10022022 first india ahmedabad

First India Bureau
Bhuj: An Alliance Air
flight from Mumbai to
Bhuj, carrying 66 pas-
sengers, flew without an
engine cover that was
later retrieved from the
runway at the city air-
port on Wednesday,
prompting aviation reg-
ulator DGCA to start a
probe into the incident,
according to an official.
The ATR aircraft
landed safely at Bhuj.
The incident hap-
pened on Wednesday
morning and was
brought to the notice of
airport authorities by a
Mumbai Air Traffic
Controller(ATC).Subse-
quently
, the Directorate
General of Civil Avia-
tion (DGCA) started an
investigation into the
incident.
TheMumbaiATChad
contacted the pilots of
the Alliance Air flight,
which flew from Mum-
bai to Bhuj without its
enginecoveronWednes-
day, whether anything
had fallen off the air-
craft after its take-off, an
official here said.
As per the prelimi-
nary reports, the pilots
did not realise that the
cowl (a removable metal
covering) of one of the
engineshadfallenonthe
runway in Mumbai as
they told the ATC that
everything was fine, the
official said.
“After spotting some
objectontherunway
,the
Mumbai ATC contacted
the pilots of the Bhuj-
boundflightandaskedif
something had fallen off
the aircraft. However,
the pilots said every-
thingwasallright.Later,
the flight landed at Bhuj
without any trouble.
When it underwent rou-
tine supervision before
the next flight, the main-
tenance staff learnt
about the missing en-
gine cowl,” Bhuj airport
director Navneet Kumar
Gupta said. Turn to P6
Plane flies without engine cover to Bhuj
RISKY FLIGHT
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The Gu-
jarat government on
Wednesday announced
that it will organise the
12th edition of the
“Garib Kalyan Mela”
from February 24 to 26.
The decision to or-
ganise the mela was
taken during a cabinet
meeting chaired by
Chief Minister Bhu-
pendra Patel during
the day
, an official said.
Patel will remain
present at the state-
level events to be held
on at Dahod, Morbi and
Amreli town on Febru-
ary 24, 25 and 26 respec-
tively, while other min-
isters, MPs and MLAs
will attend the district-
level events, he said.
The state govern-
ment will distribute
articles such as bicy-
cles and sewing ma-
chines to the poor dur-
ing these events, the
official said.Self-em-
ployment kits, such as
carpentry tools, along
with other benefits
under various govern-
ment schemes, includ-
ing PM Awas Yojna,
MA Amrutam Yojana
and Mission Man-
galam, will also be dis-
tributed to the needy
during these events,
he said.In order to re-
solve land and reve-
nue-related issues on
the spot, the state gov-
ernment has also de-
cided to organise rev-
enue fairs across the
state, a government
release stated.The ini-
tiative will be kicked-
off from Navsari town
and Valsad district on
February 10.
People can ap-
proach district offi-
cials present at reve-
nue fair to resolve the
issues on the spot, it
was stated.
For effective super-
vision of over 3.24 enti-
ties registered in Guja-
rat as trusts, the state
government has decid-
ed to build new offices
of charity commis-
sioners in every dis-
trict, the release said.
In another decision
taken during the cabi-
net meeting, owners
of nearly 20,000 houses
in Kutch district will
get ownership docu-
ments, as the houses
were built by NGOs
and other social and
religious organisa-
tions to resettle people
displaced in the devas-
tating earthquake of
2001.
“Various NGOs and
organisations had
built these houses to
help people who had
lost their homes in the
earthquake. But, in the
absence of any docu-
ments, residents can-
not claim ownership,
sell or transfer their
houses. Hence, we have
decided to prepare
ownership deeds and
hand them over to the
residents,” state Reve-
nue Minister Rajendra
Trivedi said.
While ownership
deeds for nearly 6,000
houses have already
been prepared by the
revenue department,
remaining houses will
be covered within the
next one month, Trive-
di said.
Guj govt to organize 12th Garib Kalyan Mela Feb 24-26
FOR THE PEOPLE
CM Patel to be present at the
state-level events to be held on
at Dahod, Morbi and Amreli
CM Bhupendra Patel —FILE PHOTO
Pilots weren’t aware anything was
wrong, officials say as probe begins
The aircraft landed safely despite flying without an engine cowl.
AHMEDABAD l THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2022 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/79050 l Vol 3 l Issue No. 76
OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR, AHMEDABAD, LUCKNOW & NEW DELHI www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
23-yr-old Kerala trekker Babu was trapped in a ‘fault-
line’ or crevice on a hill at Palakkad district of Kerala.
However, the trekker was finally rescued by Army. The
specialised mountaineering unit of the Army rescued
him from the deep forests of the Palakkad Gap.
The Sensex closed 533 points higher at 61,150 on
Wednesday. The Nifty too rose 156 points to close at
18,212. Mahindra and Mahindra, which gained 4.6%,
Bharti Airtel (3.7%) and Reliance Industries (2.7%)
were among the top gainers in the market.
ARMY RESCUES
KERALA
TREKKER,
STUCK ON HILL
SENSEX
CROSSES 61K
MARK AGAIN,
NIFTY AT 18,212
CORONA CATASTROPHE
DELHI UNIVERSITY TO
REOPEN ON FEB 17
The University of Delhi will reopen
its gates for physical classes on
February 17, said Prof Rajni Abbi,
DU Proctor. The decision came af-
ter the academic council meeting.
As per the order, those coming to
Delhi from outstations will have to
quarantine for three days.
KARNATKA HIJAB CONUNDRUM
FIRST PHASE OF UP ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS BEGINS FROM WEST
JATBELTVOTESTODAY
...to seal fate of nine BJP ministers, SP-RLD alliance
Of the total 403 Vidhan Sabha
seats in Uttar Pradesh, the
first phase of voting will take place
on Thursday for 58 constituencies
spread across 11 districts
During last Assembly polls in
2017, BJP bagged 53 seats out
of 58 while Samajwadi Party and
Bahujan Samaj Party got two seats
each and one seat went to RLD
1 2
M Tariq Khan
Lucknow: The first
phase of polls in Uttar
Pradesh on Thursday
will decide the fate of
nine ministers in the
Yogi government.
The 58 seats in the
Jat-dominated western
region would also de-
cide the future of Rash-
triya Lok Dal (RLD)
leader Jayant Chaud-
hary, who has joined
hands with the SP.
In the 2017 Assembly
polls, the BJP had swept
the region riding on the
overwhelming support
of the Jats, the upper
castes and non-Yadav
OBCs and division in
the Muslim votes.
This phase of polling
is extremely crucial
since it includes dis-
tricts in western UP
where candidates in
several constituencies
are facing hostile vot-
ers, mainly due to the
farmers’ agitation.
Bengaluru: A single-
judge bench of the Kar-
nataka High Court on
Wednesday decided to
refer a batch of peti-
tions questioning a ban
on the use of hijab or
headscarf by Muslim
girls in a few pre-univer-
sity colleges in the state
to a larger bench of the
court on account of the
issues raised in the peti-
tions involving larger
constitutional issues.
Meanwhile, the Ben-
galuru Police issued an
order saying that gath-
erings and protests will
be banned near educa-
tional institutions in
the city for two weeks,
i.e., till February 22.
HC refers case
to larger bench
AMIT SHAH VOWS TO MAKE GOA
‘AATMANIRBHAR’, SLAMS CONG
Panaji: Ahead of
Goa Assembly
polls, Union Home
Minister Amit Shah
slammed the Con-
gress for their governance
of ‘instability and anarchy’
when they were in power
in the state, assuring that
the BJP make the state
‘golden’, ‘prosperous’ and
‘Aatma-nirbhar’.
“Today I want to
remember the late
Manohar Parrikar
ji. He had dedi-
cated his entire life for the
development of Goa. In
next five years, apart from
stability and development,
we will also make Goa
‘Aatma-nirbhar’.
 Ahead of the first
phase of voting in Uttar
Pradesh on Thursday,
Prime Minister Nar-
endra on Wednesday,
during an interview
with ANI, said that the
agri laws were brought
in for the benefit of
farmers, but were with-
drawn in the interest of
the people.
 Prime Minister
Narendra Modi, break-
ing his silence on
the Lakhimpur Kheri
incident, said The
state government gave
its consent for what-
ever committee the
Supreme Court
wanted, for
whichever
judge the Su-
preme Court
wanted for
the
probe. The state
government is working
transparently. Centre
didn’t want to inter-
fere.
 Launching a scath-
ing attack on “dynastic
politics”, Modi said it
is a “big threat” and
the “greatest enemy of
democracy”.
 PM targeted the
former Congress chief
and dubbed him as a
“person who does not
listen and does not sit
in the House.”
 Attacking SP-RLD
alliance, PM Modi said,
“We saw the game of
“two boys” earlier
too... They had such
arrogance that
they used the
words ‘Gujarat ke
do gadhe’ (Two
donkeys
from Guja-
rat). Uttar
Pradesh
taught
them a
lesson”.
Protests banned near schools,
colleges in B’luru for 2 weeks
OWAISI REMINDS
PAK OF MALALA
MALALA CALLS
ROW HORRIFYING
AIMIM chief Asaduddin
Owaisi while reminiding
shooting incident on
Malala Yousafzai said
advised Pakistan to mind
its own business as the
country’s foreign minis-
ter commented on girl
education in India over
Karnataka hijab row.
Nobel laureate Malala
Yousafzai took to twitter
on February 9 saying
that ‘refusing to let girls
go to school in their
hijabs is horrifying’.
MODISPEAK BEFORE POLLS
MInisters Suresh Rana, Atul Garg,
Shrikant Sharma, Sandeep Singh,
Kapil Dev Agarwal, Dinesh Khatik,
Dr GS Dharmesh
This phase in west-
ern region would also
decide future of RLD
chief Jayant Chaud-
hary, who has joined
hands with the SP.
UTTAR PRADESH PHASE-1
KEY CANDIDATES
58
Constituencies
11
Districts
2.27
cr voters
623Candidates
in the fray
The Bhartiya Kisan
Union (BKU), which
had spearheaded
the farmer agitation
in the region, has
been working silently
among the farmers and
other communities to
persuade the electorate
to oppose the saffron
party, which, it said, had
termed the protesting
farmers as ‘’Khalistanis,
Pakistanis, and even
terrorists’’.
BKU FACTOR
58
58
Constituencies
Constituencies
11
Districts
2.27
cr voters
623Candidates
in the fray
Union (BKU), which
Kairana, Shamli, Muzaffar Nagar,
Baghpat, Thana Bhawan
KEY CONSTITUENCIES
Over 25K Indians ended lives due
to unemployment, indebtedness
in 2018-2020, Govt in Rajya Sabha
New Delhi: The Union
government on Wednes-
day informed the Rajya
Sabha that more than
25,000 Indians died by
suicide due to either un-
employment or indebt-
edness between 2018 and
2020.
As many as 9,140 peo-
plediedbysuicidedueto
unemployment and
16,091 people due to
bankruptcy or indebted-
ness during the time pe-
riod, the government
told the upper house.
The information was
provided by MoS
(Home) Nityanand Rai
in Rajya Sabha. Rai said
that the government fig-
ures are based on data
providedbytheNational
Crime Records Bureau.
According to the data,
suicides among the un-
employed have been in-
creasingandtouchedthe
highest(3,548)inthepan-
demic year of 2020.
While 2,741 ended life
due to unemployment in
2018, 2,851 did so in 2019.
Debt-hit UP trader
attempts to kill self
on Fb live, wife dies
Baghpat: A trader in UP
went on Facebook live on
Tuesday and took poison,
blaming heavy losses, in
a disturbing video that
has gone viral ahead of
polls in the state. Rajiv
Tomar, a shoe trader in
Baghpat survived but his
wife died.
GUJARAT A’Bad
NEW
CASES
986
NEW
CASES
2560 NEW
DEATHS
24

First India Bureau
Porbandar: Ten fish-
ing boats were appre-
hended by the Paki-
stan Maritime Secu-
rity Agency (PMSA)
near the Internation-
al Maritime Bounda-
ry Line (IMBL) early
on Tuesday morning.
This is the fifth inci-
dent of Indian boats
being apprehended
by the PMSA in the
past two months.
Condemning the in-
cident, National Fish-
eries Forum’s execu-
tive committee mem-
ber Manish Lodhari
said, “I had received
information on Tues-
day that 10 fishing
boats with 60 crew
members were taken
away by the Pakistan
Marines to Karachi
port.”
In just one-and-a-
half months, the
PMSA has seized
more than 80 Indian
fishermen, who were
fishing near the
IMBL. It is harass-
ment by the Pakistani
agency. Around 800
Indian fishermen are
in Pakistani jails and
more than 1,200 fish-
ing boats are lying at
their ports. The gov-
ernment should con-
fer about early re-
lease of the fisher-
men with the Paki-
stani authorities, he
added.
Sources from the
fishing sector said
that when the Indian
Coast Guard (ICG) pa-
trolling vessels are
not in range of the
IMBL, the PMSA
takes advantage of
the situation and ap-
prehends Indian fish-
ing boats.
In order to cut down
on such incidents, the
Centre and state gov-
ernment have made it
mandatory for fishing
boats to install the
Global Positioning
System (GPS) on all
fishing boats. This is
to help captains of
fishing boats to avoid
crossing the IMBL by
mistake. And yet, a
few fishing boats cross
over either due to
heavy current in the
sea or to catch higher
quantities of fish.
NEWS
AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2022
02
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In 5th such incident in 2 months, the vessels were redirected to the Karachi port by Pak authorities
PMSA SEIZES 10 INDIAN
BOATS, 60 FISHERMEN
First India Bureau
Surat: The Superinten-
dent of police Usha
Rada from Surat, has
decided to raise four
kids who lost their wid-
owed mother last
month. Widow Sangeeta
Lokhande (41) was
killed at Worli in Pal-
sana, Surat by her neph-
ew, leaving behind four
children, including two
daughters.
When SP Rada got to
know them, she took a
personal interest and
has now taken the re-
sponsibility of educat-
ing and raising them. At
the moment, all four
children are kept at
‘Vatsalya Dham’ at
Kamaraj.
SP Rada had made a
surprise visit to the vic-
tim’s family after the
murder. The children’s
grandmother had then
raised the issue of
bringing up the kids ow-
ing to her dwindling
age. So, the district po-
lice chief took care of
the destitute children
and informed NGO Vat-
salya Dham at Kamaraj
about the matter. The
NGO, till now, has pro-
vided shelter and educa-
tion to over 700 destitute
children.
However, SP Rada
sure had her eyes on the
children’s condition, so,
on Wednesday, she an-
nounced that she would
take full responsibility
for all four children. SP
Rada has changed the
course of life of several
women who were
pushed into prostitu-
tion or were affected by
other atrocities.
IPS officer to take care of orphaned kids
DOING IT RIGHT
SURAT AIRPORT FINALLY
GETS CISF SECURITY
First India Bureau
Surat: After a long-
pending wait, the Min-
istry of Aviation has fi-
nally deployed Central
Industrial Security
Force (CISF) at the Su-
rat Airport. A total of
360 trained personnel
have taken charge of
the airport security
from Wednesday, which
was till now handled by
the state police.
Looking at the in-
crease in passenger
traffic and the number
of flights from Surat In-
ternational Airport, the
Bureau of Civil Avia-
tion Security (BCAS)
had agreed to deploy
CISF in 2019. Several
representations were
made in the past by the
local MPs and the Surat
Airport Authority to
provide a permanent
security team at the air-
port.
The delay in deploy-
ment at the airport was
due to a lack of facili-
ties like accommoda-
tion, cabins et al at the
airport for the CISF
team. The airport au-
thorities, after the ap-
proval in 2019 had be-
gun work, but things
took time due to the
pandemic.
The CISF has many
wings, and one wing is
the Airport Security
Group (ASG) which has
been fully trained to
provide security to the
people as well as the en-
tire airport infrastruc-
ture.
Superintendent of police Usha
Rada will raise four children
of murdered woman
Rada (centre) with the children.
Boats found fishing close to the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) often become victims of seizure. —FILE PHOTO
Sports centre
worth Rs100
cr to be built
in Surat
First India Bureau
Surat: A nation-
al-level high-per-
formance sports
centre has been
planned at Bhim-
rad, Surat. The
complex will aide
sportspersons of
Surat by provid-
ing them coach-
ing on interna-
tional standards.
In a video con-
ference held on
Tuesday between
the Mayor, Collec-
tor and the Sports
Authority of Su-
rat Municipality,
a presentation
was made propos-
ing to build the
centre as the
H i g h - P e r f o r -
mance Sports
Center built in
Karnataka. The
centre will house
a learning centre,
football field, syn-
thetic athletic
track, tennis
court, national-
level swimming
pool, multi-sport
indoor hall, bas-
ketball court,
clubhouse, cafete-
ria and spacious
parking, along
with an admin
wing.
City Mayor He-
mali Boghawala
said, “The state
government and
the municipality
would contribute
50-50 towards the
construction cost
of the centre. Ef-
forts are being
made to provide
a sports culture
to the emerging
athletes of the
city competing
at state, national
and internation-
al levels. The
construction of
the sports centre
has is estimated
at Rs90-100
crore.”
HARASSMENT?
In just one-and-a-
half months, the
PMSA has seized
more than 80 Indi-
an fishermen, who
were fishing near
the IMBL. It is
harassment by the
Pakistani agency.
Around 800 Indian
fishermen are in
Pakistani jails and
more than 1,200
fishing boats
are lying at their
ports. The gov-
ernment should
confer about
early release of
the fishermen
with the Pakistani
authorities.
Sakihya bros,2 others
record statements on
corruption scandal
First India Bureau
Rajkot: The Sakihya
brothers and two other
witnesses in the corrup-
tion scandal involving
Rajkot Police Commis-
sioner Manoj Agarwal
underwent questioning
for eight hours in Gan-
dhinagar on Tuesday
.
They were interrogated
abouttheallegationslev-
elled against the senior
officer by Director Gen-
eral of Police (Training)
Vikas Sahay
, a superin-
tendent of police (SP) of-
ficer, a police inspector
in the presence of a
typist. The allega-
tions were first re-
vealed by Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP)
MLA from Rajkot
Govind Patel against
Agarwal and the local
crime branch.
The complainants
of the case, Mahesh
Sakhiyaandhisbroth-
erJagjivanSakhiya,ac-
cused Rajkot
c r i m e
branch and Agrawal of
seeking‘commission’for
recovering Rs12 crore
taken from them in a
fraud. They alleged that
Rs75lakhwaspaidtothe
police to recover their
money
.
Addressing media
persons on Wednesday
,
Jagjivan said, “My
brotherandIwerecalled
in to record our state-
ments, along with two
other people on Febru-
ary 08. It took us almost
two hours to record each
statement. We
w e r e
made to read every sin-
gle word spoken by us
and the written records
were signed by us.”
He added, “We have
the required technical
evidence to support our
claims, which we have
submitted to DGP Sa-
hay. We are satisfied
with the investigation
so far. What we seek is
justice, even if it comes
in late. More important-
ly, we want to recover
the Rs75 lakh we paid to
the police. The rest of
the fraud amount will
surely come in time.”
Jagjivan also called
for the suspension of of-
ficers responsible for
corruption. “We trust
the law and demand
that concerned officers
(of the police depart-
ment) be immediately
suspended. If no action
is taken, we will lodge a
complaint before the
Chief Minister’s
Office (CMO),
CBI and
CID.”
Rajkot Police Commissioner Manoj Agarwal
The security team will also include canine units.

GUJARAT
03
Two men took turns raping 15-year-old girl at the city’s Navlakhi ground on Nov 28,2019
2 SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON
FOR GANG RAPE OF V’DARA MINOR
First India Bureau
Vadodara: Kishan
Mathasuriya (28) and
Jasho Solanki (21)
were on Wednesday
sentenced to life im-
prisonment for the
gang-rape of a
15-year-old girl in Va-
dodara’s Navlakhi
ground on November
28, 2019.
While convicting the
men who participated
in their trial—which
began on February 7,
2020, via video confer-
encing on Wednesday,
Additional District and
Sessions Judge and
Special Judge (POCSO
Court) RT Panchal not-
ed that they would re-
main in prison “until
their last breath”.
Both convicts will
appeal the decision,
their lawyer, Alpesh
Chauhan, said.
Mathasuriya and
Solanki were arrested
in December 2019, after
a manhunt involving as
many as 20 teams of po-
lice. They were booked
under IPC sections 325
(grievous hurt), 363
(kidnapping), 376 (2) (I)
(N) (rape), 376 (D) (gang
rape), 377 (Unnatural
offences), and under
relevant sections of the
Gujarat Police Act and
the Prevention of Chil-
dren from Sexual Of-
fences (POCSO) Act.
According to the FIR,
the police had said that
the two men had ac-
costed the 15-year-old
girl and her male friend
(19) in Navlakhi ground
in Vadodara city. They
assaulted the youth
and dragged the girl to
a secluded place in the
ground where they
took turns to rape her.
The two natives of
Vadodara’s Tarsali
area in Vadodara and,
according to police re-
cords, had previously
been involved in inci-
dents of theft, assault
and break-in.
“My daughter was
forced to walk through
thorny bushes, injur-
ing her legs, and then
she was gang-raped,”
the mother of the sur-
vivor had told the press
at the time, adding,
“We want the govern-
ment to ensure that the
accused are hanged to
death, so that it sets an
example for others.”
In keeping with this,
special public prosecu-
tor Praveen Thakkar
had demanded the
death penalty, but
Judge Panchal sen-
tenced them to life in-
stead.
Guj logs 2,560 new
cases, 24 fatalities
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: Guja-
rat on Wednesday re-
ported 2,560 fresh
COVID-19 cases and
24 fatalities due to
the infection, raising
the tally of infec-
tions to 12,08,212
and the death toll to
10,740, the state
health department
said in a statement.
A total of 8,812 COV-
ID-19 patients were dis-
charged, taking the to-
tal number of recover-
ies so far to 11,70,117,
leaving Gujarat with
27,355 active cases.
Ahmedabad district
reported the highest 986
new cases followed by
406 cases in Vadodara,
161 in Surat, 135 in Gan-
dhinagar, 106 in
Mehsana among others.
Ahmedabad also re-
ported the highest sev-
en COVID-19 fatalities,
while Vadodara, Surat
and Rajkot recorded
three fatalities each.
Bhavnagar and Devb-
humi Dwarka each saw
two deaths due to COV-
ID-19. One patient died
each in Mehsana,
Bharuch, Morbi and
Mahisagar, as per the
department.
The total number of
vaccination doses ad-
ministered so far in
Gujarat rose to 10.03
crore on Wednesday
with 1.37 lakh more
people getting jabbed,
it said.
COVID-19
UPDATE
12,08,212
TOTAL CASES
2,560
CASES IN
A DAY
11,70,117
8,812
RECOVERED
IN A DAY
TOTAL DEATHS
24
DEATHS
IN A DAY
10,740
ACTIVE CASES
986 MAX
CASES IN
A’BAD
27,355
TOTAL
RECOVERED
Civil Hosp officials celebrate 10 crore vaccines being administered.
The accused in police custody. —FILE PHOTO
MAN IN BHAVNAGAR POUNDS DAUGHTER TO
DEATH USING MORTAR DURING ARGUMENT
First India Bureau
Bhavnagar: A man
was booked for mur-
dering his daughter
with a kitchen tool
over a domestic is-
sue in Sihor town of
Bhavnagar district
on Wednesday
morning. According
to police, Harsadrai
Shah continued hit-
ting his daughter
Belaben Shah with a
mortar till she fell
unconscious in a
pool of blood.
On Wednesday
morning, a heated ar-
gument erupted be-
tweenthefather-daugh-
ter duo over a domestic
issue, which led to the
murder. As per neigh-
bours, arguments be-
tween the two had be-
come a routine affair
since Belaben had di-
vorced her second hus-
band and returned to
her paternal home.
After her marriage
with her first hus-
band did not last long,
she divorced him and
returned home with
her son. She remar-
ried another man who
lived in Mahuva town
after an intervention
by her parents and
relatives. However,
her second marriage
also did not survive
and Belaben divorced
her husband.
She returned to her
parents’ home for the
second time and be-
gan living with her
father and son. After
the constant argu-
ments became too
much to bear for Har-
sadrai, he lost his
temper on Wednesday
morning and killed
his daughter, said an
official.
Her body has been
sent for a post-mor-
tem. Harsadrai has
been detained.
Intercaste love match leads to social
boycott for 2 families in Mehsana
First India Bureau
Mehsana: Two fami-
lies have been boy-
cotted by residents
of Mehsana’s
Ganeshpura village
over a love match be-
tween a couple be-
longing to different
communities. After
being apprised of the
issue, the district ad-
ministration has as-
sured its support and
police protection to
the families.
Devang (name
changed) of the Suthar
community fell in love
with Devangi (name
changed) of the Patel
community a few years
ago. They got married
against the wishes of
their families. Unfortu-
nately
, both parties
broke all ties with the
couple. The reason for
this ‘split’ may be the
social and economic
disparity between both
the communities.
The couple rented a
home in the village and
began their life togeth-
er, which did not go
down well with village
elders.Theybannedthe
couple from drawing
waterfromthecommon
well, and grocers
stopped serving them.
Residents have also de-
clared a boycott of the
couple’s families . After
bearing difficulties, the
couple and their fami-
lies left the village and
camped out at the dis-
trictcollector’sofficeon
February 08, seeking
justice for the village
ostracizing them.
Thefamiliesmetwith
Collector Udit Agrawal
on Tuesday and he as-
sured them of his sup-
port. He asked the fami-
lies to submit written
applications to the dis-
trict police superinten-
dent for protection.
Three injured as private bus on the
way to Surat falls into 15-foot ditch
First India Bureau
Surat: A private
luxury bus met
with an accident
near Veena Patiya
on Nadiad Kapad-
vanj Road late
Tuesday night.
The bus was trav-
elling from Ra-
jasthan to Surat,
with 50 passengers
on board, when sud-
denly it plunged into
a 15-foot ditch while
taking a turn; fortu-
nately, no casualties
were reported. How-
ever, three passen-
gers were injured,
including one man
who was trapped in-
side until he was res-
cued by a team from
the fire brigade.
The trapped pas-
senger was inside
the bus, and the res-
cue team had to use a
spider cutter to cut
the bus open to pull
him out of the bus.
But it took about an-
hour-and-a-half for
the rescue team.
Along with the other
two injured passen-
gers, the trapped per-
son was also shifted
to the Civil Hospital
for treatment, said
Nadiad Fire Brigade
in-charge and Fire
S u p e r i n t e n d e n t
Ashok Sharma.
In addition to the
Nadiad fire brigade,
the rescue operation
included four ambu-
lances, and the Ma-
hudha police.
Witnesses recorded the rescue operation.
—PHOTO
BY
HANIF
SINDHI

PERSPECTIVE
04
IMRAN GETS LOW-KEY WELCOME IN CHINA
THE OPPOSITION FINALLY JOIN HANDS TO OUST
THE GOVERNMENT IN NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
It is quite known in
Pakistan that during the
tenure of Raheel Sharif
as the army chief, Nawaz
Sharif, was advised to
resign, but he dared the
army to topple him. In
angered Raheel so much
that instead of imposing
martial law, he decided
to control the civilian
government by using the
judiciary and media.
The media was used to
malign the established
political leaders in
cooked-up corruption
cases and the
judiciary ensured
their conviction
he count-down has begun
for the hybrid regime of
Imran Khan in Pakistan
and his recent China visit
could be his last foreign
trip as the prime minister.
Amidst, the two foreign
trips of the country’s most
powerful persons i.e. the
armychief,GeneralQamar
Jawed Bajwa to the USA
andthecivilianprimemin-
ister, Khan, with his minis-
ters to China, the opposi-
tionpartieshavedecidedto
topple the government.
The opposition has de-
cided to oust the Khan and
his party, Pakistan Tah-
reek-i-Insaf (PTI) by a non-
confidence motion in the
Pakistan National Assem-
bly(PNA).Of the342-strong
PNA, the PTI has only 149
members. It means with
the support of the smaller
parties, the Khan govern-
ment can be toppled.
The historical decision
was taken at a luncheon
meeting held in Lahore at-
tendedbythetopleadersof
the opposition parties such
as the co-chairpersons of
thePakistanPeople’sParty
(PPP), Asif Zardari, and
his son, Bilawal Bhutto.
The venue of the high-pro-
filemeetingwastheLahore
residence of Shehbaz Sha-
rif, the president of the
country’s main opposition
party, Pakistan Muslim
League-Noon(PML-N).The
strength of the PML-N and
PPP is 82 and 54 respective-
ly
.Thepresenceof Maryam
Nawaz, daughter of Nawaz
Sharif, has reaffirmed that
it could take place follow-
ing her father’s consent.
Nawaz Sharif, three-time
prime minister, is present-
ly in London for treatment.
It is also believed in the po-
litical circles that he is in
constanttouchwiththetop
PPP leadership.
The low-key welcome of
Imran Khan in Beijing also
indicates that his hosts
were aware of his ‘bleak
political future’. He was
received by a deputy min-
ister in the foreign office,
Wu Jianghao, and could
not meet the president, Xi
Jinping. Khan, who was of-
ficially invited to the inau-
gural ceremony was ac-
companied by his cabinet
colleagues, Foreign Minis-
ter, Shah Mehmood
Qureshi, Finance Minister,
Shaukat Tareen, Planning
Minister, Asad Umar, In-
formation Minister, Fawad
Choudhary and National
security advisor, Moeed
Yusuf. His visit is consid-
ered partially successful
because he could have a
virtual meeting
with the Chi-
nese premier
Li Keqiang. Khan’s request
for a personal audience
was ‘politely’ rejected. He,
however, appreciated the
Khan government’s deci-
sion to offer an $11.6 mil-
lion compensation for the
families of Chinese engi-
neers who were killed and
wounded in a terrorist at-
tack at the Dasu Dam hy-
dropower project last year
in Pakistan. The Pakistani
media is describing Khan’s
mission to lure more Chi-
nese funds and financial
help as a great success, but
he could not obtain a firm
dateregardingXiJinping’s
visit to his country
. Khan’s
request for an additional
USD three billion of loan
was promised, but the
Chinese charge exorbi-
tant interests, almost eight
times than the IMF, on the
recipient countries.
The agenda of Bajwa’s
visit to the USA has not
been disclosed, but it is be-
lieved that he has reas-
sured his American hosts
thatthearmyanditssecret
police, Inter-Services Intel-
ligence (ISI) would main-
tain neutrality in the polls.
President Joe Biden is an
ardent supporter of de-
mocracy and human
rights. Bajwa, perhaps,
might have cited the local
bodies’ elections in the
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,
where the ruling party
, PTI
was trounced. He might
have also assured Penta-
gon, the defense headquar-
ters of America, unhin-
dered access to the coun-
try’s military establish-
ments to the USA despite
theanti-Americanrhetoric
of Khan and his ministers.
It may be noted that in
spite of US exit from Af-
ghanistan on August 15,
2021, Bajwa has been in
constant touch with Amer-
ican and British security
establishment. Earlier, on
September 9, 2021, he had
met, the CIA chief William
Burns, who was assured of
Pakistan’s cooperation
with the USA in the region.
The US Defence Secretary
Lloyd Austin had been in-
structing Bajwa about the
exitof theAmericanforces
from Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, the judici-
ary has also become asser-
tive. The Islamabad High
Court has already asked
the army to dismantle the
business centres estab-
lished in the cantonments.
The case of the audiotape
of former Chief Justice of
Pakistan, Saqib Nissar, in
whichhereportedlyasking
is brother judges to impli-
cate Maryam Nawaz in cor-
ruption cases and ensure
that Nawaz and his daugh-
terdonotgetbailbeforethe
elections. It is quite known
in Pakistan that during the
tenure of Raheel Sharif as
the army chief, Nawaz Sha-
rif, was advised to resign,
but he dared the army to
topple him. In angered Ra-
heel so much that instead
of imposingmartiallaw,he
decided to control the civil-
ian government by using
the judiciary and media.
The media was used to ma-
lign the established politi-
cal leaders in cooked-up
corruption cases and the
judiciary ensured their
conviction. However, this
strategy has finally boo-
meranged, the army has
become neutral and judges
impartial. The opposition
parties are expected to be
more aggressive in the
coming weeks under the
banner of the Pakistan
Democratic Movement.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
T
GOPAL MISRA
The writer is accredited as a journalist
of long and distinguished service with
the Press Information Bureau of the
Information and Broadcasting Ministry
It may be noted that in
spite of US exit from
Afghanistan on August
15, 2021, Bajwa has
been in constant touch
with American and
British security
establishment. Earlier,
on September 9, 2021,
he had met, the CIA chief
William Burns, who was
assured of Pakistan’s
cooperation with the
USA in the region
l Vol 3 l Issue No. 76 l RNI NO. 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. Published at D/302 3rd Floor Plot No. 35 Titanium Square, Scheme No. 2, Thaltej Taluka, Ghatlodiya, Ahmedabad. Editor-In-Chief: Jagdeesh Chandra. Editor: Haresh Jhala responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act
Nitin Gadkari @nitin_gadkari
Stable and development-oriented
government in Uttarakhand is our
endeavor. Prime Minister Mr. @
narendramodi Ji and Chief Minister Mr.
@pushkardhami. The BJP government
under the leadership of Ji is committed
for the overall development of
Uttarakhand. #UttarakhandWithBJP #Vote4BJP
TOP TWEETS
SPIRITUAL SPEAK
Warn divisive people once, and then warn
them a second time. After that, have
nothing to do with them.
—Bible
Narendra Singh Tomar @nstomar
Pineapple reached the foreign
markets through the fields of
India. There was a 100% increase
in the export of pineapple in April-
December 2021 as compared to
April-December 2013.
ohannesburg –
Imagine that a
crisis emerges
in your home,
workplace, or
community. You neither
created it nor benefited
from it. And yet, you are
bearing the brunt of the
consequences, while those
who did create and benefit
from it continue to make
the problem worse. For Af-
rica, such an egregious
injustice has become all
too real.
Though Africa contrib-
utes only 4% of global
greenhouse-gas emissions
annually, it is among the
regions most vulnerable to
climate change and cli-
mate variability. Already,
climate disruptions and
crises are severely under-
mining human well-being
and economic develop-
ment, and water-related
disruptions pose some of
the most serious risks.
The so-called WASH
(Water, Sanitation, and Hy-
giene) initiative, being
pursued by the Southern
African Development
Community with GWP
support, is also advancing
vital water-related objec-
tives. By installing hand-
washing facilities at bor-
der posts across the region,
the initiative will help to
stem the transmission of
infectious diseases, there-
by facilitating intra-re-
gional trade and economic
activity and, ultimately,
contributing to the realiza-
tion of the African Conti-
nental Free Trade Area.
But, as with all these
initiatives, success de-
pends significantly on
funding. That is why Afri-
can countries and their
international partners
have developed the Water
Investment Scorecard, a
data-driven approach that,
by tracking progress, will
help to sustain pressure on
decision-makers.
Africa did not cause the
climate crisis, but African
leaders are taking the ini-
tiative in developing strate-
gies for coping with it, in-
cluding its impact on the
continent’s water security
and sanitation. The ques-
tion is whether those who
are most responsible for cli-
mate change will put their
money where their mouth
is before it is too late.
SOURCE: PROJECT SYNDICATE
RIGHTING THE INJUSTICE
OF AFRICA’S WATER CRISIS
Africa did not cause the
climate crisis, but
African leaders are
taking the initiative in
developing strategies
for coping with it,
including its impact on
the continent’s water
security and sanitation
J

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INDIA
05
Kohima: The Nagaland
State Disaster Manage-
ment Authority (NSD-
MA) has declared a
‘drought of a moderate
nature’ in the entire
state for six months
from September 2021 to
March this year.
TheNSDMAdeclared
the ‘drought of moder-
ate nature’ after taking
into account the condi-
tions arising from rain-
fall deficiency and poor
crop conditions, an of-
ficial statement issued
by the Department of
Information and Public
Relations said in Kohi-
ma on Wednesday
.
It also considered the
distress situation that
had developed in al-
most the entire farming
area affected by these
conditions through
field verification, the
statement said.
The NSDMA had also
taken into considera-
tion the reports availa-
ble from the Deputy
Commissioners and
Chairmen of the con-
cerned District Disas-
ter Management Au-
thorities (DDMAs).
Based on the scanty
,
deficit and less than nor-
mal rainfall that has
been observed from
March to November
2021, the declaration of
droughtwouldcomeinto
effect from September
15, 2021, and would con-
tinue to be in effect for
six months, till further
order,theNSDMAnotifi-
cation stated. —Agencies
‘Drought of a moderate nature’ declared in Nagaland
STATE STRUGGLES!
SCANTY RAINFALL
Less than normal rainfall
that has been observed
from March to Nov
2021, the declaration
of drought would come
into effect from Sep-
tember 15, 2021, and
would continue to be in
effect for six months, till
further order.
Why tax exemption to corporates?
Sharat K Verma
New Delhi: In many
countries of the world,
big corporate houses
have written letters to
the governments asking
themtoimposeaddition-
al tax on them. In the
midstof thecoronavirus
epidemic,everycivilised
and democratic country
in the world has helped
its citizens financially
,
but in India, there is an
exception to this idea as
no financial help was
given to the citizens in
India. In India, the in-
comeof 84percentof the
populationhasdecreased
in the last year and on
the other hand the num-
ber of billionaires has
increased. There is a re-
coveryintheeconomyof
India,thatis,therichare
getting richer and the
poor are getting poorer.
Nevertheless, the gov-
ernment has given tax
exemption to corporates
in the budget.
Even before this, in
the last Lok Sabha elec-
tions i.e. 2019, the Cen-
tral Government had
given a rebate of one
lakh 45 thousand crore
rupees in corporate tax.
In the next year’s budg-
et, the Government of
India has reduced the
surcharge on corporate
tax from 12 per cent to
sevenpercent.Think,on
the one hand, economic
inequality is increasing
in the country, the gov-
ernmentiscontinuously
increasing indirect tax-
es, which is burdening
the common people and
there is no exemption
for the middle class in
income tax but the sur-
charge on corporate tax
has been reduced. The
governmentshouldhave
increased the corporate
tax but the government
has done the opposite.
Mann reaches Parl to
raise issues of farmers
Mahesh Kumar
Chandigarh/New Del-
hi: Aam Aadmi Party
(AAP) Punjab’s state
president and chief min-
isterial candidate Bhag-
wantMann,fulfillinghis
responsibility as an MP
in Parliament, raised
various issues pertain-
ing Punjab’s farmers in
Lok Sabha. Mann, on
Wednesday
, left behind
his campaigning for the
Punjab assembly elec-
tion to raise the issue of
sugarcanefarmersinthe
Parliament.
Mann said that about
Rs. 1.25 crore of sugar-
cane farmers for 2020-21
and about Rs. 20 crore
for 2021-22 have not
been paid, due to which
farmers are very upset.
Since, it takes one year
for the sugarcane crop
to grow fully
, so the fam-
ily of sugarcane farm-
ers is supported by this
money throughout the
year. They have to face
a lot of problems be-
cause of delayed pay-
ments and bonuses.
AAP MP Bhagwant Mann
CEO and Editor-in-Chief of the Sahara News Network Upendra Rai presented his two
recently published books Hastkshep and Nazariya to President Ram Nath Kovind during a
courtesy visit, in New Delhi.
COURTESY MEET
UPites will teach
BJP a lesson,
says Mayawati
Lucknow: Asking peo-
ple not to be swayed by
tall promises of political
parties, BSP
s u p r e m o
Mayawati
on Wednes-
day claimed
peopleof Ut-
tar Pradesh
will teach the ruling
Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) a lesson in the as-
sembly polls because of
its “faulty policies”.
“People are suffering
duetothewrongpolicies
of the BJP and are eager
to teach them a lesson,”
she said. —PTI
‘Love Jihad’ crackdown in BJP manifesto
THE PARTY PROMISES TO HALVE ELECTRICITY BILLS AND FAMILIES FINANCIALLY AFFECTED BY
COVID-19 WILL BE GIVEN RS 25,000. SCOOTIES TO COLLEGE-GOING FEMALES ALSO IN MANIFESTO
Dehradun: Union Road
Transport and High-
ways Minister Nitin
Gadkari on Wednesday
released BJP’s manifes-
toinDehradunaheadof
the Assembly polls in
Uttarakhand laying a
roadmap for its develop-
ment over the next five
years as a model state.
BJP’s manifesto for
Uttarakhand named,
“Vision Document
2022”, has promised
amendment of the law
of ‘love jihad’ to make it
stricter, including a pro-
vision of 10 years of rig-
orous imprisonment,
Chief MinisterPushkar
Singh Dhami told me-
dia on Wednesday
.
Theparty’spollmani-
festo also puts renewed
emphasis on infrastruc-
ture development, tour-
ism,stoppingmigration,
employmentgeneration,
empowerment of wom-
en,farmers,horticulture
and dairy development.
Releasing the Con-
gress party’s Unnati
Vidhan manifesto, Pri-
yanka Gandhi an-
nounced that the party
will waive off farmers’
debt within 10 days of
coming to power in Ut-
tar Pradesh. —PTI
Lucknow: Congress
general secretary Pri-
yanka Gandhi Vadra on
Wednesday announced
theparty’selectionman-
ifesto in which the party
announced sops for
farmers,covidwarriors,
teachers and medium
scaleenterprises.‘False’
cases against journal-
ists will also be with-
drawn if the Congress
comes to power, Priyan-
ka Gandhi said.
The manifesto is
what the general public
said and wanted, Pri-
yanka Gandhi said.
“Like Chhattisgarh,
farmers’ loans will be
waived as soon as our
government is formed.
Paddy and wheat will be
purchased at ₹2500 per
quintal and sugarcane
at ₹400 per quintal. Elec-
tricity bill will be
halved and dues of the
pandemic period will be
waived,” Priyanka said.
The manifesto also
promises to provide
reservation in promo-
tion to members of the
two communities.
The party also prom-
ised to provide the bene-
fit of reservation to peo-
plefromDalitsubcatego-
ries and form a commis-
sion to look into their
needsanddrawaplanfor
the upliftment of ‘pas-
manda’ (poor) Muslims.
The party has also
promised to depute an
SC leader as the home
minister of UP to be able
to curb the rising crimes
againstDalitcommunity
.
The party promised
to provide tribal status
toKolcommunitywhich
is listed as a scheduled
caste in UP. In other
states including Mad-
hya Pradesh, Chhatish-
garh and Jharkhand,
they are a tribe. —PTI
POLLS
U’khand
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari along with Union Minister BJP’s Uttarakhand election in-charge
Pralhad Joshi, MP Tirath Singh Rawat, State BJP chief Madan Kaushik, and ex-CM Trivendra,
releases BJP’s manifesto for Assembly elections, in Dehradun on Wednesday. —PHOTO BY PTI
AICC General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra with others, releases party manifesto Unnati Vidhan
Jan Ghoshna Patra at UPCC headquarter, in Lucknow on Wednesday. —PHOTO BY PTI
UP: Cong promises farm
loan waiver in manifesto
BADAL: WILL
COMPLETE
RAVIDAS
MEMORIAL
Chandigarh: SAD
president Sukhbir
Singh Badal said
their previous
government had
started work on Guru
Ravidas memorial
at Khuralgarh on
which work was
not completed
by the Congress
government. “After
coming to power,
SAD-BSP would
complete the work
at the earliest,” he
said, while also
reiterating pro-poor
announcements
made by the alliance
earlier. Apart
from attacking
the Congress, he
also attacked AAP
supremo Arvind
Kejriwal stating that
on every crucial
issue his stand was
anti-Punjab.
Cong engages in divisive politics, BJP
focuses on devp: Nadda in U’khand
Kedarnath: BJP na-
tional president JP Na-
dda on Wednesday al-
leged that the Congress
party always engages in
divisive politics, unlike
BJP which never asks
the identity of people
while implementing de-
velopment schemes.
“Congress leaders al-
ways incite fights be-
tween villages, castes
and brothers. Getting
votes after dividing soci-
ety has always been
their way of working.
But BJP never asks your
caste or village. If some-
one is a resident of Utta-
rakhand then it is our
job to ensuretheir devel-
opment,”MrNaddasaid
while addressing a rally
in Kedarnath.
He further asserted
that BJP leaders share
their report cards while
seeking votes, unlike
Congress candidates.
“You must have seen
that any BJP leader who
contests elections talks
about themselves and
the party’s report card.
But have you ever seen
Congress leaders put-
ting forward their re-
port card?” he asked.
Accusing Congress
leaders of benefiting
from the relief that
came in for the 2011 Ke-
darnath tragedy, the
BJP leader said “When
the tragedy hit the state,
Congress leaders ‘ne
malai khai the’ (took
away the benefits from
the relief that came in)
and left everything in
ruins. PM Modi worked
on establishing this
place. A new story of
development has been
written here.” —PTI
JP Nadda
Yogi Adityanath is a
successful CM. He
has done unprece-
dented work in law order.
He finished 'gunda raj' in UP.
State is seeing development. He
has done good work in health
services, education sector
provided jobs in MSME sector.
—Nitin Gadkari, Union Min
SANKALP PATRA IS
JHOOTA PATRA:
AKHILESH YADAV ON
BJP’S UP MANIFESTO
‘They said they would double farmers’
incomes but this did not happen’
Lucknow: Akhilesh Ya-
dav took on the BJP on
Wednesday saying the ruling
outfit “should observe two
minutes’ silence (for failing
to deliver on its promises)
before commenting on those
offered by his Samajwadi
Party. Yadav said the BJP
“lies in the name of law and
order” and countered Amit
Shah’s ‘mafia’ charge; the
Union Home Minister had
said criminals in UP were
either in jail or on a list of
Samajwadi candidates.
“Announcements made
by the Samajwadi Party in
our manifesto were made
after talking to experts...
this is for the people of
Uttar Pradesh. But if
you see the BJP’s
manifesto, it is full
of lies of false promises...
the BJP’s Sankalp Patra is
actually a Jhoota Patra,”
Akhilesh Yadav told media.
“Lots of promises made...
first was for farmers. They
said they would double
farmers’ incomes but
this did not happen.
The BJP should
observe two
minutes’ si-
lence before saying anything,”
he said. As part of its major
promises, the SP has said it
will make more than one crore
jobs available, make electricity
(for irrigation) free for farmers,
and make education for girls
free. On the ‘mafia’ charge
Yadav said: “It is the BJP
which has given most election
tickets to criminals and the
mafia,” he said. —Agencies

FROM PG 1
INDIA
06
New Delhi: Billonaire
businessman Mukesh
Ambani has regained
the status of Asia’s
richest person, a day af-
ter Gautam Adani had
surpassed the Reliance
Industries Ltd chair-
man on net worth, ac-
cording to Bloomberg
Billionaires Index.
As of February 9,
2022, Mukesh Ambani
is in the 10th spot on the
Bloomberg Billionaires
Index global list with a
net worth of $89.2 bil-
lion. Ambani’s net
worth has eclipsed Gau-
tam Adani’s $86.3 bil-
lion.
The founder of Adani
Group was at the 11th
spot on the list and
holds the status of the
second richest man in
Asia. The development
comes after Gautam
Adani on February 8 be-
came the richest person
in Asia, overtaking fel-
low countryman Muke-
sh Ambani, according
to the Bloomberg Bil-
lionaires Index. Last
week, Gautam Adani
became the richest In-
dian, leaving behind
Mukesh Ambani, ac-
cording to Forbes’ Real-
Time Billionaire’s list.
Last week, both
Mukesh Ambani and
Gautam Adani sur-
passed Mark Zucker-
berg on Forbes’ list of
real-time billionaires
after he lost $29 billion
in net worth as Face-
book owner Meta Plat-
forms Inc’s stock
marked a record one-
day plunge following a
disappointing earn-
ings forecast that
shook the global tech
landscape.
Meanwhile, the
Bloomberg Billionaires
Index has been topped
by Elon Musk with a net
worth of $238 billion.
Musk is followed by
Jeff Bezos, Bernard Ar-
nault, Bill Gates, and
Larry Page.
Ambani is back as Asia’s richest man
New Delhi/Amritsar:
The Border Security
Force (BSF) on Wednes-
day recovered over 4 kg
of RDX, a pistol and
bomb-making items
dropped in two packets
by a drone that flew
from Pakistan into an
Indian farm along the
Punjab border.
A spokesperson of
the paramilitary force
said troops fired after
they heard a buzzing
sound of a suspected
flying object coming
from the Pakistani side
to the Indian side
around 1 am in the Pan-
jgrain area of Gur-
daspur sector.
A search was later
conducted in the wheat
farms of Ghaggar and
Singhoke villages along
the border and the BSF
party recovered two
yellow-coloured pack-
ets, lying about 20 m
apart embedded in the
wet soil, he said.
1st nasal spray
to treat Covid patients
Glenmark launches FabiSpray for adult patients in India
New Delhi: Mumbai
based innovation-driv-
en global pharma com-
pany Glenmark has
launched Nitric Oxide
Nasal Spray (FabiS-
pray) in India, in part-
nership with SaNOtize,
for treatment of adult
Covid-19 patients.
Glenmark received
approval from India’s
drug regulator, Drugs
C o n -
troller General of In-
dia, for spray as part of
the accelerated process.
“Phase 3 trial in In-
dia met the key end-
points and demon-
strated reduction of
viral load of 94 per
cent in 24 hours and
99 per cent in 48 hours.
Nitric Oxide Nasal
Spray (NONS) was safe
and well-tolerated in
Covid-19 patients. Glen-
mark to market NONS
under the brand name
FabiSpray,” reads the
official statement.
New Delhi: India logged 71,365 new coronavirus infections taking the
country's total tally of Covid-19 cases to 4,24,10,976, while the active
cases declined to 8,92,828, according to the Union Health Ministry data
updated on Wednesday. The death count climbed to 5,05,279 with 1,217
fresh fatalities, the data updated at 8 am stated.
INDIA RECORDS 71,365 NEW COVID CASES
Explosives, gun
smuggled by
Pak drone,
recovered: BSF
Modi has misused Parl for
political gains, says Kharge
New Delhi: Leader of
Opposition in the Rajya
Sabha and senior Con-
gress leader Mallikar-
jun Kharge on Wednes-
day said that PM Naren-
dra Modi misused the
Parliament for political
gains.
Speaking to ANI,
Kharge said, “The
Prime Minister was
only attacking Con-
gress and was not an-
swering questions
raised by the party
. Con-
gress party raised is-
sues like China's ex-
treme aggression, ris-
ing inflation in the
country, unemploy-
ment, crisis arising out
of Pegasus and Covid in
front of the govern-
ment, but the PM did
not say anything on
these issues.”
He further slammed
the Prime Minister stat-
ing that he should have
kept in mind the digni-
ty of the post he is oc-
cupying.
The Prime Minister
should have kept in
mind the dignity of the
post but he talked only
on those issues which
can be used for elec-
tions in five states, if
there is any hate and
anger against Congress,
Mahatma Gandhi, Pan-
dit Nehru and Rahul
Gandhi, he can speak
these things outside the
House and should have
responded to the issues
raised by the Congress
in the House. But the
Prime Minister has
misused the House for
electoral gains.
Mallikarjun Kharge
New Delhi: Con-
gress leader Rahul
Gandhi today took a
jibe at the govern-
ment’s aatmanirbhar
policy pointing out
that the Statue of
Equality was made
in China. He asked if
‘New India is China-
nirbhar’. “Statue of
Equality is Made in
China. ‘New India’ is
China-nirbhar,” he
posted on Twitter
today. According to
the project website,
the 216-feet statue
of Ramanujacharya
was made by a
Chinese corpora-
tion. The contract
for the ₹ 135
crore statue was
awarded to China’s
Aerosun Corpora-
tion in 2015.
STATUE OF
EQUALITY
MADE IN
CHINA: RaGa
New Delhi: Global
automaker Toyota
Motor and fast food
chain Domino’s Piz-
za are among half a
dozen companies
thathaveapologised
to India for social
media posts from
theirPakistanipart-
nersexpressingsup-
port for separatists
in Kashmir, as more
companies got
caughtupinthedip-
lomatic fracas.
The apology
comes after a rare
diplomatic escala-
tion between South
Korea and India on
Tuesday over social
media posts by
HyundaiMotors’Pa-
kistani partner,
which caused an up-
roarandcallstoboy-
cott the carmaker.
Japan’s Suzuki Mo-
tor, majority owner
of India’s biggest
carmaker Maruti
Suzuki, Honda Mo-
tor and Isuzu Motor,
South Korea’s Kia
Motors and Yum!
Brands’ KFC also is-
sued apologies as
criticism grew on
Twitter over social
media posts.
New Delhi: Over 600
Kashmiri Pandit mi-
grant families’ land
has been restored in
the last five years, the
Centre told Parliament
Wednesday, adding that
the government is tak-
ing various steps to en-
sure that such families
can safely return to val-
ley and also can earn
their livelihood with-
out any fear.
“As per the informa-
tion provided by the
Government of Jammu
and Kashmir, the land
of 610 applicants (mi-
grants) has been re-
stored in the last five
years,”Ministerof State
for Home Affairs Nity-
anand Rai informed the
Rajya Sabha.
“Under the JK Mi-
grant Immovable Prop-
erty (Preservation, Pro-
tection Restraint on
Distress Sales) Act,
1997, District Magis-
trates (DMs) of con-
cerned Districts in Jam-
mu Kashmir are the
legal custodians of the
immovable properties
of Migrants. The DMs
are further empowered
to take all steps for the
preservation and pro-
tection of such proper-
ties,” the Minister said.
To ensure that mi-
grant Kashmiri pandit
families do not have
problems to gain custo-
dy of their property, a
portal was also
launched by JK ad-
ministration, it said.
Kashmir
tweet row
entangles
more cos
600 Kashmiri Pandit families’ land restored
New Delhi: Experts
have warned that
the next Covid-19
variant will be
more transmis-
sible, and perhaps,
more deadly. WHO
epidemiologist Dr
Maria Van Kerkhove
stressed that the
future variants will
be in some way
more virulent than
Omicron is now.
NEXT VARIANTS
WILL BE MORE
VIRULENT: WHO
New Delhi: Shiv Sena
MP Sanjay Raut on
Wednesday said that he
has all the evidence to
back up his claims and
would reveal them at
the right time. Raut had
earlier alleged that the
ED has been harassing
him and his family after
he refused to help in
toppling the Maharash-
tra govt. He alleged that
there was a criminal
syndicate involving
the ED and some black-
mailers like BJP’s Kirti
Soumya that he was go-
ing to expose.
The ED officials “are
now reduced to puppets
of their masters”, he
had said and added that
the officials have even
admitted that they have
been asked by their
'bosses' to 'fix' me.
Will expose criminal
syndicate: Sena MP
warns probe agencies
Mumbai: Maha-
rashtra minister
Nawab Malik on
wednesday said
the NCP, Congress
and Shiv Sena will
not only continue
to govern Maha-
rashtra, but will
also come to power
at the Centre by
dislodging the BJP
at the Centre.
BJP’S ILLUSION
THAT WE’LL GET
SCARED: MALIK
Mahesh Sharma
New Delhi: Different
groups have their own
concerns regarding the
next year’s Budget of
the central government.
One of these big con-
cerns is whether the
Central Government
will continue the Prad-
han Mantri Garib Kaly-
an Yojana or will it be
closed? This question is
because the Finance
Minister did not say an-
ything about it in the
general budget. Keep in
mind that at the end of
lastyear,thecentralgov-
ernment had decided to
end this scheme. Then
many states including
Delhi and Uttar Pradesh
announced to imple-
ment this scheme on
their own. Since assem-
bly elections are going
on in five states, the
Center also extended
this scheme by four
months, the limit for
whichwillendonMarch
31. That is, the election
willendinthefirstweek
of March and the
scheme will end on the
last day of the current
financial year. What will
happen after that?
Many experts are
speculating that the gov-
ernment has kept the
budget for procurement
of paddy and wheat
fromfarmersatthemin-
imum support price
(MSP) same as last year,
so it is possible that it
should be carried for-
ward. Keep in mind that
this year the Finance
Minister has made a
provision of two lakh 37
thousand crore rupees
for the purchase of food
grains. Last year it was
Rs 2 crore 42 lakh crore.
However, another fig-
ure in Nirmala Sithara-
man’s budget indicates
that it may be scrapped.
She has reduced the
budget for distribution
of food grains through
Public Distribution
System (PDS) from Rs 2
lakh 10 thousand 929
crore to one lakh 45 920
crore. That is, there has
been a reduction of Rs
65 thousand crores.
That is why it seems
that the Pradhan Man-
tri Garib Kalyan Anna
Yojana may not go be-
yond March 31.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO
GARIB KALYAN YOJANA?
SC GIVES ANTICIPATORY BAIL TO
TRINAMOOL LEADER IN MURDER CASE
DUE PROCESS OF LAW BEING FOLLOWED IN
POLICE ENCOUNTERS: ASSAM GOVT TO HC
DELHI HIGH COURT DISMISSES BAIL
PLEA OF ACCUSED IN A TERROR CASE
New Delhi: The Supreme Court has granted anticipa-
tory bail to Trinamool Congress leader SK Supiyan,
who was the election agent of
Bengal Chief Minister Mamata
Banerjee in Nandigram during
last year’s assembly elections,
in a murder case. A bench of
Justices L Nageswara Rao
and Abhay S Oka, however,
imposed several conditions while granting the relief
to Supiyan. The top court on February 4 had reserved
its order when the CBI had said that Supiyan has been
running away from the investigation in the murder case
of a BJP worker being probed by it.
Guwahati: Due process of law and all guidelines issued
by the NHRC are being followed in all cases of police
encounters that have taken place in Assam since May
last year, the state government claimed in an affidavit
filed before the Gauhati High Court. In the affidavit
filed in connection with a PIL, the Assam government
informed the court that 28 people have been killed
and 73 others injured in police action from May 10
last year, when Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma
assumed charge, till January 28 this year. The Assam
government on February 7 filed the “detailed affidavit”,
a copy of which is available with PTI, as sought by the
Gauhati HCt, which on Tuesday deferred the hearing of
the PIL related to the encounters till February 10.
New Delhi: A Delhi Court has dismissed the
bail plea of a man arrested by Delhi Police
in a case of alleged conspiracy to execute a
series of terror attacks, including in Delhi, to
create instability in the country. Additional
Sessions Judge Dharmender Rana denied bail
to Abu Bakar, who was arrested along with
some others last year. The court noted in the
order passed on February 8 that investigation
in the case was still on and the period for
concluding the probe was already extended
by the judge earlier. —PTI
IN THE COURTYARD
Kohima: The Nagaland State Disaster Management
Authority (NSDMA) has declared a ‘drought of a
moderate nature’ in the entire state for six months
from September 2021 to March this year. The
NSDMA declared the ‘drought of moderate nature’
after taking into account the conditions arising from
rainfall deficiency and poor crop conditions, an of-
ficial statement issued in Kohima.
‘DROUGHT OF A MODERATE NATURE’
DECLARED IN NAGALAND
New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar
will begin a six-day visit to Australia and the Phil-
ippines beginning on Thursday. His visit to Aus-
tralia from February 10 to 13 will be his first trip
to that country as EAM. The visit to the Philip-
pines comes over two weeks after the Southeast
Asian country signed a $375m deal with India to
buy 3 batteries of the BrahMos cruise missile.
JAISHANKAR TO VISIT AUSTRALIA,
PHILIPPINES FROM FEB 10-15: MEA
CRUCIAL READ
As of Feb 9,
2022, Ambani is
at 10th spot on
Bloomberg
Billionaires
Index global list
with a net worth
of $89.2 bn
Mukesh Ambani Gautam Adani
Plane flies...
“Luckily
, all the passen-
gers and crew members
are safe as the aircraft,
which runs on propeller
engines, landed without
any trouble at the Bhuj
airport,” said Gupta.Al-
though the propeller-
powered aircraft flew all
the way to Bhuj safely,
Alliance Air cancelled
its return trip to Mum-
bai, he added.“While 66
passengers arrived in
the flight in the morn-
ing, 61 passengers were
supposed to take the
same flight to Mumbai a
few hours later. Howev-
er, upon learning about
the missing engine cov-
er, the airline cancelled
the return flight and be-
gan the maintenance
work,” Gupta said.

BIZ BUZZ
07
New Delhi: The gov-
ernment is open to
‘some tinkering’ in the
varied rates and hold-
ing period for computa-
tion of capital gains tax
on shares, debt and im-
movable property, in a
bid to make it simple,
Revenue Secretary
Tarun Bajaj said on
Wednesday
.
Under the I-T Act,
gains from sale of capi-
tal assets, both movable
and immovable, are
subject to ‘capital gains
tax’. The Act, however,
excludes movable per-
sonal assets such as
cars, apparels, furni-
ture from this tax.
Bajaj said the cur-
rent capital gains tax
structure is “too com-
plicated” in terms of
varied rates and period
of holding across the
assets and hence needs
a relook.
“We need to rework
the capital gains
structure for
rates, hold-
ing period…
We would be
open to some
tinkering in it
the next time we
get an opportuni-
ty,” Bajaj said at a
CII event.
Asking the in-
dustry chamber to
also conduct a
study on what
are the prevail-
ing rates of
capital gains
tax across the
world, Bajaj
said, the de-
partment has
already stud-
ied the rates in other
nations like India and
the developed world.
“Number one is rate
and number two is the
period for which it is. I
think it is too compli-
cated... that we have
created. For real
estate, we have made it
24 months, for shares 12
months, for debt it is 36
months. We need to
work on that,” Bajaj
said.
Observing that when
any such tinkering is
brought about,
there would be a seg-
ment of taxpayers who
would stand as gainers,
while there would be a
segment who would
lose out compared to
their present tax provi-
sion, the Secretary
said, adding “that be-
comes the most diffi-
cult part”.
Depending upon the
period of holding an
asset, the long-term or
short-term capital
gains tax is levied.
—PTI
New Delhi: To con-
tain the price rise in
edible oils and oil-
seeds, the states
have been asked to
implement the Cen-
tre’s stock limit or-
der on the commodi-
ties without causing
any disruption in
the supply chain and
impacting the trade,
an official release
said on Wednesday
.
The Union Con-
sumer Affairs Min-
istry on February 3
notified an order ex-
tending the stock
limits on edible oils
and oilseeds for an-
other three months
till June 30 this year
and also specified
the stock limits.
The ministry re-
viewed the imple-
mentation plan of
this order in a meet-
ing with all states
and UTs on Tuesday
.
The states were
also briefed about
the current interna-
tional price scenario
and how the Indian
market is affected by
it, the ministry add-
ed.
—PTI
New Delhi: Amid FY23
Union Budget’s focus
on investments, leading
domestic credit rating
agency Crisil on
Wednesday said that
the capital expendi-
ture is “not as high
as it sounds”.
It, however, was
quick to add that
considering that
governments usu-
ally tend to cut
capex during a crisis,
the government has
maintained its focus on
growth-spurring initia-
tives amid pandemic.
The research wing of
the agency said, if one
excludes the `1 lakh
crore of loans to states
for capex included in
the headline figure of
`7.50 lakh crore or
2.91%, the ac-
tual spend in FY23, will
go down to 2.58% of
GDP, which is barely at
par with the revised es-
timate of FY22.
The report also point-
ed out that the overall
number showing a rise
has been ‘offset’
through a reduction in
internal and extra
budgetary resourc-
es (IEBR), which
funds capex of
central public sec-
tor enterprises
(CPSEs).
IEBR has been
budgeted at 1.82%
of GDP for the next
fiscal, much lower than
the pre-pandemic aver-
age (fiscals 2018-20) of
3.33%, it said, attribut-
ing the same to poor
capex execution by
CPSEs lately
. —PTI
New Delhi: The Su-
preme Court on
Wednesday sought a
response from the Fu-
ture group on Ama-
zon’s plea against the
Jan 5 order of the Del-
hi HC staying the ongo-
ing arbitration pro-
ceedings before
an arbitral tri-
bunal over Fu-
ture Retail’s `
2 4 , 5 0 0 - c r o r e
merger deal with
Reliance.
A bench com-
prising Chief Justice
N V Ramana and Jus-
tices A S Bopanna and
Hima Kohli issued no-
tices to the Future
group firms, FCPL and
FRL and said that it
will hear the matter on
February 23 “without
any adjournment”.
The Delhi HC on Jan
5 had stayed the Ama-
zon-Future arbitration
which is going on be-
fore a three-member
arbitral tribunal over
the latter’s `24,500-cr
deal with Reliance.
During the brief
hearing, the CJI ex-
pressed displeasure
over some media re-
ports on his remarks
made on Tuesday while
declining Amazon’s re-
quest to file written
submission in another
case field by FRL seek-
ing a nod to proceed
with the NCLT permis-
sion of going ahead
with the merger.
—PTI
New Delhi: GAIL (In-
dia) Ltd has pre-poned
the supply of gas from
the US and is looking to
contract more LNG
next year as it doubles
down efforts to secure
affordable energy sup-
plies to meet the needs
of Asia’s third-largest
economy, chairman
Manoj Jain said.
India’s No 1 gas trans-
porting and marketing
firm has long-term liq-
uefied natural gas
(LNG) supply contracts
from the US to Austral-
ia and with Russia, sup-
plementing domestic
gas supplies.
“In 3Q (October-De-
cember 2021) we pre-
poned a couple of car-
goes (LNG shiploads)
from supplies that we
were to receive next
year and we did it again
in the current quarter,”
Jain said.
This because US LNG
costs one-third of the
price of gas available in
the spot or current mar-
ket. GAIL has a 5.8 mil-
lion tonnes per annum
LNG contract with US
suppliers. —PTI
New Delhi: Housing
finance companies are
likely to witness a
portfolio growth at
8-10% in the current
fiscal and 9-11% in FY
2022-23, according to a
report. After an im-
pact on their disburse-
ments in Q1 FY2022,
non-banking finan-
cial companies-
housing finance
companies (NBFC-
HFC) saw a sharp
recovery in the
second quarter.
Their on-book portfo-
lio is estimated at Rs
11.6 lakh crore, up 9%
YoY, in the first half of
FY2022.
Going forward, the
g r o w t h
trend is
e x -
pected to continue,
driven by healthy de-
mand in the industry,
increasing level of eco-
nomic activity and in-
creasing vaccination
in the country
.
“We retain our
growth estimate of
8-10% for the on-book
portfolio of HFCs in
FY2022. Further, HFCs
on-book portfolio is es-
timated to grow by
9-11% in FY2023,”
Icra Ratings agen-
cy said. —PTI
New Delhi: India is
witnessing a shift in
mobility trends with
more and more con-
sumers expressing in-
terest in electrified and
hybrid vehicles, as per
Deloitte’s Global Auto-
motive Consumer
Study 2022. More than
a third of Indian con-
sumers have expressed
interest in electrified
and hybrid vehicles, as
the segment sets steam
with India’s focus on
environment friendly,
self-manufactured and
sustainable solutions
post pandemic, as per
the findings of the an-
nual report.
According to the
study, 59% of the In-
dian consumers
were con-
cerned about
c l i m a t e
c h a n g e ,
pollution
levels and
gasoline/
diesel vehicles emis-
sions, indicating that
consumers interest in
the EVs is due to the
perception of
l o w e r
fuel costs, environmen-
tal consciousness, and
a better driving experi-
ence, it noted.
—PTI
Govt may tweak
New Delhi: The ag-
gregate bad loan pro-
visioning by banks
increased in the De-
cember quarter after
falling for the previ-
ous two quarters.
The trend reversal
was mainly on ac-
count of higher
provisioning
by public sec-
tor (PSU)
b a n k s
which fo-
cused on
sequential-
ly improv-
ing the pro-
v i s i o n i n g
coverage ra-
tio (PCR).
For a
s a m p l e
of 29
b a n k s ,
the non-
performing assets
(NPA) provisioning
increased by 4.9% se-
quentially and by
9.7%YoYtoRs31,891.6
crore in the third
quarter. The reading
had peaked in the
March 2022 quarter at
Rs 65,986.9 crore and
had fallen in the two
subsequent quarters
to September.
TheNPAprovision-
ing by PSU banks in-
creased by 5.4% and
19.4% sequential and
YoY respectively at
the aggregate lev-
el to Rs 21,939.5
crore. It
f o r m e d
68.8% of
the total
s a m p l e ’ s
bad loan pro-
v i s i o n i n g
compared with 68.5%
in the previous quar-
ter and 63.2% in the
year-ago quarter. Top
PSU banks including
State Bank of India,
Punjab National
Bank, Canara Bank,
and Bank of Baroda
increased PCR during
the quarter by 60-250
basis points sequen-
tially
. —Agencies
NPA provisioning by
banks sees jump in Q3
New Delhi: Shares of newly listed Adani group firm
Adani Wilmar Ltd extended gains for the second
session surging over 19% on Wednesday on the
back of higher volumes. The stock spiked nearly
38% in the last two sessions. During the day, the
stock surged as much as 18.7% to hit a fresh high
of `314.85 a share on the BSE. At 10.22am, it was
trading at `314, up 18.4% percent from its previous
close. Adani Wilmar price earnings stands at 37.56x,
whereas its peers like Nestle and Britannia Industries
are trading at PE of 81.6x and 54.7x. —PTI
Adani Wilmar stock surges
38% over issue price
Mumbai: Equity benchmark Sensex surged 657
points on Wednesday to reclaim the 58,000-mark
following robust buying in auto, metal and banking
stocks. Strong global cues also
supported the domestic indices,
traders said. The 30-share BSE
Sensex closed 657.39 points
or 1.14% higher at 58,465.97.
Likewise, the NSE Nifty jumped
197.05 points or 1.14% to end at
17,463.80. —PTI
Sensex gains 657 pts, Nifty tops 17,450
SCnoticetoFuturegrouponpleaofAmazon
Shift in mobility trends with
focus on electric, hybrid vehicles
States told to
implement
stock limit order
on oilseeds, oil
GAIL eyes deals to meet
India’s energy needs
Equity MFs log `14,888-cr net inflow in January
New Delhi: Equity
mutual funds attract-
ed a net sum of `14,888
crore in Jan, making
it the 11th consecutive
monthly net inflow.
However, this was
much lower than the
net inflow of `25,077
crore witnessed in De-
cember.
Equity schemes
have been witnessing
net inflow since
March 2021 and the
segment has received
a net inflow of over `1
lakh crore during this
period highlighting
the positive senti-
ments among inves-
tors. Prior to this,
such schemes had con-
sistently witnessed
outflows for eight
months from July 2020
to February 2021 los-
ing `46,791 crore.
Overall, the mutual
fund industry regis-
tered a net inflow of
`35,252 crore during
the period under re-
view compared to a
net outflow of `4,350
crore in December.
The average under
management (AUM)
of the industry rose to
`38.88 lakh crore at
January-end from
`37.72 lakh crore at
December-end.
Within the equity
segment, all catego-
ries saw net inflows
barring value
funds. While the
flexi-cap fund catego-
ry saw the highest net
inflow to the tune of
`2,527 crore. —PTI
HOUSINGFINANCEPLAYERS’LOAN
PORTFOLIOTOGROWAT8-10%INFY2
BUDGET CAPEX NOT AS HIGH
AS IT SOUNDS: CRISIL
CAPITAL GAINS
TAX REGIME

COVID-19
UPDATE
WORLD
57,85,073
TOTAL DEATHS
32,15,70,474
TOTAL RECOVERED
7,44,63,662
ACTIVE CASES
40,18,19,209
TOTAL CASES
INDIA
5,05,308
TOTAL DEATHS
4,10,12,869
TOTAL RECOVERED
8,92,799
ACTIVE CASES
4,24,10,976
TOTAL CASES
08
2NDFRONT
SURATEXPORTSUP2.3FOLDDESPITENCOV
Goods, including diamonds and textiles, worth `7.6K crore were sent overseas in 2018-19, which increased to `18K crore in 2021-22
First India Bureau
Surat: After the COV-
ID-19 pandemic, the
export and business
industries across the
country slowed down.
However, official fig-
ures of the state gov-
ernment show that in
the past four years,
exports from Surat to
other countries have
increased by 2.3
times. In the financial
year 2018-19, goods
worth Rs7,655 crore
were exported from
the Surat Special Eco-
nomic Zone (SEZ) and
which increased to
Rs18, 021 crore in
2021-22.
Surat exports a wide
variety of items includ-
ing textiles, diamonds,
tobacco, plastic, ma-
chines, solar power
equipment. Of these,
the highest export de-
mand was received by
the diamond and textile
industries. The demand
for Surti items has in-
creased in America, Eu-
rope as well as in the
Gulf countries.
Virendra Singh, Di-
rector of General of
Foreign Trade, in-
formed First India, “In
the last four years, the
exports of many units
operating in Surat SEZ
have increased, espe-
cially those selling nat-
ural and lab-grown dia-
monds. Demand for
other items such as tex-
tiles, plastic has also
grown in America and
Europe. After COVID-19
hit, trade industries
closed down but units
in Surat SEZ continued
production after secur-
ing special approval
from the local adminis-
tration. As a result, the
business boomed in Su-
rat. Exports will in-
crease further in the
coming days.”
Known as the hub of
textiles and diamonds
in the country and
abroad, Surat is one of
the highest exporters.
The demand for items
made in Surat is high in
America, Europe and
Gulf countries. Recent
rise in exports has
helped the Surat indus-
trial sector get back on
its feet post the COV-
ID-19 lull.
The state govern-
ment’s impending
Rs12,000 crore subsidy
for upgradation of tex-
tile technology in the
next five years will also
boost business for the
sector. Approved after
representations from
the South Gujarat
Chamber of Commerce
Industry (SGCCI), the
Ministry of Commerce
will also provide 25 to
30% subsidy on capital
investment for small
and medium-scale in-
dustries.
Justice is delayed, says kin of man acquitted
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The
Ahmedabadfranchiseof
the Indian Premier
League on Wednesday
revealed the name of its
cricketteam:theGujarat
Titans. With the world’s
largest stadium as the
team’s home, the team’s
name echoes the ambi-
tious spirit of Gujarat.
Ahmedabad had ear-
lier revealed its three
picks before the mega
auction, to be held on
February 12 and 13 in
Bengaluru: Hardik Pan-
dya (Rs15 crore), Rashid
Khan (Rs15 crore), and
Shubman Gill (Rs 8
crore).
Vikram Solanki has
been appointed as
Ahmedabad’s Director
of Cricket while Hardik
Pandya will be leading
the franchise. Gary
Kirsten will serve as the
batting coach and men-
tor of the Ahmedabad
franchise while Ashish
Nehra has been ap-
pointed as the head
coach.
Siddharth Patel, Gu-
jarat Titans said: “Our
core philosophy of be-
ing both a courageous
and open-hearted team
has inspired every deci-
sion as we built this
franchise from the
ground up. We want
this group to achieve
great things for Gujarat
and its many passion-
ate fans, which is why
we have chosen the
name ‘Titans’. Our aim
for this cricketing fran-
chise is to be one of the
most inspiring and in-
clusive anywhere in the
world, which will help
to underpin its long-
term success and repu-
tation.”
“As we approach the
league’s mega auction,
we are confident that
we will be able to put
together the right com-
bination of players go-
ing into the new season.
We want individuals
that are not only highly
skilled but who are in-
spired to be Titans of
the game. We look for-
ward to starting on our
journey with the pas-
sion and support of the
people of Gujarat, and
hope to inspire and win
over new fans from all
over India and the
world,” he added.
IPL 2022 will begin in
March-end this year
and the final would be
played in May
, BCCI sec-
retary Jay Shah had
earlier confirmed.
Ahmedabad franchise named ‘Gujarat Titans’
CREASE READY
Debuting in 15th
season, Titans will
pay tribute to the
state’s rich
cricketing legacy
2008 SERIAL BLASTS CASE
U-19 heroes feted on sidelines of 2nd ODI
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: India’s
U-19 World Cup win-
ing squad was on
Wednesday felicitat-
ed by the BCCI on
the sidelines of the
second ODI here on
Wednesday.
The U-19 heroes,
wearing blazers, first
watched the second
ODI at the Narendra
Modi stadium from
the stands, as they had
a joyous time seeing
their stars in presence
of head coach Hrishi-
kesh Kanitkar and
other members of the
support staff.
The victorious
squad members could
not get to meet the sen-
ior India cricketers as
they were part of the
bio-bubble created for
the three-match se-
ries. Former India bat-
ter and National
Cricket Academy head
VVS Laxman, who
was with the team in
the Caribbean, was
also present on occa-
sion. And so was BCCI
secretary Jay Shah,
treasurer Arun Dhu-
mal and a few other
senior officials of the
state cricket bodies.
The Board has al-
ready announced a
cash reward of Rs40
lakh for the players
and Rs25 lakh each for
the support staff.
The India U-19
squad had returned
home on Tuesday
. The
squad took the long
flight back from the
Caribbean with con-
nections in Amster-
dam and Dubai before
reaching Bengaluru
on Tuesday morning
and the team then
reached Ahmedabad.
More functions
await the boys when
they reach their re-
spective hometowns
by Thursday
.
An utterly domi-
nant India on Febru-
ary 5 won a record-ex-
tending fifth U-19
World Cup title in
North Sound in Anti-
gua, beating heavy-
weights England by
four wickets in the
summit clash of an ex-
traordinary campaign
that was almost de-
railed by a COVID-19
outbreak.
Hardik Pandya (seen here) is one of the franchise’s three draft picks, along with Rashid Khan and
Shubman Gill. —FILE PHOTO
The U-19 squad looked dapper but were disappointed they couldn’t meet the senior team.
LONG ROAD SHORTENED
About 70% construction of work has been completed on the Narmada bridge, officials said.
Once completed, the bridge will shorten the distance from Vadodara to Dediapada by 20km.
First India Bureau
Ranchi: Jahida Kha-
tun, a 75-year-old
woman of Jharkhand,
was in tears after hear-
ing that her son was
acquitted in the case
related to the 2008
Ahmedabad serial
blaststhathadclaimed
56 lives and left over
200 injured.
Her son, Manjar
Imam, is one of the 28
people who have been
acquitted in the case. A
special court in
Ahmedabad on Tuesday
convicted 49 people.
“We had full faith in
thejudiciary
.Butmyson
has lost 13 precious
years. He got justice but
it is delayed,” Khatun, a
resident of Ranchi, said.
The elderly woman
said her husband was so
traumatized that he died
a year after the incident.
Manjar’s brother Mo-
hammad Safdar Imam
rued that after he was
branded “terrorist”,
they were socially boy-
cotted and even the chil-
dren of the family could
not get admission to
any good school.
“We request the gov-
ernment to expedite
court trials so that in-
nocent are not pun-
ished,” he said.
Imam claimed that
Manjar had not even
gone to Gujarat even
once but attended a reli-
gious meeting in Kerala.
“He had been framed
in the case,” he alleged.
Imam said now the
familyiseagerlywaiting
for Manjar’s release.
In his verdict, which
came 13 years after the
blasts, special judge AR
Patel acquitted 28 ac-
cused, giving them the
benefit of doubt.
Police personnel outside the trial court on Tuesday. —FILE PHOTO
Known as the hub of textiles and diamonds in the
country and abroad, Surat is one of the highest
exporters. The demand for items made in Surat is
high in America, Europe and Gulf countries. Recent
rise in exports has helped the Surat industrial sec-
tor get back on its feet post the COVID-19 lull.
SURTI SWAG
The sentencing
hearing for the
49 convicts
slated for
Wednesday is
now expected to
begin on
Thursday
Of all the things we need to make
peace with - our past and people
who have hurt us - are the most
important for self-growth.
—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO Editor-in-Chief, First India

www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia
facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09
NEELANJANA JANGID IS A
BEACON OF EASE,
SOPHISTICATION, STYLE AND A
WOMAN WHO LIVES AS MUCH
FOR HER OWN INTERESTS AND
DESIRES AS SHE DOES FOR
CREATING A SENSE OF FAMILY
WITH THOSE SHE CHOOSES. IN
AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
WITH CITY FIRST, THE
STUNNING BEAUTY TALKS
ABOUT FAME, FAMILY AND HER
JOURNEY SO FAR!
The
Joyful
The
Joyful
WARRIOR
WARRIOR
eelanjana Jan-
gid seems to be
at ease every-
where. Wheth-
er it’s walking
on the ramp,
acing the
hoardings, fashion
shows, or social media
feeds, this 20-year-old
young star, hailing from
Jaipurissurelyaninspi-
ration for the emerging
stars. Self-acceptance,
however, was hard-won.
Now, she’s basking in it.
Being a supermodel
often means having to
deal with photoshoots,
scheduling and travel
that are subject to
change at the 11th hour.
This year, Neelanjana
Jangid is determined to
maintain more consist-
ent routines. Talking
about her modelling
journey, the diva said,
“My modelling journey
started from Elite Miss
Rajasthan. I still re-
member giving audi-
tions and since then
there has been no look-
ing back. I have evolved
so much as a person and
as a model. I’d also like
to thank Gaurav Gaur,
my mentor and director
Elite Miss Rajasthan for
helping me tap my po-
tential. He has always
been so kind and sup-
portive to the entire
team.”
She further added, “I
enjoy modelling be-
cause it gives me a plat-
form to showcase not
just my outer beauty
but inner beauty and
strength both.
When asked who has
been her source of in-
spiration and lifted her
spirits on bad days, Nee-
lanjana said, “There are
no second thoughts, my
mother has always been
my true source of inspi-
ration. Someone who
hasalwaysbeenthrough
my ups and downs. She
is a wonderful human
being and has taught me
so much, truly made me
who I am.
On asking what ad-
vice she’d like to give to
the teens who are now
showing
huge in-
t e r e s t
in the
field of
fashion
and mod-
e l l i n g ,
the shin-
ing star,
Neelanjana
said, “I am a
strong believ-
er of self-love
and confi-
dence. I’d like
all the ravish-
ing girls out
there to go and
slay! Don’t let the
world rule you,
just believe in
yourself keep go-
ing. Face your
fears never be
scared to own
your flaws!
MITALI DUSAD
mitalidusad01@gmail.com
N
AHMEDABAD, THURSDAY
FEBRUARY 10, 2022

F
A
C
E
O
F
T
H
E
D
A
Y
10
ETC
MANJIRI JAIN, Designer
LEO
JULY 24 - AUGUST 23
Just do whatever you can
do to cheer everyone up.
You will feel financially
comfortable and infant you
are in position to invest money in
some new venture. Your personality
will attract many eligible bachelors.
Spend time talking with likeminded
people as it will make you feel good.
LIBRA
SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22
You are very fortunate to
have a great friend circle.
You are very generous by
nature and also you are the
backbone of your family. Today is a
favourable day for business. You may
postpone your study plans. Be
careful of the words that come out of
your mouth.
ARIES
MAR 21 - APR 20
You are opportunist and
this will make you
successful one day. Your
spouse is someone who
can do anything for your happiness.
There may be delays in property
possession and it won’t effect you.
You are happy spending whole day at
home. Help your mothers at home.
SAGITTARIUS
NOV 23 - DEC 22
You need help on academic
front and you should not shy
away from asking. Your
spouse may make you
spend more than you expected.
Fantastic day for investing money in
stock market as you can make fortune.
You miss your parents a lot and
somewhere fear to loose them.
GEMINI
MAY 21 - JUNE 21
This is the best time try
something new with life
give yourself a new
purpose. You will feel
amorous towards your wife. Work on
your limitations, there can be no
better time than this. You have more
opposite sex friends than the same
and you may be judged sometimes.
AQUARIUS
JAN 21 - FEB 19
Best day to buy gold and
silver or any precious metal
for investment sake. You
love to live close to your
family. You are a child at heart and
never let this child die. You have a big
heart and you always help someone if
you can. Video gathering is possible as
you miss your social circle.
TAURUS
APR 21 - MAY 20
You will continue to enjoy
your good health if you
stick to a proper diet and
exercise regime. You may
finally meet your financial savior who
will help you put the pieces at the
right place. Some of you may assist
your family by organizing a function
or an event.
CAPRICORN
DEC 23 - JAN 20
You continue to stay fit and
healthy and there is
nothing to worry as far as
health is concerned.
Because of limit flow of money, your
financial condition is not stable yet.
Your hard in office will bring your
recognition and appreciation from
your senior.
VIRGO
AUG 24 - SEP 23
You are satisfied with your
health and you enjoy that
feeling. Money will flow
into your life to make you
financially stable. Some of you may
earn good name for being consistent
at work. In social life, it’s a good
practice to avoid blaming others for
our own shortcomings.
CANCER
JUNE 22 - JULY 23
You make sure to make
things work your way. You
are most wanted by your
friends. Never demotivate
someone even if someone is not
capable of doing something. You can
have romantic affair in office and a
serious one. You will invest money in
clothes and accessories today.
PISCES
FEB20 - MARCH 20
Take stand where you need
to, don’t run in the same
direction where everybody
else is going. Visit a doctor
if you have any doubts about your
health. Don’t attack stress even if you
don’t have any. Let go of things that
are not in your control. You want to
have your own house.
SCORPIO
OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22
You may go for a cheat
meal all as a reward for
maintaining good health. If
you have been struggling
with money then that’s a thing of a
past now as money will flow in from
all the directions. In office, you will
support your colleague by sharing
his/her work pressure.
YOUR
DAY
Horoscope by
Saurabbh Sachdeva
ebruary month is very
special. Everyone is
busy finding the per-
fect partner. Love and
relationship occupy
the most important
part of one’s life. Eve-
ryone desires true love. To love
and to be loved is one of the
most basic emotional needs
which is present in every living
creature.
The problem arises after the
honeymoon period of a rela-
tionship gets over. ‘Happily ever
after’ suddenly crashes and
doesn’t seem to exist anymore.
Then we get heartbroken and
nothing in life seems to work.
The good news is, there is a
secret to successful love life. If
we understand the secret for-
mula then we will be able to at-
tract and sustain love in our life
forever. The secret to sustaining
love forever in our life is SELF-
LOVE.
HOW TO LOVE YOURSELF IS
HOW YOU TEACH OTHERS TO
LOVE YOU
Self-love is the unconditional
acceptance of ourselves. It is
taking care of us, on our own,
without expecting anything
from anyone. It is the whole-
hearted acceptance of our mer-
its and demerits. When we love
ourselves, we constantly strive
for our growth and develop-
ment, instead of expecting any-
thing from anyone else. Self-
love induces self-confidence. It
is acceptance and forgiveness.
Our heart is free from all nega-
tive feelings towards anyone. It
is rightly said that one cannot
pour from an empty vessel.
When we start enjoying our
own company and feel peace
within, we find clarity in our
thoughts, and we don’t need any
external validation.
We can't love a person fully
without loving ourselves. Self-
love is the basis to attract un-
conditional love and a prerequi-
site to loving others. We attract
as per our thoughts and vibra-
tions. If we are full of depres-
sion, negativity
, and overthink-
ing, we will attract the same
kind of situations in our life. If
we are filled with exuberance
and joy, then we will again at-
tract the same kind of situa-
tion. Self-love heals heartache
and uplifts emotionally and
spiritually
. Self-love is fulfilling
ourselves with all the love we
deserve. When we are filled
with self-love, we attract people
who love us in the same way
. We
attract what we are. No one can
love us more than we love our-
selves. After all, we can never
attract more than what we are
capable of holding.
BE YOUR REASON
TO SMILE
Self-love saves us from toxic
relations. Many of us get into
depression when our love life
fails to give us the happiness
we deserve. Self-love heals our
hearts and soul. It helps to
move on and let go of all the
toxicity which does not serve
us anymore. Self-love heals a
broken and wailing heart
quickly. When we are sub-
merged in the soothing and di-
vine energy of self-love, we
don't mourn over someone who
doesn’t understand our worth.
We are so self-contented and
our self-respect is so high that
we don't let anyone else tarnish
or damage our self-respect.
Self-love helps us to let go and
move on quickly from adverse
situations that no longer serve
our highest purpose.
Self-love is taking care of
our own body, mind, and soul.
It also involves making diffi-
cult decisions for the better-
ment of ourselves, even if they
appear to be very difficult at
the present.
Self-love is nurturing the
soul and spreading the divine
benediction through our mind
and body. It is accepting the
challenges of life and master-
ing the art to overcome them
with dignity and grace.
If we want to attract un-
conditional love, then we
must have unconditional
love within us. There is a
huge difference between self-
love and being selfish. Strive to
understand the difference, so
that we can offer ourselves the
true divine love which we de-
serve. Blessings or abundance
are bestowed by the universe
when we are filled with self-
love.
In February, when love is in
the air, before expecting any-
thing from anyone else, start
loving yourself. Be your valen-
tine. Be your sunshine and your
reason to smile. Your heart is
full of love and believes me, you
deserve it more than anyone
else.
…..MAKE YOUR PRECIOUS
LITTLE HEART HAPPY
ESHITA SINGH
eshitasingh07396@gmail.com
is in the air
is in the air
F
LOVE
LOVE

11
alling in love
happens as
quickly as
falling asleep.
In a jiffy
, your
world goes
from aware
and alert to dreamy
and wandering. Be-
ing in a relationship
with someone you
love is easy. It’s
keeping the ro-
mance alive that
gets tougher and
tougher. And as they
say, actions speak
louder than words.
Now that leaves a lot
of us befuddled,
doesn’t it? Finding
the right gift to con-
vey exactly what
you want to, in a
manner that makes
your sweetheart fall
in love with you all
over again may not
be everyone’s forte.
But as valentine’s
week is going in full
swing across the
world, it has become
easier for couples to
celebrate the days
of love by doing
unique and loving
gestures for each
other. After cele-
brating Chocolate
Day on February 9,
lovebirds are all set
to ring in Teddy
Day with their
partners on Thurs-
day, February 10.
Teddy Day falls on
the fourth day of
Valentine’s Week.
People in love gift
their partners a
cuddly teddy bear
on this day. The
idea is to give your
beloved a plush toy
to express your
love for the person
and make them
happy. After all, a
cute teddy bear can
easily liven up
their distressed
mood and bring a
smile to their faces.
Additionally, some
people consider
teddy bears one of
the most loved
soft toys, and per-
haps that is why
there is a special
day dedicated to
them during Valen-
tine’s week.
MITALI DUSAD
mitalidusad01@gmail.com
F
The Mushy
Teddies are just
another reason,
just another way
to say I care for
you and will be
there forever by
your side. Happy
Teddy Day! As the
love birds all
across celebrate
teddy day today,
City First spoke to
a few readers from
Rajasthan, Delhi,
Uttar Pradesh and
Gujarat to know
their plans for the
much-awaited day
for girls!
I am a die
hard romantic
person. For
me cute gestures
hold a huge part
in any relation-
ship. And so these
days of Valentines
week are also very spe-
cial. I am really looking forward to
my partner gifting me a cute teddy
or may be a keychain or anything
special. —ARUSHI JAIN, RAJ
People in love
gift their part-
ners a cuddly
teddy bear on
this day. And though
teddy’s aren’t a usual
gift for a man, I make
sure to make my partner
super happy and like every
year, this teddy’s day too I have a
surprise for my loved one. A huge
teddy similar to her height.
—MANAV ARORA, GUJ
Teddy bears can
be the sweetest
and most ador-
able things one
can gift their part-
ner. These soft toys
carry a charm that can
make one feel loved. It
symbolises love and inno-
cence we had in our childhood, and
so, teddy bears are gifted to remind
us of the innocent and pure love.
—AKANKSHA ROY, DELHI
in any relation-
ship. And so these
days of Valentines
week are also very spe-
teddy’s aren’t a usual
gift for a man, I make
sure to make my partner
super happy and like every
ner. These soft toys
carry a charm that can
make one feel loved. It
symbolises love and inno-
Most of us are too
busy chasing suc-
cess in our careers
and chasing our
dreams that we forget to
pause for a second and tell
loved ones how much they
mean to us. There is always
this one person who makes
life so much easier and
smooth. Loving relationships
also strengthen your mental
health. Give all the teddy
bears, roses you can, this is
the week to show love.
— SUKANSHA
KULSHRESHTHA, UP
alling in love
happens as
quickly as
falling asleep. Most of us are too
I honestly feel this
week should be cel-
ebrated with your loved
ones. It’s not that whole
year people keep on lov-
ing each other, they fight
and have problems amongst
them. So this week might
add on some love to the
bond by showing affection
through gifts, chocolates,
teddy bears and all things
love. —AKASH PANDEY, UP
I honestly feel this
ETC

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