bureau
Surat: The standing
committee of the Surat
Municipal Corporation
has approved the
Rs6,970 crore draft
budget presented by
Municipal Commis-
sioner Banchhanidhi
Pani, and revised it to
Rs7,286.58 crore.
The budget will now
be presented at the Gen-
eral Board Meeting be-
fore being implement-
ed. In addition to health
and education, the
budget also focuses on
generating revenue by
installing solar panels
on BRTS corridors and
through advertise-
ments and hoardings.
“Solar power plants
are being given more
importance looking at
the vision of Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi for green energy,”
standing committee
chairman Paresh Patel
said, adding “Electrici-
ty will be generated
through 10 MGV solar
panels along the BRTS
route. After a pilot pro-
ject, solar panels will be
gradually installed
through public partici-
pation. Financial help
will be provided under
the Amrut 2.0 scheme.
A separate policy is be-
ing formulated for it.
Apart from energy, we
also plan developmen-
tal works including fa-
cilities like community
halls, party plots and
gardens. Further, ef-
forts have been initiat-
ed to fix a dilapidated
crematorium.”
The body has allocat-
ed Rs90 crore to provide
more classrooms in ex-
isting schools. It will
also set up at least one
Primary Education
Committee School and
one Suman School will
be made in each zone.
Uniforms and books-
-hitherto a major issue-
-will also be prioritized
this year.
SMC is also working
to increase the number
of medical shops and
pharmacies in the city
from 60 to 88 under the
Deen Dayal scheme.
Health centres will also
give patients general
blood reports at no cost.
AMC GETS `8,807 CR BUDGET
100% tax exemption for electric vehicles SMC tables `7,286.58 cr budget

First India Bureau
Rajkot: In yet another
allegation levelled
against Rajkot Police
Commissioner Manoj
Agarwal, a woman
named Kanchanben
Pambhar has demand-
ed justice in connec-
tion with a Rs32 crore
land case. She threat-
ened mass immolation
of all her family mem-
bers if the matter is
not resolved.
In a written com-
plaint, Pambhar asked
action to be taken
against various police
officers including the
police commissioner,
taluka police staff and
the son of a former
Bharatiya Janata Par-
ty (BJP) president Late
Bhikha Vasoiya, son
Jaydeep Vasoiya and
others. According to
Kanchanben, they did
not initiate any in-
quiry in the Rs32 crore
land issue, despite sup-
porting evidence pro-
duced by the Pamb-
hars.
“My entire family
has separated due to
the land issue and
mental trauma,” she
said.
On the other hand,
Jaydeep Vasoiya
termed the allegations
false and called it a
“conspiracy to defame
his family’s name.”
“The Pambhar fam-
ily is trying to protect
themselves and engag-
ing in false stunts. Late
Bhikha Vasoiya has
given them four crore
rupees and no money
has been returned to
us. They have told us at
gunpoint that we have
to forget about the
amount given by my
father,” said Vasoiya.
GUJARAT
03
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: After
having won the first
ODI against West In-
dies, the Rohit Shar-
ma-led side will now
look to win the sec-
ond game and seal the
three-match series
with one game to go.
India and West In-
dies will lock horns in
the second ODI on
Wednesday at the Nar-
endra Modi Stadium.
Rohit and boys sealed
a comfortable six-
wicket win in the first
ODI and the Men in
Blue did not have to
break a sweat.
Chasing 176 in the
first ODI, Rohit Shar-
ma’s blitz with the bat
helped India stay
ahead in the run-chase
throughout, and in the
end, the hosts com-
pleted a comfortable
six-wicket win. How-
ever, poor shot-selec-
tion by Virat Kohli
and Ishan Kishan left
a lot to ponder.
Two years since Virat
last scored a century, in
the first ODI against
Windies, he looked a bit
arrogant in his playing
style and he played aer-
ial shots quite early in
his innings. He eventu-
ally got out hooking a
bouncer and just man-
aged to score eight runs.
Kishan managed to
score 28 but there was
no need for him to play
a slog sweep off the
bowling of Akeal Ho-
sein when India was
cruising into the match.
If not for Rohit’s 60, In-
dia could have had a dif-
ficult time in chasing
177. Suryakumar Yadav
and Deepak Hooda
played unbeaten came-
os and with the return
of KL Rahul in the sec-
ond ODI, it needs to be
seen who the manage-
ment drops.
Bowling was sought
after in the first ODI
after Washington Sund-
ar and Yuzvendra Cha-
hal spun a web over the
visitors. Prasidh Krish-
na and Mohammed
Siraj also impressed
with the ball and hosts
would hope for the
same to continue.
Talking about West
Indies, only Jason Hold-
er and Fabien Allen
showed some fight with
the bat and the visitors
would hope for more
runs from the top-order.
Alzarri Joseph im-
pressedwiththeballand
if theWindiesmanageto
post more runs, the visi-
tors have the bowling to
cause headaches in the
Indian camp.
Hosts look to seal series, eyes on Rohit-Virat partnership
IND VS WI
Fans Sujit and Arun wave the Tricolor outside Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium, where
India beat the West Indies, in Sunday’s ODI match. —FILE PHOTO
India and West Indies will
lock horns in the second
ODI on Wednesday at the
Narendra Modi Stadium
Eight-month-old
baby found dead
in scrapped car
First India Bureau
Surat: The body of an
8-month-old baby boy
was found in a
scrapped car near Pan-
desara Kailash Nagar
in Surat.
Passersby found the
body after noticing unu-
sual animal behaviour
intheareaandcalledthe
authorities. The police
have sent the body for
post mortem at New Civ-
il Hospital and began
investigationstofindthe
baby’s identity
, based on
nearby CCTV footage.
Medical officer at the
Civil Hospital, Mahen-
dra Chauhan said the
baby weighed about
1.8kg and, had pen
marks on the toes, indi-
cating the baby was per-
haps taken for identifi-
cation after birth. The
officer also found injec-
tion marks on the baby
.
However, an autopsy
will determine the ac-
tual cause of death, of-
ficials said..
RPF, police raze 450
hutments near SUMUL
First India Bureau
Surat: For the third
time in a row, the west-
ern railways have de-
molished the slums and
temporary sheds ad-
joining the railway
tracks. On Tuesday,
around 450 sheds and
encroachments were re-
moved amid tight secu-
rity by the RPF and lo-
cal police to commence
work on a parallel rail-
way track leading to-
wards Mumbai.
DYSP of Surat Divi-
sion BA Chaudhary
said, as per Supreme
Court’sorder,morethan
450 unfinished houses
adjoining the SUMUL
Dairy Road railway
track, near Surat rail-
way station, were de-
molished on Tuesday
.
The demolition process
will continue for three
days from February 8-10
from Surat to Bhestan
railway station. Mum-
bai Division RPF IPS
Vineet Kumar, two
DYSPs, four Railway PIs
andmorethan300police
personnel with Katar-
gam and Mahidharpura
Police personnel were
on duty to avoid any
mishap or protest.
Houses have been
razed to pave the way for
constructing new rail-
way tracks from Ankle-
shwar to Bhestan to-
wards Mumbai by the
western railways. Previ-
ously
, the slums of Milan
Nagar and Makhdum
Nagar were also demol-
ished by the authorities.
Demolition drive underway on Tuesday amid tight security.
IPS officer Manoj Agarwal has been embroiled in a corruption
scandal for the past few days.
MOREALLEGATIONSLEAVE
AGARWALDEEPERINSOUP
Conspicuous silence:
embattled cop’s only
response to accusers
First India Bureau
Rajkot: Three days
after corruption al-
legations were lev-
elled against Rajkot
Police Commission-
er Manoj Agarwal
for accepting ‘com-
mission’ from vic-
tims of financial
fraud, he appeared
before the media but
preferred not to
speak on the issue.
Agarwal defended
his absence from Ra-
jkot by clarifying
that he was away on
a court matter. “I
had left Rajkot on
Saturday morning.
And since there is
an inquiry against
me, I will give no re-
action to the me-
dia,” he said.
He also defended
the hard work done
by the police for the
past three-and-a-
half years. “Our
people have worked
in various situa-
tions including the
COVID-19 pandemic
to ensure peace,
safety and security
of the people of Ra-
jkot. Our people are
still working hard to
do the same,” he
said.
As for allegations
levelled against our
people, investiga-
tion will be done ac-
cording to the law.
However I will give
no statement due to
the ongoing inquiry,
he added.
Daily jump falls almost 10K
in 10 days, Guj sees 2.K cases
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: With
detection of 2,502 new
COVID-19 cases on
Tuesday—a whopping
fall of almost 10,000
from the 12,000 re-
ported 10 days ago—
Gujarat’s overall tally
rose to 12,05,652, even
as the state crossed the
10 crore milestone in
vaccines adminis-
tered, the health de-
partment said.
The number of vac-
cine doses administered
in Gujarat so far rose to
10.02croreafter3.25lakh
more people were inocu-
lated against COVID-19
during the day
, the de-
partment said.
The death toll in-
creased to 10,716 after 28
patients succumbed to
the infection in the last
24 hours. Seven new
deaths were reported in
Ahmedabad district,
four in Rajkot, three
each in Vadodara and
Bhavnagar,andtwoeach
in Surat and Valsad,
among other districts,
the department said.
Fresh recoveries were
nearly three-times the
new cases at 7,487, rais-
ing the number of pa-
tients discharged so far
to 11,61,305, the depart-
ment said in a release.
Gujaratnowhas33,631
active cases, of which
199 patients are on venti-
lator support, said the
release.
New cases have seen a
sharp decline since Jan-
uary 20, when the daily
count peaked at 24,485
during the third wave of
the pandemic.
D i s t r i c t - w i s e ,
Ahmedabad reported
the highest new cases at
894 in the last 24 hours,
followed by Vadodara
586, Rajkot 173, Gandhi-
nagar 124 and Surat 155,
among others, the re-
lease said.
Civil Hospital workers wheel the body of an nCoV victim to their
family in Ahmedabad on Tuesday. —PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI
COVID-19 UPDATE
11,61,305
TOTALRECOVERED
7,487 MORE
IN A DAY
12,05,652
TOTAL CASES
2,502 CASES
IN A DAY
894 MAX
CASES IN
A’BAD
ACTIVE CASES
10,716
TOTAL DEATHS
33,631
28 DEATHS
IN A DAY
2 HELD FOR PELTING STONES
AT B’KANTHA DALIT WEDDING
First India Bureau
Palanpur: On Monday
morning, a Dalit mar-
riage procession passing
through the main street
of MotavillageinBanas-
kantha district, was pelt-
ed with stones by upper-
caste youths. Two per-
sons have been arrested
and26bookedforinvolve-
ment in the incident.
A criminal com-
plaint has been lodged
against village Sar-
panch Bharatsinh Bhu-
patsinh Rajput and 27
others under the vari-
ous sections of the Pre-
vention of Atrocities
Act, criminal intimida-
tion, reciting obscene
songs, causing hurt
and endangering life.
The groom Atul
Sekhaliya’s father Vi-
rabhai in a complaint
stated that when upper-
caste people learned
about the family’s plan
to take out a marriage
procession, they pres-
sured him to cancel it.
Bharatsinh warned
Virabhai against or-
ganizing the wedding
procession, and told
him that the Dalit com-
munity had not taken
them out for centuries.
He even threatened to
call the entire village to
the site, if he went
ahead with it.
In response to the
threat, Atul’s uncle Am-
rut requested for police
protection from Banas-
kantha district police
through an application,
which was provided to
them. When the proces-
sionstarted,upper-caste
people gathered and
chanted slogans. Two or
three youths pelted
stones on the proces-
sion, which left two peo-
ple injured. A retired
army man Sureshbhai
called the police control
roomandaskedformore
police force to be de-
ployed. Police reached
on time and brought the
situation under control.
Two youths have al-
readybeenapprehended
and statements are be-
ing recorded. There is a
heavy police deploy-
ment in the village, in-
formed Dr Kushal Oza,
Deputy Superintendent
of Police(DSP)of Deesa.
Police case filed against 26 others as well in Mota village after upper-caste attack
Police was already deployed in the village when the incident occurred.
WHAT HAPPENED

PERSPECTIVE
04
Vol3IssueNo.75 RNINO.GUJENG/2019/79050.Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar Printing Planet Survey No.148P, Changodar-Bavla Highway, Tal. Sanand, Dist. Ahmedabad.
PublishedatD/3023rdFloorPlotNo.35TitaniumSquare,SchemeNo.2,ThaltejTaluka,Ghatlodiya,Ahmedabad.Editor-In-Chief: Jagdeesh Chandra. Editor: Haresh Jhala responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act
gainst the
backdrop of a
western diplo-
matic boycott
of the Beijing
Winter Olympics, China
and Russia have marked
the occasion by showing
off their increasingly
close relationship. Rus-
sia’s President Vladimir
Putin posed for pictures
with Chinese leader Xi
Jinping at the opening of
the 2022 Winter Games,
declaring their opposition
to further enlargement of
Nato and calling on the
western alliance to “aban-
don its ideologized cold
war approaches”.
In a joint statement, the
two leaders announced a
new era in relations that
would “know no limits”
and be “superior to politi-
cal and military alliances
of the cold war era”.
Meanwhile, they said
Nato must “respect the
sovereignty, security, and
interests of other coun-
tries … and to exercise a
fair and objective attitude
towards peaceful develop-
ment of other states”.
POLITICAL SIGNALS
Given these differences,
news of apparent security
cooperation between the
two should be taken with
a pinch of salt. While
there is growing collabo-
ration between Chinese
and Russian armed forc-
es, the primary function
of their military coopera-
tion consists in political
signaling, rather than in
preparing for joint mili-
tary action.
POSITIVELY NEUTRAL
Russia seems to have
moved from a position of
studied neutrality on Chi-
na’s policies in Asia-Pacif-
ic to outright condemna-
tion of trilateral security
initiative between Aus-
tralia, UK, US, “AUKUS”
– and Washington’s new
Indo-Pacific strategy in
general. The joint declara-
tion notes that 2 countries
are seriously concerned
by such developments.
SOURCE: THE CONVERSATION
RUSSIA AND CHINA’S
GROWING ‘FRIENDSHIP’
IS MORE OF A PUBLIC
RELATIONS EXERCISE
In a joint statement,
the two leaders
announced a new era
in relations that would
“know no limits” and
be “superior to
political and military
alliances of the
cold war era”
A
Piyush Goyal @PiyushGoyal
PM @NarendraModi Ji’s address
in Rajya Sabha on President’s
address shows the progress
made under his leadership despite
Corona. In his words, there was
an urge to take everyone along for
the progress of the nation. The
opposition, which is losing its support base, should
introspect and learn from his speech.
Anurag Thakur @ianuragthakur
Our resolve…for service,
dedication, and all-around
development of UP BJP has
done it, only BJP will show it.
#BJP_Ka_Sankalp
TOP TWEETS
SPIRITUAL SPEAK
A person can rise through the efforts of his mind; or
draw himself down, in the same manner. Because
each person is his friend or enemy.
—Bhagavad Gita
However, all said and
done in the past, the
fight then was within the
parameters of courtesy.
Now, the disrespect is
going out of control.
History has it that the
battles in the past were
limited. The main issues
and heartburns were
generally the
appointments of the
vice-chancellors or about
the majority issues that
were sorted out too
he relationship between
state governments and
their respective Gover-
nors has been making
headlines every now and
then and currently, it is a
major concern as far as
West Bengal is concerned.
It is unfortunate that
subsequent state govern-
ments have been describ-
ing the “negative image”
of state Governors and
termingthemtobe“agents
of the Centre” has come to
the fore again.
Recently, West Bengal
Governor Jagdeep
Dhankhar has raised sev-
eral issues where he has
contested the state govern-
ment’s decisions.
From the Howrah Cor-
poration Bill 2021 to the
appointment of Vice-
Chancellors in 24 state-
run universities, Gover-
nor Dhankar has objected
to the state government’s
functioning and decisions,
inviting criticism from
Chief Minister Mamata
Banerjee and the TMC.
Even as conflicts be-
tween Governors and state
governments are nothing
new and West Bengal has
had its shareof “unrest”in
this regard since 1967, this
time the matter has gone
beyond the corridors of
legislativedecorumandpo-
litical etiquette. The media
blackout of the Governor’s
speech in the Assembly or
writing to President Ram
Nath Kovind asking for the
removal of the governor
are some cases in hand.
On January 25, when
Governor Jagdeep
Dhankhar visited the As-
sembly (premises) to pay
tributes to Dr BR Ambed-
kar…he had launched a
fresh attack against Speak-
er Biman Bandyopadhyay
.
Incidents took such a
turn that Chief Minister
Mamata Banerjee an-
nounced that she had
blocked the Bengal Gover-
nor on Twitter, as he had
been making derogatory
remarks against the state
government especially on
themicrobloggingsite.Pan-
dit Jawaharlal Nehru had
said, “In a parliamentary
democracy
,thespeakerrep-
resents the dignity and the
freedom of the House and
because the House repre-
sentsthecountry
,thespeak-
er, in a way
, becomes the
symbol of the country’s
freedomandliberty
.”Itmay
be recalled that Governor
had not only raised ques-
tions on the role of the
Speaker but has also indi-
cated that he is working on
behalf of the ruling party
.
Since 1952, it has been
customary for the Gover-
nors of states to authorize
Speakers of the legislative
assemblies to administer
the oath of office to legisla-
tors. However, surprising-
ly
, after the recent by-polls
in Bengal where Chief
Minister Mamata Baner-
jee won from the Bhabani-
pore seat, the Governor
issued a notification and
withdrew the power of the
Speaker to administer the
oath of office to newly
elected legislators.
Recently, Chief Minis-
ter Mamata Banerjee
without naming the Gov-
ernor, said: “Raj Bhavan
mein ek raja baitha hai.
Kya nahi bolta hai. BJP ke
president se bhi bada. All
India President BJP ka -
aise baat karta hai.
The Governor on his
Twitter handle wrote:
“Stunned @MamataOffi-
cial ‘Raj Bhavan mein Ek
raja baitha hai’ stance,
while on a political visit to
Goa - the unexpected act of
impropriety
. On December
16 urged CM for interac-
tion as constitutional
functionaries act in har-
mony to serve people.”
In a separate message,
the Governor wrote: “Nei-
ther ‘law unto oneself’ nor
‘state within state’ Gov-
ernance @MamataOfficial
can be constitutionally
sanctified. CM continually
in breach of ‘duty’ under
Article 167 politicized
bureaucracy under Arti-
cle 166.”
It may be recalled that
on the issue of the approv-
al of the vice-chancellors
of the state-run universi-
ties, West Bengal educa-
tion minister Bratya Basu
indirectly referred to the
governor as ‘Pagla (Crazy)
Jagai (A humorous and
crazy character of famous
Bengali poet Sukumar
Roy) wrote: “It is high time
to introspect whether we
should continue with the
colonial legacy of the Gov-
ernor being the Chancel-
lor of Universities just by
the virtue of his post or we
should nominate eminent
scholars and educationists
as Chancellors.”
The arrest of three leg-
islators of TMC, including
two ministers, by the CBI,
took a controversial turn
after the Speaker of the
State Assembly Biman Ba-
nerjee termed the probe
agency’s action based on
the Governor’s consent
“illegal and unethical”. In
1967, the then Chief Minis-
ter of West Bengal, Ajay
Mukherjee, clashed with
the then Governor Dhara-
mvir. Governor Dharam-
vir had sent a letter to
Mukherjee asking him to
prove the majority of the
United Front within three
days. Mukherjee replied
that whatever happens
will happen in the Assem-
bly as per the pre-deter-
mined time. After receiv-
ing the letter, Dharamvir
sent a recommendation to
the Centre to dismiss the
Cabinet, and the conflict is
needless to say escalated.
Late Pramod Dasgupta,
former state secretary of
the CPI(M), had called for-
mer Governor BD Pandey
‘Bangla Daman Pandey’.
However, the biggest re-
sistance came during the
tenure of former West
Bengal Governor AP Shar-
ma. In 1984, Sharma chose
the name of Santosh Bhat-
tacharya by not approving
the Left-nominated candi-
date Ramen Poddar for the
post of the Vice-Chancel-
lor of Calcutta University
.
However, all said and
done in the past, the fight
thenwaswithintheparam-
eters of courtesy
. Now, the
disrespect is going out of
control. History has it that
the battles in the past were
limited. The main issues
and heartburns were gen-
erally the appointments of
the vice-chancellors or
about the majority issues
that were sorted out too.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
T
ROBIN ROY
The writer is Senior Associate Editor,
Free Press Journal, Mumbai and
former Managing Editor, First India
Even as conflicts between Governors and
state governments are nothing new and
West Bengal has had its share of
“unrest” in this regard since 1967, this
time the matter has gone beyond the
corridors of legislative decorum and political
etiquette. The media blackout of the
Governor’s speech in the Assembly or
writing to President Ram Nath Kovind
asking for the removal of the Governor are
some cases in hand
YOU READ IT IN FIRST INDIA ON FEBRUARY 1, 2022
ABITTER
FLASHPOINT
STATE
GOVERNMENTS
GOVERNORS:
vs
WEST BENGAL CM
MAMATA BANERJEE
WEST BENGAL GUV
JAGDEEP DHANKHAR

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INDIA
05
Yogispeakslike‘chaurahachhapneta’:
AAP’sSanjayon‘sunoKejriwal’tweet
Noida: Ahead of State
assembly elections, the
Aam Aadmi Party
(AAP) on Tuesday hit
out at Uttar Pradesh
Chief Minister Yogi
Adityanath alleging
mismanagement by
him during the COV-
ID-19 pandemic.
The AAP also
slammed Yogi Adity-
anath for his “indecent”
language against Delhi
Chief Minister Arvind
Kejriwal, equating his
expressions with those
of a “chauraha chhap
neta (uncouth leader)”.
The attack came a
day after Mr Adity-
anath and Mr Kejriwal
engaged in an online
fight trading barbs over
the “mismanagement”
by their governments
during the pandemic.
“His (Adityanath’s)
language against a pop-
ular and elected Chief
Minister Arvind Kejri-
wal -- he said ‘Suno Ke-
jriwal’ – this kind of in-
decent language for an
elected chief minister
reflects that Adityanath
ji might have unfortu-
nately become the Chief
Minister of UP but he
speaks like a ‘chauraha
chhap neta’,” said AAP
leader Sanjay Singh.
“He is talking about
COVID-19 mismanage-
ment but I am saying if
there is any live exam-
ple of mismanagement,
it is Adityanath. We
have seen decomposed
dead bodies along river
banks in Prayagraj,
Kanpur, Ballia and
Ghazipur in Uttar
Pradesh, with birds and
animals nibbling on
them. People have not
forgotten those imag-
es,” Mr Singh told re-
porters in Noida.
He also shared pic-
tures of helpless people
during the first and sec-
ondwaveof thepandem-
ic, dead bodies along
river banks in UP to sub-
stantiate his claims.
The AAP’s Rajya Sab-
ha MP and in-charge of
party affairs in UP also
alleged large scale black
marketing of essential
items during the pan-
demic outbreak as hit
out at Chief Minister
Adityanath for “mis-
management”.
—Agencies
ASSEMBLY POLLS
Yogi Adityanath
Sanjay Singh
PRASHANT KISHOR MET ME
AT LEAST 70 TIMES: SIDHU
ON JOINING CONGRESS
New Delhi: Cricketer-turned-politician Navjot
Sidhu on Tuesday said that his crossing over
to the Congress happened after around 70
visits by election strategist Prashant Kishor,
who was helping craft the party’s campaign
ahead of the 2017 assembly elections in
Punjab. “Prashant Kishor met me at least 70
times asking me to join the Congress,” he told
media. Mr Kishor, he added, was apprehen-
sive about the prospects of the party
and thought his addition will help
swing a chunk of votes. “PK said
the Congress won’t get over 30-35
seats. If you (Sidhu) come,
there will be a swing of 7-8
per cent,” he said. “Then
Bhai rang me up,” he
said. The Congress
came to power in the
assembly elections,
winning 77 out of
117 seats.
MANIPUR: MILITANT OUTFITS
INTIMIDATING CANDIDATES,
CLAIMS BJP’S ALLY NPP
New Delhi: The National People’s Party
(NPP) on Tuesday sought additional security
cover for its candidates contesting elections
in Manipur stating that they are facing
“intimidation and abuse in a targeted man-
ner”. According to the press release issued
by NPP today, the outfits namely “KNF-MC,
KNF-Z, UKLF, KNA, HPC (D) have openly
come out in blatant support of our op-
ponent’s candidates from BJP and NPF”.
In 55-Tipaimukh AC, the cadres of
militant outfits HPC (D) are moving
around with arms intimidating the
voters and village chiefs to vote for
BJP candidates. The underground
group like KNA and UKLF under
Suspension of Operation (SOO)
is threatening our party work-
ers and village chief to support
BJP candidate Letpao Haokip
at 42 - Tengnoupal AC, the
press release claimed.
TMC FILES
COMPLAINT
AGAINST
PRIYANKA
GANDHI OVER
'FLOUTING' MCC
RULES IN GOA
AKHILESH RELEASES SP’S
MANIFESTO FOR UP POLLS
GOA DECLARES POLLING DAY
AS PUBLIC HOLIDAY
GOA: 26 PER CENT CANDIDATES
BOOKED IN CRIMINAL CASES
ELECTION BUZZ
Five Congress MLAs in Meghalaya joined the BJP-backed
Meghalaya Democratic Alliance on Tuesday.
Meghalaya: All 5
Cong MLAs join
BJP-backed MDA
Shillong: The five re-
mainingCongressMLAs
in Meghalaya have writ-
ten to Chief Minister
Conrad Sangma, an-
nouncing their decision
to join the National Peo-
ple’s Party (NPP)-led
Mghalaya Democratic
Alliance (MDA) govern-
ment in the state.
In a letter to CM Con-
rad Sangma, the Con-
gress Legislature Party
stated, “We wish to sup-
port you and the MDA
(Meghalaya Democratic
Alliance) government to
strengthen the govern-
ment’s arms and deci-
sion making, so as to en-
sure that our joined ef-
forts will take the state
forward, in the general
interest of its citizens.”
The Congress MLAs
who have extended sup-
port to the government
are M Ampareen Lyng-
doh, Mayralborn Syiem,
Mohendro Rapsang,
Kimfa Marbaniang and
PT Sawkmie.
The BJP is also a part
of the ruling MDA gov-
ernment. With the join-
ing of Congress MLAs,
Sangma will have the
unique feat of getting
both the Congress and
BJP to be a part of the
same government.
In November last year,
12CongMLAs,including
former CM Mukul Sang-
ma, joined the Trina-
mool Congress. With the
remaining five Congress
MLAs joining the MDA
government, the TMC is
nowtheoppositionparty
in the state. —PTI
Sri Lankan Navy
arrests 11 Indian
fishermen, three
boats trawlers
Colombo: The Sri Lan-
kan Navy has arrested
11 Indian fishermen
and seized three fishing
trawlers for allegedly
poaching in the coun-
try’s territorial waters,
an official statement
said on Tuesday
.
The arrests were
made close to Delft Is-
land in the north on
Monday. They were in-
dulging in bottom
trawling, the Navy said.
The arrests are part
of the Navy’s patrols to
cut illegal fishing in the
Sri Lankan waters to
minimise impact from
poaching on the local
fishermen and sustain-
ability of fishery re-
sources in Sri Lanka,
the statement said.
The fishermen issue
is a contentious one in
ties between the two
countries.
The issue of fisher-
men also figured in the
talks between MEA S
Jaishankar and Sri Lan-
kan counterpart GL Pei-
risinNewDelhionMon-
day
. Peiris is on a three-
dayofficialvisittoIndia.
“Exchanged views on
the fishermen issue and
agreed that bilateral
mechanisms should
meet early. Recognised
the importance of
greater tourism for eco-
nomic recovery. Also
noted the importance
of P2Plinkagesthrough
greater connectivity,”
Jaishankar said.
The arrests come as
the local immigration
officials are making ar-
rangements to repatri-
ate the 56 Indian fisher-
men released by a Lan-
kan court in the north-
ern Jaffna peninsula
last month. —PTI
ALL7AVALANCHE-HITPERSONNEL
DEAD,ARMYENDSRESCUEOP
New Delhi: All seven
Army personnel, who
had gone missing after
being caught in an ava-
lanche in Arunachal
Pradesh on Sunday,
have been found dead,
the Army said on Tues-
day. It added that the
bodies are being
brought back to the
nearest Army facility
.
It stated that seven In-
dian Army personnel,
who were part of a pa-
trolteam,werestruckby
an avalanche in the
high-altitude area in the
Kameng sector of
Arunachal Pradesh on
February 6, and “search
and rescue operations
were launched immedi-
ately
,includingairlifting
of specialised teams”.
The Army said that
thesearchandrescueop-
erations have “now been
concluded” and “bodies
of all seven individuals
have been recovered
fromtheavalanchesite”.
Unfortunately
, it said,
“despite the best efforts
of everyone involved, all
seven have been con-
firmed deceased.”
The area is located at
an altitude of 14,500 feet,
andhadbeenwitnessing
inclement weather with
heavy snowfall since the
last few days, said the
Army
.“Thebodiesof the
soldiers are currently
being transferred from
the avalanche site to the
nearest Army medical
facility for further for-
malities,” it added.
Troops getting caught
inanavalancheisnotun-
common, and the armed
forces have lost person-
nel to such incidents in
the past as well. The last
suchincidentwasinMay
2020, when two Army
personnel,whowerepart
of a patrol-cum-snow
clearing party
, had died
after being caught in an
avalanche in Sikkim.
According to the data
shared by the govern-
ment in the Parliament
in February 2020, the
Army had lost six per-
sonnel to avalanches
and snow-slides in the
Siachen Glacier in 2019,
and 11 others in other
parts of the country
.
The government had
said that all armed forc-
es personnel inducted
into “High Altitude re-
gions are provided ade-
quate training in moun-
tain craft, ice craft and
survival in glaciated ter-
rain in mountain coping
withanyeventualitylike
avalanches”andarealso
“taught to handle medi-
cal emergencies”. —PTI
Ashok Gehlot
@ashokgehlot51
Deeply saddened
to know seven
Indian Army per-
sonnel have lost lives after
they were struck by an
avalanche in high altitude
area of Kameng Sector in
Arunachal Pradesh. My
heartfelt condolences to
the bereaved families. May
they remain strong in this
difficult time.
Rakesh Ranjan
New Delhi: MoSforPer-
sonnel Dr. Jitendra Sin-
gh on Tuesday held a
detailedandcomprehen-
sive meeting with a del-
egation of officers from
the CSS Forum which
has been highlighting
through Twitter and
other media campaigns
thegrossstateof promo-
tional avenues for CSS
cadre officers who are
considered as the back-
bone and institutional
memory of the central
bureaucracy
.
While it goes to the
credit of Dr. Singh that
he called the meeting at
his own initiative, it re-
mains to be seen how
quickly he sorts out the
problemshighlightedby
the delegation, having
already spoken to the
AGwhomhealsobriefed
in regard to the critical
SC case which is said to
have caused all the con-
fusions regarding the
promotion matters of
CSS cadre officials.
The AG is believed to
have assured the Minis-
ter that he would revert
to him with legal ave-
nues available after ex-
amining the whole is-
sue in the light of the
Minister’s briefing.
At the meeting, the
CSS delegation im-
pressed on the Minister
about the necessity to
immediately start regu-
lar promotions through
all CSS grades, hold
LDCE exam 2018 on-
wards, declaration of
Oct 1 as CSS Day, grant
of benefits of OGAS (or-
ganised group A ser-
vice), removal of 9-year
clause for central depu-
tation, declaration of
NFSG in JAG Grade,
operationalisation of
30% posts at JAG level
from overall senior duty
posts, etc, and cadre re-
view by CR Division.
The delegation also
drew the attention of
Dr. Singh to what it con-
siders as the chief
cause of mismanage-
ment of issues in the
CSS cadre. It informed
the minister that much
of the problems in the
CSS cadre are due to the
fact the people who do
not belong to the CSS
Cadre occupy the im-
portant posts in the CS
Division, with very lit-
tle understanding of
the Cadre. So the dele-
gation requested the
Minister that at least
Director level posts in
CS Division must be re-
served for CSS officers.
Readers may recall
that Indianmandarins
has been consistently
highlighting the plight
of CSS cadre officials.
Sinceit’snevertoolate
to do the right thing, Dr.
Singh’s initiative may
hopefully resolve the
problemsof CSSofficials
in keeping with his gov-
ernment’s commitment
to good governance.
Dr Jitendra takes the first step to resolve CSS promotional problems
IN THE MEET
The delegation informed
Singh that much of the
problems in the CSS
cadre are due to the fact
the people who do not
belong to the Cadre
occupy vital posts in the
CS Division, with very
little understanding. So
the delegation requested
the Minister that at least
Director level posts in
CS Division must be
reserved for CSS officers.
A delegation of Central Secretariat officials meet Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh on Tuesday.
Kejriwal campaigning on the
lines of PM Narendra Modi
Moni Sharma
New Delhi: In the as-
sembly elections of five
states, the Aam Aadmi
Party is fighting very
strongly in at least two
states - Punjab and Goa.
In both these states, the
party’s national con-
vener and Delhi Chief
Minister Arvind Kejri-
wal has focussed the
campaign on himself.
He has campaigned al-
most entirely on the
lines of Narendra Modi.
Just as Modi had cam-
paigned by showing Gu-
jarat’s model to states
outside Gujarat in the
initial days, similarly
Kejriwal is showing the
model of Delhi in Pun-
jab and Goa. At the
same time, the way
Modi is campaigning in
his own name, an al-
most repeat of the same
is being done by the
Delhi CM.
One of the themes of
BJP’s campaign is
‘Modi hai to mumkin
hai’. Kejriwal is saying
this in the campaign of
every state that the peo-
ple of the state have
given opportunity to
BJP and Congress for
years, now give AAP a
chance and test its lead-
ers. Remember how in
the initial days Naren-
dra Modi campaigned
in every state that peo-
ple for years gave oppor-
tunity to Congress or
regional parties. On the
same lines, Kejriwal’s
campaign is going on in
the electoral states.
Kejriwal is promoting
Delhi model just like
Modi used to make a
hype of Guj before ’14
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal

INDIA
06
PARLIAMENT SESSION
‘NDA IS NO DATA
AVAILABLE GOVT’
New Delhi: Congress
MP P Chidambaram
on Tuesday took a jibe
at the Centre for not
having official data on
COVID deaths due to
oxygen shortage.
He also charged that
PM Narendra Modi
lobs barb of 'tukde tuk-
de gang' at Congress,
but the government has
no data to substantiate
the allegations against
the Opposition party
.
Chidambaram said,
The government had
in the past admitted not
having data when a
question was asked
about the members of
tukde tukde gang; the
minister had at that
time said that there was
no data available.
The senior Congress
leader further said that
the government has no
data available on 'tukde
tukde gang', on oxygen
shortage deaths, on
bodies flowing in rivers,
on migrants walking
back to homes.
It's 'No Data Availa-
ble NDA government',
said Chidambaram in
Rajya Sabha. Respond-
ing to Prime Minister's
attack on Congress for
imposing Emergency,
Chidambaram hit back
and said had Congress
not been around this
House would still have
been under the Govern-
ment of India Act 1919
the Council of Princes.
Had Congress not
been there, this House
wouldstillbeunderGov-
ernment of India Act
1919 the Council of
Princes and instead of
us the bejewelled rulers
would have been sitting
andpraisingQueenEliz-
abeth II. Thank God for
Congress that we have a
Rajya Sabha and we
speak here, said Chid-
ambaram. —ANI
He also charged that PM Modi lobs barb of ‘tukde tukde gang’ at Cong,
but govt has no data to substantiate allegations against the Oppn
New Delhi: LoP in Rajya
Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge
on Tuesday slammed
PM Modi’s ‘divide and
rule’ comment in the Parl
saying said that it applies
only to him. Speaking
with ANI, Kharge said,
“What the Prime Minister
has said applies only to
him. To divide every party,
sabotaging people in
the name of religion and
caste, they are ruling by
dividing,” alleged Kharge.
New Delhi: Bhupinder
Singh Honey — nephew
of Punjab Chief Minister
Charanjit Singh Channi,
arrested by the Enforce-
ment Directorate (ED) in
connection with a money
laundering case pertain-
ing to illegal mining in
Punjab, has moved a
bail application through
his counsel at a Special
Court.
Kochi: The Kerala HC on
Tuesday upheld the order
of the Ministry of Infor-
mation and Broadcasting
to revoke the license of a
Malayalam news channel
named ‘Media One’ from
the list of permitted news
channels citing security
reasons. The Court dis-
missed petitions filed by
the ‘Media One’ channel
against the govt order.
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on
Tuesday said that the Centre has not hidden the
number of deaths due
to COVID-19 in the
country. He said that
the Centre compiles
the data on fatalities
on the basis of the
inputs provided by
the state govts of the
UTs.Around 5.33 lakh deaths have been reported in
the country so far out of which Kerala has recon-
ciled more than 20,000 deaths, Mandaviya said.
PM Modi on Tuesday said that the
world is appreciating the initiatives tak-
en by India during the pandemic.”The
President of India has undertaken
initiatives during the pandemic for all
the adversely affected social groups in
the society which gives us hope and
assures us that under his guidance we
will continue to take new initiatives to
combat situation,” said Modi.
New Delhi: The SC on Monday issued notice to
the Centre and the Tamil Nadu govtt on a plea
against the latter's decision allocating 50 per cent
of seats in super-specialty courses in government
medical colleges for the in-service doctors of the
state. A bench of Justices L. Nageswara Rao and
B.R. Gavai sought response from the Tamil Nadu
govt, Union Ministry of Health Family Welfare,
and others.Issue notice returnable on February 25,
2022. Counsel for the respondents is permitted to
file a reply, the meanwhile, it said in its order.
PM Narendra Modi on Tuesday said
that the Cong had presided over the
massacre of Sikhs in 1984 and adopt-
ed all conspiracies to rule Punjab,
while the BJP had always stood by the
community. “To work for Punjabis and
Sikh traditions have always been the
NDA’s motive. Few people will always
been seen standing against the Sikhs
and Sikh traditions,” Modi said.
MALLIKARJUN
SLAMS PM MODI
CHANNI'S NEPHEW
MOVES BAIL PLEA
HC UPHOLDS BAN
ON MEDIAONE
CENTRE NOT HIDING COVID-19
FATALITY NUMBERS: MANDAVIYA
‘WORLD APPRECIATED
INITIATIVES TAKEN BY INDIA’
SC NOTICE ON PLEA AGAINST 50% SEATS
TO IN-SERVICE DOCTORS IN NEET-SS
‘CONG MASSACRED SIKHS,
BJP ALWAYS STOOD BY THEM’
PM hits out
at Cong for
double digits
inflation
SC refuses
interim bail to
Azam Khan
38.70 CR ALLOCATED FOR CHEETAH
INTRODUCTION PROJECT: CENTRE TO LS
New Delhi: Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi on Tuesday
said that India is
the only country in
the world, which is
witnessing high
economic growth
and also keeping
inflation in check
at about 4-5 per
cent, which was in
double digits before
2014. “The US is fac-
ing the worst infla-
tion in 40 years.
The UK is facing
the worst inflation
in 30 years. Similar
trends are visible
in many other Eu-
ropean countries.
During the UPA re-
gime, inflation had
touched double dig-
its. We are the only
largeeconomywith
high growth and
low inflation,” said
PM Modi.
New Delhi: The SC
on Tuesday refused
interim bail to SP
leader Azam Khan
to enable him to ef-
fectively contest
the February-
March assembly
elections in Uttar
Pradesh, saying he
must go to either
the trial courts or
the Allahabad high
court for relief. A
bench of justices L
Nageswara Rao
and BR Gavai said
it cannot directly
entertain a writ pe-
tition for granting
bail in four cases.
New Delhi: The Centre
has allotted `38.70 cr for
cheetah introduction
project up to 2025-26, the
Union government told
the Lok Sabha.
As much as Rs 38.70
crore under the ongoing
centrally sponsored
schemeof ‘ProjectTiger’
has been allocated to the
cheetah introduction
projectfortheyears2021-
22 till 2025-26,” Ashwini
Kumar Choubey
, Minis-
ter of State for Environ-
ment,ForestandClimate
Change, informed the
Parliament on Monday
.
The cheetah was de-
clared extinct from In-
dia in 1952; currently
there are no cheetahs in
any national park or
wildlife sanctuary in
India. Cheetah is the
only large carnivore to
have become extinct in
independent India.
The Government of
India is in the process of
holding consultation
meetings with African
countries for bringing
cheetah in the country
.
A total of 12-14 cheetahs
are intended to be
brought from South Af-
rica or Namibia or other
African countries over a
period of five years as
per the action plan.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks in Rajya Sabha during
the Budget Session of Parliament, in New Delhi on Tuesday.
MSME benefited most from
Aatmanirbhar Bharat package
New Delhi: PM Nar-
endra Modi on Tues-
day said that the
MSME sector has
benefited the most
from the Aatmanirb-
har Bharat package
as is evident from the
fact that MSMEs are
coming forward to
enter the defence sec-
tor. In Uttar Pradesh
and Tamil Nadu, de-
fence corridors are
being built. The way
MSMEs are joining
the defence sector is
very motivating PM
Modi said.
HC dismisses plea moved by Air India engineers
New Delhi: The Delhi
HC on Monday dis-
missed the petitions
moved by the AIAE As-
sociation and Air India
Aircraft Engineers As-
sociation challenging
the orders of cut in al-
lowance and leave with-
out pay upto five years
and reduction in flying
hours in case of pilots.
Justice V Kameswar
Rao said, Petitions are
dismissed. The dismiss-
al of the writ petition
shall not preclude the
Ministry of Civil Avia-
tion, to review the im-
pugned decision, if they
are empowered to do so
in respect of AIESL.
The court said senior
advocates appearing in
the matter have not dis-
puted the power of the
respondents to rational-
ise the allowances.
Image for representational purpose only.
Sharat K Verma
New Delhi: Ever since
Nirmala Sitharaman
presented the budget
for the financial year
2022-23, a section is cel-
ebrating that the gov-
ernment is going to
open an e-university,
create digital content
under the e-Vidya pro-
gram and it has also
been announced to
launch 'One Classroom,
One TV Channel', for
which good budget has
also been allocated. The
question is whether it is
a matter of celebrating
education through e-
university, e-vidya,
channel? Can it be made
an alternative to class-
room education? Due to
the compulsion in the
corona virus pandemic,
online classes were
started, but it cannot be
made a substitute for
classroom education.
It has been confirmed
by many studies that
even in urban popula-
tion, there are more
than 40 percent children
who are not able to take
online classes. In areas
of rural and forest or
mountaineous areas,
online education is dif-
ficult for most children.
There is no qualitative
change in the learning
of children who are ca-
pable i.e. those who
have TV
, laptop or smart
phone and internet con-
nection. Their learning
process is not improv-
ing and health problems
are also arisin by con-
tinuos exposure to
screens. Therefore, the
government should
keep the principle of
promoting remote edu-
cation only as a pilot
project and by increas-
ing the grant to schools,
colleges, universities, it
should be ensured that
all schools, colleges
open as soon as possible
so that children can
start their classroom
education as there can
be no alternative to it.
Is remote learning
a reason for
celebration?
RS ADOPTS MOTION OF THANKS
TO PREZ'S ADDRESS
New Delhi: The motion was adopted
by the Upper House approved after
the reply to the discussions by PM
Narendra Modi. RS last week had
clocked 100 per cent productiv-
ity, with the Upper House making
full use of the available time in
the ongoing Budget session in
the absence of any adjourn-
ments. The 2022 Budget
Session of the Parl com-
menced on Jan 31 with
President Ram Nath
Kovind’s address.
The first part of the
budget session is
being held from Jan
31 to Feb 11 and the
second part will take
place from March
14 to April 8.
Mahesh Sharma
In the last seven years,
although there has been
a decline everywhere in
India, the quality of the
data has declined the
most. Many a times In-
dia has to face embar-
rassment due to this in
international forums as
well. Questions are be-
ing raised on every fig-
ure of the country
. But it
seems that the govern-
ment is not feeling the
need to improve the
quality of the data and
is satisfied with the cur-
rent situation. Only
then the amount allo-
cated in the last budget
has been reduced to al-
mostzerotoimprovethe
qualityof thedata.Even
in the last budget, it is
not known how the gov-
ernment had allocated a
huge amount for this.
In the first budget
presented last year i.e.
2021-22 amid the Coro-
na epidemic, the cen-
tral government allo-
cated a budget of Rs 28
crore to improve the
quality of data. It was
named the National
Program for Improv-
ing Quality of Statis-
tics in India. 28 crore
was given for this item
but the Revised Budget
Estimates showed that
no amount was spent
on improving the qual-
ity of the data. Only
then the allocation in
this item has been
completely abolished
in the next year’s budg-
et. A token amount of
one lakh rupees has
been fixed for the qual-
ity of the data. Just
imagine, where there
was an allocation of 28
crores, now it has re-
duced to merely one
lakh rupees!
There is no need to improve
the quality of the data
COURTESY MEET!
Jharkhand Congress MPs, MLAs and senior Congress
leaders including State Cong in charge Avinash Pande
and PCC chief Rajesh Thakur meet Rahul Gandhi and KC
Venugopal on Tuesdsay.
—PHOTO
BY
ANI
IN THE COURTYARD

BIZ BUZZ
07
New Delhi: Gautam
Adani, the Indian bil-
lionaire who turned a
small commodities
trading business into a
conglomerate span-
ning ports, mines and
green energy, is now
Asia’s richest person.
The 59-year-old mo-
gul’s net worth reached
$88.5 billion on Mon-
day, according to the
Bloomberg Billionaires
Index, eclipsing fellow
countryman Mukesh
Ambani’s $87.9 billion.
With an almost $12 bil-
lion jump in his per-
sonal fortune, Adani is
the world’s biggest
wealth-gainer
this year.
The coal
magnate —
whose contro-
versial Austral-
ian mine pro-
ject drew flak
from climate
activists —
has increas-
ingly looked beyond
the fossil fuel for ex-
pansion. He’s moving
into renewable energy,
airports, data centers
and defense contract-
ing — priorities
PM Modi also
considers cru-
cial to nation-
building and
meeting the
country’s long-
term econom-
ic goals.
S o m e
of Ada-
n i
Group’s listed stocks
have soared more than
600% in the past two
years on bets his push
into green energy and
infrastructure will pay
off as Modi looks to re-
vive the $2.9 trillion
economy and meet the
India’s carbon net-zero
target by 2070. MSCI
Inc.’s decision to in-
clude more Adani com-
panies in its Indian
benchmark index has
also meant any fund
tracking the gauge will
have to buy the shares.
While 2020 was Am-
bani’s year — his oil-to-
petrochemicals con-
glomerate Reliance In-
dustries Ltd created
billions of dollars in
wealth through a tech-
nology pivot that
brought in Facebook
and Google Inc as in-
vestors — the pendu-
lum has since swung
toward Adani.
—Agencies
New Delhi: Telecom
Minister Ashwini
Vaishnaw on Tuesday
made an aggressive
pitch for adoption of
products that are de-
signed and made in In-
dia, citing better qual-
ity and costs, as he af-
firmed the govern-
ment's firm resolve to
improving ease of do-
ing business and reduc-
ing regulations in the
sector. The minister
also urged global play-
ers to consider develop-
ing more partnerships
with Indian entrepre-
neurs, companies,
manufacturers, start-
ups and developers.
The minister noted
that the comprehensive
semiconductor pro-
gramme, launched re-
cently, has got a “good
response”.
Listing out India’s
rapid strides in usher-
ing in new-age technol-
ogies, he said the 5G
network is in its final
stages of development.
The country has also
indigenously devel-
oped 4G core network
and radio network,
even as it is participat-
ing in development of
6G standards.
“...from the govern-
ment’s side, we are
committed to re-
duce regula-
tion, to
m a k e
s u r e
that the
regula-
t i o n
is in
tune
w i t h
times,
that the
industry
feels com-
mitted towards in-
vestments...the in-
dustry finds inter-
acting with the
government as a
very seamless expe-
rience, he said.
He exhorted the in-
dustry, academia, or-
ganisations and global
players to take a seri-
ous look at products
that are designed and
made in India.
These will bring
better quality, (are)
more economic, and
also they would be at a
level of technology
which is very contem-
porary
... which is going
to meet the expecta-
tions of the customers
of telecom networks,
he said, terming it a
great opportunity.
India has emerged
as a major hub for
electronics manu-
facturing. Electronics
manufacturing in In-
dia is pegged at about
$75 billion, he noted.
He appealed to global
players to seriously
consider teaming up
neurs, companies,
manufacturers,
startups de-
velopers. —PTI
New Delhi: Adani
Wilmar shares closed
16% higher to the issue
price on its market de-
but on Tuesday. The
stock of the Adani
Group firm ended at
`268.25, up 16.63% to
the issue price of `230.
Market cap of the
firm rose to `34,863
crore on NSE. Total
13.55 crore shares of
the firm changed
h a n d s
amounting
to a turnover
of `3,635
crore on the
NSE.
On BSE, the stock
closed 15.30% higher
to the IPO issue price
of `230. The share was
stuck in the upper cir-
cuit of 20% since after-
noon trade and closed
at the same level com-
pared to the opening
price of `221.
Market cap of the
firm rose to `34,467
crore. Total 75.10 lakh
shares of the firm
changed hands
amounting to a turno-
ver of `190.69 crore on
BSE. —Agencies
Adani overtakes Ambani as Asia’s richest person
The 59-year-old mogul’s net worth reached $88.5 billion on Monday, eclipsing fellow countryman Mukesh’s $87.9 billion
Mumbai: Equity benchmark
Sensex rebounded 187 points
on Tuesday on fag-end buying
in index majors RIL, Bajaj Finance
and Titan amid a firm trend in global markets. After
a see-saw session, the 30-share BSE benchmark
ended 187.39 points or 0.33% higher at 57,808.58.
Similarly, the NSE Nifty rose 53.15 points or 0.31%
to 17,266.75.Tata Steel was the top gainer in the
Sensex pack, rising 3.10%. —PTI
Sensex ends 3-day losing
run, ends 187 points up
New Delhi: Fraud complaints
registered by the RBI have risen
to 1,45,309 in 2020-21. RBI has
informed that on comparing the
complaints against ATM/Debit Cards, Credit Cards
and Mobile/Electronic Banking during the period
from 2019-20 to 2020-21, there is a decline of
13.01% with regard to complaints in ATM/Debit
Cards and there is an increase of 12.01% and
52.99% with regard to complaints in Mobile/Elec-
tronic Banking and Credit Card, respectively. —PTI
Bank fraud complaints
rise to 1.45 lakh in FY21
New Delhi: The Reserve Bank’s rate-setting panel
began its three-day deliberations
on Tuesday to decide the next
monetary policy in the backdrop
of Budget 2022-23, inflationary
concerns and evolving geo-po-
litical situation. Reserve Bank
Governor Shaktikanta Das headed
six-member Monetary Policy Committee (MPC)
is scheduled to announce the policy resolution on
Thursday. —PTI
RBI begins 3-day monetary policy meet
in index majors RIL, Bajaj Finance
Sensex ends 3-day losing
Governor Shaktikanta Das headed
Maharashtra pushes for EV adoption
New Delhi: Maha-
rashtra will offer
companies like Ama-
zon.com Inc and
Uber new incentives
to electrify their de-
livery fleets ahead
of a 2025 tar-
get for clean-
er air, its en-
vironment minister
told news agency
Reuters.
One of India’s
richest states and
home to the financial
hub of Mumbai, Ma-
harashtra is an im-
portant market for
e-commerce, ride-
hailing and
f o o d
delivery companies.
Last year, it set a tar-
get for such compa-
nies to electrify 25%
of their fleet by 2025.
Now it wants to
bring the target for-
ward by offering
companies higher
incentives for bulk
purchase of electric
vehicles (EVs), the
state minister, Aadi-
tya Thackeray, told
Reuters.
—Agencies
No relaxations will be given
to Tesla, govt makes it clear
New Delhi: Making it
clear that relaxations
will not be provided to
US-based electric vehi-
cles major
Tesla unless it par-
ticipates in manufac-
turing activities in In-
dia, Union Minister
Krishan Pal Gurjar on
Tuesday said there
cannot be a situation
where the market is In-
dia but jobs are created
in China.
The minister of state
for heavy industries
also told the Lok Sabha
during Question Hour
that the company is yet
to apply for schemes as
per the government’s
policy.
Responding to a que-
ry on Tesla, the minis-
ter said “the company
wants workers from
China and market of
India. This is not pos-
sible in Modi govern-
ment... our govern-
ment’s policy is that if
india market is to be
used, job opportunities
will have to be given to
Indians.” —PTI
Adani Wilmar stock closes
16% higher on market debut
‘IndiGo should cont. expanding
domestic, regional int’l footprint’
New Delhi: IndiGo
Co-founder and Man-
aging Director Rahul
Bhatia has said the
airline needs to con-
tinue expanding its
domestic and “re-
gional international
footprint” besides
strengthening the
cargo franchise in the
near term.
In an e-mail to em-
ployees on Tuesday,
Bhatia, who was ap-
pointed as the Man-
aging Director on
February 4, said that
he was looking for-
ward to working
closely with the man-
agement team just
not only to establish
and achieve near-
term goals but also to
get the company to
be future ready for
the massive opportu-
nity that lies ahead.
Bhatia has taken
over as the airline’s
first Managing Direc-
tor at a time when
the domestic aviation
space is expected to
see increased compe-
tition, particularly in
the wake of Tatas ac-
quiring Air India and
Akasa Air expected to
start services this
year.
IndiGo is the coun-
try’s largest airline
and has more than
50% of the domestic
market share.
“In this (MD) role, I
look forward to work-
ing closely with the
management team to
not only establish and
achieve near-
term goals
but to
get the
compa-
ny to be
f u t u r e
r e a d y
for the
mas-
s ive
opportunity that lies
ahead,” Bhatia said.
According to him,
the airline should
continue to grow “the
domestic and the re-
footprint, further
strengthen our cargo
franchise with the in-
duction of the first
batch of A321 freight-
ers, starting this sum-
mer, rapidly imple-
ment the digital agen-
da and prepare for
entry into service of
the A321 XLR air-
craft”.
The induction of
A321 XLR will ex-
tend IndiGo’s
reach into mar-
kets where it has
not been in a po-
sition to serve
so far, he added.
—PTI
New Delhi: TRAI
Chairman P D Vaghela
on Tuesday termed the
consultation paper on
5G spectrum auction
as “watershed in his-
tory of telecom” as the
regulator embarked on
the last phase of indus-
try-wide deliberation
through open house
discussions, ahead of
finalising its views on
crucial aspects such as
pricing of radio waves.
The government ex-
pects TRAI to give its
recommendations on
5G spectrum, by
March. The spectrum
auctions will be con-
ducted in 2022, to fa-
cilitate the roll out of
5G mobile services
within 2022-23, by pri-
vate telecom provid-
ers. As the country
gears up for the mega
auction, the industry
has made an aggres-
sive pitch for lowering
of spectrum pricing.
During TRAI Open
House Discussion,
Vaghela said: “This
consultation paper is
watershed in the his-
tory of telecom and we
are conscious of this
fact.” Vaghela urged
stakeholders partici-
pating in Tuesday’s
discussion to support
their suggestions with
evidence and best prac-
tices. —PTI
New Delhi: Telecom
major Bharti Airtel
on Tuesday reported
3% decline in con-
solidated net profit
attributable to own-
ers at `830 crore for
the quarter ending
December 31, 2021. It
earned net profit of
`854 crore in the
year-ago period.
Airtel reported a
12.6% rise in third-
quarter revenue,
helped by recent tar-
iff hikes and sub-
scriber additions.
The company’s
consolidated reve-
nue from operations
for the quarter end-
ed Dec 31 climbed to
`29,867 crore from
`26,518 crore a year
ago.
Airtel said its av-
erage revenue per
user (ARPU) - a key
performance indica-
tor in the telecoms
industry - was `163
for the third quarter,
up from `146 a year
ago.
—Agencies
Net profit
falls 3% to
`830 crore,
revenue rises 13%
and radio network,
even as it is participat-
ing in development of
6G standards.
“...from the govern-
ment’s side, we are
committed to re-
duce regula-
tion, to
m a k e
s u r e
that the
regula-
w i t h
times,
that the
industry
feels com-
mitted towards in-
vestments...the in-
dustry finds inter-
acting with the
government as a
very seamless expe-
rience, he said.
He exhorted the in-
dustry, academia, or-
ganisations and global
players to take a seri-
ous look at products
that are designed and
made in India.
These will bring
better quality, (are)
more economic, and
also they would be at a
level of technology
which is very contem-
porary
... which is going
to meet the expecta-
tions of the customers
of telecom networks,
he said, terming it a
great opportunity.
India has emerged
as a major hub for
electronics manu-
facturing. Electronics
manufacturing in In-
dia is pegged at about
$75 billion, he noted.
He appealed to global
players to seriously
consider teaming up
neurs, companies,
manufacturers,
startups de-
velopers. —PTI
price on its market de-
but on Tuesday. The
stock of the Adani
Group firm ended at
`268.25, up 16.63% to
the issue price of
Market cap of the
firm rose to
crore on NSE. Total
13.55 crore shares of
the firm changed
h a n d s
crore on the
NSE.
‘IndiGo should cont. expanding
domestic, regional int’l footprint’
New Delhi:
Co-founder and Man-
aging Director Rahul
Bhatia has said the
airline needs to con-
tinue expanding its
domestic and “re-
footprint” besides
strengthening the
cargo franchise in the
near term.
In an e-mail to em-
New Delhi: Telecom
major Bharti Airtel
on Tuesday reported
3% decline in con-
solidated net profit
attributable to own-
ers at `830 crore for
the quarter ending
The company’s
consolidated reve-
nue from operations
for the quarter end-
ed Dec 31 climbed to
`29,867 crore from
`26,518 crore a year
ago.
Net profit
falls 3% to
`830 crore,
revenue rises 13%
Airtel Q3
results:
Citing better quality costs, Vaishnaw
asks for adoption of products that are
designed and made in India
Trai chief terms 5G spectrum auction
consultation paper as watershed
Mukesh Ambani Gautam Adani
Rahul Bhatia
Telecom Minister makes
MAKE IN INDIA PITCH

COVID-19
UPDATE
WORLD
57,71,443
TOTAL DEATHS
31,87,04,015
TOTAL RECOVERED
7,43,09,734
ACTIVE CASES
39,87,85,192
TOTAL CASES
INDIA
5,04,078
TOTAL DEATHS
4,08,40,658
TOTAL RECOVERED
9,94,875
ACTIVE CASES
4,23,39,611
TOTAL CASES
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Yash
Vyas was only 10 years
old when he suffered
severe burn injuries af-
ter a bomb blast rocked
a hospital ward in Asar-
va area of Ahmedabad
in July 2008.
He is grateful to God
for saving his life, but
notadaypasseswhenhe
does not remember his
father and elder brother
who died in the blast.
Vyas, now aged 24, is
pursuing his gradua-
tion in science, but his
family's struggles con-
tinue even after 13
years of the horrific
incident and the men-
tal scars caused by it
are yet to heal.
Like him, many oth-
er victims also recalled
the horror after 21 syn-
chronised blasts ripped
the city on July 26,
2008, killing 56 people
and leaving over 200
others injured.
A special court here
on Tuesday convicted
49 accused in the case
and acquitted 28 oth-
ers, giving them the
benefit of doubt. The
hearing on the quan-
tum of sentence for
those convicted will
start from Wednesday
.
Vyas recalled that he
spent four months in
the Intensive Care Unit
(ICU) of a hospital after
sufferingover50%burn
injuries in the incident,
and has not recovered
completely till date.
“I am still suffering
from partial hearing
impairment because of
the explosion. I spent
nearly four months in
theICUwhilemyfather
and elder brother Ro-
han, who was then 12
years old, died in the
blast. I miss them. My
motherandgrandmoth-
ersufferedalotallthese
years and our struggle
stillcontinues,”hesaid.
His father Dushyant
Vyas was a lab techni-
cianinacancermedical
facility located on the
civil hospital campus.
On July 26, 2008, Du-
shyanthadtakenhistwo
sonstoanopengroundof
thehospitaltoteachthem
how to ride a bicycle.
“At around 7.30 pm,
when my father saw
someblastvictimsbeing
brought in ambulances
(of an incident in an-
other city area), he de-
cided to help them. But,
as soon as we reached
near the civil hospital's
trauma ward, an explo-
sion occurred. My fa-
therandbrotherdiedon
the spot,” Yash said.
He said those in-
volved in the serial
blasts must be given
capital punishment.
Gujarat minister
Pradip Parmar, who
was also injured in the
blast outside the trau-
ma ward of the civil
hospital, recalled see-
ing people with blood
alloverthem,somepeo-
ple with burn injuries,
and dimembered body
parts lying scattered in
the medical facility af-
ter the incident.
Parmar, who is cur-
rently serving as the
state's social justice and
empowermentminister,
was at that time a BJP
worker in the Asarva
Assembly constituency
area, where the civil
hospital is situated.
He said when he and
some other BJP work-
ers reached the civil
hospital to help people
injured in the other
blasts, a powerful ex-
plosion occurred near
the trauma ward.
“Many people died
on the spot. One of my
legs was critically in-
jured. The damage was
nearly 90% and doctors
had even thought of
amputating it to save
my body from further
infection. But, luckily
they were able to save
my leg,” he said, laud-
ing the doctors for
their efforts.
But, he said the inju-
ries left several scars
on the leg. “That was a
traumatic experience,”
said Parmar, who cur-
rently represents the
Asarva constituency in
the state Assembly
.
Local cinematogra-
pher Alex Mecwan re-
members trying to take
photographs at LG Hos-
pital on that fateful day
.
“As reports of the
first few blasts hit the
news cycle, hospital
authorities had cor-
doned off the premises
and were setting up a
triage unit as they pre-
pared to receive vic-
tims and survivors. I
was looking for a van-
tage point to take pho-
tographs from outside
the hospital, quite
close to the parking
lot, when a woman of-
fered me her spot and
moved slightly away.
Minutes later, she was
ripped to pieces as a
bomb exploded in the
hospital’s parking lot,”
he said, adding that he
has tried hard to forget
the image, but has not
been able to do so.
Bhushan Bhatt, for-
mer BJP MLA from
Jamalpur-Khadia seat
of the old city, also re-
called how he had a
narrow escape after a
blast in Raipur Chakla
area here.
“It was a Saturday
...I
and some other local
BJP workers were sit-
ting near the handcart
of a sandwich vendor.
Suddenly, an explosion
occurredclosetoamed-
icalshoplocatednearby
and people started run-
ning towards the place
where we were sitting. I
and other workers got
up and went near the
shop to see what had
happened,” he said.
The sandwich ven-
dor’s wife, Hasumati
Kadia, had come there
with some homemade
snacks for her husband
and sat near a table
where Bhatt sat a few
minutes prior.
“After some time, an-
other blast took place
near that table, killing
Hasumatiben. Another
employee of a nearby
shop, named Ankit,
and three others died
on the spot. A small
memorial has been
built here in their
names,” he said.
Aftertheblast,people
here ferried the injured
persons on their scoot-
ers, and in auto-rick-
shaws and ambulances,
saidBhatt,whohadalso
deposed as a prosecu-
tion witness in the case
before the court.
Humans focus too much on what
was ‘not done’ in the past when
they can focus on the present and
ensure ‘it is done’ in the future.
—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO Editor-in-Chief, First India
08
2NDFRONT
SURVIVORS RECALL
BRUSH WITH DEATH
56 people were killed and at least 200 were injured
in a series of 21 explosions on July 26, 2008
Then-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited a bomb blast site and met survivors, accompanied by then-Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. —FILE PHOTOS
The bombings left the city in a shambles, and people scared and scarred in more ways than one. —FILE PHOTOS
2008 AHMEDABAD SERIAL BLASTS
CONVICTS WAITING
FOR SENTENCING
1) Zahid Qutbuddin Shaikh
2) Imran Shaikh
3) Iqbal Shaikh
4) Samsuddin Shaikh
5) Gyasuddin Ansari
6) Mohammad Arif Kagzi
7) Mohammad Usman
Anis Agarbattiwala
8) Yunus Mansuri
9) Kamruddin Nagori
10) Aamil Parvez Shaikh
11) Sibli Karim
12) Safadrhusain Nagori
13) Hafizuddin Tamim
Tajuddin
14) Mohammad Sajid
Mansuri
15) Abubassar Abubaqar
Shaikh
16) Abbas Sameja
17) Javed Ahmed Shaikh
18) Atiqur Rehman Khilji
19) Mehndi Hasan Ansari
20) Imran Ahmed Pathan
21) Mohammad Ali Ansari
22) Mohammad Ismail
Mansuri
23) Afzal Alias Afsar Usmani
24) Mohammad Sadiq
Shaikh
25) Mohammad Arif Shaikh
26) Aaris Shaikh
27) Rafiuddin Kapadia
28) Mohammad Arif Mirza
29) Qymuddin Kapadia
30) Mohammadsaif Shaikh
31) Jisan Ahmed Shaikh
32) Ziyaur Rehman Muslim
33) Mohammad sakil Luhar
34) Aniq Khalid
35) Mohammad Akbar
Saeed
36) Fazle Rehman Durani
37) Mohammad Nausad
Saeed
38) Ahmedbava Barelvi
39) Sarfuddin Salim
40) Saifur Rehman Ansari
41) Mohammad Ansari
Muslim
42) Saduli alias Haris
Muslim
43) Mohammad Tanvir
Pathan
44) Mohammad Safiq
Ansari
45) Amin Nazir Shaikh
46) Mohammad Mobin
Safurkhan
47) Mohammad Abrar
Maniar
48) Mohammad Rafiq
Masqur Ahmed
49) Tausifkhan Pathan
Police personnel and mediapersons wait for the judgement to be pronounced in the case, outside a special court in Ahmedabad on Tuesday. —PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

AHMEDABAD, WEDNESDAY
FEBRUARY 9, 2022
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia
facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09
ell us some-
thing about
yourself.
I have been
p a s s i o n a t e
since my
c h i l d h o o d
and, I belong to Delhi.
Currently I am pursu-
ing my graduation. I
am also an NCC cadet.
Since childhood, I
have been interested in
dancing, acting and
modelling. I simply
love the glamour
world.
When did you decide
that you shall take
up modelling?
Although I love the
glamour world, I don’t
have anyone to guide
me in this field. Even
so, my parents sup-
ported me. I was not
sure about modelling
as my career, even I
am shocked that I have
gotten into this field
but destiny pulled me
in. When I entered col-
lege, I got exposure
and joined this world
of glamour.
Where do you see
yourself in the fu-
ture?
I want to be a suc-
cessful model in the
fashion world, which
is full of glamour and
shine. I also want to be
known as the girl
with a golden
heart, who is
kind and help-
ful. If given
a chance I
want to
serve my
country as
well.
If not a model, what
would you be?
I am also a trained
NCC cadet who would
like to serve my nation
or work as an anchor
since I am at ease on
stage and can commu-
nicate with people.
What is the great-
est source of inspira-
tion for you?
Failure and rejec-
tion motivate me be-
cause they educate me
to move on and work
hard on myself. I’m
constantly inspired by
a negative experience
I have had in the past.
My parents also mo-
tivate me since they
had to overcome vari-
ous challenges in life,
and they support and
inspire me in every
situation.
Is there anything else
you would like to
share with the
audience?
Just believe
in yourself
and follow your
aspirawtions; you
only have one life to
live, and we can all
achieve our goals with
hard effort and pa-
tience. When life gets
tough, push yourself
to become stronger.
Thank you very
much, Miss India, and
Gaurav Sir, for provid-
ing me with this op-
portunity; this is a
once-in-a-lifetime mo-
ment, and I’ve learned
a lot from this wonder-
ful adventure.
DYNAMIC
DYNAMIC
DIVA
DIVA
AKANKSHA TIWARI PARTICIPATING MODEL
AT FIRST MISS INDIA HELD ON OCT 30 IN
GOA, GIVES A SNEAK PEEK ABOUT HER
JOURNEY TO CITY FIRST!
DEVANSHI MUDGAL
cityfirst@firstindia.co.in
T
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia
facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
—PHOTOS BY MUKESH KIRADOO

nce writer Amitav
Ghosh told an in-
terview that he
didn’t believe in
the concept of
‘identity’, as every
person had multi-
ple identities. One couldn’t
restrict an individual with-
in an identity typecast and
see him from that prism of
exclusiveness.
Ghosh’s prem-
ise cannot be
more appro-
p r i a t e l y
suitable on any other than
the legend Lata Man-
geshkar. The lady in her
lifetime outgrew her iden-
tity as a playback singer
and stood tall as a cult fig-
ure of personal grace that
was as influential as her
musical genius.
The Indian art universe
is replete with artists of ex-
cellence but few have been
revered the way Lata Man-
geshkar had been through-
out her life. This is because
Lata Mangeshkar was seen
as an icon beyond music
and there was an intrinsic
beauty about her character
that only enhanced the
aura around her celebrity
status drawn from her cin-
ematic oeuvre.
We love our stars for what
they are and most of their
off-screen charm emanates
from their star status. We
want to see them in their
personal life and hear their
backyard stories because
they are stars. But for Lata
Mangeshkar, her star status
was different from her so-
briety, perhaps because in
her humbleness, she never
considered herself a star.
‘75% of what I am is just
god-gifted,’ was her custom-
ary coy refrain, wherein she
downplayed the fact that
her talent was a testimony
of years of extreme hard
work, patience and disci-
pline of rigour that silently
worked day and night be-
hind the veil of glamour.
Lata Mangeshkar
rose through the
ranks not because
of her passion to be
a star singer, but
because of com-
pulsion that her
circumstances
created. She only
did what she did
best because she
didn’t know what
else to do to make
ends meet. She
slogged and struggled to
find a footing amid the il-
lustrious stalwarts like
Noor Jehan and Suraiya
among others. Nothing
came to her on a platter and
insults and ignominy were
part of her daily struggle to
survive. As it is said, adver-
sities are the test of true
mettle of a person and her
struggles made her resolute
and strong, which lent a
unique force to her charac-
ter that compelled people to
takenoteandgetinfluenced.
Playback singers hardly
command adulation for
their face value and there is
a whole India in the hinter-
lands that still believes the
stars actually sing the songs
on screen. The idea of some-
one play backing is alien to
many. It is thus a wonder
how, despite her conspicu-
ously unassuming demean-
our and simplistic persona
devoid of any extraneous
embellishments, she could
inspire and shape genera-
tions for over six decades.
Her stage antics were al-
most nil and in an era when
singers are propped by a
plethora of glitzy accompa-
niments to set up the right
mood and frenzy, she was
perhaps the lone singer who
could make a whole audi-
ence dumbstruck by just
standing in front of the mic.
Such was the import of her
character and charisma.
There can be disputes
and debates on her musical
characteristics with people
of different aural prefer-
ences choosing according
to their predilections and
musical attunement, but all
assessments fall silent
when one comes face to face
with her elegance – an ele-
gance evoking a calmness
that can only come from a
deep awareness of the cos-
mic rhythm within.
The seriousness that went
into her work, the insatiable
thirst she had for perfection,
that made her a lifelong
learner, took the whole art
of playback singing a notch
or two above and amplified
the value of the profession.
Generations of female play-
back singers of varied de-
grees of excellence have
come, survived, flourished
and vanished. Millions will
come and go. But the cult of
Lata Mangeshkar survives
and will continue to do so,
not just because of her mel-
lifluous music, but also be-
cause of the incarnation of
Maa Saraswati that she had
come to be worshipped as.
ETC
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2022
10
ANUPAM PUROHIT
N
ot Every Human
has the ability to
impact a thousand
lives in a single
lifetime. I agree that innu-
merable posts won’t be
enough to register in
words the exact frame for
the personality of ‘The
Lata Mangeshkar Ji’
having a musical back-
ground, I couldn’t resist
but pen down my feelings
towards her. I guess the
dictionary fails to give
words to justify the per-
sona and contribution of
a legendary singer like
her but in my simple
words as a fan. Every girl
entering her adolescence
has to go through ‘MERE
KHAWABO MAI JO
AAYE’. Every love story
goes through a phase
‘YEH KAHA AA GAYE
HUM’. Every Rajasthani
girl in a long-distance
courtship has to hear,
‘MORNI BAGA MA BOLE
AADI RAAT MA’
Every girl falling for
love at the first site has to
hear ‘TUNE OHH RANG-
EELE KESA JAADU
KIYA..PIYA PIYA BOLE
MATWALA JIYA’
Every Janmashtami
will be incomplete with-
out ‘MOHE PANGHAT
PE NANAD LAAL CHE-
DE GYO RE’. Every girl
in the world has a phase
of ‘KAL BHI SOORAJ NI-
KALEGA KAL BHI
PANCHI GAYENGE, SAB
TUJHKO DIKHAI
DENGE, PAR HUM NA
NAZAR AAYEGE.” Eve-
ry newly married girl
goes through ‘DIL DEE-
WANA BIN SAJNA K
MANE NAA.’ Every
mourner of a loved one
passing away has ‘CHIT-
THI NAA KOI SAND-
ESH, JAANE WOH KA-
UNSA DESH.’ Every
Long lasted beautiful re-
lationship goes through
‘MAI NAA RAHUGI TUM
RAHOGE PHIR BHI RA-
HEGI NISHANIYAN.’
So, in my opinion, she
was not a person. Lata
Mangeshkar Ji is an im-
mortal feeling, a feeling
that is imbibed in my
heart and the hearts of
millions like me.
A FOREVER FAN TILL I DIE .......
The legacy of the ‘Lata’ cult
can only be Lata herself
DIPTIMAN CHAKRABORTY
diptiman2000@gmail.com
The writer is a music
aficionado and a senior
journalist with First India. He
has been writing on diverse
topics related to art and
culture for various English
newspapers, magazines and
websites for over 15 years.
O
—PHOTOS BY MUKESH KIRADOO

ETC
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2022
11
MITALI DUSAD
mitalidusad01@gmail.com
They say you get to know a
lot about a person by
travelling with them. And if
this Valentine’s Day you are
planning to get to know your
partner better, or simply
looking to spend some time
with them away from the
monotonous routine, but are
still confused with ideas,
then worry not, City First
got your back!
alentine’s Day falls on a Sunday
this year, so how about zipping off
on a weekend getaway? While
chocolate and flowers make great
gifts, they aren’t the only way to
show your affection on Valen-
tine’s Day, travel is the ultimate
present. Unwind with your better half on
a staycation in your city or at a romantic
hideaway in the lap of nature. Gather up
your couple friends and book a private
villa or take your pooch along for a paw-
fect break. From serene retreats to well-
ness-centred stays, City First rounded up
some of the most romantic places, all of
which have a mix of ambiance and ameni-
ties sure to up the romance factor. For
those not ready to travel quite yet, plan a
trip now for something to look forward to
later!
For those whose love language is sharing
a cup of coffee against the backdrop of lush
mountains, then check into this colonial
home in Nainital. With an old-world charm
ready to woo you, the interiors of the home
are timeless, classy and cosy at the same
time. And what better than cherishing cosy
meals on your special day
, right?
V
Ananta is a homegrown
hospitality brand that has
always believed in selling
experiential vacations to
travellers. This Valen-
tine’s Day we are curating person-
alised packages for couples where
they can enjoy a candlelight dinner
at Zenith lounge in Udaipur with
artisanal cocktails, stay at our newly
constructed presidential villa with
an overflowing jacuzzi in Pushkar
or enjoy tiger spotting followed by
gourmet meals in Ranthambore.
All our properties are regularly
sanitised and all our staff members
are fully vaccinated. Experience a
juxtaposition of tranquillity and love
at Ananta this February!
—ASHUTOSH GOYAL,
Director, Ananta Hotel and Resorts
Little Affair, Sariska is a
boutique Jungle Lodge
and as the name sug-
gests we want to give the
experience to our guests
which will become memories for
them. This valentine’s Day, we will
be organising cozy dinners for our
guests in the wilderness under the
stars where they can connect with
nature along with their loved ones.
The intricate details tucked with
warm hospitality, serve our guests
an amalgamation of rustic wilder-
ness and luxury that will make their
stay at Little Affair memorable. We
focus on catering to all the needs of
our clients, from food to ambience
to comfort!
—NIMIT MATHUR,
Owner, Little Affair, Sariska
Owner, Little Affair, Sariska
Experience unrivalled

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