17032022 first india lucknow

After 2 years, Yogi to lead Narsingh
procession in Gorakhpur on Holi again
RETURN OF THE LEADER
Qazi Abdur Rahman
Gorakhpur: Chief
Minister-elect Yogi
Adityanath will reach
here on Thursday to
take part in Holika Da-
han and to lead Lord
Narsingh Holi proces-
sion on March 19th.
Gorakhnath Temple is
buzzing with activities
as preparations are un-
derway to make this
year’s Holi even more
colourful in the wake
of Yogi Adityanath’s
leading the BJP to an-
other term in power in
Uttar Pradesh.
The Holi procession
this year will also be
special because it will
be after two years that
CM Yogi Adityanath
will lead the proces-
sion again, not doing
so in 2020 and 2021 due
to the Covid-19 pan-
demic situation.
President of the Ho-
lika Utsav committee,
Arun Prakash, said the
Lord Narsingh proces-
sion will be taken out
at 8:30am from Ghanta
Ghar crossing and will
cover an 8-km distance
passing through Ma-
darsa Crossing, Laal
Diggi, Sahebganj, Mir-
zapur, Ghasi Katra,
and Zara Bazar before
culminating at Gora-
khnath temple.
He said this time five
trolleys have been in-
cluded in this proces-
sion that will carry
colours in the tank to
spray on people and at
least two dozen volun-
teers will be deployed
for sprinkling gulaal
and colours.
This year the
demand of bulldozer-
printed pichkari is
very high as the people
of the city are all set
to celebrate the victory
of Yogi’s bulldozer
emblem that he says
destroys the mafia
while working for de-
velopment of the com-
mon people.
CM YOGI’S SECOND GOVT
Top BJP leaders plan UP move in Delhi
First India Bureau
Lucknow: TheBharati-
ya Janata Party (BJP)
leadership on Wednes-
day went into a huddle
for a second time to fine
tune Yogi Adityanath’s
second successive gov-
ernment in Uttar
Pradesh.
According to reports,
discussions were held
with Chief Minister-
elect Yogi Adityanath
and the state’s core
group leaders about
various aspects, includ-
ing the representation
of allies and women in
the new government.
There is much specula-
tion on who the depu-
ties to the CM may be
this time, with Baby
Rani Maurya likely to
be one of them.
The discussions
would be followed by
Union Home Minister
Amit Shah arriving in
Uttar Pradesh over the
weekend for a meeting
in which newly elected
MLAs are expected to
formally elect Adity-
anath as the legislative
party leader.
The names of candi-
dates for biennial
elections to 36 seats of
the UP Legislative
Council are also on the
agenda.
HOLD OATH CEREMONY IN AYODHYA: VHP
The oath-taking ceremony of the new govt may take
place at Lucknow’s Ekana sports stadium. But the Vishwa
Hindu Parishad has raised an interesting demand for the
swearing-in be held in Ayodhya. “It would be much better
if the ceremony is held at Ayodhya’s Ram Katha Park or on
the banks of the Saryu river as a symbolic gesture of this
govt committing itself to the concept of the Ram Rajya,”
said VHP’s Ayodhya-based spokesman Sharad Sharma.
Amit Shah Yogi Adityanath
Yogi Adityanath playing Holi in
Gorakhpur. —FILE PHOTO
LUCKNOW l THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2022 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. UPENG/2020/80229 l Vol 2 l Issue No. 125
OUR EDITIONS:
JAIPUR, AHMEDABAD,
LUCKNOW & NEW DELHI
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AGUSTAWESTLAND CASE
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.
BACKGROUND
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.
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
HOLIDAY NOTICE
The press and offices of First
India will remain closed on
March 17 and 18, 2022, on
account of Holi. There will,
therefore, be no edition of the
paper on March 18 and 19,
2022. Wishing all our readers a
very happy & safe Holi. —Editor
Shashi Kant Sharma,
Former Defence Secretary
Young women celebrate Holi at the Taj Mahal
complex, in Agra on Wednesday. —PHOTO BY PTI

UTTAR PRADESH
LUCKNOW | THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2022
02
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4T MODEL KEEPING COVID-19 IN CONTROL: YOGI
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Strengthen-
ing its fight against the
Covid-19 pandemic,
vaccination drive for
children between 12 to
14 years of age in Uttar
Pradesh started from
Wednesday
.
On the occasion,
Chief Minister Yogi
Adityanath reviewed
the special vaccination
drive for the children at
Civil Hospital in the
state capital and also
expressed immense
satisfaction at the over-
whelming response
from the target group.
“Under the leader-
ship of PM Modi, our
country has been fight-
ing the pandemic with
complete prepared-
ness. India’s covid-19
management has not
only been appreciated
globally, but also, has
been adopted widely,”
said Yogi.
Informing about the
current Covid-19 situa-
tion in UP
, he said, “ef-
fective implementation
of the 4T model (Trace-
Test-Treat-Tika) has
enabled the state to
curb Covid-19 spread.
At present, the number
of active cases has
come down to less than
1000. Uttar Pradesh is
also leading in terms of
conducting Covid-19
tests and vaccination.
The state is well-
equipped to even deal
with a 4th wave.”
Uttar Pradesh has so
far administered more
than 29.54 crore doses
of Covid-19 vaccine.
More than 103% of
adults have received
the first dose, while 82
percent have received
both. Similarly, 97 per-
cent of the people with
comorbidities and
front line workers, in-
cluding policemen,
who are eligible for the
‘precaution doses’ have
been vaccinated.
Committed to pro-
viding protection cover
to children in the age
group of 15-18, UP has
so far administered
vaccine doses to over
1,94,88,920 teens.
CMYogi’spro-activestepsensurethatthereisnodearthofvaccinesinanyofthedistrictsinUP
Chief Minister-designate Yogi Adityanath interacts with students during the Covid 19 vaccination drive for age group 12-14 at Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Civil Hospital in Lucknow on Wednesday.
Vaccination for children aged 12-14 began on Wednesday. —PHOTOS BY SUMIT KUMAR
YOGI HAILS PM MODI FOR EFFICIENT VAX DRIVE
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also
expressed gratitude to the Prime
Minister Narendra Modi for taking
the initiative to begin the vaccination
drive of children belonging to the
age group of 12-14, and for taking
forward the Covid-19 accination drive
across India in a well phased and
coordinated manner.
It is to be noted that as many as
84.64 lakh children in the age
category of 12-14 are to be vacci-
nated across all 84 districts of Uttar
Pradesh for which, availability of
adequate supply of vaccines has been
ensured across the state.
Ahtesham Siddiqui
Lucknow: According
to sources, the list of
probable s for the chair
of Protem speaker of
the Legislative Assem-
bly has already reached
Raj Bhavan Secretariat
from Legislative As-
sembly Secretariat.
The first name in the
file for the post is that
of Samajwadi Party’s
strongman presently in
jail Mohammad Azam
Khan.
Khan has been elect-
ed MLA of SP for the
tenth time from Ram-
pur and his name is on
the first spot in the list
while BJP’s Shahjahan-
pur MLA Suresh Khan-
na, who has been elect-
ed as member of Uttar
Pradesh Legislative As-
sembly for the ninth
time is on second spot.
At number three, is
Durga Prasad Yadav of
Samajwadi Party, elect-
ed from Azamgarh for
ninth time is present
while Avadhesh Prasad
also elected for the
ninth time from Ayod-
hya is on fourth spot fol-
lowed by Jai Pratap
Singh of BJP, an eight
time MLA from Sid-
dharth Nagar.
Other names in the
list include Satish Ma-
hana, elected MLA for
the eighth time from
Kanpur, BJP’s Rama-
pati Shastri elected
MLA from Gonda for
the eighth time, Rampal
Verma also of BJP
elected for the eighth
time from Hardoi, Kun-
war Raghu Pratap Sin-
gh alias Raja Bhaiya of
Jansatta Dal Loktantrik
elected for the eight
time from Kunda, SP’s
Mata Prasad Pandey
elected for the seventh
time from Siddharth
Nagar, SP’s Ram Achal
Rajbhar elected for the
sixth time from Akbar-
pur, SP’s Shivpal Singh
elected for sixth time
from Jaswant Nagar,
SP’s Laji Verma elected
for the sixth time from
Ambedkar Nagar and
Chetan Ram of BJP
elected for sixth time.
In 2017, Fateh Bahadur
was made BJP’s Pro-
tem speaker, while as
per information this
time also Fateh Baha-
dur and Ramapati Shas-
tri of BJP could be
made Protem speaker.
However the final deci-
sion in this regard is to
be taken by Governor
Anandiben Patel.
LAST CALL

Many
prominent
names are
in the list of
17 MLAs
that has
been sent to
Anandiben
Patel for
taking a final
call
Raj Bhavan to take final call on the name of Protem Speaker
MLC poll nominations: EC extends last date
Azam Khan Suresh Khanna Durga Prasad Yadav
FIR against
1000 SP
workers
First India Bureau
Lucknow: FIRs
were registered
against more than
1000 SP for hinder-
ing government
work during the re-
cently concluded
assembly polls .
Sources said
thatcases were reg-
istered in Hapur,
Saharanpur, Basti,
Gorakhpur, Ballia,
Varanasi and Agra
districts. It was al-
leged that SP party
workers and sup-
porters had
checked vehicles of
government offi-
cials on March 10
blaming that EVMs
were rigged.
SP workers were
guarding counting
centres strictly in
more than 15 dis-
tricts from March 8
till counting day
.
They alleged that
police and adminis-
trative officials
were favouring
BJP
.
As many as 36
FIRs were regis-
tered in Hapur, 15
in Saharanpur, 100
in Basti, 100 in
Gorakhpur, 29 in
Ballia, 640 in Vara-
nasi and 85 in Agra.
SP workers had
also created ruckus
Bareilly in Aligarh
residence of dis-
trict magistrate
was laid seized by
them.
BJP weaves social engineering
in Yogi cabinet 2.0 formation
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Will the
new Yogi Adityanath
Cabinet have two or
more Deputy CMs?
This is the question
being discussed in BJP
circle as the party un-
der the direct supervi-
sion of Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and
Home Minister Amit
Shah moves to finalize
the names of prospec-
tive ministers. It is
learnt that the central
leadership has been toy-
ing with the idea of hav-
ing four deputy chief
ministers- one each
from upper castes, East
UP OBCs, Dalits and
Jats of west UP
.
While the name of ex-
Uttrakhand Governor
Baby Rani Maurya Jat-
av, who has become
MLA from Agra rural,
tops the list, the leader-
ship is likely to pick an-
other Brahmin face for
this post in place of
Dinesh Sharma. The
BJP
, which has been ag-
gressively trying to
wean away Jatav votes
from BSP chief
Mayawati, has planned
to prop up Baby Rani
“Jatav” before 2024 Lok
Sabha polls.
Former Gujarat cad-
re IAS officer AK Shar-
ma, a close confident of
Modi and who had tak-
en VRS early last year
to join BJP and work in
UP is also a front run-
ner for the post. Simi-
larly, Brijesh Pathak,
who was Law Minister
in the outgoing minis-
try
, is being seen as pro-
spective Deputy CM.
Brajesh Pathak is
considered close to De-
fence Minister Rajnath
Singh.
According to infor-
mation Shah is sched-
uled to visit after Holi
on March 19 to partici-
pate in BJP legislature
meeting.
While former Kan-
pur police commission-
er Asim Arun (MLA
from Kannauj), who is
Dalit, and former direc-
tor enforcement Rajesh-
war Singh (MLA-Saro-
jninagar) are being
seen as strong contend-
ers, others in circula-
tion are Amit Agarwal,
Rajiv Singh,
Dayashankar Singh,
Pratibha Shukla, Anju-
la Mahor, Yogendra
Upadhaya, Vipin Ver-
ma, Rajesh Tripathi,
Krishna Paswan,
Brajesh Singh, Dharm-
pal Singh, Yogesh Dha-
ma, Sanjay Sharma and
Jai Prakash Nishad.
The BJP allies- Apna
Dal (Sonelal) led by un-
ion minister of state
Anupriya Patel and Ni-
shad Party headed by
Dr Sanjay Nishad are
also eying for proper
representation.
POST ELECTION SAGA
PM MODI, AMIT SHAH EYE COMBINATIONS
KEEPING IN MIND THE 2024 LS ELECTIONS
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union
Home Minister Amit Shah, who played crucial role
in the victory of the BJP in UP assembly elections,
have planned to further consolidate the party for
2024 poll by again resorting to social-engineering
in UP government formation. It may be recalled
that during last expansion of Union Ministry in
September 2021 Modi had given more representa-
tion to OBCs and Brahmin from UP.
Governor, CM Yogi extend Holi wishes to people of UP
First India Bureau
Lucknow: While con-
gratulating UPites on
the auspicious occasion
of Holi, Governor
Anandiben Patel has
wished them a happy
and prosperous life. In
her congratulatory
message issued on the
occasion of festival of
colors, the Governor
said that Holi, was a fes-
tival of social harmony
which brought happi-
ness, enthusiasm and
hope in lives of people.
She wished that this
festival of gaiety would
give more strength to
unity rooted in our cul-
tural diversity
.
CM Yogi also has ex-
tended warm greetings
and best wishes to state
residents on the occa-
sion of Holi.
In his congratulatory
message, the Chief
Minister said that Holi
was the main festival of
India’s Sanatan tradi-
tion. He wished that
this festival, a symbol
of social equality, har-
mony and gaiety
, be aus-
picious for the entire
society and people of
state.
He further stated that
the long series of festi-
vals was an example of
glorious tradition of
ancient India. In the
Sanatan tradition, festi-
vals were also an inspi-
rational moment to give
gaiety and firmness to
the nationality besides
Holi inspired us to fight
against negative ten-
dencies like unright-
eousness, untruth and
injustice.
GLORIOUS INDIA
CM Yogi Adityanath
Traders’ body promises to ensure
cleanliness in Lucknow markets
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Municipal
Commissioner Ajay
Dubey on Wednesday
held a meeting with the
office bearers of ‘Uttar
Pradesh Adarsh Vyapar
Mandal’ to seek coop-
eration from traders in
making Lucknow a
cleaner city
.
The office bearers of
the organization have
during the meet-
promised to contribute
to ensure cleanliness in
the markets present in
the state’s capital. San-
jay Gupta, leader of the
organization during the
meeting, raised the is-
sue of setting up camps
in markets to facilitate
depositing of tax in-
stead of sealing shops
of those who have out-
standing commercial
house tax arrears.
Other issues dis-
cussed include non-pay-
ment of rent by traders
in Lalbagh Bhopal
House Market, garbage
thrown in the park in
front of Dr Bhatia in
Narhi Bazar Hazrat-
ganj, problem of water
coming into shops due
to sewer choke in Love
Lane, removal of tem-
porary illegal shops on
the roads in Bhootnath
Market etc.
Municipal Commissioner Ajay Dubey presides over a meet
of’Uttar Pradesh Adarsh Vyapar Mandal’ in Nagar Nigam office.
History sheeter
swears not to
commit crimes
Bareilly: A notori-
ous criminal Sunil
Kumar alias Tuiya
was history-sheeter
involved in crimi-
nal activities since
age of 18 years,
swore that he will
not involve in any
criminal activities.
Several cases un-
der loot, murder,
attempt to murder,
drug peddling were
registered against
him and after for-
mation of BJP gov-
ernment again he
was feared to be
encountered.
Anandiben Patel.

Lucknow (PTI): Vacci-
nation against
COVID-19 for children
in 12-14 years age group
started in UP on
Wednesday
, with CM
Yogi Aditynath saying
even if there is a fourth
wave of the pandemic,
thestateiswellequipped
to deal with it.
On the occasion, the
chief ministerreviewed
the special vaccination
drive for children at the
Civil Hospital in the
statecapitalandalsoex-
pressed satisfaction
over the overwhelming
response from the tar-
get group.
Asmanyas84.64lakh
children in the 12-14 age
group are to be vacci-
nated for which, avail-
ability of vaccines has
been ensured in the
state, Adityanath said.
“Under the leader-
ship of PM Modi, our
country has been fight-
ing the pandemic with
complete prepared-
ness. India’s COVID-19
management has not
only been appreciated
globally
, but also, has
been adopted widely
,”
he said.
OnthecurrentCovid
situation in UP
, the CM
said, “Effective imple-
mentation of the T4
model (Trace-Test-
Treat-Tika) has en-
abled the state to curb
the spread.”
First India Bureau
Lucknow: The police
have confiscated assets
of Jugnu Walia, a close
aide of mafia-turned
politician Mukhtar
Ansari and further
proceeding were under-
way.
Police said Jugnu and
his accomplices had
shot dead Jaswinder
Romi, owner of Chick-
chick restaurant near
Chandar Nagar petrol
pump in Alambagh on
October 28.
The police had arrest-
ed associates of Jugnu
and sent them to jail
while Jugnu was still
absconding. A reward
of ` 25,000 was an-
nounced on his arrest.
Police team initiated
proceedings and confis-
cated his shops and sev-
eral items there. The
police and administra-
tive officials completed
proceedings in pres-
ence of witnesses and
recorded it.
UTTAR PRADESH
03
CRUCIAL READ
Budaun: Four people were killed and six others
injured on Wednesday when a car crashed into
a bus parked on the roadside here, police said.
The victims, residents of Jamalpur village in
Hazratpur area here, were returning home from
Delhi to celebrate Holi, a police official said.The
car rammed into the truck from the rear side
on the Budaun-Meerut road in Mujaria area,
killing Tiplu (50) and Balveer (35) and one other
on the spot, ASP Siddharth Verma said. The
injured were rushed to hospital, where one more
person died during treatment. Among the other
six, condition of two was stated to be critical,
he said.
TWO KILLED AS
TRACTOR TROLLEY
OVERTURNS
Lalitpur: Two la-
bourers were killed
when a tractor-trolley
overturned in Lalitpur
district on Wednesday,
the police said. The
accident took place in
a canal in Pyasa village
under Madavara police
station, they said. The
deceased have been
identified as Pritam
Kushwaha (30) and
Ghansu Kushwaha
(20), SDM, Mada-
vara, SK Pandey said.
The duo had gone to
Dongra Khurd village
to load earth on the
tractor-trolley.
TIGER POPULATION
SHOWS RISING
TREND IN U’KHAND
Rishikesh: Tiger
census trends show
a steady rise in the
population of the
animal in Uttara-
khand, according to
a senior forest of-
ficer. “We have clear
indications of a fast
increasing popula-
tion of tigers in both
Corbett and Rajaji
Tiger reserves apart
from the territorial
forest divisions
of the state,”
Uttarakhand’s Head
of Forest Force
Vinod Kumar
Singhal said.
4 KILLED, SIX HURT AS CAR CRASHES
INTO BUS PARKED ON ROADSIDE
Covid-19 vaccination begins
for children aged 12-14 in UP
Health workers administer
Covid-19 preventive vaccine
to students in the age group
of 12-14 years at Shyama
Prasad Mukherjee Civil
Hospital in Lucknow on
Wednesday.
—PHOTOS BY SUMIT KUMAR
VAX NUMBERS
1
4
2
3
REDUCED TO ASHES
A huge fire broke out in a junk market
(Kabad Mandi) located in Purania area
in Lucknow ealry on Wednesday.
—PHOTOS BY SUMIT KUMAR
Action against close aide of Mukhtar
Three killed in road
mishap in Lucknow
Lucknow (PTI):
Three people were
killed in a head-on col-
lision between their
car and a truck here
on Wednesday, the
police said.
The incident took
place in the morning
on Kisan Path under
Sushant Golf City po-
lice station limits.
The deceased were
identified as Nitesh
Sharma, Satyam Trip-
athi, Akash Kushwa-
ha, all residents of
Kushinagar district.
SHO Devendra
Vikram Singh said the
impact of the colli-
sion left the car man-
gled. Gas cutters were
used to pull out the
occupants from the
car, he added.
Thepassengerswere
takentohospitalwhere
doctors declared them
dead, the SHO said.
The truck driver
and his helper aban-
doned their vehicle
and fled the spot, the
official said. “We are
trying to identify the
truckdriverandarrest
him,” he added. The
familymembersof the
deceased have also
been informed about
the incident, he said.
Jugnu Walia with Mukhtar
Ansari. —FILE PHOTO

PERSPECTIVE
04
Vol 2 Issue No. 125
RNI NO. UPENG/2020/80229.
Printed and published by
Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of
First Express Publishers. Printed
at Amar Ujala Ltd. B-5 Amausi
Industrial Area Kanpur Road Luc-
know. Published at 98, Friend’’s
Colony, Raheem Nagar, Dudouli
Road, Madiyaon, Lucknow (UP).
Editor-In-Chief: Jagdeesh Chandra.
Editor: Vishal Srivastav
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

INDIA
05
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

INDIA
06
Tokyo: A powerful
7.3-magnitude quake
jolted eastern Japan on
Wednesday night, rat-
tling the capital Tokyo
and prompting a tsuna-
mi advisory for parts of
the northeast coast.
The quake, which cut
power to more than two
million households,
was centred off the
coast of the Fukushima
region at a depth of 60
kilometres (37 miles),
the Japan Meteorologi-
cal Agency said.
“Calls have been in-
undating police and am-
bulances in Fukushima
and (neighbouring re-
gion) Miyagi,” top gov-
ernment spokesman
Hirokazu Matsuno told
reporters. “We’re doing
our best to assess the
extent of the damage.”
Japan’s nuclear author-
ity said no abnormali-
ties were detected at the
stricken Fukushima
plant that went into
meltdown in 2011 when
a huge 9.0-magnitude
quake hit off the east-
ern coast, triggering a
deadly tsunami and nu-
clear disaster.
Shortly after Wednes-
day’s quake hit at 11:36
pm (1436 GMT) an advi-
sory for tsunami waves
of up to one metre was
issued for the coasts of
Fukushima.
A 20 centimetre tsu-
nami wave was record-
ed in the city of Ishi-
nomaki in Miyagi, ac-
cording to public broad-
caster NHK.
TV footage showed
some structural dam-
age in the northeast,
including the collapse
of a stone wall of Aoba
castle in Sendai city
.
An official in the emer-
gency department of
the local government of
Ishinomaki told AFP he
had been woken by “ex-
tremely violent shak-
ing”.
Huge Japan earthquake triggers tsunami alert
7.3-MAGNITUDE QUAKE

A Shinkansen
bullet train was
derailed north of
Fukushima city,
train company
JR East said, but
there were no
immediate
reports of
injuries
COURTYARD
Chennai: The Madras High Court on Tuesday said
that using mobile phones and taking videos inside
government offices was “grave misconduct”, Live
Law reported. Justice SM Subramaniam directed
the Tamil Nadu government to issue instructions to
regulate the use of mobile phones in public offices
during work hours. The court made the comment
while hearing a petition challenging the suspension
of a government employee.
New Delhi: Former Fortis Healthcare promoter
Shivinder Mohan Singh’s interim bail plea in a
money laundering case has been rejected by the
Supreme Court. Singh faces corruption charges
including alleged funds misappropriation at Religare
Finvest Ltd. Taking note of “serious allegations” and
Singh being a “flight risk”, the SC rejected the inter-
im bail plea. The Delhi HC has already refused bail to
Mr Singh, who had then gone to the Supreme Court
against the high court order. In today’s Supreme
Court hearing, Singh through his lawyer, Gopal Jain,
said the plea was a humanitarian one.
USE OF MOBILES IN PUBLIC OFFICE IS
‘GRAVE MISCONDUCT’, SAYS MADRAS HC
FORMER FORTIS HEALTHCARE PROMOTER
BAIL REQUEST REJECTED BY TOP COURT
SC ALLOWS TN TO
GRANT 50% QUOTA
FOR GOVT DOCS
KV ADMISSION: LAST
DATE EXTENDED,
DELHI HC TOLD
New Delhi: Paving the
way for reservation for
doctors of government
hospitals in super-
speciality courses,
the Supreme Court in
an interim order on
Wednesday allowed the
Tamil Nadu government
to implement its order
to reserve 50% seats
for in-service doctors.
The state government
had in 2020 passed an
order for 50% reserva-
tion in Super Specialty
seats (DM/M.Ch.) for
in-service candidates
in government medical
colleges in the State.
But the apex court in
November 2020 had
directed.
New Delhi: The Delhi
High Court deferred
passing an interim order
on petitions against the
minimum age criteria of
six years for admission
to class 1 in KVs in the
upcoming academic
year after it was in-
formed that the last date
for online registrations
would be extended by
three weeks. Justice Re-
kha Palli took on record
the stand of KVS that
the last date of March
21 for applying would
be extended till April
11. “We are prepared
to extend the last date
by three weeks”, said
lawyer S. Rajappa, ap-
pearing for KVS.
Chinese Foreign Minister’s visit will be first ministerial visit following border clashes caused due to PLA aggression on LAC
WANG MAY VISIT INDIA THIS MONTH
New Delhi (PTI): A
visit to India by Chi-
nese foreign minister
Wang Yi later this
month could be on the
cards but there is no
finality on it yet, peo-
ple familiar with the
matter said on Wednes-
day
.
There is no official
word by the Ministry
of External Affairs or
the Chinese govern-
ment on the possible
visit. If the visit takes
place, it will be the first
trip by a senior Chi-
nese leader to India af-
ter the eastern Ladakh
standoff between the
two countries began in
May 2020. It is learnt
that the proposal for
the visit came from the
Chinese side and Wang
also intends to travel to
Nepal, Bhutan and
Bangladesh as part of
a four-nation tour.
Nepal’s Kathmandu
Post reported on Tues-
day that Wang is sched-
uled to arrive in the
Nepalese capital on
March 26 on a two-day
official visit.
It is not clear wheth-
er Wang’s possible visit
to New Delhi will take
place after his trip to
Kathmandu or before
it. In the last one-and-a-
half years, Jaishankar
and Wang held several
rounds of talks in Mos-
cow and Dushanbe to
defuse tensions in east-
ern Ladakh. In Septem-
ber 2020, Jaishankar
and Wang held exten-
sive talks in Moscow on
the sidelines of a con-
clave of the Shanghai
Cooperation Organisa-
tion (SCO) during
which they reached a
five-point agreement to
resolve the eastern
Ladakh border row.
The pact included
measures like quick
disengagement of
troops, avoiding action
that could escalate ten-
sions, adherence to all
agreements and proto-
cols on border manage-
ment and steps to re-
store peace along the
LAC.
FRESH PEACE TALKS SET TO RESUME
EAM S Jaishankar with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
India restores valid
e-visa for 156 countries
New Delhi: India has
restored all currently
valid five-year e-tourist
visa given to citizens of
156 countries and regu-
lar paper visa to nation-
als of all countries with
immediate effect, two
years after their sus-
pension follow the Cov-
id outbreak. Officials
said all currently valid
old long-duration (10
years) regular tourist
visa given to nationals
of the US and Japan
had been restored.
Meanwhile, Prem
Bhandari, President of
Jaipur Foot, USA
thanked Prime Minister
NarendraModiandGov-
ernmentof Indiaforres-
toration of (10 years)
tourist visa and said,
“Since November I was
intouchwithHarshVar-
dhanShringhla,Foreign
Secretary and MHA of-
ficials for restoration of
tourist visa. Repeatedly
I was bringing to their
attention the hardship
US citizens of indian
origin were facing, espe-
cially when people were
sent back in minus zero
degree temperature
from US airport.
The government has
decided that currently
valid e-tourist visa is-
sued for five years,
which was suspended
sinceMarch2020,would
stand restored to the na-
tionals of 156 countries,
an official said.
HC: Rubbing male organ on vagina
over underpants amounts to rape
Shillong (Agencies):
A division bench of the
Meghalaya high court
has ruled that rubbing
of male organ on the
vagina or urethra over
underpants would still
amount to penetration
and be charged under
Section 375(b) of the In-
dian Penal Code, Livel-
aw reported. The bench
comprised Chief Jus-
tice Sanjib Banerjee
and Justice W Dieng-
doh and the case dates
back to 2006.
“Penetration for the
purpose of Section 375
of the Penal Code does
not have to be complete.
Any element of pene-
tration would suffice
for the purpose of the
relevant provision. Fur-
ther, Section 375(b) of
the Penal Code recog-
nises that insertion, to
any extent, of any ob-
ject into the vagina or
urethra would amount
to rape. Even if it be ac-
cepted that the appel-
lant herein forced his
organ into the vagina
despite the victim wear-
ing her underpants, it
would still amount to
penetration...” the or-
der, as quoted by Live-
Law, said. A complaint
was lodged in 2006 in-
volving a minor who
said she did not feel any
pain and the accused
did not penetrate but
just rubbed from the top
of the underwear.
3 ultras killed in
JK encounter
Srinagar: Three ter-
rorists were killed in an
encounter with securi-
ty forces on the out-
skirts of Srinagar to-
day, police said.
Acting on specific in-
puts about the presence
of terrorists in Srina-
gar’s Nowgam area, the
security forces had
launched a cordon-and-
search operation there,
a police official said. He
said the search opera-
tion turned into an en-
counter when the ter-
rorists opened fire at
the security personnel,
who retaliated.
In the exchange of
fire, three terrorists
were killed, the official
said. Incriminating ma-
terial, including arms
and ammunition, were
recovered from the site
of the encounter.
Security personnel stand guard where three unidentified terrorists
were killed in Srinagar on Wednesday. —PHOTO BY ANI
New Delhi: The Cen-
tral Bureau of Investi-
gation (CBI) on
Wednesday arrested
Md. Khalid Moin, a
professor in the depart-
ment of civil engineer-
ing of Jamia Milia Isla-
mia University in a
bribery of Rs. one lakh.
His two other accom-
plices, Abid Khan and
Prakhar Pawar, were
arrested from a private
company based at Okh-
la, New Delhi. Moin
had allegedly given the
structural safety cer-
tificate to the Chintels
Paradiso apartment in
Gurugram, part of
which collapsed re-
cently killing two wom-
en. However, his arrest
was not connected to
the house collapse.
A case was regis-
tered against the ac-
cused on the allega-
tions that the said Pro-
fessor in conspiracy
with the representa-
tives of different pri-
vate builders, archi-
tect, middleman etc.
was indulging in dif-
ferent activities for is-
suing structural stabil-
ity certificates for the
projects after taking
bribe. CBI laid a trap
and caught the Profes-
sor two others while
accepting the bribe.
Searches are being
conducted at the prem-
ises of the accused. Po-
lice found Rs 30 lakh
cash and 1 crore 20
lakh in his account.
The arrested accused
will be produced before
the court in New Delhi.
CBI arrests
Jamia prof
Khalid Moin in
bribery case
BBB recommends
Alok Choudhary
for SBI Managing
Director post
New Delhi: The Banks
Board Bureau (BBB) on
Wednesday recom-
mended the name of
Alok Kumar Choud-
hary for the post of
managing director of
State Bank of India.
The headhunter for
directors of state-
owned banks and finan-
cial institution also rec-
ommended A Manime-
khalai, Ajay Kumar
Srivastava and Swa-
roop Kumar Saha for
MD position of Union
Bank of India, Indian
Overseas Bank and
Punjab Sind Bank,
respectively. The Bu-
reau interviewed 21
candidates and based
on their performance
selected.
India’s Covid vaccination strategy
science-driven, world’s largest: PM
New Delhi: Asserting
that India’s Covid vac-
cination drive is sci-
ence-driven and people-
powered, Prime Minis-
ter Narendra Modi to-
day said the country is
in a much better posi-
tion to fight this deadly
pandemic but people
must keep following all
precautions.
PM Modi noted that
on Wednesday is an im-
portant day in India’s
efforts to vaccinate its
citizens as now on-
wards, youngsters in
the 12-14 age group were
eligible for vaccines
and all those above 60
were eligible for pre-
caution doses.
“I urge people in
these age groups to get
vaccinated,” he said in
a series of tweets.
Highlighting the
journey of India’s vac-
cination drive, PM
Modi said, “We began
work to create vaccines
in early 2020, to protect
our citizens and
strengthen our fight
against the pandemic.”
“The manner in
which our scientists, in-
novators and the pri-
vate sector rose to the
occasion is commenda-
ble. In late 2020, I had
visited three of our vac-
cine manufacturers and
got firsthand details of
their efforts to protect
our citizens,” he said.
In January 2021, In-
dia began its vaccina-
tion drive for doctors,
healthcare and front-
line workers, he noted.
The aim was to en-
sure those at the fore-
front of the fight
against Covid get prop-
er protection at the ear-
liest, he said.
In March 2021, vacci-
nation was opened to
those above 60 and those
over 45 with comorbidi-
ties, he pointed out.
Later, the vaccination
opened for all those
above 18, he said.
A healthcare worker inoculates a boy with a dose of Covid-19
during a vaccination drive for 12-14 years of age group, at a
vaccination centre, in New Delhi on Wednesday. —PHOTO BY ANI
Kyiv (Agencies):
New talk of compro-
mise from both Mos-
cow and Kyiv on a
status for Ukraine
outside of NATO lift-
ed hope on Wednes-
day for a potential
breakthrough after
three weeks of war.
Ukraine’s President
Volodymyr Zelenskiy
said negotiations were
becoming “more real-
istic”, while Russian
Foreign Minister Ser-
gei Lavrov said there
was “some hope for
compromise”. The
Kremlinsaidthesides
were discussing sta-
tus for Ukraine simi-
lar to that of Austria
or Sweden, both mem-
bersof theEUthatare
outside the NATO
military alliance.
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.

NEWS
07
AFTER 2 YEARS
OF SALES
DOWNTURN,
GULAL
TRADERS SEE
BETTER HOLI
The recently-concluded
polls and decrease in
coronavirus infections have
given a much-needed boost
to the gulal traders in the
state capital Lucknow ahead
of the Holi festival. Gulal or
dry coloured powder is used
extensively during Holi. Gulal
traders, specially those
dealing in herbal gulal, have
seen a spike in orders
received this year. “The
business of gulal has been
affected severely in the last
two years because of the
pandemic. This year, with no
major COVID restrictions in
place, we have started
receiving orders again,”
Subodh Sharma, a gulal
trader, told PTI. Sharma, who
supplies gulal to several
smaller businesses in the city,
said the demand for herbal
gulal has gone up
considerably this time. ‘‘Every
one is demanding herbal gulal
this year. I think the demand
for herbal gulal is almost
equal to that of the traditional
gulal. We are finding it
difficult to meet the orders of
herbal gulal,” said Sharma.
Unlike the traditional gulal
which is readily available in
the market, the herbal variant
is made using non-toxic
herbal colour dye. Yawner Ali
Shah, the founder of AMA
herbals that produces herbal
gulal said, “We have seen a
marked increase in the
demand for herbal gulal in
the Indian market”. It reflects
how our society is becoming
aware about the harm of
synthetic dyes,” Shah said,
adding that the people
should ask for source of
natural dye and check for
authenticity before buying
herbal gulal. —PTI
RANG ACCHE HAI!
Students play with colours in the spirit of Holi outside a school in Moradabad on Wednesday. —PHOTO BY PTI
4 killed, as many hurt in clash over land dispute
Amethi(PTI): Four
people were killed and
four others were seri-
ously injured in a clash
between two parties
over a land dispute in a
village in Kotwali area
of Amethi district po-
lice said on Wednesday
.
A station house of-
ficer was among three
policemen suspended
for laxity
, they said. The
incident took place on
Tuesday night in Ra-
japur-Gungawachh vil-
lage here under Kotwali
Police Station area,
they said.
There was a dispute
between Amresh Yadav
and Ram Dular Yadav
over the possession of
a piece of government
land adjacent to the
house of former gram
pradhan Sankata Ya-
dav, Superintendent of
Police Dinesh Singh
said. The warring
groups attacked each
other with lathis re-
sulting in the death of
Sankata Yadav (61), Ha-
numa Yadav (40), Am-
resh Yadav (32) and
Parvati Yadav (59), all
belonging to the same
family, while four oth-
ers with serious inju-
ries were taken to Luc-
know trauma centre
for treatment, the SP
said. Additional Direc-
tor General of Police
(Lucknow Zone) Brij
Bhushan Sharma visit-
ed the village along
with other senior offi-
cials on Wednesday
and held a meeting to
work out the case.
An FIR was lodged
against seven named
people, including pres-
ent village head Asha
Tiwari and her son Ni-
tin Tiwari, and some
unnamed individuals
on the complaint of the
son of Sankata Yadav,
the SP said. Four peo-
ple have so far been ar-
rested in this connec-
tion and police teams
have been constituted
to nab the others, he
added.
Meanwhile, in-charge
of Kotwali Police Sta-
tion, sub inspector and
constable have been
placed under suspen-
sion for laxity
, he said.
First India Bureau
Lucknow: There ap-
pears to be end of road
of the grand old party
in UP it once lorded
over for decades. Under
the prevailing situation
crisis of survival stares
the party in 2024 Lok
Sabha election. Since
Gandhis’ last bastion
Amethi and Rai Bareli
has also fallen, UP is
not only headed to-
wards “Congress Muk-
ta” (Congress free), 2024
Lok Sabha election ap-
pears to be personally
difficult for Gandhi
family
.
Rahul Gandhi has al-
ready moved away from
Amethi to Wayanad,
Kerala, the question cir-
culating in political cir-
cle is whether AICC
general secretary Pri-
yanka Gandhi will take
plunge from any of the
two seats Gandhis nur-
tured for decades. In
view of poor health
Congress president So-
nia Gandhi, who has not
visited her Rai Bareli
constituency for the last
three years, is unlikely
to contest 2024 LS elec-
tion. Union Minister
Smriti Irani, who had
dislodged Rahul Gandhi
from Amethi in 2019,
has been concentrating
in Rai Bareli, which has
led to the speculations
that she might shift to
this constituency
.
The Cong could not
ensure victory of even
single candidate from
the Amethi and Rai
Bareli in this election.
In 2017, out of 10 seats in
the two districts the par-
ty had won three-one in
Amethi and two Rai
Bareli- but in 2022 it has
drawn blank. Aditi
Singh and Rakesh
Singh, who had won on
Congress ticket in 2017,
had joined the BJP be-
fore the election. Aditi
Singh has won on BJP
ticket.
The scenario is grim
for the party in the state.
With around 160 rallies
and more than 40 road-
shows in every part of
the state, Priyanka,
though attracting huge
crowd, could not trans-
form them into vote. Ra-
hul Gandhi, largely
staying away from UP
during elections, only
campaigned in Amethi
where the party candi-
date Ashish Shukla, fin-
ishing third, could get
14080 (7.42 %) votes.
The seat has gone to
SP. In fact, over the last
three decades with the
fragmentation of Cong
vote bank-Brahmin,
Muslims and Dalits- the
party lost core support
base in the state.
Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra holds a review meeting over the party’s
performance in UP polls, along with UP Congress chief Ajay Kumar Lallu, in New Delhi on Tuesday.
THE MATTER
SP scored
moral victory
over BJP in UP
polls:Akhilesh
Ald HC asks govt to reconsider ban on fee hike
Lucknow(PTI): Sama-
jwadi Party chief Akh-
ilesh Yadav on Wednes-
day said his outfit
scored a moral victory
in the Uttar Pradesh As-
sembly polls as it is “ex-
panding” while the BJP
has “shrunk”, appar-
ently referring to the
number of seats bagged
by his party
.
The BJP combine got
273 seats while the SP-
led alliance bagged 125
seats in the elections.
”In the elections, ‘sama-
jwadis’ (sociallists) got
moral victory. With the
struggle of socialist
workers and leaders,
and the cooperation of
people, the Samajwadi
Party is expanding and
the BJP has shrunk,”
Akhilesh Yadav said in
Sitapur, according to
the SP’s official Twitter
handle.
Yadav was in Sitapur
to condole the death of
party leader Mahendra
Verma.
Sumit Awasthi
Kanpur: The condi-
tion of Chacha Nehru
Hospital, which has
been in dilapidated
condition for many
years, is set to change
after District Magis-
trate Neha Sharma has
taken serious note of
the condition of dilap-
idated govt hospitals.
Sharma along with
the Municipal Com-
missioner on Wednes-
day inspected the Cha-
cha Nehru Hospital in
the presence of CMO
Dr Nepal Singh, Mu-
nicipal Health Officer
Dr Amit Singh, and
other officials. The DM
during the inspection
stated that Rs 4 crore
will be given by HAL
from CSR fund for the
renovation of Chacha
Nehru Hospital. She
also ordered the repair
of all toilets and clean-
ing of all the rooms.
She ordered auction of
all the unusable equip-
ment kept in the rooms
on the first floor of the
building. DM during
the inspection said
that the renovation of
the hospital will bene-
fit lakhs of people.
Lucknow(PTI): The Lucknow
bench of the Allahabad High
Court on Wednesday asked the
Uttar Pradesh government to re-
consider the ban on fee hike in
private schools.
The ban was imposed in the
wake the Covid pandemic as
schools were shut and people
were facing financial problems.
A Division Bench of Justices A
R Masoodi and N K Jauhri
passed the order on a writ peti-
tion filed by the Association of
Private Schools.
It observed, “It is the bounden
duty of the state government to
take into consideration any di-
rection issued by this court, fail-
ing which the controversies
raised before a court of law as-
sume different dimensions for
adjudication of the dispute on
merit.”
‘‘The policy of the state gov-
ernment evolved under extra
ordinary circumstances and af-
fecting the cause of education at
a large scale must be revisited
with a sense of responsibility in
order to strike a balance be-
tween the public interest and
statutory rights of a party ag-
grieved,” added the bench insist-
ing that the state must revisit its
order.
Muzaffarnagar(PTI):
A man and his minor
daughter were killed
and 21 others injured
in a collision between
two vehicles here on
Wednesday
,policesaid.
Thegroupof labourers
was returning from
Punjab to Moradabad
for Holi festival.
The pickup truck
in which they were
travelling was by a
speeding truck near a
village under Phuga-
na police station, Dep-
uty Superintendent
of police (DSP) Sha-
rad Sharma said.
The deceased were
identified as 35-year
old Vedram and his
10-year-old daughter
Chavi, he said, adding
that some of the in-
jured labourers are in
a critical condition.
FATHER, DAUGHTER KILLED, 21
OTHERS INJURED IN CRASH
2024 LOK SABHA POLLS
What next for
Congress in UP?



PRIYANKA SAYS
DM Neha orders to revive hospital
—FILE PHOTO

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
08
2NDFRONT
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
SCseeksUP’sreplyonbailtoMishra
New Delhi (PTI): The
Supreme Court
Wednesday sought re-
sponses of the Uttar
Pradesh government
and Ashish Mishra,
son of Union minister
Ajay Mishra, on a plea
challenging the grant
of bail to him by the
Allahabad High Court
in connection with the
Lakhimpur Kheri vio-
lence that left eight
people, including four
farmers, dead.
A special bench com-
prising Chief Justice
N V Ramana and Jus-
tices Surya Kant and
Hima Kohli also direct-
ed the state govern-
ment to ensure protec-
tion of witnesses after
senior advocate Dushy-
ant Dave, appearing for
farmers, referred to
the attack on a witness
on March 12.
Dave, along with law-
yer Prashant Bhushan,
appeared for the farm-
ers -- Jagjeet Singh,
Pawan Kashyap, and
Sukhwinder Singh --
seeking cancellation of
bail granted to Ashish
Mishra on February 10
by the Lucknow bench
of the High Court.
The learned judge of
the high court has com-
pletely misdirected
himself on the princi-
ples governing grant of
bail particularly when
the trial court, by a very
wellreasonedorderhad
refused bail, Dave ar-
gued at the outset.
The HC did not even
refer to the fact that
the apex court had tak-
en a suo motu cogni-
zance of the case be-
cause of its serious-
ness and had constitut-
ed the SIT which filed
a detailed charge sheet
after a thorough probe,
the senior lawyer said.
Sufficient material has
come on record to pin
this accused down. But
the court referred to
the FIR and said bul-
let injuries, have not
been corroborated in
the post mortem re-
port and therefore, he
must be released...,
Dave said.
First India Bureau
Prayagraj: The Alla-
habad High Court has
directed the principal
secretary, social wel-
fare department, Uttar
Pradesh government
to take a decision with-
in two months on the
representation seek-
ing inclusion of the
Bhar/Rajbhar commu-
nity of Uttar Pradesh
in the list of scheduled
tribes (ST).
Till now, these two
castes are treated as
the other backward
castes (OBC) in the
state. Disposing of the
writ petition filed by
Jago Rajbhar Jago
Samiti, a society, the
division bench com-
prising Justice Sid-
dhartha Varma and
Justice Dinesh Pathak
observed, “Since the
central government
has forwarded the peti-
tioner’s representa-
tion to the UP govern-
ment, therefore no use-
ful purpose would be
served to keep the mat-
ter pending before this
court.”
Earlier, counsel for
the petitioner had con-
tended that keeping in
view the past records,
the Bhar/Rajbhar
community should be
treated as scheduled
tribes, but the state
government has given
them the status of oth-
er backward castes
(OBC). The members
of this community are
very much found in
the eastern part of
Uttar Pradesh.
Banda (ANI): Sama-
jwadi Party (SP) chief
Akhilesh Yadav came
to the rescue of a par-
ty sympathiser who
lost his bike in a bet
over Uttar Pradesh
Assembly elections
result.
The SP supporter
Awadesh had entered
into a bet with a
Bharatiya Janata Par-
ty (BJP) sympathiser,
each placing bet with
bike and tempo re-
spectively
. The SP sup-
porter lost the bet af-
ter the BJP retained
power in the state. “Af-
ter the (poll) result, I
handed over my bike...
Akhilesh Yadav called
me, can’t forget the re-
spect with which he
treated me; also gave
meachain(ornament)
and told me not to in-
dulge in bets,”
Awadesh told ANI.
“Had I won the bet,
I would have gotten
his (BJP supporter’s)
tempo, but I lost it...,”
said the SP supporter.
The BJP emerged vic-
torious, winning 255
seats, in the Uttar
Pradesh Assembly
elections. The SP won
111 seats and its ally
SBSP bagged six con-
stituencies. Mayawa-
ti’s Bahujan Samaj
Party (BSP) could
win just one Assem-
bly seat.
The Supreme Court (Inset) Ashish Mishra. —FILE PHOTO
WHAT PLEA SAYS
Akhilesh
helps SP
supporter who
lost poll bet
‘Take decision on inclusion
of Bhar/Rajbhar in ST list’
IN SAFE ZONE
Children aged 12-14 years show their vaccination card in Lucknow on Wednesday as
Covid-19 vaccination for the age group started in the state.
—PHOTO BY SUMIT KUMAR
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Days after
Assembly election re-
sults, Kanpur Police
invoked the Uttar
Pradesh Gangsters
and Anti-Social Activ-
ities (Prevention) Act
against BSP leader
Mohammad Safi.
Police also booked
seven others for al-
legedly running a
gang and being in-
volved in illegal activ-
ities,. Police said Safi,
43, and others were
booked at Chakeri po-
lice station in Kanpur.
Safi garnered 3,331
votes and stood third
at the Kanpur canton-
ment seat that SP’s
candidate Moham-
mad Hasan won by
defeating BJP’s Ra-
ghunandan Singh
Bhadouria.
According to Safi’s
affidavit, he has five
cases — all registered
at Chakeri police sta-
tion — pending
against him in con-
nection with the at-
tempttomurder,crim-
inal conspiracy
, riot-
ing and criminal in-
timidation.
BSP candidate booked
under Gangsters Act

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!
LUCKNOW, 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!
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia
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
ANITA HADA
anita.hada@firstindianews.com
Akanksha Bhalla, Srishti Khatri, Neelanjan Jangid and Muskan Kamdaar soak up the festivity

10-11
ETC
LUCKNOW,THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2022
PHOOLON KI RAAS-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!
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
CITY BUZZ
GET VACCINATED
STAY MASKED
Keep Glowing!
Don’t let the vibrant colours of Holi dull your natural glow.
Enjoy the festival to the fullest leave your skincare to us
as we bring to you exclusive tips to keep at bay the ill-
effects of the chemical-laden colours
he festival of
colours is
here yet
again, and
this year, due
to some relax-
ation in the
covid restrictions, we
canfinallycelebrate
this festival as it
should be celebrat-
ed, with vigour and
zeal. . The colours of
holi might harm your
skin, making it flaky
and dry
. It must be en-
sured that we do not let
holicelebrationstakea
toll on our skin, as we
are all gearing up to
enjoy the festival of
colours with maxi-
mum zest and excite-
ment.Everyoneshould
know how to prepare
the skin before playing
holi, but post-holi skin-
care is even more im-
portant to nourish,
protect, and restore
that natural shine.
To help you get start-
ed, City First has put
up a list of DIY cures
and ideas that will
come in helpful after
the holi celebrations.
Besan And Curd
We have long known
that curd is a skin sav-
er. The most simple
and effective face pack
is besan and curd. In a
dish, combine 2 tea-
spoons besan, 1 table-
spoon curd, and a few
drops of rose water.
Make a paste by mix-
ing everything thor-
oughly. It should be
applied carefully to
the afflicted regions.
Once it has dried,
wash it off.
Lemon And
Curd
Another great home
remedy for getting rid
of the colour. The exfo-
liating qualities of
lemon are well-known.
In a dish, add 1-2 table-
spoons of lemon juice
with 1 tablespoon of
curdandmixitwell.Af-
ter 15 minutes of appli-
cation, take a bath.
Turmeric Face
Mask
Turmeric has a long
list of skincare advan-
tages, but it's best rec-
ognised for its skin-
brightening abilities.
To prepare this face
mask, you can use wa-
ter, curd, or milk, de-
pending on your skin
type. To form a paste,
combine 1 tablespoon
of turmeric with 1 cup
of water in a mixing
dish. Apply the mix-
ture to the afflicted re-
gion and let it on for
10-15 minutes before
washing it away
.
T
DEVANSHI MUDGAL
cityfirst@firstindia.co.in
Other tips
1. Using a foamy face wash is
recommended because the
foam will effectively remove
debris, colours, and excess oil
while preserving the skin's
natural hydration. A word of
caution: make sure you're us-
ing a cleanser that's appropri-
ate for your skin type.
2. Warm water should not be ap-
plied straight to the skin since
it may not be very effective.
Use cold water instead, since it
will quickly remove the colour.
3. Scrubbing too hard can dry
out your skin and cause it to
become uncomfortable and
uneven.
4. Apply an oil, such as cold
pressed coconut oil, to cer-
tain places and let it sit for a
few minutes to allow the col-
our to fade.
5. A decent moisturiser and face
serum are essential, and you
may use them at regular inter-
vals if necessary
.
MEET AND GREETS!
IAS Dr Hari Om met and congratulated Chief
Minister Yogi Adityanath at his official residence
on Tuesday. During the meeting, he also presented
his book Kailash Mansarovar Yatra as a gift.
Sanjeev Kakkar, Executive Director State
Head, IndianOil State Level Coordinator for
OMCs in UP met ACS Home Avneesh Awasthi
on Tuesday.
Holi Rang Utsav
CITY FIRST
T
he Holi Rang Utsav
was held on the
grounds of the or-
ganisation in Faridi
Nagar under the aegis
of the Udaan organisa-
tion on Tuesday
.
During the occasion,
the ladies first wor-
shipped the destroyer
of obstacles,
Lord Ganesh, in their
melodic voice, in their
Awadhi traditional holi
songs on the rhythms
of the dholak, manjire,
and jhanjhar chimes.
After this presen-
tation full of Awadhi
folk music, women
played Holi with flow-
ers and presented Awa-
dhi Holi dance on Chu-
nari Bhijat Jaye and
Gori Pyara Lage Re
Tora Jhankar aa. The
whole atmosphere was
drenched in the colours
of Holi.
DRENCHED IN COLOURS
In the spirit of the festival of colours, young women were seen enjoying themselves and
soaking themselves in colours at Gomti riverbanks. —PHOTOS BY ASHOK DUTTA
REWARDING HARD WORK
CITY FIRST
N
ari Shakti Sam-
man ceremony,
Kavi Sammelan
and Mushaira organ-
ized by Rubaru Founda-
tion, held at Mapleleaf
Hotel, Hazratganj, con-
cluded on Tuesday
. The
event was conducted by
Pradeep Shukla in a
velvet voice.
During the event
Chief Guest Shri Ha-
bibul Hasan, S.P
.E.O.W
.,
chaired by story writ-
er and poet Irshad
Rahi, honoured
women who contrib-
uted to the society in
excellent forms were
honoured and awarded
with Nari Shakti Sam-
man on this occasion.
In his inauguration
presentation, Irshad
Rahi emphasised the
importance of Ruba-
ru’s contribution to
the literary world.
Apart from that, Ha-
bibul Hasan, Mohd
Azhar Hussain, men-
tioned in his address
that the Rubaru Foun-
dation is dedicated to
the promotion of Hindi
and Urdu literature.
Rubaru has a knack
for producing new daz-
zling stars. He also
spoke about many indi-
viduals who delivered
poems on the stage of
Rubaru and are gleam-
ing like stars now.
Social Work Day
CITY FIRST
T
he Department of
Social Work at the
University of Luc-
know commemorated
World Social Work Day
on the topic “Co-Build-
ing a New Eco-Social
World: Leaving No One
Behind” at Radha Ka-
mal Mukherjee Hall,
Lucknow. On this occa-
sion, the student
council of the depart-
ment of social work
arranged this pro-
gramme,underthelead-
ership of the depart-
ment’s head of depart-
ment, Dr Anoop Kumar
Bhartiya.Vice-Chancel-
lor, Prof Alok Kumar
Rai and Dean Student
the Welfare Prof Poon-
am Tandon University
of Lucknow graced the
event as the chief guest
of the programme.
Prof Alok Kumar Rai
addressed the event,
congratulating the de-
partment’s leader, Dr
Anoop Kumar Bhartiya
and student council for
organising such a big
event in such a short
time.
Saroj Singh recieving Nari Shakti sammaan
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

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