23122022_First India_Mumbai.pdf

Karnataka to
take ‘legal
action’ against
Maha leaders
First India Bureau
Belagavi: Belagavi:
Karnataka Assembly
on Thursday passed a
unanimous resolution
over the border issue
with Maharashtra stat-
ing that legal action
will be taken against
any minister of Maha-
rashtra if they contin-
ue to make statements
over the issue.
The legislators con-
demned the Maharas-
tra government’s acts
and reactions made by
ministers especially,
Shiv Sena (Thackeray)
leader Sanjay Raut. The
move by the State As-
sembly has come at a
time of heightened ten-
sion between Maha-
rashtra and Karnataka
over decades-old border
conflict and the issue is
also listed in the Su-
preme Court.
Several leaders of
the Opposition have
made ‘strong’ state-
ments over the issue
and accused the Maha-
rashtra government of
not responding strong-
ly to Karnataka.
BMC posts details of decisions taken by Chahal as admin
Mumbai: BMC on
Wednesday posted
details of ad-
ministrative
decisions tak-
en by mu-
n i c i p a l
c o m -
m i s -
sioner
Iqbal Singh Chahal so
far as civic body’s ad-
ministrator.
The link shared
by BMC’s showed a
month-wise list of
all the decisions
taken by Cha-
hal, pertain-
ing to the
c i v i c
body’s
opera-
tions.
The list contained
over 400 subjects related
to civic and infrastruc-
ture works as well as in-
ternal activities of the
24 wards taken up for
clearance by Chahal and
shows that several sub-
jects were not cleared
— based on technical
grounds — and referred
back to the departments
concerned.
Chahal took over as
the state-appointed ad-
ministrator from March
8, after the body of elect-
ed representatives got
dissolved due to the de-
ferment of BMC elec-
tions. Since then, Cha-
hal has been the sole
showrunner in the civic
body
. Meanwhile, 94 cor-
porators wrote to Chief
Minister Eknath Shinde
last week, mentioning
that there was “no trans-
parency in BMC admin-
istration”.
Earlier, clearance for
administrative deci-
sions would usually go
to various statutory
committees such as
standing committee, im-
provement committee
etc. But now, as these
committees are redun-
dant with the absence of
elected corporators, the
decision on approving
or rejecting the propos-
als are taken up by the
civic chief. Several deci-
sions taken by Chahal
include the beautifica-
tion work in Mumbai,
projects related to sew-
age operation, waste
management, road
work, and agendas re-
lated to maintenance
and construction of
bridges and stormwater
drains across all 24
wards in the city. “The
listof decisionstakenby
the administrator has
been in the portal for
some time now. All the
decisions were uploaded
on a fortnightly or
monthly basis for trans-
parency… to citizens
and elected representa-
tives,” said an official.
‘Shamelessness’ gets
Jayant suspended
Sandeep Shukla
Nagpur. On Thursday,
opposition leader Jayant
Patil used un-parliamen-
tary words against As-
sembly Speaker Rahul
Narwekar. Due to this,
CM Eknath Shinde pre-
sent in the House de-
manded the Jayant Pa-
til’s suspension. Later,
Parliamentary Affairs
Minister Chandrakant
Patil proposed his sus-
pension, which was ap-
proved by the majority
of the House. Now, Jay-
ant Patil will not be able
to enter the Vidhan
Bhavans of Nagpur and
Mumbai during the sus-
pension period. On this,
the opposition staged a
walkout from the House
in protest against Patil’s
suspension. Prior to the
suspension, the house
even adjourned for 10
minutes.
Link shared
by BMC’s showed a
month-wise list of
all the decisions
taken by Chahal*,
pertaining to the
c i v i c body’s
operations.
GOVT - OPPOSITION AT LOGGERHEADS SIT PROBE DEMAND IN DISHA SALIAN DEATH
Opposition
members walked
out of the house in
protest
Shinde scores ‘victory’ as High
Court dismisses petition
Sandeep Shukla
Mumbai: The Nagpur
bench of Mumbai High
Court has given relief
to Chief Minister
Eknath Shinde in the
NIT land allotment
case of about Rs 100
crore in Nagpur. The
Shiv Sena, the Nation-
alist Congress Party
and the Congress had
demanded Shinde’s res-
ignation alleging that
the allotment was rath-
er a scam. Maharash-
tra’s Urban Develop-
ment Department told
the Nagpur bench of
the Bombay High Court
that the order to trans-
fer the Nagpur Im-
provement Trust (NIT)
plot to a private person
has been cancelled. The
land has again been
made available to the
slum dwellers. The de-
partment admitted that
its officials did not in-
form the Chief Minis-
ter about this PIL and
was an unintentional
mistake. Holding that
the dispute has been
resolved, the High
Court dismissed the pe-
tition.
Maha Council adjourned
multiple times, Lokpal bill
tabled in House
First India Bureau
Nagpur: The Maha-
rashtra Legislative
Council witnessed mul-
tiple adjournments on
Thursday as ruling
BJP legislators created
ruckus to demand set-
ting up of SIT to probe
the death of Disha
Salian, the former
manager of late actor
Sushant Singh Rajput.
BJP leaders demand-
ed a probe into Salian’s
deathastheyapparently
targeted MLA Aaditya
Thackeray
.
Amid uproar and
ruckus, the house was
adjourned several
times, once for thirty
minutes as well and the
BJP leaders continued
their sloganeering even
afterthehouseresumed.
Meanwhile, state Excise
Minister Shambhuraj
Desai tabled Lokayukta
Bill on the lines of the
Lokpal and Lokayuktas
Act, 2013, which aims to
bring the chief minister
as well as other minis-
ters under its ambit.
I regret what
happened, but
this regret does
not mean to withdraw
the suspension. If
some mistake is made,
then one should move
forward by expressing
regret on it. Whatev-
er happened in the
House should not have
happened. A few words
accidentally slip out of
the mouth.— Ajit Pawar
A matter (alian’s
death probe)
was raised in
the House, which was
not listed. After that
14 members of the
ruling party were given
a chance to speak. We
were demanding that
Bhaskar Jadhav, MLA
of Thackeray faction,
be allowed to keep his
point. Tht is when I said
that you should not do
such shamelessness….
This meant giving equal
opportunities to the ruling
and the opposition. After
this I was suspended, this
is an attempt to suppress
the voice of the opposi-
tion. — Jayant Patil
Nagpur: Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Nitesh Rane
on Thursday sought a “narco test” on Shiv Sena
(UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray in connection
with the deaths of actor Sushant Singh Rajput and
Disha Salian based on the allegations levelled by
Lok Sabha MP Rahul Shewale of the Eknath Shinde
faction. Questioning why Thackeray’s name cropped
up every time the deaths of Rajput and the latter’s
former manager Disha Salian were discussed,
Rane said the allegations of Shewale must be taken
seriously as he was close to the Thackeray family
for a long time.
RANE SEEKS ‘NARCO TEST’ ON AADITYA
SHINDE, FADNAVIS SHOULD RESIGN, DEMANDS OPPOSITION
Nagpur: Days after the
Opposition demanded
resignation of CM Eknath
Shinde in the NIT land allot-
ment case, the opposition,
on Thursday, now made a
new demand but this time,
it not only asked for CM
Eknath Shinde’s resigna-
tion, but also sought
resignation of deputy CM
Devendra Fadnavis as
well. The opposition has
targetted Fadnavis over
the Rashmi Shukla case as
she was given a clean chit
by the government. While
interacting with the media
on Thursday, Congress
state president Nana Patole
has demanded that both
Chief Shinde and Fadnvais
should resign.
Patole said that phone
tapping is the biggest crime,
but phones of journalists,
politicians, and officials
were tapped. “Was phone
tapping mandated? Rashmi
Shukla received backlash
and was found guilty, while
government gave her a
clean chit. Fadnavis must
resign in the matter. Chief
Minister Eknath Shinde
is also guilty,” he said.
Meanwhile, Leader of the
opposition in the state
assembly - Ajit Pawar - also
interacted with the media
on this occasion and said,
“When Devendra Fadnavis
was Chief Minister, he
allowed the official of his
home department Rashmi
Shukla to tap phones and
she tapped the phones
of people from different
parties. In the investigation,
phone tapping was proved.
An inquiry was conducted,
and a case was registered.
As Uddhav Thackeray’s gov-
ernment went and Shinde’s
government came, the
investigation was stopped,
and a clean chit was given,”
said Pawar.
Pawar added, “This
case went to court. We
raised the question on it in
the Legislative Assembly,
but we were not allowed
to speak. We demand to
speak but are not given a
chance.
As the border row
heats up, Karnata-
ka assembly draws
first blood on Maha
with its resolution
BSE SENSEX 60,826.22 241.02 | NSE NIFTY 18,127.35 71.75
MUMBAI l FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2022 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI TITLE NO. MAHENG/2022/14652 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 226
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OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR, NEW DELHI MUMBAI
With a belligerent China figuring
high on their radar screens, India
Japan will conduct their first-ever
air combat exercise next month in a
significant developmental ties.
The accused in the Shraddha
Walkar murder case, Aaftab Amin
Poonawala withdrew his bail plea
on Thursday applied erroneously at
the New Delhi Saket court.
DEFENCE MINISTRY
CLEARS `85, 000
CR FOR ARMY’S
TANKS OTHERS
New Delhi: The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC)
of Defence Ministry on Thursday accorded approval
for Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for 24 Capital
Acquisition Proposals. It includes 6 for IA, 6 for IAF,
10 for IN and 2 for ICG for value of `84,328 crore.
As India steps up Covid ‘Shield’...
‘CONCERNED’ PM TAKES A KNOW-HOW
Moni Sharma
New Delhi: Prime Min-
ister Narendra Modi
chaired high-level meet-
ing in the backdrop of
spike in cases in some
countries on Thursday
to assess the Covid-19
situation in the country
,
preparedness of health
infrastructure and
emergence of variants
and their public health
implications and cau-
tioned against compla-
cency. Advising strict
vigil, he said Covid not
over yet and directed of-
ficials to strengthen the
ongoing surveillance
measures, especially at
the international air-
ports. The nasal vac-
cine has got a go-ahead
in meeting as India is
stepping up the vacci-
nation drive. He advised
states to audit COVID-
specific facilities to en-
sure the operational
readiness of hospital
infrastructure, includ-
ing oxygen cylinders,
PSA plants, ventilators
human resources. P6
Modi urges people to follow the
Covid-appropriate behaviour
asks States to audit medical facilities
No order has been issued by the
Central government to curb the
incoming flights from China: Sources
In a big move, Prime Minister
gives a go-ahead to the Bharat
Biotech’s Nasal Covid-19 vaccination
A MEGA SURGE! CHINA IS LIKELY SEEING 1
MILLION COVID CASES, 5,000 DEATHS/DAY
Beijing: China is most likely experiencing a whop-
ping 1 million Covid infections and 5,000 virus-related
deaths every day
as the country of
1.4 billion people
is experiencing the
worst outbreak the
world has ever seen,
according to a new
analysis. This current
Covid wave may see
the country’s daily
case rate rise to 3.7 million in January and 4.2 million
till March, according to British scientific information
and analytics company Airfinity.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a high-level meeting to review the Covid-19 situation in India,
via VC, in New Delhi on Thursday. Union Ministers Amit Shah, Mansukh Mandaviya, Jyotiraditya Scindia
alongwith NITI Aayog CEO Parameswaran Iyer and other health medical experts are also present here.
MAJOR
HAPPENINGS
They have now come
up with a new idea.
They wrote a letter to
me and said Covid-19 is coming
so stop “Bharat
Jodo Yatra”.
They are com-
ing up with ex-
cuses to stop the
yatra. Wear
masks, Covid is
spreading, these are all excuses.
—Rahul Gandhi, Congress Leader
States to create aware-
ness about wearing the
face masks and admin-
ister precaution doses; especially
in view of up-
coming festivals
new year cele-
brations. Centre
to test random
2% of int’l trav-
ellers for Cov-
id-19 amid new variant scare.
—Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister
l Random testing of
international passengers
from Dec 24, airlines to
select flyers for screening
l Hours after suspen-
sion due to Covid-19,
Jan Aakrosh Yatra in
Rajasthan to continue P2
l IMA and other health
experts appeal for Covid
appropriate behaviour
with immediate effect
APPROVE COVOVAX
AS BOOSTER FOR
ADULTS: SII TO DCGI
The SII has sought the
DCGI’s approval for
market
authorisa-
tion of its
Covid-19
vaccine -
Covovax
as a booster dose for
those aged 18 years
who have been jabbed
with 2 doses of Cov-
ishield or Covaxin. It is
indigenous version of
vaccine by Novovax Inc
and made under SII.
CHARLES
SOBHRAJ’S
RELEASE DELAYED
BY A DAY
Kathmandu: Charles Sobhraj, 78, will spend one
more day in Nepal’s prison as the immigration
authorities on Thursday expressed their inability to
arrange accommodation for the notorious serial killer
who is expected to be deported after his release.

NEWS
MUMBAI | FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2022
02
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First India Bureau
Nagpur: A day after
court directed Pune po-
lice to conduct further
investigation into IPS
officer Rashmi Shukla
phone-tapping case, op-
position members
staged a walkout from
the Maharashtra As-
sembly on Thursday
after claiming they
were not being allowed
to discuss the matter in
the House.
As the House pro-
ceedings began, Con-
gress leader Nana Pa-
tole raised the issue say-
ing he was one of the
leaders whose phone
was allegedly tapped.
Notably, the Pune
court cited lack of evi-
dence as reason for fur-
ther probe after police
filed a closure report on
Wednesday
.
A case was regis-
tered against Shukla at
Bundgarden police sta-
tion in Pune in Febru-
ary 2022 under Section
26 of the Indian Tele-
graph Act when the
Shiv Sena-Nationalist
Congress Party (NCP)-
Congress government
was in power in Maha-
rashtra.
Incidentally, Section
26 of the Telegraph Act
deals with “unlawful
interception of mes-
sages”.
Another case was
registered against her
by the Colaba police in
Mumbai.
By asking about the
need to file a closure re-
port, Patole sought to
target Deputy Chief
Minister Devendra Fad-
navis, who also holds
charge of the state
Home Department.
He claimed the mat-
ter is such that infring-
es on his right as the
member of the House.
Patole also sought a
discussion over the
matter. Speaker Rahul
Narwekar said Patole
had given a notice for
the discussion after the
deadline and he could
raise the issue with the
Privilege Committee of
the House.
But, Leader of Oppo-
sition Ajit Pawar said
the probe into the Rash-
mi Shukla case had
been stopped when the
phones of several lead-
ers including those
from the opposition
were tapped, which was
in violation of the In-
dian Telegraph Act.
Narwekar, however,
said the Question Hour
was in progress while
the opposition insisted
on a discussion in the
phone tapping case.
The opposition mem-
bers then walked out in
protest.
DAY 04 OF MAHARASHTRA LEGISLATURE WINTER SESSION IN NAGPUR
OPPN STAGES WALKOUT OVER
IPS RASHMI SHUKLA CASE
Allege they were not allowed to discuss issue in the House during Question Hour
Opposition MLAs protest against the state government outside Vidhan Bhawan, in Nagpur on
Thursday. —ANI PHOTO
THE CASE
First India Bureau
Mumbai: Nationalist
Congress Party (NCP)
MP Supriya Sule on
Thursday blasted
Eknath Shinde faction
MP Rahul Shewale in
the Lok Sabha over his
allegations against
ShivSena–UddhavBal-
asahebThackeraylead-
er Aaditya Thackeray
.
During Wednesday’s
Winter Session at the
Parliament, Shewale
had claimed that Rhea
Chakraborty
, who was
late actor Sushant Sin-
ghRajput’sgirlfriendat
the time, received 44
calls from Aaditya
Thackeray’s phone. Ac-
cording to the MP
, his
name was in her con-
tact list as ‘
AU’.
While criticizing the
Shinde faction and Sh-
ewale, Sule said, “Ma-
harashtra politics has
become dirty. People
like us will never say
anything about some-
thing like this. It is un-
fortunate that this is
happening even with
Amit Shah (union
home minister) is tak-
ing a supportive role.”
On the Karnataka
Chief Minister
Bavasaraj Bommai’s
words on Union Home
Minister Amit Shah,
she said, “What the
Chief Minister of Kar-
nataka is doing is an
insult, not only to Ma-
harashtra, but also to
Shah’s words. Amit
Shahisactingsensitive-
ly
, but I really do not
have an answer as to
why the Karnataka CM
is constantly speaking
against Amit Shah.”
ShivSena(UBT)lead-
er Sanjay Raut also
roasted Shewale. “A
man who himself has
been accused of rape
andmolestationandtill
yesterday was eating
from Shiv Sena’s plate,
haslevelledsuchallega-
tions against Aaditya
Thackeray
. That means
it is clear how low they
havefallen,howdesper-
ate they are. The allega-
tions leveled by Rahul
Shewalearedespicable.
The Sushant Singh Ra-
jput case was raised by
the then opposition
party
, when we were in
power, and it ultimate-
ly backfired on them,”
said Raut.
Sule, Raut slam Shewale over Aaditya allegations
NCP MP Supriya Sule speaks in the Lok Sabha. —PHOTO BY ANI
First India Bureau
Nagpur: Deputy
Chief Minister Dev-
endra Fadnavis on
Thursday said in the
state Assembly that a
Special Investigation
Team (SIT) will be
formed to conduct a
probe into the death
of Disha Salian, the
former manager of
late actor Sushant
Singh Rajput.
According to po-
lice, Salian (28) alleg-
edly committed sui-
cide by jumping from
ahigh-risebuildingin
Malad area of Mum-
bai on June 08, 2020.
Rajput, 34, was
found hanging at his
apartment in Mum-
bai’s Bandra area on
June 14, 2020. Leaders
from the Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP)
haddemandedaprobe
into Salian’s death.
“The case is al-
ready with the Mum-
bai police. Those who
have proof can fur-
nish it. This will be
probed through a
SIT,” BJP leader Fad-
navis, who is also the
state home minister,
said in the House.
Leader of Opposi-
tion Ajit Pawar said
this should not be
viewed from any po-
litical angle. Fad-
navis said the probe
will be done in an
impartial manner
without targeting
anyone.
The ruling alliance
MLAs sought forma-
tion of the SIT for a
probe into Salian’s
death. The House
was adjourned five
times over the issue.
The matter was
first raised in the
House by Bharat
Gogavale, the MLA of
the Balasahebanchi
Shiv Sena and he was
joined by BJP legisla-
tor Nitesh Rane.
Nagpur (PTI): Lead-
er of Opposition in
the Maharashtra Leg-
islativeAssembly
,Ajit
Pawar, on Thursday
claimed the ruling
party legislators were
disruptingHousepro-
ceedings and creating
drama over the Disha
Salian death case, the
former manager of
late actor Sushant
Singh Rajput.
Talking to report-
ers at the state legisla-
ture complex, Pawar
further claimed the
ruling dispensation
was not allowing the
Opposition to speak
in the House in a bid
to“shield”Chief Min-
ister Eknath Shinde
amid a row over a
land allotment deci-
sion by him as the ur-
bandevelopmentmin-
ister in the previous
Maha Vikas Aghadi
(MVA) government.
“The Opposition is
making efforts for
properworkingof the
Houseandraisingim-
portant issues. How-
ever, ruling party leg-
islators are disrupt-
ing proceedings and
creating drama over
Disha Salian death
case,” he claimed.
“Ruling party leg-
islators are creating
chaos in the House
as they are scared
that the opposition
will corner the
chief minister on
Nagpur Improve-
ment Trust (NIT)
land issue,” he said.
SIT probe into Disha
Salian case: Fadnavis
‘Ruling alliance creating
‘drama’ over Salian case’
Nagpur (PTI):
Bharatiya Janata
Party MLA Baban-
rao Pachpute com-
plained of respirato-
ry problem in the
Maharashtra legisla-
ture complex in Nag-
pur on Thursday. He
was administered
preliminary treat-
ment at a primary
health centre located
on the premises, and
later referred to a
hospital.
A medical officer
at the health centre
attheVidhanBhavan
who attended to
Pachpute said that it
primarily seemed to
be an “acute asth-
matic attack”.
The legislator, who
is in his late 60s, was
brought to the health
centre at around
12.30 pm after he
complained of the
respiratory problem,
he said.
The legislator was
given emergency
treatment and after
he settled, was re-
ferred to the Govern-
ment Medical Col-
lege and Hospital in
Nagpur, the medical
officer said.
Nagpur (PTI): Maha-
rashtra Legislative
Council Deputy Chair-
person Neelam Gorhe
on Thursday asked the
state government to
constitute a Special In-
vestigation Team (SIT)
to probe rape allega-
tions against Lok Sabha
MP Rahul Shewale after
the matter was raised in
the House by Shiv Sena
(UBT) MLCs Anil Parab
and Manisha Kayande.
Parab said the Mum-
bai South Central MP,
who is with the Eknath
Shinde faction, had al-
legedly raped a woman
and, therefore, an SIT
must be constituted to
probe the matter. Kay-
ande claimed the case
was not registered by
Mumbai police, adding
the victim, who stays in
Dubai, wants to come to
the metropolis and must
be provided protection.
Kayande also sub-
mitted a memorandum
in connection with the
allegations to Deputy
Chief Minister Deven-
dra Fadnavis, who
holds the Home portfo-
lio as well. The allega-
tions against Shewale
led to the treasury
benches shouting slo-
gans, which resulted
in Gorhe adjourning
the Council for 30 min-
utes. After the Council
reconvened, Gorhe
said she was directing
the Eknath Shinde gov-
ernment to set up an
SIT to investigate the
allegations.
Sandeep Shukla
Mumbai: The Brihan-
mumbai Municipal Cor-
poration (BMC) on
Thursday initiated ma-
joractionagainstformer
Mumbai Mayor Kishori
Pednekar. According to
sources, BMC has sealed
Pednekar’s office and
home in Gomata Nagar
area of Worli.
The civic body has
handed over the matter
to Slum Rehabilitation
Authority (SRA) for fur-
ther action. This is con-
sidered to be a big blow
for Kishori Pednekar.
Notably
, Bharatiya Ja-
nata Party (BJP) leader
Kirit Somaiya has been
accusing Pednekar of
corruption and illegal
occupation of flats and
shops under the SRA
schemeforpastfewdays.
“Now, the BMC has
increased Pednekar’s
troubles by sealing flats
and offices in the dis-
puted SRA project in
Worli,” said a source.
Among allegations
levelled by Somaiya, one
accused Pednekar of
usurping six shops un-
der the SRA project.
WhilePednekardidn’t
give any clarifications,
she took to her Twitter
handle to set the record
straight. “I do not have a
shop anywhere. Neither
my office or house was
sealed. Even after know-
ingthis,KiritSomaiyais
torturing poor citizens
under the pressure of
power,” she tweeted.
MLA Babanrao Pachpute
BJP MLA complains
of respiratory issues
GorheasksstatetosetupSIT
toprobeMPrapeallegations
Ex-mayor’shome,officesealed
inBMCaction;shesays‘no’!
Legislative Council Dy Chairperson Neelam Gorhe —FILE PHOTO Former Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar —FILE PHOTO
—FILE
PHOTO
Nagpur (PTI): Mem-
bers of the ruling co-
alition in Maharash-
tra on Thursday de-
manded an inquiry
into Lok Sabha mem-
ber Rahul Shewale’s
claim of several
phone calls from a
person with ‘AU’ ini-
tials to actress Rhea
Chakraborty
, the girl-
friend of late actor
Sushant Singh Ra-
jput. They also staged
a demonstration in
the legislature com-
plex on the day
.
Shewale, who be-
longs to the Shiv
Sena faction led by
Chief Minister
Eknath Shinde, had
on Wednesday
flagged in the Lok
Sabha the issue of al-
leged suicide of Ra-
jput and asked about
the status of the Cen-
tral Bureau of Inves-
tigation’s (CBI) in-
quiry into his death.
Legislator Pratap
Sarnaik, also part of
the Shinde camp, on
Thursday said Sh-
ewale had claimed
there were 44 phone
calls from ‘AU’ to
Chakraborty
.
Members of the
Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) and the
Shindefactionstaged
a demonstration in
the Vidhan Bhavan
complex on Thurs-
day while holding
banners which read:
“AU kaun hain” (who
is AU?).
Sarnaik demanded
an inquiry into the
allegations raised by
Shewale and to find
out who was ‘AU’.
‘Want probe into ‘AU’ calls to
actress Rhea Chakraborty’
BJP MLAs protest against the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA)
MLAs on Thursday. —PHOTO BY ANI
Deputy CM Devendra
Fadnavis —FILE PHOTO
Leader of Opposition
in Assembly Ajit Pawar
addresses media at Vidhan
Bhavan in Nagpur on
Thursday. —PHOTO BY ANI

MAHARASHTRA
03
WatertogetcostlierasBMChikestaxby7.12%
First India Bureau
Mumbai: After a hia-
tus of two years,
the Brihanmum-
bai Municipal
C o r p o r a t i o n
( B M C )
has approved a hike of
7.12% in water tax. The
civic body sources wa-
ter from Tulsi, middle
Vaitarna, Tansa, Vihar,
upper Vaitarna, Modak
Sagar and Bhatsa
lakes. It provides 3,850
million litres of water
every day to the people
of Mumbai city
.
A hike in water
charges was the norm
in the month of June
every year, but had
been deferred for the
last two years owing to
the COVID-19 pandem-
ic. Political parties had
opposed the hike back
then by citing financial
losses suffered by peo-
ple during the
pandemic.
In 2012, the Brihan-
m u m b a i Municipal
Corpor ation
Standing Com-
mittee had
passed a
resolution
and al-
lowed a
h i k e
o f
8 %
in
water tax every year.
This was done to en-
sure there were ade-
quate funds for the
maintenance and re-
pair of lakes, pipelines,
establishment of water
connection charges, ad-
ministrative expenses,
electricity, among oth-
er expenditures.
With the new hike,
people with water con-
nections in adivasi pa-
das and slums, gao-
than and koliwadas,
residents of chawls
with common toilets,
public sanitary conven-
ience, buildings of non-
government organiza-
tions and PAP (pro-
ject affected per-
sons) and SRA
buildings, where
auxiliary suc-
tion tanks and
pumping ar-
rangements
are self-
m a i n -
t a i n e d ,
will pay
R s 4 . 7 6
per 1,000
l i t r e s .
E a rl i e r,
they used
to pay Rs4.44 per 1,000
litres of water.
Similarly, in places
where suction tanks
and pumps are main-
tained by the Brihan-
mumbai Municipal
Corporation, citizens
will pay Rs5.28 per
1,000 litres of water as
against Rs4.93 earlier.
Other residential soci-
eties that used to pay
Rs5.94 per 1,000 litres
will now pay Rs6.36 per
1,000 litres.
NEW CHARGES
Civic
body
approves
increment
after two-year
suspension owing
to COVID-19
pandemic
BMC to get
`71 lakh for
selling 2.06 L
kg waste paper
First India Bureau
Mumbai: Heaps of
waste paper have
helped the BMC earn a
revenue of Rs71 lakh.
The civic body had
projected Rs22 lakh
from the sale of waste
paper, however bidders
quoted more than 222%
than the estimated
amount for 2.06 lakh kg
of paper garbage.
The BMC, recently
invited a tender for the
sale of waste paper
from the last two years.
The BMC estimated
around Rs8.30 to Rs15
per kilo but the bidders
quoted Rs15 to Rs36 per
kg. Old newspapers and
magazines will be for
Rs29 against the civic
estimate of Rs13.50.
The waste from its
printing press will be
sold for Rs36 while it
had estimated Rs11
per kg. As per the pro-
posal of the Central
Purchase Department,
the contract will be
awarded to M/s. Garib
Nawaz and M/s.
Unique agencies.
BMC sends notice to CAG,
says audit not in its purview
First India Bureau
Mumbai: The Brihan-
mumbai Municipal
Corporation’s (BMC’s)
law department has is-
sued a legal notice to
the Comptroller and
AuditorGeneral(CAG),
stating that it cannot
conduct an audit of ex-
penditure made by the
civic body during the
COVID-19 pandemic
when the Epidemic Act
1897 and the Disaster
Management Act 2005
were in force.
According to the
BMC commissioner
Iqbal Singh Chahal,
the notice was sent six
weeks ago.
On Oct 29, Chief
Minister Eknath Shin-
de had issued direc-
tions to the CAG to
audit BMC projects to
the tune of Rs12,000
croreundertakenfrom
November 28, 2019 to
February 28, 2022,
when the Maha Vikas
Aghadi (MVA) govern-
ment was in power.
The investigation was
ordered following the
BJP’s corruption alle-
gations against con-
tracts awarded during
the pandemic.
Following the CM’s
order, a team compris-
ing 8-10 members had
visited the BMC head-
quarters in November
end and had met Cha-
hal and other senior of-
ficers. The CAG has
beentaskedtofinishthe
audit before the year
ends. Transactions of
at least 10 departments
areexpectedtobeinves-
tigated by the CAG.
According to the me-
dia reports, audits of
healthexpensesduring
thepandemicarenotin
the CAG’s purview.
Sources had then
said that during the
pandemic it’s not pos-
sible for officers to fol-
loweachandeveryrule
of tenderprocessasthe
focus is on saving lives.
On Oct 29, CM
Shinde had issued
directions to CAG to
audit BMC projects
to the tune of
`12,000 cr
undertaken from Nov
28, ’19 to Feb 28, ’22
Palghar gang-
rape: Custody
of nine accused
extended
Palghar: The police
custody of nine people,
who were arrested for
allegedly gang-raping a
teen girl in Palghar dis-
trict, was extended till
December 28 by a local
court on Thursday
.
The Satpari Sagri po-
lice had sought exten-
sion of remand citing
time to complete the
probe, which was grant-
ed by the court.
They were held un-
der Indian Penal Code
and Protection of Chil-
dren from Sexual Of-
fences (POCSO) Act for
allegedly raping a
16-year-old girl in an un-
occupied house in Ma-
him area of Palghar
last week.
The Satpari Sagri
police had sought
extension of remand
citing time to complete
the probe, which was
granted by the court
COP ATTACKED ON
STOPPING MAN
FROM URINATING
Mumbai: A vegetable
vendor was arrested for
attacking a constable with
a knife after being stopped
from urinating in public,
said police. The accused,
Ram Gonte, was urinating
on the street in Kandivali
area when constable Uday
Kadam asked him to stop.
He also informed Gonte
that action would be taken
against him if he did not
comply. An argument en-
sued between the two and
Gonte attacked with a knife,
inflicting injuries on his
hands. The accused was
arrested, presented in court
and sent to police custody.
JAIPUR FOOT CAMP:
102 PEOPLE TO GET
NEW LEASE OF LIFE
Panvel: Around 102
differently-abled persons
will be fitted with artificial
arms and legs at a free
camp on December 23.
People without legs or
arms will receive the
‘Jaipur Foot’. The camp
is being organized by
Ramsheth Thakur Social
Society Panvel and Sadhu
Vaswani Mission Pune
at the hall of Ramsheth
Thakur Social Develop-
ment Board near Panvel
Market Yard. In October,
a camp was organized to
take the measurements of
102 people for prosthetic
arms and legs.
BODY OF TEENAGE
BOY, GIRL FOUND IN
DAM BACKWATERS
Pune: The bodies of a
teenage boy and girl
have been found in the
backwaters of Khadakwa-
sla dam. An investigation
has been opened into the
case by Pune rural police.
The deceased have been
identified as Priyanka
Chougule (17), and Lucky
Kamble (19). According
to a police official, a local
food stall owner saw a
bike abandoned near the
Khadakwasla backwa-
ters, and upon closer
inspection found the two
bodies. We have found no
signs of struggle during
the primary investigation,
he added.
FORCED TO WORK,
13 KIDS RESCUED
IN AHMEDNAGAR
Ahmednagar: Thirteen
children allegedly working
as bonded labourers with
some shepherds in Ahmed-
nagar district, have been
rescued by the local admin-
istration, an official said
on Thursday. The children
were forced to look after
sheep and other livestock
in Sangamner tehsil, said
Ahmednagar Collector Ra-
jendra Bhosale. “They were
brought here from Igatpuri
in Nashik after their parents
were given assurance of
returns and two sheep per
year. After we were alerted,
the local administration
and the police freed them
in October,” he said.
THREE HELD FROM DIFFERENT STATES
FOR DUPING LOAN SEEKERS IN THANE
Thane: Three persons were arrested for allegedly duping
loan seekers, a Thane police official said on Thursday.
Based on a complaint received on December 05, police
were investigating the racket. The complainant had alleged
that he was duped at Rs7.34 lakh on the pretext of getting
loans. Acting on a tip-off, police arrested one accused from
Shimla. His interrogation led to arrests from Noida and
other parts of Uttar Pradesh. The money extracted from the
complainant was recovered, while five mobile phones and
several ATM cards have been seized from the accused, said
Senior Inspector Shekhar Bagde.
FIRE NEAR THANE RESIDENTIAL BUILDING;
FOUR TWO-WHEELERS UP IN FLAMES
Thane: Four two-wheelers were destroyed in a fire that
broke out near a residential building in Thane, said an of-
ficial on Thursday. At around 3.15 am, a blaze erupted near
the Laxmi Nivas building in Koliwada locality. No person
was injured in the fire, said Thane Municipal Corporation’s
Regional Disaster Management Cell (RDMC) chief Avinash
Sawant. Local firefighters and a team of the RDMC rushed
to the spot and doused the fire, he said.
CRUCIAL READ
SPREADING JOY
Senior citizens at an old age home celebrate Christmas under the ‘Be a Santa’ initiative of
Wockhardt Hospital in Mumbai on Thursday. —PHOTO BY BHUSHAN KOYANDE
On lookout for brides, men in Solapur knock on collector’s door
First India Bureau
Pune: In a first, nearly
50 eligible bachelors,
clad in wedding cos-
tumes, riding horses
and accompanied with
‘band baja and baraat’
took out a procession,
not to a marriage hall
but to the Solapur col-
lector office to seek
brides, highlighting
the issue of skewed
male-female ratio
in Maharashtra.
The extravaganza
was part of a ‘bride-
groom morcha’ organ-
ized on Wednesday by a
local outfit which later
submitted a memoran-
dum at the district col-
lector’s office seeking
strict implementation
of the Pre-Conception
and Pre-Natal Diagnos-
tic Techniques
(PCPNDT) Act to im-
prove the male-female
ratio in the state.
As per the National
Family Health Survey
(2019-21), Maharash-
tra’s sex ratio was 920
females per 1,000
males. Shilvant
Kshirsagar, 29, who
runs a dairy business,
was among the 50 eligi-
ble bachelors seeking
brides for themselves.
“I am 29 years old,
unmarried, and hail
from a rural part of
Solapur district. We
have a family dairy
business and also do
farming on two-acre
land. Every time a mar-
riage proposal comes,
the prospective bride’s
first question is wheth-
er I live in a city and
have a job or not,” he
told media.
Men dressed as grooms carry ‘Kuni mulgi deta ka’ (who will give
girl) placards in Solapur. —PTI PHOTO
As many as 50
‘grooms’ also
sought strict
implementation
of PCPNDT Act
First India Bureau
Navi Mumbai: The Re-
publican Party of India
(A) led by Union Minis-
ter Ramdas Athawale
staged protests at
Chhatrapati Shivaji Ma-
haraj Chowk in Vashi
against the Navi Mum-
bai Municipal Corpora-
tion (NMMC) to press a
number of demands.
The protesters de-
manded that a statue of
Dr Babasaheb Ambed-
kar should be erected in
Navi Mumbai. They al-
leged that there is a
nexus of civic officials
and political parties
and such officials
should be removed from
their posts.
In addition, they
also demanded equal
work, equal pay for the
scavengers, implemen-
tation of a hawker
policy, and provision
of a super specialist
doctor and MRI ma-
chine facility at Navi
Mumbai Municipal
Hospital in Vashi.
Republican Party of India
stages protest in Vashi
G20 event: Five caves at Ellora to be illuminated
First India Bureau
Aurangabad: Five
caves at the Ellora world
heritage site in Aurang-
abad district will be il-
luminated with LED
lights. The front entry
point at the Ellora caves
will also be revamped
along with other devel-
opmental works.
According to a senior
official of Archaeologi-
cal Survey of India, the
ASI is trying to com-
plete the work before
the city hosts a G20-re-
lated event.
The ‘first inception
meet’ of Women 20
(W20) as part of India’s
presidency of G20 will
be held in the city on
February 13-14, 2023.
The Women 20, an of-
ficial G20 engagement
group, was set up in
2015 to ensure gender
considerations figure in
G20 discussions.
The ASI has already
put up lights in various
Ajanta caves for visi-
tors to see the paintings
made there between 400
and 650 CE, an official
said on Wednesday
.
ASI’s superintendent
archaeologist Milan
Kumar Chauley in-
formed that they will
also illuminate the in-
side portions of Ellora
cave numbers 5, 10, 16,
29 and 32 which have
paintings and sculp-
tures.
Chauley said they
will try to finish the
work before the G20-
related event in Au-
rangabad in February
next year.
Ramdas Athawale

PERSPECTIVE
04
l Vol 1 l Issue No. 226
l RNI TITLE NO.
MAHENG/2022/14652
Printed and published by
Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of
First Express Publishers. Printed at
Dangat Media Pvt Ltd, No.22, Dighe
MIDC, Vishnu Nagar, TTC Industrial
Area, Dighe, Navi Mumbai-400701.
Published at Plot No. 3 Scheme C
of Manglorean Garden Home, CHS
Limited, Survey No. 5, 6C (Part)
Ville Parle East, Mumbai 400057.
Phone 022-46031417.
Editor-In-Chief: Dr Jagdeesh Chandra
Editor: Kartikey Dev Singh
responsible for selection of news
under the PRB Act
SPIRITUAL SPEAK
You should perform
your duty with a view to
guide people and for
universal welfare.
—Bhagavad Gita
IN-DEPTH
Jagat Prakash Nadda
@JPNadda
Saddened to hear about the demise of
renowned Gamak Vidwan Padmashri
awardee H R Keshavamurthy Ji. He
was a pioneer who mastered Gamak
even taught children this great art
form for free. His legacy will live on
forever. My condolences to his family
admirers. Om Shanti.
Dharmendra Pradhan
@dpradhanbjp
India, led by PM @narendramodi
ji remains the biggest hope for the
world. An all-weather champion of
multilateralism, more of the world
today strongly acknowledge India’s
criticality in maintaining global peace.
‘Not an era of war’ has resonated
strongly and touched chords.
TOP TWEETS
REFORMED OR
NOT, THE ‘SERPENT’
TO BE OUT OF
PRISON SOON?
harles Sobhraj may
have spent two dec-
ades in jail; his re-
lease from a prison in
Nepal still makes
news. The serial killer, notorious
as Bikini Killer, is now 78 and
hopefully a changed man after
long incarceration. The French
national shot to infamy after he
killed 20 tourists on South and
Southeast Asia’s hippie trail be-
tween 1972 and 1976, most of
them backpackers. “Handsome,
charming and utterly without
scruple” women easily fell to his
charms and he ruthlessly fin-
ished them off after he was done
with them. What made Sobhraj
stand out as a criminal was his
ability to evade police and avoid
detection, which earned him the
nickname of “Serpent”.
He continued with his crimes
like drugging tourists and rob-
bing them to maintain a luxuri-
ous lifestyle even in prison. In
mid seventies he bribed Tihar
jail staff to live in comfort. Later
he drugged them to escape, but
was nabbed by Mumbai Police.
Is Sobhraj a reformed man now?
C
aliban are gradu-
ally showing their
true misogynist
and hard-line
character but the
world is a silent spectator. Af-
ter banning girls from at-
tending schools, Afghani-
stan’s Taliban government
has taken the regressive step
of telling women that the
doors of universities were
now shut for them, leaving
female students in tears. The
anguished students were left
with no future as other re-
gressive restrictions on wom-
en’s clothing and movement
are already in place. Instanc-
es of public flogging have
also been reported. All these
are dreadful reminders of
the old Taliban regime and
its brand of ruthless Islam.
President Joe Biden left
the Afghan people, especially
women, after the withdrawal
of Allied forces from Kabul
in 2021. In his White House
address Biden said that it
was “the right and the re-
sponsibility of the Afghan
people alone to decide their
future and how they want to
run their country”. He also
said the US will continue to
speak out for the rights of
women and girls. Does speak-
ing out for them makes them
less vulnerable to the attacks
on their psyche being wit-
nessed now? Reacting to the
latest Talibani firmaan the
US said the “move would
come with consequences for
Taliban”. Other than turn-
ing off the aid tap, which will
only starve the Afghan peo-
ple, the consequences have
not been spelt out.
Taliban stand out like a
sore thumb for the way they
treat women. In no other Is-
lamiccountryarewomensub-
jected to such treatment. Iran,
where women are protesting
against wearing hijab, does
not bar women from attend-
ing schools and colleges.
TALIBAN RETURN
TO OLD WAYS
Taliban are gradually showing
their true misogynist and hard-
line character but the world is a
silent spectator. After banning
girls from attending
schools, Afghanistan’s Taliban
government has taken the
regressive step of telling women
that the doors of universities
were now shut for them, leaving
female students in tears
T
MERKEL’S BOMBSHELL
WEST v/s WEST
uizzically enough, as I
chanced upon the recent in-
terview of Angela Dorothea
Merkel, ex chancellor of Ger-
many, it gave me a peep into
the pandora box of the West-
ern world’s political dynam-
ics. A seasoned politician and
a scientist, she was the first
and the only lady chancellor
of Germany and was referred
to as the de facto leader of the
European Union. Having
been brought up in erst while
East Germany under Krem-
lin’s influence, her control
over Russian language was
perfect yet, she was not in-
clined to communist ideology
.
Her actions and decisions
as the chancellor of her
country ensured a command-
ing position for Germany not
only in Europe but amongst
all NATO allies. Nonetheless,
today many find faults with
her for increasing Germa-
ny’s dependence on Russian
energy imports through
Nord Stream 1, without ac-
knowledging that the graph
of Germany’s industrial
growth was highest during
Merkel’s chancellorship.
All through her political
career, she professed that she
did not want to give advice
from the side-lines, and there-
fore, described Russia’s inva-
sion of Ukraine as a “brutal
war of aggression” which
constituted a far-reaching
turning point and the most
glaring violation of interna-
tional law in Europe since the
World War II. She further be-
lieved that European solidar-
ity goes out to Ukraine which
has been attacked and raided
by Russia, and that the
Ukraine’s right to self-de-
fence was incontestable.
Surprisingly
, a leader with
such clarity and frankness on
Russia – Ukraine war, sudden-
ly took a U turn and in an in-
terview in the second week of
Dec 22 to a newspaper Der Zeit
of Germany
,cameoutwiththe
facts that hitherto fore, were a
subject of confidentiality
amongst all NATO leaders
joining their hands to support
Zelenskyy and fight Russia.
In a dramatic style, Angela
confessed that there was no
real interest amongst the
Western powers to imple-
ment the provisions and con-
ditions laid down in Minsk 1
2 Agreements signed by
Ukraine and Russia in 2014
and 2015 respectively. In-
stead, the intention of US
and allies reeked with con-
spiracies and deceits by the
West to give time to the NATO
and Ukraine to build up their
military capabilities for the
sole purpose of a confronta-
tion with Russia.
In other words, the West
planned and schemed for the
war against Russia since 2014
after they organized a coup to
forcibly remove a democrati-
cally elected Ukraine govern-
ment and replace it with a
puppet government loyal to
the West.
In my opinion, Angela has
proven herself to be Putin’s
friend as her confession is
almost a declaration to let
out NATO secrets. In simple
words, what Merkel said can
be taken as an announce-
ment that Putin is not the ag-
gressor but the victim of a
veiled Western conspiracy
against it. In fact, Angela has
provided Putin the defence
which he may need in the fu-
ture to protect himself from
Western actions at interna-
tional courts when the war
crimes are taken up.
Obviously
, the implications
from this interview are far
reaching. It shows that inter-
national agreements with the
WestspeciallytheUScarryno
value and remain in play only
till the time they favour the
West and allows them time to
turn the tide to suit their in-
terests. Yes, it is amply clear
that Western powers are like-
ly to dump treaties and agree-
mentslikeaHOTPotatowhen
theynolongerservetheirpur-
pose. It indeed is a lesson to
India, China, Pakistan and to
the rest of the developing
countries in international
politics. While negotiating
with west, countries should
choose friends with open eyes
Judging so called friends not
by what they say but by what
they do and their past reputa-
tionof honouringtreatiesand
agreements with other par-
ties in the agreement.
The numerous visits of
German Chancellor to Russia
between 2014 (in the after-
math of annexation of
Crimea by Russia) and 2021,
when Merkel vacated her of-
fice as the ultimate leader of
European Union and Chan-
cellor of Germany are being
looked at with suspicion of
delaying Russian onslaught
on Ukraine to buy time. She
out rightly mentioned that
she felt no regrets for her
handling of Vladimir Putin
during her time in power and
blocking the route of Ukraine
joining NATO membership
as Putin would have taken it
as a “declaration of war”
against Russia by the West. It
appears that in the opinion of
the West, democratically im-
mature Ukraine would have
been less prepared for an in-
vasion then what it was in
February 2022 and thus, hint-
ing at a global conspiracy
.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
Q
It shows that international
agreements with the West
specially the US carry no
value and remain in play
only till the time they favour
the West and allows them
time to turn the tide to suit
their interests. Yes, it is amply
clear that Western powers are
likely to dump treaties and
agreements like a HOT Potato
when they no longer serve
their purpose. It indeed is a
lesson to India, China,
Pakistan and to the rest of the
developing countries in
international politics
Surprisingly, a leader with
such clarity and frankness
on Russia – Ukraine war,
suddenly took a U turn
and in an interview in
the second week of Dec
22 to a newspaper Der
Zeit of Germany, came
out with the facts that
hitherto fore, were a
subject of confidentiality
amongst all NATO
leaders joining their hands
to support Zelenskyy and
fight Russia
COL ANUPAM
JAITLY (RETD)
The writer is Defence expert,
Motivational Speaker Corporate Trainer

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05
INDIA
Shamsher Singh
New Delhi: The Aam
Aadmi Party has now
started preparing to
contest the Karnataka
assembly elections. As-
sembly elections are go-
ing to be held in May
and before that Arvind
Kejriwal’s party has
started making populist
announcements. The
party has promised that
it will implement the
old pension scheme if
its government is
formed in the state. The
Congresswasalsoabout
to say this, as it had
promised in Himachal
Pradesh and won the
election, but AAP made
the announcement even
before the Congress.
Not only this, the par-
ty’s state number two
leader Bhaskar Rao also
participated in the dem-
onstration of state gov-
ernment employees.
The employees were
demonstrating for the
restoration of the old
pension scheme. Senior
leader Brajesh Kalappa,
who left the Congress
and joined AAP, also
talked about restoring
the old pension scheme.
However, AAP’s
weakness is that it does
not have an organiza-
tion in the state and
does not have senior
leaders either. Then the
question is how will the
party contest the Kar-
nataka elections? Will it
fight in the way it fought
in Gujarat or will it
fight in the way it fought
in states like Himachal
Pradesh, Uttarakhand
etc.? If it fights like Gu-
jarat i.e. Arvind Kejri-
wal and Bhagwant
Mann and other leaders
work day and night then
Congress can suffer a
big loss. There Congress
party is hoping to re-
turn to power this time
but if AAP fights with
full force and JDS also
contests the elections
on its own, then BJP
would be benefited. But
if AAP contests elec-
tions like in Himachal
Pradesh, then Congress
will not be harmed. Five
months before the elec-
tions, it seems that AAP
does not have an organi-
zation and will fight just
for the sake of fighting.
But the real picture will
emerge after Arvind Ke-
jriwal’s first visit.
CanAAPdentCongandBJP’smoraleinK’takapolls?
AAP’S EXPANSION PLANS
AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal. —FILE PHOTO
PANEL TO CONDUCT
ACCESSIBILITY AUDIT
OF SC PREMISES
JACQUELINE
WITHDRAWS PLEA
TO GO ABROAD
New Delhi: Chief Justice
of India DY Chandrachud
has constituted a commit-
tee headed by apex court
judge Justice S Ravindra
Bhat to conduct an audit
of “physical and function-
al access” of the top court
premises to make them
disabled-friendly. The ‘Su-
preme Court Committee
on Accessibility’ has been
given a broad mandate
to prepare and release a
questionnaire for persons
with disabilities, including
the apex court employees,
advocates, litigants and
interns, who visit the top
court premises.
New Delhi: Actor Jacque-
line Fernandez, accused in
a money laundering case,
on Thursday withdrew
from a Delhi court her
plea for permission to go
abroad. The actor told the
court about her decision
after the judge said the
question of charge should
first be decided. “You can
withdraw the application
and let the question of
charge first be decided.
Otherwise I will pass a
judicial order,” the judge
said. Fernandez had sought
permission to visit Bahrain
from December 23 to Jan-
uary 5 to see her mother.
Kolkata: A CBI court on Thursday extended the judicial cus-
tody of former West Bengal Education Minister and ex-Tri-
namool Congress secretary
general, Partha Chatterjee and
six others for another 14 days
in connection with the teachers’
recruitment scam. All the seven
individuals will be presented
at the same court again on
January 5 next year. On Thursday, Chatterjee’s counsel Selim
Rahman made a fiery argument at the court, even going to
the extent of questioning CBI’s competence as regards to
producing concrete evidence in the matter. In his counter
argument, the CBI counsel said that although charges of
incompetence have been raised by the petitioner’s counsel.
PARTHA CHATTERJEE’S JUDICIAL
CUSTODY EXTENDED BY 14 MORE DAYS
IN THE COURTYARD
HC ALLOWS TEEN
GIRL TO DONATE
LIVER’S PART TO DAD
MADRAS HIGH
COURT ORDERS
NOTICE ON RSS PLEA
Kochi: The Kerala High
Court on Thursday granted
permission to a 17-year-
old girl to donate a portion
of her liver to her ailing
father. The High Court took
the decision even taken
after an expert committee
constituted by the Appro-
priate Authority under the
Transplantation of Human
Organs and Tissues Act,
1994 initially opined that
the daughter cannot be
exempted from the bar
imposed by the Act and
Rules on organ donation
by minors. Court asked it
to reconsider its stance.
Chennai: A division bench
of the Madras High Court
on Thursday ordered no-
tice on a batch of appeals
challenging the orders of
a single judge, which had
granted permission to the
RSS to take out “route
marches” and hold public
meetings in auditoriums
and open grounds alone.
A bench of the HIgh
Court ordered the notice
returnable by January 5,
when the appeals from
G Subramaniam of Anna
Nagar and 44 others came
up for further hearing on
Thursday.
New Delhi (Agencies):
Lok Sabha was ad-
journed for the day on
Thursday without any
business, owing to con-
tinuous protests by the
Congress-led Opposi-
tion, which sought dis-
cussion on the India-
China border clashes in
Arunachal Pradesh.
As Lok Sabha assem-
bled at 4 p.m. after sev-
eral adjournments
since morning, Opposi-
tion members led by the
Congress entered the
well of the House,
shouting slogans and
seeking Prime Minister
Narendra Modi’s pres-
ence in the House.
Rama Devi, who was
in the Chair, adjourned
the House till 4.30 pm
amid chaos and slogan
shouting.
At 4.30 p.m. when the
Lower House reassem-
bled, protests and slo-
gan shouting by the Op-
position members re-
sumed. While Congress
and DMK members en-
tered the well of the
House, NCP, JD-U and
TMC members stood
near their seats.
Opposition members
shouted slogans seek-
ing PM Modi’s presence
in the House and called
for a discussion on the
India-China border
clashes issue.
Amid the pandemo-
nium, Commerce Min-
ister Piyush Goyal in-
troduced the Jan Vish-
was Amendment of
Provision Bill 2022 in
the House. He also im-
mediately referred the
bill to a joint Parlia-
mentary panel.
Soon after this, the
House was adjourned
for the day
.
Earlier in the morn-
ing,bothQuestionHour
and Zero Hour proceed-
ings were washed out
due to continuous pro-
tests by the Opposition
on the India-China bor-
der clashes issue.
LOK SABHA ADJOURNED AGAIN AMID
UPROAR BY OPPN ON BORDER ISSUE
Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra
resumes from Haryana’s Nuh district
Nuh (ANI): Congress’s
Bharat Jodo Yatra led
by Rahul Gandhi re-
sumed from Malab Vil-
lage in Nuh’s Haryana
on Thursday
.
People in large num-
bers were seen joining
the march holding ban-
ners and party flags.
The ongoing foot march
of the grand old party
entered the state of Har-
yana on Wednesday
. On
Wednesday, while ad-
dressing a gathering
here,RahulGandhitook
a swipe at the ruling
Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) and other parties
and said that the leaders
of these parties do not
listen to the public.
“Nowadays, there is a
gap between the leaders
of BJP, Samajwadi Par-
ty
, and the public. Lead-
ers think there is no
need to listen to the pub-
lic and give speeches for
hours. We have tried to
change this in this jour-
ney,” Gandhi earlier
said on Wednesday
.
On Tuesday the Yatra
observed its last day in
the Congress-ruled
state of Rajasthan. It is
the only Congress-ruled
state where the yatra
covered around 500 km
over 17 days before en-
tering Haryana.
“BRS to hold
Maha Dharna
against Centre”
Panchamasali
Lingayat’s march
for quota in K’taka
Nizamabad (ANI):
Bharat Rashtra Samithi
will hold a ‘Maha Dhar-
na’ in all the district
headquarters on Friday
protesting against the
Centre’s “anti-farmer
policies”, MLC K Kavi-
tha said on Thursday
.
Kavitha, daughter of
CM KCR, alleged that
the BJP govt at the Cen-
tre is “forcing” Telan-
gana Govt to take back
schemes under MGN-
REGA. “Tomorrow the
party will launch Maha
Dharna in all district
headquarters, against
BJP Government’s anti-
farmer policies, in light
of the recent demand to
exclude agricultural ac-
tivities from MGNRE-
GA Scheme in Telanga-
na,” Kavitha said.
“Today it is a fact that
the BJP is an anti-farm-
er, anti-poor, and pro-
corporate Government.
On one hand, the Gov-
ernment is targeting
farmers and the poor,”
she alleged.
Belagavi (ANI): The
Panchamasali Lingay-
at community pady-
atra, demanding more
reservations to meet
the educational and
professional needs of
its people, reached Be-
lagavi in Karnataka on
Thursday.
The community is de-
manding they be in-
cluded in the 15 per cent
OBC category of 2A. A
heavy police force has
been deployed at Hire-
bagewadi in Belagavi
due to the Panchamasa-
li padayatra being held
under the leadership of
the Jagadguru Basava
Jaya Mruthyunjaya
Swamiji of the Kunda-
lasangama Peetha.
Karnataka Assembly
is currently holding its
Winter Session at the
Suvarna Vidhana Soud-
ha in Belagavi.
BJP SCARED
OF LOVE BJY
GOT: KHERA
Rahul Gandhi during Bharat Jodo Yatra, in Nuh. —PHOTO BY ANI
New Delhi (ANI):
Union Health Minister
Mansukh Mandaviya’s
letter to Congress
MP Rahul Gandhi
and Rajasthan Chief
Minister Ashok Gehlot
asking them to follow
COVID-19 guidelines
strictly during the par-
ty’s Bharat Jodo Yatra
has elicited diverse
reactions from leaders.
Talking about the
issue, Congress leader
Pawan Khera said BJP
is scared of the love
Bharat Jodo Yatra
has received. He said,
“Their intent is clear.
They are only bothered
about the love the
Yatra has received.”He
also added, “If BJP
was worried about the
country, they would
have written a letter
to Satish Poonia as
well who is taking out
‘Jan Aakrosh Yatra’ in
Rajasthan.”
CHANDY’S SON TAKE JIBE AT BJP
Nuh (ANI): Former Kerala Chief Minister’s son Chandy
Oommen on Thursday aimed at the Centre government
over its letter to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, urging
him to consider suspending or postponing the Bharat
Jodo Yatra if Covid protocols could not be followed.
“When PM Modi took out a Yatra in Gujarat, a similar
situation was there but no action followed,” Oommen
said after joining the Bharat Jodo Yatra here.
WINTER SESSION OF PARLIAMENT
Lok Sabha adjourned amid commotion in the House, in New Delhi on Thursday. —PHOTO BY ANI
RS PASSES THE
CONSTITUTION
(ST) ORDER BILL
GOVT INTRODUCES
JAN VISHWAS BILL
IN THE LOK SABHA
GOYAL TAKES
BACK REMARKS
“AGAINST BIHAR”
New Delhi: The Rajya
Sabha has passed The Con-
stitution (Scheduled Tribes)
Order (Sec-
ond Amend-
ment) Bill,
2022 and The
Constitution
(Scheduled
Tribes) Order
(Fourth Amendment) Bill,
2022. Tribal Minister Arjun
Munda moved the bill.
New Delhi: Commerce
industry Minister Piyush
Goyal on Thursday in Lok
Sabha intro-
duced Jan
Vishwas Bill,
which seeks
to decrimi-
nalise minor
offences by
amending 183 provisions
in 42 Acts with a view to
promote ease of business.
New Delhi (ANI): Union
Minister Piyush Goyal on
Thursday withdrew his
“demeaning” remarks on
Bihar, which triggered
protests in Parliament by
MPs from the state who
demanded an apology
from him.“Let me clarify
that I have no intention to
insult either Bihar or the
people of Bihar. If it has
hurt anyone’s sentiment,
I immediately withdraw
that statement,” he said in
Rajya Sabha. On Tues-
day while RJD member
Manoj Jha was speaking
on inflation in the Upper
House, Goyal had said
“Inka bas chale toh desh
ko Bihar hi bana de”.
Sansadstormyagain
duetoTawang
MULLING EC PROPOSAL ON
POLITICAL DONATIONS: GOVT
First India Bureau
New Delhi: Both
Houses on Thursday
saw a stormy start as
Opposition members
demanded a discus-
sion on the India-
China border clash
in Tawang Sector,
Arunachal. While
theLSwasadjourned
till 12 pm, Opposition
members staged a
walkout in the Rajya
Sabha after a heated
back-and-forth with
the Chairman.
Later in the day
, RS
took up Constitution
(Scheduled Tribes)
Order (Second
Amendment) Bill,
Constitution (Sched-
uled Tribes) Order
(Third Amendment)
Bill and the Constitu-
tion (Scheduled
Tribes) Order (4th
Amendment) Bill,
which modify the
scheduled tribes list.
New Delhi: The govt
on Thursday said the
Election Commis-
sion proposal to re-
duce anonymous po-
litical donations to
Rs 2000 from Rs 20,000
is uder examination.
On a question about
the government’s re-
sponse to the Com-
mission’s proposal
and whether such
measures would ush-
er in reforms and
transparency in do-
nations received by
political parties, Un-
ion Minister Kiren
Rijiju in a written
reply in Rajya Sabha
said, “The proposal is
under examination.”
Aiming for reforms
and transparency in
donations received
by political parties,
the poll panel had
proposed reducing
anonymous political
donations from Rs
20,000 to Rs 2,000.
“ISRO SIGNED 4 CO-OP DOCUMENTS
FOR SPACE EXPLORATION TIE-UP”
OVER 40K WOMEN TRAINED IN INDIA
UNDER NAI ROSHNI SCHEME: IRANI
New Delhi (FIB): The
Minister of State (MoS),
Dr Jitendra Singh, on
Thursday
said In-
dian Space
Research
Organisa-
tion (ISRO)
has signed
04 (four) cooperative
documents specifically
to collaborate in space
exploration in the last
five years.In a written
reply to a question in the
Rajya Sabha on Thurs-
day, MoS Dr Singh said,
the agreement with the
USA is for accommodat-
ing USA instruments in
India’s Chandrayaan-2
and Chandrayaan-3. He
informed that the agree-
ment with Japan is to
conduct feasibility study
for a joint lunar polar
exploration mission.
New Delhi (FIB): Union
Minister of Minority
Affairs Smriti Irani in a
written reply
to a ques-
tion in Lok
Sabha on
Thursday
said during
last three
years, i.e., 2019-20 to
2021-22, around 40,000
women have been trained
all over India including
175 in Bihar. Nai Roshni
scheme has now been
merged as a component
of Pradhan Mantri Virasat
Ka Samvardhan (PM
VIKAS) scheme w.e.f
FY 2022-23, to improve
livelihoods of minorities,
particularly artisan com-
munities, through skill
development, education
and leadership training,
to support their entrepre-
neurship interventions.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla RS Speaker Jagdeep Dhankhar

06
INDIA
New Delhi (ANI): Del-
hi-NCR is likely to wit-
ness dense fog for the
next two to three days
while Punjab, Hary-
ana, and North Ra-
jasthan may expect a
decrease in tempera-
ture by 1-2 degrees
alongwith cold wave
conditions, Dr Kuldeep
Srivastava, Head of
Regional Weather
Forecasting Centre
said on Thursday.
“If we talk about the
weather in Delhi, then
a thick blanket of fog
is seen in the morning
hours and visibility is
dropped by around 100
meters. In the Palam
observatory, today
morning the visibility
was till 100 meters, and
later around 8 in the
morning there is an
improvement,” Dr Kul-
deep Srivastava said.
“In the next two days,
there are chances of
having dense fog in
Delhi-NCR and the vis-
ibility will be around
100 meters. The tem-
perature will remain
between 6-7 degrees for
the next 2-3 days,”
Srivastava added. The
lowest temperature for
today was recorded at
4.6 degrees in Ra-
jasthan’s Bikaner, he
said. “We have fixed
criteria for the forma-
tion of fog. A layer,
availability of mois-
ture along with less
wind speed are the cri-
terion. From Punjab
up to Bihar and till Gi-
gantic West Bengal
and Northern parts of
Rajasthan, the wind
speed in the morning
hours is less which is
2-3 km per hour along
with sufficient availa-
bility of moisture, and
during the day time,
we have a clear sky,” he
told ANI.
North India likely to witness cold wave
MERCURY SET TO DIP
New Delhi (ANI): Un-
ion Health Minister
Mansukh Mandaviya
on Thursday said that
the government has
started random RT-
PCR sampling among
the passengers arriv-
ing at International
airports in the country
amid the recent surge
of Coronavirus infec-
tion in various coun-
tries including China,
Japan, South Korea,
France, and the United
States.
“We have also started
the random RT-PCR
sampling among pas-
sengers arriving at In-
ternational airports in
the country. We are
committed to tackling
the pandemic and are
taking appropriate
steps,” Health Minister
Mansukh Mandaviya
said in his statement in
the Lok Sabha while ad-
vising the States to
make sure that people
wear masks, use sani-
tizers and maintain so-
cial distancing even
during the festive and
the New Year season.
He also encouraged the
states to increase
awareness towards pre-
cautionary doses
against Coronavirus.
“We are keeping an
eye on the global Covid
situation and are taking
steps accordingly. The
States are advised to in-
crease genome-se-
quencing to timely
identify the new vari-
ant of Covid-19,” Union
Health Minister Man-
daviya added.
He further said that
the health department
has been proactive in
managing the Covid
pandemic. The Centre
has also provided finan-
cial assistance to States
in the fight against the
pandemic, he added.
“So far, 220 crore cov-
id vaccine shots have
been given,” Union
Health Minister Man-
sukh Mandaviya men-
tioned. Mandaviya then
claimed that the num-
ber of Covid cases is
depleting in India de-
spite its surge across
the world.
“From the last few
days, Covid cases have
been rising in the world
but in India, the cases
are depleting. We are
seeing rising Covid cas-
es and deaths due to it
in China,” Union
Health Minister said.
STARTED RT-PCR SAMPLING
OF INT’L PASSENGERS: GOVT
Parliamentarypanelraises
concernsoverproduction
ofelectriclocomotives
New Delhi (PTI): Rais-
ing concerns over
missed targets in elec-
tric locomotive produc-
tion during this finan-
cial year, a parliamenta-
ry standing committee
has asked the Railway
Ministry to closely mon-
itor the manufacturing
capacity of production
units.
TheStandingCommit-
tee on Railways, in its
report presented in Par-
liament on Thursday
,
noted that with the na-
tional transporter head-
ing towards 100 per cent
electrification on broad-
gauge lines, the require-
ment of diesel locomo-
tives would reduce sub-
stantially
, while that of
the electric ones would
increasetoagreatextent.
The committee also
noted that the Banaras
Locomotive Works
(BLW) and the Patiala
Locomotive Works
(PLW) were given tar-
gets to manufacture 450
and 200 electric locomo-
tivesfor2022-23and2023-
24 respectively
.
Army doctors
save woman
badly injured
in bear attack
India wary of Taliban’s decision to
ban women from Afghan varsities
New Delhi (PTI): India
on Thursday said it is
concerned over reports
that the Taliban have
banned women from
universities in Afghani-
stan, and renewed its
call for setting up of an
inclusive government
in Kabul that ensures
the equal rights of wom-
en and girls in all as-
pects of the Afghan so-
ciety
.Several countries,
including the US, Aus-
tralia, Canada, France,
Germany
, Japan and the
United Kingdom, have
strongly condemned the
Taliban’s decisions to
ban women from uni-
versities. “We have not-
ed with concern the re-
ports in this regard.
India has consistently
supported the cause of
female education in Af-
ghanistan,” the MEA
spokesperson said.
Udhampur/Jammu
(PTI): Army doctors
have saved a 61-year-old
woman badly injured
in a bear attack in a vil-
lage here by perform-
ing a timely surgery to
repair her wind pipe
and blood vessels of the
neck.
“A 61 years old fe-
male resident of
Pancheri village was
brought barely breath-
ing to emergency of
Command Hospital af-
ter sustaining severe
injuries to her neck
and abdomen following
attack by a wild bear on
December 16,” an of-
ficer said She was im-
mediately attended by
trauma surgeons, who
found out that she has
got life threatening in-
juries to her wind pipe
and large blood vessels
of her neck.
Submarine corruption case: Nod
for prosecution of Naval officers
New Delhi (PTI) The
govt has given the go-
ahead to prosecute four
serving and retired
Navy officers in connec-
tion with alleged cor-
ruption in purchasing
spare parts to retrofit
Russian Kilo-class sub-
marines, officials said.
The CBI had filed its
chargesheets in Novem-
ber last year, within two
months of initiating a
probe into a corruption
case, following which it
had sought the govern-
ment’s sanction to pros-
ecute accused Navy of-
ficers Commander S J
Singh (retired) and
three serving com-
manders — Ajit Pandey
,
Abhishek Kumar Shar
and Jagdeesh Chander,
the officials said.
After more than a
year, the government
has finally given the
sanction to prosecute
the four accused figur-
ing in the CBI (CBI)
chargesheets.
Covid nasal vaccine to be
rolled out as booster dose
New Delhi: Paving
way for more options
for third or precau-
tionary doses in India,
Bharat Biotech, which
is the manufacturer
of Covaxin, will roll
out its nasal vaccine
as a booster dose after
receiving a final nod
from the authorities.
Sources said that
permissions are in
the final stage, and
they could be intro-
duced on the COWIN
platform by the up-
coming week.
Bharat biotech’s
Nasal vaccine, being a
needless jab, will be
India’s first such
booster dose. It can be
administered to those
above 18 years. Pric-
ing of the vaccine will
be decided soon and it
will be made available
in government and
private facilities.
ScienceMinistryrec-
ognised the vaccine as
the ‘World’s first intra-
nasal vaccine for COV-
ID developed by India’.
In December, it also got
approval from Central
Drugs Standard Con-
trol Organisation for
restricted use in emer-
gency situations in 18
and above age group.
HOW NASAL SPRAY WORKS
It is a vectored, needleless, intranasal Covid
vaccine. An intranasal vaccine stimulates a
broad immune response – neutralizing IgG,
mucosal IgA, and T cell responses. It comes
with ease as one does not require a health
practitioner or worker to give them a dose.
COVID SURGE
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya speaks in Rajya Sabha on Thursday. —PHOTO BY ANI
There won’t
be a lock-
down situ-
ation in the
country since
95% of the people
here are vaccinat-
ed. The immuni-
ty system of Indi-
ans is stronger
than that of the
Chinese...India
needs to go back
to Covid basics -
testing, treating,
tracing.
—Dr Anil Goyal,
Indian Medical Association
In India,
we have
sufficient
evidence to prove
that those who re-
covered from
Covid are best
protected. It’s im-
portant to moni-
tor all variants.
But it’s unlikely
that we’ll face
any serious prob-
lem due to the vi-
rus in the current
scenario.
—Dr Sanjay Rai,
Senior Epidemiologist,
AIIMS Delhi
“We have
also started
the random
RT-PCR sam-
pling among pas-
sengers arriving
at International
airports in the
country. We are
committed to
tackling the pan-
demic and are
taking appropri-
ate steps,”.
—Mansukh Mandaviya,
Union Health Minister
“Just like
last time
we had
conquered covid
with collective ef-
forts, similarly
we will succeed in
stopping this epi-
demic in the fu-
ture also.”
—Om Birla,
Lok Sabha Speaker
OM BIRLA ADVISES MPs TO WEAR
MASKS, FOLLOW COVID PROTOCOLS
TAJ MAHAL ON COVID ALERT, NO ENTRY
FOR TOURISTS WITHOUT TESTING
New Delhi: Lok Sabha
Speaker Om Birla on
Thursday advised all the
MPs to wear
masks and
follow the
Covid proto-
col com-
pletely, in
view of the
increasing cases of Covid
19 in many countries
across the world. Birla
himself was operating the
House wearing a mask in
the House. Birla appealed
the MPs to be careful and
spread public awareness
regarding Covid before
the uproar by the op-
position MPs during the
Question Hour saying that
in view of the past experi-
ences, this time there is a
need for constant caution
and vigilance. The govt
has also advised follow-
ing the Covid protocol
across the country.While
advising all the MPs to
use masks, Birla appealed
to them to make efforts to
spread public awareness
in their respective areas.
Agra (ANI): With the surge in Covid cases in China
and other countries, one of the most popular tourist
attractions of the country Taj Mahal in Agra is put on
alert, confirmed the District Health Information Officer
in Agra. Domestic and foreign tourists come every day
in large numbers to visit the Taj Mahal in Agra. Keeping
the situation in mind, they will have to undergo a Covid
test before their visit as per the official sources.
GENOME TESTING
OF ALL POSITIVE
CASES IN J’KHAND
Ranchi: Concerned at the
reported spurt in Covid-19
cases in countries like
China, USA and Japan,
the Jharkhand govern-
ment has asked officials
to send for whole genome
sequencing of all positive
samples of Coronavirus
to track the variants, a top
Health department official
said on Thursday. The
development comes in
the wake of Union Health
Minister reviewing the
Covid situation.
PUNJAB CM MANN
HOLDS COVID
REVIEW MEETING
Chandigarh: Punjab CM
Bhagwant Mann held a
meeting of health of-
ficials over
Covid-19
situation.
“We just
have nine
active cases
of Covid. 16
districts do not have any
positive cases of Covid so
far. We have established
oxygen plants have pre-
pared hospitals as well ac-
cordingly,” Health Minister
Chetan Jouramajra said.
“HAVEN’T GOT REQUEST FOR USE OF
GANGA WATER IN COVID TREATMENT”
New Delhi: The Centre
on Thursday clarified that
it has not received any re-
quest from
National
Mission for
Clean Ganga
to conduct
research
on the use
of Ganga river water as
a cure for the COVID-19
virus.In a written reply
in Lok Sabha, Jal Shakti
MoS Prahlad Singh
Patel said, “Govt has
not received any request
from National Mission for
Clean Ganga to conduct
research on the use of
Ganga river water as
a cure to the Covid-19
virus.” “However, NMCG
had sent two proposals
viz., ‘Ganga Sediments
could immunize against
COVID-19’ and ‘Treat-
ment of COVID-19 by
Ganga Jal’ on April 28,
2020, to the Indian Coun-
cil of Medical Research
for examination.
UP CM HOLDS
MEET TO ASSESS
COVID SITUATION
Lucknow: Uttar
Pradesh CM Yogi
Adityanath on Thurs-
day held
a meeting
to assess
Covid situ-
ation. Of-
ficials said
after the
meeting that though
face masks have not
been made compulsory
but should be encour-
aged at public places.
—REPRESENTATIONAL IMAGE

07
Commodity Price Change % Chg
GOLD 55,241.00 59.00 0.02 (Per 10g)
SILVER 69,413.00 194.00 0.05 (Per 1kg)
COMMODITIES
Currency Price Change % Chg
USDINR 82.76 0.08 0.04
GBPINR 100.16 0.37 0.37
CURRENCIES
business
BRIEFS
New Delhi: Gold price
rose `59 to `55,241 per
10 grams in the national
capital on Thursday amid
gains in precious metal in
overseas markets, ac-
cording to HDFC Securi-
ties. In the previous trade,
the yellow metal had
touched `55,182 per 10
grams. Silver, however,
slipped `194 to `69,413
per kilogram. In the inter-
national market, gold was
trading in green at
$1,816.7 per ounce while
silver was marginally
down at $23.84 per
ounce. —PTI
GOLD GAINS `59 BUT
SILVER PRICES GO
DOWN BY `194
New Delhi: Social media
giant Meta took action
against more than 2.29
crore pieces of content
created by Indian users
on Facebook and Insta-
gram in November. The
company took action on
over 1.95 crore pieces of
content on Facebook and
33.9 lakh pieces of con-
tent on Instagram, ac-
cording to the data
shared in the report. The
company actioned over
1.49 crore spam content,
followed by 18 lakh con-
tent related to “Adult Nu-
dity and Sexual activity”,
12 lakh pertaining to “Vi-
olent and Graphic Con-
tent” etc on Facebook on
its own. —PTI
META ACTS ON 2.29
CR CONTENT PIECES
ON FB, INSTA IN NOV
New Delhi: Tata Commu-
nications will acquire New
York-based end-to-end
live video production
company The Switch En-
terprises in an all-cash
deal for `486 crore. Tata
Comm will support The
Switch customers with
global reach to over 190
countries and territories
and The Switch will bring
live production capabili-
ties helping organisations
to produce high quality
immersive content faster
and efficiently, Tata Com-
munications said. —PTI
TATA COMM TO
ACQUIRE SWITCH
ENTERPRISES
New Delhi: Maruti Suzuki
India Ltd on Thursday
said it has signed a five-
year pact with Kamarajar
Port Ltd for export of its
passenger vehicles to in-
ternational markets. Un-
der the agreement start-
ing December 2022,
Kamarajar Port will be
used for exports to Africa,
Middle East, Latin Ameri-
ca, ASEAN, Oceania and
SAARC regions by the
company. The port will be
used to export around
20,000 cars annually. A
car-cum-general cargo
berth has been developed
and commissioned. —PTI
MARUTI SUZUKI
SIGNS PACT WITH
KAMARAJAR PORT
*Rates till the edition went to print.
PM TO TAKE CALL ON
EXTENDING PMGKAY
BEYOND DEC: MoS AGRI
New Delhi: Prime Minister Nar-
endra Modi will take a call on
extending the PMGKAY scheme
to provide free
ration to the
poor beyond
December,
Union Minister
Shobha Karandlaje said on
Thursday said stressing that
the government has sufficient
foodgrains stock. If Pradhan
Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna
Yojana (PMGKAY) has to be
extended, the decision will be
taken by the Cabinet, headed by
the prime minister. —PTI
5.86 GW COAL, LIGNITE
BASED THERMAL PROJ
NON-OPERATIONAL
New Delhi: Projects of 5.86
GW out of the total 210.6 GW
coal and lignite based thermal
power genera-
tion capacities in
the country are
non-operational,
Parliament was
informed on Thursday. “Out
of 210.6 GW (coal and lignite
based) monitored capacity of
thermal power plants, 5.86 GW
capacity is non-operational due
to various reasons such as no
PPA, under National Company
Law Tribunal (NCLT) etc,” Power
Minister R K Singh said. —PTI
ROOFTOP SOLAR INSTALLATIONS FALL DUE TO
SUPPLY CHAIN DISRUPTIONS: MRME MINISTER
New Delhi: The rooftop solar capacity installations fell to 1.09
gigawatt during January-September 2022 due to reasons like supply
chain disruption in solar modules and delay in tenders by state im-
plementing agencies, Parliament was informed on Thursday. At 1.09
GW, the installation was over 4% lower compared to 1.14 GW in the
nine-month period of 2021, according to the data shared by Minister
for New and Renewable Energy R K Singh. The minister further said
that his ministry has taken several steps to enhance rooftop solar
installations in the country. —PTI
CIL CAN PURSUE OVERSEAS ACQUISITION OF COAL
MINES AFTER DETAILED STUDY OF BLOCKS: PAR
New Delhi: With CIL not buying out of any coal blocks abroad at pre-
sent, a Parliamentary panel on Thursday said the PSU can still pursue
overseas acquisition of mines after detailed study and analysis of the
blocks, especially low ash coking coal. “Considering the existing coal
resources in the country, the committee would like the coal ministry/
CIL to explore acquisition of coal blocks abroad. They would like to
be apprised of any developments in this regard.” —PTI
OTHER STORIES
EXPERTS AHEAD OF BUDGET
‘WIDEN TAX BASE AND
DO AWAY WITH CESS’
First India Bureau
New Delhi: Widening of
the tax base, doing away
with cess and surcharge,
improvement in compli-
ance and moderation in tax
for emerging sectors are
some of the suggestions
submitted to the Finance
Ministry ahead of the
Budget by TCF.
Experts are of the opin-
ion that there is a need to
grow tax revenues for the
government to drive eco-
nomic growth and make
investments in develop-
mental activities, TCF,
the think tank said in a
statement.
Towards this end, poor
compliance was identified
as a weak link in achieving
targeted collections lead-
ing to complex issues like
overtaxing, complicated
tax structures, rising liti-
gation, among others.
Experts during a delib-
eration stressed on better
compliance processes to be
put in place backed by tech-
nological support which in
turn will enable tax widen-
ing and need for strategies
to strengthen tax collec-
tions from Tier 2 towns and
cities to widen the tax net.
Former chairman of
CBIC PC Jha said “enforce-
ment agencies are working
hard to check the illicit
trade, but tax evaders are
ahead of curve and using
innovative techniques to
smuggle goods into our
country
. There is a need to
deploy modern technology,
install more scanners at
ports and use artificial in-
telligence to address the
counterfeiting issue.”
MAJOR
HIGHLIGHTS
z Experts are of the opinion
that there is a need to grow tax
revenues for the government
to drive economic growth
and make investments in
developmental activities, TCF,
the think tank said
z Experts during a
deliberation stressed on
better compliance processes
to be put in place backed by
technological support
z The estimated tax loss to
the government in two highly
regulated and taxed industries,
tobacco products is `28,500 cr
Taxonomy clear
definitions
needed to prevent
greenwashing:Rao
Mumbai (PTI): Reserve
Bank Deputy Governor M
Rajeshwar Rao on Thurs-
day called for a taxonomy
on green finance to avoid
theriskof “greenwashing”.
Green financing refers to
lending to environmentally
sustainable economic
activities.
Rao said a formal defini-
tion of green finance along
with a taxonomy “is the
need of hour” and added
that it will enable more pre-
cise tracking of finance
flows to green sectors in
India.
The call for clear defini-
tions and a taxonomy or a
classification system, es-
tablishing a list of environ-
mentally sustainable eco-
nomic activities, comes at
a time when India is look-
ing at increasing green fi-
nance to help the climate.
“Greenwashing” refers
to dishonest practices de-
signed to deceive people.
Panagariya cautions
India against cutting
trade ties with China
New Delhi (PTI): Amid de-
mands for snapping trade
ties with China for its
transgressions on the bor-
der, former Niti Aayog Vice
Chairman Arvind Pana-
gariya has opined that cut-
ting trade with Beijing at
thisjuncturewouldamount
to sacrificing India’s poten-
tial economic growth.
Instead, Panagariya sug-
gested that India should try
to enter into free trade
agreements (FTA) with
countries such as the UK
and the European Union to
expand its trade.
“Engaging China in a
trade war at this juncture
will mean sacrificing a con-
siderable part of our poten-
tial growth... Purely on eco-
nomic grounds, it will be
unwise to take any action
in response to it (transgres-
sions on the border),” the
eminent economist said.
Panagariya said both
countries can play the trade
sanctions game but the abil-
ity of a $17 trillion economy
(China) to inflict injury on
a $3 trillion economy (In-
dia) is far greater than the
reverse. “Now there are
some who want trade sanc-
tions on China to ‘punish’ it
for its transgressions on the
border... If we try to punish
China,itwillnotsitback,as
amply illustrated by its re-
sponse to sanctions by even
the mighty United States,”
he observed.
‘ABILITY TO
INFLICT INJURY’
z Both countries can play the
trade sanctions game but the
ability of a $17 trillion eco
(China) to inflict injury on a
$3 trillion economy (India) is
far greater than the reverse
Reliance set to acquire Metro’s
India business for `2,850 crore
New Delhi (PTI): Reliance
Industries has agreed to
buy German firm Metro
AG’s wholesale operations
in India for `2,850 crore as
the conglomerate run by
Mukesh Ambani seeks to
strengthen its dominant
position in India’s mam-
moth retail sector.
Reliance Retail Ventures
Ltd (RRVL), a subsidiary of
the oil-to-telecom conglom-
erate, signed definitive
agreements to acquire a
100% equity stake in Metro
Cash Carry India Pvt Ltd
for a total cash considera-
tion of `2,850 crore, subject
to closing adjustments, the
two firms said in a joint
statement.
Reliance is India’s big-
gest brick-and-mortar re-
tailer with over 16,600
stores, and a strong whole-
sale unit would further
deepen its operations in
India.
Metro started operations
in India in 2003 as the first
company to introduce a
cash-and-carry business
format.
JIO TO PROVIDE
MANAGED SERVICES
FOR IOCL
New Delhi (PTI): Indian Oil
Corporation (IOC), the nation’s
largest oil firm, has selected
Reliance Jio’s managed network
services to connect a fifth of its
petrol pump network. Jio will
connect 7,200 IOC sites with
SD-WAN managed service solu-
tion, zero-touch provisioning and
24x7 real-time monitoring, the
firm said in a statement Thurs-
day. JioBusiness, the enterprise
arm of Reliance Jio Infocomm
Ltd will be deploying and manag-
ing SD-WAN (Software Defined
Wide Area Network) for IOC
across its 7,200 retail outlets for
a period of 5 years. This will be
one of the largest deployments
of SD-WAN solutions in India.
JIO DEPOSITS ` 3,720
CR IN SBI ACCOUNT
TO ACQUIRE RITL
Mumbai (PTI): Reliance Projects
and Property Management
Services, a subsidiary of telecom
major Jio, has deposited `3,720
crore in an SBI escrow account
to acquire mobile tower and fibre
assets of Reliance Infratel. The
NCLT gave approval to Jio for the
acquisition of Reliance Infratel
(RITL) in November. “Reliance
Infratel transaction is complete.
Jio has deposited `3,720 crore
in a SBI escrow account as
directed by NCLT,” a source said.
Billionaire Mukesh Dhirubhai
Ambani-led Jio placed a bid of
`3,720 crore in November 2019
to acquire the tower and fibre
asset of debt-ridden subsidiary
of his brother’s company.
DoT forms task
forces to boost
telecom mfg
New Delhi (PTI): The De-
partment of Telecom (DoT)
has formed four task forces
to recommend to the gov-
ernment measures that
will boost the domestic tel-
ecom manufacturing eco-
system and remove the bot-
tlenecks, an official memo-
randum said
Under one of the task
forces, the DoT has sought
recommendation for a
phased manufacturing pro-
gramme for telecom gear
manufacturing to boost do-
mestic component supply
chain ecosystem as well as
attract global players.
This task force will be co-
chaired by state-run re-
search arm C-DoT CEO RK
Upadhyay, the memoran-
dum dated December 20
said.
Markets give up early gains,
decline for third straight day
Mumbai (PTI): Equity
benchmarks pared early
gains and ended lower for
the third straight session
on Thursday
, defying large-
ly positive global market
trends, amid the release of
minutes of the RBI’s MPC
meeting.
Despite a positive begin-
ning, the 30-share BSE
benchmark Sensex failed
to carry forward the gains
and declined 241.02 points
to finish at 60,826.22.
The broader NSE Nifty
dropped 71.75 points or
0.39% to settle at 18,127.35.
From the Sensex pack,
MM, Bajaj Finserv, In-
dusInd Bank, TaMo, Tata
Steel, Larsen Toubro,
Axis Bank and NTPC were
among the major laggards.
RUPEE APPRECIATES
8 PAISE TO 82.76
AGAINST US DOLLAR
Mumbai (PTI): The rupee ap-
preciated by 8 paise to close
at 82.76 (provisional) against
the US currency on Thursday
following a weak greenback in
overseas markets. The local cur-
rency opened higher at 82.78 at
the interbank foreign exchange
market. The rupee moved in the
range from 82.64 to 82.79 in the
day trade before settling at 82.76
to a dollar, showing gains of 8
paise over the previous close.
Govt sees bright prospect of wheat crop
New Delhi (PTI): Agricul-
ture Secretary Manoj Ahu-
ja said there is a bright
prospect of wheat crop in
key growing states as the
current temperature re-
mains conducive for plant
growth and higher yield.
Till last week, there was
a 3% increase in wheat
acreage at 286.5 lakh hec-
tares in the ongoing rabi
season that began in Octo-
ber, according to the agri-
culture ministry’s data.
“Wheat crop prospect is
bright. The current weath-
er remains conducive for
the plant growth and better
yields,” Ahuja said.
Better weather condi-
tions and higher area un-
der the crop are expected to
lead to higher production
in the 2022-23 crop year
(July-June), he said.
Like last year, there have
been no reports of extreme
temperatures from wheat-
growing states so far. This
augurs well for the crop
prospects, he added.
‘CURRENT TEMP CONDUCIVE FOR HIGH YIELD’
MAJOR
HIGHLIGHTS
z According to the agri
ministry’s data, till last
week, there was a 3%
increase in wheat acreage
at 286.5 lakh hectares in the
ongoing rabi season that
began in October
z Like last year, there have
been no reports of extreme
temp from wheat-growing
states so far

08
2NDFRONT
A simple action with powerful results is
to say things you mean; Be a person of
your word and watch your life change.
— Dr Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO Editor-in-Chief, First India
Pune (PTI): Mukta Ti-
lak, MLA, Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP)
from Pune passed away
at a private hospital af-
ter a five-year-long bat-
tle with cancer, the hos-
pital authorities said.
Tilak (57), who was a
first-time legislator,
represented the Kasba
Assembly segment in
Pune city
.
“She was diagnosed
with cancer five years
ago and was admitted to
the hospital 10 days
back and breathed her
last around 3.30 pm to-
day,” Dr Shailesh Pun-
tambekar, Surgical On-
cologist and Medical
Director of Galaxy Care
hospital said.
Before becoming an
MLA in 2019, Tilak was
also the mayor of Pune.
She was a great-grand-
daughter-in-law of free-
dom fighter Lokmanya
Tilak. She is survived
by her husband
Shailesh Tilak, a daugh-
ter and a son, a local
BJP functionary said.
First India Bureau
Mumbai: State Health
Minister Tanaji Sawant
on Thursday said inter-
nationaltravellersarriv-
ing in the state will un-
dergo thermal testing
amid concern of a pos-
sible spike in COVID-19
cases due to the BF.7
variant of Omicron.
Amid a surge in COV-
ID-19casesinafewcoun-
tries, the state Health
Department has asked
all district administra-
tions and municipal cor-
porations to increase
COVID-19 testing.
“From Monday (De-
cember 26), 2% of the
passengerswillbetested
from international
flights arriving in the
state. There is no reason
to worry and guidelines
shouldbefollowed,”said
the minister.
He was speaking in
the state Assembly after
a meeting to review the
situation was chaired by
Chief Minister Eknath
Shinde and Deputy CM
Devendra Fadnavis.
SawanttoldtheHouse
that no patient of the
BF.7 variant has been re-
ported in Maharashtra,
and added that of the
four cases detected in In-
dia, two each are from
Gujarat and Odisha.
Sawant emphasized
on testing, tracking,
treatment and vaccina-
tion, but stressed there
was nothing to fear.
Kids and elderly
should wear masks as a
precautionary meas-
ure, besides following
social distancing. If
Omicron infected four
people, this new variant
infects 10 people, so its
transmission rate is
high, Sawant asserted.
First India Bureau
Thane: National refin-
er Bharat Petroleum
Corporation (BPCL) on
Thursday reported a
leakage in its diesel
pipeline connecting
Mumbai and Manmad
in the state’s Nashik
district following a
failed attempt to steal
the fuel.
A gang of miscreants
made the unsuccessful
bid to tap the fuel in
Shil Phata area near
Thane city early on
Thursday morning,
which led to a minor
leakage of the pipeline
and a temporary shut-
down of the facility
.
The pipeline is up
and fully functional
now, said a BPCL
spokesman. Thane Mu-
nicipal Corporation’s
Regional Disaster Man-
agement Cell chief, Avi-
nash Sawant, said the
leakage in the 18-inch
high-pressure diesel
pipeline started at 5.21
am near a gas godown
at Shil Phata near
Thane and the fuel
spilled into the area.
Nashik (PTI): The
Nashik district liai-
son head of the
Shiv Sena - UBT on
Thursday joined
the faction led by Ma-
harashtra Chief
Minister Eknath
Shinde.
Bhausaheb Chaud-
hari joined Balasa-
benachi Shiv Sena in
Nagpur, where the
winter session of the
state legislature is
underway, in the
presence of CM Shin-
de and Nashik
Guardian Minister
Dada Bhuse.
The Nashik Rural
Unit Chief of Shiv
Sena - UBT Sunil Pa-
til also joined the
Shinde faction, the
CM said in a tweet.
Shiv Sena UBT
Rajya Sabha MP San-
jay Raut tweeted
Chaudhari had
been expelled from
the party after he
joined the rival
faction.
Chaudhari was
known to be a close
aide of Raut, one of
the key leaders of the
Shiv Sena - UBT.
Mumbai: The Bombay
High Court has re-
strained several hotels,
pubs and restaurants in
Mumbai from playing a
list of popular film and
non-film music during
Christmas and New
Year’s Eve programmes
unless they pay license
fees and secure copy-
right permissions from
music licensing body
Phonographic Perfor-
mance Ltd (PPL).
Founded in 1941, PPL
India describes itself
as a performance
rights organization
that holds performance
licence to 25 lakh songs
in Hindi, English and
other languages as-
signed to it by 340 mu-
sic labels. PPL had re-
cently moved HC to get
a continuation of or-
ders passed last De-
cember against hotels
and restaurants.
The recent court or-
ders assume signifi-
cance as it applies to all
usage of music, includ-
ing ones being played in
public places on New
Year’s Eve, Christmas
and any other event or
in the background
throughout the year,
PPL said.
Each year, during
Christmas and New
Year, restaurants and
hotels organize parties
and play music, includ-
ing songs owned by PPL
under the Copyrights
Act, which stipulates
these establishments
are required to seek
permission and pay a
fee to PPL in lieu of us-
ing its music.
She survived the car
crash that killed
bizman Cyrus Mistry
and her brother-in-
law Jehangir
First India Bureau
Mumbai: Dr Anahita
Pandole, the lone survi-
vor of the car crash
that claimed the lives
of industrialist Cyrus
Mistry and her brother-
in-law Jehangir Pan-
dole, was discharged
from a city-based hospi-
tal on Thursday. Dr
Anahita who was driv-
ing the Mercedes-Benz
car when it met with an
accident, was dis-
charged after 108 days
of her admission.
After weeks of in-
tensive care, multiple
surgeries, medical man-
agement and rehab, Dr
Anahita is finally on
the path of recovery.
She has gone through
extensive rehabilita-
tion to attain functional
independence, an offi-
cial statement from sir
HN Reliance Founda-
tion Hospital said.
The Palghar police
registeredacaseagainst
Dr Anahita in Novem-
ber under relevant sec-
tions of the Indian Pe-
nal Code (IPC). It includ-
ed sections 304 (A)
(causing death by rash
and negligent act), 279
(rash driving on a pub-
lic road) and 337 (caus-
ing death by act endan-
gering life and personal
safety of others) besides
the Motor Vehicles Act
at Kasa police station in
the district.
First India Bureau
Mumbai: A Mumbai
court, denied bail to Ir-
fan Abdul Rahim Bila-
kiya who is accused in
an accident on the Ban-
dra Worli Sea Link that
killed five persons.
Additional Sessions
Judge VS Gaike denied
bail on 17 December.
The order was made
public on Thursday
.
It stated that the ac-
cused was driving at
109kmph at the time of
the incident against the
stipulated speed limit
of 80kmph.
Moreover, he has re-
ceived nine e-challans
for speeding earlier,
which, prima facie,
show he had sufficient
knowledge that his dan-
gerous act may cause
death, the court said.
On December 05, the
accused allegedly
rammed his SUV into
three stationary cars
and an ambulance on
the bridge. Five persons
were killed and eight
injured in the accident.
He was held for culpa-
ble homicide not
amounting to murder
and other offences un-
der Indian Penal Code
provisions.
The defendant’s law-
yers had claimed Bilak-
iya was a victim of fail-
ure of the entire system
and had been “framed”
in the case. They alleged
the accident was due to
the mismanagement
and negligence of the
Bandra-Worli Sea Link
and government au-
thorities.
Man kills live-in partner, dumps body near bridge
First India Bureau
Navi Mumbai: Amid
the ongoing murder in-
vestigation of Shraddha
Walkar, a woman from
Rajasthan—identified
as Urvi Vaishnav—was
founddeadnearabridge
in Navi Mumbai.
Urvi’s family has ac-
cused her live-in part-
ner—identified as Riyaz
Khan—of betrayingand
killing her.
According to Amit
Kale, Deputy Commis-
sioner of Police, Crime
Branch, Navi Mumbai,
the incident took place
on December 12, 2022.
“We found the body of
a woman aged between
25-30 near a bridge, fol-
lowing which a murder
case was filed at Panvel
police. The Navi Mum-
bai crime branch Unit 2
investigated the case
and found physical evi-
dences,” Kale said.
During the investiga-
tion, the lover of the
woman allegedly
turned out to be the
killer. As of now, both
Riyaz and his accom-
plice are in the Navi
Mumbai Crime
Branch’s custody
.
The police officer
also mentioned that the
evidences revealed that
the girl visited a sandal
shop with a friend.
“During the investi-
gation, we came to know
that the accused used to
work as a gym trainer.
We further investigated
the case and checked
several gyms in the area
and located the man in
Ghansoli. We first took
the co-accused in the
custody
. He then in-
formed us about the
main accused, who was
later arrested,” he said.
Police have also said
that the victim and the
accused were both in a
relationship. The ac-
cused is married and
the victim was pressur-
ing him to marry her,
which led to the accused
strangulating the wom-
an and dumping her
body at a secluded place.
SHRADDHA WALKAR-LIKE MURDER
The deceased woman’s partner,
identified as Riyaz Khan, has been
accused of betraying and killing her;
the accused is married and the victim
was pressuring him to marry her
The incident took place on December
12, 2022. We found the body of a
woman aged between 25-30 near a
bridge, following which a murder case was
filed at Panvel police. The Navi Mumbai
crime branch Unit 2 investigated the case
and found some physical evidence.
—Amit Kale, Deputy Commissioner of Police,
Crime Branch, Navi Mumbai
OMICRON BF.7 SCARE: THERMAL
TESTING FOR INT’L TRAVELLERS
Health min Sawant urges kids, elderly to wear masks as a precautionary measure
No cases of the new variant have been reported in Maharashtra
yet. —FILE PHOTO
CM Eknath Shinde
From
Monday
(December
26), 2% of the pas-
sengers will be tested
from international
flights arriving in
the state. There is no
reason to worry
and guidelines
should be followed.
—Tanaji Sawant,
Maha Health Minister
DON’T PANIC, STAY
PREPARED: FADNAVIS
The state is doing genome
sequencing in identified
cases, he said, adding the
global scenario, the state’s
preparedness in case of
a surge, vaccinations,
as well as, other issues
related to the pandemic
were discussed in the
review meeting. “Citizens
need not panic at all but
everyone must take ap-
propriate precautions,”
said the Deputy CM.
Nagpur: Former state
Health Minister Rajesh
Tope has warned of a
medicine shortage in
hospitals amid the ad-
vent of the BF.7 Omicron
variant from China in
India.
While speaking to media
persons at the Vidhan
Bhavan in Nagpur on
Thursday, Tope stated,
“A new variant of the
virus has broken out in
the world. Therefore, the
Maharashtra government
needs to be alert and
implement the tracking,
testing, and treatment
formula immediately.”
Tope also called for
inspections and repairs
at government hospitals,
oxygen plants, wherever
required. “There is also a
need for urgent inspec-
tion, maintenance, and
repair of oxygen plants
and other systems set
up by the previous
government at the taluka
hospital level. It is nec-
essary to keep isolation
wards ready everywhere
in the state and also
medicine supply. Along
with filling vacancies in
the Health Department,
the state should form
a task force and imple-
ment all Central govern-
ment guidelines immedi-
ately,” he added.
THERE MAY BE DEARTH OF MEDS IN HOSPITALS, WARNS TOPE
Pune BJP MLA
Mukta Tilak
dies at 57
Oiltheftattemptcauses
leakage,BPCLlineshut
Nashik Sena - UBT
leader joins Eknath
Shinde faction
‘Hotels,pubscannot
playsongsuntilthey
paylicensefeetoPPL’
AnahitaPandoledischarged
fromhospitalafter108days
Court denies bail to Mumbai
Sea Link accident accused
Officials inspect mangled remains of the car. —FILE PHOTO
The court mentioned
that the accused
was driving at
109kmph at the
time of the incident

www.firstindia.co.in I https://firstindia.co.in/epapers/mumbai I twitter.com/
thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
MUMBAI, FRIDAY,
DECEMBER 23, 2022
strong woman knows she
has strength enough for
the journey
, but a woman
of strength knows it is in
thejourneywhereshewill
become strong, believes
Ritu Sharma from the
beautiful place of ‘Pilani’.
She is also a perfect example of
influential woman. While sharing
herbittersweetjourneytoCityFirst,
the diva expressed, “ I have completed
my post-graduation and am always
seeking opportunities where I can utilise
my skills ability to show my talent to
the world. I am a multi-talented girl who
is working in one of the top 10 compa-
nies“
Accenture”undertheaccountsand
finance profile with my favourite pas-
sion modelling. I always wanted to keep
my parents proud and become an inde-
pendent girl who always aims high.
The modelling industry demand indi-
viduals who have the ability to organise
their time and workload, to be flexible
and open to change and most important
ability to work well with others. Also, a
model should be brave to try new things
and not be too afraid to express them-
selves model should be original, creative
and have the courage to do modelling.”
According to the ravishing beauty
, “My
inspiration is my father “Surya Prakash
Sharma”. He faced so many problems in
his life but he never give up and so hard
work for us, so here I am and following the
same what my father is doing work hard.
While sharing about her memorable mo-
ment, “ I have so many memorable and
rewarding movements but the most beau-
tiful movement is becoming top 15 Elite
Miss Rajasthan 2022. When I took the tro-
phy for the top 15 Elitemissrajasthan that
movement changed my life and it brings
me to the top of Rajasthan and feel very
beautiful and confident. This also makes
my father happy and proud and this makes
me the happiest daughter in the world. I am
truly grateful to Jagdeesh Chandra sir and
Gaurav Gaur for supporting me during my
journey
.”
UTTKARSHA SHEKHAR
uttkarsha.shekhar@firstindia.co.in
A
ONE
WOMAN
ARMY!
RITU SHARMA,
A SUPERMODEL
FROM THE BEAUTIFUL
PLACE OF PILANI,
SHARES HER
JOURNEY WITH
CITY FIRST!
—PHOTOS BY MUKESH KIRADOO

23122022_First India_Mumbai.pdf

23122022_First India_Mumbai.pdf

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