19122022_First India Mumbai.pdf

Villagers leaving Maha is govt’s failure: Pawar
Kartikey Dev Singh
Mumbai: The winter
session of the Maha-
rashtra Legislative As-
sembly is starting from
Monday
, December 19 in
Nagpur. However, prior
to this, on Sunday, the
ruling party invited the
opposition for a tea cer-
emony, but instead of
following the tradition,
the opposition boycott-
ed it. In this regard,
Leader of Opposition
Ajit Pawar held a press
conference and raised
many issues in the press
conference.
“In a state like Maha-
rashtra, great men are
being insulted. Maha-
rashtra will not tolerate
this. Governor Koshy-
ari’s statement regard-
ing Chhatrapati Shivaji
Maharaj is objectiona-
ble. After him, BJP lead-
ers are also giving simi-
lar statements. We op-
pose it,” Pawar said.
He said that Karnata-
kaborderissuehasbeen
pending for many years.
“But when present gov-
ernment came, instead
of getting rid of it; it
flared up further. The
Chief Minister of Kar-
nataka started claiming
the villages of Maha-
rashtra. Earlier no one
dared to do this, but now
all this is happening.
Somevillageshavestart-
ed taking the attitude
thatif wedonotdevelop,
wewillgotootherstates,
this is the failure of the
Shinde-Fadnavis gov-
ernment,” he said.
On Deputy CM Dev-
endra Fadnavis claim
that Chief Minister
Eknath Shinde will pre-
sent a proposal on bor-
der issues, Ajit Pawar
said, “If there is a reso-
lution on border issue,
we will support that
resolution.”
Opposition parties
boycott ruling
coalition’s ‘chai-pe-
charcha’!
First India Bureau
Mumbai: After a clean
chit in the INS Vikrant
fund embezzlement
scam, BJP’s Kirit So-
maiya threw the gaunt-
let to Uddhav Thacker-
ay and Sanjay Raut.
“Hearing about clean
chit will result in an
earthquake in Sanjay
Raut’s house. Uddhav
Thackeray had a meet-
ing at Matoshree when
he was CM, where
many officials besides
Collector of Thane
Rajesh Narvekar were
present. If Sanjay Raut
has the guts, he should
tell us who Rajesh
Narvekar is. Also,
Thackeray should hold
a meeting under his
chairmanship and say
whether he was being
watched or not. Also,
how did Sanjay Raut
get the documents of
the alleged scam,”
questioned Somaiya.
Shinde, Fadnavis brace to
make Maha corruption free
Mumbai: Maharashtra
Dy Chief Minister Dev-
endra Fadnvis on
Sunday said the Ma-
harashtra cabinet
has decided to bring
Lokayukta Bill on
lines of Lokpal.
“Today in
cabinet meet-
ing, we have
taken important deci-
sions. We have approved
Anna Hazare Commit-
tee report on introduc-
ing Lokayukta in Maha-
rashtra on lines of Lok-
pal. A Bill will be
broughtinthissession,”
Fadnavis told reporters.
“The Chief Minister
and the cabinet will
bebroughtunderthe
ambit of the Lokay-
ukta. Anti-Corrup-
tion Act will be
made a part of
this law, and
the Lokay-
ukta will have a team of
five people including re-
tired judges,” added the
Maharashtra Deputy
Chief Minister.
Chief Minister
Eknath Shinde said he
wants to run the govern-
ment with full transpar-
ency
.
“We will run the gov-
ernment with complete
transparency
. We will
make Maharashtra cor-
ruption free, that is why
we have decided to bring
Lokayukta law into the
state,” said CM Shinde.
Come clean if you
can: Kirit Somaiya
to Sanjay Raut
The top legislative
brass set stage to
bring even CM and
Dy CM under the
ambit of Lokayukta
WINTER SESSION OF MAHA-ASSEMBLY STARTS TODAY
Ajit Pawar
OUR EDITIONS:
JAIPUR, NEW DELHI
& MUMBAI
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MUMBAI l MONDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2022 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI TITLE NO.MAHENG/2022/14652 l Vol 1 l Issue No.222
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates various developmental projects, in Shillong, Meghalaya on Sunday. Union Home Minister
Amit Shah is also seen. —PHOTO BY PTI
‘GAVE RED CARDS TO
CORRUPTION, NEPOTISM’
Shillong: Making an
analogy to football,
Prime Minister Naren-
dra Modi on Sunday
said in his address at
the golden jubilee cele-
brations of the North
Eastern Council in
Shillong that his gov-
ernment has given red
cards to hurdles like
corruption, nepotism,
and discrimination in
the last eight years.
In his address at a
football ground, PM
Modi said, “It is a coin-
cidence that today when
the final of the Football
World Cup is taking
place, I am in the midst
of football lovers on the
football ground itself.
On the other side, a foot-
ball competition is go-
ing on and subsequent-
ly this side, we are com-
peting for development
on the football field.”
Recalling the efforts
of hisgovernmentinthe
lasteightyearsPMModi
said, “In football, if
someone’s behaviour is
against the spirit of the
game,thenheisshowna
redcardandthrownout.
Similarly
, in the last
eight years, we have
eradicated many hur-
dles-- corruption, nepo-
tism,discrimination--re-
lated to the North East.”
PM GIVES PROJECTS WORTH
`2450 CR TO SHILLONG
...MEANWHILE, AGARTALA
GETS `4,350 CR PROJECTS
Shillong: Prime Minister Narendra Modi
on Sunday inaugurated, dedicated, and
laid foundation stones for various projects
worth Rs2450 crores in Shillong as part
of the golden jubilee celebrations of the
North Eastern Council (NEC). Modi inau-
gurated the New Campus of IIM Shillong
at Umsawli and Shillong-Diengpasoh
Road while also inaugurating four other
road projects across three states- Megha-
laya, Manipur, and Arunachal Pradesh.
Agartala: Prime Minister Modi on Sunday
inaugurated and laid foundation stone
of various development projects worth
over Rs 4,350 crore in Agartala. PM also
launched the Grih Pravesh programme for
beneficiaries under Pradhan Mantri Awas
Yojana-Urban and Pradhan Mantri Awas
Yojana-Rural, inaugurated the project for
widening of Agartala bypass, and laid the
foundation stones for 32 roads.
Modi’s views on nuclear weapons
impacted Russia: CIA Chief Burns
Washington (ANI):
PM Narendra Modi’s
views on the use of nu-
clear weapons had an
impact on the Russians
and could well have
averted a global disas-
ter in the context of the
Ukraine war, Director
of the Central Intelli-
gence Agency (CIA) Bill
Burns said.
“I think it’s also been
very useful that Xi Jin-
ping and PM Modi in
India have also raised
their concerns about
the use of nuclear weap-
ons as well. I think
that’s also having an im-
pact on the Russians,”
Bill Burns said in an
interview with PBS. “I
think the saber-rattling
is meant to intimidate.
We don’t see any clear
evidence today of plans
to use tactical nuclear
weapons,” he added.
CIA Chief Bill Burns
remarks come as Rus-
sian President Vladimir
Putin on December 3 ad-
mitted that the conflict
is“goingtotakeawhile.”
Notably, India has
been calling for dia-
logue and diplomacy
since the war began be-
tween Russia and
Ukraine. On December
16, PM Modi reiterated
his call for dialogue and
diplomacy as the “only
way forward”.
Bill Burns
MESSI’SMAGIC
Argentina’s players celebrate as they beat France 4-2 on penalties to win the
Finals of the FIFA World Cup 2022. at Lusail Stadium, in Lusail on Sunday.
Argentina beat France 4-2 on penalties to lift FIFA World Cup
Rajnath Singh with Goa Governor PS Sreedharan Pillai, CM
Pramod Sawant, CDS Gen Anil Chauhan, Chief of Naval Staff
Admiral R Hari Kumar and others navy officials during the
commissioning ceremony of INS Mormugao at the naval dockyard
in Mumbai on Sunday. —PHOTO BY BHUSHAN KOYANDE
DEFENCE MINISTER
CITES ‘PURANAS’
‘NOT RAJNATH BUT
PM SHOULD ANSWER’
Mumbai: The Defence
Minister cited ‘puranas’ to
underscore the important
role the Indian Navy plays
in the country’s maritime
security. “Even if our puranas
are mere (figment of) imagi-
nation, there is truth behind
them,” he said, adding “They
are important for us.”
Dausa: The Congress on
Sunday accused PM Modi of
“running away” from a debate
in Parliament on the situation
along the border with China
and said he and not the defence
minister must answer on this
issue. It asked whether the
government was “silent” due to
“close ties” with that country.
COMMISSIONING OF INS MORMUGAO
India will do shipbuilding for
world in future: Rajnath Singh
Mumbai: Defence Min-
ister Rajnath Singh on
Sunday exuded confi-
dencethatinfutureIndia
will emerge as a global
player in shipbuilding.
Singh was speaking at
the commissioning cere-
mony of INS ‘Mormu-
gao’, a P15B stealth-guid-
ed missile destroyer, at
the Naval Dockyard in
Mumbai. “INS Mormu-
gao is one of the most
powerful warships made
in India, it will make a
remarkable growth in
Indian Maritime capa-
bilities. INS Mormugao
isoneof theworld’smost
technologically ad-
vancedmissilecarriers,”
Singh said.
“It is also an example
of our indigenous de-
fence production capa-
bility,” he added, under-
lining that in future, we
will do shipbuilding for
the world.

First India Bureau
Mumbai: A contro-
versy has erupted after
a video of people being
handed money for par-
ticipating in Maha Vi-
kas Aghadi (MVA) pro-
test march held in
Mumbai on Saturday,
went viral on social
media platforms. On
Sunday, Leader of Op-
position in state As-
sembly and National-
ist Congress Party
(NCP) leader Ajit Pa-
war went into damage
control mode and de-
nied the incident.
When asked about
the video’s authentici-
ty
, Pawar told report-
ers, “As per my knowl-
edge,this(incident)has
not happened at all. I
was in the march from
start to finish. Even af-
ter it was over, I was
talking to the people
(who had participated)
for some time. Nothing
like this happened. I
didn’t see people bring-
inganymoney
.Thereis
no need to malign our
efforts (on the march)
without any reason.”
Interestingly, it was
Bharatiya Janata Par-
ty (BJP) leader Keshav
Upadhye who shared
the video on Twitter.
On Deputy CM Fad-
navis mocking Uddhav
Thackeray’s faction by
terming it “chhota”
Shiv Sena and “nano”
rally
,Pawarresponded,
“It is the right of the
deputy CM to have the
name ‘Nano’ or to have
a scooter. We don’t give
much importance to
it.”
In our eyes, on the
occasionof thismarch,
the Maha Vikas Agha-
di has come forward.
Wehavetakenoutsuch
a march after six
months, he added.
NEWS
MUMBAI | MONDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2022
02
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First India Bureau
Mumbai: Putting forth
his wishes, Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP)
President, Chan-
drashekharBawankule,
on Sunday said that
Deputy Chief Minister
Devendra Fadnavis
should be the state
chief minister as long
as he is the party’s state
unit chief, for the “over-
all development” of the
state.
The statement comes
months after
Bawankule’s predeces-
sor Chandrakant Patil,
who is now a cabinet
minister, had said that
the party decided with
a heavy heart that rebel
Shiv Sena leader
Eknath Shinde should
become the state’s CM
instead of Fadnavis.
Bawankule’s remark
gave ammunition to
the opposition parties,
with the Nationalist
Congress Party (NCP)
saying that it showed
the BJP had no value
for current CM Shinde.
Speaking at a public
event in Nagpur,
Bawankule said, “...As
long as I am the state
unit president (of the
BJP), Fadnavis should
become...” The BJP
leader left the sentence
incomplete and took a
pause as he waited for
response from the au-
dience gathered there.
After a couple of per-
sons from the audience
shouted “chief minis-
ter”, Bawankule contin-
ued his speech and said,
“We all need to work in
such a manner that he
(Fadnavis) will get that
post (of CM). It is not
about getting him that
post, but it is for the
overall development of
Maharashtra.”
“If one person can de-
fine the future of Maha-
rashtra, it is Devendra-
ji,” he added.
Bawankule was
speaking at a pro-
gramme organized on
the occasion of the
death anniversary of
Sant Jaganade Maharaj
in East Nagpur, where
Deputy Chief Minister
Devendra Fadnavis was
also present.
Fadnavis is a leader
who rises above caste.
He works for all the
communities equally.
And that is why it is
our responsibility that
the period from 2014 to
2019 (when Fadnavis
was CM) should come
again in Maharashtra,
asserted Bawankule.
First India Bureau
Mumbai: Remarks by
Governor BS Koshyari
on Shivaji Maharaj and
the simmering border
row with Karnataka are
expectedtodominatethe
winter session of state
legislature beginning in
Nagpur on Monday
.
According to political
observers, the opposi-
tion is also expected to
target the Eknath Shin-
de-led government on
shiftingof megaprojects
like Foxconn to Gujarat.
Koshyari recently
said that Shivaji Maha-
raj was a “hero of the
past”, while BJP
Spokesperson Sudhan-
shu Trivedi claimed the
Maratha warrior king
sought mercy from the
Mughal empire. Their
remarks caused state-
wide protests.
Deputy Chief Minis-
ter Devendra Fadnavis
said that a proposal per-
taining to the Karnata-
ka-Maharashtra border
row will be passed in
the winter session.
The state govern-
ment is expected to ta-
ble 11 bills during the
session, expected to last
till December 30.
The government will
table the Maharashtra
Zilla Parishad and Pan-
chayat Samiti (third
amendment) Bill 2022,
which proposes to in-
crease the number of
members in the zilla
parishads and panchay-
at samitis.
It will also table the
MaharashtraStateAgri-
culture Produce (Devel-
opment and Regulation)
Amendment Bill, 2022 to
enable the farmers to
contest the elections of
the Agriculture Produce
Market Committees.
The government will
introduce the Mumbai
Municipal Corporation
(second amendment)
Bill 2022 to revise the
capital value of the land
andbuildings.Itwillalso
move a bill proposing a
temporary hike in the
state contingency fund.
Koshyari’s remarks, border row with K’taka to dominate talks
WINTER SESSION
Oppn may also
target Eknath
Shinde-led govt
on mega projects’
shift to Gujarat
WILL BRING UP INVESTMENT LOSS, AGRARIAN DISTRESS: PAWAR
First India Bureau
Nagpur: Leader of
the Opposition in the
Legislative Assembly
Ajit Pawar on Sunday
said that the Opposition
will corner the Eknath
Shinde-led Maharash-
tra government over
agrarian distress and the
state losing investment
projects in the winter
session.
Addressing a press
conference on Sunday,
“The Opposition will tar-
get the government over
big-ticket investment
projects preferring other
states over Maharashtra
and the agrarian dis-
tress,” he said. Pawar’s
counterpart in the
Legislative Council, Am-
badas Danve (Shiv Sena
UBT), Dilip Walse-Patil,
Chhagan Bhujbal senior
leaders of the Nationalist
Congress Party and state
Congress President Nana
Patole were also present.
“It’s been nearly six
months that the (Shinde)
government has come
to power, but it has not
been able to fulfill the
expectations of the peo-
ple,” Pawar added.
On the agrarian
distress, Pawar said
farmers have suffered
losses due to unseasonal
rains, but they are yet to
receive crop insurance
and compensation.
The NCP leader said
the Opposition would
also question the gov-
ernment over big-ticket
projects preferring other
states over Maharash-
tra, a development
which deprived lakhs of
the youth of jobs and
industries allied to these
projects.
‘MAKE BORDER
ROW TALKS WITH
SHAH PUBLIC’
Nagpur: NCP’s Ajit
Pawar on Saturday said
that the December 14
talks between Karnataka
and Maharashtra chief
ministers Bavasaraj
Bommai and Eknath
Shinde respectively, and
Union Home Minister
Amit Shah regarding the
border issue should be
made public. “Karnataka
and Maharashtra CMs’
talks with Shah should
be made public. We will
support it if the state
government brings
proposals on the border
issues,” said Pawar.
First India Bureau
Mumbai: A day after
the Maha Vikas Aghadi
(MVA) ‘Halla Bol’ pro-
test march held in
Mumbai, Shiv Sena –
Uddhav Balasaheb
Thackeray leader San-
jay Raut hit back at
Chief Minister Eknath
Shinde after his harsh
criticism of the opposi-
tion’s event.
Speaking at a press
meet in Satara on Sun-
day, Raut said, “Chief
Minister Eknath Shin-
de criticized Maha Vi-
kas Aghadi by saying
that the three parties
had held meetings and
made big preparations
for the march. However,
everyone has seen how
successful they were in
the end.”
Referring to the BJP-
Shinde camp gather-
ing in Konkan, Shinde
had also said, “Our
meeting in Konkan
was more crowded
than this. These are
desperate people, who
have lost power. They
are in a frenzy of giv-
ing speeches and criti-
cizing the government.
The way we have
worked in the last four
months has made them
uncomfortable, and
they have become de-
pressed.”
Hitting back at the
CM’s criticism, Raut
said, “After insults of
Chhatrapati Shivaji
Maharaj, Babasaheb
Ambedkar and Mahat-
ma Phule, he (Shinde)
has been made the chief
minister on the condi-
tion that no matter how
many outbursts occur
in public, you will not
open your mouth or
protest.”
So, if they are com-
paring our march to
their meeting in Kon-
kan, I am happy that
they left Shiv Sena. Un-
fortunately for them,
we had people in our
party who took such a
stance when it came to
the self-respect of Ma-
harashtra, he added.
‘Fadnavis should be CM while I am BJP chief’
BJPleadershavenovalue
forCMShinde:NCPMLC
First India Bureau
Mumbai: Responding
to Bawankule’s state-
ment on Deputy Chief
Minister Devendra
Fadnavis becoming
state chief minister,
Nationalist Congress
Party (NCP) MLC
Amol Mitkari said “it
means BJP leaders
have zero value for
current CM Eknath
Shinde.”
Speaking to report-
ers in Mumbai on
Sunday, Mitkari said,
“It means BJP
(Bharatiya Janata
Party) leaders have
zero value for cur-
rent CM Eknath
Shinde and his fac-
tion. Soon, they
(Shinde and his sup-
porters) will realize
that they have been
cheated by the BJP.
Chandrakant Patil
had already made a
similar statement a
few months back that
it was painful for
BJP leaders to see
Fadnavis becoming
deputy CM.
Bawankule’s state-
ment should be seri-
ously considered by
theShindecampMa-
harashtra, he added.
The state BJP
chief’s statement
comes on the eve of
the winter session of
the state legislature in
Nagpur.
Mitkari further
stated, “I had said that
the day the state cabi-
net expansion hap-
pens, this government
will collapse. Sanjay
Raut (of Shiv Sena -
Uddhav Balasaheb
Thackeray) had said
that the new govern-
ment would not last
till February next
year. They are going
in that direction only
.”
It is clear from the
(Bawankule and
Raut’s) statements
that Eknath Shinde is
still not recognized
(as CM) in Maharash-
tra, he added.
Bawankule feels deputy CM at the helm of govt will be good for ‘overall devt’ of state
U-TURN
After the collapse of the
Uddhav Thackeray-led
Maha Vikas Aghadi
(MVA) government in
June, it was expected
that Fadnavis would
become the CM. But
Fadnavis announced
that Shinde would lead
the new government.
Fadnavis had also said
that he would not be
in the government,
but within a couple of
hours, BJP President
JP Nadda announced
that Fadnavis will take
oath as deputy CM.
...As long as I am the state unit pres-
ident (of the BJP), Fadnavis should
become... We all need to work in such
a manner that he (Fadnavis) will get that
post (of CM). It is not about getting him that
post, but it is for the overall development of
Maharashtra. If one person can define the
future of Maharashtra, it is Devendraji.
—Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Maharashtra BJP chief
Mumbai (PTI): For-
mer Rajya Sabha mem-
ber and senior Bharati-
ya Janata Party (BJP)
leader Subramanian
Swamy on Sunday met
state Governor Bhagat
Singh Koshyari at the
Raj Bhavan in Mumbai.
In a statement, the
Raj Bhavan said it was
just a courtesy meeting.
The meeting comes a
day after the opposition
Maha Vikas Aghadi
(MVA)constituentsShiv
Sena - Uddhav Balasa-
hebThackeray
,National-
ist Congress Party
(NCP), Congress, and
other parties took out a
massive “Halla Bol”
morcha in Mumbai
against the state govern-
ment on Saturday
.
They demanded Ko-
shyari’s removal for
“insulting” Chhatrapa-
ti Shivaji Maharaj and
social reformers Ma-
hatma Phule and Savit-
ribai Phule.
The meeting assumes
significance as Swamy
had earlier reportedly
opposed the Maharash-
tra government’s plans
to develop a corridor at
the temple town of Pan-
dharpur in Solapur dis-
trict. The government
has proposed to build
the corridor around the
Vitthal and Rukmini
temple on the lines of
Kashi Vishwanath pro-
ject in Varanasi.
However, there is a
requirement to demol-
ish some religious as
well as residential
structures in the town
for the project, which is
being opposed by some
sections.
BJP’s Subramanian
Swamy calls on Guv
Bhagat S Koshyari
Meeting comes a day
after MVA’s ‘Halla Bol’
march; may be about
Pandharpur corridor
Slams him for his
silence on border row
with K’taka, insults to
Maharashtra icons
Video screengrab of a man
distributing money to people.
MVA PROTEST MARCH
Raut hits back at Shinde after ‘Halla Bol’ criticism
Paid ‘audience’ at march?
Ajit Pawar dismisses video
In the viral clip,
people can be seen
handing out money
to participants
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut —FILE PHOTO
NCP’s Amol Mitkari

First India Bureau
Mumbai: The Brihan-
mumbai Municipal Cor-
poration (BMC) has in-
vited tenders to upcycle
imperishable stuff into
street furniture such as
benches, tables and gar-
bagebins.Thecivicbody
also plan to make pencil
boxes out of it.
Despite the fact that
the state government
partiallyeasedtheprohi-
bitiononsingle-useplas-
tics two weeks ago, the
BMC warehouses are
filledwith4,000kgof ma-
terial confiscated in pre-
vious raids.
The BMC revived the
drive against banned
plastic on July 01 after
over two years of COV-
ID-19 restrictions. Ward-
wise teams were formed
toinspectmarkets,shops
and establishments,
with officials from the
licence department seiz-
ing banned plastic and
penalizing violators. For
every violation, a penal-
ty of Rs5,000 to Rs25,000
was imposed. The seized
plasticwasthendumped
in BMC warehouses.
In these past months,
civic teams collected
around 4,000kg of mate-
rial till November.
Three years ago, Pro-
ject Mumbai—a non-
profitorganizationstart-
edcollectingplasticfrom
housing societies and
upcycling it into bench-
es, pencil boxes and gar-
bagebins.Somebenches
are installed in around
50 civic gardens and
even civic-run schools.
Now, the BMC’s Solid
Waste Management De-
partment was also in
talk with NGOs for simi-
lar projects.
MAHARASHTRA
03
Thane (PTI): The state
governmenthasdirected
the collectors of all dis-
tricts in the state to set
up CM’s secretariat cells
in their respective dis-
tricts for early redressal
of people’s grievances.
A Government Reso-
lution (GR) to this effect
was issued on Friday
.
It said these secretari-
at cells were earlier set
upatthedivisionallevel.
But the facility is being
further extended to the
district level.
The government or-
der also said that earlier,
citizens had to go all the
way to the state secre-
tariat in Mumbai to sub-
mit their applications
and get their issues re-
solved. But their time
and efforts were saved
withthesettingupof the
divisional CM secretari-
at offices.
“Nowtomakethetask
easier further and make
it more transparent as
well as speedy
, the deci-
sion to set up the district
level cells has been tak-
en,” it said.
Resident deputy col-
lectors of the district
will head the cell and a
“nayab tehsildar” will
assist him or her in the
task, it added.
TEEN GIRL GANG-RAPED IN
MAHA VILLAGE, EIGHT HELD
First India Bureau
Palghar: Cops in Pal-
ghar district have ar-
rested eight persons in
connection with the
rape of a teenage girl at
a village, said an official
on Sunday
.
Theincidentoccurred
during the intervening
night of Friday and Sat-
urday, in which the ac-
cusedrapedthegirlatan
unoccupiedbungalowin
theirbeachvillage.They
then took her to the sea-
shore, where they again
sexually assaulted her,
he said.
A case of gang-rape
has been registered
against the accused at
Satpati police station,
said a spokesperson of
Palghar district rural
police, adding that the
victim was around 16
years old.
“In her complaint
lodged on Saturday, the
victim said that her or-
deal began at 8 pm on
December16andcontin-
ued till 10 am the next
day, during which the
accused took her to an
unoccupiedbungalowin
Mahim village where
they took turns to rape
her. Later, they also took
her to the seashore
where they again sexu-
ally assaulted her in the
bushes,” he said.
Based on her com-
plaint, the police arrest-
ed the eight accused in
the early hours of Sun-
day and registered a
case against them under
various Indian Penal
Code (IPC) sections, in-
cluding 376 (D) (gang-
rape), 366 (A) (procura-
tion of minor girl), 341
(wrongful restraint), 342
(wrongful confinement)
and 323 (voluntarily
causing hurt), and sec-
tions of the Protection
of Children from Sexual
Offences (POCSO) Act,
he said.
Further investigation
intothecaseiscurrently
underway
.
In her
complaint
lodged on Saturday,
the victim said that
her ordeal began at
8 pm on December
16 and continued till
10 am the next day,
during which the
accused took her to
an unoccupied bunga-
low in Mahim village
where they took turns
to rape her. Later,
they also took her to
the seashore where
they again sexually
assaulted her in the
bushes.
—Palghar district rural
police spokesperson
The accused
allegedly took
the victim to
an unoccupied
bungalow near
the beach on
December 16
WOMAN FILES 2ND RAPE CASE AFTER MAN GETS BAIL IN 1ST ONE
Mumbai (PTI): A
32-year-old man has
been booked for alleged-
ly raping a woman on
the pretext of marriage
in Oshiwara, said a
Mumbai police official
on Saturday. This is the
second rape case the
woman has filed against
the man, the official add-
ed. “She had filed a rape
case in Kashimira police
station in August, but
the accused had got bail
from a Thane court after
submitting an affidavit
that he would marry
her. She has now filed a
second case claiming the
man raped her recently
in a lodge in Jogesh-
wari,” he said. “She has
also alleged the man
beat her up demanding
she withdraw the rape
case filed in Kashimira in
Thane district. We have
registered a rape case
and are probing further,”
said the Oshiwara police
station official.
WOMAN JUMPS
OFF HIGH-RISE;
COMMITS SUICIDE
ACTOR SEXUALLY
HARASSING
WOMAN BOOKED
3 PEOPLE BOOKED
FOR EXTORTING
MONEY IN THANE
2 ARRESTED WITH
MEPHEDRONE
WORTH `1 CRORE
Mumbai: A 25-year-
old woman allegedly
committed suicide by
jumping off a high-rise
in Andheri West, a police
official said on Sunday.
The incident took place
late Saturday night, he
added. “She jumped off
the eighth floor of the
building and landed on
top of a parked car dying
on the spot,” he said.
DN Nagar police have
registered an accidental
death report and further
investigation is on.
Mumbai: Police have
registered a case of
intimidation, sexual ha-
rassment and extortion
against television actor
Amit Antil. As per the
complaint lodged by a
south Mumbai teacher
at Malabar Hill police
station, Antil black-
mailed her with some
of her intimate photos
that he had shot. He
allegedly told her he
would kill her son if she
didn’t pay in exchange
for the photos.
Thane: Three persons
have been booked for
allegedly posing as Ma-
harashtra Pollution Con-
trol Board officials and
extorting money from
factory owners in Thane
district, a police official
said on Sunday. No
arrest has been made
in the case registered
under various IPC sec-
tions for impersonation
and extortion on the
complaint of a Dombiva-
li-based powder coating
factory owner.
Mumbai: The Anti Nar-
cotics Cell of the Mum-
bai crime branch Satur-
day arrested two drug
peddlers and seized
mephedrone worth
Rs1 crore. The police
said the two accused,
whose movements
appeared “suspicious”,
were caught from a lane
near Sion leading to the
seizure of 500 gm of
the substance. The two
are members of a drug
syndicate and have been
placed under arrest.
CRUCIAL READ
Mira Bhayandar: The Mira Bhayandar Municipal
Corporation (MBMC) has commissioned five mist
spray cannons to reduce dust and air pollution levels
in the twin city. A trial run of the canons was con-
ducted in the presence of MBMC chief Dilip Dhole.
“The civic administration purchased the five canons
worth Rs1.98 crore from the funds received under the
National Clean Air Programme (NCAP),” said Dhole.
MBMC UNVEILS FIVE MIST SPRAY
CANNONS TO COMBAT DEGRADING AQI
Navi Mumbai: After the reshuffle of senior police
officials in Navi Mumbai, a total of nine police inspectors
have been transferred within the Navi Mumbai Police
Commissionerate. Similarly, 21 police personnel have
been transferred to the traffic branch. An order was is-
sued by the Police Commissionerate office. Last month
in November, former Police Commissioner Bipin Kumar
Singh transferred 11 senior police inspectors.
NINE POLICE INSPECTORS TRANSFERRED
WITHIN CITY’S POLICE COMMISSIONERATE
Jalna: An organization working for the development of
Marathwada region has criticized the government over
its decision to form Kokan Development Authority (KDA)
for the coastal districts. President of the ‘Marathwa-
da Anushesh Nirmulan Aani Vikas Manch’ Dr Sanjay
Patil claimed that the Eknath Shinde-led government’s
decision to form the KDA was a violation of the Nagpur
Accord and Article of 371(2) of the Indian Constitution.
OBJECTION RAISED AGAINST DECISION TO
FORM KOKAN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
Nanded (PTI):
Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) Lok
Sabha MP Pratap
Chiklikar suffered a
minor burn injury
on his hand while
lighting an effigy of
Pakistan Foreign
Minister Bilawal
BhuttoinNandedin
Maharashtra, a par-
ty functionary said
on Sunday
.
The incident took
place on Saturday
amid the BJP’s na-
tionwide protests
against Bhutto for
his objectionable
comments about
Prime Minister
Narendra Modi.
The Nanded MP
suffered a burn in-
jury the moment he
lit a matchstick to
set ablaze the effigy
of thePakistanmin-
ister, the party func-
tionary said.
Chiklikarwasim-
mediately helped by
those around and
not much damage
was done, the func-
tionary added.
BJP MP
suffers minor
burn injury in
Nanded
He was burning
an effigy of Pak
Foreign Minister
Bilawal Bhutto
Son’s responsibility
to maintain 98-yr-
old mother: Court
First India Bureau
Mumbai: A magis-
trate court ordered a
72-year-old man, a re-
tired manager from a
private company, to
pay his 98-year-old
mother temporary
monthly mainte-
nance of Rs20,000
and stated that “be-
ing a son, it is his
responsibility to
maintain her.”
The mother had
sought monetary and
other reliefs from her
son,hiswife,andtheir
daughter in court. She
had reported that they
wanted her to leave
the flat where they
were living together.
Thewomansaidher
sonwasdrawingapen-
sion as well as getting
money from consul-
tancy services. She
had sought that he pay
her Rs35,000 every
month, remove him-
self and family from
the flat and urged the
court to direct them to
stop subjecting her to
domestic violence.
The court held that
prima facie she is be-
ing subjected to do-
mestic violence and
it’s necessary to grant
a protection order in
her favour.
Mumbai (PTI): The
conditionof twopersons
among the 12 injured in
a fire in a building in
suburban Mumbai a day
earlier continues to be
critical, said an official
on Sunday
.
He said seven people
were discharged from a
hospital while the condi-
tion of two persons, in-
cluding an 18-year-old
girl, is critical, he said.
A46-year-oldmandied
and 12 persons, includ-
ing four police person-
nel, were hospitalized
for inhaling smoke after
the blaze broke out in
Vishwas building adja-
cent to Parekh Hospital
in Ghatkopar area on
Saturday afternoon.
The blaze erupted in
the electricity meter
room of a hotel located
on the ground floor of
the six-storey building,
following which 22 pa-
tients undergoing treat-
ment in an adjacent hos-
pital were shifted to an-
other medical facility
.
Four police personnel
had rushed inside the
building to rescue the
trapped persons. They
wereadmittedtothehos-
pital due to the inhala-
tionof smokealongwith
eight others.
Rotting plastic in BMC warehouses to become benches
BEST OUT OF WASTE
Civic body has
invited tenders
to upcycle
imperishable
material into
street furniture
Vigilance committees to
review beautification work
First India Bureau
Mumbai: Toensurethat
theworkof the‘Mumbai
beautification project’
progresses as per the
deadline, the Brihan-
mumbai Municipal Cor-
poration (BMC) will ap-
point vigilance commit-
tees at the ward and
zonal levels. The com-
mittee will review the
work status weekly
.
Civic chief and Ad-
ministrator Iqbal Singh
Chahal took a review of
the beautification work
on Friday
.
It was decided in the
meeting that a ward-
wise weekly review and
zone-wise fortnight re-
view of each work will
be taken.
Also a ward-wise and
department-wise vigi-
lance committee will be
appointed for taking
regular reviews of the
work. If any sort of com-
plaint comes forward, it
will be resolved by the
committee immediately
,
said the civic sources.
STRICT ACTION
The BMC revived the drive against banned plastic on
July 01 after over two years of COVID-19 restrictions.
Ward-wise teams were formed to inspect markets,
shops and establishments, with officials from the
licence department seizing banned plastic and penal-
izing violators. For every violation, a penalty of Rs5,000
to Rs25,000 was imposed. The seized plastic was then
dumped in BMC warehouses.
The court held that
it is necessary to
grant a protection
order in her favour
A patient being transferred to another facility. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde —FILE PHOTO
Mumbai blg fire: 2 still
critical, 7 discharged
CM secretariat cells
to be formed soon

PERSPECTIVE
04
l Vol 1 l Issue No. 222 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. Phone 022-46031417. Editor-In-Chief:DrJagdeeshChandra Editor: Kartikey Dev Singh responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act
UNTOLD STORIES OF PM MODI - PART 23
‘MODI HAI TO MUMKIN HAI…’
he narrator shares with us
how PM Modi is forward
thinking and his steps to-
wards modernization of the
police force by introduction
of technology, inclusion of
women, focusing on human
capital and instant grievance
redressal has transformed
the force.
Earlier police moderniza-
tion was mainly based on ve-
hicles and housing. But dur-
ing NaMo’s time, emphasis
shifted to technology and the
state started to take care of
housing issues. If you look
carefully at the development
statistics after NaMo came
into power, computerization
came about on a big level and
technology began to play a
major role in modernization.
There is a monthly review
in which Gujarat used to be
on number three and after all
the effort we put in, at least
till when I was DGM, Gujarat
came on the number one spot
in the area of computeriza-
tion of peace process. While
this started from Gujarat, to-
day of course, everything is
monitored from New Delhi. A
lot of initiatives that have
come through in the force are
because of PM Modi’s vision.
Earlier we used to bear the
brunt of manpower crunch.
Today a lot of educated youth
from other fields have also
started applying in police. We
used to have eighth pass re-
cruits, then we raised the bar
to twelfth pass and today,
graduates are coming in too.
Once you have intelligent
people coming into the force,
obviously the quality is going
to improve.
One very good thing he did
with the police was to do
away with interviews at the
lower levels. The recruitment
of constables, head consta-
bles, sub-inspectors involved
physical test as the first step.
After physical, a written test
and then an interview. He
made sure that the interview
is done away with, thereby
making the process totally
neutral. So whosoever
came on job after that, they
came purely on the basis of
merit. Introducing meritoc-
racy was the next big thing he
did for the police in Gujarat!
SRP companies always
faced a manpower resource
crunch. It was a big issue for
us. Creating four-five groups
all at once happened during
his time. These days any is-
sue that comes up, the DG
does not have a problem send-
ing manpower to tackle situ-
ations. There was a time
when taking out one compa-
ny for a situation used to be a
challenge. For example, the
Election Commission used to
ask us for resources and we
had to manage with whatever
little we had. Now we are in a
very comfortable position,
thanks to him and his vision
at that time.
Well, we had the IB manual
and unfortunately, since the
70’s the manual had been
hanging fire. People would
pick it up, look at it but it
would not be done. We did a
very simple thing – we dis-
tributed it chapter-wise
among our subbing officers,
we edited it and convened a
committee meeting. It was
done quickly and we sent the
manual to Home Depart-
ment. The manual was
cleared in one day by the
CMO. Then it came back to us
and we got it printed. We got
it translated and printed in
Gujarati as well and that
manual was the first manual
of IB which talks about pro-
cedures and everything in
Gujarat.
He visualized a separate
cadre in State Police where
direct intelligence officers
started coming in. These of-
ficers came in at the AIO
level and SIO level as well.
Earlier when someone would
come in from the district, it
would be due to some person-
al problem or as a punish-
ment. This person would not
take adequate interest in his
work. But for this Direct Of-
ficer, this is his career. He
works hard in his field bring-
ing readiness at the core level
that impacts the quality of
human resources. Today IB
also has technologies it did
not possess earlier.
So much so, today in Guja-
rat, focus on Human Re-
source and Technology has
made it possible to predict
what is going to happen when
and where. While terrorism
can never be ignored, even
law and order situations are
being predicted with details.
These details are specific, as
in, at this point this is going
to happen at this place at this
time. All this was almost im-
possible earlier!
Talking about grievance
redressal, there used to be a
program called Swagat. He
used to chair the program
and people used to put forth
their grievance personally.
They were asked which unit
they came from and the griev-
ance used to be disposed off
accordingly. Now NaMo had
very clear thinking and if you
happened to appear before
him unprepared, well, you
were sure to sweat. He would
ensure that much and the re-
dressal used to be instant.
Nothing would linger on for
the future. As NaMo was al-
ways present for the event,
people got a clear message
that if anything happens, it
would reach him and the of-
fender would not be spared!
Women empowerment too
started from his time. Earlier,
hardly two or three mahila
police would be present in the
station and they would not
have a proper job or a goal in
the station. He visualized a
lot of things and decided that
women must get their rights.
It had a tremendous impact
on the force. The human face
that the police has got today,
it is because of the inclusion
of women in the police force.
This has also improved the
quality levels of police sta-
tions. PI who would earlier
ignore them, today he is
forced to give them proper
roles. When I was DG, I put in
a circular to ensure that all
the good roles too must be
given to the women propor-
tionately and if they are
good, give them roles, may be
out of proportion also. Over
a period of time, they are now
holding charge of police sta-
tions. This was unimaginable
at one point. NaMo is forward
thinking and this has benefit-
ted the force tremendously.
He leads from the front. If
there is a blast, there never is
a question of whether Modi
would reach there or not. He
has to be there, he has to see
it, give instructions on the
spot! It is a given!
TO BE CONTINUED...
T ‘MODI INTRODUCED,
A BIG THING FOR
GUJARAT POLICE,
MERITOCRACY’
O
ne remarkable thing
Modi did with the
police was to do away
with interviews at the lower
levels. The recruitment of
constables, head constables,
sub-inspectors involved
physical test as the first
step. After physical, written
and then interview. He made
sure that interview is done
away with, ensuring neutral
process. So whosoever came
on job after that, they came
purely on merit basis.
INCLUSION OF WOMEN GAVE THE
POLICE FORCE ITS HUMAN FACE
COMPILED AND EDITED BY
SHASHIKANT SHARMA
AND SHWETA SHARMA
YOU READ PART-22 ON DECEMBER 10, 2022
MODI DOES
TOUGH THINGS
AND LEADS FROM
THE FRONT!

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MUMBAI | MONDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2022 05
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06
INDIA
Mahesh Sharma
New Delhi: The tussle
between K Chan-
drasekhar Rao’s party
Bharat Rashtra Samithi
ie BRS and the Con-
gress party does not
seem to be ending any-
time soon. Before next
year’s assembly elec-
tions, both the parties
are engaged in their
own positioning. Now
the dispute between the
two has reached such a
point where the scope
of reconciliation is con-
tinuously decreasing.
The dispute between
the two has escalated
after the Telangana po-
lice raided the state of-
fice of the Congress and
took away computers
etc. Police took action
for allegedly writing ob-
jectionable posts
against the Chief Min-
ister and went to the
party office and seized
electronic equipment
while also interrogat-
ing those working in
the Congress office.
This is an unprece-
dented event. That’s
why the Congress op-
posed it in the Parlia-
ment. Telangana State
Congress President Re-
vanth Reddy protested
against it in the prem-
ises of the Parliament
House. However, Con-
gress leaders were tak-
en by surprise when
TRS leader K Keshav
Rao turned up to attend
the meeting called by
Mallikarjun Kharge. By
the time he reached, the
meeting of the opposi-
tion parties was over,
yet he tried to downplay
the Telangana incident.
Now the question is
whether Chief Minister
Chandrashekhar Rao
has realised as to who
will get the benefit of
fight between him and
the Congress? If the
BRS and the Congress
fightamongthemselves,
it will be to the advan-
tage of the BJP
, which is
preparing to contest the
elections in Telangana
very aggressively
.
Who benefits from the fight between Cong BRS?
SPOILSPORT OR KINGMAKER?
If the BRS and the
Congress fight
among themselves,
it will be to the
advantage of BJP
Patna (ANI): BJP MP
Sushil Modi on Sunday
claimed that the family
members of the victims
in the Chapra hooch
tragedy are performing
their last rites without
post-mortem due to
“fear of the police”.
Modi accused the
state govt of hiding the
actual number of
deaths in the tragedy
and claimed “more than
100 deaths”. “The death
toll has crossed 100 but
the government is hid-
ing the numbers. Due to
fear of the police, peo-
ple are performing the
last rites of their family
members without a
post-mortem,” Modi
said while addressing
the reporters here.
Modi on Saturday
had met the families of
those who lost their
lives in the Chhapra
hooch tragedy
.
The death toll in Bi-
har's Chhapra due to
the consumption of
spurious liquor has
mounted to 65. The inci-
dent was initially re-
ported on Wednesday
.
Most deaths report-
edly occurred over
Wednesday and Thurs-
day, evoking an uproar
inside and outside the
Bihar Assembly. Sever-
al leaders of the opposi-
tion are claiming more
deaths than the official.
The BJP-led Opposi-
tion took on the ruling
JD(U)-RJD over the ris-
ing number of hooch
deaths despite a ban on
the sale and consump-
tion of liquor in the
state, which has been in
effect since April 2016.
“HOOCHTRAGEDYTOLLCROSSED100”
People performing last rites without post-mortem due to fear of police: Sushil Kumar Modi
Will liquor prohibition be reversed with a
handing over ‘power’ by Nitish to Tejashwi?
Shamsher Singh
New Delhi: Bihar CM
Nitish Kumar will have
to withdraw the decision
of liquor prohibition. It
is merely a question of
timing of when the deci-
sion should be taken
back, but theoretically
theatmospherehasbeen
created for the decision
to be rolled back. So far
Nitishwasabletostickto
this decision because he
had the support of ally
,
the BJP
. When the Rash-
triyaJanataDalwasalso
involved in the govern-
ment, it did not oppose it
openly
. Its leaders made
sporadic statements but
didnotpressforthewith-
drawal of this law. But
now there is pressure on
Nitish from both inside
andoutside.HisallyRJD
leaders are pressurizing
him to withdraw this de-
cision, so now the BJP
is also openly saying
that the decision should
be cancelled.
After the death of
about 60 people alleg-
edly due to spurious liq-
uor in Chhapra, the
home constituency of
RJD supremo Lalu
Prasad, serious ques-
tions are being raised
on prohibition. Keep in
mind that after going
again with Lalu Pras-
ad's party, Nitish Ku-
mar's government re-
laxed the prohibition
law in many ways. The
provisions of arrest
were also relaxed. Now
the next step is the re-
turn of the law. In-
formed sources say
that Nitish Kumar him-
self may not withdraw
the decision but he is
going to hand over the
power to Tejashwi Ya-
dav very soon, sooner
than expected.
New Delhi (PTI):
There is no infighting
within the Himachal
Pradesh Congress and
the “conflict” was only
for chief ministership
as there were three-four
claimants, newly
sworn-in CM Sukhvin-
der Singh Sukhu has
said, adding if some-
thing were wrong, there
would have been a “Ra-
jasthan-like situation”.
He asserted that no
Congress legislator in
the state would defect to
the BJP and the party's
government was com-
mitted to work for the
people and would fulfil
the promise of restor-
ing the old pension
scheme for government
employees in the first
cabinet meeting.
In an interview with
PTI, Sukhu said, “We
have spoken to the fi-
nance secretary. Under
a strategy we know
from where we have to
generate money and
where we have to invest.
We have done the work
on introducing the old
pension scheme and we
will introduce it in the
first cabinet meeting.
About the expansion
of his Cabinet, he said
it will happen soon and
denied reports about
some MLAs lobbying
for ministerial berths.
After the Congress
wrested power from the
BJP in the hill state
winning 40 of the 68 as-
sembly seats, the party
picked Sukhu, 58, as CM
over some other claim-
ants to the post, includ-
ing state party chief
Pratibha Singh and
Mukesh Agnihotri.
‘Conflict’ in Himachal Cong was for CM’s post: Sukhu
Ernakulam (PTI): The
Congress-led UDF oppo-
sition on Sunday al-
leged that the ruling
Left Front government
in Kerala wasted time
since June this year to
carry out a manual sur-
vey of areas which may
fall in the one-kilometre
buffer zone around pro-
tected forests and wild-
life sanctuaries, and
called the satellite sur-
vey report as “incom-
plete and inaccurate”.
The objections
against the satellite
survey report of the
state government have
been gaining momen-
tum over the last few
days with locals of af-
fected areas, Congress
party and Christian re-
ligious organisations
terming the survey as
“inaccurate” and “lack-
ing clarity”.
In view of the criti-
cisms against the re-
port, state Forest Min-
ister AK Saseendran
on Sunday said that it
would not be placed be-
fore the Supreme
Court or the Centre in
its present form.
Kerala govt ‘delayed’
bufferzonesurvey:UDF
Kolkata (Agencies): A
fresh political slugfest
haseruptedinWestBen-
gal over Trinamool Con-
gress' allegation that the
name of Bidhubushan
Pramanik, the father of
Union Minister of State
(MoS) Nisith Pramanik,
wasonthelistof eligible
residents under the
Pradhan Mantri Awas
Yojana (PMAY) scheme
which is basically for
those who are below a
particular financial sta-
tus level. On Sunday
,
chairman of TMC-run
Cooch Behar civic body
Rabindranath Ghosh al-
leged that despite own-
ingapalatialmansionin
CoochBehardistrict,the
name of Nisith Praman-
ik's father appears in the
list of recipients eligible
for getting houses under
the PMAY scheme.
Name of MoS’s dad in
PMAY fuels row inWB
Chandigarh: The Pati-
ala police nabbed a
gangster linked with the
Lawrence Bishnoi gang
and seized four pistols
and a revolver along
with cartridges from
him. Patiala SSP Varun
Sharma said the police
nabbed Rahul Singh,
19, a resident of Badau
in Uttar Pradesh, from
Patiala-Rajpura bypass
road. Rahul is associ-
ated with gangsters
Deepak alias Deepu Ba-
nur and Naveen alias
Kala Pega, both lodged
in jail for murder.
Lawrence Bishnoi
gang member
arrested in Punjab
First India Bureau
New Delhi: India has
jumped from 7th to 3rd
global ranking in scien-
tific publications. This
was disclosed here on
Sunday by Union Minis-
ter of State (MoS) for
Science Technology,
Dr Jitendra Singh after
a review with Union
Secretary Department
of Science Technolo-
gy Dr S Chandrasekhar.
Lauding the efforts
of India’s scientific fra-
ternity, Dr Singh gave
all credit to an enabling
milieu and freedom of
working provided by
PM Narendra Modi. He
said, the very fact that
such quantum leaps in
our scientific pursuits
are happening only in
the last few years is a
testimony to the push
given by PM Modi both
in terms of the ease of
policy as well as his per-
sonal indulgence and
prioritisation.
MoS Dr Singh said
that as per the National
Science Foundation
(NSF)’s Science Engi-
neering Indicators 2022
report of the United
States, India’s position
globally in scientific
publications, has im-
proved from 7th posi-
tion in 2010 to 3rd posi-
tion in 2020.
India has jumped to 3rd ranking
in scientific publications: MoS
Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao with Bharat Rashtra Samiti
(BRS) members unveils BRS flags, in Hyderabad. —FILE PHOTO
Former Bihar Deputy CM and BJP MP Sushil Kumar Modi at a presser
regarding recent hooch tragedy in Saran district, in Patna, on Sunday.
Himachal CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu speaks at Indian Youth
Congress office, in New Delhi, on Saturday. —PHOTO BY PTI
Gorakhpur: A man was killed and nine people were injured
after a school bus overturned and fell into a 10-ft-deep pit
here on Sunday as its driver lost control of the vehicle while
trying to avoid hitting a cyclist, police said. The cyclist,
Tilakdhari (50), died and the bus driver, Dharmendra Yadav
(28), was critically injured in the accident that occurred in
Bhainsa Dhoda village under Khorabar police station area,
they said. The bus, which was carrying 62 passengers, was
going from Deoria to Gorakhpur, an official said.
Pilibhit: A local court has convicted UP Minister Sanjay
Singh Gangwar in two cases of violation of the model
code of conduct during the 2012 assembly polls and
sentenced him to three months imprisonment. The
MP-MLA court also imposed a fine of Rs 2,000 on the
minister in each of the cases. He was acquitted in a third
case of violation of the model code of conduct. Gangwar,
who was present in the court, was taken into custody
after his sentencing. However, later his counsel filed a bail
application, which the court considered.
ONE KILLED, 9 INJURED AS SCHOOL BUS
OVERTURNS, FALLS INTO PIT IN UP
UP MINISTER CONVICTED IN CASES OF
MODEL CODE VIOLATION IN 2012 POLLS
CRUCIAL READ
CONG MEET FOR ‘HAATH JODO’ ON DEC 23
WINTER SESSION OF PARLIAMENT
Appropriation bills to be
introduced in RS today
New Delhi: Finance
Minister Nirmala Si-
tharamanwillonMon-
day introduce The Ap-
propriation (No 4 5)
Bills, 2022, in Rajya
Sabha for considera-
tion,andforreturning
to Lok Sabha, where
theyhavebeenpassed.
The Appropriation
(No 5) Bill, 2022, is to
authorise payment
and appropriation of
certain further sums
from and out of the
Consolidated Fund of
India for the services
of the 2022-2023 fiscal.
The Appropriation
(No 4) Bill, 2022, is to
provide for authorisa-
tion of appropriation
of moneys out of Con-
solidated Fund of In-
dia to meet amounts
spent on certain ser-
vices during financial
year ended on the
March 31, 2020, in ex-
cessof amountsgrant-
ed for those services.
KANGANA WANTS TO
SHOOT ‘EMERGENCY’
INSIDE PARLIAMENT
HERITAGE THEFT:
PARL PANEL CALLS
ED, CUSTOM, DRI
New Delhi: Actor Kangana
Ranaut has sought permis-
sion for
shooting her
upcom-
ing film
“Emergen-
cy” inside
Parliament
premises, sources said on
Sunday. Her letter is under
consideration but she
is unlikely to be granted
permission, they said.
New Delhi: The meet-
ing of the Parliamentary
Committee on Transport,
Tourism, and Culture has
summoned representa-
tives of the Ministry of
Finance, the Central Board
of Indirect Taxes Cus-
toms (CBIC), the chief of
the Directorate of Revenue
Intelligence (DRI), and
Director of Enforcemen to
discus heritage theft.
The death toll has crossed 100 but
the government is hiding the num-
bers. Due to fear of the police, peo-
ple are performing the last rites of their
family members without a post-mortem.
—Sushil Kumar Modi, MP, BJP
Tejashwi can
be the CM only
in March next
year and then
his government
will decide
about it (liquor
prohibition)
MoS Nisith Pramanik
Dr Jitendra Singh
—FILE
PHOTO
MP: HC CIRCULAR
ON SUBORDINATE
LOWER COURTS
MAN ACCUSED OF
KILLING NURSE
WIFE, 2 KIDS IN UK
Bhopal: The subordinate
judiciary in the state of
Madhya Pradesh will
now be referred to as the
district judiciary and lower
courts as trial courts,
according to a recent High
Court circular.. This was
resolved at a full court
meeting of the Madhya
Pradesh High Court in
which Chief Justice Ravi
Malimath and other judges
took part on Friday, it said.
London: The male suspect
being questioned by UK
police for murder of an
Indian nurse and her two
children has been charged
with three counts of
murder. Saju Chelavalel,
52, known as the husband
of deceased nurse Anju
Asok, was charged by
the Northamptonshire
Police on Saturday with the
murder of Asok (35), Jeeva
Saju (6) and Janvi Saju (4).

07
Commodity Price Change % Chg
GOLD 54,222.00 107.00 0.19 (Per 10g)
SILVER 68,001.00 120.00 0.17 (Per 1kg)
COMMODITIES
Currency Price Change % Chg
USDINR 82.86 0.09 0.04
GBPINR 100.77 1.34 1.31
CURRENCIES
business
BRIEFS
New Delhi: As many as
132 out of the 756 delayed
projects or 17.4% projects
are running behind sched-
ule by 5 years and more.
Delay in land acquisition
and forest clearances, lack
of infrastructure support
and linkages, delay in tie-
up for project financing
and lack of infrastructure
support are some of the
reasons for these projects
running behind schedule.
It also stated that out of
1,476 projects, 364 re-
ported cost overruns and
as many as 756 projects
were delayed. —Agencies
17% OF TOTAL 756
PROJECTS DELAYED
BY OVER 5 YEARS
New Delhi: BMW Motor-
rad, the two wheeler divi-
sion of the German luxury
car maker, expects sales
to grown in double digits
next year as well as it re-
mains bullish on the long
term growth prospects of
the country. The company,
which sells a range of mo-
torcycles in the country, is
looking to cross the 7,000
unit sales mark this year.
With sales volume this
year till November having
already crossed the 6,000
units mark, a growth of
around 40% as compared
to same period last year,
BMW Motorrad India has
for the first time entered
the top ten markets for the
brand globally. —PTI
BMW MOTORRAD
EYES DOUBLE-DIGIT
GROWTH IN 2023
Cairo: The International
Monetary Fund (IMF) has
said that its executive
board had approved a loan
to Egypt of about $3 bil-
lion. As per IMF, the finan-
cial support was granted
in exchange for an eco-
nomic reform program
from the Egyptian govern-
ment, which it hopes can
pave sthe way for “sus-
tainable, inclusive and pri-
vate-sector-led growth”.
The loan comes at when
Egypt is suffering high in-
flation due to Russia-
Ukraine crisis.—Agencies
IMF APPROVES $3BN
LOAN TO EGYPT AMID
HIGH INFLATION
New Delhi: The gross di-
rect tax collections have
grown 26 per cent to over
Rs 13.63 lakh crore so far
this fiscal, aided by TDS
deductions and healthy
corporate advance tax
mop-up, as per an official
statement. After adjusting
for refunds, the net direct
tax collection so far this
fiscal stands at Rs 11.35
lakh crore, which is about
80% of the full-year gross
Budget target.Refunds
worth about Rs 2.28 lakh
crore have been issued till
December 17, 2022, a
growth of 68 per cent over
the year-ago period. —PTI
GROSS DIRECT TAX
MOP-UP GROWS 26%
TO ` 13.63 LAKH
*Rates till the edition went to print.
HOTEL, RESORT ROOMS
SOLD OUT AS DEMAND
SOARS FOR NEW YEAR
New Delhi: The domestic
hospitality industry is gear-
ing up to make the most of
full-fledged
Christmas and
New Year cel-
ebrations this
time around
after 2 years of washout by the
pandemic, with rooms at many
hotels and resorts already
sold out. Lonavala, Vizag,
Dharamshala, Udaipur, Manali
and Gir are witnessing good
demand, apart from tradi-
tional popular places like Goa,
Kerala and Shimla. There is a
very high level of occupancy
in the southern side and the
western region locations such
as Alibaugh and Lonavala are
already almost full. —PTI
JSPL TO INVEST
`7,930 CR UNDER FOR
SPECIALTY STEEL: MD
New Delhi: Jindal Steel and
Power Limited (JSPL) will
spend ` 7,930 crore under the
PLI scheme for
specialty steel
to manufacture
eight types of
high-end alloy
in the country, it’s Managing
Director Bimlendra Jha said.
JSPL is one of the qualifiers of
the government’s production-
linked incentive (PLI) scheme
which aims to increase the
output of value-added steel
using new-age technologies in
the domestic steel sector. On
December 9, the government
announced the selection of 67
entries with an investment po-
tential of ` 42,500 crore under
the scheme. —PTI
GOVERNMENT PLANS TO AUCTION SIX MINERAL
BLOCKS IN ODISHA, RAJASTHAN IN JANUARY
New Delhi: The government plans to put on sale next month six
mineral blocks in the states of Odisha and Rajasthan. Of these six
blocks to be auctioned, three are bauxite
mines and three are limestone blocks.
The 3 bauxite blocks Ballada, Kutrumali
and Sijimali 2 limestone mines Gar-
ramura and Uskalabgu in Odisha are
virgin blocks, as per the latest report by
the mines ministry. The remaining mine
is the Nimana-Duniya limestone block
in Kota, Rajasthan. The notice inviting tender for all 6 blocks was
floated in the month of November. Since the amendment to the
MMDR Act, 1957 in 2015, a total of 216 mineral blocks have been
auctioned till November 30 across 10 states. —PTI
BANKS LOOKING AT POSSIBILITY OF RUPEE
TRADE WITH BANGLADESH, AFRICAN NATIONS
New Delhi: Banks are looking at the possibility of initiating rupee
trade with Bangladesh and African countries like Egypt as part of ex-
ercise to make rupee an international cur-
rency, sources said. The overseas trade in
rupee would safeguard the external sector
from fluctuation in the forex market. India
imported goods worth USD 3,520.83 mil-
lion from Egypt, of USD 1,004.24 million
from Algeria and USD 2,725.08 million
from Angola in the last financial year. As
far as Bangladesh is concerned, the import in the last year from the
neighbouring country stood at USD 1,977.93 million, according to
the data provided by the commerce ministry. —PTI
OTHER STORIES
Automobileindustry
lookstosustaingrowth
momentumin2023
First India Bureau
New Delhi: The Indian au-
tomobile industry is set-
ting out on a journey with
hopes for a sustained
growth momentum in 2023
and further embracing
clean technology amid the
lurking speed breakers of
rising interest rates and
cost increases due to new
emission and safety norms,
having witnessed a strong
comeback from the COVID-
led downturn this year.
While the passenger ve-
hicles (PV) segment is set
for record sales in 2022 de-
spite the lingering effects
of supply chain constraints
and semiconductor short-
ages, the two-wheeler space
is yet to see sustained sales
buoyancy after having suf-
fered for most of the year.
As per industry esti-
mates, PV sales can reach
around 38 lakh units this
year. Also, in 2023, vehicles
in India will get expensive.
Leading auto manufactur-
ersinIndiahaveannounced
price hikes on a range of
modelsstartingnextmonth.
The decision is aimed to
offset the increasing input
cost and comply with strict-
er emission norms, coming
into effect April 2023.
z Honda: The Japanese car
maker may increase price of
its vehicles by up to `30,000.
z Hyundai India: The price
rise will vary across models
and will come into effect from
January 2023.
z Jeep India: Jeep SUVs
across models will see a price
hike of 2-4%.
z Maruti Suzuki: The com-
pany says the decision was
prompted by continued cost
pressure and recent regula-
tory requirements.
z Tata Motors: The price rise
will be for both the ICE and
EVs models offered by the
company.
z Kia India: Kia vehicles
will get expensive by up to
₹50,000 from January 2023.
z Mercedes-Benz: The
luxury car company will
increase prices by up to 5%.
z MG Motor: The company
will raise prices of its SUV by
up to ₹90,000.
z Audi India: The company
will raise car prices by up
to 1.7 percent from January
2023.
COMPANIES THAT HAVE ANNOUNCED PRICE HIKE
AMBANI TO TAKE ON TATA, ITC, PATANJALI,
ADANI WITH FMCG BRAND ‘INDEPENDENCE’
Mumbai (PTI): Billion-
aire Mukesh Ambani-led
Reliance will rival FMCG
food businesses of ITC,
Tata Consumer Products
Ltd and Adani Wilmar
with launch of brand ‘In-
dependence’ for staples,
processed foods, bever-
ages and other daily es-
sentials, analysts said.
Reliance Consumer
Products Ltd (RCPL), the
newly set up FMCG arm
of Reliance Retail Ven-
tures Ltd (RRVL) last
week made a foray into
staples with launch of
brand Independence in
line with announcement
Ambani had made at the
company’s annual share-
holder meeting earlier
this year.
It will be “competing
with Adani Wilmar in ed-
ible oil, grains and pulses;
Patanjali Foods in bis-
cuits, edible oil, packaged
atta; Parle and Britannia
in biscuits; Tata Consum-
er in pulses, packaged wa-
ter; and ITC in packaged
atta, biscuits,” brokerage
Nomura said.
RRVL is a wholly-owned
subsidiary of Reliance In-
dustries Ltd (RIL).
“RCPL is a newly-in-
corporated company de-
spite RRVL already hav-
ing a range of private-la-
bel brands which are sold
across its 2,460 brick and
mortar grocery stores
and Jio Mart app which
reaches 2 million mer-
chant partners/kirana
stores across 260 cities,”
Nomura said.
ON A PILOT
TESTING BASIS
z The launch is only in
Gujarat, possibly on a
pilot testing basis, and has
indicated that products would
be affordably priced. Post
development of the brand, it
will be rolled out nationally
z Independence line of
products will be available on
the Jio Mart app and Reliance
retail stores currently
z The categories include
biscuits, packaged water, edible
oil, packaged atta (wheat flour),
besan (gram flour), pulses,
grains and sugar
58% Indians cut ‘Make
in China’ purchases
New Delhi (Agencies):
About 58 per cent of Indi-
ans have reduced their
‘Make in China’ purchases
due to the current geo-polit-
ical situation while 26 per
cent said they found Indian
alternatives to be better in
price and quality when it
comes to fashion, apparel,
vehicle accessories and
gadgets categories, a new
survey has shown.
About 59 per cent of In-
dians surveyed said they
do not have any Chinese
app on their phone while 29
per cent still have one or
more, according to data
compiled by social commu-
nity engagement platform
LocalCircles.
The survey received over
40,000 responses from con-
sumers located in 319 dis-
tricts. In addition, 8 per
cent stated that their
choice was determined by
the fact that they “didn’t
find many aMake in China’
products in the markets,
stores or online”. The sur-
vey came as the trade defi-
cit between India and Chi-
na is widening.
58%ofgovt-recognisedstart-upscentredin5states
New Delhi (Agencies):
Nearly 58% of the govern-
ment-recognised start-ups
are confined to just 5 states
in the country. A total of
84,012 start-ups have been
recognised by the govern-
ment (as on November 30,
2022). However, the latest
government data showed
that nearly 60% of the total
government recognized
start-ups are from the
states including Maharash-
tra, Karnataka, Delhi, Gu-
jarat and Uttar Pradesh.
While Maharashtra tops
with 15,571 government
recognised start-ups, states
like Karnataka, Delhi, UP
and Gujarat have respec-
tively 9,904; 9,588; 7,719, and
5,877 such entities. The gov-
ernment with the intent to
build a strong ecosystem
for nurturing innovation
and start-ups launched the
Start-up India initiative on
January 16, 2016.
In order to meet the ob-
jectives of the initiative,
the government unveiled
an Action Plan for Start-up
India that laid the founda-
tion of government sup-
port, schemes and incen-
tives envisaged to create a
vibrant start-up ecosystem.
LATEST GOVERNMENT DATA
ACTION PLAN
FOR START-UP
z The Action Plan
comprises multiple
items spanning areas
such as “Simplification
and handholding”,
“Funding support and
incentives” and “Industry-
academia partnership and
incubation.”
Focus to improve trade facilitation: FM
New Delhi (PTI): The Cen-
tre is committed to improve
trade facilitation for every
stakeholder, including Cus-
tomsDepartmentpersonnel
and those involved in the
trading communities, said
Finance Minister Nirmala
Sitharaman on Sunday
.
Beyond construction of
a new building, these days
emphasis is also given on
how energy-efficient the
buildings would be so that
there is no pollution or dis-
turbance to anyone, she
said at an event here.
“I am extremely happy to
lay the foundation stone for
new office complex ‘Vaigai’
which is aptly named and
actually comes out of the
commitment that the na-
tion has made to improve
trade facilitation”, Sithara-
man said at the foundation
stone-laying ceremony of
new office complex ‘Vaigai’
at Customs House here.
“There was a time when
we thought that we have to
build office space based on
officers, staff and require-
ments. These days, it is
also looking at how green
our buildings are going to
be, and how energy-effi-
cient these buildings will
be,” she said.
“In trade facilitation, the
country actually stands to
benefit from and also to set
standards on the way in
which we have our Cus-
toms or tax officials and
their workplaces,” she said.
‘NEW BUILDING TO SET STANDARDS’
New Delhi (PTI): Hailing that the proposed building being set up
at a cost of Rs 92 crore would accommodate 11 partnership agen-
cies of Customs Department, she said the building would set a
standard in the way it is being constructed. “Today facilitating im-
port-export agents, women officers and their children are all taken
into considerations,” she said. As per officials, the new building
would also have a refreshment area for women. Sitharaman hailed
the ‘facelift’ given to the existing over century-old buildings of the
Customs Department and said it was thoughtfully done and drives
inspiration from the Centre’s ‘Swachch Bharat’ campaign. “Polish-
ing those credible awards won by the Customs Department and
giving them the due shine is very symbolic and also indicative to
what extent minute planning has happened so that the old building
is also more workable and gives the ambience that is required for
everybody working,” she said. According to sources, the build-
ing would be designed like a ‘vessel’ or a ‘ship’ and it would be
similar to future constructions that would be undertaken by the
department. The new complex would also be one of the 24 new
infrastructure projects undertaken by the Customs Department at
a cost of Rs 1,000 crore across the country, he said.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman lays the foundation stone of the new
office complex ‘Vaigai’, at the Customs House, in Chennai on Sunday.
—PHOTO
BY
ANI

08
2NDFRONT
Whatever you want — make a mantra
of it — reinforce it in positive words
throughout the day and it will be yours.
— Dr Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO Editor-in-Chief, First India
Thackeray dances with
people insulting Hindu
deities: Kesarkar
First India Bureau
Shirdi: Minister of
State Deepak Kesarkar
visited Shirdi on Sun-
day to pray at the Shirdi
Sai Baba temple where
he prayed for the pros-
perity in Maharashtra.
However, he also said
that he has immense re-
spect for Uddhav Thack-
eray
.
“I respect Uddhav sir.
As long as government
was there (MVA), there
was a mask on the face.
But the mask came off
as soon as the govern-
ment fell. MLAs like us
were also not getting to
meet (Uddhav). Maha-
rashtra had come to a
standstill,” he said.
“ The state has to be
run efficiently
. Pointing
to the center doesn’t
work. Our government
is bringing new technol-
ogy in Maharashtra.
You (Thackeray) dance
with those who insult
Hindu deities, but here
you pretend to be a Ma-
harashtra lover,” the
ministersaidhittingout
at Thackeray group.
Kesarkar stressed
that if one member of
the Shinde group makes
a mistake, they will hold
him accountable.
Withdrawcasesagainstprotesters:Athawale
First India Bureau
Pune: Union Minister
for Social Justice Ram-
das Athawale has com-
mented on the Bhima
Koregaon cases and
stressed that cases
should be withdrawn.
Athawale said, “I will
meet CM Eknath Shin-
de and Deputy Chief
Minister Devendra Fad-
navis and put forward
my point. Just like the
cases of the Maratha
reservation protesters
were withdrawn, the
Bhima Koregoan case
should also be with-
drawn.”
“Earlier, only our
meetings were held
there, but now there are
many people. But the
administration has de-
cided that meetings can-
not be held in that area
anymore. We welcome
the decision, but the
meeting should be al-
lowed to be held near-
by
,” Athawale said.
Athawale also react-
ed to the MVA’s rally
march held on Saturday
and said, “The front is
now together. It is not
known whether they
will stay together dur-
ing the elections. They
could not manage
MLAs, so marches are
being held. We have ex-
pressed our displeasure
with the Governor’s
statement.”
Stop Surajgarh Iron Ore Project,
else face result, says Naxal letter
Gadchiroli: The dis-
pute between Naxalism
and the administration
has once again flared
up in Gadchiroli dis-
trict over the Surajgarh
iron ore project. As a
result of this, the popu-
lance in the district is
fearing of bad days
ahead as the naxalites
have been issuing
threats. The Surajgarh
Iron Ore Project is run-
ning for the last five
years and the project
has always been op-
posed by local candi-
dates. Even before this,
locals of Surajgarh,
who are associated
with naxal organiza-
tions, had opposed the
project and about 80 ve-
hicles were set on fire
by the Naxalites.
Meanwhile, once
again the administra-
tion and Naxals are at
loggerheads as the
Naxalites have threat-
ened NCP MLA Dhar-
marao Baba Atram.
The ongoing dispute
over the excavation of
the iron ore project, has
caught traction during
the Gram Panchayat
elections. NCP MLA
Dharmarao Baba
Atram has received
threats from Naxalites
regarding the mining
of Surajgarh iron ore
project. The Naxals
have given a direct
threat to the MLAs and
the administration to
stop Surajgarh iron ore
project, claiming that
failure to do so would
witness nexals effec-
tively bringing the pro-
ject to a halt.
It has been claimed
that excavation of this
project is causing dam-
age to water, forest,
land and natural re-
sources and it is affect-
ing the citizens here.
That’s why this work
has been threatened to
be stopped immediate-
ly
. This controversy has
come into the limelight
after the direct letter of
this threat was recently
handed.
A Naxalite named
Srinivas of the Com-
munist Party of India
Maoist’s West Zone
Committee has brought
out a press note direct-
ly criticizing the peo-
ple’s representatives
and the administra-
tion. The Surajgarh
iron ore project is be-
ing opposed for the last
five years.
First India Bureau
Mumbai: After facing
flak from one section of
the opposition and cer-
tain communities over
the formation of ‘Inter-
caste/Interreligious
Marriage-Family Coor-
dination Committee’, on
Sunday, Deputy Chief
navis clarified that the
committee is concerned
with inter-religious
marriages and not inter-
caste marriages and
stressedthatthe govern-
mentispromotinginter-
caste marriages.
“This committee con-
stituted by the state gov-
ernment is concerned
with ‘inter-religious’
marriages and is not
about ‘inter-caste’ mar-
riages. The government
wants to promote ‘inter-
caste’ marriages. The
purpose of the commit-
tee constituted in rela-
tion to inter-religious
marriages is not to op-
pose such marriages.
Many things are coming
outfrom‘inter-religious’
marriages. An ‘inter-re-
ligious’ marriage takes
place, and the girl re-
turns in six-eight
months. She gets cheat-
ed. It is okay if there is
another incident, it hap-
pensinareligion,ithap-
pens in a caste too. But,
the figures coming out
in front of such inci-
dents in some districts
are frightening. This
committeehasbeencon-
stituted for it,” Deven-
dra Fadnavis explained.
“If you had asked me
four or five years ago, I
would have said that
there is no such thing as
‘lovejihad’.Ibelievedso,
but the way things are
now, the question of
stopping ‘inter-reli-
gious’ marriages does
not arise. But some kind
of intervention is need-
ed,” Fadnavis said.
“Inter-religion mar-
riages are disrupting
social harmony
. Riots
are happening every
day
. Communities in vil-
lages have started com-
ing face to face with
each other. In such a
situation, the govern-
ment cannot remain si-
lent. It is not a matter of
banning any religion or
marriage between two
religions. An agreed
marriage is the best. If
everything is fine then
there is no problem. But
if there is a conspiracy
behind it, it should be
brought to the fore,” the
Deputy CM said.
Mumbai: A march was organized
on Sunday at the Amrawati Col-
lectorate on behalf of the entire
Hindu community to protest
against the killings of Shraddha
Walker in Delhi, against ‘Love
Jihad’, and to demand the imple-
mentation of the Prohibition Act.
Thousands of women, girls, and
various Hindutva organizations
participated in the protest march.
The said march was taken out
from Rajkamal Chowk in the city
to Collector’s office. Police had
made elaborate arrangements
to prevent any untoward incident. MP Navneet Rana, MLA Praveen Pote, BJP
District President Nivedita Chaudhary, along with office bearers and activists of
BJP, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Durga Vahini, etc. organizations participated in the
march. Navneet Rana said that she would raise her voice in the Lok Sabha to get
the law passed to prevent Love Jihad in all the states of the country. Rana also
warned on this occasion that in the name of art and freedom of expression, the
denigration of Hindu gods and goddesses or statements that hurt the religious
sentiments of Hindus would never be tolerated.
MP RANA TAKES OUT WALK AGAINST ‘LOVE-JIHAD’
If you had asked me four or five years ago, I would have said that
there is no such thing as ‘love jihad’. I believed so, but the way
things are now, the question of stopping ‘inter-religious’ marriag-
es does not arise. But some kind of intervention is needed.
— Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister
BHIMA-KOREGAON PROTESTS
I will meet
Chief Minister
Eknath Shin-
de and Deputy Chief
navis and put forward
my point. Just like the
cases of the Maratha
reservation protestors
were withdrawn, the
Bhima Koregoan case
should also be with-
drawn.
—Ramdas Athawale,
Union Minister of State
for Social Justice
First India Bureau
Mumbai: Actor Sub-
odh Bhave and Sharad
Kelkar starrer ‘Har
Har Mahadev’ has cre-
ated controversy once
again. As this film will
be released on Zee
Marathi, devotees of
Chhatrapati Shivaji
and some organiza-
tions have become ag-
gressive and have is-
sued a warning. Mean-
while, some Shivaji
devotees in Kolhapur
also registered their
objection towards ac-
tor Subodh Bhave. On
the other hand, Samb-
haji Raje Chhatrapati,
Shivaji’s descendant
and erstwhile Kol-
hapur royal, has given
a public challenge to
Subodh Bhave to clear
his issues.
Sambhaji Raje once
again expressed his
opposition to the film
‘Har Har Mahadev’ by
holding a press confer-
ence. This time he reit-
erated the reasons be-
hind the protest. He
also demanded that the
state government
should appoint a com-
mittee of historians at
the state level for his-
torical films.
“The movie ‘Har
Har Mahadev’ has got
permission from the
Censor Board. Howev-
er, the Censor Board is
sitting in Delhi. It is
not known who exactly
are the historians in
this board. Therefore,
the state government
should appoint a com-
mittee of historians at
the state level for his-
torical films.
HAR-HAR MAHADEV ROW
Shivaji’s descendant demands forming
state level committee for historical films
Will write to CM
Shinde, DyCM
Fadnavis on the
issue, he said
Mask your thoughts; masking face won’t be needed: Sawant
First India Bureau
Mumbai: BJP minis-
ter Chandrakant Patil
made objectionable
statements about Dr.
Babasaheb Ambedkar
and Mahatma Phule
recently
, which was fol-
lowed by sharp reac-
tions from political cir-
cles of state. After this,
Chandrakant Patil
even apologized. Inter-
estingly
, after this inci-
dent, Chandrakant
Patal has been threat-
ened with once again
of being spit on the
face and as a result his
security has been in-
creased while Patil has
started wearing a face
shield to save himself
from such an act.
In this connection,
CongressleaderSachin
Sawant has targetted
Patil saying that it
would be far more ben-
eficial if he could mask
his thoughts and not
his face.
“I think it would be
more beneficial to
mask our thoughts. If
the thinking is princi-
pled, courage comes
automatically. Then
there is strength to face
any crisis. When Savit-
ribai Phule opened a
school for women, she
faced slander, but she
did not cover her face,”
Sawant tweeted target-
ting Patil.
Ramdas Athawale
Deepak Kesarkar
Sachin Sawant C. Patil
Such marriages are disrupting social harmony and
villagers have started coming face to face. Thus, the govt
cannot remain silent, Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis said
Surajgarh iron ore project is being opposed for last 5 years.
Rahul Gandhi interacting in English with students of Mahatma
Gandhi English Medium School as CM Ashok Gehlot and Govind
Singh Dotasra look on at Sikandra exhibition in Dausa on Sunday.
Rahul’s Delhi sojourn over,
YATRA’S HIATUS ENDS!
Ziauddin Khan
Dausa: Rahul Gandhi’s
Bharat Jodo Yatra left
fromKalakhohinSikrai
assembly constituency
at 8 am on Sunday after
a one-day halt at
Bhandarej in Dausa dis-
trict.Duringthis,ahuge
crowd of local people
was seen. In the morn-
ingsessionmainlythree
groups walked with Ra-
hul Gandhi.
In first group, Profes-
sor Shishupal Bhadu of
JNV University walked
with Gandhi and dis-
cussed new National
Education Policy. The
other group that walked
with Rahul was of lit-
terateurswhoexpressed
concern on attack on
free speech on educa-
tional institutions. The
third interaction was
with a group of farmers
who raised the issue of
amendments made to
Land Acquisition Act.
‘Not against it, but some kind of intervention is needed’
INTER-RELIGION MARRIAGES

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he creator
of the fa-
mous mas-
t e r p i e c e
'the Starry
N i g h t s '
gave birth
to a unique style, he
developed in Paris
andcarriedthrough
to the end of his
life, which is later
known as Post-Im-
pressionism, a term
e n c o m p a s s i n g
works made by art-
ists unified by their
interest in express-
ing their emotional
and psychological
responses to the
world through bold
colours and expres-
sive, often symbolic
images. Famous
artists had varied
inspirations, in-
cluding Dutch gen-
re painting and the
realist paintings of
Millet and his con-
temporaries, but he
was particularly in-
fluenced by Japa-
nese woodblock
prints.
In his final two
years, Vincent
gained recognition
amongst the avant-
garde and his work
had been displayed
in exhibitions in
Paris and Brus-
sels. After Vin-
cent's death, his
brother Theo want-
ed nothing more
than to raise the
profile of his broth-
er's work. Van
Gogh inspired a
great many artists,
and Henri Matisse
and Paul Klee were
among the first to
be inspired by his
technique.
When you think
of Vincent van
Gogh, contempo-
rary art surely isn’t
the first thing to
pop into your mind.
Yet more than 130
years after his
death, Dutch artist
Van Gogh and his
famous paintings
still inspire and in-
fluence many young
hip designers, re-
sulting in some
very exciting col-
laborations.
Vincent van
Gogh created al-
most 2,000 works of
art during his life-
time. Some of the
most well-known
landscape paint-
ings of the post-im-
pressionism era, if
not all of time,
were produced by
him as a result of
his love of nature
and flowers. Van
Gogh, who was
born on this date
in 1853 in the
N e t h e r l a n d s ,
drew his artistic
inspiration from
the surround-
ing landscape.
Sadly
, he didn't
have much
success as an
a r t i s t
throughout
his lifetime.
Known as a
l u n a t i c ,
Van Gogh
supposedly
killed him-
self in
1890 when
he was 37
years old.
His works of
art are now
regarded as
some of the
most price-
less ones to
emerge from
the 19th century.
Van Gogh's paint-
ings are a great
source of inspira-
tion for artists
working in a vari-
ety of mediums be-
cause of their in-
tense colour pal-
ettes and expres-
sive brushstrokes.
Van Gogh's art-
work may be found
in the world of
fashion in any-
thing from Dior to
Jeremy Scott's ani-
mated Moschino
collections. Con-
tinue reading to
learn more about
the Dutch painter's
influence on high
fashion in honour
of his birthday.
T
UTTKARSHA SHEKHAR
uttkarsha.shekhar@firstindia.co.in
A PIECE OF
ART!
MUMBAI, MONDAY,
DECEMBER 19, 2022
WHEN WE THINK OF VINCENT
VAN GOGH, CONTEMPORARY
ART SURELY ISN’T THE FIRST
THING TO POP INTO OUR
MINDS. CITY FIRST BRINGS
TO YOU SOME POWERFUL
FASHION INSPIRED BY HIS ART!

10
ETC
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inter is almost
here, so it’s in-
evitable that
we need to up-
date our skin-
care regimen
as we do with
our wardrobes—layer-
ing is just as applica-
ble in beauty as it is
with clothing. Colder
temperatures mean
more exposure to the
epidermis-drying ef-
fects of central heat-
ing, not to mention
harsh
skin-chapping winds
and oil-clogged pores
due to a lack of exfolia-
tion. From switching
up your cleanser to
checking in on your
pigmentation, City
First takes you
through five ways to
refresh your skincare
routine for winter.
SWITCH UP YOUR
CLEANSER
It’s no surprise that
your cleansers need to
be swapped out as the
weather becomes drier
and more hostile. Your
face can easily become
dehydrated because of
central heating, and
foaming cleansers can
be a little stripping in
terms of your skin’s
top layer.
An oil cleanser
works best—the kind
that turns into a milky
fluid when you add wa-
ter, as this clears away
makeup and debris
much better than its
gel counterpart. Oil
produced during the
day is most effectively
removed by oil.
DON’T SKIP ON
EXFOLIATING
People exfoliate more
in the summer. It’s hot,
we sweat, and the skin
has a tendency to get
congested, so many
people build exfolia-
tion into their daily
routine. But in winter,
it’s just as needed — so
try not to pass over
this important step.
You should reduce the
exfoliation a bit in
winter, [as] you don’t
want to overdo it when
the skin is sensitive,
so cut it down to
once or twice a
week. This gets rid
of the dead skin
cells, and means
your products actu-
ally penetrate the
pores.
PROTECT PIGMENTATION
FROM UVB RAYS
Yes, UVB rays are
stronger during the
warmer months
(these specific rays
vary in strength
based on geographi-
cal location, time
of day and sea-
son), but
t h a t
doesn’t mean they dis-
appear completely in
the winter. Continue
to use broad-spec-
trum protection,
such as creams
with an SPF of
at least 30, as
the UVB rays
can still pen-
etrate the
skin’s der-
mal layers
a n d
cause damage. How-
ever, weaker UVB
rays during the cold-
er months mean it’s
the perfect time to
try certain skin
treatments as they
can actually work
more effectively.
MASK ALL THE TIME
Skin is thirsty, de-
hydrated and irri-
tated in the winter
because the humidity
levels outside drop, so
the water in the air
(and in your epider-
mis) evaporate more
quickly. This means
it’s harder for nutri-
ents to penetrate the
skin, making it tight,
dry, and flakey—which
nobody wants.
Active, natural in-
gredients can
be bet-
ter for sensitive skin,
or if you’re looking to
avoid using too many
chemicals on your
face. Go for masks
that contain plant ex-
tracts, such as the
Comfrey Plant known
for soothing and heal-
ing skin, or chamo-
mile and aloe vera.
TAILOR YOUR HYDRATION
Last, but not least: hy-
dration. If there’s one
thing you need to
change about your rou-
tine when going from
summer to winter, it’s
mixing up your mois-
turisers and adding
some variation based
on what your skin is
calling out for. Some
feel that even the rich-
est of creams don’t
give them the moisture
they need, while others
say their skin can be-
come oily and prone to
spots when they use
products that are
too heavy. The
key is to listen-
ing to your
skin and
switching
it up.
F
A
C
E
O
F
T
H
E
D
A
Y
DVITI PAREKH, Model
LEO
JULY 24 - AUGUST 23
Positive steps may be
required to be taken to
restore perfect health. It
will be in your interest to
speed up a financial transaction. You
will come out with flying colours in a
competitive situation on the academic
front. Appreciation for the work done
on the professional front will be there.
LIBRA
SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22
Your initiative will help
mend fences with someone
you were not in talking
terms. Academic pursuits
will be fruitful. Taking up a regular
fitness routine will help you get into
shape. Increase in household
expenditure is possible, so take all
steps to cut it down.
ARIES
MAR 21 - APR 20
Praise of a family member
by someone will make you
proud. Getting unwell due
to changing weather
cannot be ruled out for some. You
may need to monitor your finances
closely. You are likely to win the day
on the professional front by your
original ideas.
SAGITTARIUS
NOV 23 - DEC 22
Do not misunderstand the
motives of someone trying
to help you. A friendly bet
with a friend or a colleague
may turn into a fight, so be careful. Will
power, will be your key to remain in
shape. An exciting time lies ahead as
travelling with friends is foreseen. You
are set to grow professionally.
GEMINI
MAY 21 - JUNE 21
A new plot, house or
apartment can be acquired
by some.Be more assertive
in dealing with workplace
issues, otherwise you can be taken
for granted by others. Joining an
online exercise routine is indicated
and will prove beneficial. Luck
favours you on the academic front.
AQUARIUS
JAN 21 - FEB 19
Keep a close tab on what
you eat if you want to
remain healthy. You must
limit your expenses to only
buying essential stuff. In office, your
colleagues may not like your upfront
nature. Your love may not give the
kind of attention you have been
waiting for.
TAURUS
APR 21 - MAY 20
You will continue to enjoy
your good health if you
stick to a proper diet and
exercise regime. You may
finally meet your financial savior who
will help you put the pieces at the
right place. Some of you may assist
your family by organizing a function
or an event.
CAPRICORN
DEC 23 - JAN 20
You continue to stay fit and
healthy and there is
nothing to worry as far as
health is concerned.
Because of limit flow of money, your
financial condition is not stable yet.
Your hard in office will bring your
recognition and appreciation from
your senior.
VIRGO
AUG 24 - SEP 23
You are satisfied with your
health and you enjoy that
feeling. Money will flow
into your life to make you
financially stable. Some of you may
earn good name for being consistent
at work. In social life, it’s a good
practice to avoid blaming others for
our own shortcomings.
CANCER
JUNE 22 - JULY 23
This is the time to become
serious about getting in
shape and start eating
healthy. You have limited
income as of now and that could
trouble you but don’t worry the times
will change. Due to no work pressure
in office, you could spend more time
with near and dear ones.
PISCES
FEB20 - MARCH 20
Your optimism will keep
you going and you will
find yourself in absolute
peace. The more time you
invest in a project completion, the
better it will in terms of monetary
gains. In social life, avoid venting
your anger on some who is younger
or elder to you.
SCORPIO
OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22
You may go for a cheat
meal all as a reward for
maintaining good health. If
you have been struggling
with money then that’s a thing of a
past now as money will flow in from
all the directions. In office, you will
support your colleague by sharing
his/her work pressure.
YOUR
DAY
Horoscope by
Saurabbh Sachdeva
Ace to Face:
Ace to Face:
Glam it up!
Glam it up!
MITALI DUSAD
mitalidusad01@gmail.com
W
As the temperatures drop, it’s not
just more moisturiser that’s
needed—a few tweaks to your
entire regimen will keep your skin
protected until summer. From
switching up your cleanser, to the
latest must-have ingredient in
exfoliators, this is City First's guide
to tackling winter skin!

ETC
11
S
hanaya Kapoor is yet to
make her Bollywood de-
but but still enjoys a
huge fan following. The
budding actress never fails to
impress her fans with pictures
and videos. And keeping up with
the trend her mother Maheep Ka-
poor shared a series of pictures
and videos from an engagement
ceremony. Recently, Shanaya Ka-
poor with her family attended Ri-
shi Sujan and Vedika Karnani’s
engagement celebrations where
She was decked up in a glittery
beige colour saree. In one of
the videos, Sanjay was also
seen dancing his heart out
on a dhol.
H
ansika Motwani has been
treating the fans with sneak
peeks from her wedding fes-
tivities with husband Sohael
Khaturiya. Recently, the new bride
took to her Instagram handle and
dropped a fresh set of photographs
from what looks like her sangeet
ceremony
. Posting the stills on the
photo-sharing app, the Maha ac-
tress captioned the post with a
ring and firework emoji. For
the special day, she wore a
pink embellished lehenga
with a matching blouse and
a glittery dupatta.
Hansika Motwani com-
pleted her look with a beauti-
ful Kundan set, matching ear-
rings, bangles, and mang tikka.
As for the makeup, she opted
for a light pink lip color and
pink eyeshadow. We can also
see her henna-painted hands
in the photographs.
While she is posing
alone in a few pic-
tures, in others,
the star is accom-
panied by Sohael
Khaturiya, her
mother, and her
brother.
‘ADAMS FAMILY’
‘ADAMS FAMILY’
anhvi Kapoor is
one of the most
stylish and most
loved actresses
from the current
generation. She re-
cently grabbed all the eye-
balls for sporting a bold look
at a recent event. She wore
a bodycon black velvet gown
and looked fabulous. We bet
it would have been difficult
for anyone to take their eyes
off her. The actress posted a
couple of her pictures of
this look on her Instagram
handle today. But what
caught our attention was
Varun Dhawan’s comment.
Janhvi Kapoor shared a
couple of her pictures in
her black bodycon gown.
She wore a halter-neck gown
that not only accentuated
her curves but also made
her look fabulous. Varun
Dhawan, who will soon be
seen sharing screen space
with her in Bawaal, took to
the comments section and
wrote, “Ad-
ams Fami-
ly”. Janhvi
Kapoor in-
stantly re-
plied, “@
varundvn are
u calling me
scary
.” We are still
waiting for
Varun’s reply to
this.
J
P
riyanka Chopra
and her hus-
b a n d - s i n g e r
Nick Jonas are
among the most popu-
lar actors in Holly-
wood. While Nick Jo-
nas, of the Jonas
Brothers, is loved by
many people
for his mu-
sical mas-
terpieces,
Priyan-
ka, on
the other hand, is
known for her power-
packed acting skills.
Rest in peace and love
Witch. You truly were
a light.”
Shanaya
dances her heart
Kajal drops an
aww-worthy picture
T
he netizens love to
see Kajal Aggarw-
al with her little
bundle of
joy Neil
Kichlu on
s o c i a l
media.
W h e n -
ever the
a c t r e s s
shares a
sneak peek of
her time with her
little one, the fans go
gaga and shower the post
with love and admira-
tion. Recently, the Hey
Sinamika star shared an-
other heart-melting up-
datewithhertwofavorite
men, Neil and hubby
Gautam Kichlu on Insta-
gram. She dropped some
glimpses of her
time with her
baby boy
a n d
w r o t e ,
“My tiny,
growing
up so fast
@ n e i l _
kitchlu @
kitchlug”.
In the clip shared by
Kajal Aggarwal, she can
be seen cuddling her
munchkin as the star
and her husband shared
some precious moments
with their firstborn.
‘YOUWERELIGHT’
‘Beautiful
Moments’
Her post...
Kajal Aggarwal
Priyanka Chopra
Janhvi and Varun Janhvi Kapoor
Shanaya Kapoor
Hansika Motwani
Her post...
Maheep’s post...
A
fter making quite a splash in the South,
the Geetha Govindam actress Rashmika
Mandanna is making a lot of noise in
Bollywood. Following a successful de-
but with Goodbye, the diva will appear in her
second Hindi project Mission Majnu along-
side Sidharth Malhotra soon. Last night, the
actress was clicked by the shutterbugs in
Mumbai as she posed with a heart sign for the
paparazzi.
For her latest appearance, Rashmika
Mandanna looked chic in a white pantsuit
with a black belt. She tied up her outfit of
the day with a messy hair bun and black
heels. Although, this is not the first time the
diva has kept the fash-
ion police on its toes
with her sartorial
choices.
Meanwhile, Rash-
mika Mandanna will
once again share
screen space with Allu
Arjun in the much-
awaited sequel, Push-
pa: The Rise. Now,the
makers plan to release
the second instalment
of the Pushpa fran-
chise in India and Rus-
sia simultaneously
.
‘THE GIRL
WITH A
GOLDEN
HEART’
Rashmika
durina
an
award
show
Rashmika Mandanna
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