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1. Maha IAS, IPS firmly backs
Uddhav Thackeray’s MVA
Renni Abraham
Mumbai: Maharash-
tra’s bureaucracy has
thrown its weight firm-
ly behind the Uddhav
Thackeray (Shiv Sena)-
led MVA (Maha Vikas
Aghadi ) government
after more than two
years of sustained
BJP-sponsored public
campaigns predicting
the imminent break-up
of the Shiv Sena-NCP-
Congress alliance.
“Uncertainty was al-
ways in the air for the
most part of the two-
and-a-half-year tenure
of the MVA, so far. Eve-
ry three months, there
would be fresh talk of
an imminent collapse,
which kept the state
bureaucracy under a
fair degree of uncer-
tainty about their fu-
ture careers,” a senior
state secretariat offi-
cial told First India,
asking not to be named.
According to the bu-
reaucrat, “The main
reason for the contin-
ued uncertainty was
the widespread belief
among the IAS—and
even IPS—cadre that
the Shiv Sena would
sooner than later feel
compelled to break ties
with the so-called ‘secu-
lar parties’ (NCP and
Congress) owing to its
hard-line Hindutva ide-
ology
. It is now clear,
andreiteratedbyMaha-
rashtra Chief Minister
Uddhav Thackeray
, that
the Sena has burnt its
bridges with the BJP
for good. A possible al-
liance between the two
intheimmediatefuture
is not a probability
.”
The recent transfers
of several Maharash-
tra-cadre IAS and IPS
officials are being cit-
ed as proof of the
changed political
equations. For exam-
ple, officials perceived
to be close to the erst-
while Fadnavis-led dis-
pensation, including
former Maharashtra
Director General of
Police Subodh Jaiswal
(moved to New Delhi)
now CBI director, for-
mer CMO Chief
Praveen Pardeshi, re-
placed as BMC Chief
by Iqbal Singh Chahal,
who lost out to Sitar-
am Kunte for the post
of Chief Secretary un-
der the MVA govern-
ment was accommo-
dated in New Delhi in
the Union Department
of Personnel.
Similarly, IPS offic-
ers (retired Maha-
rashtra DGs) Pravind
Dixit and AM Kulkar-
ni were appointed as
Special Rapporteurs
of the National Hu-
man Rights Commis-
sion (Maharashtra
and Goa) and ADG in
the NIA, respectively,
by an order issued on
May 12. Former Maha-
rashtra SID Chief
Rashmi Shukla was
also repatriated to the
Central IPS cadre
when things got sticky
for her under the MVA
government.
“Almost all of these
appointments were at
the behest of former
CM Devendra Fad-
navis. There is clarity
of focus now. For exam-
ple, an officer like
Bhushan Gagrani, who
served as Principal Sec-
retary in the Fadnavis
CMO was cited by Ma-
harashtra CM Uddhav
Thackeray’s office for
exemplary work over
the last year,” the sen-
ior secretariat official
told First India.
CM launches book titled ‘Iqbal Singh Chahal:
A Covid Warrior’ on Mumbai’s war on nCoV
First India Bureau
Mumbai: The Brihan-
mumbai Municipal Cor-
poration handled nearly
10.75 lakh COVID-19
positive test reports dur-
ing the pandemic that
began in early 2020 and
was the only city in the
world which did not di-
rectly give such reports
to patients, civic chief
Iqbal Singh Chahal said
on Monday
.
Speaking at the
Speaking at the
launch event of the book
launch event of the book
‘Iqbal Singh Chahal: A
‘Iqbal Singh Chahal: A
Covid Warrior’ authored
Covid Warrior’ authored
by Minhaz Merchant,
by Minhaz Merchant,
the BMC commissioner
the BMC commissioner
said not a single city in
said not a single city in
the world copied this
the world copied this
process as it involved a
process as it involved a
lot of risks.
lot of risks.
Chief Minister Ud-
dhav Thackeray, who
launched the book, said
he did not have the expe-
rience of being CM or
of handling COVID-19,
but the pandemic was
controlled.
If the CM would have
got petrified of the pan-
demic, it would have af-
fected the entire state,
Thackeray also said, add-
ingthatthebookhasbeen
writtentodocumentwhat
went into taming the pan-
demicandthatitwouldbe
useful long after.
“We worked with 100%
accuracy
.... The BMC
handled around 10.75
lakh tests reports, and
not a single report went
missing,” Chahal said.
Amissingreportcould
have led to a person pos-
sible dying without treat-
ment,whichmayhaveled
tohisorherkinsuingthe
BMC, he added.
Minister Aaditya
Thackeray, who is also
guardian minister of the
Mumbai suburban, said
thebattlewasnotoveryet
andhintedthattheuseof
masks could “probably”
be made mandatory
.
BMC HANDLED NEARLY 10.75 LAKH COVID-19 TEST REPORTS WITH 100% ACCURACY: CHAHAL
CM Uddhav Thackeray addressed the gathering on Monday.
Mantralaya
Uddhav Thackeray
‘Shivling found’, court
orders sealing of spot
V a r a n a s i /
Ahmedabad (PTI): A
local court here direct-
ed the district adminis-
tration to seal a spot in
the Gyanvapi Masjid
complex after counsels
representing the Hin-
du petitioners said a
Shivling was found
Monday during a
court-mandated vide-
ography survey. A
mosque management
committee member
disputed the claim, say-
ing the object was part
of the water fountain
mechanism at the wa-
zookhana reservoir.
Meanwhile, AIMIM
chief Owaisi said he
will not let the Gyanva-
pi mosque meet the fate
of the Babri masjid in
Ayodhya,whichwasde-
molished in December
1992. Addressing a rally
inGujarat’sVadgam,he
said he would continue
to speak on the issue,
which he termed as an
attempt to weaken the
Constitution.
GYANVAPI MOSQUE
PERSPECTIVE
JAIPUR | TUESDAY, MAY 17, 2022
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YOU READ PART-2 ON MAY 12, 2022
ively and dynamic-
words that truly de-
scribe our Prime Min-
ister Modi. It is diffi-
cult to find a political
figure such as PM
Modiwhounderstands
the seriousness of his
responsibilities,
is full
of life and yet keeps political conver-
sations out of social get-togethers.
Narhari Amin brings to us incidents
that reflect on the light-hearted attrib-
utes of one of the greatest world lead-
ers of today — Narendra Modi.
"I was an MLA from the Congress
and it is natural that I would speak in
the House as a member of Opposition
when Narendra Bhai was the Chief
Minister of Gujarat. My experiences
withModijirangefromthetimewhen
Iwasamemberof Opposition,amem-
ber of the ruling party and finally a
member of the BJP
. I have interacted
with him in different capacities and at
different times, but I can vouch that I
have never encountered a personality
morepositiveandmoreenergeticthan
his, who despite being a tall political
figurevaluesrelationshipsandpeople
without a touch of hubris.
The first incident is from the time
when I was the Ex-Deputy Chief Min-
ister of Gujarat. My elder brothers,
Praveen Bhai and Ghanshyam Bhai,
had organised parties on the occa-
sion of their birthdays and had gone
to invite Narendra Bhai who was
then the Chief Minister of Gujarat.
Let me tell you, he attended both the
parties and spent about an hour at
the functions even when majority of
the attendees were from Congress.
This is the reason why Narendra
Modi is counted among the topmost
leaders of the world — his uncanny
ability to treat people like one extend-
ed family and to nurture personal
relationships with people even when
they are from other political parties
sets him apart from other leaders.
What makes Modiji so versatile
and loved by one and all is his focus
on education and the paradigm shift
that he has brought in the way chil-
dren and adults in rural India view
education. In the year 2000, I was an
MLA from Congress. At the time of
the budget presentation, I delivered
a speech as a member of the Opposi-
tion regarding the improvements
that could be brought out in the edu-
cation sector in the state. It was a
50-minute speech. I was surprised to
receive a letter from Narendra Bhai
later on stating that he deeply appre-
ciated my speech that highlighted
the positive aspects of governance
along with the areas where develop-
ment could be done. He mentioned
that while it is usual for the Opposi-
tion to harp on the weak spots of the
ruling party, it was indeed commend-
able that I had the courage and the
insight to appreciate the good work
the government is doing and the re-
sults that it has achieved through its
vision and hard work.
Anandiben was the Education Min-
ister at the time and the incredible
thing was that the dropout ratio at the
primary level was brought down to
1.5% by her. In 1993 I was the Educa-
tion Minister myself and the dropout
ratio was 22% which meant that 22%
of the children who would take ad-
mission in 1st standard in a particu-
lar year would drop out of school the
next year. It was all thanks to the won-
derful facilities created by Modiji and
Anandiben in the Education sector
that resulted in the drastic fall in the
dropout rate in schools at the primary
level. It was this achievement of the
BJP government that I lauded in the
assembly. Not just this, Modiji drew
attention to the state of education in
the villages and brought about tre-
mendous improvement in the literacy
rates in rural India.
Another unknown facet of Modiji’s
personality is the way he takes care
of the people who work for him. The
selfless service and help that he ex-
tends to all his employees -- quietly
and gently — is truly unique. When
Modiji became the Prime Minister of
India and his position changed from
CM, he probably had about 35 to 40
lakhs in his account. But when he
reached Delhi, he did not have a sin-
gle penny in his account! All the mon-
ey he had in his account, he distrib-
uted amongst the security officers,
workers, peons, those employed in the
kitchen and in cleanliness under his
care. I daresay there has not been a
single political leader in the history
of India post-Independenc
e who was
magnanimous
enough to gave away
whatever money he had in his ac-
count to those who work for him be-
fore assuming a higher position.
Last but not least, it might sound
hilarious but I owe this physical fit-
ness to Narendra Modi. I have a weak-
ness for bhajiiya fafda, samosa chut-
ney, daal vada and all other Gujarati
delicacies that are sumptuous but
fried. I once went to meet him when
he exclaimed, 'You better lose weight
or you’ll die!' To make sure I follow
his counsel, he even had a word with
my wife. My daughter too was under-
going a serious ailment and had been
advised operation by the doctors. But
I was reluctant as I felt she might re-
cover naturally
. Modiji then comfort-
ed me and advised me to go ahead
with my daughter’s operation if I
wanted her to lead a long and healthy
life. He ensured that my daughter got
operated within the next 15 days. It
has been six years today since he took
us to task regarding our health. Well,
my weight today is 66 kilos and I am
fit as a fiddle, thanks to PM Modi’s
penchant for physical, mental and
spiritual fitness!"
TO BE CONTINUED…
WHAT MAKES
MODI A GREAT
STATESMAN?
PM MODI’S FAMILIAL LOVE AND
CONCERN FOR HIS FRATERNITY
At the time of the budget
presentation, I delivered a
speech as a member of the
Opposition regarding the
improvements that could be
brought out in the education
sector in the state. It was a
50-minute speech. I was
surprised to receive a letter
from Narendra Bhai later on
stating that he deeply
appreciated my speech that
highlighted the positive
aspects of governance along
with the areas where
development could be done
WHEN MODI JI BECAME PM HE DID NOT HAVE A
SINGLE PENNY IN HIS ACCOUNT, RECALLS AMIN
W
HEN MODIJI BECAME
THE PRIME MINISTER
OF INDIA AND HIS POSITION
CHANGED FROM CM, HE
PROBABLY HAD ABOUT
RS 35 TO 40 LAKH IN HIS
ACCOUNT. BUT WHEN HE
REACHED DELHI, HE DID NOT
HAVE A SINGLE PENNY IN HIS
ACCOUNT! ALL THE MONEY
HE HAD IN HIS ACCOUNT,
HE DISTRIBUTED AMONGST
THE SECURITY OFFICERS,
WORKERS, PEONS, THOSE
EMPLOYED IN THE KITCHEN
AND IN CLEANLINESS UNDER
HIS CARE.
L
COMPILED AND EDITED BY
SHASHIKANT SHARMA
AND SHWETA SHARMA
Lively and dynamic- words that
truly describe our Prime Minister
Modi. It is difficult to find a political
figure such as PM Modi who
understands the seriousness of his
responsibilities, is full of life and yet
keeps political conversations out of
social get-togethers. Narhari Amin
brings to us incidents that reflect
on the light-hearted attributes of
one of the greatest world leaders
of today — Narendra Modi
‘MODI HAI TO MUMKIN HAI…’
UNTOLD STORIES OF PM MODI - PART 3
MODI
A TRUE EMBODIMENT OF
VASUDHAIVA
KUTUMBAKAM
PRIME MINISTER NARENDRA MODI
Vol 3 Issue No. 339 RNI NO. RAJENG/2019/77764
. Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar Printing Press, D.B. Corp Limited, Shivdaspura, Tonk Road, Jaipur.
Published at 304, 3rd Floor, City Mall, Bhagwan Das Road, C-Scheme, Jaipur-302001, Rajasthan. Phone 0141-4920504. Editor-In-Chief: Jagdeesh Chandra Editor: Anita Hada Sangwan responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act
MUMBAI l TUESDAY, MAY 17, 2022 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI TITLE NO. MAHENG/2022/14652 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 11
OUR EDITIONS:
JAIPUR, LUCKNOW,
NEW DELHI MUMBAI
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P4
New Delhi: Prime Min-
ister Narendra Modi
held bilateral talks with
his Nepal counterpart
Sher Bahadur Deuba af-
terlayingthefoundation
stone of the India Inter-
national Centre for Bud-
dhist Culture and Herit-
age during his visit to
the Himalayan nation.
PM Modi, in his
speech at the Buddha
Jayanti event in Lum-
bini, said India and Ne-
pal relations are un-
shakeable like the Him-
alayas. He also said that
India and Nepal’s ever-
strengthening friend-
ship will benefit the en-
tire humanity in the
emerging global situa-
tion.
“I know that today
when a grand temple of
Lord Shri Ram is being
built in India, the people
of Nepal are equally
happy
,” he added.
Attheirbilateraltalks,
PM Modi and Mr Deuba
discussed ways to
strengthenongoingcoop-
eration and develop new
areas in the multifaceted
bilateral partnership.
Six Memorandum of
Understandings were
signedbythetwosideson
cooperation in cultural
and educational sectors.
These included the
construction of the
Lumbini Museum in
Nepal and the establish-
ment of the Dr. Ambed-
kar Chair for Buddhist
StudiesinLumbiniBud-
dhist University
.
This is PM Modi’s
fifth visit to Nepal since
2014, but the first
since the India-Nepal
border row.
INDIA-NEPAL TIES UNSHAKEABLE
LIKE THE HIMALAYAS: MODI IN NEPAL
Narendra Modi and Nepalese PM Sher Bahadur Deuba Monday held bilateral talks in Lumbini after
laying the foundation stone of the India International Centre for Buddhist Culture and Heritage
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba at the Shilanyaas Ceremony for
the construction of the India International Centre for Buddhist Culture and Heritage, at Lumbini Monastic Zone
in Nepal on Monday. —PHOTO BY PTI
PM Narendra Modi praying at the Mahaparinirvana Stupa in Kushinagar. “Our Government
is making numerous efforts to boost infrastructure in Kushinagar so that more tourists and
pilgrims can come here,” tweeted Modi.
PMGIVESMANTRA
TOYOGICABINETON
GOODGOVERNANCE
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Prime Min-
ister Narendra Modi
on Monday reached
Lucknow after con-
cluding his day-long
Nepal visit.
He was received by
Chief Minister Yogi
Adityanath and state
governor Anandiben
Patel. Besides deputy
chief ministers Kes-
hav Prasad Maurya
and Brajesh Pathak,
more than a dozen cab-
inet ministers were
also present to greet
the PM.
Later, PM Modi at-
tended a dinner hosted
in his honour by the
UP CM.
According to sourc-
es, the PM held a meet-
ing with UP BJP lead-
ers and ministers, who
were given a couple of
minutes to talk to the
PM about their respec-
tive work.
UP’s ministers have
recently concluded
their visits to all the 18
divisions of the state.
The PM’s interaction
with the ministers
centred on the pro-
gress of implementa-
tion of development
programmes/schemes
at the grassroots levels
in various districts/
divisions, said sourc-
es. BJP sources said
that a host of party
ranks have to be given
key organisational re-
sponsibilities with an
eye on 2024 Lok Sabha
elections when PM
Narendra Modi would
seek a third term.
PM Narendra Modi along with CM Yogi Adityanath, Deputy CMs
Brajesh Pathak and Keshav Prasad Murya, and BJP UP President
and state Jal Shakti Minister Swatantra Dev Singh at a meeting
with UP BJP leaders and ministers in Lucknow on Monday.
Narendra Modi
@narendramodi
“I feel blessed to
have prayed at the
Maya Devi Temple on
Buddha Purnima. May
Lord Buddha bless
us all and make our
planet peaceful and
prosperous.
Wheat prices
hit record high
after export ban
New Delhi: Wheat pric-
es surged to a new re-
cord high in European
trading on Monday af-
ter India decided to ban
exports.
Price jumped to 435
euros ($453) per tonne
as the Euronext market
opened, up from the pre-
vious record of 422 eu-
ros on Friday
.
Global wheat prices
have soared on supply
fears since Russia’s
February invasion of
agricultural power-
house Ukraine, which
accounted for 12 per-
cent of global exports.
After Fadnavis
accommodates favourites
in New Delhi, Maharashtra
cadre breathes easy
—FILE
PHOTOS
2. NEWS
MUMBAI | TUESDAY, MAY 17, 2022
02
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First India Bureau
Nagpur: The high
command has been
apprised of moves by
the Sharad Pawar-
led NCP meant to
“weaken” the party
in the state, Maha-
rashtra Congress
unit chief said on
Monday.
Notably, the Con-
gress and NCP joined
hands with the Shiv
Sena to come to power
in Maharashtra in No-
vember 2019 after the
state Assembly polls
when the Uddhav
Thackeray-led Sena
snapped ties with the
BJP.
It seems the NCP
has been trying to
“weaken” the Con-
gress in Maharashtra
for the past two-and-a-
half years, Patole told
reporters in Nagpur.
Even the Congress
representatives of zil-
la parishads and other
civic bodies are not
getting enough funds
to carry out develop-
ment works, he
claimed, adding that 19
Congress councillors
in the Bhiwandi-Ni-
zampur Municipal
Corporation had
joined the NCP. Be-
sides, the NCP joined
hands with rival BJP
to elect the president
of the Gondia Zilla
Parishad earlier this
month, he noted.
All these things
were conveyed to the
Congress high com-
mand during the par-
ty’s recent ‘Chintan
Shivir’ in Udaipur, Pa-
tole said.
Notably, senior BJP
leader Devendra Fad-
navis on Sunday lik-
ened the Maha Vikas
Aghadi (MVA) govern-
ment in Maharashtra
to the Babri mosque
structure and said he
would not rest till the
Shiv Sena-led dispen-
sation was brought
down from power.
Asked about Fad-
navis’s comments, Pa-
tole said this (MVA) is
a democratic govern-
ment and such re-
marks show how
greedy they have be-
come for power.
“I don’t want to say
much, but using such
jumlas and statements
in a democracy, is not
right,” he said.
First India Bureau
Mumbai: In a put-
down apparently
aimed at former
Chief Minister Dev-
endra Fadnavis, Shiv
Sena MP Sanjay Raut
on Monday said it is
difficult to control a
vehicle on a down-
ward slope and a
“failed” opposition
leader to apply brakes
and that, an “accident
is inevitable.”
Raut’s comments
came a day after Fad-
navis likened the Maha
Vikas Aghadi (MVA)
government to the
Babri mosque structure
and said he would not
rest till the Shiv Senwas
brought down from
power.
Fadnavis had also
said the Shiv Sena does
not mean Mumbai, Ma-
harashtra or Hindutva,
and that nobody can
separate Mumbai from
the state, but he wants
to free it from “corrup-
tion and misdeeds”.
Raut, who is the Shiv
Sena’s chief spokesper-
son, in a tweet on Mon-
day said: “It is difficult
for a vehicle on a down-
ward slope and a failed
opposition leader to ap-
ply brakes. Accident is
inevitable.”
Shiv Sena Spokesper-
son Manisha Kayande
also called him out for
dubbing Chief Minister
Uddhav Thackeray’s
rally on Saturday a
“laughter show”.
First India Bureau
Pune: Highlighting
the need to think out
of the box, Union
Minister Piyush Goy-
al on Monday urged
students to innovate
to find solutions and
contribute to nation-
building.
Speaking at the 23rd
convocation of Bharti
Vidyapeeth University
here, Goyal also said
well-educated persons
are needed in politics
to transform it.
“The doors are open
to a new idea, to entre-
preneurship, so think
out of the box and do
not go down the beaten
path. Not that we do
not want you to get
good jobs and become
government officials,
but do not necessarily
look at the safety and
comfort of a cosy job …
experiment … this is
the time, you can do
it,” the Union Com-
merce and Industry
minister said.
He said failure is a
stepping stone to suc-
cess and urged stu-
dents to look for oppor-
tunities in the fields of
sustainability, chal-
lenges of climate
change, and taking wa-
ter to every household
in the country.
“It is the collective
responsibility of those
who received good edu-
cation to give back to
society and contribute
to nation-building. I
would like to see some-
one from you becoming
an active politician.
Till we do not have
well-educated persons
come into politics, we
cannot transform it.
Politics is the tool to
take the country
ahead,” he said.
First India Bureau
Mumbai: At a gather-
ing of Ministry of
Tourism and Culture
and hotel industries
stakeholders in the
city on Monday, Ma-
harashtra Tourism
Minister Aaditya
Thackeray met with
Union Minister for
Tourism G Kishan
Reddy. Aimed at
boosting tourism
footfall in the state as
well as the country,
several policies, and
developmental pro-
jects were discussed.
Taking to his Twitter
handle, Thackeray
tweeted, “It was a de-
light to meet Union
Tourism Minister @kis-
hanreddybjp ji today.
We reviewed the tour-
ism sector of Maha-
rashtra and ideated on
how GoI and GoM can
boost tourism footfall
working together.”
We also briefed him
on the various policy
decisions we made in
the past two years, such
as industry status to ho-
tels, reducing licenses
from 70 to 10 for hotels,
beach shack policy, ad-
venture tourism,
among others, he post-
ed in another tweet on
the social media plat-
form.
On the work being
done to revamp infra-
structure for heritage
tourism, Thackeray
posted, “I have also re-
quested him for ASI
(Archaeological Survey
of India) to work more
cooperatively on our ef-
forts to restore 10 an-
cient temples and the
forts of Chhatrapati
Shivaji Maharaj, to
which he (Reddy) asked
the ASI to do so and
work to preserve our
heritage better.”
Later in the day
, he at-
tended a book launch
with Chief Minister Ud-
dhav Thackeray. “CM
Uddhav Thackeray ji
launched the book
“Iqbal Singh Chahal-
Covid Warrior” today,
authored by @Min-
hazMerchant ji. A must
read as it gives a behind
the scene perspective of
Mumbai’s brave COV-
ID-19 fight!” he tweeted.
Thackeray,Reddytalktourismatstakeholders’eventinMumbai
BRAINSTORMING GOALS
lll
Maharashtra
tourism
minister met
with the union
minister to
discuss ideas
on bolstering
tourism in the
state and
country Aaditya Thackeray with G Kishan Reddy at the tourism event in
Mumbai on Monday.
COORDINATION
‘CONG INFORMED OF NCP
MOVES TO WEAKEN PARTY’
Think out of the box, Union
Minister Goyal tells students
ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES DO NOT GET ENOUGH
FUNDS TO CARRY OUT DEVLPMT, SAYS NANA PATOLE
Responding to a query on whether the Chintan Shivir discussed the likeli-
hood of a change in party leadership, Maha Cong Chief Patole said the
party’s internal elections have begun and that the process to elect the
Congress’s national president is expected to take place in August or Sep-
tember. Party workers want Rahul Gandhi as Congress head, he claimed.
CHANGE OF GUARD COMING?
‘Well-educated
persons are needed
in politics to
transform it’
Difficult for ‘failed’
leader to prevent
accident: Sanjay Raut
Active tally rises to
1,526 as Maha adds
129 new nCoV cases
First India Bureau
Mumbai: Maharash-
tra on Monday re-
corded 129 new COV-
ID-19 cases, including
74 in Mumbai, taking
the overall tally to
78,80,969, while the
toll remained un-
changed at 1,47,855 as
no fresh death due to
the infection was reg-
istered in the state, an
official said.
The fresh addition to
the tally was much low-
er than the 255 recorded
on Sunday
.
The recovery count
increased by 121 in the
last 24 hours to touch
77,31,588, leaving the
state with an active
caseload of 1,526 pa-
tients, he said.
Meanwhile, Thane
district reported 31 new
cases of COVID-19, rais-
ing the virus infection
tally to 7,09,368, an offi-
cial said on Monday,
adding that the dis-
trict’s mortality rate is
currently at 1.67%.
In Palghar district,
the COVID-19 case
count stood at 1,63,612
and the death toll at
3,407 people.
The count of COV-
ID-19 cases in Nashik
district rose to 4,76,081
with addition of two
new cases on Monday
.
According to the
health department, the
state’s recovery rate is
now at 98.10%.
Sena leader
lashes out at
former CM
Fadnavis
Mumbai sees 74
new cases,
Thane has 31
additions in 24-
hour span
First India Bureau
Mumbai: Prakash
Ambedkar, presi-
dent of Vanchit Ba-
hujan Aghadi (VBA)
ahead of crucial
Maharashtra local
bodies elections, in-
cluding to the Bri-
hanmumbai Munici-
pal Corporation has
kept the option of
an alliance with the
Congress open.
Ambedkar said that
“Our VBA is open to
an alliance with the
Congress,” adding
that however, “they
should treat us with
respect and on equal
terms”.
“Often in the past,
it has been our experi-
ence that after getting
our nod, the alliance
fails because of false
propaganda that the
VBA has demanded a
disproportionate seat
share,” he said.
However, Ambed-
kar has categorically
ruled out any alliance
with the AIMIM, its
party’s ally in 2019.
“My politics is not
driven by seat arith-
metic. What is central
to our politics is to
keep the right-wing
RSS-BJP out of poli-
tics, to fight the divi-
sive forces, to defeat
the politics of hatred
and communalism,
which divides peo-
ple,” Ambedkar told
media on Monday.
In a renewed at-
tempt to unite all like-
minded parties on one
platform, Ambedkar
has started touring
the state. “We will talk
to everybody to prom-
ise communal harmo-
ny,” he said.
“Today, what is
needed is to carry for-
ward the political
legacy of Dr BR
Ambedkar to save the
Indian Constitution.
We have to fight to re-
affirm the politics
and social reforms un-
dertaken by stalwarts
like Mahatma Jyotiba
Phule and Chhatra-
pati Shahu Maharaj.”
Ambedkar said that
he had embarked on
an experiment to
unite all oppressed
segments of society.
Instead of confining
his politics to Dalits,
he has tried to expand
it to the Other Back-
ward Classes as well.
OpentoalliancewithCong,not
AIMIMinlocalpolls:Ambedkar
In a renewed attempt to unite all like-minded
parties on one platform, Ambedkar has started
touring the state. “We will talk to everybody to
promise communal harmony. What is needed is
to carry forward the legacy of Dr BR Ambedkar
to save the Indian Constitution,” he said.
TAKING CHARGE
Nana Patole
Union Minister Piyush Goyal
Sanjay Raut
Prakash Ambedkar
—File Photo
3. MAHARASHTRA
MUMBAI | TUESDAY, MAY 17, 2022
03
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READ
crucial
crucial
TWO ACCUSED OF SEVERAL
HOUSE-BREAKING THEFTS HELD
Maharashtra
Maharashtra
WARDHA IN VIDHARBHA REGION SIZZLES
AT 45.6°C; HOTTEST IN MAHARASHTRA
BMC TO COME UP WITH DEDICATED
FEEDING AREAS FOR STRAY ANIMALS
FIRE AT UNDER-CONSTRUCTION BUILDING
IN MUMBAI; NO CASUALTY REPORTED
Mumbai: Wardha in Vidharbha region became the hottest
district in Maharashtra with the mercury reaching 45.6°C
on Sunday. Other districts in the region which recorded
temperature above 45°C are Chandrapur, Bramhapuri,
Nagpur and Amravati. Scorching heat and high relative
humidity have been prevalent in Vidharbha region since
last few days and India Meteorological Department has
predicted this weather will continue until the monsoon
arrives. Due to the intense heat, a few incidences of
vehicles catching fire and fires in farm lands have been
reported from the region.
Mumbai: In an attempt to help reduce conflict be-
tween people who feed dogs in open areas and
other residents, The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corpo-
ration (BMC) is planning to create dedicated feeding
areas for stray dogs. The civic body has started
to identify designated spaces in each ward, BMC
sources said. “The designated places will help reduce
conflict between people who feed dogs in open areas
and other residents. The BMC will also speak with
animal rights activists to chalk out the plan,” said a
BMC official.
Mumbai: A fire broke out in an under-construction building
in south Mumbai on Monday afternoon, a civic official said,
adding that no casualties were reported. The blaze erupted
around 1 pm on the ground floor of the building being
constructed opposite the Esplanade House in Kala Ghoda
area here, the official from the Brihanmumbai Municipal
Corporation (BMC) said. After the traffic control room alerted
the fire brigade, four fire engines were deputed to the spot,
which was also visited by civic and police officials. “No one
was injured in the blaze, the cause of which is yet to be as-
certained,” the official said, adding that fire fighting is still on.
Mumbai: Two persons, Anant Bhiku Kamble (52) and
Dnyaneshwar Bange (37), who are named in 26 cases of
theft, were held from Panvel in Navi Mumbai, a police official
said on Monday, adding that gold was recovered from their
possession. “Last month, they entered the flat of one Vilas
Mahamunkar (65) in Borivali after breaking the main door’s
lock and looted gold and silver. The complainant was away
in Goregaon at the time. We scanned 80 CCTV clips from
Mumbai and Thane to zero in on the duo,” Zone XII Deputy
Commissioner of Police Somnath Gharge said. They have
been booked under IPC section 380 (theft in dwelling house)
and further probe is underway.
Felt that season didn’t really start till the first win: David
Mumbai (PTI): Explo-
sive Mumbai Indians’
batter Tim David on
Monday said that he
felt that their season
only started once
they won their first
game in the IPL after
eight straight defeats.
“It felt as if the
season didn’t really
start for us till we got
that first win. Since
then, we have played
some really good crick-
et,” David said on the
eve of the team’s penul-
timate league game
against Sunrisers Hy-
derabad to be played at
the Wankhede stadium
on Tuesday
.
“We have won three
of our last four games
and there has been a
good feeling in the
team,” David added.
On personal front,
picking his skipper Ro-
hit Sharma’s brains
was helpful.
“Obviously, Rohit’s
played a lot of cricket,
so it is about trying
to gain some of his
experiences, staying
calm, things that
work in Indian condi-
tions, and how we
want to play as a team
together.
“It’s been a good ex-
perience to share the
dressing room with him
and hopefully, it can
continue,” maintained
David, who has 106 runs
from six IPL games.
According to David,
it was all about going
into the games with a
clear mind.
“If you trust your
process, and stick to it,
then that will most of-
ten bring the best re-
sults,” he signed off.
STRAIGHT DRIVE
Reopen case against Mumbai
bizman Jitendra Navlani: Cop
First India Bureau
Mumbai: A Mumbai
police inspector has
approached the city
police chief, seeking
the reopening of a
case against business-
man Jitendra Navlani
for allegedly obstruct-
ing police from dis-
charging their duty,
an official said on
Monday
.
Notably
, Navlani, who
owns a restaurant in
south Mumbai, is also
accused of accepting
more than `58.96 crore
from various private
companies by using the
names of Enforcement
Directorate (ED) sleuths
between 2015 and 2021,
for which the ACB is-
sued a lookout circular
against him last week.
Inspector Anup
Dange, in a 31-page
complaint submitted to
Mumbai police commis-
sioner last week, men-
tioned that the Gamdevi
police had registered an
FIR against Navlani in
November 2019, for al-
legedly obstructing po-
lice from doing their
duty
, but it was quashed
by the Bombay High
Court last month, the
official said.
Dange has sought a
re-investigation into
that case against Nav-
lani and the officers
who did not probe the
case properly at that
time, when Param Bir
Singh was the Mumbai
police chief, he said.
He submitted all the
evidence related to the
2019 FIR against Navla-
ni’s FIR to the CBI, in-
cluding some video and
audio recordings.
The Gamdevi police
had registered the FIR
against Navlani for al-
legedly stopping police
from doing their duty
when they had gone to
close his restaurant af-
ter finding it open late at
night in November 2019.
After the incident,
Dange was transferred
to the police control
room for the South
Mumbai region. He
resumed charge at
the Gamdevi police sta-
tion last month, the of-
ficial said.
STORY SO FAR
HC
had quashed
case accusing him
of obstructing police
from doing their duty
in 2019
Mumbai’s Byculla Zoo gets
pair of leopards, sloth bear
First India Bureau
Mumbai: Shivani, the
lone female sloth bear
at Mumbai’s Veerma-
ta Jijabai Bhosale
Udyan and Zoo, has
met her match in Shi-
va, a male sloth bear
who recently arrived
at the Mumbai’s By-
culla Zoo after travel-
ling 832 kilometres in
two nights.
The zoo has also re-
ceived a pair of leop-
ards from Nagpur. All
three animals reached
Mumbai a month ago
and have finished their
quarantine.
“All three animals are
aged around two and ar-
rived from Gorewada
Zoo. We have shifted
them from their trans-
portation unit and the
acclimatisation process
has started. The citi-
zens can soon see them
in their enclosures most
likely by Wednesday,”
said Zoo Director San-
jay Tripathi.
He further said that
the animals were trans-
ported by road at night
to avoid the scorching
heat and traffic noise
during the day, adding
they travelled for 6-7
hours at a stretch. The
animals were accompa-
nied by a veterinarian
and two zookeepers
who kept an eye on
their health the entire
time.
The animals were
transported by road at
night to avoid the
scorching heat traffic
noise during the day
Mumbai Indians’
Tim David plays
a shot during the
Indian Premier
League 2022
match between
Gujarat Titans and
Mumbai Indians, at
Brabourne Stadium
in Mumbai on
May 6.
—FILE PHOTO
A male tiger roams inside a tiger enclosure at Byculla zoo, in Mumbai. — FILE PHOTO
Mumbai police register over 12K cases
for wrong-side driving in two months
First India Bureau
Mumbai: In just two
months, the Mumbai
police have registered
12,390 cases of wrong-
side driving and also
removed
13,430
aban-
doned vehicles from
the city streets, an of-
ficial said on Monday
.
Also, there were 18
cases of gutka seizures
worth more than `80
lakh last week, while
drugs worth more
than `30 lakh
were also seized
in 21 cases in a
drive conduct-
ed last
w e e k ,
M u m b a i
P o l i c e
C o m -
mission-
er San-
jay Pan-
dey
, said
in a
Twitter
post.
P a n -
dey
, who
was ap-
pointed
as the
city police chief in Feb-
ruary, also informed
that there have been
4,214casesof ridingtwo-
wheelers without hel-
mets in the last couple
of months.
Some builders not fol-
lowing the noise pollu-
tion norms were booked
in Santacruz and other
areas of the city
, he said.
In the Antop Hill
area, the police were
initiating action to can-
cel a bond taken from a
builder for not follow-
ing the noise pollution
rules, he said.
Pandey recently
asked officials of his de-
partment to take action
against traffic norm
violators, hawkers and
builders who create
noise pollution, and to
remove the abandoned
vehicles from roads.
There have been
4,214 cases of
riding two-wheelers
without helmets
in the last couple
of months.
Two warships to be launched in Mumbai today
First India Bureau
Mumbai: Marking a
significantmilestonein
their construction, two
indigenous frontline
warships of the Indian
Navy will be launched
in Mumbai by Defence
MinisterRajnathSingh
on Tuesday
.
The launch refers to a
ship entering water for
the first time. “The na-
tion will witness a land-
mark event in the histo-
ry of indigenous war-
ship building when two
frontline warships of
Indian Navy will be
launched concurrently
at Mazgaon Docks Ltd
(MDL) in Mumbai on
May 17,” said an Indian
Navy official.
‘Surat’ is the last of
the stealth destroyers
under the ‘Project 15B’
programme, the first
vesselof whichwascom-
missioned in 2021. The
second and third ships
have been launched and
are at different stages of
trials. The Project 15B
class of ships are the
next gen stealth-guided
missiledestroyersof the
Indian Navy being built
at MDL in Mumbai.
‘Udaygiri’ is part of
the ‘Project 17A’ frigate
programme, a follow-on
of the P17 Frigates
(ShivalikClass)withim-
proved stealth features,
advanced weapons and
sensors and platform
management systems.
WHAT’S SPECIAL?
Drunk man forces
emergency landing of
Bengaluru-bound flight
First India Bureau
Mumbai: A Bengal-
uru-bound flight
that took off from
Doha was forced to
make an emergency
landing at Mum-
bai’s Chhatrapati
Shivaji Maharaj
International Air-
port late on Satur-
day night due to
ruckus created on
board by an inebri-
ated passenger.
According to police
officials, one of the
passengers, Sar-
fuddin Ulwar
of Kerala,
was ar-
r e s t e d
a n d
booked
u n d e r
the Indian Penal Code
and the Aircraft Act,
1934. He was produced
in a metropolitan
magistrate court on
Sunday and remand-
ed in judicial custody,
said an official.
Ulwarallegedlymis-
behaved with an air
hostess when she tried
tostophimfromdrink-
ing. He also allegedly
abused fellow passen-
gers,whotriedtointer-
vene,andpickedafight
with them. Police said
his behaviour forced
the diversion of the
flight to Mumbai and
its subsequent
emergencylanding.
Central
Industri-
al Secu-
r i t y
F o r c e
( C I S F )
person-
nel at the Mum-
bai airport
tookUlwarinto
custody when
the flight
landedand
h a n d e d
him over
to the po-
lice.
He allegedly misbehaved
with an air hostess, abused
fellow passengers on board
—FILE PHOTO
4. PERSPECTIVE
MUMBAI | TUESDAY, MAY 17, 2022
04
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YOU READ PART-2 ON MAY 12, 2022
ively and dynamic-
words that truly de-
scribe our Prime Min-
ister Modi. It is diffi-
cult to find a political
figure such as PM
Modiwhounderstands
the seriousness of his
responsibilities, is full
of life and yet keeps political conver-
sations out of social get-togethers.
Narhari Amin brings to us incidents
that reflect on the light-hearted attrib-
utes of one of the greatest world lead-
ers of today — Narendra Modi.
I was an MLA from the Congress
and it is natural that I would speak in
the House as a member of Opposition
when Narendra Bhai was the Chief
Minister of Gujarat. My experiences
withModijirangefromthetimewhen
Iwasamemberof Opposition,amem-
ber of the ruling party and finally a
member of the BJP
. I have interacted
with him in different capacities and at
different times, but I can vouch that I
have never encountered a personality
morepositiveandmoreenergeticthan
his, who despite being a tall political
figurevaluesrelationshipsandpeople
without a touch of hubris.
The first incident is from the time
when I was the Ex-Deputy Chief Min-
ister of Gujarat. My elder brothers,
Praveen Bhai and Ghanshyam Bhai,
had organised parties on the occa-
sion of their birthdays and had gone
to invite Narendra Bhai who was
then the Chief Minister of Gujarat.
Let me tell you, he attended both the
parties and spent about an hour at
the functions even when majority of
the attendees were from Congress.
This is the reason why Narendra
Modi is counted among the topmost
leaders of the world — his uncanny
ability to treat people like one extend-
ed family and to nurture personal
relationships with people even when
they are from other political parties
sets him apart from other leaders.
What makes Modiji so versatile
and loved by one and all is his focus
on education and the paradigm shift
that he has brought in the way chil-
dren and adults in rural India view
education. In the year 2000, I was an
MLA from Congress. At the time of
the budget presentation, I delivered
a speech as a member of the Opposi-
tion regarding the improvements
that could be brought out in the edu-
cation sector in the state. It was a
50-minute speech. I was surprised to
receive a letter from Narendra Bhai
later on stating that he deeply appre-
ciated my speech that highlighted
the positive aspects of governance
along with the areas where develop-
ment could be done. He mentioned
that while it is usual for the Opposi-
tion to harp on the weak spots of the
ruling party, it was indeed commend-
able that I had the courage and the
insight to appreciate the good work
the government is doing and the re-
sults that it has achieved through its
vision and hard work.
Anandiben was the Education Min-
ister at the time and the incredible
thing was that the dropout ratio at the
primary level was brought down to
1.5% by her. In 1993 I was the Educa-
tion Minister myself and the dropout
ratio was 22% which meant that 22%
of the children who would take ad-
mission in 1st standard in a particu-
lar year would drop out of school the
next year. It was all thanks to the won-
derful facilities created by Modiji and
Anandiben in the Education sector
that resulted in the drastic fall in the
dropout rate in schools at the primary
level. It was this achievement of the
BJP government that I lauded in the
assembly. Not just this, Modiji drew
attention to the state of education in
the villages and brought about tre-
mendous improvement in the literacy
rates in rural India.
Another unknown facet of Modiji’s
personality is the way he takes care
of the people who work for him. The
selfless service and help that he ex-
tends to all his employees -- quietly
and gently — is truly unique. When
Modiji became the Prime Minister of
India and his position changed from
CM, he probably had about 35 to 40
lakhs in his account. But when he
reached Delhi, he did not have a sin-
gle penny in his account! All the mon-
ey he had in his account, he distrib-
uted amongst the security officers,
workers, peons, those employed in the
kitchen and in cleanliness under his
care. I daresay there has not been a
single political leader in the history
of India post-Independence who was
magnanimous enough to gave away
whatever money he had in his ac-
count to those who work for him be-
fore assuming a higher position.
Last but not least, it might sound
hilarious but I owe this physical fit-
ness to Narendra Modi. I have a weak-
ness for bhajiiya fafda, samosa chut-
ney, daal vada and all other Gujarati
delicacies that are sumptuous but
fried. I once went to meet him when
he exclaimed, 'You better lose weight
or you’ll die!' To make sure I follow
his counsel, he even had a word with
my wife. My daughter too was under-
going a serious ailment and had been
advised operation by the doctors. But
I was reluctant as I felt she might re-
cover naturally
. Modiji then comfort-
ed me and advised me to go ahead
with my daughter’s operation if I
wanted her to lead a long and healthy
life. He ensured that my daughter got
operated within the next 15 days. It
has been six years today since he took
us to task regarding our health. Well,
my weight today is 66 kilos and I am
fit as a fiddle, thanks to PM Modi’s
penchant for physical, mental and
spiritual fitness!
TO BE CONTINUED…
WHAT MAKES
MODI A GREAT
STATESMAN?
PM MODI’S FAMILIAL LOVE AND
CONCERN FOR HIS FRATERNITY
At the time of the budget
presentation, I delivered a
speech as a member of the
Opposition regarding the
improvements that could be
brought out in the education
sector in the state. It was a
50-minute speech. I was
surprised to receive a letter
from Narendra Bhai later on
stating that he deeply
appreciated my speech that
highlighted the positive
aspects of governance along
with the areas where
development could be done
WHEN MODI JI BECAME PM HE DID NOT HAVE A
SINGLE PENNY IN HIS ACCOUNT, RECALLS AMIN
WHEN MODIJI BECAME
THE PRIME MINISTER
OF INDIA AND HIS POSITION
CHANGED FROM CM, HE
PROBABLY HAD ABOUT
RS 35 TO 40 LAKH IN HIS
ACCOUNT. BUT WHEN HE
REACHED DELHI, HE DID NOT
HAVE A SINGLE PENNY IN HIS
ACCOUNT! ALL THE MONEY
HE HAD IN HIS ACCOUNT,
HE DISTRIBUTED AMONGST
THE SECURITY OFFICERS,
WORKERS, PEONS, THOSE
EMPLOYED IN THE KITCHEN
AND IN CLEANLINESS UNDER
HIS CARE.
L
COMPILED AND EDITED BY
SHASHIKANT SHARMA
AND SHWETA SHARMA
Lively and dynamic- words that
truly describe our Prime Minister
Modi. It is difficult to find a political
figure such as PM Modi who
understands the seriousness of his
responsibilities, is full of life and yet
keeps political conversations out of
social get-togethers. Narhari Amin
brings to us incidents that reflect
on the light-hearted attributes of
one of the greatest world leaders
of today — Narendra Modi
‘MODI HAI TO MUMKIN HAI…’
UNTOLD STORIES OF PM MODI - PART 3
MODI
A TRUE EMBODIMENT OF
VASUDHAIVA
KUTUMBAKAM
PRIME MINISTER NARENDRA MODI
l Vol 1 l Issue No. 11 l RNI TITLE NO. MAHENG/2022/14652 Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Dangat Media Pvt Ltd, No.22, Dighe MIDC, Vishnu Nagar, TTC Industrial Area, Dighe, Navi Mumbai-400701.
Published at Plot No. 3 Scheme C of Manglorean Garden Home, CHS Limited, Survey No. 5, 6C (Part) Ville Parle East, Mumbai 400057. Editor-In-Chief: Jagdeesh Chandra Editor: Anita Hada Sangwan responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act
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6.
7. MUMBAI | TUESDAY, MAY 17, 2022
06
INDIA
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New Delhi (Agencies):
India On Monday hit
out at the Organisation
of Islamic Cooperation
(OIC) for its “unwar-
ranted” comments on
the delimitation exer-
cise in Jammu and
Kashmir.
“We are dismayed
that the OIC secretariat
has once again made
unwarranted com-
ments on the internal
affairs of India,” Exter-
nal Affairs Ministry
spokesperson Arindam
Bagchi said.
“As in the past, the
Government of India
categorically rejects the
assertions made by the
OIC secretariat on the
Union Territory of
Jammu and Kashmir
which is an integral
and inalienable part of
India,” he said.
The delimitation
commission, tasked
with redrawing parlia-
mentary and assembly
constituencies in Jam-
mu and Kashmir, noti-
fied its final report ear-
lier this month.
“The OIC should re-
frain from carrying out
its communal agenda
vis-a-vis India at the be-
hest of one country,”
the Ministry spokesper-
son said in an oblique
reference to Pakistan.
The completion of the
delimitation exercise
paves the way for hold-
ing assembly elections
in Jammu and Kashmir.
Theformerstateiswith-
out an elected govern-
ment since June 2018.
Of the 90 assembly
constituencies, 43 will
be part of the Jammu
region and 47 for Kash-
mir. Jammu and Kash-
mir have been treated
as a single entity for the
purposes of delimita-
tion. The number of to-
tal assembly seats in
Jammu has risen from
37 to 43 assembly seats.
India slams OIC for remark on JK delimitation
‘UNWARRANTED COMMENTS’
lll
Last month,
India slammed
OIC for inviting
Hurriyat
Conference
chairman to its
foreign
ministerial
meeting in
Islamabad
China building infrastructure
near Arunachal border: Army
Guwahati (PTI): The
Army’s Eastern com-
mand chief on Monday
said China’s People’s
Liberation Army (PLA)
is engaged in infra-
structure capacity en-
hancement across the
international border in
Arunachal Pradesh.
General Officer Com-
manding-in Chief of
the Eastern command,
Lt Gen RP Kalita, how-
ever, said the Indian
side is also continuous-
ly upgrading its infra-
structure and capabili-
ties to deal with any
situation which may
arise along the border.
“Across the Line of
Actual Control in Tibet
region, a lot of infra-
structure development
is going on. The other
side is constantly up-
grading their road, rail
and air connectivity so
that they are in a better
position to respond to a
situation or mobilise
forces,”hesaidatapress
conferenceinGuwahati.
The Chinese authori-
ties have built border
villages close to the
LAC that can be used
for dual purposes, Ka-
lita said.
“We are continuous-
ly monitoring the situ-
ation. We are also up-
grading our infra-
structure and capabili-
ties as well as the
mechanism to handle
the situation. These
have put us in a robust
position,” he added.
The Army Command-
er acknowledged that
difficult terrain and in-
clement weather condi-
tions have been the big-
gest challenges while
enhancing capabilities
and infrastructure in
forward locations.
He asserted that the
Indian Army is fully
ready with “high level
of operational prepar-
edness”.
Across the Line of
Actual Control in
Tibet region, a lot
of infrastructure
development is go-
ing on. The other
side is constantly
upgrading their
road, rail and air
connectivity.
Lt Gen RP Kalita,
Chief of Eastern command
Shah to chair high-level security meet
in Delhi today over JK target killings
New Delhi (Agencies):
A high-level security
meeting will be held in
North Block on Tues-
day amid targeted at-
tack on minorities and
migrant workers in
Jammu and Kashmir.
The meeting is to be
chaired by Union Home
Minister Amit Shah
and JK L-G Manoj
Sinha along with senior
officials in the adminis-
tration. The JK ad-
ministration will be
presenting a blueprint
of measures taken by
them to secure minori-
ties and upcoming Am-
arnath Yatra.
“Recent targeted kill-
ings in the Valley have
proved that plan to pro-
tect minorities needs a
rejig. So Kashmiri Pan-
dits would be shifted to
secure tehsil districts
and headquarters,” said
a senior official.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah with Jammu and Kashmir
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha. —FILE PHOTO
TERROR LINKS: 12 TEACHERS, STAFF OF
KASHMIR UNIV MAY SOON BE SACKED
BANDIPORA: LeT
TERROR MODULE
BUSTED, 7 HELD
Srinagar (Agencies): Around a dozen teachers and non-
teaching staff members of Kashmir University may soon
lose their jobs. The development comes mere days after an
university professor and three others were sacked by the
Jammu and Kashmir administration for alleged links to terror
groups. Last week’s terminations had incidentally brought the
total number of government employees sacked using the spe-
cial provisions in the Union Territory up to 37 since last year.
According to a Times of India report, the administration plans
to sack several Kashmir University staffers who have alleg-
edly played an active role in forming the ideological narrative
framework needed for a “terrorist-secessionist network”.
Srinagar (Agencies):
A terror module of pro-
scribed terror outfit LeT
was busted in Jammu and
Kashmir’s Bandipora with
the arrest of seven terror-
ists/terrorist associates,
including a woman, police
said on Monday. Incrimi-
nating materials, including
arms and ammunition,
have also been recovered
from their possession. Six
vehicles including four
two-wheelers have also
been seized. “During the
course of investigation of
cases regarding the recent
Bandipora encounters,
Bandipora police, along
with other security forces,
busted a terror module
of proscribed terror outfit
LeT by arresting an active
Pakistan-trained terrorist,
two hybrid terrorists and
four terrorist associates,”
a police official said.
Char Dham:
39 pilgrims
have died so
far, says govt
Dehradun (ANI): As
many as 39 pilgrims
have lost their lives on
the route so far since
the commencement of
the Chardham Yatra in
Uttarakhand, as per an
official on Monday
.
The official has pre-
sented high blood pres-
sure, heart attack and
mountain sickness as
the reasons for the de-
mise of the pilgrims.
“Most of the deaths
of all the pilgrims have
taken place on the trav-
el routes. The cause of
death of all has been
high blood pressure,
heart attack, and moun-
tain sickness,” Uttara-
khand DG, Health,
Dr Shailja Bhatt told
media.
“Pilgrims who are
not medically fit are be-
ing advised not to trav-
el,” she said.
Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha with his Cabinet. —PHOTO BY PTI
Amid resentment, 11 Tripura Ministers take oath
Agartala (Agencies):
Amidst growing resent-
ment among a section
of MLAs in Tripura, 11
ministers took oath on
Monday
, a day after new
Chief Minister Manik
Saha assumed office.
Of the 11 ministers,
nine MLAs of the BJP
and two IPFT legisla-
tors, took the oaths ad-
ministered by Gover-
nor Satyadeo Narain
Arya during a ceremo-
ny at the Raj Bhawan.
Of the 11 ministers,
nine were in the Council
of Ministers headed by
former Chief Minister
Biplab Kumar Deb, who
resigned on Saturday
.
Among the Ministers
who took oath on Mon-
day, Santana Chakma is
the only female Minis-
ter in the Council.
The strength of the
Council is 12, including
the Chief Minister.
Amid Maoist resurgence threat,
Didi to visit Junglemahal today
Kolkata (Agencies):
In the backdrop of fre-
quent recovery of Mao-
ist posters and intelli-
gence alerts about the
resurgence of the Left-
wing extremist (LWE)
activities in pockets of
West Bengal, Chief
Minister Mamata Ba-
nerjee will be in Jun-
glemahal for two days
from Tuesday.
Although the Jungle-
mahal area is scattered
over three districts of
West Midnapore,
Bankura and Purulia,
this time the chief min-
ister will restrict her
activities in West Mid-
napore district only. In
the coming days, the
chief minister will
make similar visits to
Purulia and Bankura as
well, confirmed sources
from the state secretar-
iat of Nabanna.
Rahul-Gehlot give tribal
people biggest gift yet!
Yogesh Sharma, Naresh
Sharma Shweta Mishra
Dungarpur: MP Rahul
GandhiandChief Minis-
terShriAshokGehloton
Monday gave a big gift to
the common man by lay-
ing the foundation stone
of high level bridge at
Beneshwar Dham,
whichiscalledPrayagof
tribals. Beneshwar
Dham situated at the
confluence of Mahi,
Jakham and Som rivers
is known for the five-day
fairfamousforreligious,
social and cultural ac-
tivities. In monsoon, the
roads leading to the
Dham get submerged
due to the rise in water
level, which turns the
Dham into an island. Be-
cause of this, devotees
are able to go to the
Dham by boat and many
devotees get stuck in the
Dhamitself.Tosolvethis
problem, the Chief Min-
ister had announced the
construction of a high
level bridge in the budg-
et announcement for the
year 2021-22. Through
this high level bridge to
be built with an amount
of 132.35 crore, devotees
will be able to reach Be-
neshwar Dham directly
from Dungarpur-Ban-
swara road and traffic
will be possible through-
out the year.
Duringthefoundation
stonelaying,theofficials
of the Public Works De-
partment gave detailed
information about the
bridge to senior Con-
gress leader Rahul Gan-
dhi and Ashok Gehlot
through the model.
Foundation
stone of high
level bridge at
Beneshwar
Dham laid
Know BJP: Nadda interacts
with 14 foreign diplomats
New Delhi (ANI):
Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) national president
JP Nadda on Monday in-
teracted with a group of
heads of Missions in-
cluding Ambassadors
and High Commission-
ers to India at his party
headquarters under the
‘Know BJP’ initiative.
It is to be known that
on the BJP Foundation
Day
,Naddalaunchedthe
new initiative “Know
BJP” specifically to ad-
dress the overseas audi-
enceandinteractedwith
the Head of Missions of
13countriesof theworld.
BJP intends to con-
tinue such interactions
with small groups of for-
eign diplomats in future
too. Exchanges of dele-
gations with political
parties from different
countries are also being
plannedinduecourseof
time, according to an of-
ficial statement issued
by the party on Sunday
.
Under the “Know
BJP” initiative, the par-
ty will present detailed
information on its his-
torical journey, ideolo-
gy, structure and ongo-
ing activities.
Accordingtothestate-
ment, during this event,
Nadda will elaborate on
the history, struggles,
successes, ideology and
contribution of the
BJP and its govern-
ments in nation-build-
ing. He will also address
the queries from distin-
guished guests.
After this, a docu-
mentary film depicting
the journey of Jan
Sangh and the BJP will
also be shown during
the programme.
BJP national president JP Nadda interacts with a group of Head
of Missions including Ambassadors and High Commissioners to
India, at BJP headquarters in New Delhi on Monday.
Kolkata: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)
has summoned senior Trinamool Congress legislator
Paresh Paul in connection with the alleged murder of
a BJP activist Avijit Sarkar. He was summoned soon
after the results of the 2021 West Bengal elections
were declared. Paul is the ruling party legislator from
Beliaghata Assembly constituency in north Kolkata.
CBI SUMMONS TMC MLA IN CONNECTION
WITH BJP WORKER’S MURDER CASE
New Delhi: Biological E. Limited (BE) on Monday
reduced the price of its Covid-19 vaccine Corbevax
from Rs 840 to Rs 250 a dose, inclusive of GST, for
private Covid vaccination centres. For the end user,
the price would be Rs 400 a dose, including taxes
and administration charges. The previous private
market price for the vaccine was Rs 990 a dose,
including taxes and vaccine administration charges.
CORBEVAX PRICE REDUCED TO `250
PER DOSE FOR PRIVATE CENTRES
CRUCIAL READ
Rahul Gandhi accompanied by CM Ashok Gehlot waves at the
crowd at Beneshwar Dham in Dungarpur on Monday. Govind Singh
Dotasra, Bhajan Lal Jatav and Raghuveer Meena are also seen.
—PHOTO BY SUNIL SHARMA
8. BIZ BUZZ
MUMBAI | TUESDAY, MAY 17, 2022
07
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Mumbai (PTI): At
least 59% of the accel-
erated inflation is at-
tributable to the im-
pact of the geopolitical
conflict triggered by
the Russian invasion
of Ukraine, econo-
mists at SBI said.
In the face of the
heightened inflation
situation – the head-
line number touched
nearly 7.8% for April,
and the RBI is set to
hike rates by another
0.75% to get the repo
rate back to the pre-
pandemic level of
5.15%, they added.
The economists said
they did a study of the
Russian invasion’s im-
pact on inflation,
which revealed that
59% of the jump in
prices is due to geopo-
litical events.
Using February as
the base case, the study
revealed that because
of war alone, food and
beverages, fuel, light
and transport contrib-
uted 52% of the in-
crease, while another
7% impact came from
the jump in input pric-
es for the FMCG sector.
Stating that the in-
flation is unlikely to
correct anytime soon,
the note said there is a
difference between ru-
ral and urban areas
when it comes to price
rises. The former are
impacted more by
higher food price pres-
sures, while the latter
are showing more im-
pact because of the
fuel price hikes.
“Against the contin-
ued increase in infla-
tion, it is now almost
certain that RBI will
raise rates in forth-
coming June and Au-
gust policy and will
take it to the pre-pan-
demic level of 5.15%
by August,” it said,
adding that the biggest
question for the cen-
tral bank to ponder is
whether inflation will
tread down meaning-
fully because of such
rate hikes if war-relat-
ed disruptions do not
subside quickly
.
It also needs to
check if growth could
be a large casualty in
case of large and per-
sistent rate increases,
even as inflation prints
will continue to be of
serious concern.
Backing the RBI in
its moves to quell infla-
tion by rate hikes, the
economists said there
can also be a positive
impact of the hikes.
“A higher interest
rate will be also posi-
tive for the financial
system as risks will get
repriced,” it said.
They also advocated
RBI interventions in
the NDF market in-
stead of the onshore
market through banks
to support the rupee as
this has the benefit of
not impacting rupee
liquidity
.
“This will also save
the foreign exchange
reserves, with the only
settlement of differen-
tial amount with coun-
ter-parties on maturi-
ty dates,” they added.
RBI MAY HIKE RATES BY 75 BPS BY AUGUST: SBI
ECONOMISTS AT SBI SAY THAT RBI IS SET TO HIKE RATES TO GET THE REPO RATE BACK TO THE PRE-PANDEMIC LEVEL OF 5.15%
RBI’s move will help
contain inflation: CII Prez
New Delhi (PTI):
The Reserve Bank’s
decision to raise
benchmark interest
rates and the likeli-
hood of a good mon-
soon will help in con-
taininginflation,San-
jiv Bajaj, newly-elect-
edpresidentof indus-
try body CII, said.
“Idobelievethatwe
are now in an era of
higher interest rates.
This will help us in
bringing down infla-
tion, at least a part of
that going forward,”
Bajaj said in maiden
pc after taking over as
the CII chief.
He said various
factors com-
bined with
the hope of a
strong monsoon
“should put us in a
better place” by the
second half of the
year for policymak-
ers to decide where
inflation and interest
rates move. Bajaj ob-
served that the rise
of inflation has two
aspects — demand
and supply side.
“RBI has already
started the cycle of
taking interest rates
up and we should ex-
pect interest rates to
continue moving up
inthecomingyear.CII
estimatesIndia’sGDP
growth to be in the
band of 7.4 - 8.2%,
depending upon
global oil pric-
es.” he said.
NO. NEAR 7.8%
New Delhi (PTI): In-
dia-focused offshore
funds and exchange-
traded funds (ETFs)
experienced a net out-
flow of $1.28 billion in
the three months end-
ed March 2022, making
it the 16th consecutive
quarter of withdraw-
al, according to a
Morningstar report
released on Monday.
This was way higher
than the net outflow of
$435 million registered
during the December
2021 quarter.
Escalation in geopo-
litical tensions due to
the war between Rus-
sia and Ukraine, hikes
in interest rates by the
US Fed along with its
hawkish guidance,
volatile crude prices,
and surging inflation
globally, among other
causes, prompted in-
vestors to turn risk-
averse during the
quarter under review,
the report noted.
Subsequently, inves-
tors began to move out
of the emerging mar-
kets like India, which
are relatively riskier
and more prone to such
challenging times, and
they began to invest in
safe-haven invest-
ments, such as gold or
the US dollar, it added.
India-focused off-
shore funds and ETFs
are some of the promi-
nent investment vehi-
cles through which
foreign investors in-
vest in the Indian eq-
uity market.
Through the calen-
dar year 2021, the In-
dia-focused offshore
funds and ETFs catego-
ry had a net outflow of
$2.45 billion, sharply
lower than the net out-
flow of $9.26 billion re-
corded in 2020.
During the three
months ended March
2021, the India-focused
offshore fund segment
witnessed a net outflow
of $800 million com-
pared to the net inflow
of $638 million in the
preceding quarter.
Given the challeng-
ing environment on the
global and domestic
fronts, India-focused
offshore ETFs also ex-
perienced net outflows
of $475 million during
the quarter. This was
in stark contrast to the
previous quarter when
the segment had net in-
flows of around $203
million.
India-focussed offshore funds log $1.28 bn outflow
Through the
calendar year
2021, the India-
focused offshore
funds and ETFs
category had a
net outflow of
$2.45 billion
New Delhi (PTI): The
country’s largest two-
wheeler maker Hero
MotoCorp expects the
two-wheeler industry
to bounce back in the
current fiscal with eco-
nomic activity picking
up and high grain pric-
es augmenting rural
incomes.
With macro econom-
ic indicators looking
positive, the company
expects industry to
grow in double digits
in the current finan-
cial year.
“The macro indica-
tors are really looking
good, the GST collec-
tion we have all seen is
all-time high in April,
the e-way bills have
picked up, I would say
all sectors of the econ-
omy have opened up,”
Hero MotoCorp CFO
Niranjan Gupta said.
Grain prices are
high, they are aug-
menting rural income,
the monsoon forecast
is decent and it is clear-
ly evident also that
while Covid may not
have gone away, every-
one has learned now to
get on with their liveli-
hoods and hence the
consumer confidence
are bouncing back eas-
ily and actually solidly,
he noted.
Hero expects double-digit
growthfor2-wheelerindustry
SBI HIKES LENDING RATE
BY 0.1%,EMIsTO GO UP
New Delhi (PTI): The
country’s largest lender
SBI has raised its mar-
ginalcostof fundsbased
lending rate by 10 basis
points or 0.1% across all
tenures, a move that will
lead to an increase in
EMIs for borrowers.
This is the second hike
in a month raising the
cost by 0.2% with the
twoconsecutiveincreas-
es. The revision follows
anoff-cyclerateincrease
by the RBI. With the in-
crease, EMIs will go up
for those borrowers who
have availed loans on
MCLR (Marginal Cost
of Funds based Lending
Rate), not for those,
whose loans are linked
to other benchmarks.
SBI’s External Bench-
markbasedLendingRate
(EBLR) is 6.65%, while
theRepo-LinkedLending
Rate (RLLR) is 6.25% ef-
fectiveApril1.Banksadd
Credit Risk Premium
(CRP)overtheEBLRand
RLLR while giving any
kind of loan, including
housing and auto loans.
TherevisedMCLRrateis
effective from May 15, as
per SBI website.
Mumbai (PTI):
Benchmark indices
Sensex and Nifty
ended their six-day
losing run on Mon-
day on the back of
buying in banking,
auto and power
stocks amid mixed
trends in global equi-
ties. The 30-share
BSE Sensex rebound-
ed by 180.22 points or
0.34% to settle at
52,973.84 points in a
see-saw trade. The
index opened higher
and soared over 634
points to a day’s high
of 53,428.28 in the
first half of the
trade. However, prof-
it booking in IT and
select heavyweight
counters capped the
gains dragging the
index down by
around 800 points to
a low of 52,632.48
points.
The broader NSE
Nifty went up by
60.15 points or 0.38%
to finish at 15,842.30,
logging its first gain
in seven sessions.
Sensex,
Nifty end
six-day fall
GDP GROWTH
IN RANGE OF
7.4-8.2%
Sharing the likely
growth scenarios for
the Indian economy
for this year, Sanjiv
Bajaj, said, “CII
expects the GDP
growth in a range of
7.4-8.2% in 2022-23,
with the outlook crit-
ically hinging on the
trajectory of global
crude oil prices.”
Petrol,diesel sales rebound in May
New Delhi (PTI): In-
dia’s petrol and diesel
consumption jumped
in May as pick up in
the economic activity
as well as the start of
the harvesting season
aided the return of de-
mand, a preliminary
industry data showed
on Monday
.
Petrol sales grew
14% during the first
half of May when com-
pared with the same
period in the preceding
month, while diesel de-
mand rose 1.8%. Cook-
ing gas LPG, which last
month saw consump-
tion declining because
of high prices, posted a
2.8% rise in sales dur-
ing May 1-15.
Petrol sales by state-
owned fuel retailers,
which control roughly
90% of the market, at
1.28 million tonnes dur-
ing May 1-15 were
59.7% higher than the
same period last year
and 16.3% higher than
the period in 2019.
The consumption
was 13.9% more than
the 1.12 million tonnes
of sales in the first half
of April 2022.
Diesel, the most-
used fuel in the coun-
try, saw sales jumping
37.8% year-on-year to
3.05 million tonnes in
the first half of May.
This was, however,
1.5% lower than sales
in April 2019. It was
1.8% higher than 2.99
million tonnes of con-
sumption during April
1-15 this year.
Industry sources
said consumption in
May is higher because
of demand returning
after high prices in the
previous month cut de-
mand.
SALES GREW 14%
LIFE INSURANCE CORPORATION
TO LIST ON BOURSES TODAY
New Delhi (PTI): The country’s largest insurer
LIC will list its shares on the stock exchanges on
Tuesday after witnessing
a good response from
domestic investors in the
initial share sale, which
fetched `20,557 crore
to the government. The
government had fixed
the issue price of LIC shares at `949 apiece for
allotment to investors. LIC policyholders and retail
investors have got the shares at a price of `889 and
`904 apiece, respectively. The IPO of LIC closed on
May 9 and shares were allocated to bidders on May
12. The government sold over 22.13 crore shares
or a 3.5% stake in LIC through the IPO.
TEA INDUSTRY WORRIED OVER
RISING COAL COSTS: TAI
Kolkata (PTI): Leading industry body TAI on
Monday flagged the issue of rising coal costs due
to acute shortage which
is affecting plantation ac-
tivity as it is an important
input for manufacturing
in North Bengal. TAI said
since the North Bengal
region does not have ac-
cess to supplies of natural gas, which is available in
the gardens of Upper Assam, this causes the North
Bengal gardens to face competitive disadvantages.
Sources said that the issue of minimum wages
in a labour intensive industry like tea, the cost of
production on account of wages is always higher
compared to other less labour intensive industries.
ATF PRICE HIKED BY 5.3%,
10TH INCREASE THIS YEAR
New Delhi (PTI): Jet fuel prices on Monday
were hiked by a steep 5.3% — the tenth
straight increase
this year — to an
all-time high, in
line with a surge
in global energy
prices. The price
of aviation turbine
fuel (ATF) -- the fuel that helps aeroplanes
fly -- was hiked by `6,188.25 per kilolitre,
or 5.29%, to `1,23,039.71 per kl (`123
per litre) in the national capital, according
to a price notification of state-owned fuel
retailers. This is the 10th straight increase in
jet fuel prices this year.
PROSPECTIVE BUYERS OF ENTRY-
LEVEL CARS POSTPONING PURCHASES
Mumbai (PTI): Customers aspiring to buy
entry-level cars or those looking for an
upgrade to such
models are post-
poning decisions
as the COVID-19
pandemic has hit
their income senti-
ment significantly,
a report said on Monday. At the same time,
sales of premium segment cars are expected
to go up on account of resilient income of
affluent buyers, while the share of high-
er-priced two-wheelers is likely to remain
around 40%, Crisil report said. Cars priced
above `10 lakh fall in the premium segment.
Sanjiv Bajaj
9. MUMBAI | TUESDAY, MAY 17, 2022
08
2NDFRONT
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True success comes from an
enterprise which maximises
our positive qualities but also
‘uses’ our negative ones.
—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO Editor-in-Chief, First India
3 Team India players to captain teams in
Women’s T20 Challenge starting May 23
New Delhi (PTI): In-
dian players Smriti
Mandhana, Harman-
preet Kaur and Deep-
ti Sharma were on
Monday named cap-
tains of the three
teams for the Wom-
en’s T20 Challenge to
be played in Pune
from May 23.
The Board of Cricket
Control in India (BCCI)
announced 16-member
squads for each of three
teams -- Harmanpreet-
led Supernovas, Mand-
hana-led Trailblazers
and Deepti-led Velocity
.
Trailblazers had won
the previous edition
held in 2020.
Veteran India crick-
eters Mithali Raj, Jhu-
lan Goswami and Shi-
kha Pandey, who all
played in the previous
edition, are the notable
absentees in the squads.
A BCCI official said
India Raj and Goswami
have been rested. Both
were expected to retire
after the World Cup
earlier this year but
are yet to take a call on
their future.
“Both Mithali and
Jhulan have been rest-
ed,” said the official.
A total of 12 overseas
players were also an-
nounced for the exhibi-
tioneventincludingstar
South African opener
Laura Wolvaardt and
world number one bowl-
er Sophie Ecclestone.
Thai player Natthakan
Chantam will make her
second appearance in
the competition.
The only Australian
featuring in the line-
ups is leg spinner Alana
King while the English
cricketers include Ec-
clestone, Sophia Dunk-
ley and Kate Cross.
Bangladesh cricket-
ers Salma Khatun and
Sharmin Akhter have
also been picked. The
West Indians include
Deandra Dottin and
Hayley Matthews.
South African cap-
tain Sune Luus and
Wolvaardt will repre-
sent Supernovas and
Velocity respectively
.
The performers in
the recently held Sen-
ior Women’s T20 Tro-
phy have also been re-
warded. The tourna-
ment’s leading run-
scorer KP Navgire and
leading wicket-taker
Aarti Kedar will play
for Velocity.
The upcoming edi-
tion is expected to be
the last one with the
BCCI planning a full-
fledged Women’s Indian
Premier League (IPL)
from next year.
Harmanpreet Kaur Deepti Sharma Smriti Mandhana
PLAYERS IN THE FRAY
WOMEN’S CRICKET
First India Bureau
Mumbai: In response
to a Right to Infor-
mation (RTI) petition
filed by activist Anil
Galgali, it has been
revealed that the to-
tal expenditure of
the Governor’s office
(Raj Bhavan) in-
creased by Rs18
crore since 2019. The
Maharashtra govern-
ment informed Gal-
gali that more than
Rs60 crore has been
distributed to the
Bhavan in the last
two years.
“Compared to the
year 2019, the expendi-
ture of Raj Bhavan
has increased by Rs18
crore in the last two
years,” stated the gov-
ernment’s reply to the
petition. Galgali, an
RTI activist, had
sought information
from the state govern-
ment about the grant
given to the Raj
Bhavan office.
The general admin-
istration department
(GAD) provided him
with information on
the last five years, in-
cluding the budget esti-
mates. “After the
Thackeray govern-
ment of Maha Vikas
Aghadi (MVA) came to
power in the state,
more generosity has
been shown to the gov-
ernor’s office. In the
last two years, funds of
over Rs60.89 crore were
provided, out of which,
Rs53.30 crore was
spent. The expenditure
of Raj Bhavan has in-
creased by Rs18 crore,”
said Galgali.
The Raj Bhavan of-
fice should make in-
formation about the
increased expendi-
ture public, audit all
expenses, and upload
it on its website,
he added.
Rs13.97
Crore
Rs15.84
Crore
Rs19.92
Crore
Rs29.50
Crore
Rs31.38
Crore
Rs12.49
Crore
Rs13.71
Crore
Rs17.63
Crore
Rs25.92
Crore
Rs27.38
Crore
AMOUNT PROVIDED EXPENDITURE
YEAR
`18 CR HIKE
in Raj Bhavan’s expenses in 2 years
Police raid hookah bars,
eateries for operating
after deadline in Pune
First India Bureau
Pune: Pune crime
branch’s Social Secu-
rity Cell (SSC) raided
plush entertainment
joints in the Mundh-
wa, Yerawada, and
Kondhwa police sta-
tion areas on Satur-
day as part of a four-
week crackdown on
illegal hookah joints
and hotels operating
past the deadline.
Under the direction
of Pune police commis-
sioner Amitabh Gupta,
SSC sleuths took ac-
tion against these es-
tablishments for oper-
ating past the midnight
deadline and booked
them under the Maha-
rashtra Police Act, Sec-
tion 33, and other sec-
tions of the Indian Pe-
nal Code (IPC).
Speaking to the me-
dia, the SSC officials
stated that they had
received a tip-off that
an illegal hookah par-
lour was operating in
one of the joints in
Kalyani Nagar at
around 2.55 am. Dur-
ing the raid at the spot,
the police seized six
hookah pots, flavoured
tobacco material and
mobiles estimated to
Rsbe worth Rs89,600.
The city crime
branch’s SSC also took
action against four res-
taurants and bars in
the city early on Sun-
day for operating past
their closing time. A
team led by senior in-
spector Rajesh Puran-
ik took action against
eateries, restaurants,
and bars that stayed
open past 1.30 am.
The police have
booked the accused
culprits and lodged
cases against them.
First India Bureau
Mumbai: To expose
our current and fu-
ture generations to
the valour of many
forgotten revolution-
aries and create
awareness about
them, Adani Airports
Holding Ltd (AAHL)
is remembering the
fallen heroes of our
freedom struggle who
were not part of our
popular discourse on
independence.
This month, AAHL
will create awareness
about six revolutionar-
ies, namely Pursottam
Kakodkar, Pritilata
Waddedar, Alluri Sitar-
ama Raju, Durgabai
Deshmukh, Kartar Sin-
gh Sarabha and Bishni
Devi Shah.The cam-
paign is a part of Azadi
ka Amrit Mahotsav - an
initiative of the Gov-
ernment of India to cel-
ebrate and commemo-
rate 75 years of inde-
pendence and its glori-
ous history
.
The month of May is
also significant as it
marks the 165 years of
India’s first large scale
freedom movement
popularly known as the
Revolt of 1857.
The campaign is
a part of Azadi ka
Amrit Mahotsav.
6 held for lynching Raigad man
on suspicion of stealing cattle
First India Bureau
Mumbai: A mob over
20 persons allegedly
lynched a man in
Raigad earlier this
month over suspicion
of cattle theft. The as-
sault took place on
the night of May 6 in
Mhasewadi village in
Raigad but came to
light only on Sunday
according to a media
report on Monday.
Six persons have
been arrested so far,
while a total of 13 have
been booked in a case
of rioting and murder,
the police said.
The deceased was
identified as 35-year-
old Intezar Ali Shaikh,
media reported. He
had been named in
over 17 cases of steal-
ing and killing cattle,
according to media.
Three persons, in-
cluding the deceased,
were caught while
traveling in a car by the
villagers near an iso-
lated dam, where some
cattle was found, a po-
lice official cited.
“Within minutes,
more villagers came to
see what was happen-
ing,” the official added.
While two persons
managed to escape, one
person was seriously
injured in the attack. He
was taken to a nearby
hospital where he suc-
cumbed to his injuries.
Thane: Seven buffaloes were killed and 15 others
were injured after some unidentified person/s slit
their throats and cut their leg veins in Bhiwandi in
Thane district, a police official said. The incident
took place in a 'tabela' in Bunder Mohalla on the
intervening night of Saturday and Sunday, the Nix-
ampura police station official said. “The motive may
be professional rivalry. A case has been registered
and efforts are on to nab the culprit/s,” he said.
7 BUFFALOES KILLED, 15 INJURED BY
UNIDENTIFIED PERSONS IN BHIWANDI
SSC sleuths took action against these establishments
for operating past the midnight deadline and booked
them under the Maharashtra Police Act, Section 33,
and other sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
2 brothers held for raping woman
Mumbai (PTI): Two
brothers were ar-
rested for allegedly
raping a 20-year-old
woman at knife-
point in her room in
Dharavi in Mumbai,
a police official said
on Monday.
Anil Chohan and his
sibling Nilesh were
held on Sunday from
their home in Vile Par-
le, he said.
“The two used to live
in Dharavi earlier. On
recent visits, they be-
friended the victim
and raped her at knife-
point when she was
alone at home. They
also shot a video of the
act and threatened to
circulate it if she spoke
of the ordeal to any-
one,” he said.
“Over 100 CCTV
clips from the area
were checked and in-
formation gathered by
speaking to scores of
daily wagers etc led to
the arrest of the Cho-
han brothers. They
havebeenchargedwith
gang-rape and others
offences under IPC and
Information Technolo-
gy Act provisions,” the
Dharavi police station
official said.
AAHL launches campaign in memory of
UNSUNG HEROES OF FREEDOM STRUGGLE
2017-18
2018-19
2019-20
2020-21
2021-22
10. escribe
yourself
and what
would you
say are
some vital
skills or
characteristics to
have to make it in
the modelling
world?
My name is Kalpa-
na Yadav and I am
from Haryana. I am
pursuing an under-
graduate course at
Delhi University. I
am a national level
archer, athlete and
certified yoga train-
er. I lost my mother
when I was 17 hence
being brought up in
a boarding school
taught me account-
ability. Personality
is super essential to
making a mark in
the modelling
world. It includes
everything such as
body language,
dressing up, behav-
iour, etc.
If you could go in
future and tell
yourself one thing
about your career
what would it be?
I believe in the man-
tra of living in the
present. So, even if
I get to go in the fu-
ture I will advise
myself to remain in
the present. It is al-
ways good to focus
on today instead of
tomorrow.
What inspired you
to become a model?
Modelling was my
childhood dream
and it
came true. I
used to look
up to Sush-
mita Sen, Pri-
yanka Chopra,
Manushi Chhillar
and Aishwarya Rai
Bachchan. They
all inspired me to
become a good pro-
fessional.
What was the big-
gest mistake you
made when you
just started?
The biggest mis-
take I made was to
pay to provide me
with the work. Lat-
er I realised that
work comes if you
have the spark in
you. So, now I trust
my capabilities and
am working hard.
What has been the
most
memora-
ble or re-
warding moment
in your career?
There are so many
memorable and re-
warding moments
in my life. The best
of them is when I
was declared Run-
way 1.0 Miss Guru-
gram’s 1st runner
up. It made me so
happy.
BEAUTY IS THE BY-PRODUCT OF DISCIPLINE AND PHYSICAL
FITNESS. SUCH A SPECTACULAR TRAIT ALWAYS
CULTIVATES A DEEP SENSE OF FAITH WHICH TRANSFORMS
INTO GREAT ABILITIES. THE JOURNEY OF SUCH AN
INDOMITABLE SPIRIT IS FULL OF REWARDS. ONE SUCH
MAGNETIC SOUL KALPANA YADAV, WHO HAILS FROM
HARYANA AND BELIEVES IN DETERMINATION, SPOKE TO
CITY FIRST ABOUT HER JOURNEY.
MUMBAI, TUESDAY,
MAY 17, 2022
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thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09
KALPANA YADAV: AN
KALPANA YADAV: AN
ILLUMINATING SOUL
ILLUMINATING SOUL
D
DHANUSHREE VYAS
cityfirst@firstindia.co.in
11. IRA SIKKA,
Model
FACE
OF
THE
DAY!
Aries
MARCH 21 - APRIL 20
Distant relatives may
drop in for a surprise
visit. Investment
antiques and jewellery
would bring handsome
financial gains. On professional front,
recognition for good work would
motivate you to work harder. Those
awaiting an affirmation on romantic
front are likely to get lucky today.
Gemini
MAY 21 - JUNE 21
Seek the opinion of your
family before finalizing a
property deal. An
impromptu invitation to
a function from an
unexpected friend is likely to be
received. Your bold initiatives on
romantic front bring back passion and
spark in romantic relationship. Spend
some time with your partner.
Leo
JULY 24 - AUGUST 23
Paying special attention
to plan your career
would give immense
joy. You are likely to get
clearance or approval
for your construction plans. You find
things moving in the way you want
them. Gifting something to your
beloved is likely to make the day
memorable.
Libra
SEPTEMBER 24 - OCTOBER 22
You succeed in
completing an
important project well
before deadline.
Disagreements on the
family front are foreseen. Be careful
about the legal apprehensions in the
property you are planning to buy. Your
intuition will save you from a tricky
spot today.
Sagittarius
NOVEMBER 23 - DECEMBER 22
Avoid raising controver-
sial issues at home to
maintain harmony.
Successful implementa-
tion of new ideas and
projects would add to your prestige on
the professional front. It is a wonderful
day to build new connections. Your
relationship requires you to be tactful. It
is a good day for you.
Aquarius
JANUARY 21 - FEBRUARY 19
You will succeed in
resolving misunder-
standing with family
members, normalizing
ties. You will remain
much in demand on social front. You
need to stand by romantic partner
during testing times to make the
relationship stronger. Seek expert opin-
ion for a health supplement.
Taurus
APRIL 21 - MAY 20
Chances of being misled
by competitors in
business are high, so
remain alert. You may
get a chance to pursue
old hobby. Health tips from an expert
will enable you to get closer to your
fitness goals. Your generous behavior
would enable to enjoy some lovely
moments with the family.
Cancer
JUNE 22 - JULY 23
Better to consult an
expert in financial
matters before making
an investment. Family
will be supportive of
career aspirations. A promising day
overall as you stay in limelight without
any efforts. Harsh words may create a
rift in your romantic relationship so
you need to be careful.
Virgo
AUGUST 24 - SEPTEMBER 23
Avoid being indulgent in
your spending to
balance budget.
Continue to put in
efforts at work and you
will see promising opportunities coming
your way. Matrimonial match for
siblings will bring happiness. You will
get a good price for your property. You
will receive invaluable guidance.
Scorpio
OCTOBER 23 - NOVEMBER 22
Your sole dependency
on friends may fail to
bring any respite from
loneliness today.A
sound financial health
of businessmen would enable to give
monetary benefits to employees.
Roadblock in the matrimonial alliance
of kin gets cleared bringing happiness
for entire family.
Capricorn
DECEMBER 23 - JANUARY 20
It’s a very good day to
take calculated risks in
financial matters. Those
suffering from chronic
ailments may find
remarkable improvement in their
health with home remedies. Today you
will enjoy the trust of the senior
management. Overall it is a great day
for you.
Pisces
FEBRUARY 20 - MARCH 20
Yoga would help in
raising energy levels
and improve your
metabolism. Some of
you are going
experience emotional fulfillment on
romantic front. Place emphasis on
domestic affairs to enhance the
domestic tranquility and harmony.
Associate with humanitarian groups.
YOUR DAY Horoscopeby
SaurabbhSachdeva
Whatsapp Subscription
Subscribe “First India” Daily
E-News Paper For Free On Whatsapp
To Receive the Most Exclusive News from
the Power Corridors of MAHARASHTRA.
10
ETC
MUMBAI | TUESDAY, MAY 17, 2022
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he hottest time
in Rajasthan is
soon arriving,
which means a
lot of healthy
beverage op-
tions need to
stay handy
. We, the Caul-
dron Sisters, try to keep
it natural when it comes
to beating the heat with
nutritious options. From
sugarcane juice to coco-
nut water, Shikanji to
buttermilk (salty as well
as sweet), we mostly rely
on drinks that provide
you with instant energy
.
Widening our options,
we went on to explore a
new power drink that
hasn’tgottenitsduecred-
itsofar(wefeelso).We’re
talking about Neera, the
palm nectar that’s ob-
tained from the coconut
tree. While a lot of people
living in the southern
parts of India have been
consuming it for years,
most of us are yet to taste
and enjoy its benefits.
In Jaipur, we could
spot only one shop in the
old walled city that sells
fresh Neera. It’s Tad Gud
Gramudyog Bhandar,
shop number 48, Johari
Bazaar. So, what is Neera
and how is it beneficial to
us? To understand the
same,wehadaquickcon-
versation with the seller.
Excerpts:
How come it’s a drink
that people rarely hear
about?
Its extraction requires
extra effort and it’s exclu-
sively available. It’s not
your regular coconut wa-
ter. Firstly, it’s extracted
usually before sunrise
and should be consumed
immediately
. In that way
,
its qualities remain non-
alcoholic. But please
don’t confuse it with
palm wine (Toddy).
And how do we know
the Neera we’re drinking
is pure?
It’s transparent in col-
our, basically colourless,
sweet in taste, and clear
water. Looks somewhat
likecoconutwater.Oneis
required to research to
find out the authentic
sellers in their cities.
Do you have many peo-
ple coming and buying
this drink in summer?
Honestly, only a hand-
ful of Jaipurites are
aware of its existence
and benefits. Probably,
afteryourstory
,itwillget
the needed recognition.
After we tasted our first
glass of Neera, we Goog-
led to know more about
its benefits. We learnt
that it is collected by slic-
ing the spathes of coco-
nut trees and is a natu-
rally rich source of min-
erals, vitamins, potassi-
um, amino acids and a lot
of electrolytes.
More specifically
, Vita-
min B complex, Vitamin
A and Vitamin C. Some
experts have called one
glass of Neera more
wholesomethansixglass-
es of tender coconut wa-
ter.Howamazing!Neerais
also considered a safe
drink for those with dia-
betes or blood pressure
issues. This is because of
its moderate (or low) gly-
cemic index that can
prove healthy for people
suffering from obesity
,
cardiovascular diseases,
colic pain, urinary infec-
tions, weak liver, etc. We
alsogotsomeextrapacked
for our family members.
Butthequestionwas,will
Neera not turn alcoholic
by the time we reach
home and they drink it?
The answer is No.
We’ve read that Neera
iscommonlytakenoutof
the palm tree before sun-
rise because of its high
sensitivity to fermenta-
tion under warm temper-
atures. But, if kept at
room temperature, it
can remain
fresh. Also, if
you want to
keep it alive
foralittlelong-
er duration,
you can refrigerate it for
about 4 to 6 months as
well. Low temperature
slows down the fermen-
tation process. Did you
know, if fermented,
Neera turns in Toddy
(palm wine)?
Usually, when you
buy Neera, you’ll notice
that it’s stored in flasks
that reduce the liquid’s
engagement with oxy-
gen and hot weather.
Other interesting facts
about Neera include
making jaggery, concen-
trated syrups and sweet-
eners from it. You can
always look for these
items in your nearby
stores – Palm Syrup
(made by heating fresh
Neera and then concen-
trating it), Palm Sugar
(made by filtering and
boiling Neera), Palm
Honey (it’s a rich source
of iron and used in both
Ayurvedic and pharma-
ceutical industries) and
Palm Jaggery (solid or a
semisolid crystalline
syrup).
WHAT IS NEERA? A CONVERSATION WE
HAD WITH ITS OLDEST SELLER IN JAIPUR
NEERA: A SOOTHING
NEERA: A SOOTHING
SUMMER DRINK
SUMMER DRINK
CAULDRON SISTERS
Cityfirst@firstindia.co.in
T
12. S
ara Ali Khan is
an actress who is
quite active on
social media and
doesn’t miss a chance to
shower love on her family
members with it. Her so-
cial media posts and her
poetic side are a treat for
the fans. Now she is making
the headlines as she has
penned an adorable note for
her grandmother Sharmila
Tagore. For the uninitiated,
the veteran actress has
announced her come-
back to the big screen
after over a decade
and will be seen in
Rahul Chittella’s di-
rectorial Gulmohar
which will also star
Manoj Bajpayee,
Suraj Sharma,
Amol Palekar and
Simran Bagga.
—Agency
A
while ago, Shilpa Shetty
announced her break
from social media leav-
ing her fans heart-
broken, and promised to
return with a new avatar!
That time has come as
she recently announced
her return to social
media with a brand
new superwoman ava-
tar. Shilpa will play
Avni, for her upcom-
ing film ‘Nikamma’.
B
ollywood actor Vicky Kaushal
celebrated his 34th birthday on
Monday
. and he had a blast ring-
ing on his special day with wife
Katrina Kaif, in New York. On this spe-
cial occasion, he received an adorable
wish from his ladylove on social media.
Katrina shared romantic photos, and
wrote on Instagram: “New York Wala
Birthday
. My heart. YOU MAKE EVERY-
THING BETTER”. In the first picture, the
actress is lovingly looking at her hus-
band while he wraps his hands around
her, while, in the second, Vicky is seen
kissing her cheeks.
Soon after, the actor commented:
“Shaadishuda wala Birthday!!!” In the
photo, the Ek Tha Tiger actress is seen
donning a white printed shirt paired with
a white camisole with, Kaushal. —Agency
A
ctress Sudha Chandran was
always fascinated by double
roles and feels lucky to
have finally got the
chance to play one in her show
Naagin 6. The actress, who plays
the role of Seema and her moth-
er Tara in the show, says that
she loves the variations be-
tween the two characters. The
actress says that people are
also loving this sequence.
Talking about how she
got to know about the
role, she says that it
came as a total
surprise.
T
he biggest night for the music
industry
, the Billboard Music
AwardswasheldinLVonSun-
day
. With some big names of
the industry competing against each
other this year, fans have been await-
ingtoseewhotakeshomethebiggest
honoursof theevening.Whileworld’s
biggestboybandBTSwon’tbeattend-
ing the Billboard Music Awards, the
group has managed to make their
fans delighted thanks to their
three major wins at the cere-
mony including, —Agency
ETC
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11
DIGGING UP
THE TRUTH
WICKED LITTLE
LETTERS
CABELLO IN
THE VOICE
FITNESS
FREAK!
J
ennifer Grey spoke more about
her brief relationship with Johnny
Depp when on Drew Barrymore’s
talk show on Thursday. Depp recently
sued his ex-wife Amber Heard on
defamation charges for an op-ed
she penned in The Washington Post.
During her interview, the Dirty Danc-
ing star Grey shared her experience
of being with Depp their engagement,
“You have to understand, Johnny
Depp, 1989 Johnny Depp, so beautiful,
you’ve never seen a more beautiful
...it’s almost inhuman”. —Agency
O
scar-winning actress Olivia Col-
man and ‘Chernobyl’ star Jessie
Buckley, who have worked
together in the psychological drama
‘The Lost Daughter’ will soon reunite
for the comedy film ‘Wicked Little
Letters’, which will be a hot project
at the Cannes market, and will be
directed by Thea Sharrock, reports
‘Deadline’. According to ‘Deadline,’
the production will include in-demand
British and Irish actors playing very
different neighbors. —Agency
C
amila Cabello is all set to join
the 22nd season of the NBC
singing reality show, The Voice.
Cabello will be making her reality TV
judging debut with this show. The an-
nouncement for the same was made
by Cabello through a Tiktok post in
which she wrote, “See you this fall.”
The post showcased her singing
alongside fellow The Voice coaches,
Gwen Stefani, John Legend and Blake
Shelton. —Agency
S
amantha is a fitness
freak and preaches for
a healthy lifestyle. She
is vocal about inspiring fans
with her workout posts. She
recently caught the limelight
with her latest video, which
shows working out on Mon-
days can be fun too. Taking to
her Instagram handle, Saman-
tha shared a reel video of her
workout session. —Agency
MUMBAI | TUESDAY, MAY 17, 2022
Already Hitched?
M
achine Gun Kelly and
Megan Fox left everyone
stunned as they made a
fashionable appearance a
the Billboard Music Awards 2022.
After getting engaged earlier this
year, the duo has now sparked mar-
riage and pregnancy rumours fol-
lowing the awards ceremony as
Kelly referred to the actress as his
“wife” during his performance at
the ceremony
. —Agency
BTS DOMINATING THE WORLD!
POETIC
POETIC
SARA!
SARA!
Double Role Excitement
Bollywood
Firecrackers!
angana Ranaut is
the queen of acting
and she has been
proving that since
her debut in Bolly-
wood. She portrayed
a drug addict super-
model in Fashion as well as
the meek countryside girl
in Queen and no one
could state any similari-
ties between those two.
But the multi-talented
actress is known not
just for her acting abili-
ties, but also for her
wide knowledge of Bol-
lywood celebs. Kangana
Ranaut’s rivalry with Karan
Johar, which began when
she appeared on Koffee
with Karan and ac-
cused him of nepo-
tism, has now spread
like wildfire, with Kan-
gana showing no mercy
for any Bollywood
youngster.
G
ear up for a ride of a life-
time as Viacom18 Studios
and Outsiders Films Pro-
ductions in association with
BLM Pictures announces its new film
’Dhak Dhak’. The studio behind power-
ful narratives and strong women char-
acters from Kahaani, Queen, Mary
Kom to Padmaavat has now joined
hands with Outsiders Films house to
bring to you a fascinating story of four
women and their life-changing journey
to the highest motorable pass in the
world.
K
Return of the
Superwoman!
Vicky Kaushal and Katrina Kaif
BTS Boy Band
Shilpa Shetty
Kangana Ranaut
Machine Gun Kelly and Megan Fox
Jennifer Grey
Olivia Colman
Camila Cabello
Samantha Ruth Prabhu
Sara Ali Khan
Sudha Chandran
NEW YORK WALA
BIRTHDAY!
Teaming up!!
Teaming up!!
Tapsee Pannu