28042022_First India_Ahmedabad.pdf

Guj govt relaxes promotion rules for lecturers, profs
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Lectur-
ers and professors of
state-run and grant-in-
aid colleges and univer-
sities in Gujarat will no
longer be required to
clear CCC+ (Course on
Computer Concepts)
and the exams in Guja-
rati or Hindi language
to get a promotion, the
state government said
on Wednesday
.
This decision will
benefit nearly 3,500 col-
lege and university
teachers, Gujarat Edu-
cation Minister Jitu Va-
ghani said in Gandhi-
nagar.
CCC+ is a certificate-
level course meant to
impart basic level com-
puter literacy to the
government workforce.
In February 2019, the
Gujarat government is-
sued a Government
Resolution (GR) stating
that lecturers and pro-
fessors will have to
clear CCC+ as well as
Hindi or Gujarati lan-
guage exams for promo-
tion and higher pay as
per the Career Advance-
ment Scheme (CAS) un-
der the 7th Pay Com-
mission pay scales ap-
plicable in the state.
Now, the state gov-
ernment has decided to
remove that condition
from the GR and restart
the process of granting
promotion, said Vagha-
ni, adding that several
lecturers and profes-
sors were awaiting pro-
motion for the last six
years. Turn to P2
Jitu Vaghani. —FILE PHOTO
They will now be
exempted from
computer concept
course, Hindi/
Gujarati language
examinations
NORTH GUJ, KUTCH, SAURASHTRA
TO GET NARMADA WATER
Gandhinagar: Parched areas in North Gujarat, Saurash-
tra and Kutch will get water from the Narmada river,
the state said on Wednesday. The government plans
to fill various water reservoirs of North Gujarat and
Saurashtra, from where it will be carried further. The
state has also allocated a revolving fund of Rs135 crore
for crop insurance, and has announced a subsidy of
Rs2 per kilogram for onion cultivation. The government
has also allocated Rs354 crore for urban development
in Ahmedabad, Rs289 crore for Surat and Rs 108 crore
for Vadodara, among other cities.
11dead,17injured
as chariot touches electric wires
Thanjavur: Eight men
and 3 teenage boys were
killed and 17 others in-
jured on Wednesday
due to electrocution
when a temple chariot
came in contact with a
High Tension electrici-
ty line during a proces-
sion, police said. The
tragic incident oc-
curred early on Wednes-
day when the Appar
temple’s chariot proces-
sion was passing
through the Thanjavur-
Boodalur Road.
The temple car, while
negotiating a turn came
into contact with the
overhead line and peo-
ple standing on the char-
iot were thrown away in
the impact. President
Ram Nath Kovind,
Prime Minister Naren-
dra Modi, Tamil Nadu
Governor R N Ravi,
Chief Minister M K Sta-
lin expressed shock and
grief over the killings.
Police officials and local people at the incident site on Wednesday.
‘Injustice’: PM Modi
urges States to
reduce VAT on fuel
New Delhi: Flagging
higher fuel prices in
many opposition-ruled
states, PM Modi on
Wednesday urged them
to reduce VAT in “na-
tional interest” to ben-
efit the common man
and work in the spirit
of cooperative federal-
ism in this time of glob-
al crisis.
Modi raised the issue
of many states not ad-
hering to the Centre’s
call for reducing the
Value Added Tax (VAT)
on fuel after his govern-
ment slashed excise du-
ties on them in Novem-
ber last, and called it
“injustice” to people
living there.
PM MODI TO VISIT
GERMANY, DENMARK,
FRANCE FROM MAY 2-4
New Delhi: In his first
trip abroad this year,
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi will embark on a
three-day visit to
Germany, Denmark and
France from May 2 amid
the crisis in Ukraine and
Europe’s firm approach
to dealing with it.
The ease of driving
business out of India.
7 Global Brands. 9
Factories.649 Dealerships.
84,000 Jobs. Modi ji, Hate-
in-India and Make-in-India
can’t coexist! Time to focus on
India’s devastating
unemployment crisis instead.
—Rahul Gandhi, Congress Leader
CONG REVAMPS
HARYANA UNIT
Hooda loyalist
Udai Bhan
replaces Selja
as president
New Delhi: The Con-
gress on Wednesday
revamped its Haryana
unit, appointing for-
mer legislator Udai
Bhan as president, re-
placing Kumari Selja,
and naming four work-
ing presidents.
As part of the reor-
ganisation that had
been on the cards for
the past few weeks, the
Congress appointed
Shruti Choudhary,
Ram Kishan Gujjar, Ji-
tender Kumar Bhard-
waj and Suresh Gupta
as working presidents
in a bid to strike a pow-
er balance in the par-
ty’s state unit.
AHMEDABAD l THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 2022 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/79050 l Vol 3 l Issue No. 152
OUR EDITIONS:
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24 HOURS ON, FIREFIGHTING
AT DELHI’S BHALSWA
LANDFILL SITE CONTINUES
NEW DELHI: TWENTY FOUR HOURS ON, EFFORTS TO DOUSE THE FIRE AT THE BHALSWA
LANDFILL SITE IN NORTH DELHI CONTINUE, AND IT WILL TAKE AT LEAST ANOTHER TWO
DAYS TO PUT IT OUT COMPLETELY, OFFICIALS SAID ON WEDNESDAY. EIGHT FIRETENDERS
ARE CURRENTLY WORKING TO BRING DOWN THE FLAMES AND MEANWHILE, THE RESIDENTS
HAVE STARTED COMPLAINING OF SORE THROAT, ITCHY EYES AND BREATHING PROBLEMS.

❍ UMAR KHALID BAIL PLEA
Is it right to use ‘jumla’
for PM, asks Delhi HC
New Delhi: While hear-
ing the bail application
of student activist
Umar Khalid in the
larger conspiracy case
of northeast Delhi ri-
ots, the Delhi High
Court on Wednesday
asked whether it was
proper to use the term
‘jumla’ in respect to the
Prime Minister of India
and said that there has
to be “a line” or a “Lak-
shman rekha” when it
comes to criticism of
the government.
“What he says about
the Prime Minister in
the speech? Some
‘changa’ word was used
and after that … this
‘jumla’ is used for the
Prime Minister of In-
dia. Is that proper?” ob-
served the court after
listening to the speech.
Umar Khalid
PM MODI INTERACTS WITH CMs
PM NARENDRA MODI LAUDED THE
CHIEF MINISTERS, OFFICERS ALL
CORONA WARRIORS FOR THEIR EFFORTS
1 DELHI, HARYANA, PUNJAB,
TELANGANA, UP AND KERALA
MAKE MASKS MANDATORY IN PUBLIC
2
Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacting with state Chief Ministers on the Covid-19 situation in the country via video conferencing,
in New Delhi on Wednesday. Also seen here is Home Minister Amit Shah and other Chief Ministers. —PHOTO BY ANI
COVID CHALLENGE NOT FULLY
OVER YET, STAY ALERT!
New Delhi: Prime Min-
ister Narendra Modi on
Wednesday said the
challenge of the Covid
pandemic is not fully
over yet, with the in-
crease in coronavirus
cases in the last two
weeks manifesting the
need to stay alert, and
underlined that vacci-
nation remains the big-
gest protective shield
against the virus.
Speaking at an inter-
action with chief minis-
ters on the emerging
COVID-19 situation in
the country, the prime
minister also said the
government’spriorityis
to vaccinate all eligible
children at the earliest
with special campaigns
needed in schools.
Asserting that India
has fought a long battle
against Covid in the
spirit of cooperative
federalism enshrined in
the Constitution, Prime
Minister Modi lauded
the chief ministers, of-
ficers and all corona
warriors for their ef-
forts. He said India has
been able to deal with
the situation better
than many countries. In
the third wave, none of
the states saw situation
going out of control,
Modi asserted.
There is a need to
follow the 'test, track,
treat, vaccinate'
strategy and ensure Covid-
appropriate behaviour.
—Amit Shah, Union Home Minister
PM’s mantra of life and livelihood
is being followed by the state. A
high number of cases are being
seen in the state’s cities in the National
Capital Region (NCR).
—Yogi Adityanath, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister
MASKS COULD BE MANDATORY IN MAHA AGAIN
Mumbai: Amid rising coronavirus cases in the country,
wearing of masks in crowded places could be made
mandatory again in Maharashtra, state Health Minister
Rajesh Tope said on Wednesday. He said Delhi has
made masks mandatory and is even imposing a fine of
Rs 500. Even masks restrictions are back in district of
Uttar Pradesh adjoining Delhi, he said.
DELHI MARKETS BRING BACK COVID PROTOCOLS
New Delhi: Worried about COVID cases in national cap-
ital, traders’ associations across Delhi have resumed
regular sanitisation, put up posters of dos and don’ts,
and are ensuring proper masking. The representatives
of markets’ associations have said that markets and
market complexes are the first ones to be impacted by
the COVID-led restrictions, so they have moved into ac-
tion preemptively to avoid facing the worst of them.
In the recent days the national
capital has witnessed a high
positivity rate, thus masks
having been made mandatory again.
—Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi Chief Minister

NEWS
AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 2022
02
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First India Bureau
Amreli: Actor-turned-
politician Hema Malini
on Tuesday flagged the
issue of cleanliness in
her parliamentary con-
stituency Mathura.
The Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) MP partici-
pated in the inaugural
programme of a new
government school
building in Ishwariya
village of Amreli dis-
trict on Tuesday. Guja-
rat Chief Minister Bhu-
pendra Patel and state
Education Minister Jitu
Vaghani were also pre-
sent in the programme.
Addressing the gath-
ering, Hema Malini
said that she recently
completed the 'Chaurai
Kos Yatra', in which she
covered various places
associated with Lord
Krishna in Mathura in
Uttar Pradesh and
neighbouring states of
Haryana and Ra-
jasthan. Malini said
during her Yatra, she
found that Mathura was
not clean enough due to
the huge footfall of visi-
tors.
“In many people's im-
agination, Mathura is
not a very clean place.
The reason is that
crores of people visit
Mathura and the mech-
anism for maintaining
cleanliness there is not
all that good. However,
we have put in lots of ef-
fort and have main-
tained it well, she said.
She said Mathura is a
pilgrimage centre that
attracts crores of tour-
ists from across the
world.
“I have been elected
Member of Parliament
from Mathura twice
and have been trying to
change many things.
Our Chief Minister Yo-
giji (Adityanath) is
helping a lot, the BJP
MP added.
First India Bureau
Vadodara: A city-
based social worker
made the dream of 51
girls come true by or-
ganizing flight travel
to Mumbai, visit to
the world-renowned
Siddhivinayak Tem-
ple, meal in a restau-
rant and dropping in
at the sets of televi-
sion serial Taarak
Mehta Ka Ooltah
Chashmah.
Speaking to First In-
dia about the trip, so-
cial worker Nishita Ra-
jput said, “The girls are
from underprivileged
and lower middle-class
families. They have al-
ways dreamed of trav-
elling on a plane, but,
due to their financial
situation, they never
got the opportunity to
do that. With help from
donors, I took the girls
to Mumbai for a day
. We
visited the famous Sid-
dhivinayak Temple and
had lunch at a five-star
hotel. Later, we visited
the sets of Taarak Me-
hta Ka Ooltah Chash-
mah and returned to
Vadodara in the even-
ing.”
Elaborating on
where she got the idea
of a vacation, Nishita
said, “With vacations
in all city schools al-
most set to begin, I
thought that it would
be nice to take the girls
on a one-day tour to
Mumbai. I just wanted
to give them a reason to
smile and usher in pos-
itivity and happiness
in their lives.”
Promoting the
‘Beti Bachao, Beti
Bachao’ campaign
for the past 12 years,
Nishita, has been pro-
viding financial as-
sistance to girls from
underprivileged and
lower middle-class
families. So far, she
has paid the school
fees of over 37,500
girls through funds
of Rs4.26 crore accu-
mulated with help
from donors.
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Arjun
Modhwadia, former
president of the Gujarat
Pradesh Congress Com-
mittee (GPCC) and in-
cumbent President Jag-
dish Thakor on Wednes-
day alleged that former
Chief Minister Vijay
Rupani revoked the res-
ervation of 90.80 lakh
square metres of land
in Surat, and handed it
over to private develop-
ers. By doing so, he re-
portedly helped build-
ers mint money to the
tune of Rs30,000 crore.
The senior Congress
leaders have demanded
the constitution of an
inquiry commission of
sitting Gujarat High
Court judges to investi-
gate the scam.
Addressing media
persons at the press
meet, Modhwadia and
Thakor alleged that Gu-
jarat’s renowned insti-
tution--Sardar Vallab-
hbhaiNationalInstitute
of Technology (SVNIT)-
-had stated that the Su-
rat Urban Development
Authority (SUDA) had
reserved 1,66,14,476
for public developmen-
tal projects. “The state
government does not
have the authority to
change the purpose of
reservation, and yet,
Rupani constituted an
advisory committee to
do just that,” they said.
Instead of taking ad-
vice from a SVNIT pro-
fessor, who had recom-
mended keeping 75,
35,107 square metres of
land for 89 public pro-
jects, the advisory com-
mittee revoked the or-
der. This was done even
though there was no
recommendation or
proposal from the Surat
Municipal Corporation
(SMC) or SUDA for the
same. Chief Minister
Rupani revoked the res-
ervation of 90,79,396
reserved for 112 pro-
jects. This land was
then handed over to pri-
vate builders in the
name of development,
added Modhwadia.
The market value of
that land is around
Rs30,000 to 50,000 per
square metre, which
means that it is worth
Rs27,238 crore.
Both Modhwadia and
Thakor have demanded
an explanation for the
‘scam’ from the state
government.
In a press statement
released on Wednesday
evening, the state gov-
ernment refuted all al-
legations levelled by
Modhwadia and Tha-
kor. “De-reservation of
the land has been done
as per rules and regula-
tions, and proposals re-
ceived from SUDA,” it
said.
HCasksAMCtosubmitreportonSabarmatipollution
V’dara activist takes 51 girls to Mumbai for 1-day vacation
Social worker Nishita Rajput with the girls, who belong to underprivileged backgrounds.
They enjoyed flight travel, visit to Siddhivinayak
Temple, Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah sets
and lunch at a 5-star hotel
Hema says Mathura 'not a very clean place'
PARTY AND PROTEST
Senior leaders
of the Congress
party celebrated
Ramadan at
an iftar party
hosted by MLA
Shailesh Parmar
in Danilimda area
of Ahmedabad
on Wednesday
evening. Congress
Gujarat In-
charge Dr Raghu
Sharma, state
party President
Jagdish Thakor,
former President
Amit Chavda,
senior leaders
Arjun Modhwadia,
Siddharth Patel
attended the
gathering with
workers of the
party. Meanwhile,
a protest against
inflation was
also held by city
Congress workers
at Jivraj Crossroads
during the day.
—PHOTOS BY
HANIF SINDHI
Congress led a pratikar (retribution) rally in A’bad to support Vadgam MLA Jignesh Mevani on Wednesday. (L to R) MLA Naushad
Solanki, MLA Raghu Desai, Dy Leader of Opposition Shailesh Parmar, former GPCC President Amit Chavda, Arjun Modhwadia, GPCC
President Jagdish Thakor, Siddharth Patel, Dipak Babariya.
‘Surat builders profited
`30K cr on Rupani’s watch’
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Observ-
ing that only half the 10
sewage treatment
plants (STPs) surveyed
by the court-appointed
joint task force meet
norms prescribed by
the Consolidated Con-
sent and Authoriza-
tion, the Gujarat High
Court has directed the
Ahmedabad Municipal
Corporation to take ap-
propriate action.
The court is hearing
a suo motu public-in-
terest litigation on pol-
lution in the Sabarma-
ti, and has asked the
civic body to file a re-
port before the issue is
next heard, on July 1.
Further, the JTF also
found that the concen-
tration of BOD, COD,
SS and faecal coliform
bacteria was much
higher than norms pre-
scribed for treated sew-
age disposal in almost
all seven outfall areas
studied, meaning that
outfalls and drains con-
fluencing with the Sa-
barmati river are still
carrying untreated
wastewater/sewage
from various areas of
the city with higher
concentrations of con-
taminants.
Biochemical oxygen
demand (BOD) repre-
sents the amount of
oxygen consumed by
bacteria and other mi-
croorganisms while
they decompose organ-
ic matter under aerobic
(oxygen is present) con-
ditions at a specified
temperature while
Chemical Oxygen De-
mand (COD) is a test
that measures the
amount of oxygen re-
quired to chemically
oxidize the organic ma-
terial and inorganic
nutrients, such as am-
monia or nitrate, pre-
sent in water--both are
indicators of pollution.
Faecal coliform bac-
teria are microscopic
organisms that live in
the intestines of warm-
blooded animals. They
also live in the waste
material, or faeces, ex-
creted from the intesti-
nal tract.
The court directed
AMC to identify and
take action against “il-
legal connections and
outfalls” that are pol-
luting the river.
“Once such illegal
connections are traced
and detected, those
shall be severed and an
appropriate legal ac-
tion shall be taken
against such erring in-
dividual/society found
releasing the untreated
wastewater directly
into the Sabarmati riv-
er,” it said.
Further, the civic
body was also directed
to pay attention to
stormwater connec-
tions.
“Stormwater drains
are supposed to carry
run-off during the
rainy season and, there-
fore, are ordinarily ex-
pected to remain dry
during other seasons.
The AMC is directed to
place on record the pre-
sent proceedings, the
layout and details of
the stormwater drains
running across the city
as well as those which
flow directly into the
Sabarmati river. The
AMC shall also disclose
if there are
any sewer lines con-
nected to these storm-
water drains. If there
are any sewer lines
connected, then such
sewer lines shall forth-
with be disconnected
and alternate arrange-
ments shall be made,”
the division bench of
Justice JB Pardiwala
said in an order made
available on Wednes-
day.
Pollution in the Sabarmati. —FILE PHOTO
Cong leaders Arjun Modhwadia,
Jagdish Thakor have alleged that the
ex-CM pulled reservation of 90L
square metres land
Guj govt...
The decision was taken
by Gujarat Chief Minis-
ter Bhupendra Patel in
view of representations
made by various unions
of college and univer-
sity teachers, said Va-
ghani. However, the ex-
emption applies to only
those who are eligible
for promotions under
CAS on or before De-
cember 2022.
Those getting eligible
for promotion under
CAS after January 1,
2023, will be required to
pass the said exams, the
minister added.
FROM PG 1

GUJARAT
03
4 held for threats
against Dalit youths
Upper-caste leaders warned them not to enter temple
premises after the latter organized a lunch on premises
First India Bureau
Kheda: Police officials
have arrested four per-
sons from upper-caste
communities for threat-
ening people belonging
to Scheduled Castes
(SC) for entering a tem-
ple in Goblaj village of
the district. Police have
invoked Indian Penal
Code (IPC) sections for
criminal intimidation
and sections of the
Scheduled Castes and
Scheduled Tribes
Atrocity Act, 1989.
According to the
complaint filed by a
Ramesh Shenva with
the Kheda town police
station, a traditional
group lunch or dinner
is served at the Baliya
Dev temple to celebrate
attainment of a wish
for which a badha (hin-
drance vow) is taken.
“On April 24, a group
of teenagers and young
adults had organized
one such group lunch at
the temple in the after-
noon. When members
of the upper-caste com-
munities learned about
it, they were dis-
pleased,” said Shenva.
The same night, the
Patels, Thakors and
other communities
called a meeting. The
complainant Shenva,
Thakorbhai Parmar
(Rohit), Hitesh Vaghela
(Valmik), Natwarbhai
Amrutbhai (Valmik,
Satish Parmar and oth-
ers from SC communi-
ties were also asked to
attend. The main topic
of discussion was the
lunch organized at the
temple earlier that day,
he added.
In the said meeting,
upper-caste leaders
Bhikhabhai Sodha Par-
mar, Ashok Patel,
Bharat Bhoi and Ranjit
Chauhan threatened
members of the Sched-
uled Caste. “They
should never step into
the temple, and if they
do, we will break their
legs and hands,” they
warned.
When the four ac-
cused learned about the
criminal complaint
lodged against them,
they fled the village.
The investigation has
been handed over to the
deputy superintendent
of police (SC/ST-cell).
All four accused were
arrested in less than 24
hours and will be pro-
duced before a court
soon.
First India Bureau
Palanpur: The Deesa
Additional Sessions
Court has sentenced
one Nitin Mali to
death for the rape and
murder of his 11-year-
old deaf-mute cousin
about 18 months ago.
Citing a ‘rarest of the
rare’ cases, the judge
said Mali would be
hanged till his last
breath for his heinous
crimes.
The child, Kasturi
(named changed), went
missing from her home
in Deesa on Oct 16,
2020. A few days later,
her decapitated body
was found in Dantiwa-
da taluka, about 20km
away.
While investigating
the girl’s disappear-
ance, police found
CCTV footage which
showed Mali taking her
somewhere on his two-
wheeler. Further inves-
tigation revealed that
Mali had previously
raped the child in her
backyard and—pan-
icked that she would
inform her parents of
the ordeal—decided to
kill her.
He took the girl to
Dantiwada taluka,
where he raped her
again before murdering
and decapitating her.
He then calmly re-
turned home and joined
in the search for his
missing cousin, the
court heard during the
trial, which saw testi-
monies from about 58
witnesses.
Notably, this is the
first time the Deesa
court has ever awarded
the death sentence.
Kasturi’s class-
mates and teachers
were also present in
court for the sentenc-
ing. However, even
before judge BG Dave
pronounced his ver-
dict, a large crowd
had gathered outside
the court premises,
demanding that Mali
be hanged to death.
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: Gujarat
on Tuesday reported
15 new cases of COV-
ID-19 that took the
tally of infections to
12,24,291, an official
from the state health
department said.
With nine patients
discharged from hospi-
tals across the state dur-
ing the day, the total
count of recoveries has
now reached 12,13,243,
while the toll stood at
10,943 as no casualties
were reported during
the day, he said.
The state is now left
with 105 active cases, the
official said.
Of the fresh cases,
seven were reported
from Vadodara, six from
Ahmedabad, and one
each from Anand and
Gandhinagar, he said.
With the addition of
98,402 people getting
vaccinated against the
disease on Wednesday,
the total number of dos-
es administered so far
has exceeded 10.75
crore, it was stated.
Kheda police station. —FILE PHOTO
Convicted rapist and murderer Nitin Mali in custody.
Over 90,000 people were vaccinated on Wednesday. —FILE PHOTO
UP IN ARMS
Death sentence for rapist,
murderer of deaf-mute child
14-year-old promised marriage, raped
Surat: A 14-year-old
girl was allegedly
raped, in Adajan, Su-
rat. The minor, in her
complaint, has
named a youth from
Ashok Vatika Society
near Raj World in
Adajan. As per the
complaint he had re-
peatedly molested
the teenager for four
months. He later on
made videos of her
moments and shared
them with his
friends. Police have
launched further in-
vestigation into the
complaint.
“Accused Umang
alias Bonny Prahlad
Patel, a resident of
Ashok Vatika Society
in Palanpur village,
had lured 14-year-old
girl into his love
trap”, as details ob-
tained from the Ada-
jan police. He repeat-
edly made physical
relations with her by
promising her mar-
riage. Umang has
been abusing her for
four months and
made videos of per-
sonal moments with
the teenager. He later
threatened to circu-
late the video if she
told anyone.However,
Umang sent the vid-
eos to his friends,
Deep and Whispy.
The videos got circu-
lated, and the girl got
to know about it. She
told her parents, and
they filed a com-
plaint at the Adajan
police station. The
police filed a case
against the accused
under sections of
POCSO, rape, cyber-
crime and blackmail.
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The In-
dia Meteorological
Department has an-
nounced that heat-
wave conditions are
very likely to prevail
at isolated pockets in
the district of South
Gujarat region
namely Surat; in the
districts of Saurash-
tra-Kutch namely
Porbandar, Kutch
and in Diu over the
next five days.
The rest of the state
will see dry weather
with “moderate tem-
perature”, the IMD
said, adding that the
maximum tempera-
ture in Ahmedabad
would remain steady
around 43-44 °C during
this time.
Officials at IMD
have deemed the
weather to be poten-
tially tolerable for the
general public but ex-
pressed moderate
health concern for vul-
nerable groups such as
infants, elderly, people
with chronic diseases.
Officials have recom-
mended that citizens
avoid exposure to heat,
cover their head while
stepping out and wear
light-coloured, loose
clothing.
Notably, a heat wave
is announced if the
maximum tempera-
ture of a station reach-
es at least 40 °C in the
plains, 37 °C or more
for coastal stations and
at least 30 °C for hilly
regions. It is also an-
nounced when the ac-
tual temperature
reaches or exceeds 45
°C. Severe heat wave is
announced when the
mercury reaches or
crosses 47 °C.
Saurashtra, Kutch to see heatwave conditions this week: IMD
BLISTERING SUMMER
lll
A’bad saw a
max of 43 °C,
3 degrees
above normal,
and a min of
27 °C, a degree
above normal
on Wednesday Ahmedabad’s Vastrapur Lake is already dry. —FILE PHOTO
With 15 adds, state’s
active tally now 105
11bookedinsuicideofAhmedabadtrader
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The
city’s Riverfront po-
lice station have
booked 11 traders
from Ahmedabad and
Mumbaiforabetment
of suicide, voluntari-
ly causing hurt, in-
tentionally insulting
and being present
when the offence was
committed. Their of-
fence is that they har-
assed and tortured
deceased Vijay Jine-
gar to recover bor-
rowed money
.
VinayJinegar,sonof
deceased Vijay in a
criminal complaint,
saidthataccusedRajen-
dra Sharaf (Mumbai),
Gopalbhai (Mumbai),
Sanjaybhai and Dipa-
kbhai of Baba print
owner (Ahmedabad)
and seven others did
business with Vijay
,
who was a wholesale
textile businessman.
On April 18, Vijay
jumped into the Sabar-
mati river and ended
his life.
While searching the
shelves of his father’s
cupboard on April 20,
family members found
two separate covers,
eachwithaletter.Inone
such letter, Vijay has
narrated how he was
harassed and tortured
by Mumbai-based Ra-
jendra Saraf, Go-
palbbhai, and Nileshb-
hai Panchal, even after
returning70-80%of the
payment. Their behav-
iourpushedhimtotake
the extreme step.
The suicide note also
highlights that even af-
ter making full pay-
ment in other deals, the
traders refrained from
supplyingclothes,thus,
affecting Vijay’s busi-
ness.Thesetradersalso
threatened to kidnap
someone from the fam-
ilyandrecoverthemon-
ey
. Baba print owners
Sanjaybhai and Dipa-
kbhai had filed crimi-
nal complaints even af-
ter all their dues were
paid by the deceased.
Around 11 years ago,
Vijay had gone bank-
rupt. He had to sell off
his two shops in the
Ghantakarna Market
andornamentstorepay
the dues. Later, he
boughtanofficeonAsh-
ram road and started
businessagain,butsup-
pliers and textile pro-
cessors harassed him.
Vijay Jinegar committed suicide by jumping into the Sabarmati 10 days ago. —FILE PHOTO
CONSTABLE HANGS
HERSELF TO DEATH IN
SURENDRANAGAR
Surendrana-
gar: A woman
constable hanged
herself to death
on Tuesday even-
ing, officials said
on Wednesday
.
The deceased,
Varsha Vanani
had served with
the Surendrana-
gar police for
four years and 11
months.
Her husband is
with the Suren-
dranagar sub-jail
as a sepoy
. On
Tuesday even-
ing, when Varsha
returned home, her
husband asked her
to wash utensils, as
he had to report for
duty on the evening
shift.
When he re-
turned from work,
he found his wife
hanging from the
fan, with their tod-
dler son asleep in
the house.
Police have
launched an inves-
tigation and sent
the body for post-
mortem.
Ironically
, had
she not committed
suicide, Varsha’s
job would have
been confirmed
next month.

PERSPECTIVE
04
l Vol 3 l Issue No. 152
l RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/79050.
Printed and published by
Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf
of First Express Publishers.
Printed at Bhaskar Printing Planet
Survey No.148P, Changodar-
Bavla Highway, Tal. Sanand, Dist.
Ahmedabad. Published at D/302
3rd Floor Plot No. 35 Titanium
Square, Scheme No. 2, Thaltej
Taluka, Ghatlodiya, Ahmedabad.
Editor-In-Chief: Jagdeesh Chandra.
Editor: Haresh Jhala
responsible for selection of news
under the PRB Act
SPIRITUAL SPEAK
A person can rise through
the efforts of his own mind;
or draw himself down, in
the same manner because
each person is his own
friend or enemy.
—Bhagavad Gita
IN-DEPTH
Dharmendra Pradhan
@dpradhanbjp
Pleased to meet Dr Gayathri Vasudevan,
Co-founder CEO, LabourNet Services
India Pvt. Ltd. She has made a far
reaching impact in scaling livelihood
opportunities and enhancing quality of
life through education, employment
and entrepreneurship through her
social enterprise.
Hardeep Singh Puri
@HardeepSPuri
Invoking the spirit of cooperative
federalism, PM Modi Ji hits the nail
on its head. Instead of protesting,
the opposition states which have not
decreased taxes on petrol diesel,
even after centre reduced excise on
such products, should do it now
offer relief to citizens.
TOP TWEETS
WHY DO GOVTS
WAIT FOR APEX
COURT ORDER ON
CURBING HATE?
fter the Supreme
Court’s warning the
Uttarakhand govern-
ment swung into ac-
tion to stop the dhar-
ma sansad where Muslim bash-
ing is preached as a new dharma.
Lefttoitself,thestategovernment
may have allowed the event to be
held as it did in the past. It is this
silence and perceived complicity
on the part of various govern-
ments, including the one at the
Centre, on blatantly hate-filled
speeches that 108 former bureau-
crats have written a letter to
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
to break his “deafening silence”
over the issue. Not just speeches,
they also expressed concern over
“escalation of violence against
the minority communities, espe-
cially Muslims”. They called this
escalationof violenceagainstmi-
norities in BJP-ruled states a
“frightening new dimension”.
The PM may or may not order
a halt to such acts but how long
will governments shirk their
constitutional duty is what re-
quires serious consideration,
especially when some courts
also go soft on perpetrators. It
seems SC is the only saviour.
A
he much-awaited
public offering of
the Life Insurance
Corporation of In-
dia has set in mo-
tion the Union government’s
exercise to meet its disinvest-
ment target of Rs 65,000 crore.
On offer are 22.13 crore shares
worth3.5percentof thecorpo-
ration’s capital base. With the
offloading of 3.5 percent the
government aims to make
around Rs 21,000 crore to-
wards its fiscal requirement.
ThisislowerthantheRs50,000
crore planned earlier. The
stock market’s choppy state
dissuaded the government
from selling even 5 percent of
its stake which would have
raised around Rs 30,000 crore.
However, coming after Air In-
dia, the LIC divestment has
confirmed the government’s
commitment towards privati-
sation of some of its assets.
The government has had
to cut its estimate on pro-
ceeds from stake sale to Rs
78,000 crore this year, lower
than the projected Budget es-
timate of Rs 1.75 lakh crore.
Two public sector banks are
on the government’s to-be-
sold list. It is still not certain
if the government will be
able to meet even its scaled-
down disinvestment target
but it surely is striving for it.
The divestment process is
necessary for the government
to cover its estimated fiscal
deficit of 6.4 percent in 2022-
23. Revenue from divestment
is the cushion which the gov-
ernment needs against rising
fuelpricesandinflationwhich
are predicted to spike further
as the Ukraine war drags on.
Given the turbulent state
of the market and reduced
appetite of investors there is
doubt over the kind of wel-
come investors will give to
the LIC IPO even though it is
bigger and better than the
Paytm IPO.
GOVT ON COURSE TO
MEETING FISCAL GOAL
The much-awaited public
offering of the Life Insurance
Corporation of India has set in
motion the Union government’s
exercise to meet its
disinvestment target of
`65,000 crore. On offer are
22.13 crore shares worth
3.5 percent of the
corporation’s capital base
T
eta (Facebook) CBSE have
collaborated to train a million
teachers and students in vir-
tual/augmented reality
. Re-
cently, Australian Open (AO)
had partnered with Decentra-
land, an online virtual reality
platform where users can cre-
ate avatars of themselves and
interact,to provideanimmer-
sive experience to its viewers
worldwide of the tennis tour-
nament. These are the bright,
innovativereal-timeusecases
of the metaverse, a nebulous
concept broadly seen as 3D
extension of internet.
Now premise superim-
pose some future/speculative
use-case of Metaverse on
these very initiatives for the
sake of game theory! ‘Decen-
traland’ is selling real estate
like hot potatoes (It actually
is). Imagine that exact repli-
ca of Central Vista, coming
up in Lutyens Delhi, is avail-
able in Decentraland and
Geeks are selling plots, gar-
dens and office spaces, a pro-
ject they have democratically
vetted in their virtual socio-
political construct, and
meshed it up as a virtual
game to the traverse the maze
to reach Raisina Hills to win
a handsome piece of real es-
tate or equivalent NFTs.
Ostensibly again, it dawns
that facade behind this drool-
worthy visual endeavour
hides sinister plan of terror
groups with their foothold in
decentral and, armed with
detailed maps of the vista, to
train their cadres and sleep-
er cells in simulation exer-
cises behind feel-good–show-
your-silver gaming experi-
ence and at once remaining
indistinct and innocuous.
Booby trap for detailed
maps could have been laid in
the Meta and CBSE collabo-
ratedonlineclasswhereagul-
lible a student was asked to
part away his pedagogic data
of case study on vista archi-
tecture on CAD/Architectur-
al skill class (future use case
assuming full-spectrum col-
laboration), by operatives of
terror sleeper cells masquer-
ading as a attractive member
of the opposite sex and being
a cyber crush of the student,
all under the oculus maze. All
this is not so distant future,
out from the game theory
.
Welcome to Metaverse. Be-
ing marketed as heady con-
coction of new-age technolo-
gies like 3D VR, Augmented
Reality, AI, Internet Of
Things, Edge Computing, the
Blockchain, Crypto-assets
like Nonfungible tokens and
Creator hubs, is out there for
money to be made as Web-3.0
conceptually evolves. But its
dark alleys and backstreets
may soon be soon inundated
by wicked digitization, mani-
festing as frauds, money
laundering especially of ter-
ror groups, child exploita-
tion, dis-information and
cyber attacks.
This un-policed territory
needs urgent attention of
policy makers to induce equi-
librium, lest it is manifested
with cartels, terrorists and
otherfringeelements.Aview-
ing of Steven Spielberg’s di-
rected 2018 movie ‘Ready
Player One’ is essential to
bring the clairvoyant effort
and import of the phenome-
non. The use of gaming plat-
forms as conduits of cryptic
messages by modern-day
criminals (and even ISIS’s
documented use of video
games for covert communica-
tion and recruiting youth) is
so rampant that it has been
laid bare in subaltern cultur-
al exposition in the popular
hindi movie ‘Suryavanshi’.
We will also not want sex
slaves to be traded by traffick-
ers over metaverse surrepti-
tiously in digital avatars, se-
cure in crypto-asset transac-
tions, neither pedophile pred-
ators using anonymity and
innovation by offsetting real
and virtual world at choice,
scouting gullible victims, as
an extension of dark web.
How does one statutorily
regulate this scenario, bal-
ancing innovation with regu-
lation. The writ of a country
runs large on every inch of
the soil through its Constitu-
tion, Major Criminal acts like
CrPC IPC, Revenue Acts
and right upto the innocuous-
looking The Treasure Trove
Act 1888 where every dime
found under the soil or act
conducted over it is fully ac-
countable to the rule of law.
How does one define the juris-
diction of metaverse in simi-
lar comprehensive manner?
Are the current laws of finan-
cial regulation, money laun-
dering, IT Act and others of
the ilk sufficient to regulate
this ecosystem? What inter-
national mechanism will
have to put up in place for
countering deviant offshoots
of metaverse?Action against
dark web operated cartels
was recently possible only by
concerted stings orchestrated
by FBI, Interpol EU police
forces in multi-country, mul-
ti-continent operations.
Self regulation will call for
concerted effort of all stake-
holders. In the Connect Con-
ference where Mark Zucker-
berg introduced his refur-
bished endeavour-META, he
extolled that “meta is going
all the way on open standards
and interoperability” and
“privacy and safety net need
to be built into the metaverse
fromthedayone”;butthepre-
vious conduct of Facebook to
enforce user integrity has
been Achilles heel for the
wholeconceptof digitaltrust.
The brand new Data Pro-
tection Bill on the anvil and
the forthcoming amend-
ments to refurbish the Major
Acts- CrPC, IPC Evidence
Act provides opportune time
to suggest policy interven-
tions to create the elusive
safety net. The writ of sover-
eign must run large- under,
on and above the ground.
Every vista in real world and
metaverse should stand pro-
tected secure. Pleasant
company, appropriate vocab-
ulary and valuable motive
always made a good verse.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
SECURING EVERY VISTA-REAL METAVERSICAL
Challenges for law enforcers
but opportunity upfront
M
DR AMANDEEP
SINGH KAPOOR (IPS)
The writer is Director-CDTI, Jaipur
The key to regulation is a
very robust safety ecosystem
which decides who goes as
whom on metaverse
platforms, what is
uploadedand what is
experienced,without spurious
content entry, fully ensuring
process sanitisation.This
has to be much stringent
than present KYC norms
lest we face fraudulent
accounts due to lax platform
integrity standards.
Recently, Australian Open
(AO) had partnered with
Decentraland, an online
virtual reality
platform where users
can create avatars of
themselves and
interact to provide
immersive experience to
its viewers worldwide of
the tennis tournament.
These are the bright,
innovative real-time
use of metaverse, a
nebulous concept
broadly seen as 3D
extension of internet
SOME SUGGESTIONS CITED
BY EXPERTS INCLUDE AI DRIVEN
CONTENT MODERATION, TRANSACTION
MONITORING, PRODUCT AUTHENTICITY
AND LEGITIMACY OF USER ACCOUNTS

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INDIA
05
Sharat K Verma
New Delhi: Is the
Bharatiya Janata Party
going to focus solely on
North India and Hindi
speaking regions? In
view of the controversy
that started over Hindi,
it is believed that the
BJP has given up its
hope of expansion in
the states of South In-
dia. It is feeling that ex-
cept Karnataka, noth-
ing can happen in other
states at least in 2024
elections. Therefore, an
attempt has been made
to maintain its edge in
the states of the Hindi
belt and to consolidate
it more. Keep in
mind that there are a
little more than two
hundred seats in the
Hindi-speaking states
of North India, out
of which close to 90
per cent of the seats
are with the BJP and
its allies.
If BJP manages to
retain these seats, 2024
will be a cake walk be-
cause apart from the
Hindi belt states- Uttar
Pradesh, Uttarakhand,
Himachal Pradesh, Bi-
har, Jharkhand, Ra-
jasthan, Madhya
Pradesh, Chhattisgarh
and Delhi and Hary-
ana, the BJP is confi-
dent of winning all the
seats in Gujarat. Adi-
tionally, if it gets some
seats in Maharashtra,
Karnataka and West
Bengal, then it will get
majority. Possibly be-
cause of this, the de-
bate of Hindi has aris-
en and as the crescendo
to oppose Hindi in the
South would increase,
it will help the BJP to
strengthen its position
in North India and in
the Hindi belt.
IslanguagedisputeactuallyaNorth-Southdispute?
ARENA OF CONFLICT
Mumbai (Agencies):
Maharashtra's ruling
Maha Vikas Aghadi
(MVA) hit out at the
Centre and Prime Min-
ister Narendra Modi
after he on Wednesday
pointed fingers at the
State Government for
pushing up petrol-die-
sel prices.
Leading the attack
from the front, Chief
Minister Uddhav
Thackeray reiterated
that despite being the
highest contributor to
the national exchequer,
Maharashtra has been
given step-motherly
treatment by the
Centre.While Maha-
rashtra gets only 5.5 per
cent of Central taxes, it
contributes as high as
38.3 per cent in direct
taxes, 15 per cent of
GST which is the high-
est in the country
. If di-
rect taxes and GST are
combined, Maharash-
tra is a leading state in
giving taxes. Yet, even
today, we are waiting to
get our Rs 26,500 GST
share, Thackeray said.
State Congress presi-
dent Nana Patole's pos-
er was what happened
to the Bharatiya Janata
Party's promise in 2014
to reduce petrol price to
Rs 40, but now, it has
more than tripled.
Since the time of
Atal Behari Vajpayee, a
Re 1/litre Road Develop-
ment Cess was being
collected, it went upto
Rs 2 during the tenure
of UPA PM Manmohan
Singh, and under the
present Modi govern-
ment, it stands at Rs 18/
litre, besides a Rs 4 agro
cess, he said.
He pointed out that
the Centre always hikes
cess instead of excise,
but when the rates are
reduced, only excise is
slashed,aswasdonedur-
ing the recent elections
in five states - since all
the states are entitled to
a certain revenue share
- thus depriving the
states of their due share.
Nationalist Congress
Party Minister
Chhagan Bhujbal
slammed the Centre for
repeatedly raising fuel
prices and then blam-
ing the states while not
reimbursing the GST
dues of the states.
Thackeray also said
that the MVA has re-
peatedly asked the
Centre to expand
the narrow defi-
nitions of the
NDRF criteria to
help victims of
disasters, though
the state has con-
tributed more than
the stipulated
amount.
CENTRE-MAHAPOLITICALFEUDREIGNITES
AFTER PM’S REMARKS ON FUEL PRICES
Uddhav claims Centre owes `26,500 cr to Maha; alleges ‘step-motherly treatment’
New Delhi (PTI): Trina-
mool Congress (TMC)
on Wednesday called the
Chief Ministers meet-
ing with Prime Minister
Narendra Modi a “gyan
baato” session and
demanded that the Centre
clear dues it owes to the
West Bengal government.
The Mamata Banerjee-led
party also criticised Modi
over his comments that
opposition-ruled states
should reduce VAT in
“national interest”. Flag-
ging higher fuel prices in
many opposition-ruled
states, Modi on Wednes-
day urged them to reduce
VAT to benefit the
common man
and work in
the spirit of
“cooperative
federalism
in this time
of global
crisis”.
PM’S MEETING
WITH CMs ‘GYAAN
BAATO’ SESSION,
SAYS TRINAMOOL
Bengaluru (Agen-
cies): After hijab row,
Karnataka is in for an-
other controversy in-
volving with the State
Education Department
issuing direction to
block education officers
to inspect the syllabus
of all Christian schools
over making reading of
Bible compulsory
.
The direction came
from Education Minis-
ter BC Nagesh in the
wake of a case against
Clarence High School
which alleged to have
been making reading of
the Bible compulsory
.
The Minister’s conten-
tion was that no school
in the state can preach
religion, including mi-
nority institutions.
He said if any insti-
tute has made preaching
of religion compulsory
,
it amounts to violation
of the Education Act. He
has warned of strict le-
gal action against the
schools found guilty of
violating the syllabus.
There is no room for
schools teaching central
syllabus to include reli-
gious matters, he added.
K’taka move to inspect
syllabus of Christian
schools kicks a row
Srinagar (Agencies):
An Army-run school
in Kashmir’s Baram-
ulla district on Mon-
day asked its staff to
stop wearing hijab
during school hours so
that “students can feel
comfortable and are
forthcoming to inter-
act with teachers”,
News18 reported.
The circular was is-
sued by the administra-
tion of the Dagger Pari-
vaar School, meant for
disabled children.
The school is run by
the Indian Army along
with a Pune-based non-
governmental organi-
sation called Indrani
Balan Foundation, the
Kashmir Observer re-
ported. Around 70 stu-
dents are enrolled in
the school.
In circular issued on
Monday, the school’s
principal said that the
institution was a place
to learn and grow emo-
tionally.
“As the staff of
school, the main pur-
pose is to provide the
fullest possible develop-
ment of each learner,”
the circular added. “For
the same, the trust must
be established with the
students to make them
feel welcome, safe and
happy. The staff is
hereby instructed to
avoid hijab...”
KASHMIR SCHOOL ASKS STAFF
TO AVOID WEARING HIJAB
Hyderabad (Agencies):
As Telangana's ruling
Telangana Rashtra
Samiti steps formally
into adulthood, celebrat-
ing 21 years of its forma-
tion, party president K
Chandrashekar Rao has
decided it’s time for par-
ty to step out of its do-
mestic turf and venture
into national politics.
Addressing party
leaders at the TRS ple-
naryinHyderabadtoday
,
Mr Rao said some legis-
latorshaveexpressedthe
view that it is time for
TRS to change into BRS
(Bharatiya Rashtra
Samiti). It was met with
loud cheers from the
3000-odd party leaders
who had gathered at the
Hyderabad Internation-
al Convention Centre,
HICC at Hyderabad.
As though taking a
step in that direction,
one of the 11 resolutions
being moved at the ple-
narytodaywasanintent
for the TRS to play a cru-
cial role in national poli-
tics.Raohasalreadysaid
he intends to play a role
in national politics.
The TRS, he said, has
already acquired land
and is building an im-
pressive party office in
the national Capital.
Rao, however, dis-
missed the idea of politi-
cal fronts, saying there
have been multiple
fronts in the past which
have not yielded much.
KCR hints at converting TRS into BRS
ON 21ST FORMATION DAY
Srinagar (Agencies):
The Jammu and Kash-
mir High Court ruled on
Wednesday that calling
Kashmir occupied
Kashmir and its resi-
dents as slaves does
not enjoy protection un-
der the Constitution's
Article 19 (A), on right
to freedom of speech
and expression.
A bench of Justice
Sanjay Dhar, hearing a
petition filed by advo-
cate Muzamil Butt
seeking quashing of an
FIR against him under
the Unlawful Activities
(Prevention) Act, re-
marked: It is one thing
to criticise the govern-
ment for its negligence
and express outrage on
the violation of human
rights of the people,
but it is quite another
to advocate that the
people of a particular
part of the country are
slaves of the govern-
ment of India or that
they are under the oc-
cupation of armed
forces of the country,
online portal Bar and
Bench reported.
Police had registered
an FIR against Butt for
his Facebook post in
which he criticised
the killing of seven ci-
vilians in an explosion
at the encounter site
in Larnoo village in
October 2018.
‘Calling Kashmir‘occupied’ does not
enjoy protection under Article19(A)’
UP: 6,000 LOUDSPEAKERS REMOVED
FROM RELIGIOUS SITES IN LAST 72 HRS
Lucknow: In a statewide drive to ensure com-
pliance with government directives over the
use of loudspeakers at
religious sites across Uttar
Pradesh, 6,031 loudspeak-
ers were removed from
religious sites of different
communities in the past
72 hours. Besides, the
volume of 30,000 loudspeakers was lowered in
accordance with the prescribed decibel levels.
Prayagraj: Justice Rajeev Singh of the Lucknow
bench of the high court, who had granted bail to
Ashish Mishra earlier, recused
himself from hearing it again
after the Supreme Court can-
celled his bail order last week
on April 18. While cancelling
Mishra’s bail, the Supreme
Court had also asked the high
court to decide his bail plea afresh and the plea came
up for hearing before Justice Singh’s bench.
ALLAHABAD HC JUDGE RECUSES
HIMSELF FROM ASHISH MISHRA CASE
Mumbai: In the latest development in the inquiry
against former Mumbai top cop Param Bir Singh, the
CBI has registered three
Preliminary Enquiries
(PEs) against him and
others following directions
from the apex court. The
PEs are not FIRs but a
process to collect and
check prima faice evidences on the basis of witnesses'
account, documents etc. If prima facie a case is made
out, the CBI will then convert these PEs into FIRs.
CBI REGISTERS THREE PEs AGAINST EX-
MUMBAI TOP COP PARAM BIR, OTHERS
CRUCIAL READ
Section 144 imposed in
Roorkee, 33 detained
Haridwar: The Utta-
rakhand administra-
tion imposed Section
144 CrPC that prohib-
its assembly of more
than four persons in
RoorkeewhereaDhar-
am Sansad was sched-
uled on Wednesday
.
The police have de-
tained around 33 per-
sons associated with
the event.
A day ago, the Su-
preme Court directed
the Uttarakhand
Chief Secretary to
placeonrecordthatno
untoward statement
would be made at the
event at Dada Jalalpur
village and warned
that it would hold top
officials responsible
in case of any hate
speech is made.
The village was
witness to a commu-
nal tension on April
16 when a Hanuman
Jayanti procession
was allegedly pelted
with stones.
On Tuesday, a
three-judge Bench of
the apex court head-
ed by Justice AM
Khanwilkar said,
“We will hold the
Chief Secretary,
Home Secretary and
the IG concerned re-
sponsible if any un-
toward situation hap-
pens despite your as-
surance. We are put-
ting it on record.”
Speaking to media,
Uttarakhand Director
General of Police
Ashok Kumar said,
“the programme
could not take place as
we imposed Section
144 (CrPC) in the area.
Around 33 persons
have been detained
under Section 151
CrPC. We ensured
that the restrictions
are imposed strictly.”
Anand Swaroop, the
main organiser of the
religious conclave,
has been taken into
preventive detention.
PERMISSION DENIED FOR DHARAM SANSAD
Heavy police force deployed at Dada Jalalpur. —PHOTO BY PTI
Srinagar: Former
JK Chief Minis-
ter and PDP chief
Mehbooba Mufti on
Wednesday objected
to an order on hijab
issued by the Dag-
ger Parivaar School
in north Kashmir
Baramulla, which is
jointly run by the In-
drani Balan Founda-
tion and the Army’s
Chinar Corps. the
school authorities
had asked the staff
“to avoid hijab dur-
ing school hours”.
MUFTI TAKES
UMBRAGE AT
HIJAB ORDER
PM Narendra Modi Maha CM Uddhav
Mamata Banerjee
Nagesh said if
any institute has
made preaching
of religion
compulsory, it
amounts to
violation of State
Edu Act.

INDIA
06
Mahesh Sharma
New Delhi: The ongo-
ing politics in Maha-
rashtra and other parts
of the country has also
increased the concern
of Shiv Sena. Bulldozer
politics and the politics
of recitation of Hanu-
man Chalisa are taking
a toll on Sena’s own
brand of politics. Party
leaders are feeling that
if this politics of BJP
continues, then the core
Hindu vote of Shiv Sena
will veere away from it.
Its allies Congress and
NCP will not suffer
much because their po-
litical ground is far
from Mumbai and there
already exists a precon-
ceived notion about
them. But Shiv Sena
has not given up its Hin-
dutva agenda yet.
That is why the Shiv
Sena is worried about
the politics of Raj
Thackeray and Navneet
and Ravi Rana reading
Hanuman Chalisa or
distributing free loud-
speakers in Mohit
Kamboj’s temples.
Meanwhile, an NCP
leader has written a let-
ter to the Central Gov-
ernment seeking per-
mission to offer Namaz
outside the Prime Min-
ister’s residence in
Delhi which is in re-
sponse to the politics of
reading Hanuman
Chalisa in front of the
Chief Minister’s resi-
dence. Shiv Sena is con-
cerned that the issue of
Hanuman Chalisa ver-
sus Namaz should not
embroil the party’s im-
age in line with that of
NCP and Congress and
Shiv Sena should not
be called ‘Namazwadi
Party’. That is why its
leaders want this dis-
pute to end in some
way. But it looks like
this controversy will
not end as it is believed
that soon the cacopho-
ny of Hijab and Halal
meat will also start in
Maharashtra.
Shiv Sena may have set itself in BJP’s ‘political trap’!
IN THE COURTYARD
SUPREME COURT TO BEGIN FINAL HEARING ON
PLEAS CHALLENGING SEDITION LAW ON MAY 5
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the
Centre to file its response by the end of the week on a batch
of pleas challenging the constitutional validity of the sedition
law. A three-judge bench of Chief Justice NV Ramana and
justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli said it would commence
the final hearing in the matter on May 5 and would not
entertain any request for adjournment. We direct the Centre
to file reply by end of this week. Reply to the affidavit be
filed by Tuesday. List the matter for final disposal without
any adjournment on May 5, the bench said. The top court
also noted in its order that senior advocate Kapil Sibal will
lead the arguments from the petitioner’s side in the matter.
During the hearing, senior advocate Sanjay Parikh said the
plea filed by PUCL has not been listed.
CBI MOVES DELHI HC AGAINST TRIAL COURT ORDER
ON WITHDRAWAL OF LOC AGAINST AAKAR PATEL
New Delhi : The CBI Wednesday challenged before
the Delhi High Court the trial court order directing the
withdrawal of the lookout circular against Amnesty Inter-
national India Board chair
Aakar Patel in connection
with a case for the alleged
violation of the Foreign Con-
tribution (Regulation) Act,
The investigating agency
told the court that it was not
against the relief granted to
Patel and its grievance was directed towards the reason-
ing adopted by the trial court and apprehended that the
same would be used against it in other cases.
New Delhi: Minister of State for Electronics and IT
Rajeev Chandrasekhar said on Wednesday that despite
the Twitter board accepting Elon Musk’s $44 billion
takeover offer, the Indian guidelines for social media
platforms will not change in order to protect users’
data privacy and safeguard them from any harm.
Speaking at the ‘Raisina Dialogue 2022’ here. “Despite
Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter, IT guidelines gov-
erning the social media platforms remain the same.
Social media needs to go beyond mere criminality and
also expand focus on user harm,” Chandrasekhar said.
New Delhi: The ED on Wednesday said it has attached
funds worth Rs 6.17 crore of various fintech compa-
nies in a case linked to dishing out mobile-app based
loans at exorbitant interest rates to gullible people
during the Covid-19 crisis. A provisional order to
attach the money was issued under the PMLA, it said.
“The accused, along with Chinese nationals, opened
various companies in the name of various persons for
the purpose of illegal transactions, issuing loans and
raising investments through mobile apps like Cash
Master, Cashin, Rupee Menu etc,” the ED said.
New Delhi (PTI): Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on
Wednesday held a bilateral meeting with his Maldivian
counterpart Mohamed Nasheed, stressing that regular
dialogue between the parliaments
of two countries is helpful in
effective functioning of democratic
institutions. Speaking on the need
for further enhancing parliamen-
tary diplomacy between the two
countries, Birla said that a bilateral Parliamentary
Friendship Group would be constituted soon.
Kochi (PTI): Well-known Malayalam producer-ac-
tor Vijay Babu has been charged for allegedly
sexually assaulting a female actor and disclosing
the survivor’s identity through a Facebook live
session. Vijay Babu, who is reportedly untrace-
able since the police charged him with rape
following the woman’s complaint, appeared in
a Facebook live session and claimed innocence,
saying he is the “real victim”. As the producer,
who is also the founder of the production compa-
ny Friday Film House.
MIN: INDIA’S SOCIAL MEDIA NORMS WON’T
CHANGE WITH MUSK’S TWITTER TAKEOVER
PROBE AGENCY ATTACHES ASSETS
WORTH `6.17 CRORE OF FINTECH FIRMS
BIRLA: INDIA-MALDIVES PARLIAMENTARY
FRIENDSHIP GROUP TO BE CONSTITUTED
FILM PRODUCER VIJAY CHARGED WITH
RAPE, REVEALING SURVIVOR’S IDENTITY
CRUCIAL READ
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.
New Delhi: The Su-
preme Court on
Wednesday asked the
Centre why it cannot
release AG Perarivalan
who has served 36 years
of his life term in the
Rajiv Gandhi assassina-
tion case, noting that
the government took a
bizarre stand that the
Tamil Nadu governor
had forwarded the deci-
sion of the state cabinet
of releasing the convict
to the President, who is
the competent authori-
ty to take a call on the
mercy plea.
The apex court said
when people who have
served lesser periods
are being released, then
why can't the Centre
agree on releasing him.
The Tamil Nadu gov-
ernment said the Cen-
tre is only trying to un-
settle the settled posi-
tion in law.
The top court said
that prima facie it finds
the governor's decision
to be wrong and against
the constitution as he is
bound by the aid and
advice of the state cabi-
net and it strikes a blow
on the federal structure
of the constitution.
A bench of Justices
LN Rao and BR Gavai
told additional solicitor
general KM Nataraj, ap-
pearing for the Centre,
to seek proper instruc-
tion in a week or it will
accept the submission
of Perarivalan and re-
lease him following the
decision of this court.
Nataraj said that in
certain situations, the
President is the compe-
tent authority and not
the governor especially
when a sentence of
death has to be com-
muted to life.
The bench told the
law officer that the con-
vict has served 36 years
in prison and when peo-
ple who have served
lesser periods are being
released, then why can't
the Centre agree on re-
leasing him.
Mumbai (PTI): Coun-
try’s largest life insurer
LIC on Wednesday set
the price band at Rs 902-
949 per share for its Rs
21,000 crore initial pub-
lic offering (IPO), which
will open for subscrip-
tion on May 4.
At the upper end of
the price band the gov-
ernment will garner
around Rs 21,000 crore.
With this IPO, which
is through an offer-for-
sale (OFS) route, the
government is looking
to divest its 3.5 per cent
stake in the insurer by
selling 22.13 crore
shares.
Focus should be on stopping the
fighting: Jaishankar on Ukraine
New Delhi (PTI): The
best way to deal with
the conflict in Ukraine
would be to focus on
“stopping the fighting
and getting the talk-
ing” to move forward,
and India’s position on
the crisis is best placed
to advance such an ap-
proach, External Af-
fairs Minister S Jais-
hankar said on
Wednesday.
His comments came
in response to a ques-
tion at an interactive
session at the Raisina
Dialogue, India’s pre-
mier foreign policy
and geo-economics
conference.
Jaishankar on Tues-
day countered criti-
cism of India’s posi-
tion on Russia’s ac-
tions in Ukraine, say-
ing Western powers
have been oblivious to
the pressing challeng-
es in Asia including
last year’s develop-
ments in Afghanistan.
“We spent a lot of
time yesterday on
Ukraine and I have
tried to explain what
our views are but also
explained that in our
minds the best way for-
ward is to focus on stop-
ping the fighting, get-
ting the talking and
finding ways of moving
forward. We think our
choices, our positions
are best placed to ad-
vance that,” he said.
India has not yet pub-
licly condemned the
Russian attack on
Ukraine and has been
calling for the resolu-
tion of the conflict
through dialogue and
diplomacy
.
In his address, Jais-
hankar talked about
India’s 75-year-long
journey after Inde-
pendence and high-
lighted how the coun-
try played a key role in
promoting democracy
in South Asia.
Reflecting on areas
where India came up
short, the external af-
fairs minister listed a
lack of adequate atten-
tion to human resourc-
es and manufacturing.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar speaks during the panel
discussion: Chasing the Monsoon: Life@75 at Raisina Dialogue,
in New Delhi on Wednesday. —PHOTO BY ANI
EAMcounteredcriticismofIndia’spositiononRussia’sactions,
saying Western powers oblivious to pressing challenges in Asia
New Delhi (PTI): EAM S Jaishankar will begin
a three-day visit to Bangladesh and Bhutan on
Thursday focusing on enhancing bilateral coop-
eration and exchanging views on key issues. In
Dhaka, Jaishankar will call on Bangladeshi PM
Sheikh Hasina and hold discussions with Foreign
Minister AK Abdul Momen, the Ministry of Ex-
ternal Affairs said on Wednesday. It is learnt that
Jaishankar’s trip to Bangladesh is aimed at pre-
paring the grounds for a visit to India by Hasina.
“The forthcoming visit of the EAM to Bangladesh
may be seen in the context of frequent bilateral
high-level visits and exchanges particularly
as both sides commemorate 50 years of the
establishment of diplomatic ties,” the MEA said
in a statement. The last visit by Mr Jaishankar to
Bangladesh was in March last year. The external
affairs minister will be Bhutan's first high-level
visitor from abroad since March 2020, the MEA
said, adding it reflects the great importance both
countries attach to the relationship.
JAISHANKAR TO VISIT
BANGLADESH, BHUTAN
FROM APRIL 28-30
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on
Wednesday said that the shared legacy of India-Fiji
relations is based on the sense of service of human-
ity. India could fulfil its obligations during the pan-
demic based on these values as we could provide
medicines to 150 countries and about 100 million
vaccines to about 100 countries. Fiji has always
been prioritised in such efforts, he said.PM Modi
addressed the opening of Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani
Hospital in Fiji via a video message. Speaking on the
occasion, the PM thanked people of Fiji.
MODI: INDIA-FIJI RELATIONS BASED ON
MUTUAL RESPECT AND STRONG TIES
New Delhi: No major global problem can be
solved without India and the country is an
important partner of Germany, Minister of State
at the German Federal Foreign Office Dr Tobias
Lindner has said. “We want to have cooperation
in technology, education, security and climate
change with India. No major problem can be
solved without India. Looking forward to deep-
ening Germany-India relations,” Linder said.
NO MAJOR GLOBAL PROBLEM CAN BE
SOLVED WITHOUT INDIA: GERMAN MIN
Centre released `11,092 cr
for migrant workers: MHA
New Delhi (ANI): The
Centre had released in
advance an amount of
Rs 11,092 crore on April
3, 2020, to all States
ahead of an exodus of
migrant workers due to
the Covid-19-induced
first lockdown, the an-
nual report for the year
2020-21 released by the
MHA reads. It says the
MHA, in coordination
with respective states,
had also set up around
41,000 relief camps and
shelters where more
than 14 lakh people
were sheltered.
The annual report for
the year 2020-21 has ac-
knowledged that the
migrantworkersamong
many others were
stranded in different
parts of the country
due to the lockdown.
New Delhi (PTI): The government is likely to
soon reduce the gap between the second dose of
Covid-19 vaccine and the precaution dose from
the current nine months to six months, official
sources said on Wednesday. A recommenda-
tion on lessening the gap is expected to be made
by the NTAGI which is set to hold a meeting on
April 29. Studies at ICMR and other international
research institutions have suggested that anti-
body level wanes after about six months from the
primary vaccination with both doses.
GOVT MAY REDUCE GAP BETWEEN 2ND
DOSE, BOOSTER JAB TO SIX MONTHS
New Delhi: The Centre
on Wednesday defended
its control over trans-
fers and postings of of-
ficers in Delhi, telling
the Supreme Court that
it needs to have special
powers over the admin-
istration. Soon after, the
Delhi government ob-
jected to the Centre’s
stance.
“Since Delhi is the
national Capital, it is
necessary that the Cen-
tre has powers over ap-
pointments and trans-
fers of public servants.
The world views India
through Delhi,” the
Centre told the SC.
The SC is hearing the
Delhi government's pe-
tition against the Cen-
tre over the control of
the civil services.
“The essential fea-
ture about Delhi's laws
was guided by how the
great capital of this na-
tion would be adminis-
tered. It was not meant
to be about any particu-
lar political party, the
Centre argued.
NEED CONTROL AS DELHI
IS CAPITAL: CENTRE IN SC
New Delhi (Agencies):
The Union Cabinet,
chaired by Prime Min-
ister Narendra Modi,
onWednesdayapproved
a USOF project for up-
grading 2G mobile ser-
vices to 4G at security
sites in Left Wing Ex-
tremism (LWE) areas.
Briefing the media,
Information and Broad-
casting Minister Anur-
ag Thakur said that the
project envisages up-
grading 2,343 LWE
Phase-I sites from 2G to
4G services at an cost of
Rs 1,884.59 crore.
Cabinet approves
communication
upgradation to
4G in LWE areas
SC asks Centre why convict
Perarivalan can’t be released
Former PM Rajiv Gandhi
LIC IPO to open
on May 4 in
price band
of `902-`949
DURING FIRST LOCKDOWN
RAJIV GANDHI ASSASSINATION CASE

BIZ BUZZ
07
Promoted by
AU Small Finance Bank
Direct tax collections surged
to `14.09 lakh cr in 2021-22
Bhubaneswar (ANI):
Direct tax collections
surged to `14.09 lakh
crore in 2021-22 regis-
tering a year-on-year
growth of 49.02 per
cent on the back of
strong growth in mop-
up from income and
corporation tax, Cen-
tral Board of Direct
Taxes (CBDT) Chair-
man J B Mohapatra
said.
Net direct tax collec-
tions for 2021-22 surged
to `14,09,640.83 crore,
showing a growth of
49.02 per cent. Gross
direct tax collections
for the financial year
ended March 31, stood
at `16,34,454.95 crore
showing a growth of
32.75 per cent.
R e f u n d s
a m o u n t i n g
to `2,24,814.12
crore have been is-
sued in 2021-22.
More than 7.14
crore income tax re-
turns for assessment
year 2021-22 have been
filed on the new e-fil-
ing portal, Mr Mohapa-
tra told reporters.
He further said that
Mumbai is the leading
city in India with a tax
collection of `4.4 lakh
crore. Bengaluru is
number two fol-
lowed by Delhi,
C h e n -
n a i ,
H y -
d e -
rabad, P
une, and Ahmadabad.
Net direct tax collections for 2021-22 surged
to `14,09,640.83 crore, showing a growth of 49.02
per cent. Gross direct tax collections for the
financial year ended March 31, stood
at `16,34,454.95 crore showing a growth of 32.75
per cent.
Power Minister tells
states to step up coal
imports for 3 years
New Delhi (Agen-
cies): India’s power
ministerhastoldstates
to step up coal imports
for the next three
years,foursourcestold
Reuters, reporting re-
marks that imply pro-
longed support for al-
ready elevated global
prices for the fuel.
The statement by
Power Minister R K
Singh puts a long time-
line on a major policy
reversal suggested this
month, when the fed-
eral government asked
utilities run by state
governments to step
up coal imports.
That move was con-
trary to a long-stand-
ing national objective
to buy less coal from
abroad but widely seen
as a temporary meas-
ure to address short-
fallsamidrisingpower
demand caused by
soaring temperatures
and a pickup in indus-
trial activity
.
But Singh’s remarks
in a meeting with state
government officials
on Tuesday mean In-
dia,alreadytheworld’s
second-largest coal im-
porter, could signifi-
cantly add to global
demand until 2025.
“The states were
asked to continue im-
porting because the
private sector will take
till at least early 2025 to
produce significant
output and there is
also a consistent trains
shortage to move do-
mestic coal around,”
said a power ministry
official who attended.
Another power min-
istry official who did
not attend the meeting
but was briefed on it
said states were asked
to sign long-term deals
to ensure supply and
secure lower prices.
13.5 MT
finished steel
worth `1 tn
exported in
FY22: Minister
New Delhi (PTI)):
India exported 13.5
million tonne (MT)
of finished steel val-
uing Rs 1 lakh crore
in the last financial
year, Minister of
Steel Steel Faggan
Singh Kulaste has
said.
According to offi-
cial data, India’s fin-
ished steel exports
were at 10.78 million
tonne in 2020-21.
“India exported
13.5 MT finished
steel amounting to
Rs 1 lakh crore and
imported steel of
around Rs 46,000
crore during FY22,”
Kulaste said at Steel
and Engineering Ex-
ports organised by
Metalogic PMS on
Tuesday
.
ONGC struggling to move Russian oil: Report
New Delhi/ London (Agen-
cies): India’s Oil and Natural
Gas Corp (ONGC) is strug-
gling to find a vessel to ship
700,000 barrels of crude from
Russia’s Far East, in a growing
sign that complex trades in-
volving one of Moscow’s big-
gest partners are being in-
terrupted by West-
ern sanctions,
sources say
.
Several Indian
companies includ-
ing ONGC have stakes in Rus-
sian oil and gas assets, and
India has been buying more
Russian crude since Moscow
invaded Ukraine, snapping up
the popular Urals crude grade,
while other buyers have
shunned Russian exports.
ONGC has a 20% stake in the
Sakhalin 1 project that produc-
es a Russian grade known as
Sokol, which ONGC exports
through tenders. Sokol is most-
ly bought by North Asian buy-
ers and loaded from South Ko-
rea.However, Moscow’s ability
to ship that grade, which re-
quires vessels that can break
through ice, is becoming hard-
er due to concerns from ship-
pers over reputational risk
and the increasing difficulty
for Russian assets to find in-
surance coverage.
Capital expenditure
in manufacturing
up by 150% in 2022
New Delhi (ANI): Pri-
vate sector capital ex-
penditure (capex) in
manufacturing surged
by around 150 per cent
in 2021-22 year-on-year
backed by mega pro-
ject announcements
in steel, cement and
auto sectors, Goldman
Sachs said in a report.
New investment/
capex announcements
by the private sector
saw a 145-150 per cent
increase in FY22, com-
pared to FY21/FY20,
Goldman Sachs report
showed.
“New investment/
capex announcements
and ordering activity
have seen a sharp
pick-up in FY22 (both
over last year and pre-
COVID levels),” Gold-
man Sachs noted in
the report titled ‘Make
In India’ tracker.
The manufacturing
sector, which has
lagged for multiple
years, saw an increase
of 210 per cent/460 per
cent in FY22, com-
pared to FY21/FY20.
While the increase
was aided by mega pro-
ject announcements
(especially in the Steel
sector), the number of
projects announced
also increased by 80
per cent/140 per cent
in FY22, compared to
FY21/FY20, the report
said.
Retail industry to grow 10% a year, reach
$2 trillion by 2032: BCG-RAI report
Mumbai (PTI): As the
country recovers from
the pandemic, the retail
industry h as resumed
its growth trajectory
and is likely to witness
10 per cent annual
growth to reach approx-
imately USD 2 trillion
by 2032, according to a
report.
According to a BCG-
RAI report titled “Rac-
ing towards the next
wave of Retail in India”,
while certain industry
segments like food and
grocery, restaurants
and Quick service res-
taurant (QSR), and con-
sumer durables have
recovered to pre-COVID
levels, others like jewel-
lery and accessory, ap-
parel, and footwear re-
main on track to a full
recovery
.
“The Indian econo-
my continues to be
driven by consumption
and we are observing
that consumption
growth is back in the
positive territory after
the two-year COVID
pause,” BCG Managing
Director and Senior
Partner Abheek Singhi
said.
Noting that India’s
retail industry will
grow to approx USD 2
trillion in the next 10
years, Singhi said “the
next decade will see or-
ganised retailers focus
on footprint expansion,
across all formats - of-
fline and online - to fuel
future growth”.
As per the report In-
dia’s consumption,
which was growing at
approximately 12 per
cent pre-pandemic,
went into negative ter-
ritory during the pan-
demic but has now re-
covered to surpass pre-
pandemic growth levels
at 17 per cent.
WAVE OF RETAIL
Air India
proposes to
acquire AirAsia
India
New Delhi (PTI): Tatas-
owned Air India plans to
acquire no-frills carrier
AirAsia India and has
sought approval from the
Competition Commission
for the proposed deal.
AirAsia India is majority-
owned by Tata Sons
Private Ltd with a share-
holding of 83.67 per cent
and the remaining stake
is with AirAsia Invest-
ment Ltd (AAIL), which is
part of Malaysia’s AirAsia
Group. Full service carrier
Air India and its low-cost
subsidiary Air India
Express were acquired by
Talace Private Limited, a
wholly-owned subsidiary
of Tata Sons Private Ltd,
last year.
Reliance Industries inks
pact for $2-bn UAE deal
New Delhi (PTI): Bil-
lionaire Mukesh Am-
bani’s Reliance Indus-
tries has signed a
shareholder agree-
ment for the $2 billion
TA’ZIZ chemical joint
venture in the UAE
and inked a pact to col-
laborate with ADNOC
in finding and produc-
ing conventional and
unconventional re-
sources.
“Abu Dhabi Chemi-
cals Derivatives Com-
pany RSC Ltd (TA’ZIZ)
and Reliance Indus-
tries Ltd (RIL), have
signed the formal
shareholder agree-
ment for the TA’ZIZ
EDC and PVC pro-
ject,” the company
said. “The TA’ZIZ EDC
PVC joint venture
will construct and op-
erate a Chlor-Alkali,
Ethylene Dichloride
and Polyvinyl Chlo-
ride production facili-
ty, with an investment
of over $2 billion.
Reliance inked a pact
with ADNOC in,
producing
conventional,
unconventional
resources.
Container prices fall in India amidst supply chain disruptions
New Delhi (ANI): Con-
tainer xChange, the
world’s leading neutral
marketplace for ship-
ping containers and a
technology logistics in-
frastructure company,
released the findings of
its container logistics
analysis for the Indian
container logistics mar-
ket.
Keyfindingsfromthe
analysisshowthatthere
has been a general de-
cline in average prices
of 20 ft DC and 40 ft HC
standard shipping con-
tainers across the ports
of Chennai, Nhava She-
va and Mundra from
Mid-January 2022 till
date, after having
peakedinthemonthsof
August-September2021.
However, the prices
are much higher than
the prices from Janu-
ary 2021 (40 per cent
higher in Chennai, 36
per cent higher in
Nhava Sheva and 36
per cent in Mundra for
40 ft HC containers).
The average prices
have increased by 41
per cent from USD 1341
on 1st January 2021 to
USD 2269 as on April 23
2022 at the port of
Nhava Sheva for 20 ft
DC cargo-worthy con-
tainer.
The average price of
40 ft HC container in
Chennai were USD 5127
in mid-January 2022
which fell to USD 4297
on April 18, 2022. A fall
of 16 per cent since
January 17, 2022.
Another key finding
is the rise in Container
Availability Index
(CAx) values from week
14 (April 4 till date).
Sensex slumps 537 points;
Bajaj Finance tumbles 7.24%
Mumbai (ANI): The Indian stock markets’
key indices, Sensex and Nifty, slumped
by around one per cent on Wednesday,
dragged by heavy selling pressure in bank-
ing and financial stocks. The 30 stock SP
BSE Sensex slumped 537.22 points or 0.94
per cent to 56,819.39 points against its
previous day’s close at 57,356.61 points.
Tracking weakness in the global equities,
the Sensex opened deep in the red at
56,983.68 points and slumped to a low of
56,584.04 points in the intra-day. Sensex
has registered losses in three out of the
last four trading sessions. Bajaj Finance
tumbled 7.24 per cent to Rs 6716.65.
Airtel acquires strategic 7%
stake in Cnergee Technologies
New Delhi (ANI): Telecom operator Bharti
Airtel on Wednesday said it has acquired
a strategic minority stake in cloud-based
networking solutions provider Cnergee
Technologies under the Airtel Startup
Accelerator Programme. The percentage
of shareholding or control acquired is
nearly 7 per cent, Bharti Airtel said in a
regulatory filing to the stock exchanges.
The stake acquisition will enable Airtel
to sharpen its Network as a Service
(NaaS) proposition for Small and Me-
dium Businesses (SMBs) who are looking
to accelerate their shift to cloud-based
applications.
Rules simplified for procedure
for transmission of securities
New Delhi (PTI): With an aim to simplify
the procedure for transmission of securi-
ties, Sebi has revised the existing threshold
limit for simplified documents to Rs 5 lakh
from Rs 2 lakh currently for securities held
in physical mode per listed issuer. Also, the
threshold in this regard for securities held
in the dematerialised mode for each ben-
eficiary account has been increased to Rs
15 lakh from the present level of Rs 5 lakh.
Legal Heirship Certificate or its equivalent
certificate issued by competent government
authority will be an acceptable document
for transmission of securities, the regulator
said in a notification issued on Tuesday.
`820 cr support for India Post
Payments Bank approved
New Delhi (PTI): The Union Cabinet has
approved financial support of Rs 820 crore
for India Post Payments Bank, a source
said on Wednesday. The support will help
state-run payments bank to penetrate
deeper into the country, especially in
the rural area and work towards finan-
cial inclusion. “There was a proposal to
provide Rs 820 crore financial support to
India Post Payments Bank (IPPB). It has
been approved by the Cabinet,” the source
told PTI. IPPB has over five crore accounts
at present and operates through 1.36 lakh
branches. Around 48 per cent of its ac-
count holders are women.

First India Bureau
Mumbai: Gujarat Ti-
tans’RahulTewatiasaid
that in every match of
the franchise, an indi-
vidual player has always
stood out and it is good
for the team in tough cir-
cumstances,playerstake
responsibility to win the
games for their side.
“Looking at our
games, every game had
an individual player
who stood out. It is not
likewearedependenton
one to three players. In
the first match against
Lucknow Super Giants,
it was me and (David)
Miller, then next time it
was Abhinav Manohar,
then Lockie Ferguson
bowled well and finally,
there was David Miller
who finished a match.
This is a team game,
team matters more. We
are happy that there is
always someone who
ends up being a part of
tough times and takes
the responsibility
,” said
Tewatia.
The attacking left-
handed batter, who has
finished some matches
for his side and during
his stint with Rajasthan
Royals said regarding
his ‘match-finisher’ im-
age that winning match-
es brings responsibili-
ties and it feels great to
have responsibilities
coming his way
.
On facing and hitting
West Indies bowlers like
SheldonCottrellandOde-
anSmithforsixes,theall-
roundersaidthathedoes
not look at who the bowl-
ersare,butratherputsall
his attention on seeing
the ball and hitting it.
Questioned on dress-
ing room culture and
sharing the dressing
room and field with
some of the sport’s big-
gest cricketing stars,
Tewatia said, “In the
dressing room, you do
not feel as if you are
among the stars. The at-
mosphere is so comfort-
able and everyone gets
treated equally
. Even on
the field, we do not see
who is batting or bowl-
ing, we just focus on giv-
ing our best as a team.”
In every game, an individual player
always stands out: Rahul Tewatia
‘In tough
circumstances,
players take
responsibility to
win the games
for their side’
Tewatia in action.
COURTESY MEET!
Jagdeesh Chandra in conversation with Former IB Minister and Rajya Sabha MP Prakash
Javadekar at the VIP Lounge during a courtesy meet at Jaipur International Airport on
Wednesday. After the meeting, Prakash Javadekar, who was on a one-day visit to the Pink
City to attend a private function, returned to New Delhi.
08
2NDFRONT
19 booked for using force against police
A mob gathered around a team and helped an accused escape from police custody in Palanpur
First India Bureau
Palanpur: A mob led
by 19 persons gheraoed
a police team in Jam-
pura area of Palanpur
town on Tuesday even-
ing and fled away with
the accused who was
arrested by the police.
Palanpur East police
station have booked
Aftab Sindhi, Abdul
Sindhi, Asraf Man-
kanojia, Mohammad
Mankanojia, Maulana
Jamir Machiliya and 14
others for criminal
force to deter public
servant from discharg-
ing duty, voluntarily
causing hurt to public
servant, criminal in-
timidation, threat of
injury to public serv-
ant, unlawful assembly
to commit an offence,
and rioting.
In a complaint, Head
Constable Kaushik
Okhabhai stated, “Po-
lice had received a com-
plaint from Anamika
(name changed) that
Mankanojia and others
had kidnapped a nine-
year-old boy Bhuvnesh
(name changed) to a
mosque. He was report-
edly tied upside down
and ruthlessly beaten
by eight persons. The
minor was released
when his parents ap-
proached police and
lodged a complaint.”
To investigate the
case, police took the boy
to the mosque and
asked him to identify
the persons who had
kidnapped and beaten
him. He identified Man-
kanojia, and so, offi-
cials detained him. As
they were about to leave
the mosque premises,
someone announced
the arrest on the loud-
speaker, appealing to
members of the minor-
ity community to stop
the police.
As a result, many
people gathered outside
the mosque and at-
tacked the police team.
The mob started push-
ing police officials and
helped Mankanojia es-
cape custody
.
Living in makeshift
huts on the footpath
near the Haripura wa-
ter tank, the minor’s
parents went out look-
ing for him when they
did not find Bhuvnesh
or his brother Rakesh
there. When they heard
about the punishment
being meted out to their
child at the mosque,
they filed the police
complaint. They were
told that Bhuvnesh had
stolen something
owned by the mosque. A
separate complaint in
this regard has been
filed with the police by
the minor’s mother.
Police at the mosque in Jampura area.
WHAT HAPPENED
4 of family killed, 2
injured after bike
hits bulldozer
First India Bureau
Dahod: A labourer,
his wife and their
two minor sons were
killed, while their
two other children
suffered injuries af-
ter their motorcycle
hit a bulldozer which
suddenly came in
their way in Dahod
district, police said
on Wednesday.
The accident took
place on Tuesday
evening when the
six-member family
was returning from
Jhalod town to
Sukhsar after work,
they said.
The front loader
of the bulldozer en-
gaged at a construc-
tion site suddenly
fell and came in
their way on a state
highway in Ghani
Khunt village of
Fatepura taluka, an
official from Sukh-
sar police station
said.
The man and his
two sons—aged four
and 12 years—died
on the spot, while
his wife succumbed
to injuries later in a
hospital, he said.
The couple’s two
daughters—8 and 10
years old—also suf-
fered injuries. The
elder girl was griev-
ously hurt, while the
younger one re-
ceived minor inju-
ries. Both of them
were undergoing
treatment in a hospi-
tal, the official said.
The bulldozer’s
driver fled after the
accident, he added.
Police have
launched an investi-
gation and are look-
ing into the matter.
12 held for stealing `5L
railway scrap in Surat
NCB,ATS bust Afghan-India
drug ring; 35kg heroin seized
2 nabbed for betting on IPL match
First India Bureau
New Delhi: The NCB
and the Gujarat ATS
seized 35kg heroin
after they busted an
Afghanistan-India
narcotics smuggling
ring being operated
from Uttar Pradesh’s
Muzaffarnagar dis-
trict, officials said
on Wednesday.
In a statement, the
Narcotics Control Bu-
reau said the initial
input about the syndi-
cate was shared by the
Gujarat anti-terrorist
squad following which
the two agencies inter-
cepted two Muzaffar-
nagar residents in
Delhi and about 1kg
heroin was recovered
from their vehicle.
A probe found that
an Afghan-India drug
syndicate has been ac-
tive for the last few
months, the NCB said
in a statement.
“They have been
smuggling goods to In-
dia through maritime
and land border route
wherein heroin was
concealed. The narcot-
ics was later extracted
from those goods by the
Indian counterparts
with the help of Afghan
mules in the Muzaffar-
nagar store house,” the
statement said.
A cache of 34kg of
heroin and 2.75kg of
acetic anhydride (a
chemical used to manu-
facture drugs) was re-
covered from the Mu-
zaffarnagar store
house following raids
by the two agencies, it
said.
The total seizure
of heroin is about
35kg in this opera-
tion and further in-
vestigation is being
conducted to identify
other links and peo-
ple involved, a senior
officer said.
First India Bureau
Vadodara: The Va-
dodara PCB (Preven-
tion of Crime Branch)
caught two with IDs
for betting on an IPL
match. The team re-
covered mobiles and
cash from the arrested
duo, while two others
are wanted.
On Tuesday
, the PCB
team received informa-
tion about Abdulkadar
Husaini Basrai, who
tookanIDfromMurtaza
Attarwala for online bet-
ting. He with Murtaza
were betting on the
match held between Ra-
jasthanRoyalsandRoyal
Challenger Bangalore
on their mobile phones
with the help of the IDs
sitting at their homes.
Based on that, the
team raided both hous-
es. The team recovered
cash and mobiles from
both the accused and
declared Balu, who
gives them the ID and
his associate Irfan Sin-
dhi, as wanted. An of-
fence was registered in
the Bapod police sta-
tion, and further inves-
tigation is ongoing.
First India Bureau
Surat: In connivance
of the officials in the
engineering depart-
ment of the railways,
16 tonnes of goods
worth Rs5 lakh were
sold to the junkyard
from Surat railway
station. In this case,
nine people, includ-
ing the railway con-
tractor and receiver,
who sold the scrap,
were arrested on
Monday. In addition,
three Group D em-
ployees were also ar-
rested on Wednesday.
The RPF was sup-
posed to interrogate
the IOW (inspector of
work) and PWI (per-
manent way inspec-
tor) of the Engineer-
ing Department, but
they escaped. RPF
has made separate
teams to catch them.
The accused Shabir
was a contractor in the
railways and later
started selling scraps
to Salim Abdul Gaffar.
Apart from them, rail-
way employees
Naveen, Satish and Ra-
hul were also parties
to the act. All of them
are arrested by the
RPF. As per rule, scrap
can only be sold by a
proper auction or after
floating a tender.
The responsibility of
selling the scrap was
under the inspectors of
the engineering depart-
ment—senior section
engineer (PWEI) Sanjay
Pandey and senior sec-
tion engineers (IOW)
Pankaj and Niranjan—
who escaped.
According to sources,
it was not the first time
railway scrap was sold.
A month ago, Shabir
had sold four tonnes of
scrap to Salim, and even
on April 23 and 24, he
had sold four tonnes of
scrap.
OFF THE BOOKS?
Sustainability is a global
concept, it has to enclose the
entire Earth, Environmental
degradation knows no political borders.
—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO Editor-in-Chief, First India

AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY,
APRIL 28, 2022
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epapers/ahmedabad I twitter.com/
thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09
f the initial
season of
First Miss In-
dia and First
Miss India
Teen was
b e a u t i f u l ,
then the second sea-
son will be excep-
tionally glamorous.
This is what the post-
er launch of the sec-
ond season of First
Miss India promised.
The launch that was
held on Wednesday,
April 27, took place at
the pumping hotspot
of young party go-
ers, Hex - High en-
ergy Xperience,
Mumbai.
Jagdeesh Chandra
unveiled the poster
and the top 3 crowns
for the winners of
Season 2, along with
beauty queens of the
First Miss India Sea-
son 1 and brand am-
bassador for season
2, Anjali Khandal.
A new fresh inno-
cent face on the glam-
our screen, Anjali
Khandal is the SYM-
BOL of all the young
girls of the future
generation, the aspir-
ants and future par-
ticipants of First
Miss India season 2
who have dreams in
their eyes to make it
big in the world of
entertainment and
fashion industry.
First Miss India is
a one-of-a-kind com-
bination of splen-
dour and refinement
that stands in stark
contrast to the typi-
cal status of pag-
eantry in India. The
goal of this beauty
pageant is to empow-
er young ladies
while also allowing
them to grow and
build a healthy self-
image.
The online regis-
tration of First Miss
India has begun, one
can register and
learn more about the
contest on the official
website of First India
https://www.first-
missindia.in/ as the
website was also
launched on the occa-
sion.
Auditions for the
same will be held of-
fline in 8 cities across
India, starting from
Mumbai in June.
Show Director of
Season 2 Parimal Me-
hhta- Founder and
CEO of Blanckanvas
Media Pvt Ltd also
graced the glitzy
evening.
Gaurav Gaur, Di-
rector Elite Miss Ra-
jasthan, Ashok Singh
from Big Boss Studio
along super model,
actress and multi tal-
ented beauty Akank-
sha Bhalla were pre-
sent as special guests
on the occasion.
FIRST MISS INDIA SEASON 2
THE AWE-INSPIRING LAUNCH OF
BEAUTY GLAMOUR
AFTER THE HUGE SUCCESS OF THE FIRST MISS INDIA SEASON
1 HELD AT DONA SYLVIA RESORT IN GOA ON OCTOBER 30,
2021, THE POSTER OF SECOND SEASON WAS LAUNCHED ON
WEDNESDAY AT HEX HIGH ENERGY XPERIENCE MUMBAI
—PHOTO
BY
KRISHNA
MISHRA

SUSHIL
GUJAR
I
ANITA HADA
anita.hada@firstindianews.com
Georgia Andriani
Jagdeesh Chandra with (L-R) Kangna, Chahak, Aastha, Muskaan, Lekh, Aditi, Pearl, Shreya, Shubhi, Tanvi and Kavya
Jagdeesh Chandra unveils the top 3 crowns of First Miss India Season 2.
Also seen are Parimal Mehta, Khalid Ansari, Anjali Khandal and Rajendra Jain
Raya and Akriti Anand

ETC
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epapers/ahmedabad I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 2022
10
Sagittarius
NOVEMBER 23 - DECEMBER 21
You will manage to ignore
distractions and interrup-
tions at work to complete a
pending task in time. Job
prospects for those freshly out of
professional institutes are set to brighten
up soon. Those not in a stable job can
expect permanency. Health will be
satisfactory, as you regularly workout.
Capricorn
DECEMBER 22 - JANUARY 20
Homemakers will get a
chance to implement their
ideas. You are likely to be
recognised for your efforts
on the professional front. Chance of a
raise is possible for some. Timely and
correct decision will help you in saving
a lot of money. You will be able to
de-stress yourself completely today.
Aquarius
JANUARY 21 - FEBRUARY 18
A major purchase may
make a dent in your
savings, but will help in
keeping up with the flow .
Speculation may not be profitable and
you can very well burn your fingers.
Some of you may get hard pressed to
find a good match for someone eligible
in the family.
Pisces
FEBRUARY 19 - MARCH 20
A profitable day for
entrepreneurs is envisaged.
You may be played upon
for spending on someone
else’s needs and desires. Homemakers
are likely to enjoy the day in the
company of neighbours and friends.
Fatigue threatens in a long journey, but
adequate breaks will keep you going.
YOUR DAY
Horoscope by
Saurabbh Sachdeva
Aries
MARCH 21 - APRIL 20
Keep on doing whatever
you are doing to remain
healthy. Some of you will
have to curb your
splurging ways. Family life will cruise
along smoothly with much love and
bonhomie. Don’t speed up on the road.
Chance of moving to a new location on
transfer is likely for some.
Taurus
APRIL 21 - MAY 21
Settling down in a new
house is indicated for
some. Money put together
on previous occasions is
likely to come in handy now. A family
youngster is keen to learn from you, so
don’t disappoint. You may have to
awaken partner’s interest in you once
again.
Gemini
MAY 22 - JUNE 21
People falling under this
sign will have very refresh-
ing day. Visiting a mall or
watching a movie with
family is likely to be the highlight of the
day for some. You may enjoy travelling
to a tourist destination recommended
by your friends. Reignite the flickering
romance in your life.
Cancer
JUNE 22 - JULY 22
Something you have
implemented at work is
likely to profit the company
and get you noticed. You
are likely to celebrate the achievement
of a family youngster in a grand way.
Shifting into your very own house may
soon become a reality. Health will be
satisfactory.
Leo
JULY 23 - AUGUST 22
Driving down with lover to
a happening place is
indicated today. A vacation
you only dreamed about is
likely to become a reality soon . Healthy
eating will help prevent digestive
ailments. Money will be no constraint in
buying what you like. Don’t speed up on
the road.
Virgo
AUGUST 23 - SEPTEMBER 22
Good earning opportunities
come to you. Help from
co-workers in a time
consuming task will be
forthcoming on the work front. Support
of family will encourage you to take up
a challenge. Socially, your presence will
be much looked forward to. A work trip
is on the cards for some.
Libra
SEPTEMBER 23 - OCTOBER 22
Financial worries evaporate
as new avenues of earning
open up. You will put in
extra efforts to complete a
task entrusted to you. Your academic
aspirations may take some time to get
realised. A contentious property issue
may not show any signs of getting
sorted out amicably.
Scorpio
OCTOBER 23 - NOVEMBER 22
Sticking to workout routine
may benefit you on the
health front. Meeting
relatives at a marriage or
party cannot be ruled out. Support from
the family may seem most encouraging
for those aiming an academic pursuit. A
passion-filled evening is foreseen, as
romantic front brightens.
People Eat Healthy
People Eat Healthy
ealthy eating is
all about the re-
placement of
foods contain-
ing trans fats
and added sug-
ar with better
options to build strong
bones and protect the
body by preventing ail-
ments. A wholesome diet
usually includes nutri-
ent-rich foods such as
healthy fats, proteins,
whole grains, fruits and
vegetables. The feature
includes the benefits of
consuming a healthy
diet.
HEART HEALTH
According to the doctors,
it is possible to prevent
heart diseases with life-
style changes such as
regular exercise and a
balanced diet. Diet can
even significantly reduce
high blood pressure.
Maximum consumption
of vegetables, fruits,
whole grains, low-fat
dairy products, fish,
poultry
, beans, nuts, veg-
etable oils and high fiber
foods is advisable. Intake
of saturated and trans
fats such as meats and
full-fat dairy products
coupled with drinks and
foods that contain added
sugars should be restrict-
ed to prevent cholesterol
production.
IMPROVED GUT HEALTH
The colon is full of natu-
rally occurring bacteria,
which play important
role in metabolism and
digestion. Some particu-
lar strains of bacteria
produce vitamins K and
B, which are beneficial
for the colon as they help
fight harmful bacteria
and viruses. Low fiber
and high sugar diets
change the gut microbi-
ome increasing the
chances of inflamma-
tion. A diet rich in vege-
tables, fruits and leg-
umes provides a combi-
nation of prebiotics and
probiotics that help good
bacteria thrive in the co-
lon. Fermented foods
such as yogurt, kimchi
and miso, etc
are rich in pro-
biotics.
REDUCED CANCER RISK
Foods with high antioxi-
dant content decrease
the chances of develop-
ing free radicals in the
body which is beneficial
in preventing deadly dis-
eases such as cancer.
Foods rich in antioxi-
dants include berries
such as blueberries,
raspberries, dark leafy
greens, pumpkin and
carrots nuts. These
should be eaten regular-
ly to reduce the risk of
cancer.
WEIGHT LOSS
Excessive body
weight is one
of the big-
gest contrib-
utingfactors
to multiple
d i s e a s e s .
Hence, weight mainte-
nance can help reduce
theriskof chronichealth
issues such as heart dis-
eases, type 2 diabetes,
poor bone density, etc.
Unprocessed foods such
as vegetables, fruits and
beans help reduce weight
as they are lower in calo-
ries.
DIABETES MANAGEMENT
A healthy diet can man-
age blood glucose levels
keeping
b l o o d
pressure and
cholesterol with-
in target ranges to
prevent diabetes. People
with diabetes should lim-
it their intake of fried
foods with added sugar
and salt. Green and leafy
vegetables such as spin-
ach, collard greens, kale,
cabbage and broccoli are
fullof essentialvitamins,
min-
e r a l s
and nutri-
ents that have
a minimal im-
pact on blood sugar
levels. They provide
protein and fiber and
hence are helpful for peo-
ple with diabetes.
STRONG BONES AND TEETH
Intake of adequate cal-
cium and magnesium
leads to strong bones
and teeth
which reduces
the risk of osteo-
porosis. Low-fat
dairy products, broc-
coli, cauliflower, cab-
bage, canned fish with
bones, tofu and legumes
are rich in calcium
which aids the forma-
tion of healthy bones
and teeth.
IMPROVED MEMORY
A good diet also helps
maintain great cognition
and brain health. Studies
prove that there are foods
that protect against cog-
nitivedeclineanddemen-
tia. Food items that con-
tain nutrients such as vi-
tamin D, vitamin C, vita-
min E, omega-3 fatty ac-
ids and fish.
GOOD MOOD
According to research-
ers, diets with a high gly-
cemic load might trigger
symptoms of depres-
sion. It includes many
refined carbohydrates
such as those found in
soft drinks, cakes, white
bread and biscuits. On
the other hand vegeta-
bles, whole fruits and
whole grains have a low-
er glycemic load which
is healthier. Hence, there
is a close relationship
between diet and mood
which should be taken
care of.
A balanced
diet can
reduce the
risk of many
ailments. City
First brings to
you tips for a
healthy diet
that boosts
mood and
provides
energy.
DHANUSHREE VYAS
cityfirst@firstindia.co.in
H
Stay Healthy!
Stay Healthy!

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