27042022_ First India New Delhi.pdf.pdf

New York-inspired Central Park, ‘Olympic City’ to
surround upcoming Noida International Airport
MASTER PLAN-2041 FOR THE REGION SURROUNDING AIRPORT
Noida (PTI): A world-
class business zone with
a 500 hectare park on the
lines of New York’s fa-
mous Central Park, an
‘Aerotropolis’ like New
Delhi’s Aerocity and an
‘OlympicCity’areamong
the infrastructure pro-
jects proposed under the
Master Plan-2041 for the
region surrounding the
Noida International Air-
port.
The region is also esti-
matedtoinhabit41.7lakh
people by 2041, and to ca-
ter to this growth there
will be a need of eight
lakh homes, 1,200 hec-
tares of commercial
space and 4,000 hectares
of industrial land, the
proposed plan stated.
The master plan, pre-
sented to the Board of
the Yamuna Expressway
Industrial Development
Authority (YEIDA) on
Tuesday, shows the pro-
posed planning of the
region along the 165-km
length of the Yamuna
Expressway near Noida.
YEIDA, which func-
tions under the Uttar
Pradesh government,
managesthelandandde-
velopment works along
the expressway
.
The upcoming Noida
International Airport re-
mains the focus point of
the master plan, the area
surroundingwhichisbe-
ing developed with com-
mercial and residential
facilities. The local au-
thority has estimated
thatthepopulationinthe
area under its control
would reach 41 lakh by
2041, according to the
plan.
NEW DELHI l WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 2022 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNITITLE NO.DELENG/2021/19840 lVol 1 l Issue No.237
OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR, AHMEDABAD, LUCKNOW NEW DELHI
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epapers/delhi I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
Mumbai: Benchmark indices rebounded sharply on Tuesday after falling
for the past two days, with the Sensex jumping 657.67 points. The
30-share BSE benchmark was trading 657.67 points higher at 57,237.56
in early trade. The NSE Nifty jumped 204.35 points to 17,158.30. P6
MARKETS
REBOUND 657
POINTS AFTER
2-DAY SLIDE
Barpeta: Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani was remanded to five days in
police custody on Tuesday by a court in Assam’s Barpeta district in
an assault case filed by a woman police officer. CJM Mukul Chetia
remanded Mevani to police custody. P5
MEVANI SENT TO
FIVE DAYS IN
POLICE CUSTODY
IN ASSAULT CASE
Denied free hand, PK
‘folds hands’ to Cong
As Prashant Kishor declines Sonia’s offer to join Cong and says party
currently needs ‘leadership, collective will to fix structural problems’,
party appoints Pratibha Virbhadra Singh as Himachal PCC Chief;
dismisses Jakhar, Thomas and suspends 5 MLAs from Meghalaya
Aditi Nagar
New Delhi: Poll strate-
gist Prashant Kishor,
popularly addressed to
as PK in political cir-
cles, on Tuesday de-
clined the Congress of-
fer to join the party and
evolve its poll strategy
and said more than
him, the party needs
leadership and collec-
tive will to fix deep-root-
ed structural problems
through transforma-
tional reforms.
Kishor was asked by
Congress president So-
nia Gandhi to join the
party and be a part of
the Empowered Action
Group-2024 and take
care of its election strat-
egy for upcoming polls.
Congress chief spokes-
person Randeep Sur-
jewala said Kishor has
declined the offer and
the party appreciates
his efforts and sugges-
tions. Kishor had made
a detailed presentation
before top Congress
leaders, which was dis-
cussed at length by sen-
ior leadership of the
party
, after which an of-
fer was made to him.
“ In my humble opin-
ion, more than me the
party needs leadership
and collective will to fix
the deep rooted struc-
tural problems through
transformational re-
forms,” Kishor said in a
tweet.
CONG REMOVES
JAKHAR AND
THOMAS FROM
ALL PARTY POSTS
45 CR LOST HOPE DUE TO MODI’S
“MASTERSTROKES’’: RAHUL GANDHI
DID PK ASK FOR MORE THAN HE COULD CHEW?
70% PEOPLE WHO TOOK BOOSTER
DOSE DIDN’T GET COVID: STUDY
PROBABILITY OF 4TH WAVE EXTREMELY
LOW, VIROLOGIST JACOB JOHN
New Delhi: The Con-
gress Disciplinary
Committee on Tuesday
recommended the
suspension of its former
Punjab unit chief Sunil
Jakhar for two years and
his removal from all party
posts, besides recom-
mending removal of Ker-
ala leader K V Thomas
from all party positions
for anti-party activities.
Ahead of the Congress
disciplinary committee
meeting, Jakhar had
said those who still
have a conscience will
be punished. The panel
also recommended the
suspension of five party
MLAs in Meghalaya, who
had supported the ruling
Meghalaya Democratic
Alliance (MDA) in the
state, while defying the
party directives.
New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on
Tuesday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi
over the unemployment issue, alleging over 45
crore people have lost hope of getting a job due to
his “masterstrokes”. He claimed that Modi is the
“first such prime minister” in 75 years to do so.
Informed sources in Congress have disclosed that PK wanted to lead the
Empowered Committee 2024, but Sonia wanted to make PK only a member of
the committee. Furthermore, PK wanted to report only to the Congress leader-
ship, but as a member he could not directly contact the high command. Prob-
ably because of all these reasons Kishor did not join the Congress. However,
the grapevine in ‘relevant’ party circles is that claim that Rahul and his team
were not too elated by PK’s entry in the party and in the meantime, the news of
Priyanka going on a foreign tour last night also acted as the final nail. In such
a situation, there was no consensus in the Gandhi family about PK, who, it is
learnt, had advised Gandhis to make an outsider as party president while also
advocating for change in Rajasthan.
New Delhi: Seventy per cent of the people who received
a booster dose of the Covid vaccine did not contract the
disease during the third wave, according to a new study
that covered around 6,000 people in India. The study said
that 45 per cent of the vaccinated people who did not take
a precautionary dose reported Covid in the third wave.
Renowned Virologist Dr T Jacob John has said that the prob-
ability of fourth Covid wave in India is ‘extremely low’. He
said that Delhi and Haryana had minor increases in Covid
numbers over the last two to three weeks but the increase
was not being sustained. He stressed that one thousand
cases in Delhi is equal to just five per lakh population.
Kids over 5 now under
Covid vax umbrella!
DCGI allows Corbevax for kids aged 5-12, Covaxin
for 6-12 age group, in major relief to parents
New Delhi:India’sdrug
regulator has granted
emergency use authori-
sation for Biological E’s
COVID-19 vaccine Cor-
bevax for those aged five
to 12 years and Bharat
Biotech’s Covaxin for
children in the age
group of six to 12 years,
Union Health Minister
Mansukh Mandaviya
said on Tuesday
.
The Drugs Controller
General of India (DCGI)
has also granted emer-
gency use authorisa-
tion (EUA) to Cadila for
its ZyCoV-D for an ad-
ditional dose of 3mg
with a two-jab inocula-
tion schedule 28 days
apart for those aged
above 12 years.
The approval by the
Drugs Controller Gener-
al of India (DCGI) comes
following recommenda-
tions by the Subject Ex-
pert Committee on COV-
ID-19 of the CDSCO.
RAM NAVAMI
VIOLENCE
SC junks plea
seeking setting
up of judicial
commission
New Delhi: The Su-
preme Court on Tues-
day junked a PIL seek-
ing setting up of a judi-
cial commission to in-
quire into the recent
communal violence in
Delhi’s Jahangirpuri
andinsevenotherstates
during Ram Navami.
A bench of Justices L
Nageswara Rao and B R
Gavai dismissed the
plea filed by advocate
Vishal Tiwari. “You
want inquiry to be
headed by former CJI?
Is anybody free? Find
out...What kind of re-
lief is this...Don’t ask
for such reliefs which
can’t be granted by this
court. Dismissed,” the
bench said.
108 ex-bureaucrats
request PM to call for
end to ‘politics of hate’
New Delhi: Over 100
former civil servants
have written to PM
Narendra Modi with
the hope that he will
call for an end to what
they termed as “poli-
tics of hate” allegedly
practised “assiduous-
ly” by governments un-
der BJP’s control.
In an open letter, they
said “we are witnessing
a frenzy of hate filled
destruction in the coun-
try where at the sacrifi-
cial altar are not just
Muslims and members
of the other minority
communities but the
Constitution itself”.
Former Lt Governor
of Delhi Najeeb Jung,
former NSA Shivs-
hankar Menon and for-
mer prime minister
ManmohanSingh’sprin-
cipal secretary T K A
Nair are among the 108
signatories to the letter.
“Your silence, in the
face of this enormous
societal threat, is deaf-
ening,” the letter said.
Meanwhile, Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi will interact with
Chief Ministers on the
emerging COVID-19
situation in the country
on Wednesday through
video conferencing.
Are Sonia Gandhi,Priyanka on long holiday,
asks Anurag on Dausa gangrape-murder
New Delhi (PTI): Hit-
ting out at the Con-
gress govt over Dausa
gang-rape and murder,
Union minister Anur-
ag Thakur on Tuesday
said whether Con-
gress president Sonia
Gandhi and party gen-
eral sec Priyanka Gan-
dhi Vadra have gone
on a long holiday.
Meanwhile, the Dausa
police arrested second
accused in the case on
Tuesday
.
“Atrocities on
children, women
are on the rise in
Rajasthan and
questions are
raised about gov-
ernance in the
state. I wonder
whether So-
nia Gandhi
and Priyanka Gandhi
too have gone on a
long holiday as
Rahul ji?
Can’t they
see the
breakdown
of law and
order in Ra-
jasthan?,”
Thakur told reporters
when asked about the
incident of gang-rape
and murder in Dausa,
Rajasthan.
“Why has the Con-
gresspartyandRajgovt
remained a mute spec-
tator? I hope they will
take these things seri-
ously and the Raj govt,
whichisfastasleep,will
wake up,” he said.
CAA a limited, narrowly tailored
law for specific reasons: MHA
Opposition parties slam
Mann for ‘Delhi agreement’
New Delhi: The Citi-
zenship (Amendment)
Act (CAA) is a limited
and narrowly-tailored
legislation that seeks to
provide a relaxation to
specific communities
from specified coun-
tries with a clear cut-off
date, taking a compas-
sionate and ameliora-
tive view, according to
the annual report of the
Ministry of Home Af-
fairs (MHA).
“The CAA is a limited
and narrowly tailored
legislation which seeks
to provide a relaxation
to aforesaid specific
communities from the
specified countries with
a clear cut-off date. It is
a compassionate and
ameliorative legisla-
tion,” the MHA annual
report for 2020-21 said.
Chandigarh: Opposi-
tion parties in Punjab
on Tuesday slammed
Chief Minister Bhag-
want Mann for signing
a knowledge-sharing
agreement with his Del-
hi counterpart Arvind
Kejriwal, accusing him
of surrendering his au-
thority and institution-
alising interference in
the border state.
An agreement was
signed on Tuesday be-
tween the two chief
ministers with Mann
saying that 117 schools
and mohalla clinics
will be developed in
Punjab. Congress lead-
er Partap Bajwa
termed it complete ab-
rogation of responsi-
bility on behalf of the
state government
Elgar Parishad
case: HC rejects
Navlakha’s plea
for house arrest
Mumbai: The Bombay
high court on Tuesday
dismissed the petition
filed by human rights
activist Gautam Nav-
lakha, an accused in the
Elgar Parishad-Bhima
Koregaon violence case,
seeking to be placed un-
der house arrest due to
his failing health and
lack of proper medical
facilities in Taloja jail.
Navlakha, arrested on
August 28, 2018, from his
residence in New Delhi,
had moved the petition
through advocates Yug
Chaudhry and Payoshi
Roy claiming relief on
the grounds of his ad-
vanced age and the fact
that he had a lump in
his chest.

CAPITOL
NEW DELHI | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 2022
02
CRUCIAL READ
FIRE BREAKS OUT IN ROOM OF TRANSPORT
BHAWAN ON PARLIAMENT STREET
30-YEAR-OLD DIES IN FIGHT OVER
BILL AT GARDENS GALLERIA MALL
New Delhi (PTI): A fire broke out in the Transport
Bhawan on Parliament Street here on Tuesday, Delhi
Fire Services officials said. No injuries have been re-
ported, they said.According to
the fire department, a call was
received at 4:10 pm and four
fire tenders were rushed to
the spot.The fire started from
an air-conditioner in one of
the rooms of the Transport Bhawan, a senior official
said, adding that the fire has been extinguished.
New Delhi (PTI): A 30-year-old man died after getting
involved in a brawl at a pub in Noida’s Gardens
Galleria mall on Monday night.
According to the police, Brajesh
was attending an office party at
the pub. At around 11 pm, an
argument broke out between
the customers and the restau-
rant staff over bill payment. The argument escalated
and the restaurant called upon bouncers to intervene.
In the physical fight that ensued, Brajesh received fatal
injuries on his head. Though he was taken to a nearby
hospital, he could not be saved.
WOMAN KILLED,
HUSBAND INJURED
OVER MINOR DISPUTE
MAN, 2 OTHERS
HELD FOR KILLING
SECOND WIFE
New Delhi (PTI): A
45-year-old woman was
stabbed to death while
her husband was injured
following a quarrel with
their neighbour over
minor issue in southwest
Delhi’s Vasant Kunj area
on Tuesday morning,
police said.
The deceased, identified
as Shyamkala got sharp
knife injuries over her
neck while her husband
Ramesh Kumar who is
undergoing treatment at
Safdarjung Hospital had
injuries over his left arm.
Both are residents of a
slum cluster in Dalit Ekta
Camp, they said.
New Delhi (PTI): A
36-year-old man has been
arrested along with two
others for allegedly killing
his second wife in north
Delhi’s Narela area, police
said on Monday.
Rishi along with his first
wife Baby (36) and his
friend Karan (22), all
natives of Bihar, were
nabbed in connection with
the incident, they said.
On April 18, police got
information that the body
of a woman was lying in
the bushes near a govern-
ment school in Narela and
registered a case based
on the statement of a
witness named Rakesh, a
senior police officer said.
New Delhi (PTI): To
procure country liquor
for Delhi, the city gov-
ernment has invited
fresh tenders for whole-
sale supply of country
liquor for retail vends
(L-8) in bottles of 750
ml, 375 ml and 180 ml in
the ratio of 3:4:3 for the
year 2023-23.
The ratio of bottle has
however been reduced
for this year from 4:4:3,
while, this year the ex-
cise department has set
a ratio of 3:4:3.
The tenders have been
invited from working
distellieries or bottling
plants approved by the
central and state govern-
ment for grant of three
or more licenses in the
form of L-3 under Rule
48 of Delhi Excise rules ,
2010 for whole supply of
country liquor of 50 de-
free under proof (U.P)
for retail vends.
The holders of an L-3
licence will also be re-
quired to obtain a L-34
licence for the bonded
warehouse. “Depart-
ment of Excise is going
for procurement of
country liquor in NCT
of Delhi. The total quan-
tity of country liquor to
be supplied by the hold-
ers of L-3 Licencees is
expected to be 300 lakh
liters, subject to varia-
tion upto plus or minus
25% of 50 degree under
proof (UP) ordinary
spicedcaramelcoloured
country liquor during
the licencing period,”
said the department in
the tender.
The licencees will be
required to sell country
liquor to the L-8 vends
ownedbyDelhiTourism
and Transportation De-
velopment Corporation
(DTTDC), Delhi State
Industrial Infrastruc-
ture Development Cor-
poration (DSIIDC), Del-
hi State Civil Supply
Corporation (DSCSC)
and Delhi Consumers
Co-operative Wholesale
Store Ltd, or any other
organizationwhichmay
beaholderof L-8license
(retail vends of Country
liquor).According to the
excise department, cur-
rently Delhi has a total
number of 87 retail
vends of Country liquor
(L-8 licencees) which
may vary during the li-
cencing period.
Govt invites fresh tenders for wholesale supply of country liquor
DELHI EXCISE RULES
117 schools and mohalla clinics will be developed in Punjab, says Bhagwant Mann
DELHI, PUNJAB GOVTS SIGN
PACT FOR BETTER HEALTH
New Delhi (PTI): A
knowledge-sharing
agreement was signed
on Tuesday between
Delhi Chief Minister
Arvind Kejriwal and
his Punjab counterpart
Bhagwant Singh Mann,
who said 117 schools
and mohalla clinics will
be developed in the
state.
Mann said that edu-
cation, health and
power were a priority
of his government and
Punjab can learn from
Delhi where a lot of
work was done in these
fields.
Kejriwal said India
will progress if every
state starts learning
from the good work
done by others.
Delhi and Punjab Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann showing a Knowledge Sharing
Agreement signed between the governments of Delhi and Punjab during a joint press conference in
New Delhi. —PHOTO BY ANI
It will be wrong
to say that only
we have done
good work.
There were
several
islands of
excellence across
the country but
there were
divisions of
parties and
states, and
nothing was
learnt from
that.
—Arvind Kejriwal,
Delhi Chief Minister
MANISH SISODIA SAYS: BHAGWANT MANN SAYS:
Now Punjab and Delhi will work together
towards fulfilling the dreams of Baba
Saheb and Sardar Bhagat Singh ji.
Both the governments will learn from each
other. The revolutionary work of Delhi will
also be done in Punjab. Delhi will also
learn from the good deeds of Punjab.
FOOD FAIR!
Visitors at Pragati Maidan during the inauguration of the 36th edition of ‘AAHAR 2022- International Food
Hospitality Fair’ in New Delhi. —PHOTO BY ANI
Six arrested for running
sex racket in Mathura
2 held for fueling
communal
hatred in city
New Delhi (PTI): The
police have arrested six
people, including two
women, for allegedly
running a sex racket in
Uttar Pradesh’s Mathu-
ra district, police said
on Monday
.
A minor girl who was
lured by them has also
been rescued, they said.
The matter came to
light on April 24 when
the police were in-
formed about the kid-
napping of a 14-year-old
girl at the IP Estate po-
lice station here, offi-
cials said.
The police said the
accused have been
identified as Jubid
(34), Ravi (27), Ram
Kilawan Gupta (29),
Sunny (33), Pooja (27)
and Bimlesh (30).
The victim has called
her brother from an un-
known mobile number
urging him to save her,
they said.
Based on technical
inputs, a raid was con-
ducted at a hotel situ-
ated at Kosi Kalan, in
Mathura and the vic-
tim was found. She was
rescued and Jubid as
well as Ravi, who were
operating the hotel on
lease, were apprehend-
ed, a senior police of-
ficer said.
Jubid is a resident of
Mathura and Ravi is a
native of Palwal in Har-
yana, police said.
New Delhi (PTI): Two
men died after a wall
fell on them near a wine
shop on Rampura main
road in northwest Del-
hi’s Keshavpuram area,
police said on Tuesday
.
Sumit Verma, (42), a
resident of Anand Par-
wat, and Bhoj Prakash
(48), of Sultanpuri,
were standing near the
wine shop on Monday
when the wall of a go-
down fell on them, they
said.
Police rushed to the
spot after receiving a
PCR call about the wall
collapse. Fire tenders
and a crane were also
called to the spot, offi-
cials said.
Deputy Commission-
er of Police (Northwest)
Usha Rangnani said,
“The two persons were
rescued from under the
debris and rushed to
Deep Chand Bandhu
Hospital where the doc-
tors declared them
brought dead.”
“We have registered a
case under IPC sections
288 (negligent conduct
with respect to pulling
down or repairing
buildings) and 304 A
(causing death by negli-
gence) against the go-
down owner at the Kes-
havpuram police sta-
tion,” she added.
BJP MP Tejasvi
to join probe into
vandalism at
CM’s residence
Delhi Police has asked
Lok Sabha MP Tejasvi
Surya to join the investi-
gation in connection
with alleged vandalism
at Chief Minister
Arvind Kejriwal’s resi-
dence here, officials said
on Tuesday
.
According to the offi-
cials, Surya has been
asked to join the investi-
gation through a written
communication.
He has assured his co-
operation and said that
he will join the probe,
they said. Eight people
had been arrested from
Delhi in connection with
the incident, police said.
A total of 26 people,
including the eight ar-
rested ones, have been
interrogated in connec-
tion with the incident.
They were identified
through technical
sources, they said.
Two killed as wall
collapses in city’s
Keshavpuram area
Nursing officer suspended at
AIIMS over staff shortage strike
New Delhi (Agencies):
A nursing officer of the
All India Institute of
Medical Sciences
(AIIMS) was suspended
on Monday after pro-
tests by a group of nurs-
es in the main opera-
tion theatre on Satur-
day (April 23) over staff
shortage resulted in the
cancellation of at least
50 planned surgeries.
In an order issued by
the AIIMS administra-
tion on Monday, nursing
officer Harish Kumar
Kajla was suspended
with “immediate effect”
for heading the protests
and misbehaving with
the duty officer on Satur-
day. “...Disciplinary pro-
ceedings are contemplat-
ed against Harish Kumar
Kajla, nursing officer...
during the period that
this order shall remain
in force the headquarters
(of Kajla) should be New
Delhi and (he) shall not
leave the headquar-
ters...,” the order read.
A senior official at
AIIMS said a show cause
notice was issued to four
nursing staff, including
Kajla, for Saturday’s in-
cident and action has
been initiated against
him based on his re-
sponse and the testimo-
nies of other doctors and
nurses who were present
during the protest.
SDMC mayor orders probe into
Satya Niketan building collapse
New Delhi: Mayor of
South Delhi Municipal
Corporation (SDMC)
Mukesh Suryan has or-
dered a probe into the
building collapse at
Satya Niketan Monday
that killed two labour-
ers and injured four. He
said the corporation’s
commissioner Gyanesh
Bharti has been asked
to investigate the mat-
ter and submit a report.
Suryan said that the
corporation had com-
pleted whatever process
it takes to stop the ille-
gal construction. “In
such a situation, if an
accident has happened,
we will get it investi-
gated. If found guilty,
action will be taken
against him. No one
will be spared,” he said.
As per the police, the
terrace of the three-
storey house under
renovation collapsed at
around 1.15 pm trap-
ping the six workers.
HIGHLIGHT
New Delhi (PTI): Two
men were arrested for al-
legedly trying to promote
communal disharmony
in northeast Delhi’s
Khajuri Khas area, po-
lice said on Tuesday.
A call was received on
Sunday night regarding
a group of people mak-
ing communally provoc-
ative statements and
talking about riots in
Delhi. “Police rushed to
the spot at street number
13, F-Block, Khajuri
Khas and controlled the
situation,” the officer
said.According to com-
plainant Sonu Kumar, he
was out for a walk with
his friend Nirdesh and
when the duo reached
street number 13, Aman,
Jeeshan and Sameer al-
legedly threatened and
intimidated them, the of-
ficer said.

INDIA
03
Mahesh Sharma
New Delhi: In Bihar,
preparations are being
made for a change in the
BJP organization amid
speculation that all is
not well between BJP
and JDU. Words is that
Chief Minister Nitish
Kumar would leave Bi-
har politics and head to
Delhi. The present or-
ganization of the party
is not working properly
which is evident in the
NDA’s performance
which was poor in the
recently held elections
to the 24 Legislative
Council seats in the
state. BJP lost many of
its seats, due to mutual
factionalism. After that
the BJP lost badly in the
by-electiononBochahan
seat as well. Since then
the demand for change
in the state organisation
has intensified.
According to in-
formed sources, BJP
state president Sanjay
Jaiswal can be replaced.
It is being told that the
BJP will make an upper
caste individual the
state president. The bot-
tom line of the review
after the defeat of the
Legislative Council and
Bochahan is that the
party has become too
backward-centred, an-
gering the core voters,
the upper castes. Keep
in mind that the BJP
StatePresidentandboth
the Deputy Chief Minis-
ters come from back-
ward castes. Nityanand
Rai is sitting in the most
important ministry at
the center, he also be-
longs to the backward
caste and the in-charge
is also from the back-
ward caste. That is why
it is being said that now
a leader from the upper
caste strata will be made
the state president and
according to sources in
the BJP, a change may
happen soon.
Will BJP fall back on ‘core voters’?
IN BIHAR
Let Sonia Gandhi take decision:
Thomas on disciplinary action
Kochi (Agencies):
Soon after the AK An-
tony-led Congress dis-
ciplinary committee
meeting held to take a
call on breaching of
party discipline by for-
mer Union Minister KV
Thomas, concluded on
Tuesday, Thomas told
the media here that let
the decision come.
According to sourc-
es, the Antony com-
mittee has come up
with a few recommen-
dations, which include
removing Thomas
from posts, and sent it
to Congress president
Sonia Gandhi for fur-
ther action.
Thomas is a member
of the high power po-
litical affairs commit-
tee in the Kerala unit of
the party and is also an
AICC member.
When the media
pointed out these, he
said: “I cannot answer
to such assumptions
and let Sonia Gandhi
take the decision. One
thing I can tell is what-
ever is the decision, I
will always remain a
Congressman.”
Meanwhile, the An-
tony-led committee, de-
clined a request from
Thomas that he would
like to appear in person
before the committee.
Thomas has also
written to Sonia seek-
ing an appointment.
Incidentally
, both An-
tony and Thomas were
in the cabinet of then
Prime Minister Man-
mohan Singh 2009-14
and the latter was the
State Tourism and Fish-
eries Minister in the
cabinet of Antony in
Kerala during 2001-04.
The Congress lead-
ers from Kerala have
been seeking Thomas’s
immediate removal
from the party follow-
ing his participation in
a seminar on the Cen-
tre-state relations held
as part of the 23rd par-
ty congress of the CPI-
M held in Kannur early
this month.
The CPI-M had as
part of its 23rd party
congress invited
Shashi Tharoor and
Thomas to participate
in the seminar.
State Congress party
president AK Sudha-
karan immediately in-
formed both the lead-
ers not to participate
and even the party
president Sonia inter-
vened in the matter and
told the leaders not to
participate. While Tha-
roor backed out, Thom-
as decided to go ahead
with the seminar.
Probe agencies scan PFI’s
role in Jahangirpuri riots
Central probe agencies
have been scanning the
alleged role of the Pop-
ular Front of India
(PFI) into the Jahangir-
puri communal vio-
lence on April 16, ac-
cording to sources.
The sources in the in-
telligence network have
said that the agencies
have been scanning the
presence of a few peo-
ple connected to the
PFI’s student wing in
Jahangirpuri and try-
ing to ascertain with
whom they met while
they were in the area.
The sources also said
that they have identified
around 22 mobile num-
bersof PFIstudentwing
members who were pre-
sent in the area before
the violence erupted.
They said that the
probe agencies have
been trying to ascertain
their activities and they
may be questioned by
the Crime Branch of
the Delhi Police.
Some of these num-
bers were found to be ac-
tiveevenduringtheFeb-
ruary 2020 Delhi riots.
The probe agencies
also want to ascertain
whether these PFI
members had any links
with the violence in Ja-
hangirpuri.
BSP faced
maximum
defections in
UP polls
Police oppose
Umar’s bail
plea in Delhi
riots case
Lucknow (Agencies):
The Bahujan Samaj Par-
ty (BSP) faced the maxi-
mum number of defec-
tions by its candidates
and MLAs during the
recent assembly elec-
tions in Uttar Pradesh.
The BSP lost nearly
75 (27 per cent) candi-
dates to other parties
during the polls and 12
sitting MLAs crossed
over to other parties.
According to a de-
tailed analysis report
released by Associa-
tion for Democratic Re-
forms (ADR), the num-
ber of candidates who
left the Congress to
join other parties was
37 (13 per cent).
In recent assembly
elections, 54 (20 per
cent) out of the total of
276 re-contesting candi-
dates switched to the
Samajwadi Party fol-
lowed by 35 (13 per
cent) candidates who
joined BJP and 31 (11
per cent) candidates
who joined BSP.
DelhiPolicehasopposed
before the Delhi High
Court a plea of former
JNU student Umar
Khalid seeking bail in a
case under the stringent
UAPA for alleged con-
spiracy behind the 2020
riots in Delhi, saying the
narratives sought to be
createdbyhimcannotbe
looked into as his de-
fence at the this stage.
In its reply filed to the
plea which challenges
the rejection of Khalid’s
bail application by the
trial court, the police
statedthatthetrialcourt
has “rightly dismissed”
Khalid’s plea for release
by a “well-reasoned or-
der” which suffers from
no illegality
.
“Itismostrespectfully
submitted that the ap-
peal raises no good
grounds for considera-
tionbythishon’blecourt
andthusthesamebedis-
missed,intheinterestof
justice,” stated the reply
filed through public
prosecutorAmitPrasad.
Bengal SSC scam: Cops use water cannon
to stop Surya-led BJP workers, many hurt
Kolkata (PTI): West
Bengal Police used wa-
ter cannon to disperse
BJP workers who were
taking out a protest
rally against the state
government towards
Bikash Bhavan in Kol-
kata on Tuesday
.
Lok Sabha MP and
BJYM national presi-
dent Tejasvi Surya was
leading the protest rally
while West Bengal BJP
chief Sukanta Majum-
dar, BJP MP Raju Bista,
BJYM State In-charge
ShaktiSingh,MPJyotir-
moy Singh Mahato and
PriyankaTibrewalwere
also present at the rally
.
State BJP chief Su-
kanta Majumdar al-
leged lathi-charge by
the police. “Mamata Ba-
nerjee has killed democ-
racy in West Bengal. We
told the police to arrest
or detain us but not re-
sort to lathi-charge. But
they did not. Male cops
attacked our women
workers. As per my info,
four workers need hos-
pitalisation, one is al-
ready hospitalised”,
said Majumdar.
He added, “Mamata
Banerjee is a fascist and
a photocopy of Hitler.
The state police’s only
job is to stop the BJP,
they do not have any
other work. Mamata Ba-
nerjee, being a woman
said that the woman
whowasrapedwaspreg-
nant and had an affair.”
TMC’s Anubrata Mandal
denies having passport
Victims take out padayatra
to K’taka CM’s native town
Kolkata (Agencies):
After TMC strongman
Anubrata Mandal de-
nied having a passport,
the CBI on Tuesday
alerted the Kolkata air-
port authorities and
said that any possible
air travel attempt by
Mandal via there should
immediately be brought
to its notice.
The CBI officers have
also contacted the Re-
gional Passport Office
in Kolkata to verify
Mandal’s claims of not
having any passport.
According to CBI
sources, on Monday
, the
central agency had
sought from Mandal de-
tails about his passport,
but he denied having
one. For the time being,
the agency has procured
photocopies of his Aad-
haar and PAN cards.
“However, we have
alerted the airport au-
thorities and have also
contacted the Regional
Passport Office here to
cross-check his claims,”
said a CBI source.
Haveri (Anegcies):
Hundreds of victims of
a hysterectomy scandal
in Karnataka on Tues-
day took out a padayatra
to Chief Minister Ba-
savaraj Bommai’s na-
tive town of Shiggaon in
Haveri district.
The protest march
has been organised to
condemn the apathy
and negligence of the
authorities as Rs 40
crore compensation
amount sanctioned for
the victims of the scan-
dal was sent back to the
government without
being distributed.
The victims, after
walking a distance of 75
km, will reach the town
on Wednesday
.
The agitators have de-
clared that until Bom-
mai personally arrives
and assures them of re-
lease of compensation,
theywon’tmoveaninch.
Yogi asks ministers, IAS
officers to declare assets
Lucknow (PTI): Uttar
Pradesh Chief Minister
Yogi Adityanath on
Tuesday directed his
ministers to declare
within three months all
property owned by them
and their families and
asked IAS and IPS offi-
cials to put similar de-
tails online.
He also said that the
ministers’ family mem-
bers should not inter-
vene in the govt work.
The CM while ad-
dressingaspecialsitting
after the cabinet meet-
ing said that the IAS,
IPS, and the Provincial
Civil Service officers
shouldalsodeclaretheir
and their family mem-
bers’ properties and
make it available on an
online portal for the peo-
ple to see it. The code of
conduct prescribed for
the ministers should be
followed, he said.
MHA seeks factual report from Maha Govt
Mumbai (Agencies):
The complaint filed by
Lok Sabha MP Navneet
Rana claiming that she
was subjected to “inhu-
man treatment” by Ma-
harashtra Police after
her arrest in connec-
tion with a call to chant
Hanuman Chalisa on a
loudspeaker outside
Chief Minister Uddhav
Thackeray’s residence
has been referred to
Lok Sabha Privilege
Committee.
Sources said the Lok
Sabha Secretariat has
also sent a letter to the
state government seek-
ing the reasons for the
arrest as well as the fac-
tual situation about her
claims at the Khar po-
lice station in Mumbai.
In her letter to LS
Speaker Om Birla, the
MP claimed that she
was denied water at the
police station because
she was a Dalit. She
said she was sent to By-
culla Women’s Jail
while her husband was
taken to taloja Jail.
“To my shock and
disbelief, the police
staff told me that I be-
long to Scheduled
Caste and hence they
will not give me water
in the same glass.
Thus, I was directly
abused on the basis of
my caste and it is only
for this reason that no
drinking water was
provided,” she said.
COUPLE’S BAIL PLEA TO BE
HEARD ON FRIDAY
Mumbai (Agencies): In another setback, the
Mumbai City Civil and Sessions Court on Tuesday
posted the hearing of independent MP Navneet
Kaur-Rana and her MLA husband Ravi Rana’s
bail plea for Friday. The couple’s lawyer Rizwan
Merchant had moved the bail plea but the court
directed the prosecution to file its reply on Friday
and would hear it further that day.
TMC-BJP SLUGFEST: WHICH
SIDE DOES ANSAR BELONG TO?
The TMC and BJP are now in a war of words over the
origin of Ansar Sheikh, prime accused in the Jahan-
girpuri clashes. BJP’s Amit Malviya has said Ansar
is one of those who had attacked Suvendu Adhikari,
leader of the opposition in West Bengal, in 2021.
Meanwhile, a photo of Ansar with Ajijul Rehman, a
local TMC councillor, has been doing the rounds on
the social media. TMC’s Ajijul Rehman, however, de-
nied the allegations of him being connected to Ansar.
He accepted that he had met Ansar during his trip to
Manali. “It was a spontaneous photo,” he said.
I cannot answer to
such assumptions;
let Sonia Gandhi
take the decision.
Whatever the
decision, I will
always remain a
Congressman.
KV Thomas,
AICC member
Antony-led
Cong panel
recommends
removal of
KV Thomas
from posts
HYSTERECTOMY SCANDAL
NAVNEET RANA ACCUSES MUMBAI POLICE OF MISTREATMENT
Kolkata Police did not help, says BJP MP Tejasvi Surya as more
than 15 party workers injured during protest rally.
CBI alerts Kolkata
airport authority

PERSPECTIVE
04
l Vol 1 l Issue No. 237
l RNI TITLE NO. DELENG/2021/19840
Printed and published by
Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of
First Express Publishers. Printed at
Impressions Printing and Packaging
Limited, C-21, 22 Sector-59,
Noida-201301. Published at G-20,
3rd Floor, 309, Preet Vihar, New
Delhi-110092. Phone 011-49846474.
Editor-In-Chief: Jagdeesh Chandra.
Editor: Sharat K Verma
responsible for selection of news
under the PRB Act
SPIRITUAL SPEAK
Those who cling to
perceptions and views
wander the world
offending people.
—Buddha
IN-DEPTH
Rajnath Singh
@rajnathsingh
Had a wonderful meeting with the UK
Minister of Defence Procurement,
Mr. Jeremy Quin. We discussed
the opportunities available in
areas pertaining to aviation, ship
building and other defence industrial
programmes for both the countries.
Piyush Goyal
@PiyushGoyal
On #WorldIPDay, we recommit to
strengthening India’s Intellectual
Property (IP) regime to foster
innovation. This year’s theme ‘IP
Youth: Innovating for a Better Future’
rightly acknowledges the positive
changes that youth are effecting through
disruptive ideas technologies.
TOP TWEETS
PRASHANT KISHOR
AND CONGRESS
COME CLOSE, BUT
CHOOSE TO PART
day after Congress
president Sonia Gan-
dhi formed an em-
powered action
group to take steps
for the party’s revival based on
the points made by poll strate-
gist Prashant Kishor the two
have parted company, though
not on a bitter note. Prashant
Kishor’s statement that he has
declined the Congress chief’s of-
fer to join the party has led to
finger-pointing at Rahul Gan-
dhi’s coterie. One would tend to
believe those who say that this
coterie does not want any
change which will weaken their
position in the Congress.
The point of friction could
have been the role which was of-
fered to PK as against what he
aspired for. Whatever may be the
reason, the star-crossed Con-
gress looks set to continue its
journey on the beaten track.
The party’s plan to hold a Nav
Chintan Shivir at Udaipur next
month for revival may prove to
be an exercise in futility given
the old guard’s penchant for sta-
tus quo. Who wants change?
A
lon Musk, who is
the new owner of
Twitter, has been
a strong advocate
of free speech on
the social media platform. A
month before making his hos-
tile bid to buy out Twitter in
an all-cash deal, Musk con-
ducted his own poll tweeting,
“Free speech is essential for
democracy
. Do you believe
Twitter rigorously adheres to
this principle?” Of the
2,035,924 votes polled, 70.4 per-
cent said “No”. The Tesla and
SpaceX boss describes him-
self as a “free-speech absolut-
ist”. Although he is known to
have blocked some of his crit-
ics on Twitter, Musk said in
another tweet, “I hope my
worst critics remain on Twit-
ter, because that is what free
speechmeans.”Inyetanother
tweetMusksaid,“Freespeech
is the bedrock of democracy,
and Twitter is the digital
town square where matters
vital to the future of human-
ity are debated…”
All that sounds like wish-
ful thinking. Democracies
around the world, including
India, are reluctant to allow
absolute freedom of speech
even though it is guaranteed
in the Constitution. Govern-
ment, though biased in quite
a few cases, keeps an eye on
hate and provocative mes-
sages on Twitter. Will Musk
allow an anti-Narendra Modi
tweet the likes of which land-
ed Jignesh Mevani, the inde-
pendent MLA from Gujarat,
in jail in Assam?
Indiaisstronglyinfavourof
regulating social media plat-
forms and so is the European
Union. The EU has proposed a
Digital Services Act that pro-
vides for hefty fines on Inter-
net platforms like Twitter if
theyfailtoflagterroristpropa-
gandaorcurbdisinformation.
Absolutely free speech will
remain a notional idea.
FREE SPEECH ON SOCIAL MEDIA IS RISKY BIZ
Though biased in quite a
few cases, the Government
keeps an eye on hate and
provocative messages on
Twitter. Will Musk allow
an anti-Narendra Modi
tweet, the likes of which
landed Gujarat MLA
Jignesh Mevani in jail?
E
AAP goes full throttle,
makes forays across nation
f the recently held bypolls in
WB are any indication for the
prospects of the Grand Old
Party… it may be noted that
the party’s fortunes are turn-
ing out to be the same across
the length and breadth of the
country
.
In the Guwahati Munici-
pal Corporation elections,
BJP and its ally Asom Gana
Parishad (AGP) on Sunday
swept elections winning 58 of
the total 60 wards, while the
principal opposition party
Congress drew a blank!
The other 2 seats were
shared by debutant AAP and
the Assam Jatiya Party
(AJP). It is not difficult to
gauge the matter of the fact
that the Congress’ stature of
the principal Opposition par-
ty has been dwindling at jet
speed and it may not be per-
haps wrong to say that the
Old Order has Changeth…!
The buoyed AAP has been
seen to open its account even
in as far as Assam especially
at a time when even regional
parties like Trinamool have
not been able to create a rip-
ple in states like Tripura not-
withstanding its giant stat-
ure in WB.
AAP has already made for-
ays into several frontiers of
the country
. The party has
started its groundwork for the
KarnatakaAssemblyelections
due in the first half of 2023.
Even as the ruling BJP and
the “opposition” Congress
are preparing for the ballot
battle in Karnataka, the AAP
smells opportunity in the
southern state. AAP’s state
convener, Karnataka, Prithvi
Reddy recently told the me-
dia that people of the state
will have a real alternative
after a long time.
While AAP will continue
banking on the party’s win-
ning formula of focusing on
providing basic necessities
for people to live in dignity,
Reddy said adding that a Kar-
nataka plan is also in place.
THE HIMACHAL STORY
Since Himachal Pradesh and
Punjab are neighbouring
states, many believe the AAP
could “vroom” in Himachal
as it did Punjab. But political
observers with an eye on
Himachal’s politics have a
different script to narrate.
The Ground Reality of
Himachal is a trifle different.
Himachal has traditional-
ly been a two-party state,
with the Congress and the
BJP at the helm. Several po-
litical parties in the past
tried their luck in Himachal
but have never succeeded.
In Punjab, what mainly
wentinfavourof AAPwasthe
existing political forces’ dis-
connect with the masses. The
larger than life political netas
were too far from reality liter-
ally for the aam aadmi and it
was here that the AAP scored
with its grassroots connect.
In Himachal, leaders are
just like next door neigh-
bours. They are so closely
connected with the fabric of
their constituency that they
know each family and attend
their weddings, funerals etc
and all social events.
Himachal is well placed in
most social development pa-
rameters. At nearly 83% lit-
eracy rate (2011 Census), it is
one of the most literate states
in the country. It has also
done well in improving pri-
mary healthcare. Despite its
topography, Himachal has a
hundred per cent electrifica-
tion and a good road network.
ROAD TO GUJARAT
With a massive roadshow in
Ahmedabad on April 2, AAP
declared its next major goal
after winning Punjab — chal-
lenging the BJP and the Con-
gress in Gujarat and consoli-
dating itself as the third
power in what has histori-
cally been (again like in
Himachal) a two-party state.
The AAP’s plans (for the
state) were apparent in the
closed-door meetings that the
party’s national convener
and Delhi CM Arvind Kejri-
wal held with key social and
political leaders. On March
27, Kejriwal met BTP leader
and Dediapada MLA Mahesh
Vasava. The party, which has
two MLAs at present, is like-
ly to ally with the AAP for the
Assembly elections.
AAP’s PAST TENSE
AAP’s Gujarat unit was set
up in 2013 but it got its first
state president 4 years later
in 2017 when 79-year-old re-
tired mathematics professor
Kishore Desai was appoint-
ed. It contested 29 of the 182
Assembly seats and bagged
votes even less than the
NOTA option in some con-
stituencies. The party rejiged
its state organisation in 2020.
So, the Congress must real-
ise the state of affairs and it
is evident from the AAP’s ef-
forts which slow but steady,
that the party is inching
ahead to capture the Grand
Old Party’s position as the
principal Opposition.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
I
ROBIN ROY
The writer is Senior Associate Editor,
Free Press Journal, Mumbai and former
Managing Editor, First India
THE BJP CONNECT
The BJP’s national president
Jagat Prakash Nadda hails
from Himachal. Congress also
has a reasonably good presence
there. However, the dismal state
of the Grand Old Party in the rest
of the country could be worrying
for it. AAP will have to work on a
sound and credible roadmap here
that is unique to the Himachal
needs, which would be its USP.
In Punjab, Congress ruled
for 26 years, Akali Dal for
24 and the people of Punjab
felt let down. I think the
situation is very similar in
Karnataka. Now that they
will have a real alternative,
I think Karnataka will
vote in one way.
Prithvi Reddy, AAP’s state
convener, Karnataka

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INDIA
05
Sharat K Verma
New Delhi: The politi-
cal parties of India use
their internal surveys
for their electoral and
organisational deci-
sions. Apart from this,
there are surveys of
media groups and sur-
vey agencies, which
reveal the popularity
of parties and leaders.
But distanced from
these is the Aam Aad-
mi Party (AAP) has its
own model of survey
wherein the party it-
self conducts the sur-
vey and declares it for
her political purpose.
Like AAP has just an-
nounced a survey
again. This was an-
nounced by the party’s
Kalkaji MLA Atishi.
This survey will be
done across the coun-
try, in which people’s
opinion about the par-
ty will be asked. Along
with this, opinion
about BJP will also be
sought. Through this,
the aim of the Aam
Aadmi Party is to mark
itself better than the
BJP, which will be evi-
dent from this survey
.
Everyone knows the
results as soon as the
survey starts. Every-
one knows that after
this alleged survey, it
will be announced by
AAP that the people of
the country like AAP
instead of BJP and the
model of AAP govern-
ments is better than
BJP governments.
Even before this, the
Aam Aadmi Party has
conducted countless
surveys, in which it
wins every time. After
every survey comes the
desired results of the
party leadership. It is
being told that this is
the beginning of the
party’s positioning for
pan-India politics. In
fact, questions have
been raised about
Arvind Kejriwal’s si-
lence in the midst of
communal riots and
hate speeches happen-
ing across the country
.
Interestingly, political
observers feel that this
survey has been an-
nounced to divert at-
tention from Kejriwal.
AAP ENGAGED IN POLITICAL SURVEY OR SURVEY POLITICS?
Assault case: Mevani sent
to five-day police custody
MLA’s counsel says he will move bail at higher court in Barpeta today
Guwahati (PTI): Gu-
jarat’s Independent
MLA Jignesh Mevani
has been sent to police
custody for five days,
in a case where he has
been accused of as-
sault and molestation
by a woman police con-
stable in Assam.
The case was filed at
the Barpeta road police
station on April 21, in
which Mevani has been
accused under laws
dealing with obscene
acts or words in public,
voluntarily causing
hurt, using criminal
force to deter public
servants from dis-
charge of his duty and
outraging of modesty
.
The MLA’s counsel
said hewillmovethebail
petition at a higher court
inBarpetaonWednesday
.
“We are absolutely
surprised. There was
not a whisper about the
assault on officials
when he was under po-
lice custody for three
days. Suddenly after he
was granted bail, he
was shown as rearrest-
ed,” Mevani’s lawyer
said on Monday
.
The MLA was arrest-
ed immediately after in
the second case involv-
ingthewomanconstable.
Mevani was initially
arrested from Gujarat’s
Palanpur on Thursday
after a complaint was
filed against him by a
leader of the Assam
BJP over his tweets on
Prime Minister Naren-
dra Modi.
CALL FOR RELEASE
Jignesh Mevani has been accused of using criminal force against
public servant.
Chinese nationals among four
killed in Karachi suicide blast
Karachi (Agencies):
An explosion ripped
through a van inside a
university campus in
southern Pakistan on
Tuesday, killing three
Chinese nationals and
their Pakistani driver,
officials said. A separa-
tist militant group
claimed responsibility
and said the attack was
carried out by a woman
suicide bomber.
The bombing at the
University of Karachi
also wounded a fourth
Chinese national and a
Pakistani guard accom-
panying the van, ac-
cording to university
spokesman Mohammad
Farooq.
Karachi police chief
Ghulam Nabi Memon
said an initial investi-
gation showed a sui-
cide bomber was be-
hind the attack.
Blast occurred near Confucius Institute inside Karachi University.
‘Will continue to take action
against YouTube channels’
New Delhi (Agen-
cies): A day after Min-
istry of Information
and Broadcasting
blocked 16 YouTube
news channels for
spreading misinforma-
tion related to the na-
tional security, Union
Minister Anurag
Thakur said on Tues-
day said that the Centre
will continue to take
strict action in future
also if need be.
Thakur said that the
Centre supports free-
dom of expression but
no one has the right to
divide the country,
spread misinforma-
tion and fake news.
“No one has the right
to spread rumours and
fake news which be-
come a challenge to
the security and integ-
rity of the nation.
Strict actions were
taken as per the rules
and once again, Gov-
ernment of India has
taken action against 16
YouTube channels by
blocking them. This is
the fifth such action,”
Thakur said.
It is a clear message
to those outside and in-
side the country that
strict action will con-
tinue in future also.
“No compromise with
the security of India
and efforts will contin-
ue in future to stop mis-
information against
the country,” he said.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur
22K CR MONEY LAUNDERING CASE
ED raids 26 premises
linked to ABG Shipyards
Enforcement Directo-
rate (ED) on Tuesday
carried out raids at 26
premises linked to ABG
Shipyard Ltd, one of
the largest private ship-
building companies ac-
cused of cheating a con-
sortium of 28 banks to
the tune of ₹22,842 crore,
people familiar with the
development said.
The raids, under the
Prevention of Money
Laundering Act
(PMLA), are being car-
ried out at the premises
of ABG Shipyard, its
sister companies and
executives, in Mumbai,
Pune, Surat and other
places, officials said.
The ED registered a
money laundering case
in connection with the
matter in Feb based on
a FIR filed by the CBI.
ABG Shipyard dock in Surat, Gujarat. —FILE PHOTO
SC indicates to list
pleas after two days
Supreme Court on
Tuesday indicated to
list a batch of petitions
challenging the Karna-
taka High Court’s
judgement that upheld
the ban on Hijab in Pre-
University Colleges, for
hearing after two days.
Senior advocate
Meenakshi Arora men-
tioned the matter before
abenchpresidedoverby
Chief Justice NV Rama-
na for urgent hearing.
“I will list the matter,
wait for two days,” the
CJI told her.
The top court had
earlier refused a num-
ber of times a plea to
consider the special
leave petitions against
the High Court’s judge-
ment urgently
.
On March 24, the
court had asked the peti-
tioners not to sensation-
alise the issue when sen-
ior advocate Devadatt
Kamat on behalf of girl
students said that they
wouldloseoneacademic
year, if they are denied
permission to wear
headscarf and appear in
examinationsbeginning
since March 28.
Questioning the High
Court’s verdict, the pe-
titioners claimed wear-
ing of Hijab was pro-
tected under the funda-
mental rights to priva-
cy, expression and con-
science guaranteed un-
der the Constitution.
India’s position is clear on
Russia-Ukraine crisis: EAM
India has a clear posi-
tion on the ongoing Rus-
sia-Ukraine war, exter-
nal affairs minister S
Jaishankar said on
Tuesday, stressing that
New Delhi “urges a ces-
sation of hostilities, re-
turn to dialogue and
national sovereignty”.
During an interaction
at the Raisina Dialogue,
Jaishankar said the con-
flict in Ukraine is one of
the most dominating is-
suesatpresent“notonly
because of interests or
values concerned, but
also because of the con-
sequences worldwide”.
“And there is a wide
world out there where
sustaining a rules based
order is often an issue.”
When asked about In-
dia’s stand on the war,
he said: “When rules-
based order was under
challenge in Asia, the
advice we got from Eu-
rope was; do more trade.
At least we are not giv-
ing you that advice.”
He also stated that
what happened in Af-
ghanistan clearly stated
what was the rules-
based order.
“We have to find a
way to return to diplo-
macy and to do that, the
fighting must stop.”
Talking about the
wider consequences of
the war, the minister
said “there will be no
winners out of this
conflict”.
Seven CRPF
jawans hurt
in Shopian
road accident
Srinagar (Agen-
cies): Seven Cen-
tral Reserve Police
Force (CRPF)
troopers were in-
jured in a road ac-
cident in JK’s
Shopian district
on Tuesday
.
JK Police
sources said a
CRPF vehicle col-
lided with a speed-
ing truck in Sofi-
pora village of
Zainapora area of
Shopian district.
“Seven CRPF
jawans of 178 bat-
talion were in-
jured in the acci-
dent. The injured
have been shifted
to hospital for
treatment”, the
sources said.
BALOCHISTAN LIBERATION ARMY
CLAIMS ATTACK, SAYS GROUP’S ‘1ST
WOMAN SUICIDE BOMBER’
New Delhi: The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA)
on Tuesday claimed responsibility for
a suicide attack at Karachi University
that killed four people, including three
Chinese nationals. The BLA is a militant
group that operates mainly in the
restive Balochistan province that has
previously targeted Chinese citizens
and interests. The explosion ripped
through a van inside the Karachi University campus
in the southern Pakistani port city. The BLA said the
attack was carried out by a woman suicide bomber.
EAM S Jaishankar
Centre says over 64,800 Kashmiri Pandit
families left the Valley in early 1990s
New Delhi (PTI): Pa-
kistan-sponsored ter-
rorism forced 64,827
Kashmiri Pandit fami-
lies to leave Kashmir
valley in the early 1990s
and settle in Jammu,
Delhi and other parts
of the country, the gov-
ernment has said.
According to the an-
nual report of the
Home Ministry for
2020-21, as many as
14,091 civilians and
5,356 security force per-
sonnel lost their lives
to terrorism in Jammu
and Kashmir between
the 1990s and 2020.
“Militancy in Jammu
and Kashmir is intri-
cately linked with infil-
tration of terrorists
from across the border,”
the report said.
Besides Kashmiri
Pandits, terrorism
forced some Sikh and
Muslim families too to
migrate from Kashmir
valley to Jammu, Delhi
and other parts of the
country, it said.
Nearly 1,054 families
from the hilly areas of
Jammu migrated to
Jammu plains, it said.
As per the records of
registration available
with the Relief and Mi-
grant Commissioner
of Jammu and Kash-
mir, at present 43,618
registered Kashmiri
migrant families are
settled in Jammu,
19,338 families are set-
tled in Delhi and Na-
tional Capital Region,
and 1,995 families in a
few other states and
Union Territories, the
report said.
Govt cancels
FCRA licences
of two NGOs
The Union Home Minis-
try has cancelled the
FCRA licence of two
NGOs — Common-
wealth Human Rights
Initiative (CHRI) and
Apne Aap Women
Worldwide (AAWW) —
for allegedly violating
laws and diverting
funds received from
abroad, officials said on
Tuesday
.
The NGOs allegedly
failed to file annual fi-
nancial returns man-
dated under the Foreign
Contribution Regula-
tion Act 2010, they said.
The Ministry has
also found that the
NGOs allegedly divert-
ed funds received as for-
eign donations, the of-
ficials said.
The CHRI works in
the field of realisation
of people’s basic hu-
man right to access in-
formation from govt
and other public bodies
in Commonwealth
countries, according to
its website.
The CHRI’s also
works on police reforms
programme that aims
to realise increased de-
mand for rights-based
police reform and the
strengthening of police
accountability in the
Commonwealth, it said.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal with Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann and other AAP leaders.
AAP announces new countrywide
survey to get public opinion about
various political parties

❍ HIJAB BAN
Shari Baluch

BIZ BUZZ
06
Promoted by
AU Small Finance Bank
SinceUkrainewar,India’simport
ofRussianoildoublesthan2021
New Delhi (Agen-
cies): India has
bought more than
twice as much crude
oil from Russia in the
two months since its
invasion of Ukraine
as it did in the whole
of 2021, according to
calculations, as Indi-
an refiners snapped
up discounted oil that
others have shunned.
Refiners in India
have placed orders for
at least 40 million bar-
rels of Russian oil
since the invasion on
Feb. 24, Reuters calcu-
lations based on infor-
mation from crude
tenders and traders
show.
The purchases are
for loading in the June
quarter. That com-
pares with total im-
ports of Russian oil
into India of 16 million
barrels in the whole of
last year, according to
Reuters calculations.
The world’s third
biggest oil importer
and consumer ships in
over 85% of its crude
oil needs of 5 million
barrels per day (bpd).
Its refiners are buying
cheaper Russian oil to
partly offset the im-
pact of higher official
selling prices of some
producers like Saudi
Arabia, company
sources said. “We try
to insulate consumers
as much from price
shocks as we can, but
we need to protect our
profits as well... so we
are buying Russian
oil,” an official at one
refiner, who declined
to be named, said.
According to Reu-
ters calculations, pur-
chases of Russian bar-
rels by private refin-
ers Reliance Indus-
tries and Nayara En-
ergy outstrip imports
by state refiners Indi-
an Oil Corp, Hindu-
stan Petroleum Corp,
and Bharat Petroleum
Corp.
RBI to hike repo
rate in June, earlier
than predicted: Poll
The Reserve Bank of
India will raise its repo
rate in June and hike at
a faster pace than pre-
dicted just a few weeks
ago as a surge in infla-
tion puts pressure on
the central bank to act
quicker, a poll showed
on Tuesday
.
Retail inflation accel-
erated to nearly 7 per
cent in March, above
the 6 per cent upper
limit of the central
bank’s targeted range,
and will likely soar fur-
ther as a spike in global
energy prices since Rus-
sia’s invasion of
Ukraine seeps into con-
sumer prices.
The Monetary Policy
Committee (MPC) kept
its key rate at a record
low 4.0 per cent at its
April meeting despite
shifting its focus to in-
flation from growth.
But March’s 17-month-
high inflation number
leaves little room for
the RBI other than hik-
ing sooner rather than
later, and all but three
of 46 economists in an
April 20-25 Reuters poll
expected the RBI to
raise the repo rate for
the first time since 2018
in June. While 42 ex-
pected a 25 basis point
hike to 4.25 per cent,
only one predicted a 50
basis point hike.
Palm oil imports
on track despite
Indonesia's
curbs:Traders
Mumbai (Agen-
cies): India’s palm
oil imports in May
are set to rise above
600,000 tonnes de-
spite the restriction
imposed by Indone-
sia on exports as
most of the con-
tracted quantity
will be loaded before
Jakarta’s ban be-
comes effective,
traders.
The world’s big-
gest palm oil export-
er plans from Thurs-
day to stop ship-
ments of refined,
bleached and deo-
dorized (RBD) palm
olein but will allow
exports of crude
palm oil (CPO) or
other derivative
products. The ban
could dent India’s
imports in June as
refiners are strug-
gling to secure sup-
plies from Malaysia,
traders said. India is
the world’s biggest
importer of palm
oil.
Over 32 L foreigners
visited India in 2020
during lockdown
New Delhi (PTI):
More than 32.79 lakh
foreigners, including
over 61,000 Ameri-
cans, visited India in
2020 when the country
was on a long spell of
nationwide lockdown
and other restrictions
due to the Covid pan-
demic. Among the for-
eigners who visited
India included 4,751
Pakistani nationals.
According to the an-
nual report of the Min-
istry of Home Affairs
for 2020-21, a total of
32,79,315 foreign na-
tionals visited India
between April 1, 2020
and December 31, 2020.
The maximum num-
ber of foreigners who
visited India during
this period were from
theUS(61,190)followed
by those from Bangla-
desh (37,774), the UK
(33,323), Canada
(13,707), Portugal
(11,668) and Afghani-
stan (11,212). A total of
8,438 German nation-
als, 8,353 French citi-
zens, 7,163 from
Iraq also visited
India during this
period. These 10
countries accounted
for 71.23 per cent of the
total arrival of foreign-
ers during the period
April 1, 2020 to De-
cember 31, 2020, the
report said.
FinMin invites Silicon Valley to join India’s growth story
Washington (ANI):
Union Finance Minis-
ter Nirmala Sithara-
man attended a round-
table with business
leaders and investors
co-hosted by the US-In-
dia Business Council
(USIBC) and Confeder-
ation of Indian Indus-
try (CII) in the Silicon
Valley, and invited the
leading investors to be-
come a part of India’s
growth story
.
Senior executives,
business leaders of pri-
vate sectors, venture
capitalists, the institu-
tional investors, who
represented combined
assets under manage-
ment of over USD 1 tril-
lion, attended the meet-
ing with Sitharaman.
In the meeting with
the investors in the
clean energy sector, the
minister discussed top-
ics pertaining to India’s
potential for producing
sustainable energy,
waste-to-energy
, and en-
ergy alternatives. The
minister told the inves-
tors that over the next
few years, India is pre-
pared to be the world’s
fastest-growing major
economy
.
President of USIBC,
Atul Keshap moderated
the meeting while the
Chief Economic Advi-
sor, V Ananth Nag-
eswaran, India’s Am-
bassador to the US,
Taranjit Singh Sandhu.
FASTEST-GROWING
New Delhi (Agencies): Russian and Indian
officials met last week in an effort to resolve an
impasse over the shipping of coking coal to indian
steelmakers, which has dried up since March
over payment methods, a trade source and an
Indian government source said. Russia usually
supplies about 30% of European Union, Japanese
and South Korean coking coal needs, while India
had planned to double its Russian
imports to around 9 million tonnes
this year. Imports make up around
85% of India’s overall
coking coal needs,
which total 50-55
million tonnes a
year, and New Delhi
last year signed a
deal to import
from Russia.
RUSSIA, INDIA IN TALKS TO RESTART
COKING COAL SUPPLIES: REPORT
Real-time payments expected to boost
India’s GDP by $45.9 billion in 2026
Mumbai (Agencies):
Real-time payments
are forecast to boost
India’s GDP by $45.9
billion in 2026 as real-
time payments trans-
action volumes are set
to exceed 206 billion by
that time, a new report
showed on Tuesday.
In 2021, India ac-
counted for the largest
number of real-time
transactions at 48.6 bil-
lion, almost threefold
that of China (18 billion
transactions) and al-
most seven times great-
er than the combined
real-time payments vol-
ume of US, Canada, the
UK, France and Ger-
many (7.5 billion).
According to the re-
port by ACI Worldwide,
in partnership with
GlobalData and the
Centre for Economics
and Business Research
(Cebr), the real-time
payments helped India
unlock $16.4 billion of
additional economic
output in 2021, equiva-
lent to 0.56 per cent of
formal GDP.
“India’s craving for
cash may be plummet-
ing, but there is still a
great deal more to do”
said Ankur Saxena,
Head of India and
South Asia, ACI World-
wide.
1 million ‘Make in India’
iPhones shipped in Q1 2022
New Delhi (Agen-
cies): Giving its India
growth story another
fillip, Apple shipped
nearly 1 million ‘make-
in-India’ iPhones in
the country in the first
quarter of 2022, a mas-
sive jump of 50 per
cent (year-on-year) in
iPhone shipments
from within the coun-
try, data showed on
Tuesday
.
According to data
shared by market intel-
ligence firm CyberMe-
dia Research (CMR),
iPhones in India regis-
tered an overall growth
of 22 per cent in the Q1
2022, led by iPhone 12
and 13 sales.
“Our insights point
to the contribution of
‘Make in India’ iP-
hones in Q1 2022, in-
creasing 50 per cent
YoY. The contribution
of newer generation
iPhones, such as iP-
hone 13, is almost
equal to iPhone 12,”
Prabhu Ram, Head- In-
dustry Intelligence
Group at CMR, told
IANS.
Apple’s enhanced
and diversified iPhone
production capabili-
ties in India, along
with aggressive retail
initiatives, continue to
contribute to its strong
growth momentum in
India.
Earlier this month,
the tech giant con-
firmed it has started
manufacturing its top-
selling iPhone 13
smartphone in
India.
RBI imposes `1.12 cr penalty on
Bank of Maha for non-compliance
Mumbai (Agencies):
The Reserve Bank
of India (RBI) has
imposed a penalty of
Rs 1.12 crore on Bank
of Maharashtra for
non-compliance with
certain regulatory di-
rections, including those for know your customer
norms. This action is not intended to pronounce
upon the validity of any transaction or agree-
ment entered into by the bank with customers.
LIC’s IPO to open on May 4, price
band fixed at `902-949: Sources
Mumbai (Agencies): The initial public offering
(IPO) of LIC will open for subscrip-
tion on Wednesday,
May 4, 2022. The
IPO, through which
the government will
sell a 3.5 percent stake
in LIC will fetch Rs
21,257 crore to the exchequer, the price band of
the state insurer has been fixed at Rs 902-949
per share, valuing the insurer at Rs 6.07 lakh
crore.
Akasa Air to launch flight ops
in July instead of June
New Delhi (Agencies): The commercial flight
operations of Rakesh Jhunjhunwala-backed Akasa
Air will be launched in July instead of June. “As we
get closer to the airline launch date, we can now
confirm refined estimates on our timelines. We
expect our first aircraft delivery by early June 2022,
with the intention to start commercial operations in
July 2022,” Vinay Dube, CEO, Akasa Air, told PTI.
Importantly, there will be no impact on “later air-
craft induction” and Akasa Air remains on plan to
fly 18 aircraft by the end of March 2023, said Dube,
who is also Founder and MD of the carrier.
Sensex surges 776 points; energy, IT,
banking, auto stocks climb
Mumbai (ANI): Snapping two consecutive sessions
of losses, the Indian stock markets’ key indices,
Sensex and Nifty, surged by around 1.4 per cent on
Tuesday, led by a strong buying support in energy,
IT, banking and auto stocks. The 30 stock SP
BSE Sensex surged 776.72 points or 1.37 per cent
to 57,356.61 points against its previous day’s close
at 56,579.89 points. Snapping two consecutive
sessions of massive losses, the benchmark Sensex
started the day in the positive at 57,066.24 points.
Adani Wilmar market cap crosses `1 lakh
crore as shares surge 5 per cent
Mumbai (ANI): The market capitalization of
Adani Wilmar crossed Rs 1 lakh crore on
Tuesday as the company’s share jumped 5
per cent. With the recent surge in share price,
Adani Wilmar has gained a place among the
top 50 Indian companies in terms of market
capitalization. On the day of its share listing
on the stock markets on 8th February 2022,
the market capitalization of Adani Wilmar
stood at around Rs 35,000 crore.

07
NEWS
Jal Jeevan Mission fulfills piped water dream of Palli residents
Palli (Samba) (PTI):
Union government’s
Jal Jeevan Mission has
fulfilled piped water
dream of Palli villag-
ers, prompting the
dwellers to thank
Prime Minister Naren-
dra Modi for providing
water connections to
every household in
their hamlet.
Nestled in the wheat
fields on the right side
of the Jammu and Pun-
jab national highway,
the mood in the village
was festive on Sunday
when the prime minis-
ter was in their locality
to address representa-
tives of the Panchayati
Raj Institutions across
the country, officials
said.
Randhir Sharma,
Sarpanch of Palli Pan-
chayat expressed grati-
tude to PM Modi.
“We are very happy
that we got running
water taps for the first
time after independ-
ence. Earlier, it was a
hard task to get water
from hand pumps
which were a source of
various water-borne
diseases,” Sharma
said. “We were also
trained to check water
quality on our own.
This is the best gift we
could get from PM
Modi,” he added. Un-
der the ambitious Jal
Jeevan Mission
launched by the PM in
2019, Palli village of
Samba has been fully
saturated with 448
Functional Household
Tap Connection
(FHTCs) at a cost of Rs
143.40 lakh, officials
said.
A school teacher and
‘Pani Samiti’ member
of Palli village, Sunai-
na hailed the Govern-
ment’s initiative to
save women from
drudgery, particularly
school going girls who
had to fetch water from
long distances.
Palli village has wit-
nessed massive devel-
opment after the incep-
tion of Jal Jeevan Mis-
sion in 2019. Girls can
now invest the time,
which they used to
spend in fetching water
from distant areas, in
studies for brighter ca-
reers, she said.
Sixteen-year-old
Nandini Sharma said,
she has stopped bring-
ing bottled water from
home after her school
was provided with a
pure drinking water
supply
.
The Palli village wa-
ter supply project also
included a tube well of
6000 Gallons of dis-
charge capacity per
hour.
We have also con-
structed the sump tank
as part of the scheme
which is 30,000 gallons
of capacity. The water
will be stored in a
30,000-gallon capacity
sump tank which will
suffice the water re-
quirement of Palli vil-
lage, a senior engineer
of JK Jal Shakti De-
partment said.
PM HAD LAUNCHED IT WITH AN AIM
CM Yogi has asked power officials to maintain routine supply in the state
First India Bureau
Lucknow: With coal
shortage getting serious
proportion in the coun-
try, Uttar Pradesh is also
likely to face major elec-
tricity crisis as thermal
power plants have al-
ready facing the prob-
lems. The shortfall,
which has already be-
come serious, would fur-
ther worsen during
monsoon when the sup-
plies go down annually
due to rain and floods
that disrupt mining and
transportation.
The sources in UP
Power Corporation Lim-
ited said that “thermal
plants face coal short-
age during the monsoon
every year between
June and September.
But this time, the coal
shortage started in
April largely due to less-
er supply from coal com-
panies due to shortage
of wagons for ferrying
coal to plants. The situa-
tion may only get worse
with the rains and
floods...[and] spark
more severe power cri-
sis,”. The UPPCL sourc-
es further said thermal
plants were unable to
maintain the coal stocks
as per the norms. But it
was not affecting power
production so far.
All-India Power Engi-
neers’ Federation chair-
man Shailendra Dubey
said the coal shortage in
the state has been affect-
ing power production. He
added this has forced UP-
PCL to order emergency
load shedding in villages
and smaller towns. He
cited an internal report
and said the Uttar
Pradesh Rajya Vidyut Ut-
padan Nigam Ltd
(UPRVUNL)’s thermal
plants at Harduaganj,
Parichha and Obra lost
over 13 million units of
generation on April 22 be-
cause of an inability of
plants to run on full
steam due to lack of avail-
ability of backup coal.
According to a Cen-
tral Electricity Author-
ity’s report available on
its website, most of UP’s
thermal plants had coal
stocks in the critical and
super-critical range as
of April 22. The state-
owned UPRVUNL’s four
thermal plants, with in-
stalled capacity of over
6,000 megawatts, are
short of 21% of the nor-
mative level they are
mandated to maintain.
First India Bureau
Chandigarh: Haryana
Chief Minister Mano-
har Lal Khattar has said
that Khelo India Youth
Games 2021 will be or-
ganised in the State
from June 4 to 13. These
include five sports of
Indian origin of the 25
sports in the Under-18
age group and these
games will be held in
Shahbad, Ambala,
Chandigarh and Delhi
apart from Panchkula.
Around 8,500 players
will participate in these
games.
He shared detailed in-
formation regarding
the event with Union
Sports Minister Anurag
Thakur through video
conference during the
meeting of Organizing
and Co-ordination Com-
mittee of Khelo India
Youth Games 2021 today.
Minister of State for
Sports and Youth Af-
fairs, Sardar Sandeep
Singh was also present
in the meeting. He said
that on May 8, a mascot
and logo of Khelo India
would be launched at
Indradhanush Audito-
rium in Panchkula.
Khelo India Youth Games to be held from June 4 to 13
SHOWCASING TALENT
The journey of outstanding players
and innumerable heroes will be
displayed through an exhibition
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. —FILE PHOTO
THAKUR LAUDS HARYANA GOVT
Union Sports Minister
Anurag Thakur lauded
the commend-
able work done
in Haryana
with regard to
saving girl child.
Besides this, the
women players
of the state have
made India proud in
every game held abroad.
He said that in order
to further increase the
interest of the students
towards sports we
should emphasize on
sports-based theme. He
said that it is a matter of
joy that new ideas
are being suggest-
ed by the State of
Haryana, thus, we
should implement
these new ideas in
Khelo India Youth
Games so that
the efforts being made
by the State is a subject
of discussion across
the country. He said
that Covid-19 protocol
should be strictly ad-
hered to in these games.
BEST OF THE BEASTS!
For the first time, a bullock cart race being organized near Surur village in Satara district, Maharashtra on the occasion of
Bhairavnath Yatra. —PHOTO BY VIJAYKUMAR HARISHCHANDRE
TO AVOID POWER CUT IN STATE
Lucknow: Uttar
Pradesh Chief Min-
ister Yogi Adityanath
has asked the officers
of UP Power Corpra-
tion Limited to ensure
that all consumers
get power as per the
schedule without
carrying out any
additional rostering.
The chief minister has
issued instructions
following reports of
load shedding in vari-
ous parts of the state.
The chief minister told
the officials to make
whatever arrange-
ments they deemed
fit to provide power
to villages, cities and
industries as per the
fixed roster. “Do it
promptly in the wider
public interest. No
laxity in this regard
will be tolerated,” Yogi
Adityanath warned.
He advised officials to
buy additional power,
if needed.
Dhami reviews Kedarnath reconstruction
Dehradun (PTI): Utta-
rakhand Chief Minis-
ter Pushkar Singh Dha-
mi on Tuesday visited
Kedarnath to review
the reconstruction pro-
jects and preparations
underway at the Hima-
layan temple in view of
the Char Dham yatra
beginning early next
month.
He did an on-the-spot
inspection of Saraswa-
ti Aastha Path, which
has been completed,
and issued instructions
for the early comple-
tion of Mandakini
Aastha Path. He also
took information about
the buildings being
constructed near the
temple in the tradition-
al hill style, an official
statement said.
Dhami met the con-
struction workers at
the temple and asked
officials to resolve the
problems being faced
by them in carrying out
their duties. He also
thanked them for their
valuable work and
braving the vagaries of
weather, it said.
Now that the area is
being cleared of snow,
construction work
should pick up pace but
without any compro-
mise in terms of qual-
ity, the chief minister
said.
Pushkar Singh Dhami inspects the construction works.
After plea inApex court,
Centre agrees to look
into Judicial infra isssues
Centre on Tuesday told
the Apex court that is-
sues such as lack of
proper infrastructure to
cater to the growing
needof thejudiciaryand
the bar in the national
capital can be looked
into in consultation with
the apex court registry
.
A bench comprising
Justice Vineet Saran
and J K Maheshwari
termed as horrible the
crowd situation in the
apex court corridor, and
said something can be
done by the central govt.
We do not go around
in the corridors. It is
horrible. Something has
to be done by the Centre,
the bench said, adding it
was not for the court to
solve the problem.Solic-
itor General Tushar Me-
hta, appearing for the
Centre, said it was not
an adversarial litigation
and he was in touch
with the government
and the matter can be
heard after four weeks.
The bench took note of
the submissions and
said the problems point-
ed out in the petition
can be looked into by the
Centre in consultation
with the apex court reg-
istry and petitioner law-
yer and listed the PIL for
hearing on July 20.
The top court, on
March 8, had sought re-
sponses of the Centre
and the apex court’s reg-
istry on a PIL filed by
bar leader Ardhendu-
mauli Kumar Prasad
seeking development of
a “judicial vista” near
the apex court premises
to cater to the growing
need of judicial infra-
structure for all courts
including the subordi-
nate judiciary, tribu-
nals, the Delhi High
Court and the bar in the
national capital.
Temple demolition row: Rajasthan govt
suspends Rajgarh municipality officials
First India Bureau
Jaipur: The Rajasthan
govt has suspended two
senior officials of Raj-
garh municipality in Al-
war following a back-
lash over the demolition
of two temples as part of
an anti-encroachment
drive to widen a road in
the municipal town.
Rajgarh Municipality
chairman Satish Duha-
ria and executive officer
Banwari Lal Meena have
been suspended, an offi-
cial order said on Mon-
day. Rajgarh is a BJP-
run municipality
.
According to the or-
der of the Local Self
Govt Dept, a prelimi-
nary inquiry was done
in the matter of removal
of various construction
work in Rajgarh munici-
pality area on April 17.
“It was found that mu-
nicipality chairman Sat-
ish Duharia behaved
against the law. The de-
partment had decided to
conduct a judicial in-
quiry into the matter
and since the allegations
against Duharia have
been found to be prima
facie true, he is suspend-
ed from post of chairman
and member of munici-
pality with immediate
effect,” the order read.
Bihar politicos
grow weary of Tej
Pratap’s tantrums
Kumar Prabodh
Patna: The political fra-
ternity in Bihar, cutting
across party lines, on
Tuesday seemed unim-
pressed with the latest
rhetoric of Lalu Prasad’s
elder son Tej Pratap Ya-
dav, who has announced
on Twitter that he will
tender his “resignation”.
Tej Pratap’s younger
brother Tejashwi, who is
running the party in
their father’s absence,
reacted with uncharac-
teristic exasperation
when faced with prying
journalists. The ruling
NDA, for which trouble
in the RJD camp is al-
ways good news, too
seemed impatient with
“beating around the
bush” by Tej Pratap and
suspected that he might
backtrack.
COALCRISISSTARES
ATUP’SPOWERSECTOR

08
2NDFRONT
Rationalisation is good to move
forward but always leave space
for sunshine, some flowers and a
butterfly!
—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO Editor-in-Chief, First India
Trump says he has no plans to
rejoin Twitter after Musk deal
New York (AP): For-
mer President Donald
Trump said on Monday
that he has no inten-
tion of rejoining Twit-
ter even if his account
is reinstated following
Elon Musk’s agree-
ment to buy the social
media giant for rough-
ly 44 billion.
Trump told Fox News
that he will instead fo-
cus on his own plat-
form, Truth Social,
which has been mired
in problems since its
launch earlier this year.
“I am not going on
Twitter. I am going to
stay on Truth,” Trump
was quoted telling the
network.
“I hope Elon buys
Twitter because he’ll
make improvements to
it and he is a good man,
but I am going to be
staying on Truth.”
Trump was barred
from major social me-
dia platforms after the
deadly Jan. 6 insurrec-
tion, with Twitter cit-
ing the “risk of further
incitement of vio-
lence”.
The decision denied
him the megaphone he
had used to generate
media attention and
speak directly to his
followers, which had
been integral to his po-
litical rise.
At the time, the for-
mer president had
roughly 89 million fol-
lowers on Twitter alone.
Musk, the world’s
wealthiest person and a
self-described free-
speech absolutist, had
said he wanted to buy
and privatize Twitter
because he believed it
wasn’t living up to its
potential as a free
speech platform. It
raised questions about
whether he might rein-
state Trump’s account
as the former president
lays the groundwork for
another White House
run in 2024.
Trump has contin-
ued to spread lies about
his 2020 election defeat
in speeches and state-
ments since leaving of-
fice, and it is unclear
how Musk would ap-
proach those state-
ments if Trump were
ever to return to the
site.
In recent weeks,
Musk has voiced a num-
ber of proposed chang-
es for the company, in-
cluding relaxing its
content restrictions,
and said he would be
“very reluctant” to de-
lete content and cau-
tious of permanent
bans.
After being kicked
off social media plat-
forms, Trump launched
his own social media
app and sued Twitter,
Facebook and Google’s
YouTube, claiming he
and other conservatives
had been wrongfully
censored, even though
posts by conservative
commentators are rou-
tinely the most widely
shared.
On Monday, he said
he welcomed Musk’s
purchase and told Fox
News he didn’t see
Twitter as his own
product’s competition.
“Truth Social will be
a voice for me,” he said.
“And that’s something
nobody else can get.”
At a rally in Ohio on
Saturday, Trump also
urged his supporters to
join him on Truth So-
cial.
“Go out and sign up
now,” he told them.
“Have a lot of fun.
I hope Elon buys Twitter because he’ll make
improvements to it and he is a good man,
but I am going to be staying on Truth.
—Donald Trump, Former USA President
Peopleaghastoverworst-ever
power,watercrisisinJammu
Jammu (PTI): Irked by
unscheduled power cuts
and shortage of drink-
ing water, people on
Tuesday staged protests
in city with Jammu
Chamber of Commerce
and Industry (CCI)
warning that the con-
sumers will stop paying
bills if the crisis is not
resolved forthwith.
The industrialists
also expressed grave
concernoverthealleged
failure of the adminis-
tration to provide elec-
tricity to the industrial
estates and said the unit
holders are planning to
go for single shift work
which might lead to re-
trenchment of the staff.
Over the past 10 days,
we are faced with the
worst-ever electricity
and water crisis con-
trary to the repeated as-
surances by the admin-
istration people are ap-
proaching us and are
contemplating to stop
paying their bills which
is a right decision given
the situation, JCCI
president Arun Gupta
told reporters here.
Gupta, who was also
flanked by president
Bari Brahmana Indus-
trial Association Lalit
Mahajan and office
bearers of the JCCI,
urged Lieutenant Gov-
ernor Manoj Sinha to
take all possible steps to
provide round-the-
clock power supply to
bail out industry and
common households
from the crisis.
Netflix and IB Ministry to partner to develop creative ecosystem in India
First India Bureau
New Delhi: Netflix and
the Information and
Broadcasting (IB)
Ministry will partner to
develop creative ecosys-
tem in India for post-
production, VFX, ani-
mation, music produc-
tion and as long-term
partnership, Netflix
will produce 25 two-
minute videos on vari-
ous themes for the IB
Ministry
.
This was stated by
Union Minister of In-
formation and Broad-
casting Anurag Thakur
on Tuesday while
launching ‘Azadi Ki
Amrit Kahaniya’, a
short video series cre-
ated in collaboration
with OTT platform,
Netflix. Also present at
the occasion were Min-
ister of State (MoS) Dr
L Murugan, IB Secre-
tary Apurva Chandra,
and Head of Global TV
,
Netflix Bela Bajaria.
While addressing the
audience and media,
Thakur said that Min-
istry of IB has been a
vital part of Amrit Ma-
hotsav celebrations
with various initia-
tives. The idea of Azadi
is intertwined with
women emancipation
in India and the Minis-
ter remarked that the
term Azadi or freedom
holds a wider connota-
tion for women who
have to fight stereo-
types and taboos in the
society as well. He add-
ed that emancipation
of women was the hall-
mark of emancipation
index of a society.
Speaking on the col-
laboration Thakur said
“this initiative aims to
bring out inspiring sto-
ries of Indians and these
stories shall motivate
and empower more peo-
ple to achieve their
goals”.
He added that this
was a long term partner-
ship where different
themes and diverse sto-
ries will be highlighted.
“Netflix will be produc-
ing twenty five videos
on themes including
women empowerment,
environment and sus-
tainable development
and other days of sig-
nificance. Netflix will
produce two-minute
short films for the Min-
istry which will be
shared on social media
platforms and telecast
on Doordarshan net-
work”, Thakur elabo-
rated.
The Minister further
elaborated on the mul-
tiple dimensions of
this partnership and
said Netflix and Minis-
try will continue to or-
ganize training work-
shops and master class-
es to encourage film
makers in India to cre-
ate inspiring content
on various topics un-
der Azadi Ka Amrit
Mahotsav.
KUDOS TO WOMEN
Anurag Thakur launches ‘Azadi Ki
Amrit Kahaniyan’ a short video series
showcasing inspiring stories
AnuragThakur launching video series showcasing inspiring stories in collaboration with Netflix,in New Delhi.
260 illegal
shops razed
in Gurugram
Gurugram (Agencies):
Following a direction
given by the Haryana
Chief MinisterManohar
Lal Khattar, the enforce-
ment team of the Hary-
ana Shahari Vikas Pra-
dhikaran (HSVP) has
demolished more than
260 illegal makeshift
shops at the popular
Banjara Market located
in Sector 56, an official
said on Tuesday
. The
demolition drive will
continue till Wednesday
.
Banjara Market, fa-
mous for affordable
home decor, traditional
handicrafts and furni-
ture items, had come up
illegally around 15
years ago on the state
government’s 25-acre
land and despite several
notices, the illegal oc-
cupiers were not vacat-
ing.
Vishwas moves HC,seeks quashing of
Punjab police FIR against him
First India Bureau
Chandigarh: Former
AAPleaderKumarVish-
was on Tuesday moved
the Punjab and Haryana
high court, seeking
quashing of an FIR
lodged against him in
Punjab over his “inflam-
matory statements”
againstDelhiChief Min-
ister Arvind Kejriwal.
In the petition, Vish-
was, also a poet, submit-
ted that the case regis-
tered against him by
the Rupnagar police
was a sheer abuse of the
process of law and po-
litically motivated.
The manner in which
the investigating agen-
cy is proceeding, it is
apparent that it investi-
gating agency is trying
to curtail the liberty of
the petitioner by adopt-
ing a procedure un-
known to law, Kumar
said in his petition filed
through his counsel
Mayank Aggarwal and
Himanshu Gupta.
It was further sub-
mitted that the registra-
tion of the FIR against
Kumar is absolutely il-
legal, arbitrary and un-
just and it is nothing
but a means to wreak
vengeance through po-
litically motivated
criminal investigation
by using the state ma-
chinery for oblique mo-
tive of political gain.
The petition is yet to
be listed for hearing.
The petitioner stated
the lodging of the FIR
reveals an apparent
malafide intention and
the abuse of the process
of law. The case has
been registered at an
alien jurisdiction at
Rupnagar Police Sta-
tion which has nothing
but an oblique motive to
settle political scores as
the alleged statements/
interviews were given
in Mumbai, he said.
The case was lodged
against Vishwas in
Rupnagar town’s Sadar
police station on April
12. The former AAP
leader ahead of the as-
sembly elections had
accused Kejriwal of
supporting separatists.
The Punjab police on
April 20 had visited
Vishwas’s home in Gha-
ziabad and summoned
him for questioning.
Vishwas was booked
following a complaint
in which it was alleged
that he gave “inflamma-
tory statements”
against Kejriwal on
news channels and so-
cial media platforms,
alleging Kejriwal’s
links with separatist el-
ements.
—With PTI inputs
CHARGES DENIED
AshokGehlot’swayofwinningthe
‘politicalbattle’,througha‘WAR’!
Rajendra Chhabra
Jaipur: Now that a time
of merely 18 months is
left in the current dis-
pensation, the state gov-
ernment has started ag-
gressively pursuing the
completion of major
projects and budget an-
nouncements. Now, Ra-
jasthan Chief Minister
Ashok Gehlot is moni-
toring the works under-
taken and will take day
to day progress report
of the works.
For this work, a sepa-
rate ‘War Room’ is being
prepared in CMO which
has been christened ‘Ra-
jasthan State Service
Delivery War Room’ and
CM’s newly appointed
young IAS Gaurav Goy-
al is working as its
Chief Executive Officer
(CEO). Gaurav has been
given this additional re-
sponsibility along with
his basic work. Moreo-
ver, Joint Secretary in
CMO - Ajay Aswal - has
been given the addition-
al responsibility of Di-
rector of the War Room.
Sources have revealed
that this war room has
beensetupinthelibrary
building which is far
from CMO where work
will be carried on round
the clock and five RAS
officershavebeenposted
for it and full deploy-
ment of staff has been
done under it. In addi-
tion to this, various sub-
ject experts - numbering
20 - as Consultants are
also being appointed
here on remuneration.
The War Room will
keep a close eye on the
progress of all major
projects of all the de-
partments and will is-
sue directions on how to
speed up work by re-
moving obstacles and
solving problems in
completion of work.
Furthermore, the War
Room is also responsi-
ble for in time action of
budget announcements,
for which the War Room
will also coordinate
with Finance Depart-
ment.
According to sources,
War Room will give dai-
ly feedback to CM re-
garding progress of
work and departments
will have to give their
presentations via War
Room. People adept and
experienced in state
work have claimed that
this would be the first
and exemplary experi-
ment in the state which
will start working in the
first week of May
.
Ashok Gehlot Gaurav Goyal

www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epapers/delhi I twitter.com/thefirst-
india facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09
ndia gracefully strad-
dled the globe after the
huge success of First
Miss India Season 1,
held at Dona Sylvia
Resort, Goa on Octo-
ber 30, 2021 and now
First Miss India is launching
its second season on Wednes-
day, April 27 at Hex High ener-
gy Xperience, Mumbai.
Jagdeesh Chandra will
launch the poster and unveil
the top 3 winning crowns by
SVAR Fine Jewellery in Mum-
bai today
. First Miss India is a
unique blend of glamour and
elegance contrary to the tradi-
tional state of pageantry, hap-
pening on a national level in
India. Empowering young
women while allowing them to
grow and develop a positive
self-image, is the focus of this
beauty pageant.
AnjaliKhandal,oneof theup-
coming supermodels of India, a
new innocent face with a drop-
dead gorgeous international fig-
ureistheFACEof theFirstMiss
Indiaasitopensforregistrations
for its season 2. Anjali with her
debutant entry in fash-
ion week was showstop-
ping for designer Tarun
Tahilliani at India Cou-
ture Week. She has
walked for all national
designers and has shot
several National In-
ternational Cam-
paigns.Onecanregister
and check for further
details on the official
website, https://www.
firstmissindia.in/. Audi-
tions for the same will be
heldofflinein8citiesacross
India, starting from Mum-
baiinJune.ShowDirectorof
Season 2 Parimal Mehhta-
Founder and CEO of Blanckan-
vasMediaPvtLtdalongwiththe
glitterati and celebs of Mumbai
also grace the evening.
Season1setnewbenchmarks
and a show of such magnitude
wouldn’t have been possible
without the support of the
show directors of season 1
GauravGaurandAshokSingh.
Supermodel and influencer
Hina Khan, celebrity Fashion
Designer Ken Ferns, Actress,
VJ and supermodel Deepti Gu-
jral, Supermodel and Miss Uni-
verse India 2015 first runner up
Natasha Assadi were present
on the jury in Season 1.
Season 2 promises to bring
you even more glamour and
entertainment as beauties
from across India compete
for the privileged titles and
crowns.
I
FIRST MISS INDIA SEASON 2
MITALI DUSAD
mitalidusad01@gmail.com
NEW DELHI, WEDNESDAY,
APRIL 27, 2022
Anjali Khandal
A GATEWAY TO
A GATEWAY TO
SUCCESS GLORY!
SUCCESS GLORY!
AFTER THE HUGE SUCCESS OF
FIRST MISS INDIA SEASON 1
HELD AT DONA SYLVIA RESORT IN
GOA ON OCTOBER 30, 2021,
FIRST INDIA IS LAUNCHING
ITS SECOND SEASON AT HEX
HIGH ENERGY XPERIENCE,
MUMBAI TODAY!

Jagdeesh Chandra with the winners of First Miss India Season 1. Fom left Rayna Sikri (Winner First Miss India Teen) Mrunmayi Barve (First Miss India Teen 2nd Runner up),
Pearl Agarwal (Winner First Miss India), Lekh Uthaiah (First Miss India 2nd Runner up), Shreya Gupta (First Miss India 1st Runner up) and Shubhi Dhaneta (First Miss India Teen 1st Runner up)
—
PHOTOS
BY
MUKESH
KIRADOO

27042022_ First India New Delhi.pdf.pdf

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