13102021 first india ahmedabad (1)

First India Bureau
Silvassa: With domes-
tic coal supplies inter-
rupted by heavy rainfall
in coal-producing states
and international sup-
plies declining due to
heavy buying from Chi-
na, authorities in the
Dadra and Nagar Haveli
district have asked con-
sumers to choose be-
tween higher tariffs and
power cuts.
Rather than taking a
unilateral decision, the
chief engineer at the
Dadra & Nagar Haveli
Power Distribution Cor-
poration Ltd (DNHPD-
CL) has written to the
DISCOM’s high-tension
consumers, explaining
the situation and asking
for suggestions on how
to move forward.
In the letter, the ad-
ministration states that
short supplies Turn to P6
TWO SECYS FIRED
The state government with an immediate has ter-
minated the services of secretary KM Jadhav, and
Special secretary MP Rawal. KA Patel is transferred
and appointed as Special secretary NARMADA, water
supplies and Kalpsar. The General Administration
Department has transferred 12 chief engineers of
Roads and Buildings Department as well.
DNH asks industrial users to pick
between power cuts and tariff hike
CORONA CATASTROPHE
GUJARAT
INDIA
15,943
new cases
228
new fatalities
22
new cases
00
new fatalities
New Delhi: Express-
ing concern about “se-
lective outrage” over
human rights, Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi said on Tuesday
that viewing human
rights from a political
lens is dangerous for
democracy.
“Some people charac-
terise human rights
from their own perspec-
tive these days. They
see human rights viola-
tions in some cases but
not in other similar
cases. We have to be
wary of such people,”
PM Modi said at an
event to mark the 28th
Foundation Day of the
National Human Rights
Commission. Union
Home Minister Amit
Shah and NHRC Chair-
person and former Su-
preme Court judge
Arun Mishra also spoke
at the event.
“Looking at human
rights with an eye on
political gains and loss
harms these rights as
well as democracy,”
Modi added.
Talking about the In-
dian freedom struggle,
Modi said: “We fought
for our rights across
centuries and, as a
country and society, al-
ways protested against
injustice and tyranny,”
PM Modi remarked.
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AHMEDABAD l WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2021 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/79050 l Vol 2 l Issue No. 317
OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR, AHMEDABAD, LUCKNOW & NEW DELHI
AIRLINES CAN
OPERATE DOMESTIC
FLIGHTS AT FULL
CAPACITY FROM
OCTOBER 18: GOVT
CRUCIAL READ
SENSEX JUMPS 148.53 POINTS TO HIT
ANOTHER CLOSING HIGH OF 60,284.31;
NIFTY ADVANCES 46 POINTS TO 17,991.95.
ASTHANA’S APPT: HC
DISMISSES PLEA
GIRL WHO ATTEMPTED
SUICIDE, TOPS CLASS X
New Delhi: Delhi HC
on Tuesday dismissed
the PIL challenging IPS
Officer Rakesh Asthana’s
appointment as Commis-
sioner of Delhi Police.
The division bench of
Chief Justice D.N Patel
and Justice Jyoti Singh,
which had reserved the
final order in the case
last month, pronounced
the judgement.
Karnataka: After recover-
ing from a suicide attempt
when her family failed to
pay school fees and the
institution denying a hall
ticket for the examina-
tion, a 16-year-old girl,
Greeshma Nayak, hailing
from Koratagere town in
Tumakuru district of Kar-
nataka topped the SSLC
(Class X) supplementary
examination.
Govt asks CIL to raise coal supply to power plants
during Puja, augment it further after October 20
POWER
OUTAGE
GOAL
COAL
Selective outrage on human
rights violations dangerous: PM
Cops foil terror attack in Delhi,
Pak-based terrorist nabbed
New Delhi: The Delhi
Police on Tuesday
claimed to have arrested
a Pakistan-based terror-
ist who was planning an
attack in the capital. The
terrorsuspectwasappre-
hendedfromEastDelhi’s
Laxmi Nagar where he
was allegedly living un-
der a fake name. Police
recovered an AK-47 rifle,
a hand grenade, pistols
and ammunition from
his hideouts. The ac-
cused,identifiedasMohd
Ashraf Ali, has been
bookedundersectionsof
theUAPAAct Explosives
Act and Arms Act.
Congress delegation to meet President
Ram Nath Kovind over Lakhimpur Kheri
New Delhi: The Con-
gress delegation led by
Rahul Gandhi will meet
President Ram Nath Ko-
vind on Wednesday over
the Lakhimpur Kheri
incident, sources said
on Tuesday. The party,
earlier on October 10,
wrote to the Rashtrapati
Bhavan seeking an ap-
pointment with the
President for a seven-
member party delega-
tion to meet him. The
delegation will present
a detailed memoran-
dum of facts in connec-
tion with the incident.
CONGRESS PURSUING POLITICAL
AGENDA ON LAKHIMPUR: BJP
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday criticized the Congress
for doing politics on the Lakhimpur Kheri violence and alleged
that the party has been pursuing political agenda to “cultivate
votes” from the unfortunate incident. Addressing a press
conference here at party headquarters, spokesperson Sambit
Patra said, “It is sad that the kind of politics being done on the
Lakhimpur Kheri incident. Some political parties are trying to
cultivate votes especially the Gandhi family, Priyankaji and Ra-
hul Gandhi are projecting themselves as the champion of Dalit
Rights.” “You are seeing what kind of politics is being tried
out in Uttar Pradesh. The BJP has repeatedly said and today I
am saying that what has happened in Lakhimpur Kheri is very
sad and a fair investigation is going on” Patra said.
Shah chairs
‘tripartite meet’
on ‘Gorkha
Problems’
Covaxin for children 2-18
recommended for approval
New Delhi: Union
Home Minister Amit
Shah on Tuesday
chaired a ‘tripartite
meeting’ to find a “solu-
tion to problems related
to the Gorkhas”, assur-
ing that “the Central
government will sin-
cerely try to resolve the
issue”. In a more than
one-hour-long meeting,
the Home Minister also
ensured to conduct the
second round of talks
to discuss other aspects
of the issue in Novem-
ber after the Diwali cel-
ebrations.
New Delhi: An expert
panel on Covid under
the country’s apex drug
regulator has approved
administering Covaxin
for kids and adoles-
cents, paving the way
for the availability of
the country’s first indig-
enous vaccine for chil-
drenasyoungas2years.
Though a last regula-
tory hurdle, in terms of
final approval by the
Drug Controller Gen-
eral of India still re-
mains before the vac-
cine can be launched
officially for kids aged
2-18 years, it is expected
shortly
.
In a statement on
Tuesday, Bharat Bio-
tech said it had sub-
mitted data from clini-
cal trials in the 2-18
years age group for
Covaxin to the regula-
tor which was thor-
oughly reviewed by the
Central Drugs Stand-
ard Control Organisa-
tion and the subject
expert committee.
AMIT KHARE
APPOINTED
ADVISOR TO
PM MODI
New Delhi: Former
higher education
secretary Amit Khare,
who
retired
from
IAS last
month,
was on
Tues-
day appointed as
advisor to Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi on a contract
basis. As higher
education secretary,
Khare, a 1985-batch
Jharkhand cadre IAS,
helped shape the new
National Education
Policy (NEP). P5
PM Modi addresses at the 28th National Human Rights
Commission (NHRC) Foundation Day program. —PHOTO BY ANI
MASSIVE SEARCHES
IN JAMMU & KASHMIR
Srinagar: Security forces
continued a massive search
operation on Tuesday in a
forest area connecting the twin
border districts of Rajouri and
Poonch in Jammu and Kash-
mir, where five soldiers includ-
ing a Junior Commissioned
Officer (JCO) were killed.
CBI CONDUCTS SEARCHES AT HOME OF
FORMER ADVISOR TO JK LT. GOVERNOR
Kashmir: The CBI on Saturday carried out searches on
40 locations in Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi including at
the residences of two senior IAS officers Shahid Iqbal
Chowdhary and Niraj Kumar in connection with the al-
leged illegal issuance of over 2 lakh gun licenses in J&K.
New Delhi: The gov-
ernment has asked
state-owned Coal India
Ltd (CIL) to augment
thecoalsupplytopower
producers to 1.55-1.6
milliontonnes(MT)per
day around the Durga
Puja period, and to fur-
ther scale it to 1.7 MT
perdayafterOctober20,
according to a source.
The development as-
sumes significance in
the wake of the coun-
try’s power plants
grappling with coal
shortages at a time
when the festival sea-
son has already begun.
“Yesterday (Mon-
day), there was a meet-
ing in Delhi and Coal
India was asked to do
(supply of) 1.55-1.6 mil-
lion tonnes (of coal to
power sector) per day
around Puja time; and
after October 20, the
public sector undertak-
ing is supposed to do 1.7
MT per day
,” the source
privy to the develop-
ment said.
The source said the
power plants are get-
ting the amount of coal
that is required for
generation but the
stocks are not building
up as they did not re-
plenish them.
States are
in trouble
and it is
the responsibility
of the Center to get
us out of that crisis
—Ashok Gehlot,
Rajasthan Chief Minister
CENTRE HIDING
TRUTH ABOUT COAL
SHORTAGE: YECHURY
‘SUPPLY AS MUCH
ELECTRICITY AS
POSSIBLE TO DELHI’
USE UNALLOCATED
POWER, DO NOT SELL
IT: POWER MINISTRY
New Delhi: Communist Party of
India (Marxist) General Secretary
Sitaram Yechury on Tuesday alleged
that the Central government was
hiding the
truth
from the
country
over the
power
crisis
and coal
short-
age after
com-
plaints
from various states regarding ther-
mal units facing shut down. Yechury
said, “The minister says that there is
no shortage of coal, but complaints
are coming from every state that
thermal units are closed and power
generation is not happening because
there is no coal.”
New Delhi: Amid reports of a possible
power disruption in the national capi-
tal due to coal shortage, the Ministry
of Power has directed the National
Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC)
and DVC to supply as much power as
available to Delhi DISCOMs keeping in
view their declared capacity. “This will
ensure that distribution companies
of Delhi will get as much power as
requisitioned by them as per their de-
mand,” the Central Government said.
New Delhi: The Ministry of Power on
Monday requested all states and Union
Territories to use unallocated power
only to supply electricity to its consum-
ers in the State and not impose load
shedding or sell it in power exchanges
at higher prices. This came amid
reports of possible power disruptions
in some states due to coal shortage.
New Delhi: Airlines can operate domestic flights without any capacity restriction from
October 18 onwards, the Ministry of Civil Aviation announced on Tuesday keeping in mind the
“passenger demand for air travel”. The carriers have been operating 85 per cent of their
pre-COVID domestic services since September 18, according to the ministry’s order. The
ministry stated in its order that “it has been decided to restore the scheduled domestic air
operation with effect from October 18, 2021, without any capacity restriction”.
new fatalities new fatalities
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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2021 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/79050 l Vol 2 l Issue No. 317
Selective outrage on human
New Delhi: Airlines can operate domestic flights without any capacity restriction from
October 18 onwards, the Ministry of Civil Aviation announced on Tuesday keeping in mind the
“passenger demand for air travel”. The carriers have been operating 85 per cent of their
pre-COVID domestic services since September 18, according to the ministry’s order. The
ministry stated in its order that “it has been decided to restore the scheduled domestic air

NEWS
AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2021
02
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First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: What
goes around, comes
around is a phrase that
is applies universally to
all human beings. It
means that the deeds of
an individual govern
what he shall receive
from the universe. A
similar case was wit-
nessed in the state sec-
retariat, when a newly
inducted minister re-
fused to entertain re-
quests put forth by bu-
reaucrats.
Until the overhaul of
the council of minis-
ters, this particular
minister was just a
first-time MLA, who
had bad experiences
dealing with a few bu-
reaucrats serving in the
civic body and revenue
department of one of
the mega cities. When-
ever the MLA used to
approach these officers
for public projects, they
would either delay or
refuse to entertain him
by citing one or the oth-
er rule. It was a Catch 22
situation for the MLA,
as he was answerable to
his constituents.
In September, the
MLA was made a min-
ister in the new govern-
ment and granted very
important portfolios.
Thinking that they
would receive a red car-
pet welcome from the
minister, the bureau-
crats approached him
with their requests for
plum postings.
However, the minis-
ter bluntly replied, “I
remember how you
harassed me when I ap-
proached you for pub-
lic projects, and now
you want me to recom-
mend your names for
good postings. Think
again. You will all work
where you are posted.”
One of the bureau-
crats, privy to informa-
tion on the matter, told
First India, “They were
stunned with the min-
ister’s response, as
their dreams and hopes
were shattered. One or
two officers even ad-
mitted that they were
paying for their own
deeds. Another said
that they couldn’t ig-
nore people’s repre-
sentatives any longer,
as anyone of them
could go on to rise in
power.”
When bureaucrats got a taste of their own medicine
TIT FOR TAT
lll
A new minister
turned down
requests for
plum postings
of officers
who had not
entertained
him when he
was an
MLA
NOT ALL MLAS MAY GET TICKETS: PATIL
ASSURES THEIR PERFORMANCES WILL BE REVIEWED AND DECISION WILL BE MADE BY PARTY HIGH COMMAND
First India Bureau
H i m m a t n a g a r :
Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) state unit presi-
dent C R Patil has been
deftwithdevelopinghis
political statements to
kill several birds with
one stone. His inclina-
tion towards service
keeps workers’ enthusi-
asm high and keeps
leaders on tenterhooks.
On Monday evening,
Sabarkantha BJP com-
mittee had organized a
page president felicita-
tion programme where
Patil was the chief
guest. Addressing the
gathering, he stated,
“Incumbent MLAs will
receive tickets for next
assembly elections is,
as of yet, unconfirmed.
Their performances
will be reviewed and if
there are any com-
plaints from party
workers, tide may go
against them. We may
have to search for 100
new members to con-
test polls but that also
does not mean that all
sitting MLAs are in
trouble.”
He also asked MLAs
not to broach the sub-
ject with him as the de-
cisions will be made by
the party high com-
mand in Delhi.
Talking about job se-
curity, Patil assured
party workers that
their associates/family
members could count
on the party for em-
ployment. “I recently
helped a party worker’s
son secure a job, who
had worked selflessly
for the party for the
last 20 years. When the
BJP is in power, how
can the party’s workers
be jobless? Many of
our leaders are in pow-
erful positions, head-
ing cooperatives and
other organizations.
They should ensure
that party workers get
jobs,” he asserted.
However, patil’s
words may not be im-
plemented in reality.
After taking charge as
the chief, he had stated
that the party did not
need outsiders but
then, he had admitted
Congress and Aam
Aadmi Party (AAP)
workers.
The ‘no repeat’ for-
mula first introduced
by then Chief Minister
Narendra Modi in 2007,
but it was not imple-
mented. With Patil
vowing to follow in
Modi’s footsteps, it re-
mains to be seen
whether he can walk
the talk in upcoming
2022 state assembly
polls or not.
Patil being welcomed by Sabarkantha district leaders in Himmatnagar.
Gujarat govt is not a
BJP firm: Modhwadia
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: After
Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) state unit
president C R Patil’s
statement on assured
jobs to party associ-
ates, the Congress
party leaders have
expressed outrage
over the implied job
security for ruling
party workers.
In a meeting held
at Mehsana recently,
Patil had stated that
anyone associated
with the BJP did not
have to worry about
getting a job. “There
are lots of organiza-
tions, cooperatives,
and other institu-
tions where they can
find a job,” he said.
Taking a jibe at the
statement, senior
Congress leader Ar-
jun Modhwadia
said, “The Gu-
jarat govern-
ment is not
a firm
owned by the BJP or
Patil.”
He added, “This is
an elected govern-
ment representing
the people of Gujarat.
Isn’t it bound by the
Constitution? It can-
not do injustice to the
qualified youth of Gu-
jarat by giving jobs to
anyone only on the
basis of them being a
member of the BJP.”
Outraged at such
an implication, Mod-
hwadia further ques-
tioned, “Does CR Pa-
til want to give jobs
only to BJP page pres-
idents? What about
the qualified youth of
Gujaratwhostudyfor
years to secure a job,
stay away from their
homes and families to
prepare for exams,
and also spend mil-
lions of rupees?”
Railways drops plan to
convert Gir Forest tracks
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: In its af-
fidavit on Gir National
Park railway line, the
state government on
Tuesday stated before
the Gujarat High Court
that Railways had
dropped its plans to
electrify the tracks
passing through the
animal haven. The pro-
posal had been chal-
lenged in court on
grounds that it could
endanger the lives of
Asiatic lions dwelling
within the park.
D T Vasavda, Chief
Conservator of Forests,
in an affidavit, stated,
“The old railway track
existed even before the
Gir Forest was declared
a national park. Over
153 hectares of land was
allotted to the Railways
for the railway line
within the sanctuary
. In
2019, Railways had sub-
mitted a proposal to ex-
pand the existing meter
gauge line into broad
gauge. The State Board
for Wildlife forwarded
the same proposal to the
state government. The
proposal was to be im-
plemented only after
approval of the central
government, but now it
has been learnt that
Railways has dropped
its plans.”
Meanwhile, in anoth-
er public interest litiga-
tion (PIL), a petitioner
through advocate Amit
Panchal informed the
court that there were
reports about coal sup-
ply lasting only a few
days and that it should
be used only for power
generation. “If coal
supply to power plants
is disrupted, it w`ill re-
sult in blackouts in
many parts of the coun-
try,” stated Panchal.
The petitioner has filed
a petition seeking court
intervention to reduce
coal consumption in in-
dustrial units to curb
air pollution.
Petitioner has plead-
ed that the court should
direct the state govern-
ment to make it manda-
tory for industrial units
to either use Pipe Natu-
ral Gas/Compressed
Natural Gas as clean
fuel for little or no air
pollution.
Electrification of railway tracks in Gir would have led to lion deaths. —FILE PHOTO
Stocking limit for edible oilseed
is meaningless, feel experts
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The
Central government’s
decision to curtail
stockpiling of edible
oils and oilseeds as a
means to curb the up-
ward trend in cooking
oil prices could be a
pointless exercise, ex-
perts say. The move
has also been criti-
cized as being anti-
farmer, on the grounds
that it will affect them
adversely.
On Sunday, the Un-
ion ministry of con-
sumer affairs, food
and public distribu-
tion had announced
that it had “imposed
stock limits on edible
oils and oilseeds for a
period up to March 31,
2022”.
Samir Shah, presi-
dent of the Gujarat
State Edible Oil and
Oilseed Association
said that such orders
are ineffective. “The
new rule does not ap-
ply to imports, which
account for 65% of our
demand. So the order
is meaningless,” he
said, adding that the
timing is not right ei-
ther, with oilseeds
such as groundnut,
soybean and sunflow-
er seed harvests ready
to hit the market.
“The harvest for lo-
cal oilseeds has just
ended. So they are
ready to hit the mar-
ket in bulk. Oil millers
do not have any stocks
at this point, so the de-
partment’s decision
will only hurt farm-
ers,” he said.
Accusing the gov-
ernment of “inten-
tionally framing poli-
cies against farmers,”
Farmer leader Pal
Ambaliya said, “The
government imposes
this rule at a time
when farmers are sell-
ing their harvests,
which means mandis,
wholesalers, and re-
tailers will buy limit-
ed stock from the
farmers. Farmers
don’t have storage fa-
cilities and will ulti-
mately suffer.”
He continued: “Last
year, the government
imported 5 lakh tons
of onions when it was
time for the farmers to
sell onions harvests. A
few months ago, it im-
ported 2 lakh tons of
pulses when farmers’
crops were ready for
the mandis. It is clear
that the government
intentionally harass-
ing the farmers and
halving their income.”
Farmers, oilseed body say
Centre’s move will hurt farmers
waiting to sell their harvests
Edible oil prices have been rising steadily in recent times.
—FILE
PHOTO

GUJARAT
03
Masuma Bharmal Jariwala
Rajkot: In a first, sev-
en female cricketers
have been selected in
the senior women’s
Saurashtra team
from Jamnagar dis-
trict. The team will
play in the Board of
Control for Cricket
(BCCI) one-day Ranji
Trophy tournament.
Speaking exclusively
to First India, Riddhi
Ruparel, who will cap-
tain the Saurashtra
side, said, “It is indeed
a big moment for us,
Jamnagar, our coach
Mahendra Chauhan
and our families. Seven
women senior players
will represent the same
city in a 20-player team.
What we have learnt
under the tutelage of
our coach is not just
cricketing discipline
but life discipline, as
well. My dream is to
play maximum matches
as possible and make
my city and country
proud.”
The 24-year-old holds
a diploma in sports
management and is
currently pursuing a
Master of Commence
(M.Com) degree.
The other Jamnagar
players who made it to
the team are Neha
Chavda, Jayshree Jade-
ja, Dharni Thaptela,
Reena Savasadiya, Su-
zan Sama and Muskan
Malek.
The players have
been receiving coach-
ing from Mahendra
Chauhan, who also
coached Ravindra Jade-
ja of the Indian men’s
side.
Bharat Mathur, man-
ager of the senior wom-
en’s team, lauded the
feat. “It is indeed a his-
toric moment for us
that seven players from
both the senior and Un-
der-19 category have
been selected for the
Saurashtra Ranji
team,” he said, adding
that about 10% of the
400 cricketers who re-
ceive free coaching at
the Jamnagar District
Cricket Association are
women.
7 from J’nagar to play for Sau Ranji team
A mix of seniors and U-19s, they
will be seen in action at the one-day
tourney in Nagpur next year
WOMEN’S CRICKET
Captain and wicket-keeper for Saurashtra, Riddhi Ruparel.
First India Bureau
Junagadh: A govern-
ment-run primary
school has been shut
down for a week after
three of its students
tested positive for
COVID-19 in Juna-
gadh district, offi-
cials said on Tuesday.
While the infected
children from Classes
VI and VII were isolated
at their respective
homes after their tests
came out positive on
Monday, the health au-
thorities have started
testing nearly 300 other
children of the primary
school in Meswan vil-
lage of Keshod taluka,
said a release issued by
the Junagadh District
Panchayat’s Education
Committee.
After the three chil-
dren tested positive, the
committee, which runs
the school, informed lo-
cal officials of the state
education department
that the educational es-
tablishmentwillremain
closed for a week from
October 11 to 16, it said.
The school conducts
classes for children
from Classes I to VII.
The committee also
urged the parents of the
other students, who
came in contact with
the infected children, to
get them tested.
Meanwhile, the ongo-
ing Navratri celebra-
tions in Meswan were
cancelled from Monday
to prevent the spread of
the disease, sarpanch
Ramesh Ladani said.
“We have urged the
authorities to conduct
COVID-19 tests of farm
labourers, who come
here from other parts of
the state for harvest (of
crops). These labourers
do not take any precau-
tions and are unaware
about vaccination,”
Ladani told reporters.
Following a sharp de-
cline in cases, the state
government permitted
schools for Classes VI to
VIII to reopen from Sep-
tember 2, while students
of ClassesIX-XIIandcol-
legesandtechnicalinsti-
tutions had returned to
campus in July
.
189
5 MAX
CASES IN
SURAT,VALSAD
ACTIVE CASES
8,15,909
TOTAL RECOVERED
19
RECOVERED
IN A DAY
10,086
TOTAL DEATHS
00 DEATHS
IN A DAY
8,26,184
TOTAL CASES
22 CASES IN
A DAY
10,086
COVID-19 UPDATE
7 students hurt in police action
over garba event at uni campus
ABVP, students protest; registrar asks how cops could enter VNSGU without permission from VC
First India Bureau
Surat: Seven students
were injured in a
clash with police over
a garba event organ-
ised at the Veer Nar-
mad South Gujarat
University, officials
said on Tuesday.
Surat police commis-
sioner Ajay Tomar has
ordered an inquiry into
the incident that took
place at around 7pm
Monday, when students
resisted a police team’s
attempt to stop the
event, allegedly for vio-
lating the COVID-19
guidelines.
Later, five students
who organized the event
including ABVP state
secretaryHimalaySingh
Zala and campus secre-
tary Ishan Matoo, were
detained and taken to
the Umra police station.
Awomanmemberof the
RSS-backed Akhil Bhar-
tiya Vidyarthi Parishad
(ABVP) claimed that
threepolicevansentered
the university campus,
and several security per-
sonnel got down and
started abusing the stu-
dents over the garba
event organised there.
“When the ABVP
members accompanied
thestudentstothepolice
station,thepolicehitstu-
dents with batons, leav-
ing seven of them in-
jured,” she alleged.
The Gujarat govern-
ment on September 24
allowedtheorganisation
of ‘sheri garba’ (tradi-
tional garba) in housing
societies and on streets
with a limit of 400 par-
ticipants and strict ad-
herence to the standard
operating procedures
(SOPs). Umra officials
saytherethegarbaevent
had more than 500 par-
ticipants.
“The students say
seven of them were in-
jured in a baton-charge
by the police, but we will
be able to say anything
only after receiving the
medical report,” Zone
III DCP (in-charge) KF
Baloliya said.
After gheraoing the
Umra police station for
two hours on Monday
night, the students also
had Minister of State
(Home) Harsh Sanghvi
intervene, following
whichInspectorKIModi
is believed to be apolo-
gized to the students.
Meanwhile, VNSGU
registrarJaideepChaud-
hary said he has written
toInspectorModiasking
how the police entered
the campus without the
permission of Vice
Chancellor Kishore
Chavda, who has inci-
dentally been unavaila-
ble for comment.
The ABVP has called
for action against the po-
lice personnel involved.
Students and ABVP members protested on Tuesday as well.
OFFICIAL RESPONSE
Southwest monsoon
withdraws from
Gujarat, IMD says
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The
southwest monsoon
withdrew from Gu-
jarat on Tuesday,
the India Meteoro-
logical Department
(IMD) said, adding
that this was the
second most-de-
layed withdrawal
of the SW monsoon
since 1960.
Gujarat received
96.37% of its long pe-
riod average rainfall
so far this season, ac-
cording to the State
Emergency Opera-
tion Centre (SEOC).
The withdrawal of
the monsoon com-
menced last Wednes-
day and it receded
from some parts of
west Rajasthan and
Gujarat.
“The southwest
monsoon has with-
drawn from the en-
tire Gujarat state to-
day,” the IMD’s
Ahmedabad centre
said in its afternoon
weather bulletin.
Zone-wise, Sau-
rashtra received the
highest 115.87% of
its long average rain-
fall of 30 years this
season, followed by
Kutch with 112.09%,
south Gujarat with
94.56%, east-central
Gujarat with 84.13%
and north Gujarat
with 71.92%, the
SEOC said.
D i s t r i c t - w i s e ,
Devbhumi-Dwarka
received the highest
amount of rainfall at
143.57% this season,
followed by Jamna-
gar with 140.34%, Ra-
jkot with 135.80%,
Junagadh with
130.03% and Por-
bandar with 125.17%.
Aravalli and Dang
districts received the
lowest rainfall at
62.58% and 69.96%,
respectively, the
SEOC said.
This year, the state
received the highest
426.21mm rainfall
last month, more
than the combined
rainfall in June
(120.38mm), July
(176.70mm) and Au-
gust (65.32mm), it
said.
3primaryschoolstudents
testpositiveforCOVID-19
AMC’s new parking policy
likely to get govt nod soon
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The city
could soon see a new
parking policy meant
to ease traffic snarls
on the roads.
The standing commit-
tee of the Ahmedabad
Municipal Corpora-
tion has approved the
policy--proposed by the
executive wing a few
weeks ago--without any
major change, officials
said on Tuesday
. The
state government will
consider the parking
policy and approve it in
two weeks. The policy
will cover a number of
issuesrelatedtoparking
in public places, malls,
public roads, and
around residential are-
as in Ahmedabad. The
issues of free parking
and paid parking will
also be covered.
Along with this, the
allocation of parking
space on one side of the
road on roads with a
width of 12m or more on
public roads has been
considered. In addition,
the possibility of using
an app or technology to
makeadvancepayments
for parking is being con-
sidered. And 10% of all
parking spaces could be
reserved for senior citi-
zens and persons with
disabilities.
Parking could now
cost Rs10-15 per hour for
two-wheelers and Rs20-
25 for four-wheelers, de-
pending on the area,
with these charges be-
ing used for road resur-
facing and patchwork.
Parking spaces
would be moved away
from traffic junctions
and zebra crossings,
and an annual permit
for parking spaces is
being considered.
COVID-19 testing in Ahmedabad. --FILE PHOTO
—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI
FESTIVE FERVOUR
Clockwise from top: Young girls dance the ‘Aghora Nagada Raas’ that is held on three days during Navratri to appease
Goddess; Workers give final touches to an effigy of demon king Ravana, who was killed by Lord Ram to rescue his wife Sita,
ahead of Dussehra in Ramol area of the city; Devotees pray to Goddess Durga, who slayed demon Mahishasur, in a pandal
erected at the Kalibari in Ahmedabad on Tuesday. —PHOTOS BY HANIF SINDHI RAVI GONDALIYA

PERSPECTIVE
04
lVol2lIssueNo.317
l RNINO.GUJENG/2019/79050.
Printed and published by Anita
Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Ex-
press Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar
Printing Planet Survey No.148P,
Changodar-Bavla Highway, Tal. San-
and, Dist. Ahmedabad. Publishedat
D/3023rdFloorPlotNo.35Titanium
Square,SchemeNo.2,ThaltejTaluka,
Ghatlodiya,Ahmedabad.
Editor-In-Chief:JagdeeshChandra.
Editor:AnitaHadaSangwanresponsible
forselectionofnewsunderthePRBAct
SPIRITUAL SPEAK
One moment can change
a day, one day can change
a life, and one life can
change the world.
—Buddha
IN-DEPTH
Ravi Shankar Prasad
@rsprasad
India’s BHIM-UPI that
revolutionised digital payments in
India, is now going global. Rupay
global cards is now accepted at
over 1.90 million locations in 185
countries worldwide.
Piyush Goyal
@PiyushGoyal
Led India’s intervention at the @
G20Org Trade Ministers’ Meeting in
Italy. The group must forge greater
coordination for free flow of health
services globally. Further, we
need to ensure that sustainability
measures do not become new
trade barriers.
TOP TWEETS
FEAR OVERPOWERS
TRAUMA OF LOSING
ONE’S HOMES AS
TERRORISTS RETURN
fter the recent kill-
ings of Kashmiri
Pandits and Sikhs in
the Valley has had
the impact which is
reminiscent of Kashmir of the
nineties when Pakistan-spon-
sored terrorists forced an exodus
of minorities. After the latest
round of violence unleashed by
terrorists, Kashmiri Pandits and
Sikh families have once again
started trudging to safer envi-
rons of Jammu. The fear of a ter-
rorist’s bullets has overpowered
the emotional shock of leaving
one’s home. Those moving back
are not ready to take strength
from Kashmiri political leaders’
assurances of safety
. No one
could save the minorities back in
the Nineties, and no one will be
able to do so now, presence of the
security forces and Union Terri-
tory status notwithstanding.
The Pandit community would
be especially dismayed as the
BJP leadership had offered them
a lot of hope. All plans of chang-
ing Kashmir’s demographic pro-
file have gone kaput, at least for
now. What assurance the govern-
ment will offer to the displaced
families remains to be seen.
A
oal shortage is
now taking the
shape of a crisis.
And no, states cry-
ing wolf aren’t do-
ing it to malign the Central
government. Tata Power Del-
hi Distribution Limited did
not raise the red flag over coal
shortage to embarrass the
Union ministries of power
andcoal.Wereitafalsealarm,
Union Home Minister Amit
Shah wouldn’t have held a
meeting with his ministerial
colleagues from the two min-
istries. The Prime Minister’s
Office was also likely to take
stock of the coal supply situa-
tion. The situation is grim
across states with power
plants staring at fast deplet-
ing coal stocks. The Central
Electricity Authority’s portal
also confirms that there is an
acute shortage of coal. As on
October 7 there were at least
16 power plants which had
zero availability of coal. The
list of power plants facing
shortage of the dry fuel grew
longer on October 9.
The government is seized
of the matter and is taking
measures to avert a total
shutdown during the festive
season. The Coal Ministry is
stepping up efforts to in-
crease the daily supply to
power plants. But the short-
age is likely to last till mining
of the black gold picks up and
its prices in the international
market come down to push
imports. The Power Ministry
has asked distribution com-
panies not to sell power in
power exchanges and meet
the consumer demand first.
Various parts of the coun-
try have reported power out-
ages.SomelikeUttarPradesh
have ordered that there
should be uninterrupted sup-
ply from 7pm to 6 am both in
rural and urban areas.
COAL STOCKS SEE A DIP;
GOVT STEPS UP EFFORTS
The Central Electricity
Authority’s portal also
confirms that there is an
acute shortage of coal. As
on October 7 there
were at least 16 power
plants which had zero
availability of coal
C
he badly needed to win the
Bhawanipur bypolls in order
to remain the Chief Minister
of West Bengal to reinforce
her mammoth victory in the
crucial Assembly elections in
the state a few months ago.
She was given, perhaps, the
toughest (collective) fight of
her political life. The entire
saffron brigade (nationwide)
had trooped into the state and
the star campaigners did
whatever best they could do
to woo the voters… but as
they say… yeh public hain…
. Nobody can, after all, read
their mind. On May 2, 2021,
the winning margin, as some
political analysts say
, was not
even expected by the Trina-
moolCongresshonchos.TMC
bettered their past record.
PosttheAssemblyelections,
desertionsanddefectionshave
been the order of the day
. But
all these would have been di-
luted if the captain had not
won. With her massive win
against the rookie Priyanka
Tibrewal of the BJP
, Mamata
now stands tall in the Opposi-
tion camp and can claim her
stakeof beingamongthemain
leaders for the Big Ticket Lok
Sabhaelectionsslatedfor2024.
A confident TMC is now
spreading its wings to Tripu-
ra, Assam and even Goa.
But did Didi do the right
thing by roping in Luizinho
Faleiro? Does he have the re-
quired clout left? Can he be a
game changer? There are
questionsgalorebutreplies…?
Even as the TMC is setting
upcampinGoa,thestateCon-
gress unit had taunted “Tri-
namool means grassroots,
Mamata has worked at the
grassroots level and has come
up. But, where is the grass-
roots here (Goa)? This looks
like a BJP strategy…of com-
ing to Goa in chartered air-
craft, offering bags to people,
telling them that we will fund
your election if you join us.”
It may be recalled that
Mamata had mocked the BJP
during the crucial Assembly
elections in West Bengal by
calling them “Bahiragoto”
(outsiders) and now they are
being termed as the same by
Goan “grassroots” leaders.
The Congress in their ti-
rade went on to say, “This is
liketryingtodowhatMamata
Didi alleged the BJP (of do-
ing)inWestBengal,whatthey
were doing to form govern-
ment (before the West Bengal
pollsearlierthisyear),getting
ministers,MLAstodefect,she
is doing the same thing here.”
Meanwhile, the TMC
seems to be extremely seri-
ous about putting up candi-
dates in the state with an aim
to expand its national pres-
ence. The party is aiming to
make “gains” in Tripura and
Goa to bolster Mamata’s stat-
ure as a national leader.
Faleiro, a veteran of four
decades in the Congress and
a seven-time MLA who still
has a considerable influence
in South Goa with a decent
following among South Goan
Christians had expressed his
unhappiness with the Con-
gress in Goa. In political cir-
cles, there are murmurs that
the astute Faleiro may be in-
terested in a Rajya Sabha
ticket from TMC and in turn,
TMC may be banking on his
past experience as the AICC
general secretary in charge
of the Northeast for its own
political gains in Tripura.
Faleiro has been represent-
ing Navelim since 1980 and
was elected from there for the
first time on a Congress tick-
et. In 1984, he won in Navelim
as an Independent candidate
and went on to grab the seat
in 1989, 1994, 1999 and 2002 on
a Congress ticket!
Falerio’s importance and
political relevance in his
home state can be under-
stood from the fact that the
AICC appointed him chief of
the 13-member Campaign
Committee for Goa elections.
With his political acumen,
Faleiro can be put to good use
by the TMC to at least get
them a “presence”. It may be
recalled that he was also the
Tripura campaign in-charge
of the Congress party in 2019.
With the TMC planning to
make its presence felt in
Tripura (apart from Goa), Fa-
leiro, in the long run, can
provetobeusefulfortheTMC.
It may be recalled that this
is not TMC’s first entry into
Goa (politics). In 2012, former
chief minister Wilfred de Sou-
za was a huge catch for the
TMC.Alookbackintothepast
would reveal that since long
(way back in 1963), regional
parties have made their pres-
ence in Goa politics felt and
some have done really well.
The Maharashtra Gomantak
Party and NCP to name a few.
The Aam Aadmi Party,
however, did not have a good
run in Goa so far. But in poli-
tics, as they say… patience
and perseverance matter.
Faleiro’s joining TMC and
thereafter a number of celeb-
rities making a beeline for
Didi’s camp will give enough
boost for Didi’s grand plans to
project her as a national lead-
er to take on the mighty BJP
.
As of now, TMC may have
announcedthatitwillnothave
any pre-poll alliance… but in
politics there are no strange
bedfellowsandthebattleisnot
over till it is fought.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
WILL MAMATA’S GOA
GAMBIT WORK?
S
ROBIN ROY
The writer is Senior Associate Editor,
Free Press Journal, Mumbai and former
Managing Editor, First India
Even as the TMC is setting
up camp in Goa, the state
Congress unit had taunted
“Trinamool means
grassroots, Mamata has
worked at the grassroots level
and has come up. But, where
is the grassroots here (Goa)?
This looks like a BJP
strategy…of coming to Goa in
chartered aircraft, offering
bags to people, telling them
that we will fund your
election if you join us.”
TMC seems to be
extremely serious
about putting up
candidates in the state
with an aim to expand its
national presence. The
party is aiming to make
“gains” in Tripura and Goa
to bolster Mamata’s
stature as a national leader

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INDIA
05
Rakesh Ranjan
New Delhi: Of 10 CPS-
Es under Power Minis-
try, NTPC, POSOCO,
Power Grid (PGCIL)
have earned ‘excellent’
rating for their perfor-
mance in FY20 whereas
four others (PFC,
NHDC, REC, THDC)
have earned ‘very good’
ratings. The point to be
noted here is that de-
spite getting the second-
best score, Power Fi-
nance Corporation
(PFC) has earned the
status of ‘Maharatna’
CPSE on Tuesday.
The ratings of CPSUs is
an annual exercise car-
ried out by the Depart-
ment of Public Enter-
prises based on the
MoUs which it signs
with all CPSEs at the
beginning of the fiscal
year April and covers
the performance of the
company till end-March
next year. Because of
the collation and analy-
sis of data on a large
scale, the report nor-
mally has a lag effect of
one year.
For FY20, the DPE
screened the perfor-
mance report of 144
Central Public Sector
Enterprises (CPSEs).
There are five grades of
rating: Excellent, very
good, good, fair, and
poor. The companies se-
curing 90% and above
qualify as ‘excellent’,
70-89 percent score is
considered ‘very good,
50-70 percent ‘good’, 30-
50 % ‘fair’ and below
30% is rated ‘poor’.
Only Air India, which
has returned to Tata
Group after going
through socialist and
semi-socialist experi-
ments over the last 60
years or so after it was
snatched by a wilful
Nehru government
from Jeh Tata, is fallen
among the companies
rated poor with a score
of 29.
Of 144 CPSEs, four
failed to submit the per-
formance documents
for the period and were
put under the ‘poor’ cat-
egory
.
As many as CPSEs 25
earned the ‘excellent’
rating; 34 ‘very good’; 32
‘good’; 25 ‘fair’ whereas
28 earned ‘poor’. In
terms of percentage,
17% of the CPSEs were
rated excellent, 26%
Very Good; 22% Good;
17% Fair whereas 19.5%
CPSEs were rated Poor.
Not surprisingly, none
of the CPSEs under the
administrative control
of the Ministry of Steel,
Commerce, Coal, Tex-
tiles, Telecom earned
an Excellent ranking.
Of 17 CPSEs under the
Oil Gas Ministry,
none earned an ‘excel-
lent’ rating but six of
them were found ‘very
good.
Of 12 CPSEs under
the Ministry of Rail-
ways, 6 secured ‘Excel-
lent’ and CONCOR got a
‘very good’ rating.
Luckily, none of the
CPSEs under Railways
falls under the ‘poor’
rating.
POWER FINANCE CORP. LTD BECOMES MAHARATNA;
CPSEs UNDER POWER MINISTRY SHINE IN RANKING!
DPE EVALUATES AND RATES 144 CENTRAL PSUS
WHATISGOINGONBETWEENCONGTMC?
Anita Hada
New Delhi: In August,
when Congress Presi-
dent Sonia Gandhi
called a virtual meeting
of opposition leaders,
West Bengal Chief Min-
ister and TMC Supremo
Mamata Banerjee at-
tended it. Before that,
when Mamata visited
Delhi, she had met So-
nia Gandhi after meet-
ing several Congress
leaders separately,
where Rahul Gandhi
was also present.
Later, Mamata’s elec-
toral and political strat-
egist Prashant Kishor
shook hands with the
Congress‘ first family
and the news was that
he was going to join the
Congress. It was also be-
ing said that he got CPI
leader Kanhaiya Ku-
mar included in the
Congress. Meanwhile,
the Congress did not
field a candidate for the
Bhabanipur assembly
seat by-election and the
CPM candidate was
also not campaigned for
by the Congress lead-
ers. All this was an indi-
cation that there was a
synergy between the
two parties, i.e. Con-
gress and TMC.
But suddenly both
the parties have started
fighting and the specu-
lation of Kishor joining
Cong has stopped. On
the contrary
, Kishor has
also started publicly ex-
pressing the shortcom-
ings of Congress. When
Rahul and Priyanka
went to Lakhimpur
Kheri, Kishor made un-
necessary remarks.
However, a new twist
in the dispute between
Congress and TMC
came from Kishor’s
tweet that the fight be-
tween the two parties
increased. Chhattis-
garh CM Bhupesh
Baghel, who went to
Lakhimpur Kheri with
Rahul-Priyanka, took a
jibe at TMC and sug-
gested not to give ad-
vice, referring to Baner-
jee’s loss from Nandi-
gram. The reply was
given through the offi-
cial Twitter handle of
TMC. The Trinamool
termed Baghel’s re-
marks as an attempt to
flatter Cong high com-
mand and reminded
him of how Rahul had
lost Amethi seat.
Think, Baghel’s re-
mark was not an official
comment from the Con-
gress, but received an
official reply from
TMC. Obviously all is
not well between Cong,
TMC, matter of Kishor
joining Cong has also
got stuck. It is also be-
ing said that it is be-
cause of Kishor that
distance between Cong,
TMC is increasing. He
has fueled Mamata, her
nephew Abhishek that
they can be an alterna-
tive to Cong. However, it
is too early to say that
PK’s plan to join Cong
has been put on hold
forever. Ex-Goa CM Fle-
rio said on Kishor’s
joining TMC that
Prashant had met him.
This deepened doubts
about PK in Congress.
Kishor has
started to
express the
shortcomings
of Congress
in public
It was also
being said
that Kishor
got Kanhaiya
Kumar
included in
the Congress
Congress did
not field a
candidate for
Bhabanipur
assembly seat
by-election
New Delhi: Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi and party leader Rahul Gandhi will inaugurate a photo ex-
hibition on the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) office on Wednes-
day. The Bangladesh Liberation War was fought in 1971 for the independence of Bangladesh from Pakistan.
After facing defeat in the 1971 war, the then Army Chief of Pakistan General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi, along
with his 93,000 troops, surrendered to allied forces which also comprised of Indian Army personnel. —ANI
SONIA,
RAHUL TO
INAUGURATE
EXHIBITION
ON 1971 WAR
Of 10 CPSEs
under Power
Ministry, NTPC,
POSOCO, PGCIL
have earned
‘excellent’ rating
for performance
in Fin Year 20
New Delhi: Noting
that there had been a
“deliberate attempts to
defame” Vinayak Da-
modar Savarkar, RSS
chief Mohan Bhagwat
said on Tuesday that
“the real target wasn’t
a person but India’s na-
tionalism”.
Speaking at the
launch of the book
‘”Veer Savarkar: The
Man Who Could Have
Prevented Partition’,
Bhagwat said Sar-
varkar had thought it
necessary to expound
on Hindutva consider-
ing the situation of the
time. The book has
been written by Uday
Mahurkar and Chirayu
Pandit. —ANI
Attempts made
to defame
Savarkar: RSS
Sonia Gandhi Rahul Gandhi Mamata Banerjee Prashant Kishor
PM picks up Amit
Khare as an advisor
Rakesh Ranjan
New Delhi:AmitKhare
(Retd lAS:1985:JH) was
on Tuesday appointed
as Advisor to the Prime
Minister initially for a
period of two years on a
contract basis.
Although Khare has
a lot of credits in his
service records, par-
ticularly his perfor-
mance as Chaibasa
deputy commissioner
in exposing Lalu Pras-
ad’s fodder scam, offi-
cials believe that
Khare’s appointment
may be due to his excel-
lent rapport with a key
Prime Minister’s Office
(PMO) officials, Hiren
Joshi, when the former
held the additional
charge of IB secretary
.
The Adviser post in
(PMO) fell vacant after
Amarjit Sinha resigned
from his post seven
months ahead of his
two-year tenure with-
out citing any reason.
Sinha along with
Bhaskar Khulbe was
appointed in the Prime
Minister’s Office (PMO)
in February 2020.
The Adviser post in
(PMO) fell vacant after
Amarjit Sinha resigned
from his post seven
months ahead of his
two-year tenure with-
out citing any reason.
Sinha along with
Bhaskar Khulbe was
appointed in the Prime
Minister’s Office (PMO)
in February 2020.
New Delhi: The Min-
istry of Civil Aviation
(MoCA) circulated a
fresh circular to all air-
lines and airports in
India, asking them to
provide protocol cour-
tesy support to mem-
bers of parliament at
airports.
“I am directed to
say that instructions
have been issued
from time to time for
extending protocol
courtesy support
to members of parlia-
ment at airports,”
the MoCA letter read.
The ministry issued the
letter after receiving
some complaints of
negligence regarding
protocol. —ANI
Aviation Min asks airlines to
give protocol courtesy to MPs
Some issues of negligence regarding ex-
tending the protocol courtesy to honour-
able MPs at the airport have come to no-
tice of the ministry. The instructions are hereby
every circulated and all concerned are requested
to comply with the same in letter and spirit.
—MoCA Spokesperson
LETTER TO AI AND OTHER AIRLINES...
Aletter was re-circulated to the operators including Air India and other
airline companies when the bids were successfully made which clearly
stated: “Facility of payment through cheque of tickets may be extended to
MPs if they so desire, duty manager facilitation and senior staff of facilitating
for MPs, completion of checking formalities when they report at the airport,
seats of their choice to be allotted to them subject to availability.”
The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) circulated
a fresh circular to all airlines airports in India
VAX OF INMATES AT
SHELTER HOME: SC
TELLS TO MEET DM
New Delhi: The SC has
asked the Collector and
District Magistrate to
look into the issue of
directing inoculations
of inmates, who do not
possess Aadhaar cards,
at a shelter home in
Loni, Ghaziabad. Bench
asked charitable trust
‘Ek Ehsaas Foundation’
to approach DM with its
plea seeking directions
for vax of 13 inmates of
the shelter home. The SC
in its order asked Col-
lector to scrutinise the
grievance of petitioner, if
it is found to be genuine,
ensure that steps are
taken for vaccinating in-
mates without their being
required to travel.
SC ON USUFRUCTUARY
MORTGAGE CASE
New Delhi: The SC has
observed that there is no
limitation period in case of
usufructuary mortgage. A
bench comprising Justices
Hemant Gupta and V Rama-
subramanian was dealing
with an appeal filed by a
mortgagee, who claimed
owner of mortgaged
property on ground that 45
years had elapsed after the
mortgage. SC noted that Full
Bench of Punjab, Haryana
HC has held that there is no
limitation period in case of
usufructuary mortgage.
PARAM BIR SINGH FAILS TO APPEAR BEFORE
CRIME BRANCH UNIT IN EXTORTION CASE
THREE HIGH COURTS GET 17 NEW JUDGES
Mumbai: Ex-Mumbai Police commissioner Param
Bir Singh failed to appear before the Crime Branch of
Mumbai Police on Tuesday. Earlier on October 9, the
Crime Branch Unit had sent an inquiry notice to the
former Mumbai Police Commissioner in connection with
an extortion case against him. It had pasted a notice
at Singh’s Mumbai residence and a team had gone to
Haryana to serve him notice at his Haryana residence.
A case of extortion was registered on July 23 against
Parambir Singh, Sachin Wajhe, others at Goregaon PS.
New Delhi: In new transfers, 17 new judges were on Tues-
day appointed to 3 HCs. This is 3rd set of appointments
after SC collegium recommended various names. Those
appointed as judges to Allahabad, Madras and Gauhati in-
clude 15 advocates, 2 judicial officers. While 8 judges were
appointed to Allahabad, 5 were appointed to Gauhati.4
judges were appointed to Madras. Separately, 3 additional
judges of Gauhati were elevated as permanent judges.
Dept of Justice issued separate lists of new appointments.
IN THE COURTYARD
Jyotiraditya Scindia

New Delhi: The Minis-
try of Health and Fam-
ily Welfare on Tuesday
informed that
97,00,24,165 vaccine dos-
es have been provided
to states and union ter-
ritories so far, through
all sources.
According to the
health ministry,
8,22,69,545 balance and
unutilized COVID Vac-
cine doses are still
available with the states
and union territories to
be administered.
“The Union Govern-
ment is committed to
accelerating the pace
and expanding the
scope of COVID-19 vac-
cination throughout the
country
. The new phase
of universalization of
COVID-19 vaccination
commenced from 21st
June 2021,” it said.
As part of the nation-
wide vaccination drive,
the Government of In-
dia has been supporting
the States and UTs by
providing them COVID
Vaccines free of cost.
In the new phase of
the universalization of
the COVID19 vaccina-
tion drive, the Central
Government will pro-
cure and supply (free of
cost) 75 per cent of the
vaccines being pro-
duced by the vaccine
manufacturers in the
country to states and
union territories. —ANI
INDIA
06
New Delhi: Condemn-
ing the terrorist attack
in JK’s Poonch sector
where one Junior Com-
missioned Officer
(JCO) and four jawans
had lost their lives, Un-
ionMinAnuragThakur
on Tuesday said that
the people who spread
terror do not like the ac-
tion against terrorism
in the UT and the peace
that has prevailed in
last two years.
Speaking to media
during an event in the
national capital,
Thakur said that terror-
ists carry out cowardly
attacks.
“People who spread
terror do not like action
against terrorism in
Jammu and Kashmir,
the peace that prevailed
and development over
the last two years. So
they carry out cowardly
attacks, civilians too
were killed,” said the
Union Minister.
He further said that
the people of Jammu
and Kashmir will not be
divided. “People of
Jammu and Kashmir
will not be lured into
the attempts of creating
divides in society
. They
want to take forward
Jammu and Kashmir
together.” said Anurag
Thakur. —ANI
Anurag Thakur condemns terrorist attack in JK’s Poonch
TENSIONS OF TERROR IN GHATI?
OVER 97 CR COVID-19 VAX DOSES
PROVIDED TO STATES, UTs: CENTRE
8.2 cr vax doses
are unutilized by
states
100 cr mark to
achieve soon says
Health Ministry
CRUCIAL READ
NIA RAIDS AT 5 PLACES IN NCR; IN NEXUS
TO 3,000 KG MUNDRA DRUG HAUL CASE
New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on
Tuesday conducted raids at five locations in Delhi and
the National Capital Region (NCR) linked to the seizure
of 3,000 kilograms of drugs at Gujarat’s Mundra Port.
The searches were conducted at residential premises
and godowns at Lajpat Nagar,Alipur, Khera Kalan, New
Delhi and Noida in connection with the seizure of semi-
processed Talc stones with contraband drugs imported
by Aashi Trading Company.This was the second in a
series of raids carried out by the NIA on October 9.—ANI
ARMY CHIEF MM NARAVANE ON VISIT TO SRI
LANKA, SECURITY TIES ON UPSWING
NCB CHIEF NOT UNDER WATCH, SAYS MAHA
HOME MINISTER DILIP WALSE PATIL
Colombo: Chief of Army Staff Gen MM Naravane is on
a four-day visit to Sri Lanka to explore ways to expand
bilateral military cooperation and discuss issues relating
to regional security chal-
lenges. Gen Naravane’s
visit comes days after
the foreign secry Harsh
Vardhan Shringla travelled
to the island nation and
held extensive talks with
the top leaders of the
country. Indian Army’s
official account tweeted, “General MM Naravane #COAS
arrived in Sri Lanka and was extended a warm welcome
by General Shavendra Silva Chief of Defence Staff and
Commander of Sri Lankan Army at the airport.” —ANI
Mumbai: Maharashtra Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil
on Tuesday stated that the Mumbai Police have not kept
the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) under surveillance
as alleged by the agency’s
Zonal Director Sandeep
Wankhede. “No such
orders have been issued,
I don’t think any agency is
keeping a watch on them,”
said Walse-Patil. The home
minister’s reaction came a
day after Wankhede lodged
a police complaint alleging that he and his team mem-
bers were being ‘illegally stalked’ by some plainclothes
policemen. —Agencies
New Delhi: US Chief of Naval Ops Admiral Michael
Gilday on Tuesday laid the wreath at the National War
Memorial in New Delhi. Gilday, who is on a five-day
official visit to India from October 11 to 15, will interact
with India’s Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Karambir
Singh, in addition to other high ranking officials. Admiral
Gilday is scheduled to visit the Indian Navy’s Western NC
at Mumbai and Eastern NC at Visakhapatnam. —ANI
New Delhi: India is all set to touch the target of
100-crore vaccine doses on October 14 and the
government has started preparing for a ‘mega
event’, a top Health Ministry source said.
The source told that the target of 100 crore
vaccine doses will be achieved on October 14 and
the feat will be celebrated as India’s triumph over
Covid ‘evil spirit’ much like the ‘Vijayadashami’
festival, which signifies the victory of good over
evil. “The day will be celebrated as the victory
of India over the evil spirit of Covid,” the source
said. The government is pushing its boundaries
to achieve the target of 100 crore doses by that
day, he added.
The Health Ministry has planned to celebrate
this in a grand manner on ‘Vijayadashami’ to
symbolically register the victory over Covid. All
the concerned departments have been instructed
to be prepared in advance to disseminate the
achievement via media to make people aware
about it. The mega celebration will involve front-
line workers, and healthcare staff. —ANI
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on
Monday said that India will soon be admin-
istering over 100 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses
in the coming days, adding that the achievement
will be a pride for the country.
Speaking to sources, Mandaviya said, “So
far we have administered over 95 crores doses
of COVID-19 vaccine and 73 per cent of the
beneficiaries who are above 18 years
are vaccinated. Second Doses are
also being administered rap-
idly.100 crore vaccines will be
administered in the coming days,
which will be an achievement for
the country. It will be a matter of
pride for us”. The government
of India decided to expand its
vaccination drive by allow-
ing everyone above 18 to
be vaccinated from May
1, and no looking back
since then. —ANI
INDIA TO ACHIEVE 100 CR-VAX TARGET
ON OCT 14, BIG PLANS BY CENTRE
100 CR MARK WILL BE A MATTER OF
PRIDE FOR ENTIRE NATION: MANDAVIYA
Mumbai: As Covid-19
cases continue to decline
in the Maharashtra, the
govt has allowed multi-
plexes, drama theatres,
and auditoriums to
reopen from October 22.
From mandatorily using
Aarogya Setu application
to digital payments, the
Maharashtra govern-
ment has released certain
SOPs on Tuesday for
reopening these places.
Multiplexes, drama
theatres, and auditoriums
are reopening in the state
after 18 months. Since
March 2020, drama thea-
tres and multiplexes in
Maharashtra have been
shut down. —Agencies
Cinemas to reopen in Maha from Oct 22
US CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS LAYS
WREATH AT NATIONAL WAR MEMORIAL
Akhilesh Yadav in Kanpur during Samajwadi Vijay Yatra.
Mansukh Mandaviya
Union Minister Anurag Thakur speaking to media on Tuesday.
New Delhi: Prime Min-
ister Narendra Modi on
Tuesday paid tribute to
Rajmata Vijaya Raje
Scindia on the occasion
of her birth anniversa-
ry and attributed peo-
ple’s trust in the
Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) to her saying that
she worked among peo-
ple and strengthened
the party
.
Vijaya Raje Scindia,
popularly known as Ra-
jmata of Gwalior was
born on October 11, 1919
at Sagar in Madhya
Pradesh. After complet-
ing her education, she
was inspired by the free-
dom movement and
joined the struggle for
independence. Rajmata
Vijay Raje Scindia be-
lieved in educating the
girl child and women
empowerment. In post-
independence India, ed-
ucation for girls entered
a new phase. It was to
meet this need for an all-
round Indian education
stressing on Indian val-
ues, religions, and cul-
ture that she worked for
the education of girls
and women. Scindia re-
mained a Member of
Parliament for many
years between 1957 and
1998. She was actively
engaged in different so-
cial activities especially
in the field of women
empowerment and
worked closely with var-
ious organizations upli-
fiting women. —ANI
PM Modi pays tribute to Rajmata
Vijaya Raje Scindia on her Jayanti
BJPbetrayed‘Ganga
Maiya’,it’sstillindirty
condition:Akhilesh
New Delhi: Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi on Tuesday
condoled the demise
of the Indian Farmers
Fertiliser Cooperative
Limited (IFFCO) chair-
man Sardar Balvinder
Singh Nakai. “Sardar
Balvinder Singh Nakai
Ji was a doyen of
the agriculture and
cooperatives sector.
He made pioneering
contributions towards
empowering farmers.
His passing away is
saddening. Condo-
lences to his family
and well-wishers. May
his soul rest in peace,”
tweeted PM Modi.
Nakai, who passed
away on Monday, was
86 and had been part
of the cooperative
movement for the last
three decades. —ANI
PM CONDOLES
DEMISE OF
IFFCO
CHAIRMAN
Narendra Modi@narendramodi
Tributes to Rajmata Vijaya Raje Scindia Ji on
her Jayanti. Hers was a life totally dedicated to
Jan Seva. She was bold and kind. If the BJP has
emerged as a Party the people trust, it is because
we had stalwarts like Rajmata Ji who worked
among people and strengthened the Party.
Kanpur: Former UP
CM and Samajwadi Par-
ty leader Akhilesh Ya-
dav on Tuesday accused
the BJP of betraying
‘Ganga Maiya’ and leav-
ing it in the same dirty
conditions as it was be-
fore. Yadav who was ad-
dressing a rally in Kan-
pur, part of his Sama-
jwadi Vijay Yatra, al-
leged that this govern-
ment has betrayed peo-
ple.
“BJP has betrayed
Ganga Mayya, it is still
dirty as it was earlier.
Kanpur is a big city.
Here there is business,
employment. The peo-
ple of Kanpur have seen
their ruin. BJP’s Center
and UP Government
have cheated farmers,
snatched jobs, inflation
has increased. BJP govt
has betrayed people,”
SP leader said. Yadav
expressed his hope that
his ongoing Samajwadi
Vijay Yatra will wipe
out the BJP in the com-
ing assembly elections.
Ahead of the 2022
Assembly polls, Akh-
ilesh Yadav has em-
barked on the SP’s ‘Sa-
majwadi Vijay Yatra’
from Tuesday. —ANI
Srinagar: The Indi-
an Army is vigilant
and won’t allow
any infiltration into
Jammu and Kash-
mir, a senior Army
officer Pandey
said, adding, there is no
need to add or reduce
troops deployed at the
LoC. Speaking to report-
ers at the Sher-i-Kashmir
International Convention
Centre (SKICC) GoC
of the Srinagar-
based 15 Corps Lt
General DP Pandey
said terrorists
across the border
will try to make
last-ditch efforts to
infiltrate into India before
the onset of winter, but
we are committed to
stop any infilteration.
Pandey added that the
civilian killings are highly
condemnable. —PTI
WILL NOT ALLOW ANY INFILTRATION
ACROSS LOC: LT GEN PANDEY
New Delhi: After spate of kill-
ings in Kashmir, the Congress
has upped its ante and has cor-
nered the govt over the security
issue in Kashmir and violence in
Lakhimpur Kheri. Senior Cong
leader Kapil Sibal said, “Militan-
cy continues in JK, no end in
sight. Our brave soldiers, offic-
ers martyred, innocent gutsy citizens (a chemist,
a teacher) being targeted and killed.” Sibal further
said, “Modi ji, have you forgotten the promises
you made or were those too ‘jumlas’ as the Home
Minister might say!” —Agencies
SIBAL ATTACKS GOVT OVER
SECURITY SITUATION IN KASHMIR
DNH asks...
have led to an abnormal
increase in the price of
power, which currently
costs Rs14-16 per kilo-
watt-hour (kwh) in the
open market, where the
corporationisprocuring
power to meet industrial
consumer demand.
It further states that
the approved power pur-
chase cost is around
Rs4.96 per kwh.
The letter also says
that procurement of
power at such abnormal
prices from the open
market will result in an
abnormal increase in
Fuel and Power Pur-
chase Cost Adjustment
(FPPCA).Asaresult,the
corporation has asked
industrialunitstochoose
between load shedding
or procuring power at
the increased FPPCA.
FROM PG 1

TALKING POINT
07
ne is able to comprehend the
profound spiritual signifi-
cance of worshiping Ma
Durga only if one is con-
stantly striving to awaken
the inner primordial cosmic
energy. Durga is synony-
mous to Shakti, who is per-
sonification of strength,
beauty, creativity, wisdom,
mystery
, anger, compassion,
fear, power and profundity
in this universe. These qual-
ities are reflected in each
individual, in different
events and in this universe
as a whole. Other attributes
associated with Ma are
sword (power of discretion),
bow (intellect), arrow (wis-
dom),conch(soundof bliss),
rosary (the thread that
binds all in prayerfulness),
mace (truth) and the lion
(fearlessness).
The Divine Mother has
three major forms: Durga,
the Goddess of defence;
Lakshmi, the Goddess of
wealth;SaraswatitheGod-
dess of knowledge. Dur-
ing the 9 nights and 10
days of Navratri, these
three forms are invoked.
Navratri celebrates and hon-
ors the 9 different aspects of
Mother Divine, also known
as Nav Durga:
Shailaputri, Brahmacha-
rini, Chandraghanta, Kush-
manda, Skandamata,
Katyayani, Kaalratri, Ma-
hagauri and Siddhidyatri.
The Navratri which falls in
the month of Ashada and
Magha is called Gupt
Navratri. The Navratri that
falls in the
Ashwin month of au-
tumn is called Shardiya
Navratri and those that fall
in the spring is called
Chaitra Navratri.
It is the time when you
withdraw yourself from all
sensory activities (eating,
talking, watching, touch-
ing, listening, smelling) and
rest in yourself- which is
the actual source of bliss,
joy and enthusiasm in life.
Sri-meanstheMa,Mother
Goddess, whose refuge you
can seek. Such a Devi can
only be invoked from
the purest recesses
of your consciousness.
Sri Vidya- is the knowl-
edge of invoking that Su-
preme Being. Ma Durga
alone assumes the role of
Brahma and creates,
She assumes the form of
Vishnu and sustains, and
Sheiscapableof beingaMa-
hesh to destroy all. She be-
comes the total Ishwar and
with complete annihilation
cleanses all. Then, Ma alone
restores grace to revive life,
These are her 5 powers of
Shakti- THE ALL. This en-
ergyislyingdormantwithin
each one of us. It is upto our
devotion to seek, to awaken
the Divinity
. We have to dig
deepwithinustocleanseour
outerAsuras.Thesedemons
are nothing but our own in-
herent weaknesses.
MADHU-KAITABH
The Sweet and the Bitter.
These are the two most fun-
damental elements in every
human being.
Rightfrombirth
the child de-
velops the
taste of the
tongue and
has likes
anddislikes
for food. The
tongue also
conveys emotions- lullabies,
the tone of words, fondling,
cuddling. It is innate. On the
journey to self realisation,
thefirsthurdleforeveryper-
son is to rise above this dual-
ity of sweet and bitter. No
force works. Wisdom and
foresight is all that sustains.
Vishnu is predominant at
this stage. We learn to differ-
entiate between acceptance
and rejection. Once you go
beyond taste and sound the
next challenge awaits us.
MAHISHASUR
The Buffalo/Bull: symbolic
of laziness, lethargy
, inertia
and rage. We need to chan-
nelize our whole energy.
Our inner Shakti alone can
handle this demon. It can-
not be killed. It can only be
transformed. These traits
impede our spiritual and
material progress. It calls
for willpower and determi-
nation of the highest order.
Devi Ma comes to our res-
cue with her positivity
energy to dissolve this Asur.
DHUMRA-LOCHAN
SmokeEyesight.Aswesee
things we are tempted. Our
lust, greed, desire to possess,
completelycloudsourvision
sense of good and bad.
Sincewegatherinformation
through our eyes, illusions
distract us all the time. The
mirage of life entices us. We
SEE what we ‘want’ to see.
Regardless of how intellec-
tual, profound, smart one is,
these challenges will have to
be tackled directly
.
Ma Durga personifies
myriad personalities to slay
each demon. That is why we
worship and invoke the nine
forms of Shakti. In DURGA
SAPTASHATI we have 6 de-
mons, each corresponding
to the 6 Chakras (7th being
Sahastrar) in our body
. Each
is symbolic of human weak-
ness and frailties.
CHUND-MUND
Chund literally means pas-
sion, cruelty, violence.
Mund is head, intelligence,
wisdom, inner conflicts.
Bythedeathof the3previ-
ous Asuras, we have con-
quered our taste, words,
speech, sloth, inertia, lust,
greed, anger and clouded vi-
sion. We have managed to
harness that energy
, but we
stilldonotknowhowtochan-
nelizeit.Passionscompletely
possess us. Even a good pas-
sion can make us egoistic,
triumphant and vain. Every
passion, as much as, inner
conflicts is a distraction. We
are overpowered by doubts,
regret, guilt, repentance and
lose all clarity
. Only by slay-
ing Chund and Mund can we
overpower these conflicts.
RAKTBEEJ
Poses the greatest chal-
lenge of all. It is a demon
with a special boon. With
every drop of blood that
falls on the battlefield, an
identical original-like de-
mon would come alive, soon
multiplying into a count-
less army. Never ending,
ever-growing. How can one
possibly combat such a
force? Raktbeej is none oth-
er than our desire. You ful-
fill one, hundreds sprout
up. It’s an unending cycle.
Literally unstoppable, be-
yond control. Desires are
just desires- there can be no
good or bad desire. To van-
quish this demon we need
aggression in the form of
highest discipline.
Having overpowered all
these weaknesses within
ourselves, we are still one
step away
...
SHUMBA- NISHUMBA
Shumba is none other than
sense of ‘I’ or ‘Me’, whereas
Nishumba represents the
sense of ‘Mine’, or the at-
tachment to things that the
false self clings to through
identification with other ob-
jects. Shumba and Nishum-
ba follow each other closely
.
Shumba also means, doubt-
ing oneself and Nishumba
means, doubting others.
When the mind is clogged
with doubt about oneself or
others, neither peace nor
progress is possible. That is
why they are the Kings of
the Demons, the highest in
the order of negative influ-
ences. Such demeaning forc-
es come up only due to our
own doubts, regret, guilt and
fear. When we are full of
positivity and enthusiasm
none of these Asuras can
harm us. Ma is ever-present.
We just have to seek her with
faith trust. The battle be-
tween the demons and the
Goddess is compared to
Maha Yagya, because it rep-
resents the greatest purifica-
tion process.
Now, we are ready for the
ultimate reward. After the 6
demons are slayed, out come
SURATH SAMADHI for
blessings. Surath is the char-
iot, vehicle of life- empower-
ing us with insight, wisdom,
knowledge. We rise above
every duality
. Samadhi is
Oneness. The Ultimate Bliss.
UnionwiththeDivineSelf.It
istotallyliberating.ItisKun-
daliniShaktialivewithinus.
DURGA SAPTASHATI is
ourconstantstrivingtoreach
this ultimate. The Awaken-
ing of inner primordial cos-
mic energy within us. The
DIVINE MA SHAKTI!
Who is Ma Durga? The beautiful idol you worship for 9 days
and immerse in the Holy Ganga finally? The female deity who rescued gods from the
ravages of demons? Is she the one with 8 arms, fierce eyes and long red tongue who
came into existence in the reign of terror? The Divine Ma is all of this and much beyond!
DEEPAK
cityfirst@firstindia.co.in
O

Greetings on Maha Ashtami! We
have to kill the demons of greed
and ego and seek blessings of
Mata Rani for peace and happiness.
—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO Editor-in-Chief, First India
08
2NDFRONT
First India Bureau
Mumbai: Stating that
the “emergency situa-
tion” emerging from the
coal shortage would
continue for two more
months, Maharashtra
Energy Minister Nitish
Raut has alleged unfair
allocation to BJP-ruled
Gujarat and Goa at the
cost of states like his.
Speaking at a press
conference, Raut won-
dered that Gujarat and
Goa were getting more
coal allocation than
their requirement while
Maharashtrawasfacing
shortage.
The minister also
blamed Coastal Gujarat
Power Ltd and JSW who
he claims signed an
agreement with the gov-
ernment but sold power
elsewhere instead. “We
will take appropriate ac-
tion on them for this,”
he added.
However,theminister
assured his state that
there would be no load
shedding or shortage of
power supply in Maha-
rashtra despite coal
shortage. “We won’t
stop power supply any-
where in the state;
there’ll be no load shed-
ding,” he said.
“Many steps were
taken to provide elec-
tricity to the state’s con-
sumers during peak de-
mand yesterday
. Some
power generation units
have been made func-
tional in spite of the
coal shortage. Just 4 of
the total 27 units are
closed now,” the minis-
ter added.
Several states, includ-
ing Gujarat, Punjab, Ra-
jasthan, Delhi, Odisha,
and Tamil Nadu have
been raising concerns
over blackouts while the
central government has
been repeatedly assur-
ing that there will be no
crisis.
According to govern-
mentdata,thecoalstock
situation in thermal
power stations shows
that 115 of 135 centrally
monitored power sta-
tions in the country are
facing a “critical or su-
percritical” shortage of
coal. There are less than
four days of coal in 70
power plants.
The minister said Ma-
harashtra was facing a
shortfall of nearly 4,000
MW and blamed “mis-
management and lack
of planning” by central
PSU Coal India Ltd
(CIL).
MAHARASHTRA BLAMES ‘UNFAIR’ COAL
ALLOCATION TO GUJ FOR POWER OUTAGES
‘POWER’ TUSSLE!
Maharashtra Energy Minister Nitish
Raut also blames Coastal Gujarat
Power Ltd and JSW who “signed an
agreement with the government but
sold power elsewhere instead”
—FILE PHOTO
ALL DECKED UP!
Jamalpur Darwaja, a heritage structure in Ahmedabad illuminated with colourful lights ahead of
the Eid-e-Milad festival, birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad. —PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI
PM HAILS IIM ALUMNUS’
TWEETS ON GUJ HISTORY
First India Bureau
New Delhi: Adept at
identifying pointers to
reach out to the people
at large, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi late on
Monday night picked a
series of tweets by an
alumnus of Indian In-
stitute of Management-
Ahmedabad on Guja-
rat’s legacy to state eve-
ry part of India has
such treasures.
stated that there were
treasures in every area
of India that must be
seen to be appreciated,
and that India’s people
had inherited such mag-
nificent wonders.
Attaching a tweet by
IIM alumnus Vinayak,
Modi wrote, “Came
across this lovely thread
on the culture and herit-
age of Gujarat.”
“There are such
treasures in every part
of India, which have to
be seen to be admired.
Our ancestors were in-
deed outstanding vi-
sionaries, from whom
we have inherited such
fine wonders,” the
Prime Minister stated.
In a series of tweets,
the IIM alumnus spoke
of Gujarat’s rich cul-
tural legacy. He wrote,
“Had the opportunity
of visiting Rani ki Vav,
Patan, and Surya Man-
dir at Modhera, Guja-
rat. Stepping inside
these campuses sends a
chill down your spine.
The sheer audacity of
the skill and vision of
those who built these
structures 1,000 years
ago is incomprehensi-
ble.”
He said Rani ki Vav is
an inverted temple built
four storeys below the
ground. “It honours wa-
ter, and is a water har-
vesting structure. Built
about 1,000 years ago, it
represents the zenith of
sustainable dev policy,
maru-gurjara architec-
ture, exquisite sculp-
ture, devotion and spir-
ituality
.”
Rani ki Vav is a step-
well in Patan town lo-
cated on the banks of
Saraswati River. It was
attributed to Udayama-
ti, daughter of Khenga-
ra of Saurashtra, queen
and spouse of Chalukya
king Bhima I in the 11th
century
.
“Visiting locations
like this instils confi-
dence. As young Indi-
ans, it broadens our un-
derstanding of our own
skills. We can also be
beautiful, magical and
unique. We’re more
than merely knockoffs
of other people’s life-
styles. We have some-
thing beautiful of our
own,” Vinayak re-
marked.
Narendra Modi says every part of India has such rich historical and cultural legacy
The historical stepwell, Rani ki Vav, in North Gujarat.
RICH HERITAGE
Gujarat fed up of BJP
rule, wants change:
Raghu Sharma
40-yr-old teacher abducted,
raped; accused held
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Inashock-
ing incident, a 40-year-
old woman from Ghatlo-
dia in Ahmedabad was
allegedly kidnapped and
raped by an online
friend.
According to a report,
the victim is a teacher
from a private school.
She came in contact
with the accused, Ru-
peshPatel(33),fromVas-
tral on a social media
platform around eight
months ago.
Theyexchangednum-
bers and began chatting
with each other.
PolicesourcessaidPa-
tel requested the woman
to have physical rela-
tions with with him, but
she refused. Smarting
under this, he asked her
to meet him though hid
his anger. She agreed.
Patel then abducted
her and raped her at a
commercial complex in
Vastral.Helaterdropped
her near her house, ac-
cording to police sourc-
es.
In this regard, a com-
plaint was filed with the
Ghatlodia police, which
quickly arrested the ac-
cused person and pro-
duced before a local
court on Monday
.
Vikas Sharma
Jaipur: Saying that
people of Gujarat are
fed up with BJP rule,
newly appointed Guja-
rat in-charge of Con-
gress Raghu Sharma on
Tuesday exuded confi-
dence that his party
would romp home and
form a government
there.
He conceded that the
Congress was away
from power for 25 years,
but it was very much
present in Gujarat and
everyone ini the State
feelstheneedforchange
from the BJP. He added
there were many issues
in Gujarat and the peo-
ple were upset.
Sharma asked if real
development had hap-
pened in Gujarat, why
had the government
failed to provide better
medical facilities dur-
ing the pandemic.
Sharma returned to
Jaipur after a three-day
tour of Gujarat. Many
leaders and his support-
ers visited the minister
to congratulate him for
his appointment but he
said the wishes would
come true only when
Congress forms the gov-
ernment in Gujarat.
He said many issues,
including unemploy-
ment, persists in Guja-
rat and people seem to
have resolved to vote
Congress to power
again.
“People are fed up
with the BJP there. De-
spite being in power
for 25 years, problems
like unemployment
continue in Gujarat.
High inflation and fuel
prices have also kept
people under burden,”
he said.
He said that the edu-
cation and medical sec-
tors have been commer-
cialized in Gujarat un-
der BJP rule. Sharma
said a rich man would
flourish in Gujarat, but
it is difficult for the
poor to survive.
He said the govern-
ment medical institu-
tions in Gujarat are not
as strong as in Ra-
jasthan.
‘Though in crisis,
Surat textile industry
won’t close down
in hurry’
First India Bureau
Surat: Rising prices
of raw materials, in-
cluding coal, has ad-
versely affected pro-
duction in around
245 textile process-
ing mills in Surat.
Due to this, South
Gujarat Textile Pro-
cessors Association
has increased the job
charge 3 times in 2
months. When this
too couldn’t help, it
was decided to close
the mills from No-
vember 1 to Novem-
ber 30. Some mill
owners are against
this since they had to
complete Diwali or-
ders.
It was pointed out
at a meeting that if
the mills remain
closed for a month,
12 lakh people in-
volved in processing,
powerlooms, traders,
embroidery, knitting
and value addition
will lose their jobs
and the city’s textile
industry will suffer a
loss of Rs 7,000 crore,
while exports worth
Rs 3,000 crore will
stop.
There are 350 pro-
cessing mills in Su-
rat around, using
17,500 tonne coal a
day
. The price of coal
has gone up from Rs
5,000 to Rs 14,500 a
tonne. Simultane-
ously, prices of other
materials have in-
creased by around
7%. Out of 350 mills,
245 are running in
loss.
“We have been in
Surat for 50 years but
haven’t seen such a
phase. Closing the
mill for a month is no
solution,” Kamal
Tulsiyan, president,
Pandesara Indus-
tries Association,
said. “If the situa-
tion persists, we
have to close the
mills,” exclaimed a
worried Jitu Vakha-
ria, president of
South Gujarat Tex-
tile Processors Asso-
ciation.
Police sources said
Patel requested the
woman to have
physical relations with
with him, but she
refused. Smarting
under this, he asked
her to meet him
though hid his anger.
She agreed.
Congress in-charge Raghu Sharma addressing a meeting of party
leaders in Gujarat.
—FILE PHOTO

09
AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY,
OCTOBER 13, 2021
facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
FASHION CONNECT SEASON 10
The First India Fashion Connect Season 10
was held at Hotel Fairmont, Jaipur on
Monday, October 11. Ace designers
showcased the best of their designs
at the grand event, driving home the
message of elegance and royalty!
Urvashi Rautela and Sunil Grover
looked stunning as they turned the
show stoppers for international
designer Micheal Cinco!
he First India Fashion Connect Season 10
was held in full swing at Hotel Fairmont
Jaipur on Monday
, October 11. All eyes
were on the ramp as the best of show-
cased their designs. Jagdeesh Chan-
dra graced the occasion and felicitat-
ed the entire Fashion Connect team.
The grand opening witnessed Mohit Fal-
od’s ravishing bridal collection, ‘PA-
KEEZAH’. The regalia collection is a trib-
ute to Rajasthan’s Royal Rajwada culture,
dates back to the early 1900s. This series
featured antique cuts, materials, and jewels
worn by royal maharanis and maharajas
of the period. The exceptional western
wear under the brand ‘The Angrish’, by
Wrickie Angrish, for both men and wom-
en managed to woo Jaipur’s premier
crowd like never before.
TanujVijay
,fromCosaNostraawasno
less. His sparkling collection was loved
by the audience. Each piece went through
antiqueoxidisationandtexturingtogivethem
avintagelook.Inspiredbytheworldaround
and within, past and the present - the coun-
try’smajesticwildlife,diverseculture,roots
and values and architecture act as our
museeveryday
.BaniPasrichabyBanitook
pride in showcasing her innovative collec-
tion powered by her creative ideas. House
of Armuse by Ayushi Jain’s collection was
another treat to the eyes. The grand finale
witnessed international designer Miche-
al Cinco’s collection, with Bollywood
celebs Urvashi Rautela and Sunil Grov-
er as the show stoppers. Cinco man-
aged to cultivate a dedicated following
for the luxe and intricacy of his de-
signs, with his fresh, elegant and de-
tailed juxtapositions of fabric and
Swarovski crystals. The day in-
deed saw stunning designers
showcasing their works which
madeheadsturnandjawsdrop.
T
KAVITA CHAUHAN
LA COLLECTION
ROYALE
Model flaunting Mohit Falod’s collection
Model flaunting Micheal Cinco’s collection
Model flaunting Cosa Nostraa’s collection
Model flaunting House of Armuse’s collection
Model flaunting Wrickie Angrish’s collection
Model flaunting Bani Pasricha’s collection
Jagdeesh Chandra with the
showstoppers Urvashi Rautela and
Sunil Grover. Also seen are Lokesh
Sharma and Micheal Cinco during
the grand finale of FC Season 10
—PHOTOS
BY
SANTOSH
SHARMA

10-11
ETC
THE GALA
EVENING!
THE GALA
EVENING!
THE FIRST INDIA FASHION CONNECT SEASON 10 HELD A RUNWAY
SHOW FEATURING STUNNING DESIGNERS AND A GRAND FINALE
BY DESIGNER MICHEAL CINCO CELEBRATING FASHION AND
TOGETHERNESS AND IT IS A FACT THAT THE AUDIENCE OF THE
FASHION CONNECT SHOWS IS AS HAPPENING AND GORGEOUS
AS THE MODELS WHO WALK THE RAMP. CITY FIRST BRINGS TO
YOU OUR BELOVED FC LOVERS WITHOUT WHOM THE EVENING
WOULD NOT BE AS SPARKLING AND CHARMING!
Anjali, Tanmaya, Sakshi and Priyanka
RK Jain
Dr Poonam Madan and Arti Dubey
Saloni, Ayushi Jain and Aftab
Gaurav Gaur, Dr Sandeep and Dr Maulik Shah
Sunita Somani and Charu Somani Aditi Hundia
Rayna
Shivangi Kumar and Dhruv Srivastava
Model flaunting Micheal Cinco’s ravishing collection
Aanchal Ajaipal
Kashvi Chauhan
Tridha Choudhary
Akansha Bakshi and
Aakanksha Bhardwaj
Gourvhi Falor, Agrima Falor and Hiya Chhabra
Rayna and Timsy
Karan Vig and Marcela
—PHOTOS
BY
MUKESH
KIRADOO

O
ur history tells
us that those
who did not fol-
low the routes
created by our elders
but created their paths
by independent think-
ing. These people were
met with heavy criti-
cism and were even
killed just because they
didn’t think like us.
While somebody’s dif-
ferent opinion doesn’t
make him any less hu-
man, society still exiles
him, and he’s branded a
heretic and insulted by
his people.
Astheworldobserved
National Freethought
Day on Monday
, October
12, we encourage people
to be free thinkers and
base their opinions on
facts, science, logic, and
reason. The day pro-
motes logic and evi-
dence-based decision
making. Additionally,
the observance offers an
opportunity for free-
thinkers to have a sense
of community. It also
provides a way to open
a dialogue and share
their opinions.
How can we celebrate
National Freethought
Day?
Think freely: You can
celebrate by thinking
using logic, reason, and
rationality. However, it
isn’t just for you but let
also live their life as
they want.
Sacramento Free-
thought event: Every
year since 2002, a free
event is held to cele-
brate National Free-
thought Day. Open to
the public and held out-
doors, it is called a “fes-
tival of reason.” The
annual event has live
shows and speakers
similar to a rally and is
funded through a din-
ner or reception.
Though celebrated
since 2002, it wasn’t
until 2016 that the
event was renamed
“California Free-
thought Day.” Cele-
brated to support peo-
ple with different
thoughts, the event is
mostly visited by
atheists with the be-
lief that all are the
same regardless of
whether you believe
in god or not.
Raise Awareness:
You can also celebrate
it by raising aware-
ness of the importance
of free-thinking. You
can talk about how
having free thoughts
can lead to progress
without hamper.
12
CITY BUZZ
GET VACCINATED
STAY MASKED
“Meri Model Beti”
dreamer, be-
liever and
achiever, Divy-
anka believes in
her creativity to
charm the e-au-
diences. This
23-year-old does it all,
from blogging to PR,
content creation to so-
cial media manage-
ment, she has left no
Digi-career undone.
Paapa’s “Model Beti”
and Insta’s rising star,
Divyanka shares her ex-
perienceswiththeworld
inanexclusiveconversa-
tion with City First.
Q: Tell us about your
journey.
A: I belong from a
small town; which is
in Jharkhand, Dalton-
ganj. After complet-
ing my 10th, I came to
Delhi on turning
18, I started my
journey in asso-
ciation with
short vid apps,
social media
and shoots.
Currently
, I am
a proud con-
tent creator
a free-
lance PR.
Q:Who in-
spired you?
A: Firstly I
would say it
was my con-
science I
was pretty
confident,
I knew
this is
what I
w a n t
to do.
And,
I
u s e d
t o
watch Sejal Kumar and Komal
Pandey’s videos a lot those
days so ye,s this is how the in-
spiration came.
Q: What were the struggles
you faced after coming into
the Blogging industry?
A: Talking about struggles,
everyone knows that newcom-
ers are misguided and so was
I but with time, I understood
my worth and paved my way
out.
Q: Did your family/parents
support you?
A: For this, I’ll say I am bless-
ed with the best father! He
always supports me. He calls
me “My model beti”. He be-
lieves in me and I find myself
fortunate enough to have
him.
Q: What part of PR excites
you the most?
A: The excitement to learn
something new and the zeal to
do something new excites me.
Q: The most monumental
moment of your career so
far.
A: I remember 3 years back, I
was independent enough to
pay for my own rents bills.
It gave me immense satisfac-
tion back then.
Q: Your prestigious brand
collaborations
A: Myntra, Amazon, the Bod-
yshop, MAC, myglamm, Dan-
iel wellingtons, Lay’s, Costa
coffee...upwards and onwards
now!
Q: What’s the next thing on
your bucket list?
A: I want to have my brand as
my PR venture!
Q: And finally, any message
for the blogging aspirants?
A: This is a huge industry. If
you’re talented and creative
this is the correct profession
for you. Also, don’t listen to
society, just do what you want
to do.
CITY FIRST
Goddess Mahagauri is wor-
shipped on the 8th day of Chaitra
Navratri. Mahagauri represents wis-
dom, purity and austerity. Devotees
believe that praying to Mahagauri
helps them overcome all obstacles.
It is believed that the planet Rahu
is governed by Goddess Mahagauri.
On this pious occasion, City First
wishes its readers a very prosperous
Navratri. May Maa Durga grant all
your wishes true!
ASHTAMI
PUJAN
CITY FIRST, IN A
TÊTE-À-TÊTE WITH
THE SUPREMELY
TALENTED DIGITAL
CONTENT CREATOR
AND SOCIAL MEDIA
EXECUTIVE,
DIVYANKA SINGH,
FROM NOIDA
POORVI SINGHAL
A
Are you a
freethinker?
NATIONAL FREETHOUGHT DAY
NATIONAL FREETHOUGHT DAY
MITALI
DUSAD
mitalidusad01
@gmail.com
BIRTHDAY
BASH!
Rashme Oberoi, renowned Tarrot
Card reader and healer, received
a big pre-birthday surprise party
from her friend Atul Mehrotra and
a birthday bash hosted by friend
Amit Chitkara recently in New
Delhi. All the loved ones had
a gala time and created happy
memories on the occasion.
Felicitating the youth
CITY FIRST
J
aipur Foot USA
conducted ‘Youth
Chapter Felicita-
tion’ event on
Monday in New York,
where V
. Muraleed-
haran, Minister of State
for External Affairs, fe-
licitatedtheyouths,who
have made remarkable
contributions for the
welfare of the people.
Addressing the audi-
ence on the occasion,
Prem Bhandari, Chair-
man of Jaipur Foot USA
said, “I had the opportu-
nity to be associated
with the activities of
Jaipur Foot USA when I
honorable vice presi-
dent inaugurated the
Jaipur Foot event in my
Malawi. Jaipur Foot
camps have helped
Change lives of so many
people not only in India
but across the globe
From Asia to Africa to
Latin America.”
The younger genera-
tion in the United States
hasalsojoinedthesocial
campaign. He congratu-
lated Ajay and Nikhil
Mehta for the ‘Oxygen
on Wheels’ initiative,
reaching out to the dif-
ferentlyabledpersonsin
remote places.
DeputyCounselGeneral
of India, New York, Dr
Varun Jeff, Rajasthan
Foundation USA chap-
ter President KK Mehta,
former Rana President
Hari Das Kotewala, JFU
members Kanak Golia,
Ashok Sancheti, Secre-
tary Nishant Garg, Ash-
win Upadhyay, Nitisha
Bisnoi, N D Chinoy,
Homeland Security Sen-
ior Officers Deep and
Sapna Chopra, Vilas
Sargokar, Rahul and
Meera, sub-senior offi-
cials of United Nations
and other community
leaders attended the
event.
cityfirstdel@gmail.com
RAM LEELA!
During the ongoing
staging of Luv Kush
Ramleela at Redfort
Ground, New Delhi on
Monday, actor Gagan
Malik played the role
of Ram whereas Mohit
Tyagi appeared as
Laxman and Samiksha
Bhatnagar as Sita.
—PHOTOS BY
SHAZID CHAUHAN
(L-R) Sona, Rashme Oberoi
and Deepa
(L-R) Neelu, Reshma
and Neelam
(L-R) Sona, Rashme
and Dr Manu (L-R) Kanika, Rashme and Sanjay
(L-R) Neelam, Sapna, Dr Manu,
Rashme, Tony, Twinkle,
Kanika and Deepa
(L-R) Deepa, Rashme and
Atul Mehrotra
(L-R) Amit, Rashme, Yash, Veena and Arti
Divyanka Singh
(L-R) Dr Varun Jeff, V. Murleedharan,
Nikhil Mehta and Prem Bhandari
V Muraleedharan received a warm floral welcome on the occasion

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