19102021 first india ahmedabad

GOVT RAISES CAP ON EID-E-MILAD
PROCESSION PARTICIPANTS TO 400
RELIGIOUS SENTIMENTS
Only valid ‘within
a locality, mohalla
or street’, state says
in clarification
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: The Gu-
jarat government on
Monday said 400 people
can gather in an Eid-e-
Milad procession if it
moves within a locality
,
colonyorstreetanddoes
not go out of that area.
The announcement
came a day after three
Congress MLAs--Gyas-
uddin Shaikh, Imran
Khedawala and Mo-
hammad Javid Pirzada-
-wrote to Chief Minis-
ter Bhupendra Patel,
urging him to raise the
cap from the 15 an-
nounced on Sunday
.
As per guidelines is-
sued by the state Home
Department on Sunday,
not more than 15 people
and one vehicle could
participate in a proces-
sion of Eid-e-Milad, that
will be celebrated on
Tuesday to mark the
birth anniversary of the
last prophet of Islam,
Prophet Muhammad.
In a clarification is-
sued on Monday, the
state government said,
“400 people can take
part in a procession, if it
moves within a locality
,
mohalla or street and
does not go out of that
limited area.” However,
if the procession goes
out of the area, only 15
people will be allowed.
At present, night cur-
few between 12 mid-
night and 6 am is in
place in Ahmedabad,
Vadodara, Surat, Ra-
jkot, Gandhinagar,
Jamnagar, Junagadh
and Bhavnagar until
November 10, Turn to P6
SOU TO STAY OPEN
TO VISITORS FOR
NAT’L UNITY DAY
On popular demand, the
Statue of Unity and other
tourist attractions around
it will remain open for
visitors between October
28 and 31, said an of-
ficial on Monday. Earlier
on Sunday, the Statue of
Unity Area Development
and Tourism Governance
Authority had announced
that the 182-meter tall
memorial and other
attractions near it would
remain closed for
visitors between October
28 and November 1 in
view of preparations
for National Unity Day,
celebrated on October
31, the birth anniversary
of Sardar Patel.
The Eid procession traditionally sees massive crowds. —FILE PHOTO
BANGLADESHON
Arsonists vandalise 66 houses, torch 20
Hindu houses days after puja violence
Violence erupted after an alleged blasphemy incident at a Durga Puja pavilion
in Cumilla, bordering Chandpur and about 100 km from Dhaka, leading to the
deployment of paramilitary forces in more than half of administrative districts
Mohd Fahad
Dhaka: Atleast sixty
six houses were vandal-
ised and at least 20
homes of Hindus set on
fire in Bangladesh over
an alleged blasphemous
social media post amid
protests by the minority
community against in-
cidents of temple van-
dalism during the Dur-
ga Puja last week, me-
dia said on Monday
.
The arson attack hap-
pened late on Sunday at
a village about 255 km
from capital city Dhaka.
The police rushed to a
colony of fishermen as
tension mounted over a
rumour that a young
Hindu man from the vil-
lage had “dishonoured
religion” in a Facebook
post, the report quoted
district’s superinten-
dent of police Moham-
mad Qamruzzaman as
saying. As the police
stood guard around the
man’s home, the attack-
ers set fire to other
homes nearby
.
The arson comes at a
time when there is a ris-
ing communal tension
over an alleged incident
of blasphemy at a Dur-
ga Puja venue in Cumil-
la in Bangladesh’s Chit-
tagong division which
led to attacks on Hindu
temples and clashes be-
tween vandals and the
police in Cumilla,
Chandpur, Chattogram,
Cox’s Bazar, Bandar-
ban, Moulvibazar,
Gazipur, Chapainawab-
ganj, Feni and other dis-
tricts.
Police clash with Muslim devotees during protest over alleged insult to Islam, outside main Baitul Mukarram Mosque in Dhaka.
The
incidents
in
Comilla are being
thoroughly
investigated. Nobody will be
spared. It doesn’t matter
which religion they belong to.
They will be hunted down
and punished. Hope India
will take steps against any
reaction at home, as it could
have a fallout in Bangladesh
—Sheikh Hasina,
Bangladesh Prime Minister
While two
Hindu
villages
were burnt down
by jihadis,
Hasina was playing flute
—Taslima Nasreen, Author
THE ALLEGED INCIDENT
OF BLASPHEMY
Tension in the country escalated on Wednesday after widely circulated
footage on social media alleged an incident of blasphemy during the
Durga Puja celebrations in the eastern district of Comilla. Incidents of
vandalism were reported from Hindu temples in Chandpur’s Hajiganj,
Chattogram’s Banshkhali and Cox’s Bazar’s Pekua, a report by bd-
news24.com. The Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported that at one stage,
the situation went out of control and riots started spreading to a number
of Durga Puja venues. The local administration and the police came
under attack as they tried to maintain law and order, it said.
Shah discusses ‘tense’
Kashmir with top brass
New Delhi: Union
Home minister Amit
Shah chaired a meeting
of top security agen-
cies, paramilitary offic-
ers, the police chiefs
and others on Monday,
on the country’s inter-
nal security, sources
said. Held at the head-
quarters of the Intelli-
gence Bureau, this was
the first physical meet-
ing of the entire secu-
rity establishment since
the outbreak of Covid
in the country
.
The situation in Jam-
mu and Kashmir --
where a spate of civil-
ian killings over the last
two weeks has shocked
the country, was dis-
cussed. The officials
also discussed the meas-
ures needed tackle ter-
rorism, sources said.
So far, 11 people -- five
of them who came from
other states -- have been
killed by terrorists in
Jammu and Kashmir,
setting off panic in the
valley
.
Blockades affect 50 trains, 130
locations in Punjab, Haryana
Chandigarh: More
than 130 locations
across northern India,
especially Punjab and
Haryana, were affected
on Monday due to the
‘rail roko’ protest called
by agitating farmers de-
manding the dismissal
and arrest of Union
minister Ajay Mishra
for Lakhimpur vio-
lence. The blockades af-
fected the schedules of
50 trains since morning.
Farmers block railway tracks as part of the Samyukt Kisan
Morcha’s Rail Roko protest demanding the dismissal and arrest
of Union Minister Ajay Mishra in connection with the October 3
violence in Lakhimpur Kheri in Bahadurgarh on Monday.
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
AHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2021 l Pages 12 l 3.00
RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/79050 l Vol 2 l Issue No. 323
OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR, AHMEDABAD, LUCKNOW NEW DELHI
Panchkula: A special CBI court of Panchkula on Monday sentenced Dera
Saccha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and four other accused to life
imprisonment in the Ranjit Singh murder case. Ram Rahim is already serving
a rape sentence at the district jail of Sunaria in Rohtak.
Mumbai: Indian markets ended with record gains on Monday led by banks
and financials, IT and metal stocks. Sensex hit a record high of 61,963,
while Nifty touched an all-time high of 18,525 points intraday. In Asia,
though, markets fell after China’s economic growth slowed further.
RAM RAHIM,
FOUR OTHERS
GET LIFE
SENTENCE
SENSEX GAINS
460 POINTS; NIFTY
ENDS ABOVE
18,450
CORONA CATASTROPHE
GUJARAT
INDIA
13,596
new cases
166
new fatalities
18
new cases
00
new fatalities
FARMERS’ ‘RAIL ROKO’ PROTEST
The Union Home
Minister is likely
to visit JK on
October 22 - his
first visit since
the state was
bifurcated Union Home Minister Amit Shah chairs the conclusion of the
national security strategies conference at IB headquarters.
WEDDING PROCESSION IN CAULDRON
Centre mulls dousing
fuel prices on fire
New Delhi: The Centre
is in “constant discus-
sion” with the Finance
Ministry for reduction
in petroleum prices,
government sources
said on Monday
, even as
fuel prices continue to
touch record highs al-
most on a daily basis
across the country
.
The Petroleum Minis-
try seeks to lower fuel
prices and has held dis-
cussions with Finance
Ministry on how to go
about it, sources added.
Higher taxes on fuel
prices is a matter of
concern for the petrole-
um ministry and sourc-
es said that they are ac-
tively working on the
tax issue so that people
get some relief from
them.
As it is the nodal min-
istry, the petroleum
ministry wants prices
of petrol and diesel to
come down, though the
final decision will be
taken by the finance
ministry, sources said.

z Amid tragic flood destruction, there
was a pleasant development of a couple
— both health workers — braving flooded
roads in Kerala and reaching their wedding
hall in a large aluminium cooking vessel to
get married on Monday.

z Meanwhile, Kerala
floods and landslides:
death toll rose to 27
on Monday as IMD
predicted more rains
from Wednesday.

NEWS
AHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2021
02
TO UPHOLD THE LAW
Seven judges took oath as Gujarat High Court justices in the presence of state Law Minister Rajendra Trivedi, Supreme
Court Justices M R Shah and Bela Trivedi, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Chief Justice Aravind Kumar on Sunday.
PEON WINS LEGAL BATTLE AGAINST GUJ UNI
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: A man,
who was formerly em-
ployed at a private col-
lege of Gujarat Univer-
sity, won a legal battle
against the college
trustees helmed by the
Gujarat Educational
Institutions Services
Tribunal. The Tribunal
has directed the uni-
versity and H K Col-
lege, Brahmachari
Wadi trustees to rein-
state his services as the
peon within 45 days
from the receipt of the
judgment.
AshokVaghelafought
the case on his own
from the tribunal to the
high court and then
back in front of the tri-
bunal and defeated the
college and university
.
In an order, tribunal
president P B Desai
and member V P Patel
observed, “The Guja-
rat University is also
at fault, as it did not
take firm decision
against the college pro-
posal to terminate the
services of Ashok
Vaghela in 2016.” The
tribunal has quashed
and set aside the ter-
mination order of
Vaghela issued by the
H K College in 2016.
Vaghela was target-
ed by the college man-
agement for raising
his voice for his col-
league Dilip Patel, who
committed suicide by
jumping in front of a
train. In his note to
Vaghela, Patel had
stated that he had
enough evidence
against the manage-
ment for corruption
and malpractice. He
also apprised him of
the steps he wanted to
take to expose the man-
agement, but became a
victim of harassment
before he could do it.
Tired of the constant
harassment Patel end-
ed his life.
After Patel’s suicide
incident in 2009,
Vaghela started inves-
tigating the reasons
behind it. He gave in-
terviews to news chan-
nels and newspapers
and shared details.
This was a source of
embarrassment to the
college management,
following which they
suspended Vaghela
and then moved a pro-
posal with request to
grant permission to
terminate his services
as a peon.
ASHOK VAGHELA’S EMPLOYMENT AT HK COLLEGE WAS TERMINATED IN 2016 AFTER HE DEMANDED JUSTICE FOR A COLLEAGUE THERE
Gujarat Educational Institutions Services Tribunal. —FILE PHOTO
WHAT HAPPENED
Oil-meal exports
down 36% y-o-y
in September
Man attempts
self-immolation
in Vadodara court
Sau Uni office-bearers deny
wrongdoing in interview drive
First India Bureau
Rajkot: Amid allega-
tions of favouritism
during recruitment of
teaching assistants, a
team of officials showed
up at Saurashtra Uni-
versity on Monday to
collect a report on the
interview process fol-
lowed by the institution.
As per leaked What-
sAppchatsof university
syndicate members be-
longing to the Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP), can-
didates were recom-
mended names for con-
tractual positions dur-
ing the recently con-
ducted interview pro-
cess. After protests by
the National Students’
Union of India (NSUI)
members, the universi-
ty was forced to cancel
the appointments made
and agree to reconduct
the interviews.
Speaking to First In-
dia, Dr Nitin Kumar
Pethani, Vice-Chancel-
lor, Saurashtra Univer-
sity
, said, “We have sub-
mitted the entire report
to the representatives
today, which included
the process that was
adopted for contractual
recruitment of 88 posts.
From advertisements,
website details, pay
scale, interview process,
names of selection com-
mittee members, candi-
dateswhoappeared,eve-
rythingwassharedwith
them. The recruitment
was executed with com-
plete transparency and
therehasbeennowrong-
doing.But,toensurefair
justice to all, we have
cancelled out the entire
process and interviews
will be conducted
again.”
Pro- Vice chancellor
Dr Vijay Desani told
First India, “This time,
the interview process
was stricter and had
complete transparency
.
Of the 15 syndicate
members, 13 are from
the BJP and they only
recommendednameson
a WhatsApp group chat.
We have followed every
guideline in the execu-
tion of the procedure.”
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The first
six months of financial
year 2021-22 has seen a
2% year-on-year de-
crease in oil-meal ex-
ports. While 12,75,764
tonnes were exported
from April to Septem-
ber of the current fi-
nancial year, 13,00,516
tonnes were exported
during the same period
in 2021-22.
The Solvent Extrac-
tors’ Association of In-
dia has put exports in
September 2021 at
1,83,625 tonnes, which is
36%lessthanthe2,87,247
tonnes exported in Sep-
tember 2020. Oil-meal
exports had jumped
197% in April, but
showed negative growth
for the next five months.
Between April and
September, South Korea
imported 337,939 tonnes
of oil meal from India,
while Vietnam import-
ed 293,766 tonnes, Thai-
land imported 129,191
tonnes, Bangladesh im-
ported 211,636 tonnes
and USA imported
48,563 tonnes.
Last month saw 808
tonnes of groundnut
meal being exported, a
whopping 42% fall from
the 1,394 tonnes export-
ed for the same month
last year.
However, soybean,
rapeseed, and castor
seed meal exports from
April to September have
increased year on year.
Meanwhile, in relief
to the poultry sector,
which has been facing
a severe soybean meal
shortage, the govern-
ment has acquiesced
to a request from the
All India Poultry
Breeders Association,
and granted permis-
sion for the import of
genetically modified
soybean meal. The last
date of shipment is
dated October 31,
meaning the shipment
should arrive by the
end of next January.
First India Bureau
Vadodara: In a shock-
ing incident, a man at-
tempted suicide inside
a Vadodara court on
Monday by sprinkling a
flammable substance
on his body and immo-
lating himself.
Staff and lawyers
present in the court
doused the fire in time.
Indravadan Rathod was
then rushed to a nearby
hospital by police offi-
cials after he sustained
burn injuries on the
neck. Police have begun
an investigation about
the reason for this ex-
treme step.
According to reports,
Rathod sprayed flam-
mable substance in
front of the additional
district court and tried
to attempt suicide. Law-
yers present at the scene
rushed to him after they
heard his screams and
doused the fire.
His condition im-
proved after treatment
at Gotri hospital. In a
statement, he said that
the immolation was
committed by him to
seek justice about a mat-
ter. As per eyewitnesses,
Rathod had a bag con-
taining some papers in
his hand. Further inves-
tigation will provide
clarity on the reason for
this extreme step.
Last month saw 808 tonnes of groundnut meal being exported,
42% less than in the same period last year. —FILE PHOTO Rathod undergoing treatment at Gotri hospital.
First India Bureau
Rajkot: After receiving
instructions from state
Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) leadership,
around 75,000 handwrit-
ten congratulatory mes-
sagesweresenttoPrime
Minister Narendra
Modi for completing 20
years in public service
by the Rajkot unit of the
party on Monday
.
All the postcards were
handed over to the post
master of Rajkot post-of-
fice. “FromtheentireGu-
jarat Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) leadership
and chief C R Patil, post-
cards were sent to Naren-
draModijioncompletion
of 13yearsinofficeinGu-
jarat and 7 years in the
central government.
Around 75,000 hand-
written cards by people
of Rajkot from 18 differ-
ent wards of the city
were collected and dis-
patched from the Rajkot
post- office today
,” Rajkot
BJP city president Kam-
lesh Mirani told First In-
dia. On the significance
and system adopted for
postcard collection, Mi-
rani added, “We had in-
structions to send it in
three days’ time, so we
sent it today
. There are
1,000 booths in the city
and each booth has 250
houses inhabited by four
members in each house.
BJP workers went to
around 75 houses in each
boothwithpostcardsand
asked residents to jot
down their thoughts on
Narendrabhai.”
According to Mirani,
the major projects high-
lighted by the people in
the postcards were abol-
ishment of Article 370
and construction of the
RamJanmabhoomiTem-
ple in Ayodhya.
Rajkot BJP sends 75K postcards to PM Narendra Modi
IN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Citizens were
asked to
write
congratulatory
messages
wishing him
for
20 years of
public service Kamlesh Mirani, Rajkot city BJP president (in blue), posting the cards along with other members on Sunday.
CJ KUMAR MIFFED W`ITH ADVOCATES
OVER FREQUENT LEAVES
Justice Aravind Kumar on Monday slammed Gu-
jarat High Court advocates for taking frequent
sick leaves. He suggested the High Court Bar
Council discuss the issue and resolve it at the ear-
liest. Senior counsel Sudhir Nanavati assured CJ
Kumar that the recommendation will be followed.
Members of NSUI protesting on university campus. —FILE PHOTO

GUJARAT
03
2 dead, 50 injured among
145 rescued in Surat fire
First India Bureau
Surat: Two workers
died after a massive
fire broke out in the
basement of a five-sto-
rey packaging unit in
Surat district at
around 4.30 am on
Monday. Another 145
others were rescued
from of Viva Packag-
ing unit located in Ka-
dodara industrial
area, about 50 of
whom were injured.
Workers who were on
the top floor of the unit
panicked after the fire
broke out and several of
them tried to escape
through the windows
and pipes of the build-
ing, Kadodara police
station’s inspector He-
mant Patel said, adding
that one worker died af-
ter falling from the third
floor while trying to
climbdownapipe,while
another was found dead
due to smoke inhalation
in the basement.
Abdul Shaikh, one of
the survivors said, “I
was working on a stitch-
ing machine when I saw
a dense cloud of smoke.
When we realized a fire
had broken out, my col-
leagues started jumping
from the third floor. I fol-
lowed suit, but hurt my
back badly
.” Shaikh was
one of the first people to
be taken to SMIMER
hospital,wheretheother
injured were also taken.
“We dispatched four
firetendersassoonaswe
received the call. By the
time they got there, the
first, which began in the
basement had engulfed
the first floor and was
nearing the second.
Around 200-300 people
were working at that
time. Although the
teams acted quickly
, the
godown had flammable
materials like plastic
andfabricswhichcaused
the fire to spread quick-
ly
,” fire officer (in-
charge) BH Makhijani
told First India.
Eighteen fire tenders
and two hydraulic
cranes were rushed to
the spot to douse the
flamesandrescuepeople
trapped in the building,
Surat Municipal Corpo-
ration’s in-charge chief
fire officer Basant Pa-
reek said. Around 125
fire personnel took five
hours to contain the
massive blaze.
Panickedworkersjumpedoutofthetopfloorstoescapetheblaze,whichbeganinthebasement
Despite acting quickly, 125 personnel took five hours to control the massive blaze.
Unchecked green cover
turns river into eyesore
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Even af-
ter the High Court of
Gujarat slammed the
local administration
for its failure to check
pollution in the Sa-
barmati, sections of
the river along
Ahmedabad’s River
Front continue to
show signs of degra-
dation.
The situation is par-
ticularly bad near the
city’s Dafnala area,
where a stretch of about
half a kilometre ap-
pears green due to the
thick carpet of vegeta-
tion covering the wa-
ter’s surface.
Officers from the
Ahmedabad Municipal
Corporation (AMC)
who refuse to comment
on the record say that
while the civic body has
deployed several ma-
chines to clean the riv-
er, they are being used
only for certain parts of
the Sabarmati. They
say the sections that are
being left out fall under
the purview of the dis-
trict collector, who
could not be reached for
comment despite sev-
eral attempts.
In addition to being
an eyesore, pollution in
the river constitutes a
massive risk to health.
Even after the court
ordered the Gujarat Pol-
lution Control Board
andtheAhmedabadMu-
nicipal Corporation to
take strict action, un-
treated sewage contain-
ing carcinogenic chemi-
cals including arsenic,
mercury and chromium
from factories in Vatva,
Odhav,andNarolisoften
released into the river.
Beyond Ahmedabad,
the Sabarmati flows
through more than 25
villages, where farmers
use river water to grow
vegetables, which are
thensoldinAhmedabad
and nearby areas.
The water is barely even visible along some stretches of the Sabarmati River Front.
VMSS EMPLOYEES ATTACKED BY
LOCALS OVER DRAINAGE ISSUE
Vadodara: Four locals attacked employees of the
Vadodara Mahanagar Seva Sadan (VMSS) over
drainage cleanliness in the
area. The incident occurred
when they were cleaning
a drainage line in Ganesh-
nagar Mali Maholla on Dab-
hoi Road in the city. The
employees have demanded
strict action against the attackers. Residents got into
a scuffle with Hitesh Parmar, Jagdish Solanki and at-
tacked them with sticks. A complaint has been lodged
against the attackers at Pani gate police station.
SHIFTING OF PATIENTS TO NEW
BUILDING BEGINS AT CIVIL HOSP
Surat: The process of shifting patients from the
old building to the new 600-bed Kidney Hospital
has begun at the Civil Hospital. On Monday, the
hospital initiated the relocation of the medical
department. A total of 200 patients will be moved
over a week, beginning with non-critical ones. A
part of the old building collapsed earlier this week,
leaving a nurse injured. In addition to a final clean-
up, trials of the lifts, ramps, drainage, water and
fire safety were all carried out on Sunday. Not all
departments will be shifted since the new hospital
has less beds than the 1,250 in the old one.
CRUCIAL READ
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Extend-
ing its sensitivity to
the current pandemic
situation, MICA - The
School of Ideas has
launched ‘MI-EMPA-
THY’, a pan-India pro-
ject to support COVID-
affected students, in
collaboration with the
Association of Devel-
opment Communica-
tion (ADC).
The project will act as
a catalyst between or-
ganizations, offer net-
workingsupport,project
formulation, implemen-
tation, documentation,
crowd-funding, and con-
tact mobilization.
One of its main objec-
tives will be to support
post-school students in
distress. The first phase
will focus on around 3.8
million students who are
enrolled in technical in-
stitutions. As part of the
initiative, a working
group consisting of
MICA faculty, staff and
students, and members
from ADC will collect in-
formation, define the
methodsof duediligence,
andsetupthecriteriafor
selectingandprioritizing
deserving cases.
Dr Shailendra Raj Me-
hta, President and Direc-
tor, MICA, said, “In these
difficulttimes,MICAhas
partnered with the Asso-
ciation of Development
Communication (ADC)
fortheMI-EMPATHYini-
tiative. We will leverage
our expertise in develop-
ment communication
and strategy formula-
tion. The faculty, stu-
dents, and staff from
MICA will work with the
ADC team in project for-
mulation, its implemen-
tation, and documenta-
tion on a purely volun-
tary basis.”
This initiative intends
touseeffectivecommuni-
cation to reach affected
students,collectinforma-
tionfromthem,andreach
outtoinstitutionsandthe
government for support.
MI-EMPATHY team
will also be approaching
central and state govern-
ment departments and
other philanthropist or-
ganizationsandindividu-
als to support and fund
this noble cause.
MICA steps in to support nCoV-affected students
Launches ‘MI-EMPATHY’
campaign to help them reach out to
philanthropist organizations for aid
WORTHY CAUSE
18newcasestakes
activetallyto193
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: Guja-
rat reported 18 new
COVID-19 cases on
Monday, pushing its
cumulative tally to
8,26,308, while no
fresh death due to the
infection was report-
ed in the state, the
health department
said in a release.
Also, 32 patients were
discharged from hospi-
tals during the day,
which took the number
of recovered cases to
8,16,029. The state now
has 193 active cases, of
which four patients are
on ventilator support.
There was no new
COVID-19 fatality on
Monday and hence the
toll remained un-
changed at 10,086.
Among the districts,
Surat reported the
highest number of sev-
en new infections, fol-
lowed by Valsad four,
Navsari three and
Ahmedabad, Gir Som-
nath, Junagadh and Va-
dodara one case each.
On Monday, 3.61 lakh
people were vaccinated
against COVID-19 in
Gujarat, taking the
number of doses ad-
ministered so far to 6.71
crore, it said.
The tally of COVID-19
cases and recoveries in
the neighbouring Un-
ion Territory of Dadra
and Nagar Haveli, Da-
man and Diu remained
unchanged at 10,648 and
10,640, respectively, as
there were no new addi-
tions on Monday, offi-
cials said.
193
5 MAX
CASES IN
SURAT
ACTIVE CASES
8,16,029
TOTAL RECOVERED
32
RECOVERED
IN A DAY
10,086
TOTAL DEATHS
00 DEATHS
IN A DAY
8,26,308
TOTAL CASES
18 CASES IN
A DAY
COVID-19 UPDATE
MAJ GEN MOHIT WADHWA TAKES
CHARGE OF GOLDEN KATAR DIVISION
Vadodara: Major General Mohit Wadhwa on Mon-
day took over the reins of strategically important
Golden Katar Division responsible for safeguarding
Indian borders with Paki-
stan in South Rajasthan
and Gujarat. In a career
spanning more than
three decades, General
Wadhwa has tenated cov-
eted command, staff and
instructional appointments in variegated terrains
and areas spanning almost the entire country and
abroad. His command tenures include command-
ing the prestigious 5 Armoured Regiment and an
Armoured Brigade as part of the Strike Corps.
SHOT FIRED AT JEWELLER IN
FAILED ROBBERY ATTEMPT
Vadodara: Police are searching for four unknown
assailants who shot at a jeweller when he resisted
their attempt to rob him. According to the police,
two men intercepted Bhavesh Soni when he was
parking his car at home near Nizampura bus stand.
He had been carrying the day’s accounts at the time
on Sunday night. Two more men arrived on the
scene soon after. Soni managed to fight them off
and even threw a parcel containing hot food--which
he had picked up from a nearby restaurant on the
way home--at them. This startled one of the men
who fired at him in response. The bullet caught Soni
in the right leg. Panicked, the men fled.
PLEASE SEND US YOUR PRESS STATEMENTS
INVITES AT: news.ahmedabad@firstindia.co.in
CARRYING GANDHI’S MANTLE
Students at
Gujarat Vidyapith
received their
degrees from
noted Gandhian
and founder
of the Self-
Employed
Women’s
Association of
India, Padma
Shri Elaben
Bhatt at the 67th
Convocation
ceremony held
at the institute’s
campus, on
Monday evening.
—PHOTOS BY
HANIF SINDHI
MICA campus. —FILE PHOTO
Although the
teams acted
quickly, the
godown held materials
like plastic and fabrics
which caused the fire
to spread. The build-
ing was devoid of fire-
safety equipment and
fire exits. With just
one entry and exit, we
had to dig through
every floor to rescue
the workers.
—BH Makhijani,
Fire officer (in-charge)
—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

Hardeep Singh Puri
@HardeepSPuri
Residents of Delhi are stakeholders
in the ongoing discussions on the
contours of Master Plan Delhi - 2041.
More than 33,000 written submissions
received. Board of Enquiry Hearing
meets more than 8,500 people today
to hear their suggestions ideas.
Dharmendra Pradhan
@dpradhanbjp
Controversies and the CWC can never
remain apart. Forget about uniting India,
the Gandhi family cannot even unite
the Congress. Pity that CWC meetings
are reduced to pleasing ‘One Family’
even if it is at the expense of insulting
maligning the stalwarts of the country.
SPIRITUAL SPEAK
What we are today comes
from our thoughts of
yesterday, and our present
thoughts build our life of
tomorrow: Our life is the
creation of our mind.
—Buddha
IN-DEPTH
BSF JURISDICTION
WILL NOT POSE A
THREAT TO THE
FEDERAL STRUCTURE
notification issued
by the Union Minis-
try of Home Affairs
giving the Border Se-
curity Force a uni-
form jurisdiction over 50 km
inside the international border
along Assam, West Bengal, Pun-
jab has raised the hackles of
Punjab and West Bengal govern-
ments. The jurisdiction earlier
was 15 km. In Gujarat it has
been reduced from 80 km to 50
km. Within the 50 km jurisdic-
tion the BSF will have the power
to search and arrest under the
CrPC, Passport Act, 1920 and the
Passport Act 1967.
West Bengal and Punjab call
the move a threat to India’s fed-
eral structure. That may not re-
ally be the case. In the case of
Assam and West Bengal, the po-
rousborderwithBangladeshhas
allowed illegal Bangladeshis and
drug smugglers into the country
.
CattlesmugglersfromIndiahave
also taken advantage of poor
vigil. Punjab, on the other hand,
has been witnessing increased
drone activity in its skies.
The states should, therefore,
allow the jurisdictional change
for BSF.
TOP TWEETS
A
iwali, the festival
of lights, is ap-
proaching. Be-
sides the tiny di-
yas which light up
the night sky, firecrackers,
idols of the elephant god and
the goddess of wealth are
bought and worshipped. Not
to be missed are decorative
items and fire-crackers on
this important day
. Since the
last few years the festival has
been awakening a nationalis-
tic fervour among Hindus. To
be precise, it all began after a
bloody skirmish and subse-
quent stand-off with China
in Ladakh in 2020. A call to
boycott made-in-China idols,
lights and decorative items
came from Prime Minister
Narendra Modi as the Cen-
tral government banned Tik-
Tok and other Chinese apps.
State-owned telecom compa-
nies BSNL and MTNL to keep
Huawei and ZTE from their
network upgradation pro-
jects. Country was going to
be Atmanirbhar (self-reli-
ant), so we were told.
Something went wrong
thereafter. Although the bor-
der tension with the schem-
ing neighbour has not de-es-
calated, India’s mantra for
reducing dependence on Chi-
nese goods does not seem to
be working. This is reflected
in the 51.5 percent increase
in India’s imports from Chi-
na in the first nine months of
2021 over the corresponding
period in 2020, a report quot-
ing Chinese government data
said. According to a knowl-
edgeable industry person,
the Indian electronics indus-
try is largely occupied in as-
sembly of electronics and not
in their manufacture. The
government should make a
stronger push for self-reli-
ance in the telecom and also
the power sector which im-
ports equipment from China.
As a change in China’s
policy towards India will not
change in the near future, it
should be reduced to a minor
trading partner.
SELF-RELIANCE MANTRA
FACES CHINA HURDLE
A call to boycott
made-in-China idols,
lights and decorative
items came from Prime
Minister Narendra Modi
as the Central government
banned TikTok and other
Chinese apps
D
TREAD CAUTIOUSLY IN
SENSITIVE MATTERS
hat actually happened that
triggered the attack on Durga
puja pandals across Bangla-
desh and also the vandalism
at ISKCON temple in Noakha-
li and how Bangladesh’s Min-
ister for home affairs Asaduz-
zaman Khan was “certain”
when he said that “It appears
to us that it was a motivated
act instigated by a vested
group,” is really a matter of
grave concern.
“Not only in Comilla, but
attempts were also made to
destabilize the country previ-
ously through communal vi-
olence in Ramu and Nasirna-
gar,” Khan was quoted by
Dhaka Tribune.
Mobs took to the streets
and vandalized temples in
Chandpur’s Hajiganj, Chat-
togram’s Banshkhali, Chapa-
inawabganj’s Shibganj and
Cox’s Bazar’s Pekua and at-
tacked the Hindu devotees.
Around 150 Hindu families
were attacked. At least three
persons have reportedly lost
their lives.
Even as violence erupted
in Bangladesh on Friday fol-
lowing the alleged desecra-
tion of the Quran at a pandal
during Durga Puja, the scene
in West Bengal could be dis-
tressing following what the
chief of Indian Secular Front
Abbas Siddiqui said in a vid-
eo which was circulated on
social media, “In a temple in
Comilla, Bangladesh, a pic-
ture of Hanuman has been
placed with (a copy of) the
holy Quran at his feet.
They can worship Hanu-
man but why insult the
Quran? I condemn this act.”
At the end of the clip, he is
“purportedly” seen as saying
that a conspiracy was afoot to
“destroy Islam”.
What is the basis of his
statement is still unknown.
If Bangladesh was on the
boilwasitnecessaryforAbbas
to make such a statement here
in India to “incite” a rally?
Abbas during the Assem-
bly polls was heralded on to
the stage in the historic Bri-
gade Parade Ground where
he was accorded a warm wel-
come especially by the Left
Front leaders.
Abbas during his vigorous
campaigning tried to hard
sell the secular nature of his
political outfit and at times
even senior political analysts
were baffled about his posi-
tion and some had even said
he would be a game changer
by the way he presented the
nature of his outfit’s political
labyrinth.
Meanwhile, the BJP and
other organisations joined
hands demanding the arrest
of Abbas Siddiqui following
his “provocative” speech
with reference to the on-go-
ing atrocities on Hindu mi-
norities in the neighbouring
Bangladesh.
However, the cleric later is-
sued a statement condemn-
ing the violence in the neigh-
bouring state.
‘Bangla Pokhho Charitable
Trust’ has written to West
Bengal Chief Minister
Mamata Banerjee accusing
Abbas of spreading commu-
nalism. Copies of the letter
were also sent to the Commis-
sioner of Kolkata Police and
the Director General of West
Bengal Police.
Abbas heads the ISF which
fought the West Bengal As-
sembly polls and had an alli-
ance with the Left Front and
the Congress.
Their letter also said, “
A
video message recently spread
on social media shows funda-
mentalistpoliticianAbbasSid-
diquimakingintenselyaggres-
sive communal statements.
Attempts are being made to
disturb peace in Bengal by
dragging the issue of Bangla-
desh’s present situation.”
As the clip went viral, Sid-
dique issued a statement say-
ing he had attended an event
but did so as a religious lead-
er as it wasn’t a political one
(rally). “Criminals have no
religion. I don’t think those
who insulted the Holy Quran
by vandalising a Puja man-
dap (pandal) in Bangladesh
and later attacked several re-
ligious centres and temples
of our Hindu brothers have
any religion,” Siddique said.
The state government must
takecognisanceof suchmove-
ments and statements which
are uncalled for in India
which could fuel unrest in the
state especially at a sensitive
time during the festivities.
It may be recalled that in
March, 2021, over 80 houses
of Hindus in the village of
Sunamganj, Bangladesh
were attacked and vandal-
ized by the supporters of Is-
lamist group Hefazat-e-Islam.
The attack was carried out
after a Hindu man criticized
Joint-Secretary General
Maulana Mufti Mamunul
Haque in a Facebook post as
reported by Dhaka Tribune.
“Abbas Siddiqui is trying
to whip up communal pas-
sions across the state. I would
appeal to Chief Minister
Mamata Banerjee to take ac-
tion against him and punish
him for his remarks,” senior
BJP leader, Rahul Sinha, said
in a video statement.
Congress state president
Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury
said, “Abbas Siddiqui’s state-
ment is highly reprehensi-
ble… Protecting the harmo-
ny of Bengal and the country
is much more important.”
Isn’t it the need of the hour
that parties collectively rose
above vote bank politics and
the government needed to en-
sure that no such provocative
speeches should be made
even when the neighbouring
country has been rocked.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
W
As many as 3,679 attacks
on the minority Hindu
community took place
between January 2013 and
September this year in
Bangladesh, the bdnews24.
com reported quoting
prominent rights group in
Bangladesh Ain o Salish
Kendra (ASK). The attacks
included vandalism of and
setting fire to 559 houses
and 442 shops and
businesses of the Hindu
community, it said
Mobs took to the streets
and vandalized temples in
Chandpur’s Hajiganj,
Chattogram’s Banshkhali,
Chapainawabganj’s
Shibganj and Cox’s
Bazar’s Pekua and
attacked the Hindu
devotees. Around 150
Hindu families were
attacked
ROBIN ROY
The writer is Senior Associate Editor,
Free Press Journal, Mumbai and former
Managing Editor, First India
PERSPECTIVE
04
lVol2lIssueNo.323
l RNINO.GUJENG/2019/79050.
Printed and published by Anita
Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Ex-
press Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar
Printing Planet Survey No.148P,
Changodar-Bavla Highway, Tal. San-
and, Dist. Ahmedabad. Publishedat
D/3023rdFloorPlotNo.35Titanium
Square,SchemeNo.2,ThaltejTaluka,
Ghatlodiya,Ahmedabad.
Editor-In-Chief:JagdeeshChandra.
Editor:AnitaHadaSangwanresponsible
forselectionofnewsunderthePRBAct

To Receive Free Newspaper
PDF Daily
Whatsapp:
http://bit.ly/whatsappahm
Telegram:
https://t.me/firstindiaahmedabad
Click the above link☝ subscribe us on your
preferred platform.

INDIA
05
Rakesh Ranjan
New Delhi: Analysisof
the data shows that the
service span for the em-
panelment of IAS offic-
ers’ for holding secy/se-
cy-equivalent posts has
steadily declined since
2014 to 32 years from the
average of 33-34 years
earlier.
When the NDA ad-
ministration began its
second inning in 2014,
it promised to rational-
ize the empanelment
process in such a way
that the empanelment
time span gap among
different AIS services
would be significantly
reduced.
Available data sug-
gest that this has indeed
takenplaceatthesenior
ranksof allAISofficers.
The empanelment time
span for holding Joint
Secretary
, Additional
Secretary
,andSecretary
has declined between
2014-2021.
Since the IAS empan-
elment is the bench-
mark,itisworthwhileto
look attime span of secy
empanelment. In Sep-
tember 2021, a number
of officers from the
1989-batch IAS were ele-
vated as secretaries.
Theirempanelmenthad
taken place in February
2019-whichworksoutto
32 years of service.
It needs to be pointed
out here that the
1984-batch and senior
batcheswereconsidered
for empanelment as sec-
retaries in 2016 - after 33
yrs of service. The noti-
fication years for em-
panelment in the last
few years show that
1985,1986,1987,1988,and
1989 batches got empan-
elledassecretarieswith-
in 32 years of service.
The reduction in the
tenureof serviceforem-
panelment at each level
beginning JS level
means that the govern-
ment would have not
only larger pool of offic-
ers available to choose
from but will also have
benefit of ensuring
longer service tenure of
officers to serve union
secretaries.
Fortunately for all
AISofficers,thefastpro-
cess of empanelment of
IAS officers has acceler-
atedthesameprocedure
forotherserviceswhich
is reflected in the in-
creased number of em-
panelment of other All
India and Central Ser-
vice Group A services.
NDA makes faster empanelment of IAS
and other AIS officers for senior ranks
DATA ANALYSIS
Significance of analysis lies in fact that service
span of IAS officers’ empanelment acts as a
benchmark for empanelment of other AIS officers
New Delhi: Delhi
HC has granted per-
mission to a 24-yr-old
woman to undergo
procedure for termi-
nation of her over 24
wks pregnancy. Jus-
tice Rekha Palli’s rul-
ing came after ob-
serving report of
hospital. Court said,
in light of aforesaid,
once Board has clear-
ly opined that de-
formities of petition-
er’s foetus are likely
to be incompatible
with life in case,
pregnancy is carried,
chances of survival
of unborn child are
very remote. —ANI
Del HC permits
termination of
pregnancy
Anita Hada
New Delhi: Electricity
crisis has arisen in
many states of the
country including the
national capital Delhi.
Many states have start-
ed power cuts and the
Delhi government has
expressed apprehen-
sions that there may be
a black out in the capi-
tal. Stock has dwindled
due to short supply of
coal in thermal power
plants in a dozen states
of the country. When
this crisis broke out,
the central government
woke up and meetings
have started all around
as emergency messages
have been sent. Till
three days back, the
government kept say-
ing that there is no cri-
sis and there is a stock
of coal for 24 days. But
two days later, an emer-
gency message was sent
to NTPC and DVC ask-
ing them to supply as
much power as possible
to Delhi.
Union Energy Minis-
ter RK Singh and Coal
Minis ter Prahlad Joshi
had said that there is
neither power crisis
nor coal crisis. But the
very next day after say-
ing this, both have ap-
peared before Union
Home Minister Amit
Shah and the strategy
to deal with the crisis
was discussed. In order
to overcome the crisis,
instructions have been
sent to the coal mining
companies to expedite
the work, while the In-
dian Railways has also
been engaged in the
work of supplying max-
imum coal. The days of
April-May are being re-
membered by the gov-
ernment’s turmoil,
when there was a short-
age of oxygen in hospi-
tals and from rails to
airplanes were em-
ployed to deliver oxy-
gen throughout the
country
. That is, if there
is a shortage of oxygen,
then there is a turmoil
in its supply and if
there is a shortage of
coal, then there is chaos
about it. Why doesn’t
the government see the
crisis beforehand?
GOVERNMENT ‘SHORTSIGHTED’
TO SEE CRISIS FROM AFAR?
Delhi govt has expressed apprehensions that there may be black out.
India, Israel agree to mutually
recognize vax certification
Tel Aviv [Israel]: Ex-
ternal Affairs Minister
(EAM) Dr S Jaishankar
on Monday said that he
had “very productive
talks” with Israel’s For-
eign Minister Yair Lap-
id, where they dis-
cussed a wide range of
regional and global is-
sues, including the in-
principle agreement on
mutual recognition of
Covid vaccination certi-
fication.
The minister also
thanked Israel for join-
ing International Solar
Alliance. This comes a
day after Jaishankar
held a productive meet-
ing with members of
Israeli chambers of
commerce. —ANI
Dr S Jaishankar with Yair Lapid in Israel on Monday.
DR. S. JAISHANKAR @DrSJaishankar
Very productive talks today with APM and FM @
YairLapid. Discussed a wide range of regional and
global issues. Agreed to resume FTA negotiations
next month. Agreed in principle on mutual recog-
nition of Covid vaccination certification.
Class 10 exam to begin from
Nov 30; Class 12 from Dec 1
CBSE TERM 1 BOARD EXAM
New Delhi: The Cen-
tral Board of Secondary
Education (CBSE) will
be releasing the de-
tailed date sheet for the
Term 1 exams for the
students of Classes 10
and 12 on October 18 on
its official website.
Once released, students
will be able to check the
date sheet online on
cbse.gov.in.
The subject-wise date
sheet for Term 1 of
CBSE Class 10 and 12
board exams 2021 will
be released today on the
official website. As per
previous announce-
ments, the term 1 ex-
ams for both the classes
are set to be conducted
in offline mode in No-
vember and December.
CBSE has decided to
split its annual board
examinations into two
exams from this year, in
view of the pandemic.
The examination of
Term 1 is scheduled to
be conducted from next
month while Term 2 ex-
ams will be conducted
in Feb, March 2022. —ANI
UP BJP plans mega outreach programme at Mandal level
First India Bureau
Lucknow: To ensure
victory in the assembly
elections to be held ear-
ly next year, BJP has
prepared a special blue-
print. It had organised
caste conferences on a
large scale before gen-
eral elections-2019, to
woo the OBC and Dalit
voters, but that time
these events were or-
ganized at the state
level. For the first time,
BJP is going to launch
a mega outreach pro-
grammeatthe‘Mandal’
level (block level from
the administrative
point of view), target-
ing different castes and
communities through
its ‘Morchas’(fronts)
and ‘Prakosths’ (cells).
Notably, in 2018, the
BJP organized a series
of caste conventions.
Among these, confer-
ences of Kurmi, Lodhi,
Bhurji, Teli, Sahu, Ni-
shad-Kashyap-Bind,
Nai, Rathore, Vishwa-
karma and Baghel-Pal
Samaj were held, as
well as a big confer-
ence was organized for
the Yadav community.
Actually, then the BJP
had to counter the
challenges arising out
of the SP-BSP alliance.
This time again, there
are very serious chal-
lenges for the saffron
party, so preparations
are also being made ex-
tensive. According to a
highly- placed party
source, although the
BJP had prepared a
blueprint for 100 days,
but party strategists
believe that now less
than three months are
left for the election
campaigns, so empha-
sis is being laid on
maximum output in
minimum period.
Considerable ar-
rangements have been
made for monitoring
all these events, ac-
cording to BJP spokes-
person Naveen Srivas-
tava. He said, “In all
these programmes, we
will discuss the devel-
opment-oriented works
of the Modi and Yogi
governments, will take
inputs about the expec-
tations of the public as
well as know what else
can be done for their
betterment”.
The saffron party is targeting different castes and communities through its Morchas and Prakosths.



FAST FACTS

New Delhi: As the
Samyukt Kisan Morcha
(SKM) is staging a na-
tionwide ‘Rail Roko’
protest to demand the
dismissal and arrest of
Union Minister of State
Ajay Mishra, Bharatiya
Kisan Union spokesper-
son Rakesh Tikait on
Monday said that the
govt has not spoken to
them in this regard yet.
Speaking to ANI briefly,
Tikait said, “This pro-
test is being staged in
different districts
across the country
. The
people of the country
who support this move-
ment know about the
Rail Roko andolan. The
Central Government
has not spoken to us yet
in this matter.”
As the ‘Rail Roko An-
dolan’ is being staged to
protest against the
Lakhimpur Kheri vio-
lence case in various
parts of the country
, the
Northern Railway in-
formed on Monday that
around 50 trains have
been affected in this re-
gard.
A statement issued
by the umbrella body of
farmers’ unions on
Sunday read, “To press
for its demand for Ajay
Mishra’s dismissal and
arrest, so that justice
can be secured in Lakh-
impur Kheri violence,
SKM has announced a
nation-wide rail roko
program on October
18.” SKM put out a call
to its constituents to
stop rail traffic for six
hours on October 18, be-
tween 10 am and 4 pm.
SKM asked for this ac-
tion to be taken up
peacefully, without any
destruction and dam-
age of any kind to any
railway property,” it
said further. A total of
eight people including
four farmers died in the
Kheri violence that
took place on October 3.
INDIA
06
First India Bureau
Mumbai: Aryan Khan,
held in a Mumbai jail
over allegations in the
drugs-on-cruise case,
“promised to be a good
citizen and serve the
country” while being
counselled by the Nar-
cotics Control Bureau
(NCB), sources have
said.
Aryan Khan, say
sources, was counselled
by the agency’s high-
profile Zonal Director
Sameer Wankhede, who
has been leading the in-
vestigation. He report-
edly said he would
“make everyone proud
of him”, avoid wrong-
doing and would work
to help the poor and de-
prived. “We counsel
every arrested accused
and it is done for two to
three hour daily during
custody,” Mr Wankhede
told reporters when
asked about Aryan
Khan. WhatsApp chats
reveal his links.
Aryan Khan counselled, promises to serve nation
DRUGS-ON-CRUISE
lll
Aryan Khan, say
to sources, was
counselled by
the agency’s
high-profile
Zonal Director
Sameer
Wankhede, who
has been
leading the
investigation
Movement of over
290 trains around
the country was hit
amid a ‘rail roko’
protest called to press
for the arrest of Union
Minister Ajay Mishra’s
dismissal and arrest
over Lakhimpur inci-
dent in Uttar Pradesh,
in which his son has
been arrested. Here are
the top developments
on Rail Roko protest:

z Security was
deployed at railway sta-
tions in the wake of the
‘’rail roko’’ protest. 293
trains were affected. Of
the 150 goods trains
affected by the rail roko
today, 75 were trains
carrying coal to power
plants, sources said

z Farmers in Punjab
and elsewhere were
seen squatting on rail
tracks as part of their
protest. Four sections
of the Ferozepur divi-
sion were blocked by
the protesters, said a
railway official.

z The SKM, an um-
brella body of farmers’
unions, said it will hold
a peaceful nationwide
rail roko protest from
10 am to 4 pm for jus-
tice in Kheri violence.
TRAINS FOR COAL FOR PLANTS HIT
PROTEST OVER FARMERS’ KILLING
CRUCIAL READ
SUB-INSPECTOR ARRESTED AFTER HIS
CAR RUNS OVER TWO WOMEN IN PUNJAB
Jalandhar: A police officer’s vehicle ran two women over
in Jalandhar on Monday,killing one of them on the spot
and leaving the other injured.One police official,who was
driving the vehicle,has been arrested.The speeding police
vehicle crushed the two young women near Dhanowali on
the Jalandhar-Phagwara highway.The two women were
standing on the roadside when the police vehicle ran them
over.While one of them died on the spot,the other was
rushed to the hospital and is currently undergoing treat-
ment.The victim’s family has now blocked the highway,
causing massive traffic congestion in the area.
FAKE DATE SHEET FOR BOARD EXAMS
BEING CIRCULATED, WARNS CBSE
IIT MADRAS SAYS 30% OF DOGS HELD
CAPTIVE ON CAMPUS DIED IN ONE YEAR
New Delhi:Before releasing the date sheet, CBSE has
noticed that a fake date sheet of the term 1 examina-
tions, to be held in the month of November- December,
is being circulated on
social media that can
confuse the students.
CBSE has clarified through
a tweet that it has not
released any official noti-
fication of the date sheet
by now. CBSE tweet reads, “It has come to the notice of
CBSE that a fake date sheet is being circulated on social
media for the forthcoming term 1 exams in Nov 2021, to
confuse students of class X and XII.
Chennai: A total of 56 (or 30%) of the 188 stray dogs
confined in the dog shelter at the Indian Institute of Tech-
nology, Madras campus have died in the past one year,
the IIT-M administration confirmed
to the TN Health and Family
Welfare Min Ma. Subramanian. Mr.
Subramanian, who inspected the
shelter following complaints of a
high number of deaths, quoted the administration He said
that the administration was asked to furnish details on the
29 dogs that were adopted.“The administration said old
age and illnesses were the main reasons for the deaths.
GOVT HAS NOT SPOKEN TO US YET,SAYS TIKAIT
Sonipat: Security ar-
rangements have been
upscaled at the Sonipat
Railway Station in Har-
yana in view of farmer
unions’ call for ‘Rail
Roko’ protests on Mon-
day
.
According to Hans
Raj, DSP, Sonipat, Rap-
id Action Force (RAF)
has been deployed at
the railway station to
avoid any unfortunate
incident.”We have en-
sured adequate security
at Sonipat Railway Sta-
tion. 65 CRPF jawans,
RAP and others have
been deployed to pre-
vent any untoward ac-
tivity,” the DSP said.
“The Kisan Unions are
allowed to protest
peacefully
. If they try to
disturb the peace and
harmony here, we will
takeactionaccordingly
,”
he added.Earlier in the
morning, Northern Rly
informed that 30 loca-
tions have been affected
and eight trains have
beenregulatedfollowing
the rail roko protests.
Farmers block rly tracks in
Punjab,HaryanadeploysRAF
The ‘Rail Roko Andolan’ is being staged to protest against the Kheri
violence, theRlyinformedthat50trainshavebeenaffectedinthisregard
Aryan Khan, while going for the counselling.
On a day when the
Samyukta Kisan
Morcha gave a ‘rail
roko’ call against the
Centre’s three farm
laws, a statement of
Meghalaya Governor
Satya Pal Malik went
viral wherein he said
the Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) leaders
could not enter the
villages of Meerut,
Baghpat and Muzaf-
farnagar in Uttar
Pradesh, and if the
demands of the farm-
ers were not met,
the BJP Government
would not return to
power.Once again of-
fering to mediate, Mr.
Malik said farmers
would withdraw the
agitation if the Gov-
ernment agreed to
guarantee the Mini-
mum Support Price
(MSP) for crops. Mr.
Malik said the Govt
should listen to their
demands. I am with
them and if required
I will leave the post,”
he said.
‘FARMERS’
PROTEST
GUARANTEE
MSP, I WILL
MEDIATE’
New Delhi: The
Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) on Monday
slammed the Congress
alleging that its leader
Tariq Hameed Karra
had claimed that Sardar
Vallabhbhai Patel col-
luded with Muhammad
Ali Jinnah to keep
Kashmir out of India.
Addressing a press
conference, BJP spokes-
person Sambit Patra
queried whether Con-
gress interim president
Sonia Gandhi and Ra-
hul Gandhi had object-
ed to Karra’s remarks
during the Congress
Working Committee
(CWC) meeting on Sat-
urday
.
“Today it has been
published in the news-
papers that in the CWC
meeting held two days
ago, some questions
were raised regarding
Kashmir. At the meet-
ing, senior Congress
leader and CWC mem-
ber Tariq Hameed Kar-
ra created an atmos-
phere of confusion re-
garding Kashmir. He
also said Jawaharlal
Nehru ji had integrated
Jammu and Kashmir
into India and Sardar
Patel tried to keep Kash-
mir out of India,” Patra
said. Patra said that the
BJP wanted to know if
Karra will be removed
from the Congress
Working Committee
(CWC). —ANI
BJP slams Congress over alleged anti-
Sardar Patel remarks in CWC meet
Washington: Former
US secretary of state
Colin Powell passed
away at 84 years of age
due to complications re-
lated to coronavirus dis-
ease, the family has an-
nounced on his Face-
book page on Monday
.
Powell, also the first
Black secretary of
state, was fully vacci-
nated, according to the
family statement. We
want to thank the
medical staff at Wal-
ter Reed National
Medical Center for
their caring treat-
ment. We have lost a
remarkable and loving
husband, grandfather
and a great Ameri-
can,” the Powell fami-
ly said.
Patna: CM Nitish Ku-
mar on Monday con-
demned the targeted
killing of Bihari mi-
grant workers in JK
saying the incidents
havecreatedanenviron-
ment of fear.Kumar said
he has spoken to JK
Lieutenant Governor
Manoj Sinha and senior
Bihar officials are in
touch with their coun-
terpartsintheunionter-
ritoryovertheincidents.
There are clear similari-
ties in the two alleged
drug busts by NCB over
the past year, involving
actor Rhea Chakraborty
and Aryan. In neither case
was the central agency
able to show any drug
seizures nor did it carry
out blood tests .In both
cases, the NCB detained
the two suspects, got
access to their mobile and
used material stored in-
cluding deleted WhatsApp
chats, to arrest them.
Shiv Sena leader
Kishore Tiwari has
approached the Supreme
Court seeking a judicial
enquiry into “malafide
style, approach and dirty
vendetta affairs” of NCB
in Mumbai and its of-
ficials “targeting” select
film celebrity and models
since last two years. This
comes in the wake of the
arrest of actor Shah Rukh
Khan’s son Aryan Khan by
NCB in a drugs case.The
petition has urged.
NCB’S SOLE
WEAPON IN RHEA,
ARYAN ARRESTS:
WHATSAPP CHATS
SENA LEADER
MOVES SC FOR
PROBE INTO
AFFAIRS OF NCB
‘Favourite of
presidents’
Colin Powell
dies of nCov
Targeted
killing of Bihari
migrantsinJK
Nadda asks BJP leaders to publicise `100 cr Covid-19 vax
achievement, slams Opposition for misleading nation
New Delhi: Bharatiya
Janata Party national
President JP Nadda on
Monday chaired a
meeting of the party’s
national office bearers
to chart the organisa-
tion’s course of action
for the upcoming cru-
cial Assembly polls in
five states.
According to sourc-
es, BJP office bearers
were asked to take
achievement of the
country globally when
the country completes
the administration of
100 crores Covid vac-
cine doses.
The BJP chief also
slammed the opposi-
tion for misleading the
nation on issues that
were in the interest of
the nation, sources
stated.The BJP chief
discussed the future
course of action, espe-
cially in poll-bound
states in the meeting
held at party headquar-
ters here. The party
leadership thanked
Modi for extending the
PMGaribKalyanAnna
Yojana benefit to the
poor for a second year.
Approximately 80 cr
people were provided
with food grains and
rations during the Cov-
id pandemic. Opposi-
tion was to create an
atmosphere of fear
within people,” said
Singh. They have lost
their relevance, he add-
ed. BJP’s national ex-
ecutive council meet-
ing is also scheduled
for November.
This protest is being staged in different districts across the coun-
try. The people of the country who support this movement know
about the Rail Roko andolan. The Central Government has not
spoken to us yet in this matter. —Rakesh Tikait, Bharatiya Kisan Union spokesperson
RAIL ROKO ANDOLAN
Nadda at BJP office bearers
meeting.
—FILE PHOTO
Govt raises...
and the state government
hasalreadygivenpermis-
siontoorganisereligious,
political or social gather-
ings with a limit of 400
guests, said the release.
The Gujarat government
on Sunday had said the
processions can only be
taken out during the day
hoursinviewof thenight
curfewinforceineightcit-
iesof thestate.Movement
of processions should re-
main restricted to their
localities so that they are
completed in minimum
possible time, it added.
For the just-concluded
Navratrifestival,thestate
had allowed garba events
in residential societies
with relaxation in night
curfew timings. The pro-
cessions and celebration
of the festival will have to
be organised with strict
adherence to COVID-19
guidelinesintermsof the
use of masks, sanitisers
and social distancing, a
government notification
had said.
FROM PG 1

P
eople have
also called
about gar-
gling or swallow-
ing strong antisep-
tics. These can cause
irritation, swelling and
pain to the mouth, as
well as vomiting, diar-
rhoea and stomach pains.
Gargling or swallowing corro-
sive household cleaning prod-
ucts, such as the type you’d use in
your kitchen or bathroom, is par-
ticularly unsafe. This can lead to
life-threatening injuries, including
rupture and bleeding of the upper
gut, between the mouth and stom-
ach. Small pilot studies have sug-
gested that similar low-strength
gargle and nasal sprays may shorten
the survival of SARS-CoV-2 in the
nose and mouth. But these results
should be confirmed in larger stud-
ies. Although some people are aller-
gic to povidone-iodine, low concen-
tration solutions are usually safe
when applied in the nose or mouth
for a few months. So swallowing,
gargling or inserting these products
in the nose is not recommended.
R
outinely spraying
disinfectants into
facemasks,andthen
breathinginthefumesand
residue for a prolonged
period, can also harm.
Thiscanresultinirrita-
tion to the throat and
lungs,dizziness,head-
ache and nausea.
T
aking over-the-counter supple-
ments, including vitamins, for a
prolonged period is also a concern
as high doses can have side-effects:
• vitamin C can cause kidney stones
• zinc can cause loss of taste or
smell
• vitamin D can
cause high concen-
trations of calcium
in the blood, with
effects including
headache, thirst
and, uncommon-
ly, seizures.
B
athing in house-
hold cleaning prod-
ucts (such as bleach
or disinfectant), or apply-
ing them directly to the skin, can
cause mild-to-moderate irritation
and rashes. Burns can occur with
stronger products.
hrough our work at the
New South Wales Poi-
sons Information Cen-
tre, we’re used to re-
ceiving calls from con-
cerned parents about
what to do if their child
has accidentally drunk
some cleaning product. We also
take calls from health profession-
als for advice on how to manage
poisonings.
But over the past 18 months,
we’ve seen an increasing number of
people calling us about home rem-
edies to prevent or cure COVID-19,
particularly during an outbreak.
They’re calling for advice before us-
ing items such as bleach or disin-
fectant. Or they’re calling to
ask about side-effects after
gargling, spraying or bath-
ing in them.
When asked about the
reason for using such
products, callers say
they did not know they
could be harmful. Some
say they thought it was
better to do something,
rather than nothing. We’re
concerned about the use of
unproven COVID-19 home rem-
edies. Here are some of the more
common ones people have called
our 24-hour poisons information
service about, the types that can
need medical care.
T
TALKING POINT
07
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I
facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
PEOPLE WANT
TO USE BLEACH AND
ANTISEPTICFOR
COVIDANDARE
CALLINGUS
FORADVICE
H
ydrogen peroxide is used in
householddisinfectants,chlo-
rine-free bleaches, stain re-
movers and hair dyes. And people
havebeencallingaboutinhalingprod-
uctscontaininghydrogenperoxideas
a fine mist (called nebulising). Hydro-
gen peroxide (1-1.5%) mouthwashes
have been recommended as an anti-
septicbeforeadentalprocedure.How-
ever, results about whether it kills
SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes
COVID-19,areconflicting.Nebulising
hydrogen peroxide can cause irrita-
tion and swelling to the nose, throat
andlungs.Peoplecandevelopacough
and become short of breath; it can
cause persistent damage to the lungs.
Thesesymptomscanbemisinterpret-
ed as a lung infection. If you have
COVID-19, nebulising hydrogen per-
oxide can make you sicker and pro-
long your recovery
. People also report
nausea and vomiting after nebulising
hydrogen peroxide. The risk is in-
creased with solutions of higher con-
centrations, although we do not be-
lieve any concentration is safe.
C
OVID-19 is arguably the most con-
fusing time in recent history for
making decisions about our health
care. While people debate if any of these
proposed home remedies work, it is essen-
tial to also consider their poten-
tial harms. Deaths
and other com-
plications are
reported in peo-
ple overseas due
to well-meaning
use of proposed
treatments and
home remedies.
INHALING HYDROGEN PEROXIDE
GARGLING OR
SWALLOWING ANTISEPTICS
SPRAYING FACE MASKS
TAKING HIGH-
TAKING HIGH-
DOSE VITAMINS
DOSE VITAMINS
BATHING IN BLEACH OR DISINFECTANT
IT’S A CONFUSING TIME

08
2NDFRONT
PORBANDAR UNITS FEAR KHADI
DYING IN GANDHI’S GUJARAT
Khadi units from Gandhi’s birthplace complain to PM that Gujarat Govt gives them cold shoulder
Gargi Raval
Porbandar: The khadi
gramodyog bhavan in
Porbandar, the birth
place of Mahatma
Gandhi, has dashed off
an SOS letter to Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi expressing fears
that the khadi indus-
try in Gujarat is on the
verge of extinction.
In a letter to Modi,
Porbandar Khadi Gra-
mudyog Bhavan presi-
dent Anilbhai Karia
and secretary Muke-
shbhai Dutta have al-
leged that the Gujarat
Government has not
given them one percent
subsidy or compensa-
tion on khadi for sell-
ing the cloth at a heav-
ily discounted price.
The letter points out
that the khadi stores,
which produce Gan-
dhi’s favourite prod-
uct, have decided to
give 20% discount on
the fabric’s purchases
and that too only for a
month. Earlier, every
October 2 onwards,
there would be special
rebate of as much as
40% on khadi for some
six months. This came
to 35% and then 25%
for three months. This
time, it is only for a
month, the letter
points out.
About 100 other kha-
di stores in Gujarat,
including in Por-
bandar, which only
sells khadi, are likely
to close soon. The
letter said this would
result in a loss of
crores of rupees to
about 100 khadi stores
in Gujarat.
They expressed
fears that soon khadi
treasures will remain
restricted to only kha-
di museums, but the
Gujarat Government
seems to be the least
bothered.
The letter even stat-
ed that when Modi
was the Chief Minis-
ter, it was decided that
all government and
semi-government of-
fice staff would wear
khadi 2 days a week to
promote khadi, but
this didn’t seem to be
happening.
CLOSURE LOOMS LARGE
A’bad CP starts special training
for cops to catch drug peddlers
47%seatsvacantinBachelors
coursesinSouthGujUniversity
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Con-
cerned over increasing
drug trafficking and
smuggling, Ahmedabad
CityPoliceCommission-
er Sanjay Srivastav on
Mondaylaunchedanini-
tiative to train his team
on law enforcement and
intelligence gathering
on drug peddling.
A conference was or-
ganised for police In-
spectors, addressed by
Narcotics Control Bu-
reau (NCB) officers and
renowned advocates.
The NCB officers elabo-
rated on the roots of
synthetic drugs produc-
tion, traffic routes and
explained how Indian
soil and sea routes were
being used to transport
drugs to South and far
Eastern countries. Last
year’sNCBreportabout
the domestic consump-
tion and smuggling of
drugs into the country
was also shared.
Eminent lawyers
guided police officers
on, how to prepare case
papers so that prosecu-
tion could get maxi-
mum conviction of the
accused and how to
avoid any loopholes dur-
ing investigations so
that accused have little
chance to get scot free,
among other things.
SanjaySrivastavasaid,
“Themotiveistokeepthe
city drugs-free and to en-
surethatyouthsdon’tget
access to drugs.” This
workshop was organized
to educate police officers.
The do’s and don’ts
shared in the workshop
will help in investigation
and to crack cases faster.
Meticulousvigilancewill
putpressureondrugped-
dlers and that will bring
down the rate of drugs
related crimes.
First India Bureau
Surat: Despite the mass
promotion given to class
12 General and Science
streams by the Educa-
tion Board, a huge drop
has been observed in
admission rates of
VNSGU. The admission
procedures have been
conducted for the past
two months, yet, only
38.84% students have
confirmed their admis-
sion in B.Com, BBA,
BCA and BSc courses of
the university
.
The university has a
total 56101 seats for B.
Com, BBA, BCA, and
B.Sc. As many as 76,845
students have filled the
online form, out of
which, only 29,844 stu-
dents have confirmed
their admission.
Around 39% seats of the
total forms filled have
been occupied and 47%
of seats are still vacant.
Parth Lakhani, stu-
dent, said, “There was
only one university ear-
lier. Now we have
around 5 universities
with many options. The
students fill forms of
multiple universities. If
they get admission in
their desired college,
they don’t go for others.
Hence, that seat re-
mains vacant despite
filling the online form.
IPS Sanjay Srivastava,Ahmedabad Police Commissioner. —FILE PHOTO
First India Bureau
Surat: In an inspira-
tional incident, it was
found that a group of
teachers went out of
their way to create ex-
tra study material in
Marathi language for
students. Teachers of
schools run by the Su-
rat Municipal Corpora-
tion (SMC) have done a
remarkable job in the
time of global pandem-
ic Covid19. As many as
18 teachers got together
and recorded more than
2500 educational videos
in Marathi language for
students from class 1st
to 8th in order to help
them study
.
Principal of Mahara-
ni Tarabai Girl’s School,
situated in Navagam,
Kashinath Jadhav said,
“Last year the pandem-
ic had blocked all the
movement in the city.
The schools were closed
and the students were
forced to study online.
Some of the students at-
tended the online class-
es while others who did
not have cell phones
were at a huge disad-
vantage. Students who
couldn’t attend our on-
line lectures tried to
search for study mate-
rial on YouTube. How-
ever, most of the videos
were found to be either
in Hindi or English lan-
guage. So we decided to
make educational vide-
os in Marathi. It will
help not only our stu-
dents, but also whoever
searches for study mate-
rial in Marathi lan-
guage.Teachersdecided
to record videos in Mar-
athi as not all students
understand Hindi or
English.
He claimed that the
videos created by his
teamhavebeenwatched
for more than 1200
hours by far. Despite the
work of offline schools,
the teachers went out of
their way and managed
to create videos in their
spare time.
Teachers recorded 2500 videos to teach Marathi students
EDUCATING THE FUTURE!
—FILE
PHOTO
Wanted to help students who couldn’t
attend online lectures due to
unavailability of cell-phone, say teachers
MENDING FENCES?
Gujarat’s outgoing deputy chief minister Nitin Patel, who was smarting after not being made the Chief Minister, recently
called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.
First India Bureau
Surat: Parents of as
many as 50 students
reached the MG Ma-
heshwari School,
Parvat Patia, and
got into a dispute
withtheadministra-
tion on Monday
. The
school had barred
students from enter-
ing the gate due to
non-payment of fees
and some were not
allowedtoattendthe
exam.
Basanti Purohit,
parent, said, “Stu-
dents have been
barred from school
on the day of ex-
ams. If they had in-
formed us earlier,
we would have paid
the fee. We had paid
40 thousand last
year. Only fees for
the last three
months are due.”
Krishna Rajpuro-
hit, student, said,
“They did not issue
hall-tickets due to
non-payment of
fees. We aren’t even
allowed to attend
exams. After the
media arrived at
the school, the man-
agement gave us
only 30 minutes to
write the exams.”
Some of the parents
even reached the lo-
cal police station.
Students forced
to stand outside
school gate for
not paying fees
Course Form filled Seat Confirm
BCom 34,924 32,966 17,343
BBA 7,969 4,125 2,821
BCA 13,132 6,460 4,109
B.Sc. 20,820 12,550 5,571
Total 76,845 56,101 29,844
VACANCY DATA
—FILE
PHOTO
Faith is the key- to happiness,
to success - if you believe you
can then you can- keep faith
in yourself !
—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO Editor-in-Chief, First India
GPCB HAS BECOME A DEN OF CORRUPTION
M Sharma
New Delhi: Gujarat
Pollution Control
Board (GPCB) is the
chief regulator for im-
plementation of envi-
ronmental protection
and pollution control
laws in state.
The CMO official
said that senior IAS of-
ficer Sanjiv Kumar,
who is holding the
charge of chairman of
the body, has requested
govt to relieve him of
the additional charge
as he does not want to
continue in the GPCB.
Sanjiv Kumar is a 1998
batch IAS officer and is
currently posted as
Managing Director of
GSPC and Gujarat Gas
and has been given the
additional charge of
chairman, GPCB.
In the next round of
bureaucratic reshuffle,
the government is
elected to replace San-
jiv Kumar with anoth-
er senior official to be
in charge chairman of
GPCB. “The govern-
ment will have to take
strong actions against
the officials of the
GPCB as the corrup-
tion has become deep
rooted with most of the
top officials receive
regular haftas from the
industries,” another
official posted in a sen-
ior position said.
According to sources,
previous administra-
tionof VijayRupanihad
apparentlyturnedblind
towardsmalpracticesin
the statutory body
. The
detailed inputs re-
ceived in the CMO has
details about some
middlemen who broker
deals between the
GPCB officials and in-
dustries, who flout en-
vironmental norms,
discharge untreated
effluents directly into
rivers or water bodies
and don’t follow the
rules prescribed under
the laws and regula-
tions.
In Board, chairman
has limited powers
while member secy is
powerful officer. In Gu-
jarat, member secy of
pollution control board
is considered most
powerful as state being
one of the most indus-
trialised one where the
GPCB has huge powers
over industries.
Plaints about
irregularities
and corrupt
practices in the
GPCB have now
reached CMO,
where officials
were startled
EXCLUSIVE
CMO OFFICIAL SAYS

AHMEDABAD, TUESDAY,
OCTOBER 19, 2021
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia
facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09
BANGALORE
BANGALORE
BEAUTIES!
BEAUTIES!
BANGALORE, POPULARLY KNOWN AS THE GARDEN CITY
OR SILICON VALLEY OF INDIA WITNESSED A MAGICAL
EVENING WHEN STUNNING MODELS WALKED THE RAMP
DURING THE BANGALORE AUDITIONS OF FIRST MISS
INDIA AND FIRST MISS INDIA TEEN 2021 HELD
RECENTLY AT THE PARK HOTEL!
he Bangalore Auditions of
First Miss India took place
on October 10 at The Park
Hotel, Bangalore. About
150 girls from and nearby
cities towns presented
the best version of them-
selves in front of the judges to
make their place in the list of top
finalists of First Miss India and
First Miss India Teen 2021.
The jury panel consisted of
Divya Kasliwal, Netanya
Scott, Aparna Shrivasta-
va, Madhumita De and
Aishwarya Deonani
who judged the con-
testants on the
parameters of
ramp walk,
i n t r o d u c -
tion, confi-
dence and the way they presented
themselves.
Jagdeesh Chandra graced the
occasion and motivated the par-
ticipants. Organiser Ashok Singh
was also present on the occasion.
The girls who won the Bangalore
Auditions in the Miss category
are Lekh Uthaiah, Vaaruni, Pri-
yanka, Sowmyaa, Athmika,
whereas Rukmini won in the Teen
category.
After 3 days of grooming and
training sessions by experts from
the fashion industry in Goa, the
Grand finale will take place on
October 30. The winner in the
Miss category will get a cash prize
of Rs 5 lakh whereas the first and
second runner up will get Rs 2.51
lakh and Rs 1.51 lakh respectively.
In the teen category, the winner
will receive a cash prize of Rs 2.51
lakh and the first and second run-
ner up will get Rs 1.51 lakh and Rs
1 lakh respectively.
All the participants are looking
forward to the grand finale in Goa
and preparing themselves for the
crown.
T
MITALI DUSAD
mitalidusad01@gmail.com
Jagdeesh Chandra with Divya Kasliwal
Sowmya Kharatmal
Rukmini Vaaruni
Athmika Suresh
Lekh Uthaiah
Priyanka
Participants during the auditions
Lekh Uthaiah

10
ETC
ikaji is one of In-
dia's leading food
brands based in Bi-
kaner. Manufactur-
ing Bhujia, Papad,
Namkeens and
sweets for over 3
decades. Started by
Shivratan Agarwal, to-
day Bikaji has a global
footprint with a
presence in 45
countries across
continents.
WHAT IS
RISHTEY
GIFT HAMPER?
The Bikaji
Rishtey Gift
Hamper is a
bouquet of care-
fully assorted
combo packs,
s p e c i a l l y
crafted for
the festive
season. Each
pack comes
loaded with
varied flavours
of namkeens and
sweets to please a di-
verse palate. You can be
assured of the authentic
Bikaji taste along with a
superior standard of
quality.
THE RISHTEY GIFT
HAMPER THEME
The lockdown has
changed the dynamics of
our relationships. While
the traditional relation-
ships have strength-
ened, we’ve also forged
some unlikely bonds.
This year, Bikaji aims to
celebrate these new and
unexpected relation-
ships with Rishtey Gift
Hampers.
RISHTEY GIFT HAMPERS
Picnic: This festive season,
delight your associates and
dear ones with Picnic - a
pack of carefully assorted
Bikaji sweets and nam-
keens. So flavourful, it’s
guaranteed to get the festivi-
ties started with the first
bite. This combo in-
cludes Bikaneri
Bhujia, Kuch
Kuch, South-
ern Express,
Fatafat Bhelpu-
ri, Manbhavan
Soan Papdi.
THODA MEETHA
THODA NAMKEEN
Make this festive season a
truly memorable one with
Thoda Meetha Thoda Nam-
keen Rishtey Gift hamper - A
combo of choicest Bikaji
NamkeensandSweets.Rel-
ish the delightful flavours
and cherish your relation-
ships.Thepackisloadedwith
Bikaneri Bhujia, Kuch Kuch
and Manbhavan Soan Papdi.
FESTIVE DELIGHTS
The festive season is the per-
fect time to strengthen your
relationships with warmth
and gratitude.
This year, gift
delightful
moments
with Bi-
kaji Fes-
tive De-
l i g h t
Rishtey Gift
hamper. A delecta-
ble combo of irresistible Bi-
kaji snacks including Fun-
keen Flaky Mix, Funkeen
Jowar Mix, Mangalore Mix,
Crusty Nuts and Shakkar
Para.
MEETHE PAL
This festive season, add a
thoughtful touch to corpo-
rate gifting. Delight your as-
sociates with Meethe Pal. A
Bikaji Sweets and Nam-
keens. It comes loaded with
flavours to create life’s most
delightful moments. The
combo includes Sab Kuch
Navratna Mix, Tana-Bana
Khatta Meetha, Rasgulla
and Gulab Jamun.
NAMKEEN DAWAT
Spread cheer and happiness
with a delectable spread of
choicest Bikaji Sweets and
Namkeens. The Namkeen
Dawat is a perfect festival
combo that includes Tana
Tan Aloo Bhujia, Mastkin
Cornflakes, Dry Kachori,
Tana-Bana Khatta Meetha
and Manbhavan Soan Papdi.
MEETHA BANDHAN
Packed with Love. Loaded
with Flavours. The Metha
Bandhan Rishtey Combo
Pack is utterly delightful. It is
an ideal pick to show your
heartfelt appreciation. The
combo includes Kuch Kuch,
Soya Sticks, Badam Laccha
Pancharatna, Manbhavan
SoanPapdiandGulabJamun.
SHAHI DAWAT
The Shahi Dawat Rishtey
Gift hamper is fit for a
Maharaja. Rich, delectable
delights have been carefully
assorted for your most dis-
cerning associates. So fla-
vourful, it’s bound to leave
them royally impressed.
The combo includes Bikan-
eri Bhujia, Sub-Kuch
Navratna Mix, Shahi Mix-
ture, Crusty Nuts, Manb-
havan Soan Papdi and Ras-
gulla.
SHAHI ANDAZ
Nothing says Royalty like
Shahi Andaz. The Shahi An-
daz Rishtey Gift hamper is
specially crafted to please
the royal palate. Packed
with rich flavours and tex-
ture, this hamper is sure to
rule the hearts with Punjabi
Tadka, Bikaneri Bhujia,
Kaju Kismis Mix, Besan La-
doo and Rajbhog.
ABOUT BULK ORDERS
Special offers and discounts
are available on bulk orders.
You can reach out to Bikaji
through their website. They
have a robust e-com website
where all the products are
available for online sale,
reaching across the length
and the breadth of India. Bi-
kaji is also present online on
all leading platforms. Face-
book, Instagram, Twitter,
Linked In etc.
Amit Ji...
Amit Ji...
LOVES
LOVESBIKAJI
BIKAJI
B
Hampers. ish the delightful flavours
MEETHE PAL
This festive season, add a
thoughtful touch to corpo-
rate gifting. Delight your as-
sociates with Meethe Pal. A
Bikaji Sweets and Nam-
keens. It comes loaded with
flavours to create life’s most
delightful moments. The
combo includes Sab Kuch
Navratna Mix, Tana-Bana
Khatta Meetha, Rasgulla
and Gulab Jamun.
Shivratan Agarwal
Deepak Agarwal
SUSHMITA AIND
sushmita.aind@firstindia.co.in
City First brings to you the speciality of Rajasthan which is perfect for this festive season! Relish
your taste buds with gulab jamuns, bhujias, soan papdis, shakkar paras and so much more

GOT
ENGAGED!
K
ourtney Kardashian
and Travis Barker are
officially engaged.
Sources confirmed
that Travis popped the ques-
tion on Sunday, October 17 at
Rosewood Miramar hotel in
Montecito, Kourtney, posted to
Instagram just after Travis,
proposed. She included photos
of the couple embracing dur-
ing the magical moment.
Among those celebrating the
engagement was Kim Kar-
dashian, who tweeted foot-
age of the couple kissing
and added, “KRAVIS
FOREVER,” along with
a ring emoji.
—Agency
V
icky Kaushal’s much-awaited movie
Sardar Udham has been released, and
ever since fans are going on pouring
good word for the movie and the actor.
Well, it is not just the masses but even Bolly-
wood is on a praising spree for the Shoojit
Sircar directorial and the team. Most of
the actors have been taking to their so-
cial media handles to post what
they feel after watching Vicky
Kaushal starrer. From talking
about the perfection with which
the actor has portrayed Sard-
ar Udham’s character on the
screen to the honest efforts of
Shoojit to bring the story to
life, everything is being appre-
ciated. —Agency
FIRST INDIA FOOD AND
HOSPITALITY AWARDS 2021
CITY FIRST
F
irst India Food
Hospitality
Awards 2021
aims to cele-
brate this industry
and its trends and
provide a platform
for deliberating upon
issues that have
emerged in specific
sectors and brain-
storm possible solu-
tions. It also focuses
on the latest trends,
new-age setups, the
gap between the local
and urban food sec-
tor, brand and capac-
ity building, sustain-
ability, the hotel in-
dustry, nightlife, and
a lot more to do with
the food and hospital-
ity business. The dy-
namic awards aim to
foreground the inven-
tive ways in which
different champions
of the industry con-
quered the challenges
of contemporary
times, opening the
door to greater prof-
its and expansion and
giving a memorable
experience to the
guests.
For the special
event to be held on Oc-
tober 22, Lakshyaraj
Singh Mewar of the
erstwhile royal family
of Udaipur (Mewar)
and also the Executive
Director, HRH Group
of Hotels will grace
the occasion as the
Chief Guest.
“I am a strong believer in the fact that if the ingredients
are sourced locally and fresh produce of the season is
used only then one can create magic in the kitchen. This
is real cooking culture. First India Food Awards recognizes and
respects this culture.”
—Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar, Executive Director, HRH Group of Hotels
ETC
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia AHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2021
11
VACATIONFEVER!
hahidKapoorandMira
Rajput are currently
enjoying a beach vaca-
tion as of now. And
while the power couple
is quite active on social
media, they have been
treating fans with stunning pics
fromtheirvacationsandeachof
theirpostsistakingsocialmedia
by storm. From beach side fun,
to walks, to workout routine,
Mira has been keeping her
fansupdatedaboutalmost
everything. Keeping
up with this trajec-
tory
, Mira has
shared a beautiful
picwithhermain
man and is set
the internet on
fire. —Agency
S
PARTY WENT
WRONG!
O
n Salma Hayek’s birthday last
month, her Eternals co-star
Angelina Jolie tried to smash
her face into a cake and now
the Mexican actress is explaining
what happened in the viral video!
Hayek and Eternals co- star Ku-
mail Nanjiani re-
cently made an
appearance
on Jimmy
Kimmel Live, and opened
up about what actually
went down on her birth-
day. “There was no
birthday party
. Twen-
ty-five people that I
told them there is
no birthday party
showed up any-
way,” she ex-
plained.—Agency
Janhvi Kapoor reviews
‘Sardar Udham'
K
ajalAggarwalandNisha
are pure siblings goals
and yet again they have
proved it with their re-
cent photos. As Nisha is celebrat-
ing her birthday
, Kajal took to so-
cial media and shared mushy pics
with a lovely note to wish her. Shar-
ing a series of unseen pics from her
wedding, Kajal Aggarwal penned a
birthday note to Nisha, which read,
“Happiest birthday to the most gra-
cious, gorgeous, kindest person I
know - I’m so proud to
call my younger sister
may you’re heart be
full of love, grati-
tude, joy
, growth and
advancement in every
aspect of your being! You
always find strength, hu-
mour, health and comfort if
you stumble and may you
have the best experiences
that life has to offer!”
—Agency
Kajal's birthday
note for sister
...her post
Mira Rajput
Kajal Aggarwal and Nisha Aggarwal
Janhvi Kapoor
...her post
Kourtney Kardashian
Angelina Jolie
Salma Hayek
...her post
Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar

12
CITY BUZZ
GET VACCINATED
STAY MASKED
ityFirstinconversa-
tion with the ace de-
signer Rina Dhaka,
sharing about her
inspiration behind
the latest collection,
A Sweet Escape
with the Unstoppables!
Since the pandemic, most
of us have been through ma-
jor changes in life, some of
which have stayed and will
stay with us in the future. It
hasratherbeenalearningex-
perience. Designer Rina Dha-
ka who also
took the
same jour-
ney shared,
“Post the pan-
demic the tales
of our nation’s
pride were what in-
spired me to weave their tales
and inspire others along with
them.Thecollection,‘
ASweet
EscapewiththeUnstoppables’
which was displayed digitally
at the Fashion Week, Lakme
FDCI edition 2021 was in-
spired by such stories.”
Shefurtherbriefedabout
Udita Duhan, Indian hock-
ey player and Deepa Ma-
lik, Indian athlete
whose victories
speak for
themselves.
She added,
“Our collec-
tion hasn’t
just inspired
me but our
entire na-
tion. Intro-
ducing new
concepts I look
forward to
strong women
whoarereadytolead
their own lives.”
SUSHMITA AIND
sushmita.aind@firstindia.co.in
C
Weaving
A TALE
GROOMING THE BEAUTIES!
UNIQUE ELEMENTS
The online grooming and
training sessions of First
Miss India and First Miss
India Teen 2021 started on
Monday, October 18. The
first session was carried
by Nisha Chanda, Fashion
evangelist, educationist,
and influencer while the
second session on the
topic ‘Public Speaking’
was conducted by Dr Anita Hada. Organisers and
chief mentors Gaurav Gaur and Dr Maulik Shah also
joined the sessions and encouraged all the finalists.
The online sessions on different topics by prominent
experts will be conducted while there will also be 3
days of on-location training in Goa before the grand
finale on October 30. All the participants joined in and
were enthused by the experts’ advice.
During Nisha Chanda’s session
THE SURVIVOR IS NOT AT FAULT
D
epression, obsession,
overthinking, anxie-
ty, fear, and aggres-
sion all are in the
same boat but when it comes
to talking about it, reveal-
ing, and solving it is not that
easy! One needs to under-
stand that poking the person
overandoveragainforsome
problem won’t clear their
path. Since the pandemic, a
lot of mental health issues
have come to light. Pandem-
ic didn't give rise to another
health issue but it brought
back to light what was ig-
nored by most of us. The
problem occurs when we fel-
low citizens don’t take
things seriously when the
person suffering is alive and
are sharing their worries!
With reference to Sushant
Singh Rajput’s death,
each everyone is
posting stories on so-
cial media. Now does
thateffortof yoursmake
any sense to anyone alive?
The answer is ‘NO’. This ef-
fort of posting and in a for-
mal way uploading stories
for survivors to seek help
won’t work. The survivors
are not as fortunate. If it’s
difficult for an actor to seek
help then think about the
normal people out there.
Sometimes taking medica-
tion won’t work as much as
talking will. Consulting a
psychiatrist is advice every-
one could give but provid-
ing a shoulder to cry
upon, con-
s o l i n g ,
m a k -
ing the
survivor’s
l i v i n g
comfortably
in your part
as a parent,
friend, rela-
tives, guardian.
As said ‘action
speaks more than
words’ make it
happen, help any-
one around you
struggling with a
similar problem and feel the
difference about how good,
proud you feel of yourself.
DAKSHITA
SINGH
cityfirstdel@gmail.com
MYSTICAL
MOVES
D
r Acharya Vinod Kumar Ojha
is an acclaimed name in the
Occult industry who, with his
profound knowledge, has
transformed the lives of countless
people. A celebrated figure known
for his mystical predictions, Ojha
is revered not just in India but
globally too. His expertise in read-
ing and analyzing Horoscopes has
altered the lives of many people and
unlocked their potential to reach
their desired goals.
Acharya Ojha hails from Alla-
habad, the city that has given birth to
some of the greatest Pandits and
Acharyas in history
. Over the years,
Acharya Ojha gained a lot of knowl-
edgeinavarietyof subjectsincluding
Astrology, Gemology, Numerology,
Vastu and Panchang. By applying his
multifarious skills, he has ena-
bled people to lead meaningful
lives in terms of health, marriage,
business, and career. He has appeared
on countless shows and channels like
- Darshan24, Shraddha TV
, Sadhna,
Sanskar, Sony Pal, Sab TV
, Zee Jagran
and many others. He has been con-
ferred the status of ‘doctor’ by the
esteemedEuropeanandInternational
University
. In the past, his accurate
predictions have changed people’s
lives in beautiful ways, and hopefully
,
they will do the same in the future.
As per the official Twitter handle of @DCP North-West
Delhi, a meeting was held with AGNIi Mission (one
of nine Technology missions under PM-STIAC) officials
for modernisation strategic upgrades and operational
transformation of Delhi Police via emerging technology on
Monday.
A fashion reality show ‘Hum Hain Gully Guys’ was organised by two teenagers Shams Rathod and Jayant
Bagda at Delhi. Priya Rathod, Priya Bagda, Meharban Khan, Rohit Pandey, Iqbal Vora, Raj Kumar Vashist,
Shabana Shaikh, and Raman Singhla were present during the event.
Few more glimpses from the ‘Mata ka
Bhandara’ conducted by the group, ‘We are
One’ from Delhi led by Neelam Saxena.
MEETING!
THE BOY NEXT DOOR
FEW MORE GLIMPSES
Hang Out during the second
wave created a new space for
entertainment amusement
called, The Neon cafe
Bowl, neon themed restro-
bar with unique elements
of amusement like bowling,
pool tables, air hockey, VR
zone, arcade games weekly
entertainment with live
musical performances, stand-
up comedy and DJ.
—PHOTOS BY SHAZID CHAUHAN
Anita Hada
POORVI SINGHAL
cityfirstdel@gmail.com
Rina Dhaka
Models wearing designs by
Rina Dhaka
Nisha Chanda
Dr Acharya Vinod Kumar Ojha
Representational picture
Bonnie Arora
Shiven Vij and Manish Seth
Munish Nagrath and
Sanjeev Chopra
Dipali bhasin and
Shalini Bajaj Vij
Dosh the band
Kahili Saihgal and
Sonal Seth

19102021 first india ahmedabad

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (18)

Similar to 19102021 first india ahmedabad

Similar to 19102021 first india ahmedabad (20)

More from FIRST INDIA

More from FIRST INDIA (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

19102021 first india ahmedabad