28102021 first india ahmedabad (2)

First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: Two im-
portant decisions af-
fecting farmers and stu-
dents in the state were
taken by the state gov-
ernment on Wednesday
.
Farmers will now re-
ceive irrigation water
from October 30 on-
wards and students be-
longing to economically
backward classes will
receive financial assis-
tance from the state.
Funds of Rs500 crore
have been allocated for
this purpose.
Making the an-
nouncement, state Edu-
cation Minister Jitu
Vaghani told media per-
sons, “The registration
date for procurement of
groundnuts from farm-
ers has been extended
till October 31. Turn to P6
WATER TO BE RELEASED FOR
CROP IRRIGATION ON OCT 30
WORTHY CAUSES
Farmers had appealed for early water release to irrigate and save
Rabi crops sown by them. —FILE PHOTO
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
AHMEDABAD l THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2021 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/79050 l Vol 2 l Issue No. 332
OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR, AHMEDABAD, LUCKNOW NEW DELHI
Srinagar: A top Air Force officer on Wednesday said there was no plan “at the
moment” to capture Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), but expressed that
someday India will have the “whole of Kashmir”. Speaking at an event, Air
Officer Commanding in Chief of Western Air Command, Air Marshal Amit Dev,
also said the people in PoK are not being treated very fairly by the Pakistanis
Mumbai: Sensex was down 206.93 points or 0.34% at
61143.33, and the Nifty was down 57.40 points or 0.31% at
18211.00. About 1672 shares advanced, 1378 declined, and 109
were unchanged. On the Sensex, Axis Bank, RIL, Bajaj Finance
fell the most, with 23 Nifty stocks gaining and 27 declining
SOMEDAY, INDIA
WILL HAVE WHOLE
OF KASHMIR: TOP
AIR FORCE OFFICER
SENSEX ENDS
200 POINTS
LOWER, NIFTY
NEAR 18,200
CORONA CATASTROPHE
GUJARAT
INDIA
13,451
new cases
585
new fatalities
05
new cases
00
new fatalities
PEGASUS SNOOPGATE: CENTRE FACES IRE FOR ‘NO SPECIFIC DENIAL’ ON ALLEGATIONS
‘THIS CAN’T
BEALLOWED’
SC-bench headed by CJI Ramana
orders independent probe, says
the govt can’t get away every time
issueof‘nationalsecurity’israised
Mohd Fahad
New Delhi: Ruling that
the state does not get a
free pass every time the
spectre of national secu-
rity is raised, the Su-
preme Court on Wednes-
day appointed a commit-
tee comprising three
technical members and
supervised by its retired
judgeJusticeRVRaveen-
dran to conduct a “thor-
ough inquiry” into alle-
gationsof useof Pegasus
software for unauthor-
ised surveillance.
On the selection of
members for the com-
mittee, the bench, also
comprising Justices
Surya Kant and Hima
Kohli,said,“Ratherthan
relying upon any Gov-
ernmentagenciesorany
,
we have constituted the
Committee and short-
listed expert members
based on biodatas and
informationcollectedin-
dependently
.”
The ruling came on a
batch of 12 petitions
which sought an inde-
pendent probe into the
allegations which sur-
faced in the media
about the unauthorised
surveillance.
The court said the
right to privacy, al-
though declared to be
inalienable, cannot be
said to be an absolute, as
the Constitution does
not provide for such a
right without reasona-
ble restrictions. Certain
limitations exist when it
comes to the right to pri-
vacy as well, it said, add-
inghowever,anyrestric-
tions imposed must nec-
essarily pass constitu-
tional scrutiny
, and with
such allegations this
kind of snooping activ-
ity just can’t be allowed.
The Centre had de-
clined to file affidavit
citing national security
.
Yes,I am forming party,can go for
seat-sharing with BJP: Amarinder
Chandigarh: Ahead of
the state polls next year,
former Punjab chief
minister Amarinder
Singh on Wednesday
announced that he will
form a new political
party
.
“Yes, I will be form-
ing a new party. The
namewillbeannounced
once the Election Com-
mission clears it, along
with the symbol. My
lawyers are working on
it,” he said.
On entering an alli-
ance with the BJP , Am-
arinder said that he has
not talked to the BJP or
Sukhdev Singh Dhind-
sa’s party Shiromani
Akali Dal (Sanyukt) as
yet but they would want
to have a seat-sharing.
“We have got many
people with us, we will
fight all 117 seat, we will
have plenty of Con-
gressmen coming in,”
he added.
ARYAN STAYS IN JAIL AS BAIL HEARING DEFERRED
LAWYERS TERM ARREST AS WRONG,
PUBLIC PROSECUTOR TO ARGUE TODAY
Mumbai: Aryan Khan
accused in the cruise
drugs case along with
Arbaaz Merchant and
Munmun Dhamicha
did not get bail on
Wednesday. Aryan,
lodged in Arthur Road
Jail since October 8,
will now be heard in
the Bombay High Court
at 2.30 pm on Thursday.
During the hearing
in the court, the judge
said that if Additional
Solicitor General (ASG)
Anil Singh will reply in
an hour tomorrow, he
will try to finish the
matter on Thursday
.
Aryan’s lawyer and
former Attorney Gen-
eral Mukul Rohatgi re-
quested to see the arrest
memo again. Rohatgi
said that Aryan was
wrongly arrested. The
investigation of this
case may continue even
after he is granted bail.
Arbaaz Merchant’s
lawyer Amit Desai also
presented the argu-
ments at the beginning
of the hearing on
Wednesday. He called
the arrest of the ac-
cused wrong without
giving notice.
MALIK RELEASES WANKHEDE’S
‘NIKAHNAMA’ IN CASTE CERT ROW
DIGITAL FORENSICS, MALWARE DETECTION
EXPERTS IN INVESTIGATION COMMITTEE
Mumbai: Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik Wednesday
released a document that he claimed was the nikahnama
of NCB Mumbai Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede
and reiterated his allegation that
Wankhede, in spite of being a Muslim,
had taken reservation benefits of
the Scheduled Caste community
to secure his job in the Indian
Revenue Service. The handwritten
nikahnama, dated December 2006,
refers to the marriage of one Sameer
Dawood Wankhede with one Shabana Zaheer Qureshi.
The nikahnama is a written document that two Muslim
partners entering into a civil union must put their
signature on in order to legalise their marriage.
Naveen Kumar Chaudhary is a
professor of cyber security and
digital forensics at Gujarat’s
National Forensic Sciences
University. Prabaharan P is a
professor at Kerala’s Amrita
Vishwa Vidyapeetham. With over
two decades of experience in
computer science and security.
Ashwin Anil Gumaste of IIT
Bombay specialises in optical
networks, broadband networks,
access networks, dynamic optical
networks Former IPS officer
Alok Joshi and Sundeep Oberoi,
chairman of a subcommittee at
the International Organisation
of Standardisation, will assist
Raveendran in overseeing work.
SINGH BACKS BSF’S
JURISDICTION; TO
MEET SHAH TODAY
Chandigarh: Former
Chief Minister Captain
Amarinder Singh
reiterated his support to
the Centre’s decision to
enhance the jurisdiction
of the BSF in Punjab,
and said the purpose of
the force is to secure
international borders
and not take over the
state government. Singh
also shared his plan of
paying a visit to Home
Minister Amit Shah on
Thursday to discuss
various issues including
farmers’ protests.
Vindicated, will push
for Parliament debate
on Pegasus: Rahul
New Delhi: Congress’s
RahulGandhiwelcomed
the Supreme Court’s or-
der to form a committee
to look into the Pegasus
spyware row, saying the
opposition’sstandonthe
issue is “vindicated”
since the judges have
flagged the same con-
cerns.“Weprotested,but
noreply
.WestoppedPar-
liament, but we still did
not get a reply
. Now our
stand is vindicated. So,
our questions remain
the same,” Gandhi said.
Gandhi said the opposi-
tion, has been asking
three basic questions.
“Who authorised
Pegasus (and) who has
bought Pegasus? Who
are the victims of
Pegasus snooping? Did
any other nation have
data on our people?
What all information do
they have?”
Justice RV
Raveendran
Dr Naveen K
Chaudhary
Alok
Joshi
Dr Prabaharan
P
Sandeep
Oberoi
Dr Ashwin Anil
Gumaste
WHAT WILL THE COMMITTEE LOOK INTO...
The SC bench said the committee will “enquire, investigate and determine” (i) whether
the Pegasus suite of spyware was used on phones or other devices of Indians to access
stored data, eavesdrop on conversations and intercept info; (ii) The details of the victims
affected; (iii) What steps/actions have been taken by the government after reports were
published in 2019 about hacking of WhatsApp accounts using the Pegasus spyware;
(iv) Whether any Pegasus spyware was acquired by the Centre or any State Government
or any central or state agency for use against citizens of India; (v) If any governmental
agency has used the Pegasus; (vi) If any domestic entity/person has used the spyware
on the citizens of this country. The panel will also then make recommendations.
You read it in First India on Sept 14, 2021 PM not above nation,
said the Cong leader
Captain Amarinder Singh
PM Modi gave GDP‘a human face’
during his seven-year tenure: Shah
New Delhi: Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi has changed the
“scale and size” of the
schemes initiated by
the Centre and gave
GDP “a human face”
during his seven-year
tenure, Home Minister
Amit Shah said on
Wednesday.
Shah also said that
Modi who developed
Gujarat as a model state
was chosen by the BJP
as a prime ministerial
candidate at a time
when the country was
facing a severe leader-
ship crisis.
SHAH VISITS DHANKHAR AT DELHI AIIMS
New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on
Wednesday visited West Bengal Governor Jagdeep
Dhankhar at AIIMS in New Delhi. The Governor was
admitted on Monday after being tested positive for
malaria. A source said, “The governor was admitted at
3 pm. He has been admitted under supervision of Dr
Neeraj Nischal, addl professor, Department of Medicine.”
GANDHIAN SUBBARAO
PASSES AWAY AT 92
First India Bureau
Jaipur: Renowned
Gandhian thinker Dr SN
Subbarao passed away
at the age of 92 at the
SMS Hospital in Jaipur
on Wednesday morn-
ing, a development
which Chief Minister
Ashok Gehlot termed
as his personal loss.
Subbarao was admitted
to SMS last week and
suffered a heart attack
on Tuesday evening fol-
lowing which he suc-
cumbed on Wednesday
morning. His last rites
will be performed on
Thursday at Gandhi
Ashram in Jaura in
Morena dist of MP. He
was famous for his
‘Shramdan’, activities
camps, with which
many youth were
associated across
India. More on P8

NEWS
AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2021
02
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: Last
week, the office of Direc-
tor General issued
guidelines for usage of
social media for police
personnel.Ithasbecome
the talk of the state bu-
reaucracy, not because
it will set a brilliant ex-
ample, but due to expo-
sure of the double stand-
ards when it comes to
social media.
An officer from the
state secretariat drew
attention of First India
towardsafewtweetsput
out by IPS officers,
where one of them had
used his photo in uni-
form as the profile pic-
ture,identifyinghimself
as an IPS officer. “Such
officers are posting com-
ments on party initia-
tives, criticizing opposi-
tion parties and their
leaders. If a government
employee cannot par-
ticipate in any political
activity for the duration
of their service, isn’t
passing comments on
social media against an
opponent, endorsing po-
litical ideologies of the
ruling party, a violation
of the service rules?” he
questioned.
One or two bureau-
crats have been sharing
tweets of the ruling par-
ty’s general secretary
(organization), who is
not a government offic-
er or minister. It shows
which party they lean
towards, but no action
has been initiated
against such officers,
asserted the officer.
Sharing an anecdote,
the bureaucrat also re-
called a post on social
media by a former IAS
officer, who was then
serving the state, in the
run up to the 2017 state
assembly elections.
“This officer had posted
something against Con-
gress leader Rahul Gan-
dhi.Noactionwastaken
against him then, and
after retiring from the
service, the officer
joined the ruling party
and was made the state
vice-president,” he said.
Citing the latest
guidelines issued for
police personnel by the
DG office, the officer
also said, “Just because
a police jawan demand-
ed higher pay grade,
police officers are being
seen as a threat. But no
action has been taken
against a bureaucrat
showcasing his politi-
cal leanings on social
media,” he rued.
Govt’s double standards over social media use by employees
UNFAIR
lll
Bureaucrats
showcasing
their political
preferences
invoke no
action, but
police
personnel are
being told off
for the same
FARMERS ACROSS GUJ DEMAND POWER SUPPLY
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Farm-
ers across Gujarat
continue to call out
state-run power com-
panies over an inade-
quate and erratic sup-
ply of electricity. They
say they have made
multiple representa-
tions to the authori-
ties, to no avail.
Now, the Kisan Con-
gress has demanded
that the government
compensate farmers
for crop losses caused
by the irregular elec-
tricity supply.
Congress MLA Har-
shad Ribadia had sub-
mitted to Energy Min-
ister Kanu Desai that
rural areas of Visa-
vadar, Bhensan and
Junagadh have been
getting just one hour
of electricity per day
for the last 17 days.
“The little electricity
that is supplied comes
at night. How does the
government expect
farmers to get to their
farms--located near
the Gir Forest--in the
dark when there are
wild animals around?”
he asked, adding,
“Without sufficient
electricity, the Rabi
crop will fail.”
Farmers have also
expressed outrage
over government inac-
tion after a power line
broke in Chikhli,
causing crop damage
and killing some farm
labourers.
“Navsari’s farmers
have repeatedly
lodged verbal and
written complaints
with Dakshin Gujarat
Vij Company Ltd (DG-
VCL) to resolve their
problems. Yet the
problem is not solved.
When the DGVCL ex-
ecutive engineer was
asked about this, he
claimed to have sent a
representation to his
superiors,” Shailesh
Patel of Kisan Con-
gress said.
Kisan Congress says Rabi crop will fail without proper electricity
—FILE PHOTO
Savli MLA writes to
CM on farmers’ issues
First India Bureau
Vadodara: Ketan Inamdar, the
Bharatiya Janata Party MLA for
Savli, has written to Chief Min-
ister Bhupendra Patel regarding
the problems being faced by
farmers in his constituency. The
letter follows complaints from
farmers in Savli taluka that they
have not been getting adequate
water supply due to power
cuts and maintenance is-
sues.
“Farmers are not getting
water on time for irriga-
tion due to power cuts. Fur-
ther, the electricity supply
has been reduced from
the eights hours giv-
en earlier to just
three to seven
hours due to
tripping,” Inam-
dar stated in the
letter, adding,
“I also re-
quest the
government
to start the
supply from 7am.”
He also mentioned that water
from the Narmada is not reach-
ing farmers.
“Vacant posts at Narmada ca-
nal project offices lead to non-
availability of water for farm-
ing. In addition, repairing of the
canal before the Rabi season
leads to delay in water supply to
farmers,” he said, re-
questing that the is-
sues be dealt with
quickly.
Sau Uni Cong syndicate
calls for VC’s resignation
NO ESI,PF COVERAGE FOR 98%
OF THAN CERAMIC WORKERS
First India Bureau
Rajkot: There seems to
be no end in sight for the
appointment of contrac-
tual teaching staff issue
raging at Saurashtra
University
. Congress
syndicatemembershave
demanded resignation
of universityVice-Chan-
cellor Dr Nitin Kumar
Pethani, after it was de-
cided that an extension
will be granted to exist-
ing contractual staffers.
Ontheotherhand,mem-
bers of Akhil Bharatiya
Vidyarthi Parishad
(ABVP) demanded ex-
tension for contractual
professorsandevenvan-
dalized university prop-
erty on Wednesday
.
A syndicate meeting
washeldearlyintheday
,
where one of the topics
under discussion was
extension of contracts
for existing professors
after the entire inter-
view process for new
contractual professors
was cancelled.
SpeakingtoFirstIndia,
Congresssyndicatemem-
ber Dr Dharam Kambali-
ya,said,“SaurashtraUni-
versity has become a
fighting ring. The more
educated the people, the
more egos clash. Around
two years ago, the univer-
sityhadacceptedtheUni-
versity Grants Commis-
sion (UGC) ordinance
that only 10% of total va-
cancies can be appointed
onacontractualbasisand
that no extension will be
granted to those on con-
tract.”
He added, “As the
Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) has a majority in
thesyndicate,theywant-
ed extensions on con-
tracts. I had reminded
theuniversitythatitwas
not possible under the
UGCordinanceaccepted
by it via a letter on Octo-
ber 21. Despite that, the
topic was raised during
the meeting. We demand
the VC’s resignation.”
Inresponsetotheexten-
sion issue, Pethani told
First India, “Extensions
will be granted for con-
tractual employees in all
departments except phar-
macy
.Wewilltrytofillthe
posts and conduct inter-
views after the examina-
tions that begin on No-
vember22.”
Members of ABVP
conducted a halla bol on
university campus,
where they broke glass
and caused damage to
furniture over the con-
tract extension issue.
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad/Than:
According to a study
conducted by People’s
Training Research
Centre (PTRC), a volun-
tary organization
working on occupation-
al safety and health for
the past three decades,
98% of workers in
Than ceramic industry
do not have coverage
under social security
laws. It carried out re-
search to study the cov-
erage of Employee
State Insurance Act
and Employees’ Provi-
dent Fund Scheme in
the industry.
Around 1,000 ceram-
ic workers from 208
units in Than partici-
pated in the study. The
industry provides em-
ployment to 25,000 to
30,000 workers in Than
but, large number of
workers get exposed to
silica which develops
into silicosis ‐- a fatal
lung disease. Under
ESI, they can receive
medical care free of
cost as well as compen-
sation for damage.
Hence, it is very im-
portant for ceramic
workers to sign up for
benefits.
“We interviewed
1,000 local workers, in-
cluding 200 women
workers. The majority
of workers were in the
age group of 31-40
years. Out of 1,000, 715
respondents, who were
below the age of 40
years, (98.4%) said that
they were not covered
by ESI. Only 16 (12
men, 4 women) re-
spondents from eight
units said that ESI con-
tribution was being de-
ducted from their wag-
es and even shared
their ESI numbers.
Around 27 respondents
said PF contribution
was deducted from
their wages regularly,”
stated the report.
Broken glass on the floor after ABVP members vandalized
property at Saurashtra University.
Study covered 1,000 workers of Gujarat ceramic industry.
Extension of
existing employees’
contracts in
violation of UGC
ordinance,
they feel
Savli MLA Ketan Inamdar
NSUI demands
extension of GU
admission process
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Afterthe
Gujarat University
handed over the admis-
sionprocessreinstocol-
leges under its purview
and readied to close ap-
plications, members of
the National Students’
Union of India (NSUI)
on Wednesday locked
the admissions cell on
its campus with a de-
mandformoreseatsand
extensionof process.
With the university
stepping out of the ad-
mission process, stu-
dentswhoapproachthe
admissionscellforinfor-
mationwillnowneedto
contact individual col-
leges. The situation has
worsened for aspirants
of Bachelorof Business
Administration (BBA)
and Bachelor of Com-
puter Applications
(BCA)asmanystudents
have been deprived of
admissionstocolleges.
Speakingontheissue,
NSUI general secretary
KunalsinhJetawat,said,
“Theuniversitywaspre-
paring to close the ad-
missionprocessevenas
many students remain
without admissions. If
the duration of the ad-
mission process is not
extendedalongwiththe
number of seats, stu-
dents will be forced to
pay more fees to secure
admissions to private
collegesoruniversities.”
Out of 15,000 seats in
Bachelor of Science
(BSc) degree courses,
only 6,000 have been
filled so far. With over
9,000 seats still vacant,
the admission process
hasbeenclosed.Thead-
missionprocessatGuja-
rat University started
late and then slowed
downduetovariousmi-
norandmajorshortcom-
ings,headded.
Gujarat University admissions cell
was closed by the student union
on Wednesday. —FILE PHOTO

GUJARAT
03
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: Even as
the state government
enters into talks with
police personnel over
the demand for higher
pay, the families of
cops staged protests at
a dozen police head-
quarters around Gu-
jarat on Wednesday
.
In addition, consta-
blesfromtheprohibition
department have also
demanded a hike in pay
grade, which would put
them on par with their
police counterparts.
On Wednesday
, Minis-
ter of State for Home
Harsh Sanghavi met
with senior officers of
the home department, a
day after he met protest-
ing families in Gandhi-
nagar. Education Minis-
ter and spokesperson for
the council of ministers,
Jitu Vaghani said that
the government is open
toallsolutionsanditwill
find an amicable solu-
tion to the issue.
While police person-
nel continue to dis-
charge their duties,
Ahmedabad, Rajkot,
Sabarkantha, Patan,
Gandhinagar and other
cities on Wednesday
saw family members of
police personnel take
out rallies. Armed with
placards and steel
plates, they raised slo-
gans demanding better
pay for police person-
nel, at par with their
counterparts in other
states. They have
threatened to go on a
hunger strike if their
demands are not met by
October 31.
Family members of
jawans said that their
current pay is not
enough to run a house-
hold on, especially when
rentandschoolexpenses
eat up a large chunk of
the monthly salaries.
MOS enters talks with cops as families protest
POLICE PAY GRADES
Spouses and children of police jawans took out a rally in Ahmedabad. —PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI
RT-PCRmustforthosereturningpost-Diwali
First India Bureau
Surat: In an attempt
to prevent rise in COV-
ID-19 cases, the civic
body in Surat has
made it mandatory for
people to carry RT-
PCR test reports while
returning to the city
after Diwali holidays,
an official said on
Wednesday
.
The test is mandato-
ry for everyone, irre-
spective of whether
they have taken both
doses of COVID-19 vac-
cine, the official said.
According to the Su-
rat Municipal Corpo-
ration (SMC), locals
returning to the city
post the Diwali holi-
days will have to man-
datorily carry their
RT-PCR reports not
older than 72 hours.
The precaution is be-
ing taken to ensure
that the city doesn’t
see any spike in COV-
ID-19 cases, it said.
A large number of
people, especially mi-
grant workers engaged
in the city’s diamond
and textile units, visit
their hometowns dur-
ing Diwali and people
also go on vacations.
An appeal has been
made for people to get
their mandatory RT-
PCR test done, not
more than 72 hours be-
fore their entry to the
city after vacationing,
said Pradeep Umari-
gar, municipal officer
of health, SMC.
“We also appeal to
people to take their
second dose of COV-
ID-19 vaccine before
going on vacations.
Those who have re-
cently tested COVID-19
positive will be given a
relaxation,” the offi-
cial said.
The SMC will deploy
teams at the airport,
bus stands and road
entry points to check
the RT-PCR test re-
ports of people return-
ing to the city, he said,
adding that the civic
body will also provide
facilities for RT-PCR
tests for people who
were unable to get test-
ed earlier.
173
05 MAX
CASES IN
V’DARA
ACTIVE CASES
8,16,220
TOTAL RECOVERED
15
RECOVERED
IN A DAY
10,088
TOTAL DEATHS
00 DEATHS
IN A DAY
8,26,481
TOTAL CASES
17 CASES IN
A DAY
COVID-19 UPDATE
COVID-19 testing in Ahmedabad. —FILE PHOTO
IN THE COURTYARD
Families of cops
hold rallies
across the state
PLEASE SEND US YOUR PRESS STATEMENTS
INVITES AT: news.ahmedabad@firstindia.co.in
FATHER-SON DUO COMMIT SUICIDE
BY JUMPING IN FRONT OF TRAIN
SMC TO GIVE LOANS TO 16,000
EMPLOYEES TO BUY E-VEHICLES
Vadodara: A 70-year-old man and his son alleged-
ly committed suicide by jumping in front of a train
near Makarpura locality in Vadodara on Tuesday
evening. The reason
behind the extreme
step taken by Dilip
Dalal (73) and his
son Rasesh (43) was
not yet clear, an of-
ficial of the Vadodara
railway police said.
Dalal lived with his
son and wife in Alkapuri area. Rasesh was unmar-
ried and said to be suffering from a psychological
ailment, the official said, adding that further probe
was underway.
Surat: The Surat Municipal Corporation will provide
minimum interest rate loan to their employees as
part of its plans
to implement
the Surat City
Electric Vehicle
(EV) Policy
2021, formu-
lated with the
vision of mak-
ing the city the
first EV Smart
City in the country. Its implementation will last till
June 30, 2025. In addition to it, E-vehicle buyers
will be exempted from 100% vehicle tax in the first
year, 75% in the second year, 50% in the third year
and 25% from the fourth year till the last date of
implementation of the policy.
CRUCIAL READ
Vadodara: Anand Vidya Vihar in Vadodara is rec-
ognised as Top School of The Year 2021 for Quality
Academics and Infrastructure at the recently held
National Education
Awards and Confer-
ence 2021 recognised
the school for its
efforts towards shap-
ing and nurturing the
young minds on the
path of knowledge. In
addition the school’s
principal Poornima Menon, was also felicitated with
an award for her outstanding contribution in the
education domain under the categories of Adminis-
tration and Knowledge delivery.
ANAND VIDA VIHAR RECOGNISED
AS TOP SCHOOL OF 2021
SPICEJET CANCELS 7 FLIGHTS
FROM SURAT BEGINNING OCT 30
Surat: Airline operator SpiceJet has announced
the cancellation of seven flights, from Surat to
Mumbai, Bengal-
uru, Udaipur, Hy-
derabad, Bhavna-
gar, Jabalpur and
Patna, beginning
October 30. Ac-
cording to the new
winter schedule,
only flights from
Surat to Delhi-Goa
and Jaipur will operate. The decision has left many
passengers surprised and disappointed, especially
since all the cancelled flights, except for the Surat-
Jabalpur sector had seen regular bookings.
With Diwali just days away, vendors display a variety of lamps that can also be used through the year. —PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI
SPOILT FOR CHOICE
Transfer orders not yet issued for
fixed-pay contract workers: Govt
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: The
state government on
Wednesday clarified
that the transfer pro-
cess is currently un-
derway for fixed pay
and contractual em-
ployees of the Sarva
Shiksha Abhiyan pro-
gramme. It also stat-
ed that it has not re-
leased their transfer
orders yet.
First India had pub-
lished a news article on
October 16, 2021, ‘Gov-
ernment employees on
fixed pay contracts op-
pose being transferred’
and it was based on the
Gujarat Rajya Karar
Aadharit Karmachari
Adhikar Sangh’s letter
to state Education Min-
ister Jitu Vaghani.
In the report, it had
also quoted the Sangh’s
president Amit Kavi
who had talked about
financial and social rea-
sons for opposing the
transfer process. Kavi
even cited the finance
department’s circular
dated August 01, 2015,
which stated that em-
ployees who are not cov-
ered under the Gujarat
Mulki Seva Vartanuk
Niyamo, 2002, were not
entitled to transfer or
medical allowances,
house rent.
In its clarification,
the state government
stated the transfer pro-
cess of those who have
served in one place for
more than four years,
was conducted at the
district level. Employ-
ees have even con-
firmed their preferenc-
es with regards to the
districts they would
like to be transferred to.
The state govern-
ment also cited the Gen-
eral Administration
Department’s circular
dated October 11, 2017,
according to which,
fixed pay contractual
employees of all depart-
ments are entitled to all
benefits.
The precaution is being taken
to ensure that the city doesn’t
see any spike in COVID-19
cases, Surat civic body said
RESPOND ON CONSUMER
COMMISSIONS’ VACANCIES: HC
Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court on Wednesday
issued notice to the state government asking it to
file a response to a petition on vacancies in con-
sumer redressal commissions. The petitioner has
complained that in 28 District Consumers Dispute
Redressal Commissions, 50% posts were lying
vacant. He also submitted that due to vacant posts,
pendency of cases had increased, thereby delay-
ing justice for consumers. “There are 38 consumer
commissions, but only 26 presidential posts have
been sanctioned. Of these, 13 posts are still lying
vacant,” stated the petitioner. The matter was kept
for further hearing on October 29.
The workers had held protests against the transfers. —FILE PHOTO
TUSHAR GANDHI
CHALLENGES
ASHRAM REDEVT
Ahmedabad: Mahatma
Gandhi’s great-grandson
Tushar Gandhi has filed
a public interest litigation
(PIL) in the Gujarat High
Court challenging the state
government’s Sabarmati
Ashram redevelopment
project. The Gujarat gov-
ernment has been made
a respondent, along with
all the six trusts that take
care of various activities
of the Ashram, the Gandhi
Smarak Nidhi and also the
Ahmedabad civic body and
others associated with the
project. The government
proposes to redevelop the
Ashram, a place closely
associated with Mahatma
Gandhi and India’s freedom
struggle, as a world-class
tourist attraction at a cost
of Rs1,200 crore. The
PIL is likely to be heard
post-Diwali vacation.
HC ASKS AMC TO
CHECK POLLUTION
IN SABARMATI
Ahmedabad: The Gujarat
High Court has said it is
“very disturbing” to note
that the laboratories of
sewage treatment plants
(STPs) established to clean
polluted water before it is
released in the Sabarmati
river here indulged in ma-
nipulation of records, and
asked the local civic body
to look into the issue. The
manipulation of records
was revealed in a report by
a committee formed by the
court while hearing a suo
motu PIL. A division bench
of Justices JB Pardiwala
and Vaibhavi Nanavati,
in an order put online on
Wednesday, directed the
Ahmedabad Municipal
Corporation (AMC) to
ensure “scientific operation
of all STPs,” and explore
on-site treatment of the
drains carrying sewage
into the river.
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Union
Home Minister Amit
Shah will attend the
Rashtriya Ekta Diwas
celebrations at the
Statue of Unity in Ke-
vadia on October 31,
instead of Prime Min-
ister Narendra Modi,
an official said on
Wednesday.
The authorities had
earlier announced that
the PM would attend
the celebrations. How-
ever, since he is now
scheduled to attend the
G-20 Summit in Rome at
that time, Shah will at-
tend the event, the offi-
cial said.
Amit Shah
to attend
‘Ekta Divas’
on Oct 31

PERSPECTIVE
04
lVol2lIssueNo.332
l RNINO.GUJENG/2019/79050.
Printed and published by Anita
Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Ex-
press Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar
Printing Planet Survey No.148P,
Changodar-Bavla Highway, Tal. San-
and, Dist. Ahmedabad. Publishedat
D/3023rdFloorPlotNo.35Titanium
Square,SchemeNo.2,ThaltejTaluka,
Ghatlodiya,Ahmedabad.
Editor-In-Chief:JagdeeshChandra.
Editor:AnitaHadaSangwanresponsible
forselectionofnewsunderthePRBAct
SPIRITUAL SPEAK
In separateness lies the
world’s greatest misery; in
compassion lies the
world’s true strength.
—Buddha
IN-DEPTH
Rajnath Singh
@rajnathsingh
Addressed the Army Commanders’
Conference today. The high standard
of operational preparedness and
capabilities of the Army is praiseworthy.
I compliment the excellent synergy
between the CAPF/ Police the Army in
tackling the menace of terrorism in JK.
Anand Sharma
@AnandSharmaINC
The BJP government remained
obdurate and arrogant to deny
discussion on Pegasus scandal and
derailed the Monsoon Session of
Parliament. After the Supreme Court
order, they have an egg on their face
that calls for honest reflection.
TOP TWEETS
WHISTLEBLOWER
PUTS SOCIAL
MEDIA GIANT
FACEBOOK
INTO TROUBLE
acebook, an im-
mensely popular so-
cial media platform,
is in the news for the
wrong reasons. Al-
though Facebook is not new to
controversies, the recent revela-
tions by whistleblower Frances
Haugen have caused a bigger
dent in its reputation. Face-
book’s revenues have, however,
risen 17 percent to $ 9.2 billion.
Although under pressure after
calls for his removal, the reve-
nue buffer gives Mark Zucker-
berg, Facebook’s chief execu-
tive, the cushion to brush away
the allegations presented by
Haugen in British parliament. A
lawmaker from Scotland said,
“Facebook is failing to prevent
harm to children, it’s failing to
stop the spread of disinforma-
tion, it is failing to stop the
spread of hate speech. It does
have the power to deal with these
issues, it’s just choosing not to.”
Indian authorities are also
thinking of calling Facebook’s
executives to understand how
the social media platform’s algo-
rithms work. India is one of the
biggest victims of hate messag-
es which have flooded Facebook
virtually unchecked.
F
n a major setback
to the Central gov-
ernment the Su-
preme Court re-
fused to buy its
argument about national se-
curity concerns and formed
a six-member committee of
experts to inquire into the
Pegasus spyware issue. The
committee will be headed by
former Supreme Court judge,
Justice RV Raveendran and
has eminent cyber security
experts who are free from
prejudices. The panel will in-
vestigate if the Pegasus spy-
ware was used on phones or
other devices of the citizens
of India to access stored data,
eavesdrop on conversations
and intercept information.
While passing the order,
the Chief Justice of India N.
Ramana said, “The State can-
not get a free pass every time
by raising national security
concerns. No omnibus prohi-
bition can be called against a
judicial review. The Centre
should have justified its stand
here and not render the court
a mute spectator.” The CJI
bluntly told the government
that it “would not rely on any
government agencies” or a
government-appointed com-
mittee for the probe. The re-
mark shows the extent to
which the apex court has lost
trust in the Centre.
At a time when democratic
institutions look compro-
mised, the order on Pegasus
spyware has once again reaf-
firmed people’s faith in the
Supreme Court. As the Cen-
tre was not forthcoming on
the truth about Pegasus, the
Bench said that surveillance
affects people’s rights and
freedoms and not just jour-
nalists and social activists
alone but every citizen ought
to be protected against viola-
tions of privacy
.
The Pegasus spyware con-
troversy had shaken the very
foundation of democracy
and the court, which was
flooded with PILs, was peo-
ple’s only hope.
SUPREME COURT WON’T
TRUST ANY GOVT AGENCY
As the Centre was not
forthcoming on the
truth about Pegasus,
the Bench said that
surveillance affects
people’s rights and
freedoms and not just
journalists and social
activists alone but every
citizen ought to be
protected against
violations of privacy
I
GIRLS @ NATIONAL
DEFENCEACADEMY
n Aug 18, 2021, the Supreme
Court ruled that girls should
also be inducted into Armed
Forces through the premier
defence training institute-
National Defence Academy,
Khadakwasla, Pune. With
one stroke of pen, the Su-
preme Court has done what
crores of expenditure on pro-
moting Defence Career and
catchy advertisements like
‘Do You Have It In You’, ‘Lead
A Life Less Ordinary’, ‘Ocean
of Opportunities in Indian
Navy’ and ‘Touch The Sky
With Glory’ could not do in
all these years. I am told that
there is great enthusiasm
amongst the girls to compete
for meagre NDA seats avail-
able for them but I am certain
that the applications from
the boys have increased man-
ifold. While the veterans and
serving officers are sulking
over the missed opportuni-
ties, the cadets at the NDA
are bracing up for impressive
performances to win over
‘the hearts and minds’ of the
female cadets. “Boys will be
Boys”. However, Campus at
the ‘Cradle of Excellence’
has got a romantic fragrance.
THE VERDICT
In a major step towards gen-
der equality, on 25 March
2021, the Supreme Court first
directed armed forces to
grant permanent commis-
sion to women entry officers
and on 18 Aug 2021, allowed
eligible girls to take the ex-
amination for admission to
National Defence Academy
(NDA) scheduled to be held in
Nov 2021. While delivering
the landmark judgment, the
Supreme Court bench ob-
served that the mindset has
to change, which is not
changing at all. The next log-
ical step, I suppose, will be to
induct them into combat
arms of Indian Army. Hope
the Court will take note of
unique challenges before
they pass orders for gender
equality in combat arms.
WINDS OF CHANGE
Girl cadets will be trained at
NDA with the aim of grant-
ing them Permanent Com-
mission, as has been recently
indicated by the Armed Forc-
es. These decisions are bound
to cause some consternation
in a tradition bound system
but it should be welcomed
with caution. The concerns
and objections by a segment
of the serving and veteran
male officers is initial inhibi-
tion and a psychological
mental block as the NDA has
been a purely male bastion
for 65 years.
Major issues will have to
thought through -- for exam-
ple, the number of seats open
for girls in the initial batch-
es; whether there will be
separate squadrons created
for girls; physical training
routine; uniforms and a host
of other issues. We should
study academies globally to
get an idea on how to turn
from an all-boys only institu-
tion to boys and girls. How-
ever, any change takes its due
time to be accepted and
streamlined.
LIFE AT NDA
Entry into NDA is a dream
come true for young aspir-
ants. Entry should therefore
be purely on merit and to the
most deserving. It must be
reserved for only those who
meet the stringent standards
of the institution.
NDA is known for intense
outdoor training, indoctrina-
tion into disciplined defence
lifestyle and simply to say-
‘Making Men out of Boys’.
NDA training also includes
group games conducted by
physical training teams, ac-
tivities such as cross-country
race, drills, horse riding etc.
The unorganized punish-
ment regime is also there to
physically toughen them up
and make them mentally ro-
bust. Along with changing
mindsets, the nature of offi-
cial and unofficial physical
punishments will also have
to change -- what punish-
ments can be given and by
whom will also be laid out.
PRECEDENCES FROM
OTA, CHENNAI
The Officers Training Acade-
my(OTA)Chennai,originally
only a men’s training institu-
tion, commenced training
women in 1992 to be officers
through the Short Service
route, so precedence does ex-
ist about training and logis-
tics for girl cadets. There is no
reason why it cannot eventu-
ally happen at NDA also.
Learning from the experi-
ences at the OTA which
trains both men and women
officers, it can be said with
pride that female cadets have
often proved themselves on
equal terms and won the cov-
eted ‘Sword of Honour’ in
open competition against
their male counterparts.
CONCLUSION
Change is the spice of life.
Adapting to changing societal
norms is the key to keeping
yourself relevant and battle
worthy
. The armed forces also
needtogrowupwithtimeand
treat women as equally com-
petent officers. However, any
change takes its due time to
be accepted and streamlined.
Any change like this needs in-
depth deliberation, since it
will have a long-term impact
onthearmedforces.TheNDA
gates will open a plethora of
new horizons and break the
stereotypes. Let the girl ca-
dets at NDA be the harbingers
of change.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
O
Girl cadets will be
trained at NDA with the
aim of granting them
Permanent Commission,
as has been recently
indicated by the Armed
Forces. These decisions
are bound to cause some
consternation in a
tradition bound system
but it should be welcomed
with caution
The armed forces
also need to grow up
with time and treat
women as equally
competent officers.
However, any change
takes its due time to be
accepted and streamlined
MAJ GEN
CP SINGH, RETD
The writer is a scholar soldier accredited
with MA, MSc, LLB, MBA, M Phil (Def Mgt)
and M Phil (International Strategic Affairs)

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INDIA
05
New Delhi: Indian ath-
letes Neeraj Chopra,
Ravi Dahiya and Lovli-
na Borgohain are set to
be awarded the Major
Dhyan Chand Khel Rat-
na award.
Sources in the known
of developments told
ANI that the Major Dhy-
an Chand Khel Ratna
award will be awarded
to Neeraj Chopra, Ravi
Dahiya, Lovlina Borgo-
hain, PR Sreejesh, Ava-
ni Lekhara, Sumit An-
til, Pramod Bhagat,
Krishna Nagar, Manish
Narwal, Mithali Raj,
and Sunil Chhetri.
Apart from this, 35 play-
ers will be awarded the
Arjuna Award. Among
them are Yogesh Kat-
huniya, Nishad Kumar,
Praveen Kumar, Suhas
Yathiraj, Singhraj Ad-
hana, Bhavina Patel,
Harvinder Singh, and
Sharad Kumar.
All men's Hockey In-
dia team who has won
the historic bronze
medal in Tokyo 2020
Olympics has been
awarded Arjun Award
with the exceptions of
PR Sreejesh and Man-
preet Singh.
Arjuna Award win-
ners from the hockey
team are: Harmanpreet
Singh, Rupinder Pal
Singh, Surender Ku-
mar, Amit Rohidas,
Birendra Lakra, Hardik
Singh, Vivek Sagar
Prasad, Nilakanta
Sharma, Sumit, Sham-
sher Singh, Dilpreet
Singh, Gurjant Singh,
Lalit Kumar
Upadhyay, and
Mandeep Singh.
Dronachar-
ya Award has
been awarded
to Radhakrish-
na Nair, TP
Ouseph, Sand-
eep Sangwan
among others.
—ANI

❍ KHEL RATNA
NEERAJ,RAVIANDMITHALIRAJ
AMONG11OTHERSFORAWARDS
New Delhi: Dearness
Allowance for central
govtemployeeshasbeen
hikedto31%of thebasic
pay from 28 % with ef-
fect from July 1, the Fi-
nance Ministry said. In
an office memorandum,
the Finance Min, said
the term 'basic pay'
means the pay drawn as
per the 7th pay commis-
sionmatrixanddoesnot
include any other type
of special pay
. The hike
will also apply to civil-
ianemployeespaidfrom
the Defence Services,
while in respect of
ArmedForcespersonnel
separate orders will be
issued. —PTI
DA hike to
31% effective
from July 1:
Finance Min
Ravi Dahiya Mithali Raj
Olympic Gold medalist,
Neeraj Chopra
New Delhi: India today
successfully test-fired
the Agni-5, a surface-
to-surface ballistic
missile that can accu-
rately strike targets
up to 5,000 km away
,
in what is being
seen as a strong
message to China.
Agni-5, which
broadly falls into
the category of an
Intercontinental
Ballistic Missile or
ICBM,waslaunched
from the APJ Abdul
Kalam Island, off
the coast of Odisha,
at 7:50 pm.
The successful
test of the missile is
in line with India’s
statedpolicytohave
‘credible minimum
deterrence. De-
signed and devel-
oped by the De-
fence Research
and Development
Organisation, the
Agni V missile is
a canister-
launched system
that is transported by
truck.
With its range, the
AgniVwouldbecapa-
bleof strikingtargets
in mainland China.
Besides China, with
its range, Agni V
can reach other
Asian countries and
parts of Europe and
Africa. It can carry
a payload of 1.5
tonnes and weighs
around 50 tonnes.
Indiaistheeighth
country to have in-
tercontinental bal-
listic missile capa-
bility after the Unit-
ed States, United
Kingdom, Russia,
China, France, Isra-
el and North Korea.
Prior to this, India
has inducted Agni
III which has a
range of 3,000-5000
km.
Agni-III was
commissioned
into the Indian
armed forces in
2011. —PTI
In message to China,
India tests Agni-V
Kartikey Dev Singh
New Delhi: There is
concern in Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh
regarding the displeas-
ure of Jat farmers of
UP and the Jat Sikh
farmers of Punjab and
Haryana. According to
informed sources, this
was discussed during
an important meeting
of union office bearers
in Noida recently
.
Along with the elec-
tions to be held next
year, the Sangh office-
bearers have also ex-
pressed concern about
the lasting impact on
the society
.
They feel that even
though a dispute has
started on the issue of
farmers, but due to this
community tension is
increasing, which is not
good for the society
. It is
being said that in the
meetings that were held
for successive days, eve-
ry aspect of displeas-
ure in both the Hindu
and Sikh communities
was discussed.
It is being said that
Krishna Gopal, who is
looking after the work
of coordination be-
tween the BJP and the
Sangh, also attended
this meeting and after
the meeting the BJP has
been asked to reduce
this tension.
The Sangh has said
that it does not want
any kind of community
tension at this time.
Due to this, electoral
losses have also been
feared. It is notewor-
thy here that mainly
these groups are pro-
testing against the
three agricultural laws
made by the central
government.
Farmers of Punjab,
Haryana and western
Uttar Pradesh are ada-
mant that the govern-
ment should repeal all
three laws and a way is
being sought to reduce
this tension without re-
pealing the law.
Is Sangh fearful of resentment of Sikhs Jats?
A CAUSE OF CONCERN
NEET RESULTS: SC HEARING ON PLEA
AGAINST RE-EXAM ADJOURNED TILL TODAY
VICTIM NAMED AND SHAMED IN TARUN
TEJPAL CASE: GOA GOVT TO COURT
New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India has adjourned till
tomorrow hearing of the plea filed by the National Testing
Agency (NTA) against the
Bombay HC order of fresh
NEET exam for two students.
The Edu Ministry’s NTA had
moved the top court saying
results of over 16 lakh stu-
dents are ready but can not
be announced as the Bombay HC has ordered re-exam for
two candidates.This will affect the UG medical admission
process, the NTA said.Vaishanavi Bhopali and Abhishek
Shivaji filed the petition in Bombay HC saying they were
handed over question papers and answer sheets with
different serial numbers. NEET result 2021 will be an-
nounced by the NTA after SC’s order on the matter.
Panaji: The Goa authorities instructed the Bombay Ex-
cessive Court docket’s bench right here on Wednesday
that the sufferer in a 2013
rape case, by which jour-
nalist Tarun Tejpal was
acquitted, was named
and shamed and the
trial courtroom’s judge-
ment was “retrograde”
and “match for fifth century”.The Goa bench of the
HC, comprising Justices Revati Mohite Dere and M S
Jawalkar, later adjourned the listening to into the mat-
ter until Nov 16, when it is going to hear Tejpal’s utility
difficult the maintainability of the state authorities’s
enchantment towards his acquittal within the case.
IN THE COURTYARD
New Delhi: Over 11
crore people who have
taken the first shot of
COVID-19 vaccine have
not got themselves
jabbed with the second
dose even after the ex-
piry of the prescribed
interval, according to
govt data. The data
showed that over 3.92 cr
beneficiaries are more
than six weeks overdue
for their second dose,
around 1.57 cr are up to
four to six weeks late,
and more than 1.50 cr
are up to two to four
weeks overdue for their
second shot of either
Covishield or Covaxin.
—PTI
2nd vax dose
overdue for 11
cr people: Data
Anita Hada
New Delhi: Will the
Congress party be the
only ‘vote-cutting’ par-
ty in Uttar Pradesh?
Will Congress General
Secretary Priyanka
Gandhi’s ‘activism’
harm Samajwadi Party
and benefit the BJP? If
political experts are to
be believed, the pros-
pects of Congress in
upcoming Assembly
polls are being thought
of within this range.
BJP leaders are happy
that Priyanka is active
and doing politics, then
she will get anti-govern-
ment vote divided.
That’s why many
Congress leaders sin-
cerely want there
should be some kind of
coordination with SP so
that anti-government
vote is not divided. But
no one has seen from
point of view that Con-
gress can make a dent
in BJP’s core votes.
BJP’s core vote in UP
is Brahmin, non Yadav
OBC and non Jatav
backward classes.
In this Brahmins
are angry for many rea-
sons. But BJP is confi-
dent thinking Brahmin
voters will not opt for
any other party as they
have no option.
BSP is not in fight
and Brahmins do not
vote for SP. That’s why
they will have to vote
for the BJP with a bang.
Priyanka can pro-
vide an alternative to
that vote. Whatever
vote the Congress gets
will be the vote of the
BJP.
Similarly, Congress
has made a Dalit Chief
Minister in Punjab, so
that it can make a dent
in the non-Jatav Dalit
vote as well.
Congress has
made the Chief
Minister of Chhattis-
garh as senior observer
of UP. He hails from
OBC Kurmi caste and
this aspect will also be
helpful to the Congress.
In this way, if the
Congress makes some
dent in SP’s Muslim
vote, it will also make a
dent in BJP’s upper
caste, non-Yadav OBC
and non-Jatav Dalit
votes.
Due to the presence
of Priyanka, the women
votes will go to the Con-
gress and it will also be
a big loss for the BJP.
Will Congress only cut votes in UP?
Priyanka Gandhi
M Sharma
New Delhi: The elec-
tionof thenationalpres-
ident of the Congress
party will be held in
August-September next
year, but it was decided
in the meeting of the
Congress Working Com-
mittee on Saturday that
Rahul Gandhi would be-
come President again.
Senior party leaders
proposed his name and
he also said that he
would consider it. Even
G-23 leaders have sup-
ported Rahul’s name.
So now the possibility
is almost completely
gone that any leader
will challenge Rahul in
party President elec-
tion.
Earlier it seemed that
one of the rebel Con-
gress leaders could
float their nomina-
tion for the post,
but that is highly
unlikely now.
After what happened
in CWC, no leader, in
his complete senses,
will go down to contest
elections against any
member of Gandhi fam-
ily. It was possible that
someone would have
contested the election if
Rahul had played the
stakes of getting some
other President. But by
fighting against Rahul,
one does not want to be-
come Jitendra Prasad.
Prasad had challenged
Sonia in 2000 and lost
badly
. However, Sharad
Pawar gave a tough
fight to previous party
President Sitaram Kes-
ari. So, if there was any
other leader, there
would have been a situ-
ation of elections, but
there would be no such
chance in front of Ra-
hul. The way he was
elected unopposed in
2017 he will be elected
in 2022 as well. All the
veteran leaders who
raised questions on
functioning of Con-
gress high command
have surrendered. Al-
though the interest of
many satraps who have
left the Congress is in
fact that Rahul
should be chal-
lenged, but
there is no one
to challenge
him.
No ‘leadership’ to challenge
Rahul Gandhi’s ‘leadership’
Rahul Gandhi
Sharat K Verma
Chandigarh: The real
good news for the Con-
gress party in Punjab is
that former CM Captain
Amarinder Singh is
forming a separate par-
ty and the BJP will
align with him.
Captain has tried his
hand in past to form a
party and returned to
Congress after failing
miserably
.
However, Manpreet
Badal’s history in Pun-
jab is likely to be repeat-
ed with Captain’s an-
nouncement of contest-
ing polls, as a separate
party. Manpreet had
contested assembly
polls in 2012 by forming
his own party and for
the first time after near-
ly four and a half dec-
ades, paved way for a
party to return to power
for second time in a row.
Manpreet is the neph-
ew of Parkash Singh
Badal, the longest serv-
ing CM of Punjab, and
was Finance Minister
in Badal government
formed in 2007. But he
knew that command of
Akali Dal was to be in
hands of Sukhbir Bad-
al.
So by rebelling
against his uncle, he
formed Punjab People’s
Party and contested
polls in 2012. Akali Dal
got advantage of this as
anti-govt votes went to
him and despite de-
crease in votes, Akali
Dal won for the second
time in a row.
Now, it seems Cap-
tain will also work on
same lines.
With Captain going
with BJP, anti-govern-
ment votes will surely
go to their combined ac-
count.
Congress will benefit
from this as the main
contest of Congress in
Punjab is with AAP and
SAD. If anti-govt vote
was polarised towards
either of these parties,
then Congress would
have suffered.
Second thing is that
Captain has no ‘politi-
cal capital’ other than
Jat Sikh vote and this
vote is also the ‘capital’
of SAD and a part of the
same vote has been
with AAP as well!
Will Manpreet Badal’s history be
repeated in Punjab through Amarinder?
Manpreet Badal
RSS Chief, Mohan Bhagwat

INDIA
06
CRUCIAL READ
UAE EXPLORING
INDIA’S LOW-COST
LAUNCH VEHICLES
New Delhi: The UAE
could use low-cost
launch vehicles devel-
oped by the ISRO for
lifting off small satellites
from within the country.
Sarah Al Amiri, MoS
for Advanced Technol-
ogy and Chairperson of
UAE Space Agency, said
that the two nations are
looking at a wide variety
of scientific coopera-
tion in the space sector.
We spoke during the
International Astronauti-
cal Congress (IAC) with
Isro, looking at different
aspects that are impor-
tant to both countries.
DELHI HIGH COURT
ISSUES SUMMONS
TO BABA RAMDEV
New Delhi: Delhi HC on
Wednesday issued sum-
mons to Baba Ramdev
on lawsuit by IMA
docs body for alleg-
edly spreading misinfo
against allopathy amid
Covid. Justice Shankar
granted 4 weeks to file
his response to suit.
Next hearing is in Janu-
ary. Judge clarified that
he was “not expressing
any opinion” on merits
of allegations in plaint
against yoga guru
issue of grant of any
relief, interim or oth-
erwise, shall be looked
into subsequently.
ASSAM BYPOLLS: EC WARNS CM, ASKS TO
‘EXERCISE RESTRAINT’ WHILE CAMPAIGNING
Guwahati: The Election Commission Wednesday
warned Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma
and asked him to “exercise restraint” while making
public utterances during his
campaigns for the upcoming
bypolls. “The Commission issues
warning to him (Sarma) and
cautions him to be more careful
and exercise restraint in future and strictly follow the pro-
vision of Model Code of Conduct, while making public
utterances,” said a notice by EC secretary NT Bhutia.
INDIAEXPRESSESCONCERN
OVER CHINA’S NEW LAND BOUNDARY LAW
China's unilateral decision to
bring about legislation which
can have an implication
on our existing bilateral
arrangements on border
management as well as on
the boundary question is of
concern to us. The passage
of this new law (China's
Land Boundary Law) does
not in our view confer any legitimacy to
the so-called China-Pakistan Boundary
Agreement of 1963 which the GoI has
consistently maintained is illegal and
invalid agreement.
—ARINDAM BAGCHI, Official spokesperson MEA
WHEN WAS THIS
LAW PROPOSED?
In March 2021, the law was first
proposed. Forces of India and
China have been in a standoff since
last April-May following clashes
along the LAC. The clashes oc-
curred when the Chinese troops
were mobilized and who carried
out multiple transgressions.
ABOUT THE
NEW LAW...
This new law according to the
Chinese media reports is for the
“protection and exploitation of
the country’s land border areas”.
This new law is not meant for the
ongoing border disputes with In-
dia. There are disputes along the
3,800-km boundary with China.
INDIA TELLS
CHINA...
India said, “We also
expect that China will
avoid undertaking ac-
tion under the pretext
of this law which could
unilaterally alter the
situation in the India-
China border areas”.
WHY IS CHINA
DOING THIS?
It is to reaffirm its territo-
rial claims. It is building
628 “moderately well
off villages’’, and this is
being done to encour-
age the herders to settle
in the disputed areas in
border areas.
NEW LAW W.E.F
JAN 1, 2022...
The new Chinese law will
take effect on January 1,
2022. Lawmakers ap-
proved the law at the clos-
ing meeting of a legislative
session of the Standing
Committee of the National
People’s Congress.
THE MEA ON WEDNESDAY SAID THAT THE LAW WILL HAVE ‘NO BEARING ON ARRANGEMENTS BOTH SIDES REACHED
EARLIER’, NEW LAW WAS ADOPTED BY BEIJING RECENTLY FOR PROTECTION, EXPLOITATION OF COUNTRY’S BORDER
Like Sail, I was forced by NCB
to sign blank papers:Witness
Mumbai: Days after
Prabhakar Sail raked
up a controversy by
claiming that he was
made to sign blank pa-
pers by NCB, a witness
in another drug bust
case has alleged that he
had to go through a sim-
ilar experience earlier.
Shekhar Kamble, a
Navi Mumbai resident
claimed that the probe
body took his signature
on 10-12 blank papers
and later filled it up
themselves without in-
forming him about the
contents of the pan-
chanama. Kamble said
Sail’sinterviewinspired
him to reveal truth.
Wankhede, Mumbai
zonal director for NCB,
said, “Hostile. Will com-
ment in court. Matter is
subjudice.” —ANI
Tripura: Mosque
vandalised and
shops set afire
Agartala: A mosque
was vandalised and two
shops set ablaze in north
Tripura on Tuesday
evening during a VHP
rallytakenoutinprotest
against the recent vio-
lence against Hindus in
neighbouring Bangla-
desh, district SP Bhanu-
pada Chakraborty was
reported as saying in the
media. The state police
haveprovidedprotection
to mosques in sensitive
areas, and warned
against sending of pro-
vocative messages on
social media. —ANI
HC tells authorities to decide on
plea to evacuate Indians from Af
New Delhi: The Delhi
HConWednesdaydirect-
ed the Centre to decide
therepresentationof the
plearelatedto227Indian
andAfghanNationalsof
Indian origin - Hindus,
Sikhs stranded in Af-
ghanistan, as per law.
With these directions,
Court disposed of PIL
relatingto227Indianna-
tionals and Afghan na-
tionals of Indian origin
who are Hindus and
Sikhsbyreligionstrand-
ed in Afghanistan and
who are constantly and
almost daily facing
threats to their lives and
properties at the hands
of the Taliban. —ANI
The petitioner had sought
urgent relief for their evacu-
ation, issuance of e-visa and
safe return to India. The peti-
tioner told that the source of
the knowledge of the facts are
stranded Indian and Afghan
people, a non government or-
ganisation named India world
forum, among others.
PETITIONER TOLD
THE COURT...
However, the Court ex-
pressed its doubt about the
facts mentioned in the case
and asked the petitioner
where he got information
related to stranded people.
COURT EXPRESSES
DOUBT OVER FACTS
KAMBLE CLAIMS
Kamble claimed he is a
witness in this case, “I
am Shekhar Kamble. I am
not making any allega-
tions but I want to say
that I got cheated (by
NCB). In a Kharghar case
number 80/21, a Nigerian
was caught, Nigerian
was not drug peddler. He
pushed us and ran away.”
RAJINI CALLS
ON PREZ, PM!
Superstar Rajinikanth was honoured with India’s highest
cinema award Dadasaheb Phalke Award at the recently
held 67th edition of the National Film Awards. Rajinikanth,
his wife Latha on Wednesday tweeted photos from their
meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President
Ram Nath Kovind. Rajini met the top leaders in New Delhi,
where he had gone to receive the prestigious Award.
New Delhi: Making his
first appearance after 6
years following incar-
cerationatTarapur,RJD
chief Lalu Prasad on
Wednesday took pot-
shots at Nitish Kumar-
led govt calling it a dis-
pensation facing inter-
nalfrictionamongallies.
He also accused the JD
(U) strongman of resort-
ing to cheating before
forminggovtafterBihar
assembly polls
heldlastyear.
—ANI
However, the details of the discussion are
still unknown. The telephonic conversa-
tion comes after Congress and RJD
broke off the alliance ahead of the
by-polls in Kusheshwar Asthan
(SC) and Tarapur constituencies
in Bihar scheduled on October 30.
2 CONSTITUENCIES BY-POLL
IN BIHAR ON OCTOBER 30
Sonia’s‘LET’SFIXIT’calltoLalu
New Delhi: Congress
president Sonia Gandhi
dialled Lalu Yadav on
Tuesday amid signs
that the RJD leader con-
siders his long-time ally
a dead weight in Bihar,
especially with the ap-
proaching by-polls be-
coming a flashpoint be-
tween the parties.
Lalu Yadav, return-
ing to Bihar politics af-
ter 3 years in jail and
hospitals, held up a gi-
ant red flag for the op-
position alliance on
Monday as he publicly
dissed a Congress lead-
er and questioned what
good the alliance had
done for his party
.
Lalu was asked
whether RJD’s alliance
with the Congress was
over. “Kya hota hai Con-
gress ka gathband-
han (of what use
is alliance with
Cong ress),”
snapped Lalu
Yadav. —ANI
Sonia Gandhi speaks to Lalu
Yadav after he taunts Congress
1
Congress prez dials RJD chief amid
‘trouble’ in Bihar grand alliance
2
Though state Congress
leaders are furious
with the RJD leader,
Sonia Gandhi wants to
smooth things over with
one of the party’s oldest
allies, say sources.
SOURCES SAY
HadIbeenoutofjail,Tejashwiwould
haveformedgovtinBihar:LaluYadav
Lalu Prasad
Yadav waves to
supporters during
a by-election
rally at Tarapur
constituency,
in Munger on
Wednesday. Party
leader Tejashwi
Yadav also seen.
PeopleofBiharhadmadeTejashwitheCM.ButNitish
Kumarformedthegovtthroughcheatingand
manipulation.HadIbeenoutside,itwouldnothave
happened.So-called‘doubleengine’govtinBihar-aneuphemism
forNDArulingbothstateCentre--hadfailedonallfrontsasthe
engineswerepullingeachotherindifferentdirections.Issarkar
kokoiidhartohkoiudharsekhichrahahai.
—LALU PRASAD YADAV, RJD chief
Sonia Gandhi
Water to...
Now, farmers can regis-
ter their groundnuts for
the procurement under
the Minimum Support
Price (MSP). So far, over
2.53 lakh farmers have
registered for it.”
He added, “The state
has decided to release
irrigation water from
October 30. This will be
the first time that water
will be released for ir-
rigation before Diwali.”
The state govern-
ment has also allocated
Rs500 crore for Econom-
ically Backward Class
students. Those who do
not have any reserva-
tion benefits will re-
ceive financial assis-
tance for education
loans, higher studies
coaching, food bills and
overseas study loans.
Meanwhile, E-Gram
Seva offered at village
panchayats that was
only issuing revenue
documents will now
also renew driving li-
censes and issue learn-
ing/ duplicate licens-
es. To avail this bene-
fit, citizens will have
to pay a fee of Rs20 to
the E-Gram Seva op-
erators. This will re-
duce the burden on the
Regional Transport
Offices (RTOs), and
people will receive
their licenses in their
villages.
FROM PG 1

TALKING POINT
07
KEEP CALM AND EAT...
SHIVANI SHRIVASTAVA
ational Chocolate Day
is celebrated annually
on October 28 in many
parts of the world! Not
only is chocolate deli-
cious by itself, but it
also enhances so many dishes
and desserts.Chocolate can
enhance your health. The key-
word here, though, is “can.” De-
pending on the exact chocolate
you use and of course how much
of it you eat, you may or may not
reap the fermented dessert’s well-
ness-boosting benefits. When you
are in the mood for something
sweet, chocolate is always one of
top choices of everyone. Here are
some of my favorite chocolate
desserts along with a few fun
facts about chocolate.
WHITE CHOCOLATE IS
NOT CHOCOLATE
Because it doesn’t contain cocoa solids
or chocolate liquor, white chocolate
isn’t chocolate in the strict sense. But
it does contain parts of the cacao bean,
mainly cocoa butter.
CHOCOLATE IS ACTUALLY A
VEGETABLE—KIND OF
Milk and dark chocolate come from the
cacao bean, which grows on the cacao
tree (Theobroma cacao), an evergreen
from the family Malvaceae. This makes
the most important part of the sweet
treat a vegetable.
HOT CHOCOLATE WAS THE
FIRST CHOCOLATE TREAT
Cacao was brewed in both Mexican and
Aztec culture, though the result was
nothing like today’s hot chocolate—it
was a typically bitter concoction that
was often used for ceremonial occa-
sions like weddings.
BAKER’S CHOCOLATE ISN’T
JUST FOR BAKING
Dr. James Baker
and John Hannon
founded their
chocolate com-
pany (later called
Walter Baker Chocolate) in 1765. That’s
where the
term “Baker’s
Chocolate” comes
from, not to denote
chocolate that’s just meant for
cooking.
MILTON HERSHEY REALLY
WAS A CANDY KING
The Pennsylvania native
may be best known for
starting The Hershey
Chocolate Company in
good old Hershey, PA, but he got his
start in candy long before hooking up with
chocolate. He founded his first company,
The Lancaster Caramel Company, when he
was 30 years old.
MILK CHOCOLATE WAS
INVENTED IN SWITZERLAND
Daniel Peter created the tasty treat in
1875—after eight years of trying to
make his recipe work. Condensed milk
ended up being the key ingredient.
CHOCOLATE HAS A SPECIAL
MELTING POINT
Chocolate is the only edible substance
to melt around 93° F, just below the
human body temperature. That’s why
chocolate melts so easily on your
tongue.
N
AROUNDTHE WORLD,
FOR CHOCOLATES!
While most of us travel
for sightseeing, there are some
who travel for food, and some
even for chocolates. Chocolate
manifests itself in various
forms, across the globe and
it’s time we sampled at least some of them. We bring
you the list of most chocolatey destinations around
the world for that absolutely irresistible indulgence
SWITZERLAND
The main attraction in the Swiss city of Zurich (the
heart of chocolate production) is the Lindt Sprungli
chocolate factory which offers a museum chronicling
the company’s history, an entertaining tour and lots
of free chocolate tasting.
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
Have you ever think, why Brussels is known as the
‘Chocolate Capital of the World’! Belgium houses
more chocolatiers per square foot than any other city
in the world. Don’t miss out on the one of its kind
Museum of Cocoa and Chocolate and Chocolaterie
Mary (founded in 1919), considered to be the grande
dame of Belgium chocolate, located just a hop skip
jump from the Royal Palace and the Belgian Royal
Family’s favourite since 1942.
HERSHEY, PENNSYLVANIA, THE USA
Known as the ‘sweetest place on earth’, at Hershey’s
Chocolate World you can taste the world-famous
Hershey’s chocolate, visit the Hershey Story Muse-
um, and even stay at Hotel Hershey, the official resort
of Hersheypark, which features a chocolate spa,
where guests can enjoy a luxurious whipped cocoa
bath, get chocolate bean polish or even order up a
chocolate fondue wrap.
HOW MUCH CHOCOLATE ONE
CAN EAT IN A DAY
Excessive consumption of any-
thing is harmful to health, whether
it is veggies or chocolate. One
must not eat more than 30 to 60
grams of chocolate in a day. Con-
suming too much chocolate will
increase your daily calorie count
leading to weight gain and other
issues. A bar of dark chocolate
weighing 40 grams contains 190
calories says Dr. Neetu Shah.
WHY CHOCOLATE
REALLY ISTHE CURE ALL
Ever since childhood, we have been
told that chocolate is bad for health.
It has been linked with acne, obesity,
high blood pressure, coronary artery
disease, tooth decay and diabetes,
which often makes us think twice
before having a piece of it. Despite
its bad reputation, several health
benefits may be associated with this
delicious treat.
MOOD ENHANCER
There is a reason why men bring
a lovely little box of chocolates to
women on their dates. They know.
Chocolate is the secret little love
drug. Chocolate seems to instantly
make us smile and happy.
IT MAY PROTECT SKIN FROM
THE SUN DAMAGE
Not only for your health, but choco-
late is also good for your skin. The
bioactive compound found in choco-
late can protect against sun damage,
improve blood flow to the skin and
keep your skin hydrated.
IMPROVE BRAIN FUNCTION
The flavonoids in chocolate not
only protect your heart and enhance
your mood, they are also great brain
boosters. According to research they
increase mental functions in order to
help you perform well on tests and
school work.
RELIEF FROM INFLAMMATION
Chronic and prolonged inflammation
in the body can be responsible for
several chronic
diseases. An
easy way to
reduce inflam-
mation is by
consuming
chocolate.
Cocoa has an
anti-inflam-
matory effect
that can help
to ward off chronic diseases and keep
you healthy.
CHOCOLATES
If you needed justification for
indulging in your favorite treat,
you’ve come to the right place,
we hope you enjoy some
chocolate today!
THEY ARE FUN!

Leadership is not just leading
by example; it is also far
sighted vision in thoughts
and deeds.
—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO Editor-in-Chief, First India
08
2NDFRONT
The kingpin ran the call centre using 4 SIM boxes, a LAN switch, a laptop a router
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: In a ma-
jor operation, the Guja-
rat Anti-Terrorist
Squad (ATS) has busted
an illegal Voice over In-
ternet Protocol (VoIP)
telephone exchange
and arrested a man
with as many as 139
SIM cards, officials in-
formed on Wednesday
.
An ATS team raided
a flat in Sakib Apart-
ment in Juhapura area
in Ahmedabad on Tues-
day and arrested Sha-
hid Saiyad, who was
running the illegal call
centre using four SIM
boxes, a LAN switch, a
laptop and a router, Gu-
jarat ATS Superinten-
dent of Police Pinakin
Parmar said.
A SIM box is a device
that can hold multiple
SIM cards and is used
as part of a VoIP gate-
way installation.
Preliminary investi-
gations have revealed
that the call centre was
set up by Najib PP, a na-
tive of Kerala, with the
help of his aides Amit,
a resident of Pune and
one Sohail, who hails
from Goa.
“Najib was running
the call centre remotely
from Bahrain. Since
video calls using appli-
cations such as What-
sApp are banned in
Gulf countries, Indians
living there have to pay
ISD rates to make inter-
national calls here. Na-
jib and his men make
money by selling call-
ing cards and sending
commissions to Sha-
hid, Amit and Sohail
here,” Parmar said.
The police have re-
covered 139 SIM cards
installed in the SIM
Boxes to generate the
VoIP calls, he said.
As directed by Najib
and Sohail, the arrested
accused started this
VoIP-based call centre
in the Juhapura area
around a year ago, he
said.
“This call centre was
used for converting in-
coming international
calls into normal voice
calls using VoIP tech-
nology. This is illegal
and against the rules
set by the Department
of Telecommunication.
This activity also re-
sults in loss of income
to the government,”
Parmar said.
While Saiyad has
been arrested on the
charges of cheating and
criminal conspiracy
among other sections,
the three other accused
are absconding, he said.
On learning that Na-
jib was also operating
another call centre in
the Mira Road area of
Mumbai, a joint team
of ATS and Mumbai
police raided a flat in
ND Plaza No.3 on Tues-
day and nabbed one Sa-
jjad Saiyad with 115
SIM cards and other
equipment.
FROLICKING IN NATURE’S LAP
A boy spotted playing in the backdrop of sunset near Shahibag riverfront in Ahmedabad on Wednesday evening.
ANATOMY OF SCAM
Gujarat ATS team with the kingpin of the call centre racket.
Raghu Sharma reaches
Surat on 3-day visit to
take stock of Cong situation
First India Bureau
Surat: Rajasthan
Health Minister and
Gujarat Congress in-
chargeDrRaghuShar-
ma landed in Surat on
Wednesday for a three-
day visit to meet party
leaders of South Guja-
rat and receive former
AICC president Rahul
Gandhi on Friday for a
court case.
On his second visit
to Gujarat after being
appointed as state Con-
gress incharge, Dr
Sharma was received
at the Surat airport by
Gujarat party presi-
dent Amit Chavda and
Surat city chief Nai-
shadhDesai.Hehadan
informalchatwithcity
leaders like Kadir Pir-
zada, Praful Togadia,
Mahendrasinh Surati-
ya and former council-
lors at Circuit House.
Dr Sharma will be
meeting local leaders
on Thursday
, where he
will discuss the party’s
debacleintherecentlo-
cal body polls. He may
have also have one-on-
onemeetingwiththem.
On Friday
, Dr Shar-
ma, Amit Chavda and
other leaders will re-
ceive Rahul Gandhi,
who is coming to at-
tend a court hearing.
Ever since Dr Sharma
hastakenover,Gujarat
Congress is hoping for
a fast reorganisation
with an announce-
mentof stateunitpres-
ident and leader of op-
position.Gandhi has
already held a meeting
withGujaratleadersin
Delhi last week, where
deliberations took
place on the 2022 elec-
tions and social engi-
neering to finalise a
newGujaratpresident.
Theannouncements
will now be made after
Diwali and a three-day
Chintan Shibir to be
attended by Rahul
Gandhi.
Hugeroughdiamondpricehike
brings down production
First India Bureau
Surat: The prices of
rough diamonds have
increased by an astro-
nomical 30% causing an
indirect fall of around
15% in production at the
diamond units. Accord-
ing to diamond busi-
nessmen, the increase is
historic.
The unit owners have
slowed their manufac-
turing considering the
price rise. Thus, produc-
tion has slowed down
despite the upcoming
Diwali festival. The de-
cision of price hike was
taken by rough gems
mining companies and
traders as demand for
diamonds and jewellery
has been on the rise in
foreign markets since
the past six months.
The city’s diamond
firms typically employ
workers for 8 to 10 hours
a day, but in the month
of Diwali, diamond fac-
tory workers work for
over 12 hours cutting
andpolishingdiamonds.
Factoriestendtostartas
early as 5 a.m. but they
are unable to follow this
practice with rough dia-
monds getting expen-
sive.
Earlier, the Sunday
holidays were cancelled
for workers, but due to
highdemandnowthings
are working as usual.
Gems and Jewellery
Export Promotion
Council (GJEPC) Re-
gional Chairman
Dinesh Navadiya, said,
“There is a demand for
diamonds in the inter-
national market. The
rise in rough diamond
prices is now likely to
cause diamond factory
owners 10-15% loss.”
— FILE PHOTO
GUJARATATSBUSTSGLOBAL
ILLEGAL V0IP EXCHANGE IN A’BAD
SPECIALIST DOC BLAMES VADODARA’S STERLING HOSP
FOR OVERCHARGING PATIENTS DURING PANDEMIC
COVID-19 BLUES
First India Bureau
Vadodara: Lungs spe-
cialist Dr. Sonia Dalal
blamed Sterling Hospi-
tal of Vadodara for
charging hefty money
from patients during
Covid19 spread and dis-
regarding the corpora-
tion guidelines. She
also alleged that the
hospital charged mon-
ey from patients on her
name without giving
her any clarification.
She has filed a police
complaintanddemands
strict inquiry in the
matter.
Dr Dalal said, “In
2020, the hospital
turned into a Covid19
centre and had to fol-
low the VMC guide-
lines under Indian Pan-
demic Act while charg-
ing the patients. Guide-
line clearly mentions
the fees in both inclu-
sion and exclusion cat-
egories, including the
visit of super special-
ists for which the hos-
pital can charge extra
money. They formed a
team for Covid19 man-
agement and told me to
visit every patient per-
sonally. It was not pos-
sible for me to do it
alone so I suggested
that I be accompanied
by Dr. Abhinav Bhosle.
The management re-
fused to pay him for
this work. We managed
the patients but never
got the statements. One
of my patients ap-
proached me regarding
extra charges taken by
the hospital, ‘as Super
Specialists Charge’ in
the name of Dr. Sonia
Dalal and Dr. Abhinav
Bhosle. We both have
attended as many as
2865 patients and got Rs
1.43 crore without
statement. But, around
18 to 20 crores are pend-
ing with the hospital.”
She had issued a no-
tice to the hospital in
the month of July, but
after lack of action, she
finally approached the
police commissioner
for an investigation.
She also put allegations
on the hospital for
charging money for
food and waste man-
agement outside the
decided package.
Former minister and
MLA Yogesh Patel also
raised the issue of hos-
pitals overcharging the
patients during the
pandemic and asked
for the matter to be in-
vestigated. Pointing
out Sterling hospital
for charging more mon-
ey disregarding the de-
cided package by the
VMC, he said, “Police
investigation is neces-
sary in this matter and
he will talk personally
to the police commis-
sioner.”
FormerministerandMLAYogeshPatelalsoraisedthe
issueofhospitalsoverchargingthepatientsduringthe
pandemicandsayshewillalsospeaktothepolice
commissioneronSterlinghospitalissue
STERLING DENIES ALLEGATIONS
Sterling Hospital, Vadodara, CEO Dr Anil Nambiar has
stated that, “All the allegations are false as the treatment
of patients are the responsibility of a team and not of
a single doctor. Patients’ treatment is our priority and
we are doing it effectively. She (Dr Dalal) is now not
attached to the hospital and all the allegations she made
are fake and out of some personal issues.”
Senior doctor Sonia Dalal.
GPCC chief Amit Chavda welcoming Dr Raghu Sharma at Surat airport.
—PHOTO
BY
HANIF
SINDHI

AHMEDABAD, THURSDAY
OCTOBER 28, 2021
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia
facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09
First India brings you the most glamorous special guests of First Miss
India 2021, Natasha Assadi, Malvi Malhotra and Dr Amit Karkhanis, who
are all set to amp up the fashion quotient at the event along with
mentors Gaurav Gaur, Megha Sachdeva, Divya Kasliwal, Aakriti Anand,
Swati Jangid, Kriti Garg, Riya Sain and Akanksha Bhalla.
FIRST MISS INDIA 2021
SNEAKPEEKINTOOUR
SPLGUESTSMENTORS
NATASHA ASSADI
Natasha Assadi is a famous Pageant Contestant. She has won many titles
like Miss Universe India 2015 first runner-up, Yamaha Fascino Miss Diva
2015 first runner-up, and Yamaha Fascino Miss Fascinating. She is known
for her role in Movie Gautham Nanda.
MEGHA SACHDEVA
Megha Sachdeva was the finalist at
Campus Princess 2019 and Liva Miss
Diva Universe 2020. She started her
career as a model and has walked the
ramp in several fashion shows.
KRITI GARG
Kriti Garg is an Indian film actress
who has worked predominantly in the
Telugu movie industry. She is very
talented and hard-working and is best
known for her work in the film Raahu
in the year 2020.
MALVI MALHOTRA
Malvi Malhotra is an Indian actress and
model. She is most popular for her work in
movies like Hotel Milan and Udaan. She has
done prominent role in numerous Telugu and
Bollywood, and Tamil films.
SWATI JANGID
Swati Jangid is a famous model and social
media influencer. She won the title of Mrs
India The Queen of Desert 2018. Full of
elegance and poise, Swati is really the
epitome of beauty.
AAKRITI ANAND
Aakriti Anand is a model, fashion blogger, and
Tv host. She was crowned as Miss Jaipur, Miss
Teenage personality 2006 and Miss Desert India
2008. She also won the title of Indian Princess.

10-11
ETC
City First
brings to you a
few more
glimpses from
the First India
Food Awards
2021 presented
by Bikaji held
on October 22
at Hotel
Rambagh
Jaipur.
HOSPITALITY
AWARDS 2021
AWARDS 2021
FIRST INDIA
FIRST INDIA
Dignitaries honoring the team of Peshawri, ITC Rajputana for
Best Specialty Indian Restaurant Award
Dignitaries honoring the team of Brown Sugar for the Best Cafe Award
Jagdeesh Chandra in conversation with Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar and
Aman Verma as they look at updates from the First India newspaper
Dignitaries honoring the team of White Kitchen for the Best Cloud Kitchen Award
Dignitaries honoring the team of Okra, Jaipur Marriott Hotel for the Best World Cuisine Award Dignitaries honoring the team of Town Coffee for the Best All Day Diner Award
Dignitaries honoring the team of Blackout for the Best Night Club (Rooftop) Award Dignitaries honoring Radhika Agarwal for the Best Food Blogger Award
Dignitaries honoring the team of Chao Chinese Restaurant for the Best Chinese Restaurant Award
Dignitaries honoring the team of Little Affair, Sariska for the
Best Upcoming Boutique Resort Award
Dignitaries honoring Neeti Kasliwal for Hops n Taters
for the Best Mutli Cuisine Restro Lounge Award Dignitaries honoring the team of Half Light Coffee Roaster for the Best Coffee Roaster Award
Dignitaries honoring the owner of Scoop and Cones
for the Best Gelato Award
Dignitaries honoring the team of Fairmount Jaipur for
Best Hotel for Events Award
Dignitaries honoring Bake Hut for the Best Bakery Award Dignitaries honoring Dzurt for the Best Patisserie Award Dignitaries honoring the team of IHM for the Best Personalised Catering Award
Dignitaries honoring the team of Chirmi Palace for Best Wine Bistro Award Dignitaries honoring Tarun Gupta for Best Food Photography Award
Dignitaries honoring the team of Vishal Jalani for the Emerging Entreprenuer of the year
Dignitaries honoring the team of Mohan Mahal,
Leela Palace for the Best Rajasthani Restaurant Award
Jagdeesh Chandra with Aman Verma, Rishee Miglani and Anita Hada
Dignitaries honoring the team of Club Trove for the Best Night Club (Dancing) Award Dignitaries honoring the team of Rawat Mishthan Bhandar for Best Mishthan Bhandar Award
Shashi Bhati, Deepak Agarwal, Anita Hada and Rishee Miglani
Dignitaries honoring the team of Hotel Clarion Inn for
the Best Mid Size Hotel for Weddings Events
Dignitaries honoring the team of Shiv Vilas Resort for the Best Wedding Hotel Award
Jagdeesh Chandra and Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar presenting the Best Luxury Hotel Award to
Rambagh Palace, also seen on the stage is actor Aman Verma
Dignitaries honoring the team of Pitstop for the Best Theme Cafe Award
Dignitaries honoring the team of Swiggy for Best Delivery Award
—PHOTOS
BY
SANTOSH
SHARMA
AND
MUKESH
KIRADOO

12
CITY BUZZ
GET VACCINATED
STAY MASKED
T
he main aim of the
campaign #sup-
portartisans is to
bring back the demand
for handmade and re-
vive the livelihoods of
artisans and weavers.
Rich in skill but limit-
ed in resources, arti-
sans and craftsmen of
India were immediately
impacted by the fallout
from the global finan-
cial meltdown and re-
sulting bankruptcies
due to the COVID-19
pandemic.
To fill this
camp TRUNKIN’ has
curated special prod-
ucts this Diwali from
artisans and weavers
across the country
. The
hampers feature care-
fully curated art forms
across Textiles (hand-
woven, and hand em-
broidered), Wooden,
Metal, Earthy and
Hand Painted products
from across India.
Apart from this the
range also comprises
of Beaded Placemats,
Brass diya for perform-
ing Diwali Puja, Em-
broidered placemats,
Glass Votive, Napkin
Rings, and Table run-
ners.
Manav Bhatia,
Founder said “With
#supportartisans we in-
tend to help all the arti-
sans across the country
by selling their prod-
ucts on Trunkin’. Con-
sequently, during the
Pandemic the inventory
piled up while income
dwindled and eventual-
ly dried up, placing the
artisans and their fami-
lies in a very precarious
position. Thus, Trunk-
in’ was launched to help
the artisans survive the
pandemic through new
wholesale and retail
channels. You can
choose the gift items
you want to support and
buy these exquisite sur-
prise gifts for yourself
and your loved ones.
he renowned social media influenc-
er as well as a budding model, An-
mol Solanki, hailing from Agra, Ut-
tar Pradesh shared his journey with
City First in an exclusive interview.
Anmol shared, “I have been very
passionate about ilms and art of act-
ing but I couldn’t pusue it as my career due to
some major family issues. But, social media
has definitely helped in giving it a boost and
helped me grow and learn about a lot of new
things.” Anmol was always intrigued by
Shah Rukh’s anti hero role in Bazigar.
At a very tender age, Anmol lost his father
and learnt about the hardships of life. His
mother was a pillar of support who always
believed in him. Talking about his biggest
achievement Anmol shared, “As an inde-
pendednt artist, I have been featured in dif-
ferent magazines and have been a show stop-
per for beauty pageants. I have also worked
with Colors TV for Shakti and apart from
that I have some big projects in the pipeline,
one of them will soon be a feature in a music
video.” Anmol continues to aspire and inspire
his followers.
efore you bombard me with ‘fact-check please’ looks,
I know, World Chocolate Day is celebrated on July 7
each year but, it’s National Chocolate Day for the
States today. Ah well, I just any reason to talk about
chocolate. And, while Google will take you through the
history of this marked day quite well, yours truly is
here to dive into some of the sultrier nuances of this
decadent, luxurious treat.
As bougie as it sounds, Chocolate massage is truly a hit, you
guys! The masseuse’s fingers run through the heavenly chocolate
sprawled all over your back, arousing a treacle of sentiments.
Yes, even I feel like booking an appointment already! And, if
you’re the reticent kind, fret not. Grab some strawberries, a hot
pot of steaming chocolate and finally, your partner dearest and
call it a night. Add some spark with sweet-scented candles and
trust me, you’ll thank me for this unsolicited bedroom advice.
Shifting the gaze a little from debauchery
, have you ever gotten
a chocolate wax? It’s like stripping your body hair off (read soul)
but, with an overarching wave of chocolate scents to compensate
for all the ripping apart. Is it worth the pain? Hmm, I’ll let you
decide. But, what I can tell you is how smooth and aromatic your
skin feels post the session.
Well, that’s all from my side. Apart from munching on dark
chocolate on a random Wednesday night, here’s how I put choco-
lates to better use. What about you?
Kritika Khurana, popularly known as ‘That
Boho Girl’ hosted a pre-Diwali bash at
her place. Many popular socialites and
influencers were present at the party.
DIYO KI DIWALI
Lets get TRUNKIN’
—PHOTOS BY SHAZID CHAUHAN
Love, dipped in chocolate
POORVI SINGHAL
cityfirst@firstindia.co.in
B
SUSHMITA AIND
cityfirst@firstindia.co.in
T
A PASSIONATE
A PASSIONATE
SOUL
SOUL
Anmol Solanki
Manav Bhatia
Representational Image
Aditya, Shivesh, Deeksha, Sakshi and Kritika
Deeksha Khurana, Sakshi Sindhwani
and Kritika Khurana Shivesh and Sakshi

28102021 first india ahmedabad (2)

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