First India-Jaipur Edition-17 MARCH 2022

1. Vaccination for 12-14 age group begins in Guj
nCoV JAB
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The
COVID-19 vaccination
of children in the age
group of 12-14 years be-
gan at around 2,000 cen-
tres in Gujarat on
Wednesday to cover
22.63 lakh beneficiar-
ies.
Chief Minister Bhu-
pendra Patel launched
the inoculation drive at
a primary school in Bo-
rij village in the state
capital Gandhinagar,
the CM’s office said in
a statement.
Patel interacted with
some of the beneficiary
children at the school
and encouraged stu-
dents to get vaccinated.
He also interacted with
health workers con-
ducting the vaccina-
tion drive and lauded
their work.
“The vaccine doses
will be administered to
the eligible children by
the state health depart-
ment in collaboration
with the education and
women and child devel-
opment departments,
among others,” the re-
lease said.
Two doses of Biologi-
cal E’s intramuscular
vaccine Corbevax
would be administered
to the children in the
12-14 years age group at
an interval of 28 days,
as per the Centre’s
guidelines.
The state health de-
partment has secured
23.05 lakh doses of Cor-
bevax for the purpose,
and they have been
stored in cold chain fa-
cilities at a tempera-
ture of 2 to 8 degrees
Celsius, the CMO said.
“More than 2,500 vac-
cinators across nearly
2,000 centres in the
state will carry out the
drive,” it said.
CM Bhupendra Patel launched the inoculation drive at a primary
school in Borij village.
CM Bhupendra
Patel interacts with
beneficiaries at
primary school
AHMEDABAD l THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2022 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/79050 l Vol 3 l Issue No. 111
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AGUSTAWESTLAND CASE RUSSIA-UKRAINE CONFLICT
EX-DEFENCE SECY
CHARGESHEETED
New Delhi: The Cen-
tral Bureau of Investi-
gation (CBI) has filed a
chargesheet against
former Defence Secre-
tary Shashi Kant Shar-
ma and Comptroller
and Auditor General
Shashi Kant Sharma
and former Air Vice
Marshal Jasbir Singh
Panesar among others
in the Rs 3,600-crore
AgustaWestland case.
Sharma, who was the
joint secretary in the
Ministry of Defence
when the deal was being
discussed, and Panesar
are among five govern-
ment officials against
whom the agency has
filed the chargesheet.
The others include
former deputy chief
test pilot SA Kunte,
Wing Commander
(Retrd)ThomasMathew
and Group Captain
(Retrd) N Santosh.
The agency had in
March 2020 sought
sanction for prosecu-
tion against these offi-
cials from the govern-
ment. In September
that year, the agency
had filed a chargesheet
against 14 individuals
and entities who were
allegedly involved in
the deal but had left out
Sharma and others for
want of sanctions.
During searches in
Switzerland, officials
had found a note men-
tioning“JSAir”andalso
the initials of various
people mentioned on it.
The note was allegedly
prepared by Michel and
was called the “budget
sheet”. It had also found
a mention in the Milan
court when the case was
going on there.
FRESH PEACE TALKS SET TO RESUME
Kyiv (Agencies): New
talkof compromisefrom
both Moscow and Kyiv
on a status for Ukraine
outside of NATO lifted
hopeonWednesdayfora
potential breakthrough
after three weeks of war.
Ukraine’s President
Volodymyr Zelenskiy
said negotiations were
becoming “more realis-
tic”, while Russian For-
eignMinisterSergeiLav-
rovsaidtherewas“some
hope for compromise”.
The Kremlin said the
sides were discussing
status for Ukraine simi-
lar to that of Austria or
Sweden, both members
of the EU that are out-
side the NATO military
alliance.
UKRAINE PREZ’S PLEA
TO US CONGRESS
US CONDEMNS PUTIN
AS WAR CRIMINAL
BACKGROUND
Washington: Ukrain-
ian President Volodymyr
Zelenskyy on Wednesday
invoked
the 1941
attack
on Pearl
Harbor and
the Sept
11 terror
strikes on America as
he pleaded directly with
the US Congress to send
more aid to his embattled
country to fight against
Russia’s invasion.
The US Senate unanimous-
ly approved a resolution
seeking investigations of
Russian President Vladimir
Putin and his regime for
war crimes over the inva-
sion of Ukraine.
The bipartisan measure
from Sen. Lindsey Graham,
Republican-South Carolina,
says the Senate strongly
condemns the “violence,
war crimes. crimes against
humanity” being carried
out Russian military forces
under Putin’s direction.
In February 2010, the then UPA government had signed
a deal to procure 12 AgustaWestland choppers worth
556.262 million euros. These
choppers were being procured to
ferry VVIPs and other important
dignitaries. It was also alleged that
chopper specifications were altered
from the original deal to benefit
AgustaWestland. Reports later pegged that the overall
deal was worth Rs 3,600 crore.
Protestors hold signs regarding Ukraine as they stand outside the
security perimeter during a meeting of NATO defense ministers at
NATO headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday.
SC upholds govt’s ‘One Rank One
Pension’ policy for defence forces
New Delhi (PTI): The
Supreme Court on
Wednesday upheld the
Centre’s decision on
One Rank, One Pen-
sion (OROP) for de-
fence forces and said
that it does not find
any constitutional in-
firmity in the manner
in which it is being im-
plemented. “We find no
constitutional infirmi-
ty in the OROP princi-
ple adopted”, the bench
said in the judgment.
SC TO HEAR HIJAB
PLEAS AFTER HOLI
WILL WORK TOGETHER FOR GROWTH AND
WELFARE OF PUNJAB, SAYS PM MODI
PROTECT LAKHIMPUR
CASE WITNESSES: SC
New Delhi: The SC on
Wednesday said it will
consider listing an appeal
challenging the Karnataka
High Court upholding the
ban on wearing of hijab
in educational institutions
after the Holi recess.
CJI NV Ramana told
senior advocate Sanjay
Hegde, who sought urgent
listing, “Others also men-
tioned. Let us see. We will
list after vacation”.
New Delhi: PM Narendra Modi congratulated Aam Aadmi
Party leader Bhagwant Mann on taking oath as the Punjab
chief minister on Wednesday, assuring him of working
together for the growth and welfare of the state and its
people. “Will work together for the growth of Punjab and
welfare of the state’s people,” the Prime Minister tweeted.
New Delhi: The top court
on Wednesday issued
notice on a plea seeking
cancellation of bail to
Ashish Mishra, the son of
MoS Ajay Mishra and an
accused in the Lakhimpur
Kheri violence case. CJI
NV Ramana also asked
the Uttar Pradesh govern-
ment to ensure that the
witnesses are protected
and asked it to file a reply
in the matter.
Cong appoints leaders to
assess post-poll situation
AAP’s Bhagwant Mann sworn
in as Punjab Chief Minister
New Delhi: After fac-
ing defeat in the recent-
ly-concluded Assembly
elections, Congress in-
terim president Sonia
Gandhi on Wednesday
appointed Rajani Patil,
Jairam Ramesh, Ajay
Maken, Jitendra Singh
and Avinash Pandey, to
assess the post-poll situ-
ation and suggest or-
ganisational changes.
Ranjani Patil is the
Goa chief, Jairam
Ramesh for Manipur,
Ajay Maken for Punjab,
Jitendra Singh for Ut-
tar Pradesh and Avi-
nash Pandey has been
appointed for Uttara-
khand.
All the 5 PCC chiefs
were earlier asked to
resign by Sonia Gandhi.
Khatkar Kalan (PTI):
Aam Aadmi Party
leader Bhagwant
Mann was adminis-
tered the oath of office
as Punjab chief minis-
ter by Governor Ban-
wari Lal Purohit on
Wednesday.
Mann took oath at
Khatkar Kalan, the an-
cestral village of free-
dom fighter ‘Shaheed-e-
Azam’ Bhagat Singh.
Punjab Governor Ban-
warilal Purohit admin-
istered the oath of of-
fice and secrecy to
Mann in the swearing-
in ceremony
.
Mann greets Guv Purohit during his oath-taking ceremony.
HUES OF
HOLI
Shashi Kant Sharma,
Former Defence Secretary
Young women celebrate Holi at the Taj Mahal
complex, in Agra on Wednesday. —PHOTO BY PTI

2. First India Bureau
Vadodara: A total of
20 jail inmates of the
Vadodara Central Jail
will sit for their Class
X and Class XII board
exams starting from
March 28 in Gujarat.
The examination cen-
tre for the inmates will
be set up inside the
premises, equipped
with CCTV cameras
and officials from the
board will conduct the
exam.
As many as 11 in-
mates are appearing
for the Senior Second-
ary exam, while nine
are taking the Higher
Secondary one. With
exams just two weeks
away, the inmates are
all burning the mid-
night oil in their bar-
racks and vocational
centre.
"The quarantine
barracks inside the
premises will be
turned into a Board
Examination Centre
with all the facilities
as per the norms of
the board. The exami-
nation will be con-
ducted under strict
surveillance and vigi-
lance including CCTV.
We have provided
them with books and
other materials but
this year, tutors were
not allowed to visit
them. The high quali-
fied under-trials are
helping the inmates
prepare for the board
exams. Out of the 20,
three are under-trials
and the rest are con-
victs. The average age
is 25-35 years," said
Prisoner Welfare Of-
ficer Mahesh Rathore.
NEWS
AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2022
02
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First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The Gu-
jarat High Court has is-
sued a notice to Rahul
Gandhi on a plea by
state BJP minister
Purnesh Modi challeng-
ing a Surat court order
rejecting his applica-
tion filed in connection
with a criminal defama-
tion case against the
Congress leader over
his 2019 “Modi sur-
name” remarks.
The complainant re-
cently approached the
HC challenging the Feb-
ruary 23 order of the
Surat court rejecting
the minister's applica-
tion to make the ac-
cused (Gandhi) “per-
sonally explain con-
tents of the CDs and/or
pen drives and/or such
other electronic re-
cords” related to his
speech.
Justice VM Pancholi,
in an order passed last
week, issued notices,
returnable on March 28,
to respondents Gandhi
and the Gujarat govern-
ment.
The HC also granted
an interim stay on pro-
ceedings in the private
criminal defamation
case pending before the
Surat court as prayed
by the complainant.
The BJP minister
(then a legislator) had
filed a criminal defama-
tion case against Gan-
dhi over his remarks on
“Modi surname” made
while addressing a Lok
Sabha election rally at
Kolar in Karnataka in
2019.
The complainant
said the Congress MP’s
alleged remarks, “How
come all the thieves
have Modi as the com-
mon surname?” de-
famed the entire Modi
community
.
Gandhi had pleaded
not guilty during his ap-
pearance before the Su-
rat court last year.
The court had also
recorded the former
Congress president's
statement in the case
filed by the BJP leader
in April 2019 under In-
dian Penal Code (IPC)
sections 499 and 500
(dealing with defama-
tion).
During the trial, the
complainant had sub-
mitted certified copies
of three CDs received
from the district elec-
tion officer and collec-
tor of Kolar which con-
tained his observation
about the "Modi" sur-
name.
C o m p l a i n a n t
Purnesh Modi wanted
the Surat court to play
the CDs in the presence
of Gandhi to enable
him to personally ex-
plain their contents as
per the provisions of
section 313 of the CrPC
(related to power to ex-
amine an accused) so as
to avoid any technical
objection in the future,
a request rejected by
the court.
The magistrate's
court had also rejected
the minister's plea for
time to challenge the
order in the HC.
In the hearing be-
fore the HC on March
7, Purnesh Modi's
lawyer Harshil Tolia
cited reliance upon a
Supreme Court judge-
ment on proper meth-
odology to be adopted
by the court while re-
cording the statement
of an accused under
section 313 of the
CrPC.
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: The
state government has
transferred and ap-
pointed IAS Rajesh
Manjhu as principal
secretary to Gujarat
Governor Acharya
Devvrat. He will be
succeeding Manish
Bhardwaj, who has
been relieved from the
additional charge and
will now continue dis-
charging duty as prin-
cipal secretary of the
Agriculture Depart-
ment.
The General Admin-
istration Department
has also transferred
and appointed Ran-
jeeth Kumar J as com-
missioner of the Bu-
reau of Public Enter-
prises. He has been re-
lieved from the charge
of Commissioner of
Micro, Small and Me-
dium Enterprises. Ad-
ditional Charge of the
Commissioner of Mi-
cro, Small and Medium
Enterprises will be
held by M. Thennar-
asan, vice chairman
and managing director
of the Gujarat Indus-
trial Development Cor-
poration.
First India Bureau
Rajkot: In a shocking
revelation, govern-
ment-owned land
worth an estimated
Rs240 crore was al-
legedly sold for Rs81
crore under the guise
of slum area. The
land had been pro-
cured for construc-
tion of Pradhan Man-
tri Awas Yojana
homes, for which,
only 2,091 square me-
tres of the land was
used.
Plots 95 and 288 lo-
cated opposite Bishop
House on Kalawad
Road measuring 27,500
square metre were ac-
quired by the Rajkot
Municipal Corporation
(RMC) from the Rajkot
Collectorate. The land
was procured for slum
rehabilitation by the
civic body and a com-
mittee was also formed
to execute the agenda.
However, in reality,
apart from a couple of
huts, no other homes
existed on the plots,
prior to the construc-
tion of Awas Yojana
homes.
Speaking to First In-
dia, former RMC Lead-
er of Opposition, Vash-
ram Sagathiya, said,
“We will bring this mat-
ter to the attention of
thechief ministeralong
with 31 other issues re-
lated to the land scandal
in Rajkot. Right from
the collector to the RMC
commissioner and oth-
er officials are involved
in this scandal. They
have tried to make eve-
rything look legal, with
minutes of meetings
records, approval by the
general board. Every-
thing has been put on
the record very tactful-
ly
. But what is wrong is
wrong. We will put in
efforts to showcase the
correct picture.”
“The claims of a
slum on the land are
fraudulent. Over 27,500
square metres of land
has been sold for Rs81
crore, when in fact, its
market value is around
Rs240 crore,” he added.
Gujarat HC notice to Rahul in
‘Modi surname’ remarks case
Former RMC LoP Vashram Sagathiya. —FILE PHOTO
GOVT LAND SOLD TO RMC
AT LOSS OF RS159 CRORE
Former RMC
LoP Vashram
Sagathiya
claimed that
records showed
presence of slums
in the area,
“which was found
to be untrue”
11 inmates to
appear for SSC,
9 will take HSC
exam in special
centre on the
premises of
Vadodara
Central Jail
BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION!
To mark the birthday of Gujarat Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief CR Patil, its Vadodara unit
has organized a NaMo Cup cricket tournament for party workers. The day/night tournament
began on Wednesday at SRP Ground and 32 teams are playing for the cup. The final match
will be held on March 20.
RajeshManjhuappointedPrincipalSecytoGuv
Gandhi had allegedly said, “Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi, Narendra Modi...how come they all have Modi as
a common surname?” while addressing a Lok Sabha election rally at Kolar in Karnataka in 2019.
Court also
grants interim
stay on
proceedings in
private
criminal
defamation
case
No houses built in Gujarat under
Sardar Awas Yojana in 2 yrs: Govt
Gargi Raval Patel
Gandhinagar: Despite
the BJP government’s
supposed commitment
to Ironman Sardar
Vallabhbhai Patel and
his ideology
, the state
hasnotaidedinthecon-
struction of a single
houseundertheSardar
Awas Yojana in the last
two years, according to
the Gram Gruh Nir-
man department.
The purview of the
scheme, originally
meant to provide free
plots to landless agri-
cultural labourers and
village artisans living
below the poverty line
in rural areas of Guja-
rat, was expanded to
include financial assis-
tance for the construc-
tion of houses on such
allotted plot in 1976.
Since 2000, the govern-
ment has been con-
structing houses, rath-
er than giving away
plots to the beneficiar-
ies. Replying to a series
of questions from Con-
gress legislators in the
ongoing Assembly ses-
sion on Wednesday
,
Minister for Rural De-
velopment and Rural
Housing Arjunsinh
Chauhan said that the
state has not construct-
ed a single home or
sanctionedasingleunit
undertheschemeinthe
two years ended De-
cember 2021.
Against the unit cost
of a new house of Rs1
lakh, the state govern-
ment has provided
Rs40,000toafewbenefi-
ciaries.
The state had provi-
sioned Rs1.4 crore for
Sardar Awas Yojna in
the current year, of
which Rs32.45 lakh was
shown as utilized. The
allocation has further
fallen to Rs98 lakh for
the next fiscal.
In comparison, the
state has spent a sizea-
ble amount on housing
construction under the
PM Awas Yojna
(PMAY). While reply-
ing to questions, the
Chauhan said the de-
partment had allocated
anddisbursedatotalof
Rs6.47 crore for 2,225
unitsbuiltinKutchdis-
trict under the PMAY.
The department had
also sanctioned a total
of 8,911 PMAY units in
Dahod district in two
years, with 4,050 units
being constructed in
2020-21.
The scheme is meant to give homes to landless agricultural
labourers and village artisans living below the poverty line in
rural areas. —FILE PHOTO
In comparison,
the state has
spent a sizeable
amount on
housing
construction
under the PM
Awas Yojana
20 prisoners to sit for
Boards from March 28
Vadodara Central Jail. —FILE PHOTO
IAS Rajesh Manjhu is now Principal Secy to Guv.
IAS Ranjeeth Kumar J has been appointed commissioner, Bureau
of Public Enterprises.

3. First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: Guja-
rat on Wednesday re-
ported 25 fresh COV-
ID-19 cases, taking
the tally to 12,23,686,
the state health de-
partment said.
The COVID-19 death
toll in the state re-
mained unchanged at
10,939 as no fresh fatal-
ity was reported, it
said. With 54 people
discharged after COV-
ID-19 treatment during
the day, the number of
recoveries in Gujarat
rose to 12,12,304, leav-
ing the state with 443
active cases, the de-
partment said in a re-
lease.
On the first day of
the COVID-19 vaccina-
tion drive for children
in the age group of 12-
14 years, a total of
2,15,208 beneficiaries
were inoculated.
With a total of 2.77
lakh people being ad-
ministered anti-coro-
navirus vaccines on
Wednesday, including
2,15,208 children in the
age group of 12 to 14
years, the total number
of doses administered
so far in Gujarat
mounted to 10.43 crore.
Ahmedabad district
reported 12 new cases,
the highest in Gujarat,
Vadodara five cases
and Gandhinagar three
cases among others.
GUJARAT
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Kushan Sarkar
New Delhi: Injury-rav-
aged India all-rounder
Hardik Pandya has got
the all-clear to lead Gu-
jarat Titans in the up-
coming IPL after a gen-
eral assessment at the
National Cricket Acad-
emy (NCA) in Bengalu-
ru where he bowled and
also passed the ‘Yo-Yo’
Test comfortably
.
The BCCI is checking
on all its centrally con-
tracted players — in-
jured or otherwise —
before the IPL and Pan-
dya’s performance, dur-
ing his two days at the
NCA, can also be seen
as a good sign for Indian
cricket.
“Let’s make it clear.
Fitness test clearance is
only for those who are
coming back from inju-
ry
.Inthecaseof Hardik,
it was about getting a
general fitness assess-
ment going into the gru-
elling IPL season,” a
BCCI source said on
conditions of anonym-
ity
.
“He is an asset and
one needed to check his
current fitness stand-
ards,” he added.
In fact, in his fitness
assessment module, the
NCA team didn’t even
mandate him to bowl
but the all-rounder ap-
parently “insisted” on
it to show that he is on
track to make a come-
back into the Indian
team.
“He didn’t need to
bowl at NCA but he has
bowled for a considera-
ble time and in the
range of 135 kmph. On
the second day, he
crossed the Yo-Yo test
with flying colours with
a 17-plus score which is
much above the cut-off
level,” the source said.
However, as per infor-
mation received one
player, who would be
slightly disappointed
with his current fitness
status is out-of-favour
opener, Prithvi Shaw.
The former U-19
World Cup-winning
captain, who is not a
part of the central con-
tract was also at the
NCA to provide an up-
date on his fitness sta-
tus and the result
wasn’t exactly satisfac-
tory
.
The current Yo-Yo
test qualification score
is 16.5 for men and it
has been learnt that the
Mumbai opener has
scored less than 15. PTI
HARDIK PASSES YO-YO TEST AS HE GETS READY FOR IPL
FLYING COLOURS
NCA didn't mandate
him to bowl but all-
rounder ‘insisted’ on it
Caption: Pandya will be heading the Gujarat Titans in their debut IPL season. —FILE PHOTO
Botad teacher nabbed for
assault on Class X student
First India Bureau
Botad: Police have ar-
rested a teacher for
beating up a 15-year-
old student who then
attempted suicide by
consuming poison
due to the humilia-
tion. The youngster
is undergoing treat-
ment at a private hos-
pital in Botad.
Parmanand (name
changed) in his com-
plaint to Botad police
has stated that his son
Mayur (name changed)
tried to end his life be-
cause he was humiliat-
ed in the classroom and
beaten by his teacher
Atul Bhatasan. Police
arrested Atul on March
15, after receiving the
complaint a day earlier.
A Class X student at
Kadva Patidar Chha-
tralaya, Mayur lived in
the hostel. On March
09, Atul was looking
for his pen drive dur-
ing the morning
prayers and was una-
ble to locate it. Upon
inquiring with the stu-
dents, he found it in
Mayur’s school bag.
Enraged at the ‘theft’
he slapped the victim
in the classroom.
As if this was not
enough, Atul took him
to the principal’s
chambers and scolded
him there. Unable to
bear the insult, Mayur
consumed poison on
the hostel terrace on
the same evening. A
bottle was found by the
hostel warden when he
found Mayur there. He
was then rushed to a
private hospital for
medical assistance.
His father, Premanand,
was informed of the
suicide attempt by the
warden who rushed to
the hospital.
Botad police have in-
voked the heinous of-
fence section of the
Juvenile Justice Act
2021 and other sections
of the Indian Penal
Code (IPC) for volun-
tarily causing hurt
against the teacher.
The case is being in-
vestigated by Assis-
tant Police Sub-Inspec-
tor CN Rathod.
15-year-old consumes poison over the ‘unbearable’ humiliation
Folksingerlodgescase
against3forhoneytrap
First India Bureau
Bhuj: A video clip
showing a Kutch
folk singer in fla-
grante with a wom-
an has gained trac-
tion on social me-
dia, pushing the
singer to complain
with the Bhuj B di-
vision police sta-
tion on Tuesday
evening against the
woman and her two
associates of honey
trap, blackmail and
extorting money.
In his complaint,
he said, “On Febru-
ary 20, he received a
call from Nazma Jus-
ab Langha request-
ing him to meet her
at her place. On ar-
rival he was given a
spiked tea, which
made him uncon-
scious. When he re-
gained conscious-
ness, Osman Gani
Miyana and an un-
known person intro-
duced themselves as
police. They took
Rs12,000 from him
and threatened to cir-
culate the video clip
on social media if he
failed to give them
Rs25 lakh.”
The folk singer
added that he knew
Nazma because of
her husband Jusab,
who played the tabla
in his team for 15 to
20 years. He often vis-
ited their house, so
he never suspected
Nazma of honey-
trapping him.
The trio kept de-
manding Rs 25 lakh,
and each time the folk
singer refused be-
cause he did not have
such a sum to pay. Fi-
nally, fed up with re-
fusal, the gang circu-
lated the video on so-
cial media. Police are
hunting for all three
accused.
Bhuj B division police station, where the case was filed.
Move comes after
video clip showing
him in flagrante
with a woman gains
traction online
12,12,304
TOTAL RECOVERED
54
RECOVERED
IN A DAY
12,23,686
TOTAL CASES
25 CASES
IN A DAY
10,939
TOTAL DEATHS
00 DEATHS
IN A DAY
443
12 MAX
CASES IN
A’BAD
ACTIVE CASES
COVID-19
UPDATE
12,12,304
Surat man arrested for
murder of live-in partner
First India Bureau
Surat: In less than 24
hours, police solved
the murder case of a
Nepal origin woman,
who was found dead
in her room at Kapo-
dara on Tuesday. Af-
ter a thorough analy-
sis of nearby CCTV
footage and tracing
the phone location,
police caught the de-
ceased’s live-in part-
ner from his office on
Wednesday. In their
statement, the police
said the accused slit
her throat in front of
her one-year-old
daughter and later
acted as if he was
unaware of the whole
incident.
Sajjansinh Par-
mar, DCP Zone I said,
“The deceased Sne-
hlata was in a live-in
relationship with
Prakash for three
years. The duo came
in contact while she
was living in Mum-
bai. During primary
questioning, Prakash
confessed to having
slit her throat. He
also added that she
had asked him to
transfer all his prop-
erties in Mumbai
and Surat in her
name. Even after
transferring the
properties in her
name, she continued
to demand other lux-
uries.”
On Tuesday,
Prakash went home,
and while Snehlata
was praying, facing
the temple, he slit
her neck from behind
and fled with the
knife. He then threw
the weapon near the
Khandbajara area.
Later, he called his
neighbour to contact
Snehlata as she was
not attending his
calls. The neighbour
reached home and
found her in a pool of
blood.
Gujarat logs 25 new COVID-19 cases,no fatality
HOLI
HAI!
Students and
teachers of
Deep School in
Ahmedabad’s
Amraiwadi area get a
head start on the Holi
celebrations, with
a day of merriment
and colours at the
school premises, on
Wednesday, ahead
of the upcoming
festival.
—PHOTO BY
HANIF SINDHI
‘Tired’ of her constant
demands even after
he transferred his
property to her
On March 09, teacher Atul Bhatasan could not locate his pen drive during the morning prayers but later found
it in Mayur’s school bag. Enraged at the ‘theft’ he slapped the victim in the classroom, and then took him to the
principal’s chambers and scolded him there. Unable to bear the insult, Mayur attempted suicide that evening.
—FILE
PHOTO

4. PERSPECTIVE
AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2022
04
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
lVol3lIssueNo.111
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: Jagdeesh Chandra.
Editor: Haresh Jhala
responsible for selection of news
under the PRB Act
SPIRITUAL SPEAK
Fire turns firewood to ash.
Self-knowledge turns to
ash all actions of dualities
on your mind and brings
you inner peace.
—Bhagavad Gita
IN-DEPTH
Narendra Modi
@narendramodi
Congratulations to Shri @Bhagwant Mann
Ji on taking oath as Punjab CM. Will work
together for the growth of Punjab and
welfare of the state’s people.
Jagat Prakash Nadda
@JPNadda
On the occasion of National Immunization
Day, children of 12-14 years across the
country are being vaccinated free of
cost from today to protect the future
generation of the country from corona.
Along with this, all citizens above
60 years of age will also be given a
precautionary dose. Make sure to get
‘Tika Jeet Ka’ done for Corona free India.
TOP TWEETS
HEADSCARVES: A
N UNNECESSARY
CONTROVERSY
FANNED BY SOME
arnataka High
Court’s order uphold-
ing the state govern-
ment’s order banning
hijab in schools has
become a raging controversy in
the country
. Surprisingly, in a
country where a relatively small
section of women wear head-
scarves, this was never an issue
earlier as few insisted on disre-
garding the uniform prescribed
by schools, barring in some mi-
nority institutions. Those Mus-
lim students who wore a burqa to
school took it off on entering
their institution’s premises. But
now it has divided the society
.
Sadly, some students are ada-
mant on giving the hijab prece-
dence over education and are
even ready to go against the high
court’sorder.Whatwilltheydoif
the Supreme Court also upholds
the Karnataka government’s or-
der which is applicable only to
students and not teachers?
CountrieslikeFrance,Belgium,
Switzerland, Belgium and the
Netherlands have banned head-
scarves and veils. Turkey and
AzerbaijanaretwoMuslimmajor-
ity countries where hijab is not
allowed in schools. Those leading
studentstowardsfundamentalism
should think about their future.
K
he Unlawful Ac-
tivities (Preven-
tion) Act’s mis-
use to target in-
nocent persons
has been a worrying aspect
of the law whose provi-
sions have been criticized
for being too draconian. It
was grossly misused in the
case of Aryan Khan, actor
Shahrukh Khan’s son, and
Thawaha Fasal and Shu-
haib of Kerala. Khan was
jailed under UAPA in a
drug-related case, Fasal
and Shuhaib were incarcer-
ated for terror-related ac-
tivities. Granting bail to
the Kerala youths, the Su-
preme Court had ruled last
year that citizens cannot be
denied their liberty with-
out stringent conditions be-
ing met to determine their
culpability
. A petition chal-
lenging the UAPA is also
under the Supreme Court’s
consideration.
In a recent case, Addi-
tional Sessions Judge Am-
itabh Rawat allowed bail to
Ishrat Jahan, a Congress
councillor, after she had
spent two years in prison
for her alleged role in the
anti-CAA protest in Khureji
Khas, North East Delhi.
Granting her bail, the judge
said Ishrat Jahan was not
the one to have mooted the
idea of chakka jam. “She
was neither physically pre-
sent in North East Delhi for
riots nor was she part of
any group, organisation or
WhatsApp. Her name did
not crop up in “flurry of
calls” or in CCTV footage.
Ishrat was earlier grant-
ed bail in a case in which
she was accused of inciting
anti-CAA protesters at
Khureji Khas which, the
court pointed out, is not in
North East Delhi. Despite
not being anywhere near,
Ishrat Jahan remained in
jail for two years on false
charges. That is what
makes UAPA such a deadly
weapon in the hands of po-
licemen.
In a recent case,
Additional Sessions
Judge Amitabh Rawat
allowed bail to Ishrat
Jahan, a Congress
councillor, after she had
spent two years in prison for
her alleged role in the anti-
CAA protest in Khureji
Khas, North East Delhi
T
ANOTHER CASE OF UAPA’S MISUSE
PUTIN’S RUSSIA
How the ex-KGB strongman has gradually
turned the clock back to Soviet repression
With control over media and
greater capacity for state
repression, further coercion
and punishment of those
who dare to speak out
appears the likely trajectory
at present. Putin has always
said he wants to restore
Russian greatness. But he
seems more likely to restore
the isolation and oppression
which eventually contributed
to the break-up and downfall
of the Soviet Union
ussian journalist Marina
Ovsyannikova risked a harsh
prison sentence after she in-
terrupted a broadcast on
popular state-owned Russian
TV network Channel One
with a sign reading: “NO
WAR. Stop the war. Don’t be-
lieve propaganda. They are
lying to you here.” State news
agency Tass reported that
she had been arrested for
“public actions aimed at dis-
crediting the use of the
Armed Forces of the Russian
Federation in order to pro-
tect the interests of the Rus-
sian Federation and its citi-
zens, maintain international
peace and security”.
In the event she has been
found guilty of the lesser
charge of “organising an un-
authorised public event” and
fined 30,000 rubles (£214).
Similar scenes have been
playing out all over Russia
during the war in Ukraine. A
woman was detained for dis-
playing a blank poster in pro-
test at the invasion. Another
woman was pulled into a po-
lice van when she wanted to
speak on camera actually
supporting Russia’s “mili-
tary operation”. Children
have been arrested for laying
flowers at the Ukrainian em-
bassy
. The number of people
detained in Russia under new
laws banning criticism of the
Ukrainian invasion now
stands at more than 14,000 ac-
cording to recent reports.
Itfeelsasif Russiahascome
full circle since the late 1980s,
when the then Soviet leader,
Mikhail Gorbachev pro-
claimed glasnost (openness)
and perestroika (restructur-
ing) as part of his mission to
modernise Russia and open it
up to the world. Vladimir Pu-
tin’serahas,instead,beenone
of steady
, if gradual, repres-
sion and the complete erosion
of those freedoms.
For years, Putin’s govern-
ment has increased pressure
on the media. Journalists
have been murdered, editors
pressured and media outlets
closed or directly taken over.
To enforce this repression,
Putin has his Rosgvardiya –
the Russian national guard
– which he created in a 2016
presidential decree in re-
sponse to the 2011-2012 pro-
tests, the largest since the fall
of the Iron Curtain. It now
has 340,000 personnel and
has become Putin’s most ef-
fective tool for quick and ef-
ficient repression.
STIFLING THE
OPPOSITION
The iconic liberal radio sta-
tion Ekho Moskvy was taken
off air on March 3. Despite
being owned by Gazprom –
which itself is majority
owned by the Russian state
– the radio station has been a
strong independent voice
during the Putin era. Its fre-
quency was taken over by
state radio outlet, Sputnik.
Similarly, independent tel-
evision network Dozhd (rain)
closed its website under state
pressure on March 1 and its
director-general, Natalya
Sindeyeva,suspendedfurther
broadcasts on March 3. For
now, the independent investi-
gative newspaper Novaya
Gazetaisthelastindependent
media outlet operating, pos-
sibly due to due to its editor,
Dmitry Muratov, having won
the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for
his work in support of free
speech. But he has received a
letter from the authorities
warning about the tone of his
paper’s coverage. The news-
paper’s output, meanwhile, is
treading a very careful line.
END GAME
Media restrictions have been
part of Putin’s toolbox since
at least the mid-2000s. Yet the
pace of the recent restric-
tions is worrying. Discon-
necting Russia from the glob-
al internet would result in
people being unable to access
foreign media or organise
protests.
In response, Russians have
begun to purchase virtual pri-
vate networks. Purchases of
these networks, which allow
users to create encrypted con-
nections with remote servers
anywhere in the world, have
increased massively since the
invasion. But the vast major-
ity of people will be restricted
to consuming the media the
Putin government wants
them to consume, hence the
importance of brave acts of
defiance like that of Marina
Ovsyannikova.
SOURCE: THE CONVERSATION
R
STEPHEN HALL
The writer is lecturer (Assistant Professor)
in Politics, International Relations
and Russia, University of Bath
Russian journalist
Marina Ovsyannikova
risked a harsh prison
sentence after she
interrupted a broadcast
on popular state-owned
Russian TV network
Channel One with a sign
reading: “NO WAR.
Stop the war

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7. INDIA
AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2022
06
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New Delhi(ANI): Un-
ion Home Minister
Amit Shah on Wednes-
day termed The Kash-
mir Files “a bold repre-
sentation of truth” in
which the Kashmiri
Pandit community was
forced to leave their
own homes.
The Home Minister
met with The Kashmir
Files casting team today
and said that the truth
of sacrifice, unbearable
pain and struggle of
Kashmiri Pandits have
come to the notice of
the whole world.
Taking to Twitter,
Shah said, “#TheKash-
mirFiles is a bold repre-
sentation of truth. It
will work to make the
society and the country
aware in this direction
that such historical
mistakes are not repeat-
ed. “Met with today’s
#TheKashmirFiles
team. The truth of the
sacrifice, unbearable
pain and struggle of
Kashmiri Pandits, Shah
said in a tweet.
Amit Shah calls The Kashmir Files ‘bold representation of truth’
THE KASHMIR FILES

It revolves
around the
genocide of
Kashmiri
Pandits in 1990
and has been
directed by
Vivek Agnihotri,
known for films
like ‘Tashkent
Files’ and
‘Buddha in a
Traffic Jam’
GOA, MANIPUR CMs MEET PM
TO DISCUSS GOVT FORMATION
BHARATIYA JANATA PARTY MAY RETAIN PRAMOD SAWANT, BIREN SINGH AS
GOA, MANIPUR CMs; GOVT FORMATION EXERCISE GATHERS PACE IN 4 STATES
New Delhi (PTI): Goa
and Manipur chief min-
isters Pramod Sawant
and N Biren Singh met
Prime Minister Naren-
dra Modi on Wednesday
while Uttar Pradesh
Chief Minister Yogi
Adityanath held delib-
erations with BJP pres-
ident JP Nadda as the
party continued with
its exercise to firm up
the outlines of new gov-
ernments following its
thumping win in the
recent assembly polls.
Adityanath is all but
certain to occupy the
top post in his state and
there are indications
that the BJP leadership
is likely to put its faith
again in Sawant and
Singh to lead the new
dispensation.
While there has been
no announcement yet,
the BJP legislative par-
ty in these states and
also in Uttarakhand is
likely to meet next week
to elect its leader who
will be sworn in as
chief minister there.
The fate of Uttara-
khand CM Pushkar
Singh Dhami has come
under question as he
losthisseateventhough
the BJP romped home
with over two-thirds
majority. Party leaders
have, however, not ruled
him out of the race, not-
ing that his role in the
BJP’s impressive show
cannot be discounted.
Goa, Manipur caretaker CM Pramod Sawant and N Biren Singh meet PM Modi, in New Delhi on Wednesday. —PHOTO BY ANI
ASSEMBLY POLLS: BJP CENTRAL OBSERVERS
TO VISIT FOUR STATES AFTER HOLI WEEKEND
New Delhi(ANI): BJP’s
Central observers will
visit the four States
that the party won in
the recently concluded
Assembly elections, after
the Holi weekend, said
sources on Wednesday.
The BJP registered
victory in Assembly elec-
tions in four states. The
party set new records by
winning Uttar Pradesh
for the second consecu-
tive term. Further, it also
managed to hold power
in Uttarakhand, Goa and
Manipur. Parliamentary
Board of the BJP had ap-
pointed central observ-
ers and co-observers for
the election of the leader
of the legislative party in
Uttar Pradesh, Uttara-
khand, Manipur and Goa
Assembly. Union Home
Minister Amit Shah has
been appointed as the
central observer for Uttar
Pradesh.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah meets the team of the movie ‘The Kashmir Files’ including actor
Anupam Kher, director Vivek Agnihotri and producer Pallavi Joshi on Wednesday. —PHOTO BY ANI
Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel to
watch ‘The Kashmir Files’, invites all MLAs
Raipur : Chhattisgarh
chief minister Bhupesh
Baghel on Wednesday
invited all legislators of
Vidhan Sabha to watch
‘Kashmir Files’ movie
with him at 8 PM at a
theatre in Raipur. Upon
opposition’s demand
to declare the movie
tax free in state, Baghel
said that rather he
would like to request
PM Narendra Modi to
exempt the film from
GST and it will then
become tax free across
the country. A multiplex
hall at a mall in Raipur
has been booked for CM
and MLAs to watch the
movie. Opposition BJP
in the Vidhan Sabha
have been raising the
issue of declaring the
“Kashmir Files” movie
tax free in Chhattisgarh
and leader of opposi-
tion Dharamlal Kaushik
raised the matter again
on Wednesday. Kaushik
said that many states
have declared the movie
tax free while Chhat-
tisgarh has shown no
interest. It would have
attracted more people
to watch this movie
and a “crucial” story
could have been shown
widely, he said.
Bhupesh Baghel
Violence has no place in democracy:WB Guv
Kolkata (PTI): Voicing
concern over the killing
of two councillors in
West Bengal, Governor
Jagdeep Dhankhar on
Wednesday said politi-
cal violence has no
place in a democracy
.
Dhankhar, who was
on way to north Bengal,
told reporters at Bag-
dogra airport that sev-
eral political parties
have voiced their “seri-
ous concern” over the
recent murders of the
councillors of Panihati
and Jhalda Municipali-
ties.
“…Various parties
have aired their con-
cern to me about the
deaths of two corpora-
tors (councillors)…and
the mysterious killing
of Anis Khan (at
Amta),” he said.
Congress councillor
Tapan Kandu and
TMC’s Anupam Dutta,
were on Sunday gunned
down in separate inci-
dents in Jhalda area of
Purulia and Panihati in
North 24 Parganas
while student leader
Anis Khan was alleg-
edly assaulted by four
persons, one of them in
police uniform.
Muslims make up
35% of Assam, not
minority: Himanta
Guwahati (Agencies):
In yet another state-
ment that is sure to
court controversy, As-
sam CM Himanta Biswa
Sarma on Wednesday
said that Muslims con-
stitutes 35% of Assam’s
population and cannot
be considered a minor-
ity in the northeastern
state anymore. He also
invoked the 1990 exodus
of Kashmiri Hindus
and added that “it’s the
duty of Muslims” in the
state to allay fears of
other communities.
‘Game not over yet’:
Mamata message to
BJP on Prez elections
Kolkata (PTI): West
Bengal Chief Minister
Mamata Banerjee on
Wednesday said that de-
spite the BJP’s recent
victory in assembly
elections in four states,
winning the upcoming
presidential polls may
not be easy for the party
as it doesn’t have even
half the total number
of legislators.
Asserting that the
“game is not yet over”,
Banerjee said that those
who don’t have even
half of the total num-
ber of legislators in the
country should not talk
big as parties like SP,
despite defeat in assem-
bly polls. The presiden-
tial elections are con-
ducted through an elec-
toral college consisting
of elected members of
the Parliament and leg-
islative assemblies of
states and UTs.
LJD to merge
with RJD on
March 20:
Sharad Yadav
New Delhi: Sharad
Yadav on Wednes-
day announced the
merger of his party
Loktantrik Janata
Dal with Lalu Pras-
ad Yadav’s Rashtri-
ya Janata Dal on
March 20.
Claiming that the
BJP government
has been a failure
and people are seek-
ing a strong opposi-
tion, 74-year-old
Sharad Yadav said
in a statement, “This
step (merger) has
been necessitated as
an initiative of my
regular efforts for
bringing together
scattered Janata
parivar.”
The former Bihar
CM underlined that
the Janata Dal solely
had 143 seats in Lok
Sabha in 1989, add-
ing that the agenda
for social justice has
“lost its pace with
the disintegration
of the party over the
years.
After election humiliation, Congress
rebels meet amid calls for changes
New Delhi: The Con-
gress G-23 or group of
dissident leaders are
meeting at Ghulam
Nabi Azad’s home amid
calls for organisational
changes. The leaders at
the meeting are Kapil
Sibal, Shashi Tharoor,
Anand Sharma, Man-
ish Tewari, Bhupinder
Hooda, Rajinder Kaur
Bhattal, Akhilesh Pras-
ad Singh, Prithviraj
Chavan, PJ Kurien,
Mani Shankar Aiyer,
Kuldeep Sharma and
Raj Babbar.
Kapil Sibal, whose at-
tacks on the leadership
have been getting pro-
gressively bolder and
sharper over the years,
had said it was time for
the Gandhis to step
aside and let someone
else head the Congress.
“The leadership is in
cuckoo land...I want a
‘Sab ki Congress’. Some
want a ‘Ghar ki Con-
gress’,” Sibal had said.
Sibal’s comment fol-
lowed a Congress Work-
ing Committee election
post-mortem on Sunday
,
which ended with the
party reaffirming Sonia
Gandhi’s leadership
and asking her to make
organisational changes.
G-23 MEET OVER POLL DEFEAT IN 4 STATES STARS SHASHI THAROOR
Senior Congress leaders. —FILE PHOTO
Sidhu resigns from
post of Punjab
Congress chief
Amritsar: A day after
Congress interim presi-
dent Sonia Gandhi
sacked the party’s
chiefs in the five states
where it suffered hu-
miliating losses, the
party’s Punjab chief
Navjot Singh Sidhu re-
signed. “As desired by
the Congress President
I have sent my resigna-
tion,” he wrote on Twit-
ter. Congress spokes-
person Randeep Sur-
jewala had yesterday
tweeted that the resig-
nations were sought to
“facilitate the reorgani-
sation” .
“Congress President,
Smt. Sonia Gandhi has
asked the PCC Presi-
dents of Uttar Pradesh,
Uttarakhand, Punjab,
Goa Manipur to put
in their resignations in
order to facilitate reor-
ganisation of PCC’s,”
he said.
UTTARAKHAND CONG CHIEF RESIGNS
FOLLOWING SONIA GANDHI’S ORDER
Dehradun(ANI):After
Congress interim
president Sonia Gandhi
on Tuesday sought the
resignations of state
party chiefs Uttara-
khand Congress chief
Ganesh Godiyal submit-
ted his resignation on
Wednesday. Godiyal
took to Twitter and said,
“I have submitted my
resignation taking the
moral responsibility for
the party’s defeat in the
Uttarakhand Assembly
elections.” He added, “I
wanted to resign from
my post on the result
day itself but was wait-
ing for the order of the
high command.”
Malik’s son skips ED summons for
2nd time in money laundering case
Mumbai (Maharash-
tra)(ANI): The Enforce-
ment Directorate (ED)
had on Tuesday sum-
moned Maharashtra
Minister Nawab Malik’s
son Faraz Malik for
questioning in connec-
tion with Dawood Ibra-
him money laundering
case, however, he failed
to appear before the
agency for the second
consecutive time.
Faraz will soon be
sent a third summon
asking him to appear for
questioning. ED wants
to question Faraz about
the deals and payments
regarding Goawala
BuildinginKurla,Mum-
bai. Earlier, ED had
summoned Faraz, then
Faraz sent his lawyer
and asked for a week’s
time, to submit docu-
ments to the investiga-
tive agency related to
the Dawood Ibrahim
money laundering case
but the ED denied the
request.
Meanwhile, the Bom-
bay High Court on Tues-
day denied any interim
relief to Nawab and re-
fused to pass an order
for his release from judi-
cial custody
. Malik in
his plea has demanded
that the FIR against him
be cancelled.
DHANKAR SPEAKS
The game is not yet
over. Even parties
like the Samajwadi
Party, which lost the
Uttar Pradesh as-
sembly polls, has
more MLAs than it
had last time.
Mamata Banerjee,
West Bengal CM
Mamata Banerjee while addressing a public rally. —FILE PHOTO
Jagdeep Dhankhar
Nawab Malik

8. BIZ BUZZ
AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2022
07
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Promoted by
AU Small Finance Bank
Exportsofsomeproductsfrom
Indialikelytobeaffected:Govt
New Delhi (PTI):
Commerce and Indus-
try Minister Piyush
Goyal on Wednesday
said as per feedback re-
ceived from the indus-
try, exports of certain
products such as phar-
maceuticals, telecom
instruments, tea, cof-
fee, and marine goods
from India are likely to
be affected due to the
ongoing Russia-
Ukraine conflict.
He added that the De-
partment of Commerce
is apprised of the pre-
sent situation and hold-
ing regular consulta-
tion with all stakehold-
ers to ensure availabil-
ity of essential im-
ports.
A more precise im-
plication of the post-
war scenario can be
assessed only after the
situation stabilises, he
said in a written reply
in the Lok Sabha.
“As per the feedback
received from the in-
dustry, exports of some
products from India
are likely to be affected
including pharmaceu-
ticals, telecom instru-
ments, tea, coffee, ma-
rine products, etc,”
Goyal said.
He was replying to
questions about the
likely impact of the
Russia-Ukraine war on
India’s trade with the
two countries and
whether the Centre is
apprised of the present
business scenario in
the light of the war.
Major items of ex-
port from India to Rus-
sia are pharmaceuti-
cals, telecom instru-
ments, iron and steel,
tea and chemicals,
while imports include
petroleum, pearl and
semi-precious stones,
coal, fertilisers and
vegetable oils. India’s
exports to Ukraine in-
clude pharmaceuticals,
telecom instruments,
groundnut, ceramic,
iron and steel.
MAJOR ITEMS
RUSSIA-UKRAINE
WAR
BANKS IN INDIA MAY FACE HEADWINDS: SP
New Delhi (Agencies): Indian banks may face some headwinds from the Russia-Ukraine crisis, which could
lead to higher inflation and some stress for borrowers, SP Global Ratings analyst Deepali Seth Chhabria
said on Wednesday, adding the situation was being closely monitored. “The outlook on Indian banks
continue to remain stable but pockets of stress may emerge due to the conflict as Indian banks already
have a huge pile of weak assets and progress on their resolution has been slow,” Chhabria said. Indian
banks’ direct exposure to Russia and Ukraine is limited and the direct impact from the conflict is likely to
be marginal, Chhabria said. Gross non-performing assets of Indian banks were at 6.9% of total assets as of
September 2021, according to the central bank. In December, the RBI warned that bad loans at commercial
banks in India could rise to between 8.1% and 9.5% by September 2022. However, Chhabria believes the
credit cost for Indian banks, already at its lowest level for the past seven years, could reduce to 1.5% next
year and be comparable to emerging markets. “There are some pockets of stress that we see in retail and
the small and medium enterprises sectors given that the recovery so far has been uneven, but with a further
pick up in the economy the residual stress should start abating,” she said.
Indiatakingup
RussianoilnotUS
sanctionsviolation
Washington (PTI):
India taking up Rus-
sia’s offer of discount-
ed crude oil would not
be a violation of
American sanctions
on Moscow, the White
House has said, as it
also underlined that
countries should also
think about “where
you want to stand”
amidst Russia’s inva-
sion of Ukraine.
Joe Biden last week
announced a ban on
Russian oil and gas
imports over the coun-
try’s invasion of
Ukraine, targeting the
main artery of Rus-
sia’s economy
.
“Our message to
any country continues
to be that abide by the
sanctions that we have
put in place and rec-
ommended,” White
House Press Secretary
Jen Psaki said.
Asked about a me-
dia report on the pos-
sibility that India
could take up the Rus-
sian offer of discount-
ed crude oil, Psaki
said, “I don’t believe
this would be violat-
ing that (sanctions).”
“But also think
about where you want
to stand when history
books are written at
this moment in time.
Support for the Rus-
sian leadership is sup-
port for an invasion
that obviously is hav-
ing a devastating im-
pact,” he added. The
US-led West has im-
posed a series of fi-
nancial sanctions
against Russia.
ATF price hiked by steepest ever 18% to all-time high
Mukesh Ambani continues to be richest man in Asia
New Delhi (PTI): Jet
fuel prices on Wednes-
day were hiked by over
18% to all-time high
levels after interna-
tional oil price surged
to a multi-year high.
The increase - sixth
straight this year - led
to prices soaring past
the `1-lakh-per-kiloli-
tre mark for the first
time ever.
Aviation turbine fuel
- the fuel that helps aer-
oplanes fly - was hiked
by 17,135.63 per kl, or
18.3%, to `110,666.29 per
kl in the national capi-
tal New Delhi.
Jet fuel prices are re-
vised on the 1st and
16th of every month
based on the average
international price of
benchmark fuel in the
preceding fortnight.
In Mumbai, ATF
price soared to
`109,119.83 a kl and it
costs `114,979.70 in Kol-
kata. Jet fuel is priced
at `114,133.73 per kl in
Chennai.
Jetfuel,whichmakes
up for almost 40% of
the running cost of an
airline, has this year
surged to new highs.
The previous peak of
`71,028.26 per kl was re-
corded in August 2008,
when international
crudeoilpricestouched
$147 per barrel. Brent
crude oil on Wednesday
was trading just above
$100 per barrel.
New Delhi (PTI):
Mukesh Ambani, who
runs the oil-to-retail
conglomerate Reliance
Industries, continues to
be the richest Indian
with a wealth of $103
billion, a 24% rise year
on year.
Gautam Adani, In-
dia’s and Asia’s second-
richest person, added
$49 billion to his wealth
last year - more than
the net addition of
wealth by the top three
global billionaires Elon
Musk, Jeff Bezos and
Bernard Arnault, the
2022 M3M Hurun Glob-
al Rich List said on
Wednesday
.
Adani, the head of
the ports-to-energy con-
glomerate Adani
Group, is a close sec-
ond, with his wealth
surging 153% to $81 bil-
lion.
In the last 10 years,
while Ambani’s wealth
has grown 400%, Adani
has seen a 1,830% in-
crease, the list said.
HCL’s Shiv Nadar is
ranked third with $28
billion wealth, followed
by Serum Institute’s
Cyrus Poonawalla ($26
billion) and steel mag-
nate Lakshmi N Mittal
($25 billion).
Ambani’s wealth
grew by $20 billion in
2021, it said.
Nykaa founder Fal-
guni Nayar ($7.6 bil-
lion) is the wealthiest
new entrant in the Hu-
run Global Rich List
2022.
BIZZ BRIEFS
TATA STARBUCKS PLANS TO OPEN 8
NEW AIRPORT STORES ACROSS 6 CITIES
New Delhi (PTI): Tata Starbucks on Wednes-
day announced that it is planning to open eight
airport stores in six cities to expand its network
in the country. The cities are Bengaluru, Bhu-
baneswar, Goa, Guwahati, Jaipur and Lucknow,
said a statement from Tata Starbucks, which is
a 50:50 joint venture between Tata Consumer
and Starbucks Corporation. The airport stores
will offer customers a wide range of items and
will also bring My Starbucks RewardsTM loyalty
programme.
MSI LAUNCHES INITIATIVE TO COVER
VEHICLES FOR UNFORESEEN FAILURES
New Delhi (PTI): Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) on
Wednesday said it has rolled out an initiative to
cover customer vehicles for unforeseen failures
in the engine due to hydrostatic lock and fuel
adulteration. The auto major has rolled out a
customer convenience package (CCP) as part
of its efforts to further strengthen its after-sales
service connect with customers.
REC PARTNERS EPIC INDIA TO
IMPROVE PERFORMANCE OF DISCOMS
New Delhi (PTI): State-owned non-banking
finance firm REC has partnered with Energy
Policy Institute at the University of Chicago
(India) to improve the performance of power
distribution utilities. Under this partnership, in
addition to providing research and evaluation
support, EPIC India will collaborate with REC
Ltd and RECPDCL to provide a platform for
knowledge sharing on international research and
policy innovations through its nexus of leading
international experts.
NEW RATES
SENSEX SPRINTS 1,040 POINTS
Mumbai (PTI): Equity
benchmark Sensex
surged over 1,000 points
on Wednesday to re-
claim the 56,000-level,
boosted by intense buy-
ing in IT, banking and
financial stocks amid
growing hopes of a
breakthrough in Rus-
sia-Ukraine negotia-
tions.
Strong global cues
also propped up the do-
mestic indices, traders
said.
The 30-share BSE in-
dex closed 1,039.80
points or 1.86% higher
at 56,816.65. Likewise,
the NSE Nifty jumped
312.35 points or 1.87% to
end at 16,975.35.
U l t r a t e c h
Cement was
the top gainer
in the Sensex
pack, spurt-
ing nearly
5%, followed
by Axis
Bank, In-
d u s I n d
Bank, HDFC,
Bajaj Finserv
and Bajaj Fi-
nance.
RUPEE SPURTS BY
42 PAISE TO 76.20
AGAINST $
Mumbai (PTI): The
rupee spurted by
42 paise to a nearly
two-week high of
76.20 against the US
dollar on Wednes-
day, tracking positive
domestic equities and
Asian currencies ahead
of the US Federal rate
hike decision. At the
interbank forex market,
the local unit opened
at 76.40 against
the greenback and
witnessed an intra-day
high of 76.19 and
a low of 76.44. The
rupee quoted at 76.20,
registering a rise of 42
paise over its previous
close of 76.62.
I-T DEPT ISSUES REFUNDS OF OVER
`1.92 LAKH CR TILL MARCH 15
New Delhi (PTI): The income tax department
on Wednesday said income tax refunds worth
over `1.92 lakh crore have been issued to
more than 2.24 crore taxpayers so far this
fiscal. This includes 1.83 crore refunds of
Assessment Year 2021-22 (2020-21 fiscal),
amounting to `37,961.19 crore. “CBDT issues
refunds of over `1,92,119 crore to more than
2.24 crore taxpayers from 1st Apr, 2021 to
15th March, 2022,” the income tax depart-
ment tweeted. This includes personal income
tax refunds of `70,373 crore and corporate
tax refunds of `1.21 lakh crore.
RIL PLANS ENTRY INTO COAL-BASED
POWER GENERATION
New Delhi (Agencies): For the first time, RIL
is planning to make a foray into coal-based
power generation by submitting an applica-
tion to acquire bankrupt Lanco’s Amarkantak
unit. RIL had earlier made an announcement
to get into the renewable power generation
business by investing $10 billion in three
years but its bid for a coal-based power plant
is considered as deviation from its green
energy policy. Since then, RIL has acquired
several green energy companies including a
40% stake in Sterling and Wilson Solar.
MUSTARD SEEDS OUTPUT TO RISE
29% TO 109.5 LT IN 2021-22
New Delhi (PTI): Edible oil industry body
COOIT has estimated the country’s mustard
seeds production to rise 29% to 109.50 lakh
tonnes in the rabi season of 2021-22 crop
year. The output of mustard seeds, which is
grown in rabi (winter-sown) season, stood
at 85 lakh tonnes in the previous year. As per
the COOIT data, mustard seed production is
estimated at 109.5 lakh tonnes in 2021-22.
The area under coverage has been pegged at
87.44 lakh hectares while the average yield is
seen at 1,270 kg per hectare.
New Delhi (PTI): As
many as 347 foreign
direct investment (FDI)
proposals, worth about
`75,951 crore, have been
received by the govern-
ment from countries
sharing land border with
India since April 18,
2020, Parliament was
informed on Wednesday.
Out of 347, 66 proposals
have so far been granted
approval by the govern-
ment and 193 cases have
been rejected or closed
or withdrawn. Countries
which share land border
with India are China,
Bangladesh, Pakistan,
Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar
Afghanistan. The total
value of investments of
these 66 proposals is
`13,624.88 crore.
66 out of 347 FDI
proposals from
neighbouring
countries approved

9. COVID-19
UPDATE
WORLD
60,75,495
TOTAL DEATHS
39,55,07,972
TOTAL RECOVERED
6,07,50,805
ACTIVE CASES
46,23,34,272
TOTAL CASES
INDIA
5,16,103
TOTAL DEATHS
4,24,50,055
TOTAL RECOVERED
32,780
ACTIVE CASES
4,29,98,938
TOTAL CASES
AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2022
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08
2NDFRONT
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: As
many as 519 fisher-
men from Gujarat are
languishing in jails in
Pakistan of whom
358 were arrested by
that country in the
last two years, the
state government told
the Legislative As-
sembly on Wednes-
day.
The government also
informed that the state
has written 18 times
seeking the release of
these fishermen.
Responding to a set
of queries raised by
Congress MLAs during
Question Hour, Guja-
rat State Fisheries
Minister Jitu Chaud-
hary also stated in his
written replies that 20
fishermen from Guja-
rat have returned dur-
ing the last two years
following their release
from Pakistan.
The Pakistan Mari-
time Security Agency
keeps taking in custo-
dy fishermen from
Gujarat at regular in-
tervals accusing them
of entering the Paki-
stani waters by cross-
ing the notional Inter-
national Maritime
Border Line (IMBL) in
the Arabian sea.
Of the 358 fishermen
who were arrested in
the last two years, 163
were apprehended in
2020 and 195 in 2021,
said the minister.
As per the data
shared by him, 247 fish-
ermen have been lan-
guishing in Pakistani
jails for one year, 76 for
the last three years and
one has been in jail for
over five years.
Explaining the proce-
dure followed by the Gu-
jarat government to get
these fishermen re-
leased from Pakistani
jails, the minister said
the state government
submits required docu-
ments and proofs to the
Ministry of Home Af-
fairs at regular inter-
vals for further action
after verifying their na-
tionality
.
For better identifica-
tion, the state govern-
ment has also started
giving biometric cards
to fishermen. So far,
1.68 lakh fishermen
have been allotted these
cards.
Chaudhary also said
that the Gujarat govern-
ment gives financial as-
sistance of Rs300 per
day to families of the
fishermen who are in
Pakistan’s captivity
.
The government dis-
bursed Rs2.30 crore to
the families of 184 fish-
ermen in 2020 and
Rs4.28 crore to 323 fami-
lies in 2021, the minis-
ter stated.
Although Paki-
stani authorities
seize fishing boats of
fishermen while tak-
ing them in custody,
boat owners are not
given any compensa-
tion by the Gujarat
government, said the
minister.
Ofthe358fishermenwhowerearrestedinthelasttwoyears,163wereapprehendedin2020and195in2021;thestatehas
written18timesseekingthereleaseofthesefishermen,stategovernmenttoldtheHouseduringongoingAssemblysession
519 Guj fishermen stuck in Pak jails
Pak Maritime Security Agency regularly takes into custody fishermen from Guj, on allegations of crossing the IMBL. —FILE PHOTO
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: Speak-
ing in the Gujarat Leg-
islative Assembly
, BJP
MLAs Hitu Kanodia
and Suresh Patel on
Wednesday urged peo-
ple to watch the Hindi
film ‘The Kashmir
Files’, and accused
Congress leaders of
“shaking hands” with
those who targeted the
Hindus in Kashmir.
The BJP government
in Gujarat has given the
film, which revolves
aroundtheforcedmigra-
tion of Kashmiri Pan-
dits from the Kashmir
Valley in the 1990s, a tax-
free status.
Speakingduringadis-
cussion on Budgetary
allocations for the Infor-
mation and Broadcast-
ing department, Kano-
diasaidthefilmhas“un-
earthed reality”.
“It is unfortunate that
Congressleadersusedto
shake hands with those
who had tortured Kash-
miri Pandits. This
should not have hap-
pened.… Every citizen
shouldwatchittounder-
stand the pain of Kash-
miri Pandits,” he added.
Countering him, se-
niorCongressMLAPun-
ja Vansh asked Kanodia
to state which party was
in power at the Centre
whenthemigrationtook
place, apparently refer-
ring to the fact that a
non-Congress govern-
mentwasinpoweratthe
time. BJP MLA Suresh
Patel thanked CM Bhu-
pendra Patel for giving
the film tax exemption.
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The Gu-
jarat High Court came
down heavily on two
people for contempt of
court regarding differ-
ent issues on Wednes-
day
. In one case, it or-
dered the arrest of the
person responsible
and fined Rs10,000 in
the other.
A homeowner from
Khokhraareaof Ahmed-
abad had moved a con-
tempt of court petition
in the court, as the
tenant had disrespected
a court order to pay rent.
Now, the court has di-
rected police to arrest
the tenant and send him
tojail.Accordingtolegal
records, the tenant’s
housewasunderrenova-
tion in 2014, as the whole
residential society was
beingredeveloped.From
2014-2019, the tenant
failed to pay rent to the
petitioner, which is why
the homeowner had
moved to court. The low-
er court’s order to pay
rent owed was chal-
lenged by the tenant be-
fore the High Court,
which agreed with the
previous order. The or-
der was not followed by
the tenant, who did not
pay the rent owed by
him.
In another case, the
High Court directed a
Gujarat Industrial De-
velopment Corp. (GIDC)
Suratzonalofficertopay
a fine of Rs10,000 for not
filing a response with it
regarding a demolition
case for two years. Peti-
tioner Balram Jain has
pleaded that although
therewasdirectionfrom
the court to maintain
status quo, GIDC demol-
ished 100 houses under
policeprotectionin2020.
As the action was in vio-
lation of the court’s or-
ders,acontemptof court
petition was moved. Al-
though hearings have
beenheldforthelasttwo
years, the GIDC has
asked for more time and
is yet to file a response.
First India Bureau
Vadodara: On Tues-
day night, the Rajkot
police caught two of
the three women who
had fled from the
Nari Sanrakshan
Gruh, where they
were sent, after being
caught with bogus
aadhaar cards from
the Howrah-Ahmed-
abad Express train
on March 11.
Railway police had
picked up a suspicious
man with three women
travelling in the How-
rah-AhmedabadExpress
trainonMarch11.Atthe
Vadodara railway sta-
tion, they handed over
the custody of all four to
the missing cell team of
Vadodararailwaypolice.
Police had found fake
aadhaar cards with Bha-
ruch as the postal ad-
dress from the women.
“Two of the three
women, Mausami alias
Sarmeen Mintu Sheikh
(from West Bengal) and
Popi Begum alias Farza-
na Mohammad Sheikh
(from Bangladesh) were
caught by Rajkot police
on the same day
, but the
third Yasmin alias Jan-
nat Jajmiya Muslim
(from Bangladesh) is
still untraceable. We
have taken the custody
of the women, and inter-
rogations are on,” said
ACP A Division Dhar-
mendrasinh Chavda.
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Karanj
police station has
booked 10 advocates
and 100 others un-
der the various sec-
tions of the Indian
Penal Code (IPC)
for criminal intimi-
dation, conspiracy,
unlawful assembly
and rioting. The ad-
vocates were part
of a group that at-
tacked Bapunagar
police sub-inspec-
tor Varsha Jadav at
the metropolitan
magistrate court on
March 07.
Jadav has stated
that on March 06, a
complaint was filed
against accused Ch-
haya Kori for volun-
tarily causing hurt
and criminal intimi-
dation. She was pro-
duced before the
court the next day.
After the hearing,
when they were leav-
ing the premises, she
and other police team
members were gher-
aoed and beaten up.
She sustained inju-
ries and was rushed
to the civil hospital
for treatment.
The mob was led by
advocates Chhaya
Kori, Jaimini Patel, Ja-
far Khan Pathan, Man-
isha Parikh, Neeta
Parmar, Nirmal Raw-
al, Hemant Navlakha,
Pankaj Solanki, Ashok
Sharma, Bharat and
100 other male and fe-
male lawyers.
Shockingly, Jadav
had attempted to lodge
a complaint with
Danilimda police sta-
tion that day, but her
request was declined.
However, when senior
officers were pres-
sured to investigate
the incident almost 10
days later, Karanj po-
lice station lodged the
complaint late on
Tuesday night. The
case is being investi-
gated by Police Inspec-
tor MM Laliwala.
Incidentally, the ac-
cused Chhaya too had
complained to the
courtthatshehadbeen
subjected to police
atrocity and beaten up
by a police officer at
Bapunagar police sta-
tion. The court had or-
dered medical exam-
ination and treatment
at a hospital.
BJP MLAs urge people to watch ‘The Kashmir Files’
‘REEL’ITY BITES
Cong hits back
asking which
party was in
power at the
Centre when the
migration took
place, referring
to the fact that a
non-Cong govt
was in power at
the time Issue came up during a discussion on allocations for the IB department in the Assembly. —FILE PHOTO
Two men sit outside the gate of the Gujarat High Court. —FILE PHOTO
The women had fled the
premises by jumping a wall on
Tuesday. —FILE PHOTO
Courtordersonearrested,
anotherfinedforcontempt
Case against 10 advocates, 100
others for attack on police personnel
2 WHO FLED
FROM V’DARA
WOMEN’S
HOME HELD
Let us celebrate the pious festival of
Holika Dahan, may all your
problems turn to dust and wishes
on the occasion of Dhulandi, may the
colours forever brighten your life.
—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO Editor-in-Chief, First India

10. t the outset let
me wish all your
readers a very
Happy Holi! Holi
is the festival of joyous-
ness, it celebrates love, to-
getherness and in its own
way liberates us from the
shackles as we immerse
ourselves in these colours
of life.
The First India Family
celebrated Phoolon ki
Holi, strengthening the
bonds of teamwork and
togetherness. Jagdeesh
Chandra joined in the cel-
ebrations adding joy to the
festivity and a feeling of
privilege to each of the
team member. He greeted
and wished all the team a
happy Holi. Inhibitions
took a backseat as one
and all joined in the
shower of petals with
the Attraction Dance
company after their
amazing dance per-
formances.
Traves as Krishna
and Tuhin as Radha
along with other art-
ists gave soul-stir-
ring dance perfor-
mances which will
be telecast as a spe-
cial Holi show-
“Rang Barse” on
First India News
also. The models
of Elite Miss Ra-
jasthan were also
part of the festivi-
ties.
As we celebrate
Holika Dahan to-
day, we wish that
all your sorrows
turn to dust in the holy fire
and the day of colours to-
morrow- Dhulendi – adds
the most joyous of colours
to your life. Let’s choose to
treasure our family and
friends, let ego and mate-
rial possessions take a
backseat. There is a reason
that we have Holi, a festi-
val much different from
the formal preciousness of
Deepawali, the casual, fun
and frolic Holi, liberates
our body, mind and soul
and as we shed our unnec-
essary inhibitions, we can
reach out on this festival to
the estranged and let love
and peace flow in our rela-
tionships and life.
Bura na maano Holi hai
is the theme to keep in
mind…. Happy Holi to all
of you!
AHMEDABAD, THURSDAY,
MARCH 17, 2022
09
PHOOLON KI HOLI- A CELEBRATION OF
THE PIOUS LOVE BETWEEN RADHA AND
KRISHNA IS A SPIRITUAL OBSERVANCE
OF THE FESTIVAL OF HOLI AND FIRST
INDIA FAMILY IMMERSED ITSELF IN
THIS PIOUS BLISS!
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facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
Jagdeesh Chandra with Akanksha, Poonam, Ayushi, Tripti, Astha, Khushi, Srishti
and Muskan K watching the performance of the artists.
Jagdeesh Chandra with (L-R)
Shweta Mishra, Anita Hada, Astha
Khandelwal, Poonam Sharma,
Ayushi Vijayvergia, Akanksha Bhalla,
Sudhanshu Mathur,
Tripti Arora, Muskan Moolchandani,
Neelanjana Jangid and Aditi Nagar
enjoying the spiritual bliss of Phoolon
ki Holi. Also seen are Traves as Krishna
and Tuhin as Radha.
the formal preciousness of
Deepawali, the casual, fun
of you!
The artists of
Attraction Dance
company gave
soul-stirring dance
performances
which will be tel-
ecast as a special
Holi show- “Rang
Barse” on First In-
dia News today on
Thursday at 7:55
pm and repeat
telecast on March
18 at 1:55 pm and
8:25 pm.
A
A
ANITA HADA
anita.hada@firstindianews.com
Akanksha Bhalla, Srishti Khatri, Neelanjan Jangid and Muskan Kamdaar soak up the festivity

11. 10-11
ETC
AHMEDABAD,THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2022
PHOOLON KI RAAS-
PHOOLON KI RAAS-LEELA
LEELA
First India family celebrated Holi with a festive profusion of colours as one and all joined in the
Phoolon ki Holi event organised at the channel office. City First brings you glimpses of the beautiful
perfomances by the Attraction Dance Company which brought alive the festive and pious spirit of
Vrindavan alive on the floor and in the hearts of the team. In the midst of swirling petals and chants of
Jai Kanhaiya lal ki ... everyone put the pandemic times behind them and embraced the togetherness
and joy of Holi wishing better times for everyone, the state and our beloved nation. HAPPY HOLI!
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Akanksha, Srishti, Neelanjana, Muskan and Astha in fervour of flowers Srishti and Astha are all smiles with the artistes
Jagdeesh Chandra with Shweta Mishra, Anita Hada, Astha Khandelwal, Akanksha Bhalla, Sudhanshu Mathur and Aditi Nagar deluged in the spiritual petals of Phoolon ki holi
Radha-Krishna from the Attraction Dance Company showcase a
wonderful performance of Raas-leela celebrating the pious love of
radha Krishna during the Phoolon ki Holi celebration at First India News office.
Shweta Mishra
Sudhanshu Mathur, Yogesh Sharma and First India family members enjoying the festivity

12. 12
AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2022
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CITY BUZZ
GET VACCINATED
STAY MASKED
The birthday of IAS Rohit
Kumar Singh, Secretary
Department of Consumer
Affairs, Ministry of
Consumer Affairs and
Public Distribution,
Government of India was
on Wednesday, March 16.
We wish him all the best!
UTTKARSHA SHEKHAR
W
riter, poet and
academic Ma-
karand R. Par-
anjape have written at
great depth on Indian
philosophers in align-
ment with the freedom
movement. Dr Paran-
jape released his latest
book, Identity’s Last
Secret, in his edited an-
thology, Aurobindo, he
explores the brilliant
and complex mind of a
remarkable yogi and
seer-poet. The volume
taps onto the lesser-
known essays written
during the struggle for
independence and trac-
es the development of
Aurobindo's philosoph-
ical and religious
thought, culminating in
the system of Integral
Yoga. Identity’s Last Se-
cret is a book where
well-sculpted words
combine with sensuali-
ty and spirituality to
create art – it is visual
poetry that is simple yet
elegant. It gives an an-
ubhava that is so deep
that it gets embodied in
our DNA and opens the
third eye, it goes beyond
realms of the conscious
mind and a new know-
ing is realised. The
work needs applause
for the clarity of de-
scription at each mile-
stone and the rawness
with which every emo-
tion has been depicted.
It goes beyond literary
theory, known myths
and metaphysics. The
eight sections in the
book cover a
vast array of top-
ics and highlight
the genius of Aurobin-
do. His impact goes be-
yond the realm of phi-
losophy and literature
and extends to Indian
politics as well. There
he gave a clarion call
that fighting for abso-
lute Swaraj was essen-
tial and petitioning the
British would not bring
results. It bridges the
human and the divine
and the author finds his
true self by accepting
all aspects of existence
and exploring all that
he has lived and experi-
enced. Yes, this is an
ambitious book and
transformative poetry
is both new and risky.
Yet, the depth of insight
that it offers, makes it a
compelling read.
New Delhi: Marking
the 45th birth anniver-
sary of the braveheart
SandeepUnnikrishnan,
actor Adivi Sesh paid a
tribute to the memories
and experiences of the
late officer in a spe-
cial video recreating
hisreal-lifemoments.
Living the character
of Sandeep Un-
nikrishnan through the
journey of the upcom-
ing film 'Major', Adivi
Sesh not only got deeply
acquainted with the he-
roics of the brave heart
but also has been deeply
inspired by the courage,
kindness and compas-
sion of the late officer.
In a special video dedi-
cated to the later offic-
er, the makers have put
together real-life pic-
tures of the vari-
ous phases and expe-
riences of the NSG
commando's life
against the recreated
reel life pictures.
Depicting the jour-
ney of Sandeep Un-
nikrishnan from child-
hood, glorious years in
the army to the Mum-
bai 26/11 attacks where
he sacrificed his life for
the nation, the upcom-
ing film 'Major' cele-
brates the spirit of the
late officer. Produced
by Sony Pictures Films
India in association
with Mahesh Babu's
GMB Entertainment
and A+S Movies, 'Ma-
jor' is directed by Sashi
Kiran Tikka. The film
stars Adivi Sesh, Sobh-
ita Dhulipala, Saiee
Manjrekar, Prakash
Raj, Revathi and Mu-
rali Sharma. 'Major'
will be released in Hin-
di, Telugu and Malay-
alam on May 27.
athak Guru
P a d m a s h r i
S h o v a n a
Narayan with
her Asavari
R e p e r t o r y
presented a
unique dance ballet in
Kathak style AUM on
Wednesday at India
Habitat Centre. The
performance explored
various tiers of sub-
consciousness that
the Cosmic Sound of
Creation represents, a
sound that symbolizes
the Supreme Person-
ality of God i.e para
brahman.
The dance ballet
was choreographed by
Guru Padamshri Sho-
vana Narayan and
Shailja Nalwade and
was conceptualized by
Vice Admiral Dr Sana-
tan Kulshreshtha
which showcased the
power of belief among
the Hindus in the es-
sence of the Vedas en-
shrined in the word
Aum.AUM symbolizes
thepranaorlifebreath
thatrunsthroughone's
body bestowed by the
para brahman.
In its reverbera-
tion, the sound of
AUM increases sattva
or harmony within a
person and carries us
across the ocean of
transmigration or
reincarnation. The
sacred sound eventu-
ally leads to the state
of turiya that is be-
yond cause and effect.
From a Vedant per-
spective, the term
AUM symbolizes vari-
ous states of con-
sciousness and the
three worlds - earth,
atmosphere and heav-
en. The one-hour
dance production
comprised of 4 sec-
tions that showcased,
The Awakening - wak-
ing state of conscious-
ness and the earth,
The Realisation - emo-
tions and feelings,
The Aspiration - flight
of aspiration and ex-
ploration and The
Continuum - the fi-
nal seeking and
emergence into the
cosmos, the heavens.
Minister Meenakshi
Lekhi, Theatre actor
Sunit Tandon and
Neelam Pratap Rudy,
Classical Dancer
Sangeeta Bhuyan
Mehta, Aruna Vas-
udev, Indian critic
and maker of docu-
mentaries, Dr S.
Kulshreshtha, For-
mer Director-General
of Naval Armament
Inspection at the Inte-
grated Headquarters
of Ministry of De-
fense, author
graced the event
with their presence.
SHUBHANSHI PATHAK
cityfirstdel@gmail.com
Instagram account of Delhi model hacked
Identity’s Last Secret
Tribute To The Legend!
N
owadays, social
media is like oxy-
gen for the up-
coming actors and
modelsastheypromote
themselves on various
social media platforms.
If the social media ac-
count of any upcoming
actor/model gets
hacked, he or she feels
like someone has taken
off their oxygen mask.
It happened with a
Delhi-based actor/
model Shabnamistan
Jabeen. Not only did
her Instagram account
of Jabeen got hacked
on March 10, but the
hacker is also resort-
ing to all sorts of tac-
tics to harass her, from
demanding ransom,
contacting her rela-
tives and friends pos-
ing as Jabeen “request-
ing” them for money
and deleting her previ-
ous posts which
she had put
on her Instagram Wall
to showcase her work.
She has now ap-
proached the Cyber
Cell of the Delhi Police.
In her complaint,
Jabeen said “Around
4.30 PM I received a
few messages on my
Instagram account
(iam_shabnamistan-
jabeen) from Meta
Instagram account
named 'metainfoviola-
tioncenter'. Those re-
spective messages
were to inform me that
my ID will be removed
within 48 hours if I do
not fill out the men-
tioned form and con-
firm my ID by clicking
on the given link. So I
filled out the form as it
seemed to be an au-
thentic page of Insta-
gram. Afterwards, I
received confirmation
that my form has been
successfully submit-
ted. Speaking to First
India, Jabeen said:
“The hacker is coming
live from my account.
Putting stories that if
I'll not pay him he will
start misusing my con-
tent and start soaking
my followers and
friends.” Feeling ap-
prehensive, she has
urged the police to
take prompt action
against the hacker and
help her retrieve her
Instagram account
which has around
25,000 followers.
SHARAT K VERMA
cityfirstdel@gmail.com
K
HAPPY B’DAY!
Ranjana Narayan
Shovana Narayan and Meenkashi Lekhi
Dr. S. Kulshreshtha
Sunit Tandon with Dr Herbert Traxl
Shovana Narayan Neelam Pratap Rudy
Sangeeta Bhuyan Mehta
Neena Gulati and Livleen Sidhu
Makarand R Paranjape
Aurobindo
Shabnamistan Jabeen
Aruna Vasudev
—PHOTOS
BY
SHAZID
CHAUHAN
Jagdeesh Chandra was on a one day visit to Ahmedabad, he met the Gujarat team during his visit and held an editorial meeting.
VISIT TO AHMEDABAD
Jagdeesh Chandra accorded a floral welcome at Ahmedabad airport by
(right) Editor Haresh Jhala and Circulation in-charge Ghanshyam Gadhvi
Jagdeesh Chandra with (LtoR) Tanvi Sharma, Haresh Jhala, Marilyn Gore,
Gargi Rawal and Ghanshyam Gadhvi Jagdeesh Chandra with Hanif Sindhi
AUM:THESACREDSOUND,
AUM:THESACREDSOUND,
SYMBOL OF PRANA
SYMBOL OF PRANA