21012022 first india new delhi

IT’S YOGI v/s AZAD IN GORAKHPUR
Announcing its decision to field party chief Chandra Shekhar Azad in Gorakhpur Sadar
constituency for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, Azad Samaj Party (Kanshiram) on
Thursday made it clear that it was ready to take on Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in the latter’s bastion
Gorakhpur Sadar is the seat
from where the BJP has
fielded CM Adityanath this time
NEW DELHI l FRIDAY, JANUARY 21, 2022 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI TITLE NO. DELENG/2021/19840 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 143
OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR, AHMEDABAD, LUCKNOW & NEW DELHI www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
Sensex ended at 59,464.62 points, which is 634.20 points or 1.06 per cent
lower from its previous day’s close. Nifty ended at 17,757.00 points, which is
1.01 per cent or 181.40 points down from its previous day’s close. The Nifty
slumped to a low of 17,648.45 points after opening in the positive at 17,921.00
points. IT witnessed heavy selling pressure for third straight day. p6
The Brahmos Supersonic Cruise Missile was test-fired from Integrated Test
Range (ITR) off the coast of Odisha on Thursday morning validating several
new indigenous systems, the Defence Research and Development Organi-
sation (DRDO) said. The agency further said, “The highly maneuverable
missile cruised at supersonic speed and all mission objectives were met”.
FROM DALAL STREET:
SENSEX ENDS 630
PTS DOWN, NIFTY
SETTLES AT 17,757
BRAHMOS MISSILE
TEST-FIRED VALIDATING
SEVERAL INDIGENOUS
SYSTEMS: DRDO
1 2
Mohd Fahad
Meerut: For Uttar
Pradesh CM Yogi Adity-
anath’s first-ever state
election next month,
the first rival was de-
clared on Thursday -
Bhim Army chief
Chandrashekhar Azad,
also a debutant. Unlike
Yogi Adityanath, who is
a five-time MP, Chan-
drashekharAzadhasn’t
fought polls before.
The Dalit leader had
declared back in No-
vember that he would
challenge Yogi Adity-
anath. Today, his Azad
Samaj Party formally
announced it, just days
after the BJP revealed
Yogi Adityanath would
contest from Gorakh-
pur Sadar.
Yogi Adityanath’s
main rival will be the
Samajwadi Party can-
didate, not announced
yet. Azad said he wants
to fight the Chief
Minister anyway, no
matter how many op-
position candi-
dates there are.
Brahmakumaris can make a big contribution
towards natural farming, says PM Modi
First India Bureau
Jaipur: Asserting that
an India whose think-
ing and approach are
innovative and deci-
sions progressive is
emerging, PM Naren-
dra Modi said on Thurs-
day that a system is be-
ing created in which
there is no place for any
discrimination.
Delivering the key-
note address at the na-
tional launch ceremony
of ‘Azadi Ke Amrit Ma-
hotsav se Swarnim
Bharat Ke Ore’ virtual-
ly
, Modi noted that one’s
progress is aligned with
the nation’s progress
and stressed the need
for giving importance
to one’s duties for the
country’s rise.
Rajasthan CM Ashok
Gehlot, in the presence
of PM Modi, said in the
virtual programme that
there is an atmosphere
of tension and violence
in the nation. He also
countered Turn to P8
AZADI KA AMRIT MAHOTSAV PM to inaugurate new
circuit house in Gujarat
First India Bureau
New Delhi: PM Naren-
dra Modi will inaugu-
rate a new circuit
house near the Som-
nath Temple on Friday
via video conferencing.
The Somnath Tem-
ple is visited by lakhs
of devotees from India
and abroad every year.
Prime Minister Modi
will inaugurate the
new building on Janu-
ary 21 at 11 am via
video conferencing,
the PMO said in a
statement.
The inauguration
will be followed by the
prime minister’s ad-
dress on the occasion.
The need for the new
circuit house was felt as
the existing govern-
ment facility was locat-
ed far off from the tem-
ple, the PMO said.
Delhi riots: In
first sentencing,
man gets five
years for arson
New Delhi: In the first
conviction in the north-
east Delhi riots case,
25-year-old Dinesh Ya-
dav on Thursday was
sentenced to five years
in jail.
Yadav was the first
person convicted in
connection with the
February 2020 violence.
Yadav was convicted
on December 7 for being
part of an unlawful as-
sembly that set a house
on fire during the vio-
lence in northeast Delhi
in February 2020.
YATI NARSINGHANAND
DENIED BAIL BY COURT
COURT REFUSES BAIL
IN BULLI BAI CASE
Haridwar: Arrested for making
derogatory remarks against
women of a particular com-
munity, Juna Akhara Maha-
mandleshwar and controversial
priest Yati Narsinghanand was
denied bail by a CJM court in
Haridwar on Thursday.
Mumbai: A Mumbai court
on Thursday rejected the bail
applications of Vishal Kumar
Jha, Shweta Singh, and Mayank
Rawat – all three of who were
accused in the controversial
‘Bulli Bai’ case and arrested by
the Mumbai Police.
3 KILLED, 25 HURT IN LAHORE
l A powerful blast on
Thursday ripped through
a crowded market where
Indian commodities are
sold in Pakistan’s cultural
capital here, killing at
least three persons and
wounding 25 others,
police said.
l According to police,
the blast took place near
the Paan Mandi in the
famous Anarkali market,
where Indian commodities
are sold. No group or
organisation has claimed
responsibility for the
blast so far.
l Lahore Deputy
Commissioner Umer
Sher Chattha said that the
explosive material was
planted in a motorcycle
which was parked outside
a bank in the area. Prime
Minister Imran Khan
condemned the blast.
Assam, Meghalaya
CMs meet Shah over
volatile border dispute
Absolute Shocker: 5 Covid
genome testing labs shut
due to paucity of funds
New Delhi: Amid the
interstate border dis-
pute between Assam
and Meghalaya, the
Chief Ministers of the
two northeastern states
met Union Home Minis-
ter Amit Shah in the
national capital in a bid
to resolve the long-
pending issue.
After the cabinet
meetings, the two CMs
had told the media sepa-
rately that they would
apprise the Union Home
Minister about the rec-
ommendations of the
ministerial committees
and their perspectives
abouttheinter-statebor-
derdisputesbetweenthe
two northeastern states.
A roadmap for amica-
ble settlement has also
been prepared.
Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar
Azad (centre) addresses a press
conference in Meerut on Thursday.
PRIYANKA’S POSTER GIRL PRIYANKA MAURYA, ANOTHER
AKHILESH RELATIVE PRAMOD GUPTA JOIN BJP CAMP
Ahead of the Assembly elections, former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh
Yadav’s brother-in-law and former Samajwadi Party MLA Pramod Gupta and the former
Congress leader Priyanka Maurya today joined the Bharatiya Janata Party. Priyanka Maurya
was the face of Congress’s ‘Ladki Hun, Lad Sakti Hun’ campaign spearheaded by Priyanka
Gandhi Vadra in Uttar Pradesh. Earlier on Wednesday, Mulayam Singh Yadav’s daughter-
in-law Aparna Yadav had joined BJP in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Keshav
Prasad Maurya and BJP State president Swatantra Dev Singh.
AKHILESH ALL SET TO DEBUT IN ASSEMBLY
POLLS FROM BASTION KARHAL IN MAINPURI
UP: CONGRESS’S 2ND
LIST HAS 16 WOMEN
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav will
contest from Karhal seat of Mainpuri, ac-
cording to party sources. SP has been winning
this seat continuously since 2007. In the 2017
elections, despite the Modi-Yogi wave, SP can-
didate Sobran Singh got 50% votes from here.
Earlier, there was talk of Akhilesh contesting
from Azamgarh. Akhilesh himself had said that
after asking the people of Azamgarh, he would
decide to contest the elections.
The Congress party on Thursday re-
leased its second list of candidates
for the assembly elections in Uttar
Pradesh. Out of the total 41 candidates
in this list, 16 are women. The party
has promised to give 40 per cent seats
to women candidates in this year’s Ut-
tar Pradesh election, which is reflected
in the second list. Some of the can-
didates are Haji Akhlaq from Kairana,
Sukhwinder Kaur from Saharanpur
Nagar, Kalpana Singh from Bilari and
Dr Yasmeen Rana from Charthawal
among others.
PARRIKAR’S SON
DENIED TICKET;
AAP WELCOMES
The BJP today announced 34
candidates in its first list for
Goa but a big name was miss-
ing - Utpal Par-
rikar, the son of
ex-CM Manohar
Parrikar, a party
veteran. The BJP
picked sitting
MLA Atanasio “Babush” Mon-
serrate on Panaji seat. Later,
AAP’s Arvind Kejriwal tweeted
‘welcoming’ him in his party.
Police officials examine the site of bomb explosion in Lahore on Thursday.
New Delhi: Delays in
genome sequencing
samples from Covid pa-
tients, to identify the
strain of virus in each
case, is due to a lack of
funds for chemical rea-
gents (which is a sub-
stance added to the sam-
ple to cause a chemical
reaction), top Health
Ministry sources said.
Five labs across the
country - part of INSA-
COG, or the Indian
SARS-CoV-2 Genetics
Consortium, a network
of 38 tasked with ge-
nome sequencing - have
closed because of this,
sources said.
CORONA
CATASTROPHE
NEW DELHI
12,306
NEW CASES
‘VACCINATION REDUCED DEATHS’
Deaths are significantly less in the third wave of
the COVID-19 pandemic in comparison to the sec-
ond wave, and the current surge is not witnessing
increase in severe illness or death following high
vaccination uptake, the Centre said on Thursday.
18,818
RECOVERED
43
NEW
DEATHS
Union Home Minister Amit Shah with Assam Chief Minister
Himanta Biswa Sarma and Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad
Sangma, during their meeting in New Delhi.
I am the only politician in the last five years who has spent half that time in jail because
of this government. I will not let the Chief Minister of this government go to the assembly.
That is why I am fighting against him. The opposition is welcome to fight, but I am
going to fight against him anyway —Azad told reporters
PM Narendra Modi listens to CMs, Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla, Governors and ministers at the
launch of ‘Azadi Ke Amrit Mahotsav se Swarnim Bharat Ki Ore’, via video conferencing, in New Delhi.

CAPITOL
NEW DELHI | FRIDAY, JANUARY 21, 2022
02
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
COVID THIRD WAVE GONE?
SPECULATIONS ARE ON
New Delhi: Delhi
health minister Satyen-
dar Jain on Thursday
said it seems that the
peak of the third Cov-
id-19 wave has gone past
in the national capital,
even as he cautioned
that the city is not out
of the danger zone yet.
Interacting with re-
porters, Jain said Delhi
saw a record surge in
the number of daily
Covid cases recently
with over 28,000 cases
registered in a day and
the positivity rate too
had gone beyond 30%.
“That spike which
Delhi saw can be con-
sidered as the peak of
the Covid wave and it
seems that we are past
the peak now.... The
number of daily cases
has come down in last
few days. Over 13,000
cases were recorded
yesterday with a posi-
tivity rate of close to
24%. And today, the
number of cases is less-
er than that,” he said.
Notably, earlier on
January 13th Delhi re-
ported 28,867 Covid-19
cases, the sharpest sin-
gle-day spike here since
the outbreak of the pan-
demic, with a positivity
rate of 29.21%. —PTI
IN THE COURTYARD
High Court issues notice on bail plea of
man who pointed gun at cop in Delhi Riots
New Delhi: The Delhi
High Court on Thurs-
day issued notice to
prosecution on a bail
plea filed by Shahrukh
Pathan in a case related
to northeast Delhi vio-
lence.
Justice Subramoni-
um Prasad asked Delhi
Police to file a status
report in the matter and
listed it for further
hearing on March 16.
Shahrukh Pathan has
been facing charges un-
der various offences
dealing with rioting,
unlawful assembly and
attempt to murder in an
FIR 49/2020 registered
at Jafrabad Police Sta-
tion. The case pertains
to unlawful assembly
within the jurisdiction
of PS Jafrabad, and ac-
cused being a member
of unlawful assembly
alongwith other associ-
ates armed with bottles,
stones and pistols ob-
structed police offi-
cials/ public servants,
in discharge of their
public functions. The
police has alleged that
they have caused inju-
ries to police personnel
and gunshot injury was
sustained by one Rohit
Shukla.
Shahrukh Pathan,
who had allegedly
opened fire at police
personnel in February
2020 during the protest
and violence against
the Citizenship Amend-
ment Act, is facing
charges in various oth-
er cases too. Pathan is
named as an accused in
the case related to point-
ing a gun at the head
constable Deepak Da-
hiya. —ANI
First India Bureau
New Delhi: ‘Desh Ke
Mentor’ programme
which was started in Oc-
tober 2021 by the Arvind
Kejriwal’s AAP govt in
Delhi has now bumped
into another roadblock
before its implementa-
tion.
After the National
Commission for Protec-
tion of Child Rights
wrote to the Delhi gov-
ernment asking it to
suspend its “Desh Ke
Mentor” programme till
safety concerns it raised
were addressed, the
state’seducationdepart-
ment has responded to
the commission saying
that new features, in-
cluding mandating po-
lice verification of all
mentors, have been add-
ed to the scheme, includ-
ing police verification.
The NCPCR also
shared that as per the
reply of DoE all conver-
sations of the mentors
and mentees will be re-
corded for safety and
kept by the department.
A complaint was re-
ceived by the NCPCR
regarding Desh Ke Men-
tor programme intro-
duced by the govt where
it was alleged that as per
theschemechildrenand
unknown people are
brought together this
may expose children to
probable safety and se-
curity risks.
‘Desh ke Mentors’ now needs police verification
NCPCR ALERTS

On NCPCR’s
recommendation
the DoE now
adds more
safety features
in the ‘Desh Ke
Mentor’
programme,
including police
verification
Avantha Group Case:
Bail to employees
not to Yes Bank
Co-Founder
New Delhi: A Delhi
Court on Thursday al-
lowed the bail applica-
tions moved on behalf
of employees of the
Avantha Group Compa-
nies, who have been ar-
raigned as co-accused in
an alleged case of
wrongful loss to YES
Bank, to the tune of ru-
pees `466.51 crore, regis-
tered by the ED. In the
same case, the court dis-
missed the bail applica-
tion moved on behalf of
the co-accused Rana Ka-
poor,FormerMD&CEO
of YES Bank. —ANI
In Oct 2021, Arvind Kejriwal led govt introduced ‘Desh Ke Mentor’.
New Delhi: In view of
Republic Day celebra-
tion in the Capital, the
historical Red Fort will
remain closed for tour-
ists for five days from
January 22-26, police
said on Wednesday
.
The Delhi Police took
to Twitter to inform the
citizens.
“In view of Republic
Day, the Red Fort shall
remain closed for pub-
lic and general visitors
from January 22, 2022 to
January 26, 2022, ” Del-
hi Police tweeted from
its official handle.
There is a three-lay-
ered security system in
place for the Republic
Day celebration and the
force is always alert and
undertakes anti-terror
measures especially
ahead of any event of
national importance,
the Delhi Police official
informed. —PTI
New Delhi: A bomb
threat call was reported
from the CRPF HQ in
Delhi on Wednesday
evening which was lat-
er declared a hoax.
Officials said a call
was received at the po-
lice control room at 6:36
PM from the paramili-
tary force. “A joint
bomb detection team of
the CRPF, CISF and
Delhi Police was consti-
tuted and a thorough
search was conducted.
Nothing was found in
the premises of CRPF
HQ building and the
surrounding area. The
call was then declared a
hoax,” police officer
said. —PTI
Bomb threat call
from CRPF HQ
declared hoax
DELHI POLICE VALOUR AWARDED
Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana presented the trophy to Crime Branch CCTNS
team comprising Rajan Bhagat, Consultant/CRO, Baldev Raj Malhotra,ACP/CCTNS and
their team members on Thursday for securing the country’s top rank for Delhi Police in the
implementation of CCTNS in ‘Major States including Delhi’ category. —PHOTO BY ANI
DOE ADDS SAFETY
EDMC ramp up efforts
to collect e-waste
from households
First India Bureau
New Delhi: In the
new world with new
e-waste, the civic
bodies across the
country need new
ways of collecting
these e-wastes. Vari-
ous civic authority
are seeing positive
results for their plas-
tic and electronic
waste collection
drives from house-
holds and industrial
areas.
Now, the
East Delhi
Munici-
pal Cor-
poration
( E D M C )
has final-
ised a pri-
vate contrac-
tor for collec-
tion, transportation
and safe disposal of
scrap, including dis-
carded metal, old ve-
hicles and iron items.
A public notice has
been uploaded on the
EDMC website in-
forming people about
the initiative. Details
of rates for different
materials, contact
numbers and time
taken for collecting
items will also be pro-
vided soon once the
final agreement is
signed. Recently,
Noida au-
t h o r i t y
a l s o
shared its
rate card for
door-to-door e-
waste collec-
tion on its so-
cial media.
Red Fort to remain
close for visitors for 5
days from January 22
NO CHARTER
PLANE TILL 24
Dense fog in Delhi; AQI remains in
‘Very Poor’ category; Trains delayed
New Delhi: The air
quality in the national
capital on Thursday re-
mained in the ‘very
poor’ category accord-
ing to the System of Air
Quality and Weather
Forecasting and Re-
search (SAFAR).
The overall Air Qual-
ity Index (AQI) is at 318.
The concentrations of
PM 2.5 and PM 10 were
recorded at 143 in the
‘very poor’ and 246 in
the ‘moderate’ category
respectively
.
“AQI today indicates
‘Very Poor’. For the next
two days, AQI is expect-
ed to remain ‘Very Poor’
as wind speed and tem-
perature are likely to
remain almost the
same. It is likely to rain
on January 22 and 23
with gusty wind leading
to wet deposition and
strong dispersion re-
sulting in significant
improvement of AQI to
‘Poor’,” SAFAR said in a
bulletin. As per IMD,
the national capital wit-
nessed dense fog on
Thursday morning
leading to poor visibili-
ty. The minimum tem-
perature in the city was
recorded at 8 °C. —ANI
DENSE FOG REDUCES VISIBILITY
IN DELHI, 13 TRAINS DELAYED
New Delhi: With a
blanket of dense fog
engulfing the national
capital on Thursday
morning leading to
poor visibility, several
Delhi-bound trains were
delayed, informed the
Northern Railway. Ac-
cording to the Northern
Railway, 13 Delhi-bound
trains are running late
following a drop in vis-
ibility due to fog. “About
13 trains running late for
today, including Howrah-
New Delhi Express,
Puri-New Delhi Express,
Gorakhpur-New Delhi
Express, Mumbai-New
Delhi Express, Kanpur
-New Delhi Express,”
said CPRO, Northern
Railways. Meanwhile,
flight operations at the
Delhi airport were normal
on Thursday morning
despite low visibility due
to the fog. “Low visibility
procedures are in pro-
gress. All ops normal,”
said Airport official.—ANI
Spike which Delhi saw (on
January 13) can be consid-
ered as the peak of the Cov-
id wave and it seems that we are
past the peak now. The number of
daily cases has come down in last
few days. Over 13,000 cases were
recorded on Wednesday in
New Delhi.
—Satyendar Jain, Delhi Health Minister
It seems that the peak of the third Covid-19 wave has gone past in Delhi: Health Minister Jain
BED OCCUPANCY SIGNIFICANTLY
LOWER IN THIRD WAVE: JAIN
New Delhi: Bed occupancy or hospitalization is
significantly lower in third wave in the national
capital as compared to the more dangerous
second wave of the Covid-19 said Health Minister
Satyendar Jain on Thursday. He further added
that the lesser number of people are being hos-
pitalised, which is a good sign. In Delhi, upper
respiratory tract infection is common symptom
among those in 11-18 years, while around 99%
adult Covid patients have common symptoms of
fever, cough, irritation in throat, the government
said.
‘PROACTIVE MEASURES OF AAP
GOVT LED TO FALL IN CASES’
New Delhi: Delhi Helath Min Jain said the
proactive measures taken by the Kejriwal govt
led to the fall in COVID cases in Delhi. Talking
about easing COVID restrictions, he said that
we will have to monitor the situation first.
He added that the Covid wave peak in
Delhi may have gone, but still can’t
say all are out of danger zone
and all need to watch the trend.
Vehicles ply amid dense fog on Delhi-Noida Direct (DND) flyover in New Delhi on Thursday.
—FILE PHOTO
—FILE PHOTO
—REPRESENTATIVE IMAGE

INDIA
03
New Delhi: Amid the
surge in Covid-19 cases
in India, the Central
government on Thurs-
day said Maharashtra,
Karnataka, Tamil
Nadu, Kerala, Delhi and
poll-bound UP are
among the 'States of
Concern'. Central
health teams have been
sent to these states and
situation was reviewed,
Union Health Secretary
Rajesh Bhushan said.
In terms of active
Covid-19 cases, Maha-
rashtra, Karnataka,
Tamil Nadu, Kerala,
West Bengal, UP,
Gujarat, Odisha, Delhi
& Rajasthan are the
top ten states. Asia is
witnessing a sharp
surge in global contri-
bution from 7.9 % to
around 18.4 % in just
four weeks, Bhushan
said. —PTI
POLL-BOUNDUP,MAHA,DELHI,AMONG
COVID-19‘STATESOFCONCERN’:CENTRE
A healthcare worker inoculates a senior citizen with precautionary
dose of COVID-19 vaccine, in Chennai. —PHOTO BY ANI
MAHA SCHOOLS
TO REOPEN
FROM JAN 24
Mumbai: Maha
School Edu Min Var-
sha Gaikwad said that
schools for Classes
1 to 9 in state can be
reopened for offline
classroom sessions
from January 24.CM
Uddhav Thackeray
has approved a re-
lated proposal sent to
him by school educa-
tion department.
HIGHLIGHTS
l PM Modi speaks to
Parkash Singh Badal,
enquires about his health
l COVID-19 jab for
children below 15 yrs
to begin after scientific
evidence: Centre
l Vaccination in India
surpasses 160 cr mark’
WILL REVIEW COVID-19 CURBS IN
K’TAKA WITH EXPERTS: CM BOMMAI
Bengaluru:Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai said
that he would review restrictions imposed in the
state on Friday.“On Friday I will hold a meeting with
experts. We will review all restrictions. The number
of Covid infections is going up but there is no load
on hospitals and no admissions. We have to pay
more attention towards OPD (outpatient depart-
ment),” Bommai said in Bengaluru. —ANI
Chandigarh: The AAP
has announced that its
chief ministerial face,
Bhagwant Mann, will
contest the
Punjab As-
s e m b l y
elections
from the
Dhuri con-
stituency in Sangrur
district.
“We are quite sure
that the people of Dhuri
will shower their love
on him this time too,”
AAP co-in-charge Ra-
ghav Chadha said on
Thursday, adding that
Mann, currently the
MP from Sangrur, had
won most of the votes
in Dhuri, which falls
under the constituency
that he won in the 2014
and 2019 Lok Sabha
elections.
When asked if Mann
would fight from a sec-
ond Assembly seat also,
Chadha said he would
win from any seat in
Punjab. Chadha said
AAP was the only party
to contest the polls with
a chief ministerial face
as the Congress, SAD,
BJP and Sanyukt Samaj
Morcha “were not in po-
sition” to declare their
chief ministerial candi-
dates.
Mann, who was not
present at the time of
the announcement, was
busy campaigning in
the field, according to
the AAP co-in-charge.
Dhuri is among nine
Assembly segments
that constitute Sangrur
LS constituency which
Mann is representing
for the second time.
Lehra, Sunam, Dirba,
Barnala, Malerkotla,
Sangrur, Bhadaur &
Mehal Kalan are other
segments. —ANI
AAP’sCMfaceBhagwant
ManntocontestfromDhuri
Dhuriisamongthe9AssemblysegmentsthatformSangrurLSseat
New Delhi: The
BJPon Thursday an-
nounced that Goa
Chief Minister
P r a m o d
S a w a n t
will con-
test the
state As-
sembly polls
from Sanquelim con-
stituency while Depu-
ty CM Manohar Aj-
gaonkar will be pitted
from Margao seat.
BJP Gen SecyArun
Singh & Goa poll in-
charge Devendra Fad-
navis released a list of
34 candidates. —ANI
CM Pramod Sawant to contest
from SANQUELIM IN GOA
‘CONCRETE OFFER
MADE TO CONG’
SENA’s RAUT
SUPPORTS UTPAL
New Delhi: The TMC
rebutted Cong leader
P Chidambaram on
his comment on “no
concrete offer for an
alliance” for Goa polls.
“I met him in Delhi in
December, Varma said.
Mumbai: Shiv Sena
leader Sanjay Raut
came out in support of
Utpal Parrikar after BJP
refused him an election
ticket. Utpal is Ex-CM
Manohar Parrikar’s son.
New Delhi: BJP on
Thursday announced
names of can-
didates for
59 out of 70
seats in Ut-
tarakhand for upcom-
ing assembly polls.
CM Pushkar Singh
Dhami will contest the
upcoming elections
from Khatima. Dhami
is two-time MLA
from Khatima con-
stituency. In the
first list issued by
the party
, there
are six women
candidates.
—ANI
U’khand polls: BJP declares 59
candidates, drops 10 Sitting MLAs
ASSEMBLY POLLS 2022
contest the
Punjab As-
s e m b l y
elections
from the
Dhuri con-
PUNJAB
We do not want to tie
Mann saheb down to
any one place, so we
have carefully chosen
his constituency. We
want to make the
maximum utilisation
of the capabilities of
Bhagwant Mann in the
Assembly polls.
—Raghav Chadha,
AAP co-in-charge
P r a m o d
S a w a n t
will con-
test the
state As-
sembly polls
GOA
GOA
HIGHLIGHTS
l Chhattisgarh: Nearly
70% voter turnout in
general, by-elections
for panchayat bodies
l Last date of
registration for
‘Pariksha pe Charcha
2022’ extended till
January 27
l Amar Jawan Jyoti flame
to be merged with
National War Memorial
flame on Friday
l VVIP Chopper Scam:
Michel at ‘flight risk’:
CBI to Delhi HC
names of can-
didates for
59 out of 70
U’KHAND
U’KHAND
EX CM TRIVENDRA
RAWAT OFFERS
NOT TO CONTEST
Dehradun: In a letter to
BJP President JP Nadda,
Former Uttarakhand CM
Trivendra Singh Rawat
asked him to accept his
request for not contesting
the polls so he could de-
vote all his time towards
working to ensure the
party’s victory.
We have always
believed in a good
and stable govern-
ment. From Par-
rikar ji to Sawant
ji, we can see the
journey of Goa.
—Devendra Fadnavis,
Senior BJP leader
Pushkar Singh Dhami
Pramod Sawant
Bhagwant Mann
Anita Hada
New Delhi: The Con-
gress party has given a
very clear message that
CM Charanjit Singh
Channi is the face of
the party in the elec-
tions and if the Con-
gress govt is formed
then he will become the
CM. Despite this, Sidhu
is not understanding or
is pretending not to un-
derstand. Sunil Jakhar,
the second contender
for the chief minister’s
post, has understood
this, and that is why he
did not contest from
Abohar seat this time.
On his behest, his
nephew Sandeep
Jakhar has been given
a ticket from that seat.
Deputy CM Sukhjinder
Randhawa is contest-
ing the election, but he
knows that he is out of
the race for the post of
CM.
It is Sidhu alone, who
is stubborn. He along
with Sunil Jakhar and
Sukhjinder Randhawa,
put pressure on the par-
ty high command, after
which the party did not
announce Channi’s
name. As such, Con-
gress never contests
elections by declaring
its chief ministerial
candidate. This has
been the tradition of
the BJP and other re-
gional parties. Then in
an informal conversa-
tion with reporters af-
ter a recently held TV
channel’s programme,
Congress’s media in-
charge Randeep Sur-
jewala said that there
are two faces from the
Congress side, one who
is the CM and the other
of the State President.
In this sense, there are
two faces in Punjab,
Channi and Sidhu.
But now Congress
has ‘expelled’ Sidhu
through a video. In this
video released from the
Twitter handle of Con-
gress, film actor Sonu
Sood is telling people
that such a person can-
not be the CM, who him-
self says that he should
be made the CM. “In-
stead of that, such a
person should be made
the CM, who is a back-
bencher. It is better if
the one who is behind is
brought and made CM,”
Sood said. In this entire
video, Channi is being
shown alone. He has
also been a backbench-
er and suddenly he has
been brought from be-
hind and made to sit on
the CM’s chair. So the
message is clear.
But Sidhu repeatedly
fails to understand such
a clear message and is
trying to stop that de-
velopment from hap-
pening. He also does not
understand that the
party high command is
proceeding on the basis
of vote arithmetic and
that Sidhu’s ambition
has no meaning in that.
Channi is the only hope
of Congress in Punjab.
Secondly, Congress
leaders also understand
that once the AAP’s feet
are established in Pun-
jab, then Congress will
be wiped clean from
Punjab like Delhi.
That’s why Congress is
not coming under pres-
sure from Sidhu or any
other Jat or Jat Sikh
leader. The sooner Sid-
hu understands this,
the better it will be for
his political future.
Why does Sidhu not understand the message of the party?
BEING LOUD & CLEAR
Charanjit Singh Channi Navjot Singh Sidhu
New Delhi: Union Fi-
nance Minister Nirma-
la Sitharaman on
Thursday, authorised
the release of Rs 47,541
crore advance instal-
ment of tax devolution
to states, which is in
addition to regular de-
volution for January
this year.
“This is in line with
the commitment of
Government of India
to strengthen the
hands of states to ac-
celerate their capital
and developmental ex-
penditure to amelio-
rate the deleterious ef-
fects of Covid-19 pan-
demic,” a finance min-
istry statement said.
Thus, states would re-
ceive a total of Rs
95,082 crore or double
their respective enti-
tlement during the
month of January
2022, it said. —ANI
CENTRE RELEASES `95,082 CR TO
STATES AS JAN TAX DEVOLUTION
Nirmala Sitharaman
'MERIT SHOULD BE SOCIALLY CONTEXTUALISED':
SC UPHOLDS 27% OBC QUOTA IN NEET
AVANTHA GROUP
LOAN CASE: COURT
DENIES BAIL TO
RANA KAPOOR
MURDER CASE:
INTERIMPROTECTION
TOWBCMMAMATA’S
POLL AGENT
New Delhi: A Delhi
court dismissed bail
application
of former
MD & CEO
of YES
Bank, Rana
Kapoor,
in a money laundering
case related to wrongful
loss of Rs 466.51 crore
to the bank. Special
Judge Sanjeev Aggarwal
denied relief to Kapoor,
noting that allegations
against him were most
grave in nature. —PTI
New Delhi: SC granted
interim protection from
arrest to TMC leader
SK Supiyan, who was
the election agent of
CM Mamata Banerjee in
Nandigram, in connec-
tion with a murder case
being probed by CBI.
A bench of Justices L
Nageswara Rao and B
R Gavai was hearing an
appeal filed by Supiyan
challenging an order of
the Calcutta HC which
rejected his anticipatory
bail plea. —PTI
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday said
that reservation for backward classes is not at
odds with merit but furthers
its distributive impact while
upholding the 27% quota for
OBC in NEET UG/PG medical
admissions (all-India quota). In
order pronounced, the bench said that merit should
be socially contextualised.” —ANI
IN THE COURTYARD
MONEY LAUNDERING CASE: DESHMUKH'S
JUDICIAL CUSTODY EXTENDED
Mumbai: Maharashtra's ex-Home Minister Anil
Deshmukh's judicial custody extended by another
14 days. He was arrested by ED on November
2, 2021 in connection with extortion and money
laundering allegations against him. He is currently
lodged at Arthur road jail in Mumbai, reported ANI
Earlier on Tuesday, a special court here rejected a
plea filed by Anil Deshmukh seeking default bail in
an alleged money laundering case. —ANI
‘BRIDGE AT PANGONG TSO BUILT 25 KM
INSIDE CHINESE CONTROLLED AREA’
13 DELHI-BOUND TRAINS CANCELLED DUE
TO THICK FOG, FLIGHT OPS UNAFFECTED
BAJRANG DAL
LEADER, 4 OTHERS
HELD FOR
STABBING YOUTH
DIDI WRITES TO
PM OVER
AMENDMENT TO
IAS CADRE RULES
Bengaluru: Two days
after a group of men
stabbed two youths,
leading to death of one,
in Nargund taluk of Gad-
ag district, Karnataka
Police arrested four of
the accused, including a
Bajrang Dal leader. The
accused were identified
as Bajrang Dal leader
Sanju Nalvade & mem-
bers of the outfit Gundya
Muttappa Hiremath,
Channu Chandrashekar
Akki and Sakrappa Ha-
numanthappa Kakanur.
Kolkata: WB CM
Mamata Banerjee wrote
to PM Modi, asking him
to withdraw proposed
changes to rules for IAS
cadre. Calling Centre's
draft amendment more
“draconian” than the
former, she said it will
create a “fear psychosis”
among officers. —ANI
New Delhi: The bridge at Pangong Tso, pictures
of which were shared by a news channel and then
tweeted by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to ques-
tion Centre’s silence over its construction, is built
by Chinese Army, around 25 km inside the territory
controlled by them. The disputed area was captured
by People’s Liberation Army even before the 1962
war. The bridge is around 25 km inside the Chinese-
occupied territory near Khurnak Fort, sources said.
New Delhi: The Northern Railway cancelled more
than a dozen Delhi-bound trains as thick fog en-
gulfed the national capital on Thursday. The visibility
was drastically reduced due to the fog, said North-
ern Railway."About 13 trains running late for today,
including Howrah-New Delhi Express, Puri-New
Delhi Express, Gorakhpur-New Delhi Express, Mum-
bai-New Delhi Express, Kanpur -New Delhi Express,
The 'Gorakhpur-New Delhi Express was delayed by
2 hours and 30 minutes, said chief public relations
officer (CPRO) of Northern Railways. —ANI
CRUCIAL READ

PERSPECTIVE
04
Vol 1 Issue No. 143
RNI TITLE NO. DELENG/2021/19840
Printed and published by
Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of
First Express Publishers. Printed at
Impressions Printing and Packaging
Limited, C-21, 22 Sector-59,
Noida-201301. Published at G-20,
3rd Floor, 309, Preet Vihar, New
Delhi-110092. Phone 011-49846474.
Editor-In-Chief: Jagdeesh Chandra.
Editor: Sharat K Verma
responsible for selection of news
under the PRB Act
SPIRITUAL SPEAK
If with a pure mind a
person speaks or acts,
happiness follows them like
a never-departing shadow.
—Buddha
IN-DEPTH
Dharmendra Pradhan
@dpradhanbjp
Hon’ble SC’s decision to uphold the
constitutionality of 27% 10%
reservations for OBCs and EWS
respectively in #NEET under the
AIQ quota is a welcome decision.
It vindicates the vision of PM @
narendramodi’s govt. of creating a new
paradigm of social justice in the country.
Smriti Z Irani
@smritiirani
Hearty congratulations to world’s
biggest party @BJP4India successful
national president of @JPNadda ji
on completing a successful two-year
tenure. Your role is exemplary in
motivating the workers for service and
in the excellence of the organization. I
wish that the organization continues to
flourish under your leadership.
TOP TWEETS
ONE JINX BROKEN,
YOGI SET TO BREAK
ANOTHER IN UP
ASSEMBLY ELECTION
ational Capital Re-
gion’sNoidawasano-
go place for any sit-
ting Chief Minister
of Uttar Pradesh as it
was believed to be jinxed. The su-
perstition was that any chief
minister visiting Noida will
bring bad luck and make his/her
re-electiondoubtful.Oversucces-
sive yearsthe jinx gained cre-
dence asVeer Bahadur Singh
in1998andNDTiwariin1989lost
the CM’s post. Subsequent chief
ministers, including Kalyan Sin-
gh, Rajnath Singh and Mulayam
Singh, avoided visiting Noida.
During his tenure as CM, Akh-
ilesh Yadav visited Ghaziabad
but did not go to Noida. Only
Mayawatidismissedthesupersti-
tion and became the first CM in
13 years to visit Noida as CM in
2007. After her it is Yogi Adity-
anath who has visited Noida
without any fear.
The other superstition which
Yogi Adityanath is set to break
is about the re-election of a
chief minister for a second
term. In the past, no UP chief
minister has achieved that feat.
N
t times technolo-
gy can be a nui-
sance too. Like the
5G technology
which was to be
deployed in the US from
Wednesday without taking
some key stakeholders into
confidence. Or, should we say
without alerting them about
the chaos the technology may
cause to the aviation sector.
5G is the fifth generation mo-
bile technology (after 1G, 2G,
3G and 4G) that “is designed
to connect everyone and eve-
rything” with the capacity to
“enable next generation user
experiences” with high
speeds and superior reliabil-
ity
. That’s really good for mo-
bile services but for the avia-
tion industry it is a bane as
experienced by Delta Airlines
and American Airlines. The
US Federal Aviation Admin-
istration warned on January
14 that the new technology
could interfere with radar al-
timeters which measure an
airplane’s height above the
ground, especially during
low visibility landings.
The US auctioned the C-
band radio spectrum band for
5G technology in 2021 and this
has caused worry in the avia-
tionsectorasitmaywithradar
altimeter range. The frequen-
cy range auctioned by the US--
-3.7 GHz to 3.98 GHz---comes
close to the 4.2 GHz-4.4 GHz
range used by the air planes.
The US case is different from
that of most European coun-
tries and South Korea which
useaslightlydifferentairwave
for their 5G technology
.
The US spectrum has now
spooked airlines, including
Air India, which cancelled
their flights between the US
and India. A temporary relief
has come in the form of some
“robust” altimeters installed
which are installed in large-
bodied Boeing 777 and 787. In
others, altimeters have to be
retrofitted or replaced.
THE 5G SPECTRUM GLITCH
WHICH HAS HIT AVIATION
US Federal Aviation
Administration
warned on January 14
that new technology could
interfere with radar
altimeters which measure
an airplane’s height
above the ground,
especially during low
visibility landings
A
THE SEASON OF
‘AAYA RAM GAYA RAM’
POLITICS IS BACK!
ver watched Anwar
Maqsood’s Loose Talk? His
was one of the most popular
Pakistani TV political satire
across the subcontinent, im-
mortalized by Moin Akhtar,
who appeared in over 350 epi-
sodes playing as many char-
acters in mock interviews
taken by Anwar. In one of the
most acerbic, stinging com-
ments, Akhtar distorts
Shakespeare: “Whoever
stands in an election has
nothing to do with quom (na-
tion).” With due apologies to
the ardent admirers of our
democracy and the thick-
skinned paramours of the
“will of the people,” let’s
learn to get our head around
the latest ‘Aaya Rams and
Gaya Rams.’
More than a dozen BJP
MLAs, including three sen-
ior ministers -- Swami Pras-
ad Maurya, Dara Singh
Chauhan, Dharam Pal Saini
– have resigned the Yogi Adi-
tyanath-led BJP dispensation
in Uttar Pradesh. Many ana-
lysts have interpreted their
exit as a sad commentary on
Yogi’s five-year governance.
That could be partly true.
These ‘gentlemen of nerve’
said goodbye to BJP after en-
joying five years in power
and landed in Akhilesh Ya-
dav-led Samajwadi Party
.
Maurya was gross and
grandiose: “ab dekhta hu kya
hota hai….ham jis party me
hote hain vohi Sarkar banati
hai.”Maurya comes from east
UP, Poorvanchal, a region
known to be the expressway
to power in Lucknow. His
companions had more or less
the same attitude. Most of
these leaders had joined BJP
after leaving Mayawati’s BSP
in the previous polls in 2017.
The other example came
from Punjab. Congress MLA
Balwinder Singh Laddi
joined the BJP and days later
joined back Congress and
was quoted as saying, “I have
come back to Congress as my
workers compelled me not to
go with the BJP. I have ac-
cepted their wish and joined
back my old party
.” His party
projected Laddi’s revelation
as an achievement while de-
nying him the ticket. In Goa,
the goings and comings con-
tinue as a shining mascot of
the state’s political scenario.
What do you make out of
these instances? Would peo-
ple, being represented by
those leaders trying to make
a complete circle of their po-
litical tour through all major
parties, embrace them? One
wouldn’t be surprised if they
are back in the reckoning
when the results are out. Be-
cause people love their
castes, sub-castes and reli-
gions, we could see a repeat
of “the more things change,
the more they stay the same.”
The rage of the moralistic
debate on turncoats began in
1967 a year after Haryana was
born. Gaya Lal, a member of
the Assembly from Hodal in
Haryana, won elections as an
independent and joined the
Indian National Congress. He
changed his political loyal-
ties thrice in a fortnight, first
by defecting from the Con-
gress to the United Front,
then defecting back to INC,
and then going back all over
again to United Front. When
Gaya Lal quit the United
Front and join the INC, then
INC leader Rao Birender Sin-
gh, who had orchestrated
Gaya Lal’s defection to INC,
brought him to a press confer-
ence and declared “Gaya Ram
is now Aya Ram.” The debate
has remained inconclusive as
elections have come and gone
with the law on defections
making little sense for the
fair-weather friends turning
foes in elections.
A flipside of political deser-
tionsisthestateof theparties
– ruling as well as in the op-
position – that tend to rely
more on the migrant leaders.
In Punjab AAP, for example,
at least 56 nominees out of 104
already announced by the
party are ‘imports’ with 13 of
them having joined the party
only a few days ago. Grass-
roots AAP workers have ac-
cused the party of ignoring
their claims for the ticket.
Then, in Uttar Pradesh,
SP’s Akhilesh Yadav is said
to be facing the problem of
plenty following ‘migrations’
into the party
. With each one
of them expecting a ticket,
the grassroots workers ac-
tively involved with the party
for years feel let down at the
time of ticket distribution.
Democracy is the voice of
thepeople,whoarelikelytobe
influenced by those who aim
at petty short-term and re-
gional gains. In numerous in-
stances, parties with almost
impossible goals to achieve
havepromisedtheearth.Loan
waivers, freebies and caste
quotas are some of them. The
migrations from one party to
another,daysbeforeelections,
seem to justify politics’ “ulti-
mate” aim of usurping power.
Such “imports” may be no-
gainer for parties that seek to
thrive on them and could re-
sult in a conspiracy-driven
battle where settling personal
scores would overtake the
contestof democraticideas.It
couldalsomeansubversionof
theentiredemocraticprocess.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
E
PRASHANT SAXENA
The writer is a political analyst
and freelance journalist
A flipside of political
desertions is the state of the
parties – ruling as well as in
the opposition – that tend to
rely more on the migrant
leaders. In Punjab AAP, for
example, at least 56
nominees out of 104 already
announced by the party are
‘imports’ with 13 of them
having joined the party only
a few days ago. Grassroots
AAP workers have accused
the party of ignoring their
claims for the ticket
In Uttar Pradesh, SP’s
Akhilesh Yadav is said
to be facing the problem
of plenty following
‘migrations’ into the party.
With each one of them
expecting a ticket, the
grassroots workers
actively involved with
the party for years
feel let down at the
time of ticket
distribution

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

BIZ BUZZ
06
Healthcare will be top priority
in Budget 2022
As many as 47%
of the respondents in the
ASSOCHAM survey
pointed towards the FM
giving the most attention to
healthcare in her Budget
New Delhi: Health-
care would receive the
maximum priority in
the ensuing Union
Budget in the wake of
continuing challenges
posed by Covid-19 and
the imperative need for
scaling up public
health infrastructure,
an ASSOCHAM survey
on Thursday said.
As many as 47% of
the respondents in the
ASSOCHAM survey
pointed towards the Fi-
nance Minister Nir-
mala Sitharaman giv-
ing the most attention
to healthcare in her
Budget for 2022-23. MS-
MEs, energy and infra-
structure and technol-
ogy followed the expec-
tation chart of the AS-
SOCHAM survey done
amongst 400 respond-
ents across 40 cities
from different sectors.
The COVID-19 pan-
demic tested the limits
of the global health-
care system. While the
Government’s proac-
tive measures and the
frontline workers’ tire-
less efforts have helped
tide the way, the pan-
demic also brought
forth certain gaps in
the public healthcare
system.
In terms of the pri-
orities which India Inc
would like to be reflect-
ed in the budget, the
government spend on
infrastructure tops the
chart. ‘’ Government
should first focus on
increasing investment
in infrastructure, fol-
lowed by enhancing job
creation through high-
er incentivized expan-
sion of manufacturing
capabilities,’’ ASSO-
CHAM said.
ASSOCHAM secre-
tary general Deepak
Sood said the economy
had shown tremendous
resilience to deal with
the intermittent bouts
of Covid 19 variants,
however, to sustain this
trajectory, there was a
need to incentivise con-
sumption-led growth
and that meant provid-
ing relief for the com-
mon man and woman.
Nearly 40% of the
ASSOCHAM survey re-
spondents said the Fi-
nance Minister should
reduce the income tax
amongst other meas-
ures to boost private
demand and consump-
tion. About 31% said
the Direct Benefit
Transfer to the poor
households could be a
demand driver at the
bottom of the pyramid.
Though the Goods
and Services Tax does
not fall under the do-
main of the Union
Budget, the industry
expected rationalisa-
tion of rates by the GST
Council headed by the
Union Finance Minis-
ter. Besides, rising cost
of petrol and diesel
makes it imperative for
the Centre and states to
agree on bringing the
petroleum products un-
der GST. —Agencies
in Budget 2022
in Budget 2022
in Budget 2022
in Budget 2022
in Budget 2022
in Budget 2022
in Budget 2022
in Budget 2022
in Budget 2022
in Budget 2022
in Budget 2022BRING EV UNDER PRIORITY
SECTOR LENDING: SMEV
New Delhi: Electric ve-
hicles must be consid-
ered for priority lending
by the government to
accelerate their adop-
tion, while sufficient
funds must also be
allocated for RD in a
public-private partner-
ship mode for devel-
opment of batteries,
industry body SMEV
said on Thursday.
In its Budget wish
list, the SMEV also
said there is a need to
amend the PLI scheme
for automobile and
auto components, as
in its current form
there is an “unfair price
disadvantage” for small
and medium-size EV
players in the industry.
“To create a robust
ecosystem for electric
vehicles and give a
boost to the EV market,
the government could
look at putting EVs in
the priority lending sec-
tor. It will help citizens
afford EVs at lower
interest rates,” it said.
Stressing on the
need for RD in bat-
tery manufacturing, it
said, “unless we work
seriously and diligently
on EV batteries, we will
end up in a situation
similar to, if not worse
than, our dependence
on crude oil.”
The current level
of research is abys-
mally low, diluted,
and scattered, it said
adding, “the govern-
ment could allocate
sufficient funds for
RD in a public-private
partnership mode with
a time-bound objective
to create EV batteries
that are less dependent
on offshore minerals
and best suited to the
Indian condition.”
The PLI scheme for
Advanced Chemistry
Cell (ACC) can be
suitably amended to
incentivise the RD
efforts, it added. —PTI
Share Jet resolution plan: NCLAT to consortium
New Delhi: The Na-
tional Company Law
Appellate Tribunal
(NCLAT) on Thursday
directed the Kalrock-
Jalan consortium, the
winning bidder for
bankrupt Jet Airways,
to share portions of the
resolution plan per-
taining to claims of
employees with the
airline’s workmen.
The Association
of Aggrieved Work-
men of Jet Airways
(India) Ltd had
sought a copy of the
approved resolution
plan and the latest di-
rection has come on a
plea filed by the asso-
ciation.
The development
comes almost seven
months after the Mum-
bai bench of the NCLT
approved the Jalan-
Kalrock Consortium’s
resolution plan in June
2021.
A two-member
NCLAT bench, headed
by Chairman Justice
Ashok Bhushan, said
a s the
c o n - sorti-
um’s resolution plan
for the airline has al-
ready been approved
by the NCLT, the plan
“is no more confiden-
tial” and a copy should
be provided to the ag-
grieved person.
“We are not inclined
to issue a direction to
provide the entire reso-
lution plan to the ap-
pellant for hearing. We,
however, are fully satis-
fied that the appellant
is entitled for the rel-
evant part of
the resolution
plan to the
claims of the
workmen and
employee,”
the NCLAT
said.
—PTI
New Delhi: In a major
relief to HCL Technol-
ogies, the NCLAT has
stayed the insolvency
proceedings initiated
against it on a plea
filed by a creditor. A
two-member NCLAT
bench, while admitting
the petition filed by
HCL Tech MD and CEO
C Vijayakumar stayed
the NCLT order of Jan
17, 2022, to initiate
insolvency against the
IT major. The appellate
tribunal also issued
notice to Sahaj Bharti
Travels, which had
claimed a default of
`3.54 crore by HCL
Tech, to file its reply
within two weeks and
also granted one week
to the IT firm to file
a rejoinder to it. The
NCLAT has directed to
list the matter on Feb
16 for the next hearing.
—PTI
NCLAT STAYS INSOLVENCY AGAINST HCL
India, Tesla in a ‘weird
stalemate’ on tax cut demands
New Delhi: Talks be-
tween India and Tesla
Inc over potential tax
benefits are dead-
locked as the govern-
ment is not keen to
give the company any
breaks without a com-
mitment to manufac-
ture locally, sources
said.
Tesla is desperate
to import and sell its
electric vehicles in In-
dia and has for nearly
a year lobbied offi-
cials in New Delhi to
reduce tariffs, which
the company’s bil-
lionare CEO Elon
Musk says are among
the highest in the
world.
But Indian official
sources said they
have been uncon-
vinced by Tesla’s lob-
bying as the company
has not yet shared
any firm plan to in-
vest in the country,
something that would
boost local manufac-
turing create jobs.
A third person with
direct knowledge of
Tesla’s thinking said
the discussions with
the Indian govern-
ment have reached a
“weird stalemate situ-
ation”.
“Things are not
moving ahead (for Te-
sla),” said the person.
—Agencies
Demand for luxury properties high despite Covid
New Delhi: Around
75% wealthy people
will look to buy luxury
properties, worth more
than `5 crore, over the
next two years in big
cities as well as holiday
destinations, accord-
ing to a survey. India
Sotheby’s Internation-
al Realty has conducted
a survey of over 200
HNIs (High Net worth
Individuals) and ultra-
HNIstogaugethemood
of the luxury real es-
tate buyers across In-
dia’s top 8 cities/re-
gions -- Delhi-NCR,
Mumbai, Kolkata, Ben-
galuru, Hyderabad,
Pune, Chennai Goa.
“An overwhelming
76% respondents said
they would look to buy
real estate in the com-
ing two years,” accord-
ing to the report ‘Luxu-
ry Housing Out-
look-2022’. This signals
a very strong turna-
round in sentiments
for real estate amongst
the wealthy in India, it
added.
Out of the 76% want-
ing to buy real estate,
89% would prefer luxu-
ry homes (city apart-
ments, city bungalows
and holiday homes),
while the rest 11% pre-
fer premium commer-
cial real estate.
Around 26% of the
respondents did pur-
chase real estates dur-
ing the last 18 months,
mainly to upgrade
their lifestyle and en-
cash good investment
opportunity
.
In the 2-3 years pre-
ceding the COVID pan-
demic, the consultant
noted that HNIs and
UHNIs were mostly
buying luxury homes
for self-use. —PTI
HUL Q3 Results:
Profit jumps 17%
YoY to `2,243 cr
New Delhi: FMCG ma-
jor Hindustan Unilever
on Thursday reported
17% jump in net profit
at `2,243 crore for the
quarter ending Dec 31,
2021 as it gained market
share in both urban and
rural areas as India
emerged from Covid-19
related lockdowns. It
posted net profit of
`1,921 crore in 2020.
Growth in the quar-
ter was competitive and
profitable with domes-
tic consumer growth of
11%. Business funda-
mentals remained
strong with handsome
market share gains in
all divisions, both ur-
ban and rural markets
and across price seg-
ments. —Agencies
SENSEX DIPS FOR THIRD
STRAIGHT DAY, DOWN 634 PTS
INDIA’S FY23 GDP TO RISE
BY 7.6%: INDIA RATINGS
New Delhi: India Ratings
and Research on Thursday
said it expects India’s gross
domestic product (GDP)
to grow 7.6% on-year in
FY23. “After a gap of two
years, the Indian economy
will show a meaningful
expansion, as the real GDP in FY23 will be 9.1% higher
than the FY20 (pre-Covid level) GDP level,” said Sunil
Kumar Sinha, Principal Economist, India Ratings and
Research. However, the size of the Indian economy in
FY23 will be 10.2% lower than the FY23 GDP trend value,
according to the ratings agency. —Agencies
Mumbai: Falling for the third straight session, equity benchmark Sensex
tumbled 634 points on Thursday to close below 60,000-mark, tracking
losses in index majors Infosys, TCS and RIL amid a fresh sell-off in
European markets. The continued flight of foreign capital from Indian
markets also affected the market sentiment, traders said. The 30-share
BSE index ended 634.20 points lower
at 59,464.62. Similarly, the NSE Nifty
plunged 181.40 points or 1.01% to
17,757.00.Bajaj Finserv was the
top loser in the Sensex pack,
shedding 4.57%, followed by
Infosys, TCS. —PTI
The
Association of
Aggrieved Workmen
of Jet Airways (India)
Ltd had sought a copy
of the approved
resolution plan
Adani Wilmar IPO to open
for subscription on Jan 27
New Delhi: Edible oil
major Adani Wilmar
Ltd initial public of-
fering (IPO) will open
for subscription on
January 27, Adani En-
terprises said in an
exchange filing on
Thursday
.
“With reference to
our earlier intimation
dated 2 August, 2021 in
relation to the IPO of
Adani Wilmar, Adani
Enterprises has been
informed that the red
herring prospectus
filed with the Regis-
trar of Companies on
19 January and ap-
proved by it on 20 Jan-
uary”, it said.
Adani Wilmar is a
50:50 joint venture
company between the
Adani group and the
Wilmar group.
The issue will be
open for subscription
by the public on Janu-
ary 27 and shall close
on January 31.
Further, the price
band for the issue,
which will be decided
by AWL in consulta-
tion with the book
running lead manag-
ers, will be advertised
at least two working
days prior to the issue
opening. —Agencies

07
NEWS
PREVIOUS GOA POLLS THORN
IN AAP, TMC, SENA’S FLESH
Opposition throws the gauntlet to BJP for poll battle in Coastal State
New Delhi: Goa ap-
pears set for a multi-
cornered contest where
a fractured Opposition
is attempting to over-
throw the BJP, which
has been in power in the
coastal State for the
past 10 years.
A look at the previous
election results shows
that the BJP had polled
the maximum votes —
32.48 per cent — to
emerge victorious on 13
seats in the 40-member
Assembly, while the
Congress had garnered
28.35 per cent votes and
won 17 seats.
The Trinamool Con-
gress has entered into
an alliance with the
MGP and weaned away
leaders from the Con-
gress and the NCP
claiming to be the real
challenger to the BJP.
The Trinamool was
not in the fray in Goa in
2017 elections, but had
put up 20 candidates in
the 2012 elections and
managed to poll 1.81 per
cent valid votes cast.
The AAP, which has
unveiled grand plans
for Goa and declared
Amit Palekar as its CM
face, had polled 6.27 per
cent votes in the 2017
elections and failed to
open its account, while
NCP had managed to
garner 2.28 per cent of
the total valid votes and
won one seat.
The Shiv Sena, which
plans to contest the Goa
elections in alliance
with the NCP, had man-
aged to poll just 0.09 per
cent of the total valid
votes cast in the 2017
elections. —PTI
Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi
Chief Minister
Mamata Banerjee, West
Bengal Chief Minister
Uddhav Thackeray,
Maharashtra Chief Minister
Kejriwal pans
BJP; invites
Utpal to join AAP
for Goa polls
Panaji: After Utpal
Parrikar, son of late
Goa CM Manohar
Parrikar, failed to
make it to the BJP’s
list of candidates
for Goa Assembly
polls, AAP national
convener Arvind
Kejriwal accused
the BJP of adopting
a “use and throw
policy”. Kejriwal in-
vited Utpal Parri-
kar to join the AAP
and contest the poll
on its ticket. “I have
always respected
Manohar Parrikar
ji. Utpal ji is wel-
come to join and
fight elections on
AAP ticket,” the
Delhi CM said in a
tweet. —PTI
BJP gears up for Gujarat
Assembly polls in ’22-end
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: The
Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) wants the 2022
State Assembly elec-
tions to be held as
scheduled in December,
said party chief CR Pa-
til on Thursday
.
After addressing
40,000 party workers
virtually, Patil was ad-
dressing media per-
sons, where in response
to a poll schedule ques-
tion, he said, “Elections
are to be held in Decem-
ber, and we wish the
same. Large number of
workers, members of
page committees, shak-
ti kendra and mandal
members had joined the
virtual meeting from
579 locations. Senior
party leaders, MLAs,
and MPs were assigned
to guide workers on the
ground-level.”
Appealing to party
workers to complete
page committee forma-
tion, the state unit pres-
ident asked them to be-
gin approaching voters.
He urged them to en-
lighten electors about
the developmental pro-
jects completed by the
government. Patil ex-
uded confidence that
workers will be able to
win over voters and the
party will reigister
thumping victory in As-
sembly polls.
Punjab Min Mohindra bats
for Channi as CM candidate
Chandigarh: Punjab
Minister Brahm Mohin-
dra has said the party
should declare its CM
face for Punjab Assem-
bly polls while stressing
that Charanjit Singh
Channihasprovedhim-
self in the role in just
three months.
The local bodies min-
ister said the Congress
Party had set the tradi-
tion of declaring its
chief ministerial candi-
date ahead of the elec-
tions in 2012 and 2017.
It should continue
with that tradition and
announce the candidate
sooner than later, he
said in a statement.
There should not be
any confusion in the
party about announcing
the chief ministerial
candidate when there is
already one who proved
himself beyond every-
body’s expectations, Mo-
hindra said.
Mohindra said it has
become all the more im-
portant when the Aam
Aadmi Party (AAP) has
announced Bhagwant
Mann as its CM candi-
date and Shiromani
Akali Dal-Badal has al-
ready been projecting
Sukhbir Singh Badal.
Under such circum-
stances, the Congress
Party cannot afford to
leave any vacuum as it
canprovedetrimentalto
the party’s interests , he
said. That too when we
have far better choices
than others, tried and
tested,” he said.
Patil addresed
40K workers,
says party will
register thumping
victory in polls
GUJARAT BJP CHIEF CR PATIL SPEAKS
CR Patil addresses the party workers virtually on Thursday.
BJP asks political appointees
in corporations to step down
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: In a
sudden move, the BJP
office instructed politi-
cal appointees in vari-
ous boards and corpora-
tions to resign with im-
mediate effect on
Thursday afternoon.
There are around 50
boards and corpora-
tions in the State.
According to sources,
Gujarat municipal fi-
nance board chairman
Dhansukh Bhanderi,
Gujarat Industrial De-
velopment Corporation
(GIDC) chairman Bal-
vantsinh Rajput, Guja-
rat Gram Gruh Nirman
Board Chairman Mu-
lubhai Bera, National
MinoritiesDevelopment
Sajjad Hira, Gujarat
Agro Industries Corpo-
ration Chairman Mad-
hu Srivastav and others
were asked to resign.
91% licensed arms deposited
in Punjab ahead of elections
Chandigarh: Comply-
ing with directions of
Election Commission,
3,54,075 licensed weap-
ons have been depos-
ited with police
ahead of Febru-
ary 20 Punjab
Assembly elec-
tions, state’s
Chief Electoral
Officer Dr S Karu-
na Raju said here.
“This is 91.10 per cent
of the total 3,90,275 li-
censed weapons in the
state,” he said.
Thelicensedgunown-
ers deposit their fire-
arms in various police
stations.Hesaidsomeof
the persons having li-
censed weapons, includ-
ingsecuritypersonnelat
nationalized/private
banks, will have to ap-
proach the deputy com-
missioner for any
genuine exemp-
tions and com-
plaint redres-
sal. Raju said
after the model
code of conduct
came into force in
the state for Punjab Vid-
han Sabha elections,
various enforcement
teamsseizedpsychotrop-
icsubstancesamounting
to Rs 44.49 crore till Jan-
uary 18. Giving details,
he said surveillance
teams seized 6.60 lakh
litres of liquor worth Rs
2 crore. —PTI
DUTA seeks
release of funds
for 12 colleges
New Delhi: Delhi Uni-
versity Teacher’s Asso-
ciation (DUTA) on
Thursday demanded the
releaseof notpartialbut
complete funds for the
payment of salaries to
teaching and non-teach-
ing staff of 12 colleges
fully funded by the Delhi
Government. DUTA has
submittedanonlinepeti-
tion to LG Anil Baijal
that has received more
than 6400 signatures so
far.DUTAstatedthatem-
ployees and contractual
workers of 12 Delhi Gov-
ernment-fundedcolleges
of DU are facing a very
serious and pressing
problem.
Balvantsinh Rajput Dhansukh Bhanderi Mulubhai Bera
In a tete-a-tete with
First India’s Aditi
Nagar, Uttarakhand
Congress Incharge
Avinash Pande opens
up about ‘homecom-
ing’ of leaders, al-
leged infighting and
Congress’s prospects
in upcoming assem-
bly polls while stress-
ing that party is well
on its way to form
govt in the hill state
Aditi Nagar
 The political mer-
cury is rising with
each passing day. You
have travelled far
and wide within Utta-
rakhand and have
taken feedback also.
How do you find the
attitude of people to-
wards Congress and
by when will the tick-
ets distribution take
place?
For Uttarakhand, a
screening committee
has been engrossed in
the work for the past 20
days and on January 21,
we will put forward our
recommendations and
proposals before the
Central Election Com-
mittee, and I hope that
in the next 2 days we
will release the list of
candidates.
 There is a pattern
that Congress and
BJP come to power al-
ternatively. This time
around when the BJP
changed its CM’s
thrice, there was a
perception that built
in the minds of people
that gave edge to Con-
gress. But over the
past some time, it
seems that internal
strife within Congress
is so bad, that
even though
the party
appears
t o be
reaching
near the victory line,
but seems to be falling
short?
See, Congress has al-
ways had a democratic
setup for discussions on
various topics. I can say
for Uttarakhand that
Congress has come for-
ward as a united front
and there is definitely
going to be a change in
Uttarakhand, no doubts
about it. Congress has
played the role of a good
oppositionandtheshort-
falls of the government
and the problems of the
people have been raised
by the party
. In the 2017
election people of Utta-
rakhand gave a huge
mandate to the BJP and
it was a good opportuni-
ty to work for the people
and they could have
changed the entire face
of Uttarakhand. But it
wasunfortunatethatnot
only could they bring
any change, but they
could only change their
Chief Ministers. Even
thepublicdoesnotknow
why the CMs were
changed which is a
laughable situation.
When the three states of
Uttarakhand, Chhattis-
garh and Jharkhand
were made, if you see, in
comparison to the other
2 states, Uttarakhand is
atthebottom.Thisisdue
tothefactthatthereisno
policy and corruption is
rife. Even during Covid,
when the government
sat silently and did not
actonthepandemic,this
was extremely disturb-
ing. I trust that people
will express their trust
in Congress. Whether it
was ND Tiwari or Har-
ish Rawat government,
Congresshasgivenabet-
ter government. In the
election, Congress will
form the government
withagoodmajorityand
bring a development-
oriented government.
 If any party forms
government, it is due
to the work done by it
in the past or its ide-
ology or the candi-
dates’ image. Is there
any particular set
format or strategy to
select candidates? Is
there any formula for
selection?
Definitely
. When the pro-
cess to find suitable can-
didates is initiated, first-
ly a criteria is decided
upon. After the forma-
tion of the screening
committee, me and my
colleagues - Dr Ajay Ku-
mar and Virendra
Rathore - travelled for 7
days across the state
wherein we toured 70
constituencies and held
discussions together
with our elected repre-
sentatives and office
bearersandpassiblecan-
didates,whilealsotaking
intoaccountthepolitical
atmosphere and people’s
hopes. Definitely
, the
choice of the people is
also kept under consid-
eration. It is natural that
those who have stood
amongthepeopleduring
their hour of need, they
have been given prefer-
ence along with disci-
pline. Not just a winning
candidate, but also a ‘Ti-
kau’ candidate, who can
standagainsthorse-trad-
ing and other activities
going on in the politics
these days. People of the
statearelookingtowards
Congress and we will al-
waysstrivetocomeupas
one force against BJP
and negate their activi-
ties being carried out in
today’s politics.
 Harish Rawat was
miffed and tweeted
about this. He was
called to Delhi and
then he appeared to
fall in line. But how
right is it for a senior
leader and former
CM to act in such
manner before elec-
tions? Secondly, now
that Harish Rawat is
being heard, now the
other leaders like
PCC Chief and CLP
leader think that they
are not being heard.
No it is not so. Harish
Rawat is a senior and
mature leader who has
played important roles
not only as CM of Utta-
rakhand but also in var-
ious capacities within
the party
. People of this
state and even party
leadership also look up
to him and he is a major
force on our side. Not
just Harish Rawat, but
CLP leader Pritam Sin-
gh, PCC Chief Ganesh
Kondial and Devendra
Yadav AICC Incharge
have toiled hard in the
state. It is not that there
is any miffed leader, but
sometimes it is seen that
some other issues are to
be focussed on and on
such situation, if Har-
ish ji has hinted at, then
the high command and
organization too has
taken a pledge to ad-
dress the issues. It is
Congress’ power that we
keep a democratic ap-
proach to everything.
We are proud of our
leadership - Sonia Gan-
dhi and Rahul Gandhi -
that without muting
anyone’s voice, they
hear everyone. Even if
there are differences,
there is no love lost ever.
 There is ambiguity
on Harak Singh Raw-
at. He seems to be ea-
ger to join Congress
but will Congress also
open its doors for him?
It would not be right to
make an official state-
ment on it. However, at
the right level, if it is
needed, whatever will
be in the interest of de-
mocracy and party and
keeping in view the up-
coming politics, I am
sure the party will take
the right step.
 Why is there so
much confusion in
Congress. Why is the
party shying away
from contesting elec-
tions in the name of
CM Channi in Pun-
jab and Harish Raw-
at in Uttarakhand?
As far as elections are
concerned, both CM
Channi and Harish
Rawat are leading the
campaigning commit-
tee. Congress has never
had a tradition of con-
testing on the face of
any leader because the
party believes that the
electedMLAsetcshould
be discussed with first
and then the party high
command decides on
the matter, only after
taking everyone’s view.
It has always been so.
Ours is a democratic
party and therefore the
word of MLAs also car-
ries weightage. We will
come in the majority in
both the states and after
speaking to MLAs the
CM face will be decided.
CONGRESS A DEMOCRATIC PARTY, CMs ARE DECIDED ONLY
AFTER DISCUSSIONS WITH ELECTED MLAs: AVINASH PANDE
EXCLUSIVE
We are proud of
our leadership -
Sonia Gandhi
Rahul Gandhi -
that without
muting anyone’s
voice, they hear
everyone

COVID-19
UPDATE
WORLD
55,85,843
TOTAL DEATHS
27,33,49,113
TOTAL RECOVERED
6,09,64,358
ACTIVE CASES
33,98,99,314
TOTAL CASES
INDIA
4,87,719
TOTAL DEATHS
3,58,07,029
TOTAL RECOVERED
19,24,025
ACTIVE CASES
3,82,18,773
TOTAL CASES
08
2NDFRONT
Reason and logic are the roots of
life but belief and faith are the
flowers which bring joy to us and
others.
—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO Editor-in-Chief, First India
New Delhi: As the na-
tion gears up for the Re-
public Day celebrations,
the Delhi Police and the
security agencies are
sparing no effort to se-
cure the national capital
amidst various threats.
Delhi Police Commis-
sioner Rakesh Asthana
along with Special Com-
missioner of Police Sat-
ishGolchaandDCPNew
Delhi Deepak Yadav vis-
ited the Rajpath area to
review the security ar-
rangement ahead of the
Republic Day celebra-
tions. In a bid to tackle
thevariousthreats,secu-
rity arrangement has
beentightenedwithover
50,000 security person-
nel being deployed and a
central control room
setup with over 500
CCTV cameras fitted
with facilitating facial
recognition for en-
hanced security
.
The national capital
has also been converted
into a no fly zone i.e. fly-
ing of drones, UAVs, hot
air balloons has been
prohibited. Anti-drone
teams have also been put
inplaceinordertocheck
foranyunattendedflying
objects in the airspace.
Special Commission-
er, Delhi Police Satish
Golcha said, “Latest
technology is being
used to prevent any pos-
sible drone threats.
Apart from this, face
recognition database
has also been aligned
with CCTV cameras.
Terror threats of all
kinds have been identi-
fied and a multi- layered
security arrangement
has been put in place.”
With regards to tack-
ling drones and UAVs,
the Delhi Police is work-
ing along with DRDO
and NSG. We are keep-
ing a close watch on
such activities, said
Golcha. —ANI
HIGH ALERT
Delhi top cop Asthana, others take stock of security arrangements at Rajpath ahead of Republic Day.
Rajpath in a new makeover
FOR R-DAY CELEBRATIONS
First India Bureau
New Delhi: The gi-
gantic and spectacular
scrolls created under
the unique initiative
‘Kala Kumbh’ have
now been installed at
the Rajpath for the Re-
public Day 2022 cele-
brations. The scrolls
adorn either side of
the Rajpath and pre-
sent an awe-inspiring
view. Secretary, Cul-
ture, Govind Mohan
on Thursday along
with others visited Ra-
jpath and inspected
the installations.
These scrolls ana-
lyze the potential of
art as a means to ex-
press National pride
and excellence with
varied forms of art
from diverse geo-
graphical locations of
the country. These
have been diligently
researched upon and
painted enthusiasti-
cally by more than five
hundred artists who
participated in special
workshops or ‘Kala
Kumbh’ at two loca-
tions, Odisha and
Chandigarh.
Culture Ministry Secy Govind Mohan (2nd from R) and others review preparations at Rajpath.
India, Sri Lanka to boost
ties in Science Technology
First India Bureau
New Delhi: India and
Sri Lanka extended the
existing ST coopera-
tion for three more
years, with focus on new
areas like waste-water
technologies, biotech,
sustainable agriculture,
aerospace engineering,
robotics,bigdataanalyt-
ics, and artificial intel-
ligence, as well as indus-
trial collaborations at
the India-Sri Lanka 5th
Joint Committee on
ST Cooperation held
on Thursday
.
“India and Sri Lanka
have a great legacy of
intellectual, cultural,
and religious interac-
tion and relationship of
more than 2500 years
old. Trade and invest-
ment and cooperation
in education and other
sectors have gone up in
recent times, and in this
line, cooperation in
ST becomes very criti-
cal,” said SK Varshney,
Advisor, and Head, In-
ternational Coopera-
tion, Department of
Science and Technolo-
gy (DST), Ministry of
Science and Technolo-
gy, India, who led the
delegation from the
country and was the In-
dian co-chair.
“This platform will
provide an opportunity
for discussing various
other facets which are
possible for collabora-
tion in the domain of
ST. There are a lot of
opportunities available
for bilateral coopera-
tion. India offers fellow-
ships like India ST
fellowship, e-ITEC and
both the countries can
work through a number
of multilateral plat-
forms like BIMSTEC,
which they are part of,”
he added.
Deepa Liyange, Sec-
retary, State Ministry
of Skills Development,
Vocational Education,
Research Innova-
tions, Sri Lanka, the co-
chair from Sri Lanka,
reiterated the well-es-
tablished bilateral rela-
tionship between both
the countries and wel-
comed India’s coopera-
tion in ST sectors and
research areas for
boosting scientific
knowledge in the coun-
try
.
Vinod K Jacob, Depu-
ty High Commissioner
from India in Sri Lan-
ka, highlighted that as
part of India’s “Neigh-
borhood First” policy
which guides the coun-
try’s cooperation with
Sri Lanka, this meeting
would help build on ex-
isting collaborative
work and help these
reach greater heights.
He further men-
tioned that under the
e-ITEC program, since
April 2020, 550 Sri-Lan-
kan nationals have ben-
efitted from training in
various Indian institu-
tions in areas like bio-
tech, medical research,
renewable energy, and
so on.
Neighboring nations
to strengthen ST
cooperation look
towards new areas like
waste-water
technologies, biotech,
sustainable
agriculture, big data
analytics artificial
intelligence
JK, Ladakh
‘hard areas’
for IAS, IPS
2 drug seizures in 24 hours in Guj
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Two drug
seizures were reported
in less than 24 hours in
Gujarat. On Thursday,
Banaskantha police
seized Rs1.46 crore
worth of charas from
the Gujarat-Rajasthan
border and the Narcot-
ics Control Bureau, on
Wednesday, intercepted
a container from Cana-
da at the Mundra sea-
port and seized 90 pack-
ets of marijuana.
As per BR Gadhvi, PI
of the Special Operation
Group (SOG), on Thurs-
day morning, in a joint
operation with the local
police team, a car was
intercepted at the Guja-
rat-Rajasthan border
travelling from
Himachal Pradesh to
Goa. During the check,
police found charas
worth Rs1.46 crores.
Buttheaccused’sstate-
mentisstillbeingrecord-
ed. So, it is too soon to
name which syndicate is
behind the smuggling
and whether the person
arrested is just a peddler
or a drug mafia.
In another incident
on Wednesday, NCB in-
tercepted a container at
the Mundra seaport on
a tip-off. The container
was shipped from On-
tario in Canada by one
Amarjit Singh and the
importer was a Punjab-
based industrialist.
New Delhi: IAS and IPS
officers,belongingtoAG-
MUT cadre, and serving
in Jammu and Kashmir
and Ladakh will hence-
forth be considered as
“hard areas” posting.
A decision has been
taken by the central
govt in this effect and
guidelines for the trans-
fer and posting of IAS,
IPS officers of the Joint
Arunachal Pradesh,
Goa, Mizoram Union
Territory (AGMUT)
cadre-2016 has been
modified in this effect.
The JK cadre was
mergedwiththeAGMUT
in January 2021 after the
bifurcation of the erst-
while state into two UTs
— JK and Ladakh.
“Consequent upon
the merger of the JK
cadre into AGMUT cad-
re, the matter has been
examined and with the
approval of competent
authority, it has been
decided that the UTs of
JKandLadakhmaybe
categorised as Category
B (Hard Areas) in the
Joint AGMUT Cadre,”
the home ministry com-
munication said. —PTI
GREAT WARRIOR
A 25-feet high equestrian metal sculpture of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, largest in India, has
been unveiled in Pune. —PHOTO BY VIJAYKUMAR HARISHCHANDRE
From page 1...
the narrative that
“nothing was done in
the past 75 years” in the
country
.
Events launched
Launching year-long
initiatives dedicated to
Azadi Ka Amrit Mahot-
sav by the Brahma Ku-
maris, which include
more than 30 cam-
paigns and over 15,000
programmes and
events, he said people
only talked of their
rights all these years
and fought for them.
Only rights were
talked about,
duties were
forgotten
Modi said that speak-
ing of rights may be
right to some extent in
certain circumstances
but forgetting one’s du-
ties completely has
played a huge role in
keeping India weak.
International
conspiracy to
defame India
continues
He said that conspir-
acies are going on inter-
nationally to defame
the country
. He said
that organizations like
Brahma Kumaris can
do this work. He said
that Brahmakumari
shouldbringatleast500
foreigners to visit India
every year.
Daughters are
serving in armed
forces
He listed develop-
ments like entry of
women in the armed
forces, more maternity
leaves for working
women and better po-
litical participation in
theformof morevoting
and representation in
the Council of Minis-
ters as a mark of new
confidence among
women.
LSSpeakerOmBirla,
Raj Guv Kalraj Mishra,
CMs of Raj and Gujarat
Ashok Gehlot and Bhu-
pendraPatelrespective-
ly
, Union Min G Kishan
Reddy, Bhupender Ya-
dav, Arjun Ram Megh-
wal,ParshottamRupala
and Kailash Choud-
hary
, ex-CM Vasundha-
ra Raje also joined the
ceremony virtually
.
More than 30 campaigns and 15,000 programmes, events launched
Delhi turns into fortress;
CP Asthana reviews security

ur lives seemed to
be turning tire-
some in our previ-
ous fields of medi-
cine and interior
design, when we
both made up our
minds to follow our hearts
against all odds, and turn
to fashion as a way of ex-
pressing ourselves and our
talent,” said owners of
Shivayu, the designers,
Shivani and Ayush.
They further added, “We
started our business online,
in a small room without
much equipment or infra-
structure. Within a quick
span of time, our business
grew into the fancy fashion
studio we run together to-
day
.Ourdesignscarryparts
of both of our personali-
ties, and so does our brand
name – Shivani and Ayush
are in fact, ‘Shivayu’. Our
first international fashion
show at the Colombo Fash-
ion Week 2017 paved the
way for more to come. “
“Shivayu Fashion Studio
has brought us much suc-
cess and many accolades,
with the recent feather in
our cap being the prestig-
ious ‘The Fashion Connect
Season 11: Dubai Edition’,
where we will be showcas-
ing traditional Indian wed-
ding attires with a touch of
the indigenous Dubai fash-
ion style, “ they added. The
duo is ecstatic to be a part
of this new venture which
will allow them to work
with a fresh range of de-
signs.
Ayush said, “Even
though being twins, we
have always had completely
different natures and inter-
ests, with the exception be-
ing our professional life.
At Shivayu, we coordi-
nate as if we can read
each other’s minds and
create beauty in our
kinship in the form
of our art. If our ex-
perience together
has taught us any-
thing, it is the
sheer value of
being commit-
ted to our
work and be-
lieving in
ourselves
and our
l o v e d
ones.”
Leavingnostoneunturned
NEW DELHI, FRIDAY
JANUARY 21, 2022
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia
facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09
Shivani and Ayush from Shivayu productions, who
will be showcasing traditional Indian wedding attires
with a touch of the indigenous Dubai fashion style, at
FC Season 11, got candid with City First and talked
about their journey so far!
MITALI DUSAD
mitalidusad01@gmail.com
O
Shivani and Ayush

10
ETC
F
A
C
E
O
F
T
H
E
D
A
Y
PREETI SINGH, Model
ARIES
MAR 21 - APR 20
Satisfaction is
foreseen for the
image conscious
people trying to
achieve perfect
figure and
physique. Your
efforts on the
academic front
will keep you in contention. You are likely
to spend an enjoyable time with a close
relation today. Your helping hand to
someone in need will be appreciated.
LIBRA
SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22
You will have an
awesome day.
Continue to put
in efforts at work
and you will
see promising
opportunities.
Matrimonial
match for siblings
will bring happiness for entire family. You
will get a good price for your property.
You may receive invaluable guidance
from a spiritual leader.
TAURUS
APR 21 - MAY 20
Implementation
of new ideas
and projects
would add to
your prestige on
the professional
front. A sound
monetary
position would
enable you to keep pace with changing
times. Avoid raising controversial issues
at home to maintain harmony. It is a
wonderful day to build new connections.
SCORPIO
OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22
Paying special
attention to plan
your career would
give immense joy
and happiness.
You are likely
to get clearance
or approval for
your construction
plans. You find things moving in the
way you want them. Gifting something
to your beloved is likely to make the day
memorable.
GEMINI
MAY 21 - JUNE 21
Some of you
are going to
experience
emotional
fulfillment on
romantic front.
Yoga would help
in raising energy
levels. Place
emphasis on domestic affairs to enhance
the domestic tranquility and harmony.
Associating yourself with humanitarian
group on social front would benefit you.
SAGITTARIUS
NOV 23 - DEC 22
A sound
financial health
of businessmen
would enable to
give monetary
benefits to
employees. Your
sole dependency
on friends may
fail to bring any respite from loneliness
today. It is good day to confess your love
as stars appear favourable for positive
reply.
CANCER
JUNE 22 - JULY 23
Those suffering
from chronic
ailments may
find remarkable
improvement in
their health with
home remedies.
Today you will
enjoy the trust
of senior management. Minor domestic
disputes may snowball into a major row,
so give attention to the family. Rewards
and recognition will come your way.
CAPRICORN
DEC 23 - JAN 20
Those suffering
from chronic
ailments may
find remarkable
improvement
in their healt.
Minor domestic
disputes may
snowball into a
major row, so give attention to the family.
Rewards and recognition will come your
way for your involvement in a social
endeavour.
LEO
JULY 24 - AUGUST 23
You will succeed
in resolving
misunderstanding
with family
members,
normalizing ties.
Seek proper
valuation of the
property you are
planning to buy. Keep a close tab on what
you eat if you want to remain healthy.
Your colleagues may not like your upfront
nature.
AQUARIUS
JAN 21 - FEB 19
Paying special
attention to plan
your career would
give immense
joy. You are likely
to get clearance
or approval for
your construction
plans. You find
things moving in the way you want them.
Gifting something to your beloved is likely
to make the day memorable. Love comes
your way.
VIRGO
AUG 24 - SEP 23
Implementation
of new ideas and
projects would
add to your
prestige. A sound
monetary posi-
tion would enable
you to keep pace
with changing
times. It is a wonderful day to build new
connections. Your relationship requires
you to be tactful. It is time to get going on
the fitness front to improve health.
PISCES
FEB20 - MARCH 20
A sound financial
health of busi-
nessmen would
enable to give
monetary benefits
to employees.
Your sole
dependency on
friends may fail to
bring any respite from loneliness today.
It is good day to confess your love as
stars appear favourable for positive reply.
Health remains satisfactory.
YOUR
DAY
Horoscope by
Saurabbh Sachdeva
RICH
TRADITIONAL
INDIAN
CULTURE
IN FOOD!
7 INTERESTING FOOD SUPERSTITIONS
IN INDIA AND POSSIBLE REASONS
BEHIND THEM!
ave you ever
seen lemon
and chillies
hanging on
the entrances
of shops and
stores and
wondered why they
are up there and not in
a kitchen? We bet you
have!
Indian culture is
rich in traditions, ritu-
als, and superstitions
that our forefathers
passed down to future
generations as a warn-
ing or to instil a habit
for the welfare of the
community. Whether
you believe in them or
not, you cannot deny
that superstitions have
found a place in our
daily lives in some way
or the other. In fact,
knowingly or unknow-
ingly you might be fol-
lowing or believing a
few of them.
Below we give you 7
fascinating food super-
stitions in India and
the possible logic be-
hind them.
EK SPOON LUCK
WITH DAHI AUR
CHEENI
Remember how our
mothers would run af-
ter us with a small
bowl of ‘dahi shakar’
(curd with sugar) be-
fore any exam, test, or
interview? This popu-
lar superstition actu-
ally has a logical expla-
nation. According to
the Vedas, when you
are anxious, your
stomach tenses, mak-
ing you feel nauseated.
Since yoghurt con-
tains probiotics, it
keeps your stomach
cool, and the glucose
present in sugar pro-
vides you with the en-
ergy you need to get
through the day with-
out feeling tired or un-
easy
.
EK SE BHALE DO
ANDE!
If you’ve got a two-
yolked egg on your
plate, you’re in for
some major life chang-
es. According to an an-
cient Indian supersti-
tion, you may soon
hear wedding bells in
your family or be gift-
ed with adorable
twins!
NIMBU, MIRCHI,
AUR DARWAZA!
You must have spotted
a cluster of lemons and
chillies strung to-
gether on a cotton
thread at the en-
trance of numer-
ous stores. Ac-
cording to our
grandparents,
lemon and chil-
lies ward off the
‘evil eye.’ If this
explanation does
not convince you, we
also have scientific
logic. The mix of lem-
on and chillies produc-
es a pungent smell that
repels insects and
keeps your environ-
ment pest-free.
DOODH KE TOTKE
There are many super-
stitions attached to
milk. The most com-
mon is that spilled
milk is a bad omen, as
it may be a sign that
you may lose some of
your hard-earned
wealth. Another myth
holds that lending
milk after sunset is in-
auspicious. This su-
perstition derives
from the pastoral and
farming community’s
belief that lending
milk after sunset re-
duces the milk pro-
duced by cattle.
NAMAK BHARE
JAZBAAT
Just like spilled milk
is considered inauspi-
cious, spilling of salt
is also believed to
bring misfortune. If
you do spill some salt
on the floor, don’t
sweep it with a broom,
as another su-
perstition
holds that
y o u
s h o u l d
not dis-
card salt directly. In-
stead, dissolve it in a
bowl of water. The
bowl will absorb all
the negative energies
and protect you from
evil.
GHEE KE DIYE
Every Diwali, we light
up our houses with
several diyas. While
you can always burn
diyas with oil, a com-
mon Indian supersti-
tion advises against it.
In place of oil, use
ghee even if it is more
expensive. This is be-
cause Hindus believe
that lighting diyas
with ghee attracts pos-
itive energy and repels
evil forces.
SABSE PEHLE BHOG
LAGAO PHIR KHUD
KHAAO
You’ve probably seen
several Indians serve
the first bite of every
meal to the almighty.
This is their way of
showing reverence to
God and expressing
gratitude for food. The
superstition stems
from the concept that
making an offering to
God can dispel nega-
tive energy that may
attract evil spirits.
Some believe that
sharing a bite with
God brings good for-
tune into the home.
CONCLUSION
While some Indian su-
perstitions have sci-
entific reasoning hid-
den beneath layers of
interpretation, others
have emerged as a re-
sult of our ancestors’
habits, fears and con-
victions. Let’s not he-
sistate with dishes,
let the mouth water-
ing savouries not stop
us from listening to
our hearts and well,
stomach!
ABOUT CAULDRON
SISTERS
Ratika Richa
Khetan, two sisters,
started Cauldron
Sisters in 2015.
It started as an
exotic food gift
hamper business,
but their love for
food encouraged
them to start
culinary workshops,
food deliveries,
and slowly and
gradually it turned
huge as restaurants
and cafes started
approaching them
for consultancy.
H

ETC
11
MANSI AGARWAL
s the pan-
demic tak-
ing a toll on
your fashion
mood? 2022
has got some
a m a z i n g
trends awaiting to
get into the closet.
It’s 2022 and the
new trends can’t
wait to get imbibed
into our so frosty
wardrobes.
Although the cov-
id 19 has weathered
the enthusiasm of
the entire world. So
at this point, who do
the shoppers want?
Don’t worry! The
trendsetters are all
set to get the chic to
your doorsteps. Pep
up !! Make them
your own with a
pinch of your
clever person-
alisation.
So blow
away the
cobwebs
and set
foot into
the latest
fashion
trends of 2022….
The two years of
sluggishness with
this pandemic has
madeusdiveintoour
relaxed and over-
sized closet. Let that
oversized closet
make you appear su-
per stylish in 2022.
The loose-fitting
jeans with a well-tai-
lored oversize coat
will do it all !!
If straight-leg
jeans are more your
vibe, slipping into a
morevoluminoussil-
houette can be a
somewhat scary
idea.
Is your creativity
hoping to get out of
your zone? Relax!
And let it sink on a
white tee with col-
ours of your imagi-
nation.
Yes, you guessed it
right. Tie-dye is the
newtrendmakingits
way in 2022. Go
trendy with just a kit
of colours of your
choice from your
nearest craft stores
with a white old T-
shirt. What a low-
cost fashionable
piece.
So don’t let this
pandemic ruin your
style mode and be-
come the go-to fash-
ion choice. Get
these trends into
your closet and
match the walk of
2022…
I
THE 022
VOGUE
THE 022
THE 022
THE 022
THE 022
THE 022
VOGUE
VOGUE

12
CITY BUZZ
GET VACCINATED
STAY MASKED
Mayank Austin Soofi wrote an inspiring story on twitter about Ravindra Kumar, a milk
booth attendant who used to work in a delivery company`s warehouse near his hamlet of
Alwar, Rajasthan. Later he moved to Delhi, established his booth and is now working with
a colleague as the sole manager of the booth. He prepares his own meals and sleeps on
the mattress inside the booth. He dreams of a government job in the future.
Businessman Juned Qazi
made history when he was
elected to the Marlboro
Township Council, N.J.,
last November. And he
made it again when
he was voted in as
President of the Council
on January 6. He now
oversees the proceedings
of a Republican majority
town council after
nearly two decades of
Democratic government.
Aditya Choudhary of
Manalapan-Englishtown
Middle School in New Jersey
won the 2021 Congressional
App Challenge (CAC) for
developing the winning
app ‘Trackie’. The app was
created with ‘ingenuity and
creativity’ according to Rep.
The app is aimed at being of
help during the winter times
when waiting outdoors for the
bus becomes difficult due to
inclement weather.
Food-lovers in the greater New York area and beyond will
be glad to know that the Varli Cook-Off Live event, named
after its creator Varli Singh, is back after a pandemic hiatus
and will be held in association with Martinsville Gardens,
New Jersey, recently. The Celebrity Chef and James Beard
Honoree, Chef Prasad Chirnomula, who, alongside Famed
Restaurateur and Celebrity Chef KN Vinod and Restaurateur
Vishal Bakshi, will judge the Varli Cook Off Live, 2022.
Delhi Government’s Guru Gobind Singh Hospital’s new block
will start running soon. It will add 472 Beds to 100 Bedded
Hospital. This project will increase the capacity by 2.5 times
in the four hospitals. Massive Expansion for Delhi Government
Hospitals is going on of 657-crore to add 1,716 beds in 4
Delhi government hospitals.
osmo Foun-
dation, New
Delhi or-
ganised a
free blanket
and woollen distribu-
tion camp, in associa-
tion with South Delhi
Police. During the
program, 1000 blan-
kets and 200 wool-
lens were distribut-
ed to the underprivi-
leged. The drive was
commenced by DCP
South Delhi, Benita
Mary Jaikar in the
presence of, ACP
Ram Sundar, SHO
Vijay Pal Khatri,
SHO Surendra Ku-
mar Rana and Ra-
jnish Choudhary.
Benita Mary Jaiker
told that We are hap-
py to be a part of
this initiative and
this is a commenda-
ble appeal by Cosmo
Foundation.
CITY FIRST
outes 2 Roots, a
n o n - p r o f i t
NGO engaged
in cultural ex-
change pro-
grams in India and
abroad announced
theresultsof the10th
All India Virsa Inter-
School Competition re-
cently
. The 10th VIRSA
marked the entries of
thousands of schools
likeKendriyaVidyalaya,
Jawahar Navodaya Vid-
yalaya, Haryana Gov-
ernment Schools, Pun-
jabGovernmentSchools,
BSF Schools and other
Private Schools.
VIRSA is a cultural
education initiative of
the organisation, which
is the first of its kind in
the world providing
cultural education to
students through the
digital medium to
make the future genera-
tions aware of their her-
itage thereby strength-
ening the social and cul-
tural bonds among each
other.
“It’sawonderfulexpe-
rience hosting VIRSA
because of the over-
whelmingresponsefrom
the participants. This
type of education has
grown over the last few
years and has experi-
enced mainstream ac-
ceptance in art and cul-
ture, especially online
education looks promis-
ing, and opens up new
doors of opportunities
for all.” said Rakesh
Gupta, founder, Routes-
2Roots. The event was
graced by a panel of
judges who are taking
regular classes In differ-
ent Disciplines.
YASHASVI
SHRIVASTAVA
cityfirst@firstindia.co.in
very beauty
pageant has a
National Cos-
tume round,
with participants
promoting the cul-
tural/spiritual as-
pects of their home country
throughtheircostumes.This
year, India’s Navdeep Kaur
has won the award for the
Best National Costume at
the prestigious Mrs World
2022 pageant in Nevada, Las
Vegas. She is the winner of
MrsIndiaWorld2021,wasrep-
resenting the country at Mrs
World2022. The“avant-garde”
outfit was inspired by Kunda-
lini Chakra, which “symbol-
ises the movement of energy
in chakras of the body from
the base to the spine up
through the crown”. Cobra
embellishments on the shoul-
der were added to represent
the “mystical serpent native
to India”, while the golden
colour was chosen as it rep-
resents novelty
, power and
glory
.AccordingtoEggieJas-
min, who is the designer of
the costume, the extravagant
costume was sprinkled with
over 50,000 diamond rhine-
stones. Brocade, tulle and Ko-
reansequinfabricwereused
to craft the costume, while
pearls and crystals were
addedasafinaltouchfor
a regal look.
E
RESULTS ANNOUNCED!
WARMTH OF HUMANITY!
R
C
STRAIGHT FROMTHE GROUND!
MAKING A MARK !
PRIDE OF INDIA ! QAZI MAKES HISTORY IN NEW JERSEY
MASSIVE EXPANSION!
SHRIVASTAVA
cityfirst@firstindia.co.in
tume round,
with participants
promoting the cul-
tural/spiritual as-
pects of their home country
throughtheircostumes.This
year, India’s Navdeep Kaur
has won the award for the
Best National Costume at
the prestigious Mrs World
2022 pageant in Nevada, Las
Vegas. She is the winner of
MrsIndiaWorld2021,wasrep-
resenting the country at Mrs
World2022. The“avant-garde”
outfit was inspired by Kunda-
lini Chakra, which “symbol-
ises the movement of energy
in chakras of the body from
the base to the spine up
through the crown”. Cobra
embellishments on the shoul-
der were added to represent
the “mystical serpent native
to India”, while the golden
colour was chosen as it rep-
OF
SHINE
GLORY
Navdeep Kaur
Navdeep Kaur’s
Costume
Rakesh Gupta with winner Kiwi Kachhawa
Benita Mary Jaikar
Benita Mary Jaikar with Ram Sundar, Vijay Pal Khatri,
Surendra Kumar Rana and Rajnish Choudhary
People in queues to collect Blankets and Wollens
During the camp
During the camp
—PHOTOS BY SHAZID CHAUHAN
—PHOTOS BY SHAZID CHAUHAN

21012022 first india new delhi

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

Similar to 21012022 first india new delhi

Similar to 21012022 first india new delhi (20)

More from FIRST INDIA

More from FIRST INDIA (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

21012022 first india new delhi