28122021 first india ahmedabad (1)

Taj Group pledges to set up hotel near Statue of Unity
16 MOUs signed
on Monday, as
many as 96 signed
at pre-VGGS
events so far
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: As
many as 16 memoran-
dums of understanding
(MoUs), including one
for the construction of a
hotel near the world’s
tallest Statue of Unity at
Kevadia by Taj Group,
were signed on Monday
in the run-up to the 10th
edition of the Vibrant
Gujarat Global Summit,
officials said.
With this, a total of 96
MoUs have been signed
duringfivesucheventsso
far that have been organ-
isedeveryMondayaspart
of the pre-Vibrant event
ahead of the Vibrant Gu-
jarat Global Summit
which will be organised
instatecapitalGandhina-
garduringJanuary10-12.
In the 16 MoUs signed
on Monday
, the compa-
nies have proposed in-
vestments for waste-to-
energy and waste-to-oil
conversionplants,instal-
lation of patented equip-
ment to control air pollu-
tion and disinfection of
viruses, bacteria with an
innovative approach to
environmental protec-
tion, etc., according to an
official statement.
“An MoU was also
signed by the Taj Group
to construct a hotel at
the Statue of Unity at
Kevadia, a world-lead-
ing tourist destination,”
the statement added.
Italsosaidthatthisho-
tel project will generate
immense employment
opportunitiesforthetrib-
al youth of the area. “Be-
sides this, prospects for
self-employmentwillalso
be created through vari-
ous cottage and handi-
craft industries.”
The fifth pre-Vibrant
MoUs also included a
70-megawatt hybrid re-
newable energy park, a
disinfectantformulation
plant,aspecialitychemi-
cal as well as radar
equipment for the pro-
duction of thermal cam-
eras and other accesso-
ries for the defence sec-
tor, said the statement.
The MoUs were
signed in the presence
of Revenue Minister Ra-
jendra Trivedi, Minister
of State for Industries
Jagdish Vishwakarma,
andotherofficialsof the
state Industries and
Mines Department.
ACS (Industries and Mining) Rajiv Gupta, Revenue and Law
Minister Rajendra Trivedi and Minister of State for Industries
Jagdish Vishwakarma, at the pre-summit event on Monday.
AHMEDABAD l TUESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2021 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/79050 l Vol 3 l Issue No. 34
OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR, AHMEDABAD, LUCKNOW & NEW DELHI www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
BJP stunned as AAP
scores big win in the
Chandigarh civic polls
Polls in 5 states unlikely to be
deferred amid Omicron scare
Ambala: In a massive
boost for the Aam Aad-
mi Party ahead of the
Assembly elections in
Punjab, it won 14 of the
35 wards in Chandi-
garh, a city adminis-
tered by the Centre and
ruled by the Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP), re-
sults for which were de-
clared on Monday
.
The BJP, which had
swept the last Chandi-
garh Municipal Corpo-
ration polls winning 21
of 26 wards, ended sec-
ond, with 12.
The Congress won
eight wards and the
Akali Dal 1.
The number of wards
went up from 26 last
time to 35 now after de-
limitation.
While AAP needs the
support of 19 corpora-
tors to elect its Mayor,
the BJP needs 18 as the
Chandigarh MP, who
has a vote, belongs to
the BJP.
New Delhi: Five state
elections scheduled ear-
ly next year are unlike-
ly to be postponed,
sources said today, days
after a court in Uttar
Pradesh urged India’s
powerful election body
to defer the vote by a
month or two over the
Omicron worry
.
The Election Com-
mission is likely to stick
to the schedule and fol-
low the constitutional
mandate of polls before
the term of the state as-
semblies end. Elections
are due in Uttar
Pradesh, Punjab, Goa,
Uttarakhand and Ma-
nipur. The various as-
sembly terms end be-
tween March and May
.
Punjab Lok Congress president and former Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh meeting
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP President JP Nadda and state in-charge Gajendra
Singh Shekhawat in New Delhi on Monday.
New Delhi: Ahead of the Punjab Assembly polls, BJP state in-charge
Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Monday said the people see the future in
BJP adding that a host of leaders from other parties in Punjab will join it in
coming days. “In the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP
president JP Nadda, Captain Amarinder Singh (Punjab Lok Congress chief),
Sukhdev S Dhindsa (SAD-Sanyukt Chief) and I have decided that the three
parties will contest the Punjab Assembly Polls 2022 in an alliance and com-
mon manifesto,” he said.
CRUCIAL READ
VIKRAM MISRI IS NEW DEPUTY NSA
New Delhi: China expert and former
Indian envoy to Beijing Vikram Misri
was today appointed deputy national
security adviser in the national
security council secretariat. Misri, a
1989 batch IFS officer, will come in place of Pankaj
Saran who demits office on December 31, 2021.
Saran was a former envoy to Russia. While Vikram
Misri joins the NSCS, Pradeep Kumar Rawat has
taken over as India’s envoy to China.
DGGI ARRESTS BUSINESSMAN PIYUSH
JAIN AFTER RECOVERY OF RS 187 CR
Ahmedabad: Directorate General of GST Intel-
ligence (DGGI) Ahmedabad has arrested business-
man Piyush Jain under Section 67 of the CGST
Act and recovered unaccounted cash over Rs 187
crores, raw and finished materials from him. Ear-
lier on Sunday, DGGI had recovered Rs 10 crore
more cash from the factory and residence of Jain,
promotor of Odochem Industries of Kannauj.
5G READY TO
ROLL IN METROS
NEXT YEAR
New Delhi: The 5G
telecom services are
set to be rolled out
in selected cities in
India in 2022. The
cities which are set
to get the 5G telecom
services in 2022
include Gurugram,
Bangalore, Kolkata,
Mumbai, Chandigarh,
Delhi, Jamnagar,
Ahmadabad, Chennai,
Hyderabad, Lucknow,
Pune, and Gandhi-
nagar. The fifth-gen-
eration is the latest
upgrade in the LTE
mobile broadband.
PM MODI BACKS INCREASING MARRIAGE AGE FOR WOMEN
‘THEY WILL GET TIME TO STUDY
AND MAKE THEIR CAREERS’
A bill that was introduced in Lok Sabha’s Winter Session to increase age of marriage
for women to 21 years across all religions has been sent to a parliamentary committee
Aditi Nagar
Mandi: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on Mon-
day backed the central
government’s decision
to increase the age of
marriage of daughters
from 18 to 21 saying that
it will lead to daughters
getting time to make
their career.
“We have decided
daughters will be al-
lowed to marry at the
same age sons are al-
lowed to. With 21 years
of age for marriage of
daughters, they will get
full time to study and
will also be able to make
their career,’ said PM.
A bill that was intro-
duced in Lok Sabha in
the Winter Session to
increase the age of mar-
riage for women to 21
years across all reli-
gions has been sent to a
parliamentary commit-
tee for scrutiny
.
PM was inaugurating
development projects
worth Rs 11,000 crore in
the Mandi district.
‘INDIA ACHIEVED NON
FOSSIL ENERGY GOALS’
PM IN KANPUR
TODAY TO OPEN
METRO PROJECT
TOURISTS ALSO RESPONSIBLE FOR
CLEAN, PLASTIC-FREE HIMACHAL: PM
Mandi: India has achieved the target
which was set for the year 2030, of
making 40 per cent of its installed
electricity capacity from non-fossil
energy, this year itself, said Prime
Minister Narendra Modi after
inaugurating and laying the foundation
of various hydropower projects worth
Rs 11,000 crore in Himachal Pradesh’s
Mandi on Monday.
Kanpur: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi will visit
Kanpur on Tuesday
to inaugurate the
metro rail project and
attend the convocation
ceremony as the chief
guest at the Indian
Institute of Technology.
The Kanpur Metro Rail
Project, with an entire
length of 32 km, is
being built at a cost of
over Rs 11,000 crore.
Mandi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that Centre is
working on plastic waste management but tourists visiting
Himachal also have huge responsibility in keeping it clean. “Our
government is alert about the damage caused to the mountains
due to plastic. Tourists also have a huge responsibility in
keeping Himachal clean, free of plastic and other waste,” said
PM Modi. “Along with the nationwide campaign against single-
use plastic, our government is also working on plastic waste
management. Plastic not thrown in proper places ends up
going into rivers, damaging the rivers,” he added.
Shah chairs 3rd apex
Narco Coordination
Centre meeting
New Delhi: Union
Home Minister Amit
Shah on Monday
chaired the 3rd Apex
Level meeting of Narco
Coordination Centre
(NCORD) here in the
national capital aimed
at discussing drug-traf-
ficking related issues
and their solution.
The meeting started
around 3 pm and it was
attended by Home Sec-
retary Ajay Bhalla, Di-
rector IB Arvind Ku-
mar, Narcotics Control
Bureau Chief S.N.
Pradhan, Director Gen-
erals of Border Securi-
ty Force and Sashastra
Seema Bal, Chief Secre-
taries and DGPs of
states and their repre-
sentatives and adminis-
trators in the Union
Territories (UTs) along
with various concerned
departments.
Health Secretary
Rajesh Bhushan and
Delhi Police Commis-
sioner Rakesh Asthana
also joined the meeting
which is organised in a
hybrid model.
This high-level com-
mittee meeting was also
attended by senior offic-
ers from the Ministry
of Social Justice and
Empowerment, Minis-
try of Health and Fam-
ily Welfare, Department
of Revenue (Ministry
of Finance) and Indian
Coast Guard.
The NCORD is a
mechanism under Di-
rector-General NCB. It
is constituted in order
to have effective coordi-
nation among all the
drug law enforcement
agencies and other
stakeholders.
Vaccination
registration
for children
aged 15-18
from Jan 1
New Delhi: Children
between the ages of 15
and 18 will be able to
register on the CoWIN
platform from January
1, the government said
on Monday
.
For registering, chil-
dren have been permit-
ted to use their student
ID cards in case they do
not have Aadhaar or
any other identity
cards, CoWIN platform
Chief Dr RS Sharma
told ANI.
The announcement
comes days after PM
Modi’s Christmas night
address, where he said
children in the 15-18 age
group will soon be
included in the nation-
wide vaccination
drive.
The prime minister
also announced a third
‘precautionary’ or
booster dose of the vac-
cine for healthcare and
frontline workers as
well as those above the
age of 60 who have co-
morbidities.
The process of regis-
tration for those above
60 and have illness will
be exactly the same,
Sharma added.
ECI MEETS HEALTH SECY,
REVIEWS COVID SITUATION
IN POLL-BOUND STATES
A team of poll panel officials had
met with Union Health Secretary
Rajesh Bhushan on Monday where
discussions were held over steps
needed to conduct polls in a safe
manner in spite of the pandemic.
EC officials sought a detailed re-
port on coronavirus case surge.
CORONA
CATASTROPHE
INDIA
GUJARAT
6,531
new cases
315
new fatalities
204
new cases
01
new fatalities
Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaking during the inauguration
ceremony in Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi district on Monday.
Home Minister Amit Shah
The meeting was
significant as it took
stock of the existing
drug abuse and
trafficking scenario
in the country and
discussed possible
mechanisms to
address the same
BJP, which had swept
the last C’garh civic
Corp polls winning
21 of 26 wards, ended
second with 12
BJP’s sitting mayor
loses as AAP won 14
of 35 wards, a major
boost for before
Punjab elections
Equity benchmark Sensex ended 296 points higher on Monday, tracking gains in in-
dex majors ICICI Bank, HDFC twins and Tech Mahindra amid a largely positive trend
in global markets. After rebounding over 960 points from the day’s low during the
session, the 30-share index settled 295.93 points or 0.52% higher at 57,420.24.
Similarly, the Nifty recovered 82.50 points or 0.49 per cent to 17,086.25.
The Haryana government’s second Cabinet expansion will take place tomorrow, the
state Chief Minister’s office (CMO) informed on Monday. The new ministers of the
state cabinet are expected to take oath on Tuesday at 4 pm. “The Haryana cabinet
will be expanded on December 28, 2021. The swearing-in ceremony will be held at
the Haryana Raj Bhavan at 4 pm,” CMO Haryana tweeted in Hindi.
SENSEX ENDS
296 POINTS
HIGHER; NIFTY
TOPS 17,050
HARYANA’S
SECOND CABINET
EXPANSION
TODAY AT 4 PM
PB POLLS: BJP ANNOUNCES TIE
UP WITH CAPT, DHINDSA’S PARTY

NEWS
AHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2021
02
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First India Bureau
Ahmedabad/Surat:
The Aam Aadmi Party
(AAP) has petitioned
the state High Court to
quash and set aside an
Ahmedabad Police or-
der rejecting its applica-
tion seeking permission
to protest in the city
, and
to direct the police to
permit the protest.
The petition, moved
by AAP’s city unit vice-
president Bipin Patel,
states that the organiza-
tion had planned an in-
definite hunger strike in
front of the Ahmedabad
Collector’s office from 2
pm on December 22, for
which the city unit had
movedanapplicationbe-
fore the city police com-
missioner seeking per-
mission. This was nei-
ther granted nor reject-
ed. However, when AAP
functionaries reached
thevenuefortheprotest,
they were picked up by
the Ranip police.
Sincethepoliceasked
the party to file another
application seeking
permission to protest,
another application
was submitted to the
Ranip Police Inspector
on December 23. This
was rejected without
giving any reasons.
The petitioner’s sub-
missionisthat,byreject-
ing the request, the po-
lice have violated the
fundamental Right of
Expression of the AAP
party members. The po-
lice order overlooks the
importance of the pro-
test against burning is-
sueswhichtouchlivesof
lakhs of unemployed
youths, who have suf-
fered because of the pa-
per leak, it said.
AAP national leader
Gulabsingh Yadav, state
leader Mahesh Savani
and others are on in-
definite hunger strike
protesting the arrest of
AAP leaders following a
protest at the BJP state
unit office last week.
Meanwhile, in Surat,
AAP councillors and
workerscarriedplacards
and shouted slogans de-
nouncing the recent pa-
per leak and calling for
theresignationof GSSSB
chairman Asit Vora,
ahead of the general
board meeting of the lo-
calcivicbodyonMonday
.
AAP asks High Court to direct police to allow protests
AAP leader Mahesh Savani (in a T-shirt) and other leaders on indefinite hunger strike at the AAP state office in Ahmedabad. Savani was
shifted to SVP Hospital on Monday evening after his health deteriorated.
‘THE
END IS
NIGH’
Youth Congress
member Umang
Solanki said
he dressed as
Yamraj while
going to give
Collector RB
Barad a memo
demanding
the removal
of Gujarat
Subordinate
Services
Selection Board
chairman Asit
Vora since he
hoped Vora
would soon be
‘vanquished’.
Each constituency has
at least 10K bogus
voters: Jagdish Thakor
First India Bureau
Una: During the Jan
Chetana Yatra, the
newly appointed
president of Gujarat
Pradesh Congress
Committee insisted
that MLAs from the
Congress are facing
police cases since
they are fighting the
ruling Bharatiya Ja-
nata Party on behalf
of the people.
He first went
around asking each
of the MLAs on
stage how many on-
going cases in-
volved them.
When local MLA
Punja Vansh said
he faced 32 cases,
Thakor said,
“Vansh is facing all
these cases because
he is fighting
against the BJP for
the local issues for
the people’s rights
and welfare. When-
ever he raises ques-
tions, he is reward-
ed with a new case.
Same with Amrish
Der, who has faced
many cases because
he raised questions
about for land allo-
cation from the
Railways.”
He also took a
swing at the ruling
party, accusing BJP
functionaries and
followers of holding
multiple voter IDs.
“The voting card
is the biggest weap-
on to bring change.
Unfortunately, BJP
supporters hold vot-
er cards of more
than two constitu-
encies. If someone
vote in Una, then he
likely also has a vot-
ing ID for Kodinar.
There are more than
10,000 such BJP vot-
ers in each constitu-
ency,” he asserted.
Thakor added
that his party has
met around 1 lakh
families who have
lost their loved ones
due to COVID-19,
further accusing
the government of
m i s m a n a g e m e n t
that caused “misery
and a struggle to get
treatment”.
To give them jus-
tice, Congress held
a COVID-19 Nyay
Yatra, he said.
“When the Con-
gress ran the gov-
ernment, politics
focused on real is-
sues. Now, their
only tactic is to pit
religion versus reli-
gion and caste ver-
sus caste. We aim to
provide good
health, education,
etc.,” he said.
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Amid a
rise in COVID-19 cases
and the threat posed
by the highly trans-
missible Omicron var-
iant, a BJP MLA on
Monday shared videos
on Facebook of a night
cricket tournament or-
ganized by his party in
which a large part of
the crowd could be
seen without masks
and not adhering to so-
cial distancing norms.
MLA Saurabh Patel,
however, defended him-
self saying there was
no COVID-19 case cur-
rently in his constitu-
ency of Botad, where
the tournament was
held. He also said the
tournament, in which
125 teams had partici-
pated, was launched
nearly a month ago
when the number of
cases was negligible.
The videos were of
the tournament final
played on Saturday be-
tween two wards on the
ground of a govern-
ment high school, and
in it spectators, many
without masks, can be
seen running onto the
pitch as part of victory
celebrations.
Former India crick-
eter Munaf Patel,
along with MLA Patel,
handed over the tour-
nament trophies.
Patel claimed except
for the final, few people
turned up and all COV-
ID-19 norms were fol-
lowed during the other
matches, adding that
140 teams from his As-
sembly area took part
in the tournament.
“There wasn’t so
much of a crowd in the
previous matches. Peo-
ple turned up in large
numbers for the final,
which was beyond our
expectations. We de-
cided to complete the
game (so as not to dis-
appoint those who had
come),” the MLA said.
Defending the event,
BJP city committee
president Chandubhai
Savaliya said, “People
were not invited, they
had come on their own
to watch the final
match. Throughout
the match the organ-
izers appealed to spec-
tators to maintain so-
cial distancing and
wear masks.”
Clips were taken during
a party-organized
cricket tourney in Botad
CROWD SEEN VIOLATING NCOV NORMS
AS BJP MLA SHARES VIDEOS ONLINE
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad/Botad/
Rajkot/Vadodara:
Even as videos of a
crowded cricket match
in Botad gained trac-
tion on social media,
the police say no action
is being taken against
former energy minis-
ter and Botad BJP
MLA Saurabh Patel
who organized the
event for violating
COVID-19 protocols in-
cluding wearing of
masks and social dis-
tancing.
In fact, Botad Super-
intendent of Police
Harshad Mehta was
also present at the
event. He refused to
take calls or respond to
messages from First
India,whenwereached
out for comment.
The officer in charge
of the Botad town po-
lice station, under
whose jurisdiction the
government school
ground falls, confirmed
thatnonocasehadbeen
lodged under the Epi-
demic Act or the Disas-
ter Management Act.
However, this is far
from an isolated case.
Hundreds of party
workers were seen jos-
tling for space at the
Congress Jan Chetna
Yatra rally in Gir Som-
nath; a majority of
these people were un-
masked.
Similarly, in Rajkot,
a Bharatiya Janata
Yuva Morcha event
clearly violated the
state government noti-
fication which states
that indoor auditori-
ums can only operate
at 50% capacity
.
In Vadodara, in an
event celebrating good
governance, political
leaders including May-
or Keyur Rokadia were
seen without masks on
stage. Most people who
attended too did not
wear masks.
Why no FIR against politicians for nCoV violations?
Botad BJP MLA Saurabh Patel met spectators at the government high school ground, where the
match was held.
A ‘Good Governance’ event in Vadodara saw officials including Mayor Keyur Rokadia take the stage
without masks.
The Congress party’s Jan Chetna Yatra in Gir Somnath. Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha meeting in Rajkot. —FILE PHOTO
GPCC chief Jagdish Thakor
—FILE
PHOTO

GUJARAT
03
First India Bureau
Bhavnagar: Even as
the High Court is
hearing a public in-
terest litigation on
the cattle menace, a
middle-aged man on
Monday succumbed
to injuries sustained
when he was at-
tacked by a bull just
outside his house.
Nirmal Gujariya,
who ran a sweetshop,
was attacked by the
animal as he exited his
Sardarnagar home on
December 04. CCTV
footage shows the bull,
which had been stand-
ing idly by until then,
suddenly lunge the
man, gore him with its
horns, drag him 10-15
feet and then proceed
to trample him further.
When his family mem-
bers attempted to help,
the animal turned on
them. It only left when
neighbours hit it with
a large stick.
By then, Gujariya
had sustained severe
internal injuries. He
was rushed to a hospi-
tal by family members,
where he received
treatment for 23 days
before succumbing on
Monday.
While this incident
is rare in its intensity,
cattle often roam free-
ly on roads in many
major cities, and au-
thorities have failed to
curb the menace.
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The me-
teorological depart-
ment has predicted off-
season rains due to
western disturbances
for Tuesday. While
some pockets of the
state could receive
light to moderate rain
until Thursday
, others
will continue to wit-
ness cloudy skies.
In a statement issued
on Monday
, IMD said
that light rain is very
likely at isolated places
in the districts of Kutch,
Banaskantha,Sabarkan-
tha, Patan and Mehsana
during the next 24 hours
and in the districts of
Dahod, Panchamahal,
Mahisagar and Aravalli
duringthesubsequent24
hours.
It further said that
densefogisverylikelyat
isolated pockets in the
districtof Kutch,Rajkot,
and Porbandar.
Ahmedabad on Mon-
day witnessed a maxi-
mum temperature of 30
°C and a minimum of
14.5 ° C—both two de-
grees above normal for
this time of year. Morn-
ings continue to remain
foggy
, with scattered
clouds through the day
.
The unusually warm
weather was also seen in
Naliya, typically Guja-
rat’s coldest locale,
which recorded a maxi-
mum of 28.4 °C—one de-
greeabovenormal—and
aminimumof 15.9°C—a
whopping six degrees
above normal.
The rain forecast
has farmers who have
sown wheat, cumin,
chickpeas, and mus-
tard worried. “We have
sown groundnut,
wheat and cotton. If it
rains, our crops will
get damaged,” said Je-
sang Thakor a farmer
of Tharad said.
On the other hand,
once the rain system
moves away
, the cold is
likely to return with a
vengeance, especially
around the beginning of
the new year.
CCTV footage shows the animal attack the man suddenly.
Lakshmi the elephant takes a stroll on a foggy morning in Ahmedabad. —PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI
First India Bureau
Surat: Surti Ghari
gets a new status—
that of a world re-
cord! And who better
to carve the sweet
notes in the book of
records than one of
Surat’s oldest and
trusted sweet shop
Babubhai Sweets.
They prepared the
biggest Ghari, weigh-
ing 15kg and the
smallest Ghari,
weighing 15g.
The sweet shop cre-
ated the world record
at their new branch,
opposite LP Savani
school at Green Arcade
in Adajan on Decem-
ber 26. It was in asso-
ciation with Biz-in-
sights.
Serving quality
sweets for the last 84
years, Babubhai
Sweets have built a
strong relationship
with customers, not
just in Surat and Guja-
rat, but pan-globe.
Ghari is sold across
India and exported to
various countries to
satiate the tastebuds
of sweet lovers.
Made from puri bat-
ter, milk ‘mawa’, ghee,
and sugar, Ghari is
made into round
shapes and filled with
a sweet in the centre. It
is primarily consumed
during the Chandani
Padva festival. It is
also available in pista-
chio, almond-elaichi,
dudhi halwa, and more
flavours.
Debshankar Shukla
made the first Ghari in
1838, taking a cue from
Priest Nirmaladasji.
Shukla had prepared
the sweet for Tatya
Tope in 1857 to provide
extra strength to free-
dom fighting soldiers.
Diamond City’s oldest sweet shop puts Ghari in record books
GOLD STANDARD
The big and the small of the popular Surti delicacy.
Bhavnagar man succumbs
to injuries after bovine attack
After foggy days, Guj may see rain today
Active tally grows to 1,086, puts authorities on high alert to keep situation under control
CMPAYSSURPRISEVISITTO
HOSPITALASNCOVCASESRISE
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Amid
the increasing COV-
ID-19 cases in Guja-
rat, Chief Minister
Bhupendra Patel paid
a surprise visit to the
Gandhinagar civil
hospital on Monday
morning and inquired
about the facilities
there and treatment
provided to patients.
The state has so far
reported 49 cases of the
Omicron variant of the
novel coronavirus, and
the daily number of
new COVID-19 cases
have also been increas-
ing in the state for the
past week.
During his surprise
visit, CM Patel inter-
acted with indoor pa-
tients, hospital staff
and inquired about
treatment, cleanliness
and availability of
medicines, a statement
from the CM’s office
said.
Last week, the Guja-
rat government extend-
ed the timings of night
curfew by two hours -
from 11 pm to 5 am, in-
stead of the earlier
time of 1 am to 5 pm - to
curb the spread of
COVID-19.
On average, Gujarat
had reported less than
50 cases a day until the
second week of Decem-
ber. However, the state
reported 177 new cases
of COVID-19 on Sunday
and 179 on Saturday, as
per official figures.
‘3rd wave has begun, but state is ready’
CM Patel took stock of the facilities at the Gandhinagar civil hospital on Monday morning.
First India Bureau
Mehsana: Speaking
at an event in
Mehsana on Mon-
day
, Gujarat’s Health
Minister Rushikesh
Patel expressed con-
cern over the rising
number of cases, but
in a display of bra-
vado also insisted
that the state was
prepared to deal
with the feared third
wave of COVID-19
infections.
“Going by the speed
at which children are
being infected by the
novel coronavirus in
the state’s schools, it
appears that the third
wave of infections has
arrived. However, the
state government is
well prepared,” Patel
said, adding, “All ar-
rangements including
ICU hospital beds have
been made.”
Patel’s comments
come at a time when
as many as 11 stu-
dents and two teach-
ers at a school in Ra-
jkot have contracted
the virus. A school in
Amarnagar has been
ordered to close in-
definitely after seven
students and two
teachers tested posi-
tive for COVID-19.
Meanwhile, follow-
ing Prime Minister
Narendra Modi’s an-
nouncement that chil-
dren aged between 15
and 18 would receive
their vaccine jabs be-
ginning January, the
state government has
scheduled a detailed
meeting on Tuesday
afternoon to map out a
detailed plan for the
vaccination pro-
gramme.
There are approxi-
mately 35 lakh chil-
dren born in Gujarat
in the 2003-2006 period
who are eligible for
vaccination.
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: Guja-
rat on Monday re-
ported 204 COVID-19
cases, its highest sin-
gle-day addition since
June 19 when the fig-
ure was 228, taking
the state’s tally to
8,29,563.
Meanwhile, 24 new
patients were con-
firmed as being in-
fected by the Omicron
variant, taking the
number of such cases
to 73 so far.
With one fatality re-
ported in Jamnagar, the
total death toll rose to
10,114.
Of the new cases,
Ahmedabad led with
100, followed by Rajkot
with 36, Surat with 23
and Vadodara with 17,
among other districts.
At least 65 people
were discharged during
theday
,whichincreased
the recovery count to
8,18,363, the department
said in its release.
Gujarat now has 1,086
active cases, with 14 pa-
tients critical and on
ventilator support.
A release said 4.02
lakh people were vacci-
nated against COVID-19
in Gujarat on Monday,
raising the total num-
ber of doses adminis-
tered so far to 8.85 crore.
Two days after meet-
ing Chief Minister
Bhupendra Patel, the
Surat BJP general sec-
retary Kishor Bindal
has tested positive for
COVID-19.
Health Minister Rushikesh Patel. —FILE PHOTO
COVID-19 testing in Ahmedabad —FILE PHOTO
Guj adds 204 nCoV
cases, highest daily
jump since June 19
COVID-19 UPDATE
100 MAX
CASES IN
A’BAD
ACTIVE CASES
1,086
8,18,363
TOTAL RECOVERED
65 RECOVERED
IN A DAY
8,29,563
TOTAL CASES
204 CASES
IN A DAY
10,114
TOTAL DEATHS
01 DEATHS
IN A DAY
The world’s largest weighs a
whopping 15kg, while the
smallest weighs in at just 15g
The cold is likely to
be back with a
vengeance by the end
of the month, once
the current rain
system moves away

PERSPECTIVE
04
lVol3lIssueNo.34
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: Jagdeesh Chandra.
Editor: Haresh Jhala
responsible for selection of news
under the PRB Act
SPIRITUAL SPEAK
It is a man’s own mind,
not his enemy or foe, that
lures him to evil ways.
—Buddha
IN-DEPTH
Anurag Thakur
@ianuragthakur
Himachal Pradesh has witnessed rapid
infrastructure and social transformation
through the visionary leadership of PM
Sh@narendramodiji determination
of CM Sh @jairamthakurbjpji.
#4YearsOfDoubleEngine has set new
benchmarks,new opportunities, growth
investment in the state!
Piyush Goyal
@PiyushGoyal
2021 was a year of game changing
reforms for @TexMinIndia under PM
@NarendraModi ji’s leadership:
Factory 7 PM MITRA Parks PLI
Scheme Continuation of RoSCTL
scheme for export competitiveness
TOP TWEETS
DESMOND
TUTU’S
TRUE SELF
ith the passing of
Archbishop Des-
mond Tutu, the world
has lost an unstoppa-
ble force for good who
taught compassion and forgive-
ness, and pursued his mission
with a will of iron. ‘Arch’ will be
rightly remembered as the inter-
national voice of the anti-apart-
heid movement and for his place
beside Nelson Mandela in the
decades-long fight for racial
equality and justice in South Af-
rica. But he touched people’s
lives in many ways.
He was never afraid to take on
the establishment – religious,
cultural, or political. He was a
brilliant communicator and wily
campaigner who could make au-
diences laugh and cry within
minutes. He knew how to press
the right emotional buttons and
convey difficult messages, often
using stories to get his point
across. While traveling with him,
it was not unusual to see leaders,
including presidents and prime
ministers, listening like children
to one of his stories, then realiz-
ing that the point of the tale was
directed squarely at them.
PROJECT-SYNDICATE.ORG
W
hen many people
think of New
Year’s resolu-
tions, they brain-
storm ways to im-
prove themselves for the
year ahead. What if we ex-
panded those aspirations to
include resolutions that ben-
efit our communities, socie-
ty and the planet, too?
It might not be a typical ap-
proach,butitcanbroadenyour
horizonstoshowwaysyoucan
also be of service to others.
HerearesomeNewYear’sreso-
lutionswithatwistforimprov-
ing your relationship with na-
ture in 2022 and beyond.
We each have an environ-
mental ethic reflecting how we
value, manage and ultimately
relate to nature. Balancing the
scales of reciprocity between
us and nature – how much we
giveandtake–canimprovethis
relationship in many ways.
The perils of social injus-
tice stress multiple aspects
of society. Racism and ine-
quality can lead to health dis-
parities, and they also have
consequences for the natural
environment.
A recent study described
how practices such as redlin-
ing and residential segrega-
tion led to unequal access to
nature, excess pollution and
biodiversity loss. Clean air,
water and soil are fundamen-
tal for our survival, but re-
search shows many people
lack basic environmental
and health literacy to know
how to protect themselves. In
2022, get to know your own
impact on the environment.
Spending time in nature,
including urban green spac-
es, can improve your relation-
ship with nature and with
others. Spending more time
outdoors can encourage so-
cial interactions that benefit
health, buffer emotional dis-
tress and encourage use of
these spaces, which can help
protect them for the future.
THECONVERSATION.COM
RESOLUTIONS
FOR A HEALTHIER
ENVIRON IN 2022
Collectively, thinking
about our relationship
with nature and finding
ways to protect the
environment can help
us be better stewards
of the planet
W
LET’S STOP LITTERING,
STARTWASTESEGREGATION
t’s said that cleanliness is next
to Godliness. How true this is
we realise, when a place that is
neat and clean, and spick and
span automatically generates
the feel good factor and a boost
to good hormones. Not for
nothing do we pay at a clean
shop, hotel, restaurant or re-
sort good prices and seek edu-
cation in schools and colleges
and other institutions where
theenvironmentisfresh,clean
and thereby having a charm
and attraction of its own.
However, despite these
deeply accepted views and ex-
pected patterns of individual
and social behaviour do we
keep our public places free
from litter? Despite provi-
sions in our Constitution,
Acts and rules, teachings at
schools and at home and cam-
paigns and programs by the
Union and State Govern-
ments, including the present
Swach Abhiyaan, we find that
the habit of littering in public
places, specially roads and
streetsunfortunatelypersists.
It is not an uncommon to
see plastic wraps of biscuits,
namkeens, gutka pouches
and used plates, cups being
thrown openly everywhere
and remaining as an eyesore
till at some point they get
swept away mixed with the
other bio-degradable items.
Often the light plastic bags
blow with the wind and can
be seen hanging on the trees
and on top of hedges.
Wherever there are big Mu-
nicipal or Panchayat bins or
appointed dumping sites, they
overflowwithhouseholdwaste
of a wide ranging mix giving
rise to foul smell and animals
trying to extract to see what
they can get out of the bin.
There is no doubt that an
environment littered with all
kinds of waste is not only an
extremely bad sight but is
also very damaging to our
health and one of the main
causes of illnesses, diseases
and infection. Besides, plas-
tics, which are non biodegrad-
able,getintodrainsandchoke
them and even flow into the
seas and oceans. They often
collect together almost like
islands on which the birds
andaquaticlifefeedassuming
they are food and having ad-
verse consequences.
In such a scenario it is vital
for us as citizens, in the first
place to stop littering public
places, use dustbins regular-
ly, which the public authori-
ties do put and to demand for
them to be put if not there,
and to ensure regular picking
up of refuse and cleaning of
the bins.
And the next important
stage for cleanliness and good
hygiene is segregation of
waste at source i.e. at house-
hold, factory, shops and other
industrial and institutional
places. Usually waste is cate-
gorised as biodegradable and
non biodegradable. This is
the key basis for segregation.
And within these two catego-
ries is the distinction of dry
and wet waste.
Household waste consists
of fruits and vegetable peels,
left-over food and other items
which are biodegradable.
These can be set apart and
given to the pick-up truck.
Other waste like newspapers,
glass bottles, cartons, used
iron and steel items are often
purchased by the ‘kabaddi’
who further resell it for reuse
and recycling. The critical
items are the plastic ones
which include grocery wrap-
pings, thermocol packing and
packaging of wet items like
ghee, oil, milk, Dhabi etc. It is
vital to segregate dry and wet
plastics and an easy way is to
put the dry plastic wraps , af-
ter opening the items , imme-
diately into a separate bag.
There are some NGOs who
have put up collection centers
from where the plastic goes to
the appropriate plant includ-
ing use in road making. The
shops, offices, institutions
have substantial quantities
of dry plastic waste and
wrappings which can also be
disposed of in a similar way
thus reducing the waste that
comes onto the streets and
goes onto the waste dumps.
The wet plastic waste is a
tricky matter and some items
are purchased by the kabadis
but not all. To this end the
municipalities and panchay-
ats should have separate com-
partments for wet and dry
plastic wastes in their trucks
and then further take them
for reuse or recycling and sci-
entific disposal.
As we move into our 75th
year of Independence, we as
citizensneedtoberesponsible
for keeping the public areas in
ourcitiesandvillagesclean.It
hastobeacommitmentonour
part and we must actively par-
ticipate in the schemes and
facilities provided by the au-
thorities, specially the local
bodieslikeMunicipalitiesand
Panchayats . Many cities have
already taken the initiative in
thisaspect,includingourvery
own Dungarpur in Rajasthan,
andalittleeffortonthepartof
each one of will go a long way
in keeping our public spaces
clean,freshandhealthyforus.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
I
MEENAKSHI HOOJA
The writer is a Retd IAS officer and former
Member, Central Administrative Tribunal
There are some NGOs who
have put up collection
centers from where the
plastic goes to the
appropriate plant including
use in road making. The
shops, offices, institutions
have substantial quantities
of dry plastic waste and
wrappings which can also be
disposed of in a similar way
thus reducing the waste that
comes onto the streets and
goes onto the waste dumps
Household waste
consists of fruits and
vegetable peels, left-
over food and other
items which are
biodegradable. These
can be set apart and
given to the pick-up
truck. Other waste
like newspapers,
glass bottles, cartons,
used iron and steel items
are often purchased by
the ‘kabaddi’ who
further resell it for
reuse and recycling

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INDIA
05
New Delhi: The Centre has advised the Supreme
Court that staying of election to seats reserved for
the OBC class within the upcoming native physique
polls or notifying the
OBC seats as common
seats will deprive the
reserved class for 5
years and be prejudicial
to its pursuits. “Any
intervention at this
stage would deprive the
person belonging to
the OBC community for five long years, which by no
stretch of logic can be said to be a short period…”
the Centre mentioned. The authorities added that the
questions raised “are of great public importance and
have a pan-India ramification…”
CENTRE SEEKS RECALL OF SUPREME
COURT ORDER DE-NOTIFYING OBC SEATS
IN THE COURTYARD
New Delhi: Resident medical doctors who’ve been
demanding to expedite the NEET PG counselling
listening to will march in direction of the Su-
preme Courtroom
of India on Monday.
The Federation of
Resident Medical
doctors’ Affiliation
India (FORDA) has
requested resident
medical doctors from
throughout the states
to affix the protest. The “overworked and ex-
hausted resident medical doctors” have protested
in entrance of Nirman Bhawan MoHFW, New Delhi
for 5 days and “but the authorities have did not
take any concrete measure within the involved
matter,” FORDA mentioned in an official assertion.
NEET-PG COUNSELLING: PROTESTING
DOCTORS MARCH TOWARDS SC
‘Booster dose’ applicable
after9monthsof2nddose:NHA
New Delhi: Healthcare
workersandthoseabove
the age of 60 and suffer-
ing from co-morbidities
will be applicable for the
'precautionary dose' of
coronavirus vaccines
from next month only
after 9 months of receiv-
ing the second dose of
the Covid-19 vaccine, ac-
cording to Dr R S Shar-
ma, Chief Executive of-
ficer at National Health
Authority
.
Dr Sharma, who also
heads the functioning
of the CoWIN platform
on Monday said that
the third dose is only
applicable after nine
months of receiving
the second Covid-19
vaccine shot.
PM Narendra Modi
hadonDec25announced
that the country would
begin administering
'precautionary doses' to
those above the age of 60
and suffering from co-
morbidities from Janu-
ary 10, next year.
The process will be
exactly the same. When
you are more than 60
years of age and you
have already been given
two doses and if you
want to register for the
third dose, the gap be-
tween the second dose
and the day you are reg-
istering or the day you
aregettingthethirddose
should be more than
nine months, said Dr
Sharma. —ANI
3rd dose is only
applicable after
nine months of
receiving the 2nd
Covid-19 vax shot
Image for representational purpose only.
New Delhi: In the nationwide COVID vac-
cination drive, the Centre provided more than
148.37 crore vaccine doses to States/UTs so
far. According to the Ministry of Health and
Family Welfare, as many as 1,48,37,98,635
COVID vaccine doses have been provided to
States/UTs so far through the Government of
India (free of cost channel) and through the di-
rect state procurement category. The Ministry
said more than 17.90 crores (17,90,54,941)
balance and unutilized COVID vaccine doses
are still available with the States/UTs to be
administered. India’s COVID-19 vaccination
coverage has exceeded 141.37 crores till
Sunday morning. —ANI
After reviewing all
applications and data
on antiviral pills, the
Subject Expert Commit-
tee (SEC) a body under
India’s drug regulator
will be meeting today for
antiviral pill Molnupira-
vir recommendations,
sources told to ANI.
Almost 10 pharma com-
panies have completed
clinical trials of antiviral
pills. The pill has shown
a 30% reduction in hos-
pitalisation and will be
useful in the treatment
of Covid-19. SEC will re-
view Covovax, the WHO
has recently granted
emergency use listening
(EUL) to Covovax. —ANI
OVER 148.37 CR COVID VAX
DOSES PROVIDED TO STATES,
UTS SO FAR: CENTRE
SEC TO TAKE DECISION ON
ANTIVIRAL COVID PILL TODAY Centre enforces COVID containment
measures in country till January 31
New Delhi: The cen-
tral government on
Monday extended the
enforcement of na-
tionwide Covid-19
containment meas-
ures until January
31, 2022, as concerns
rose over the emer-
gence of increased
detection of the Cov-
id-19 Variant of Con-
cern (VoC) 'Omicron'
in different parts of
the country
.
Referring to the in-
creased Omicron
cases, the MHA is-
sued an advisory to
all the states and UTs,
directing them to im-
plement a normative
framework for taking
evidence-based con-
tainmentmeasuresat
district and local lev-
el and extended the
Covid-19 contain-
ment measures till
January 31 next year.
New Delhi: There will
be no mix-and-match of
vaccines for the crucial
third dose to be given in
view of the Omicron
variant that is rapidly
spreading in the coun-
try
, senior health minis-
try sources told.
Precaution doses will
be a third dose of the
same vaccine a person
has taken -- be it Cov-
ishield or Covaxin.
The key aspect will
be gap -- the third dose
will be administered
9-12 months after the
second dose to health
and frontline workers
and senior citizens with
co-morbidities, sources
said.
Experts are meet-
ing today to chalk out
the rollout process of
the precautionary
doses, which will be
administered starting
January 10.
There has been con-
siderable debate world-
wide over whether mix-
ing vaccines or sticking
to the same vaccine for
the third dose offers bet-
ter protection. While
specific data from both
are yet to come in for
booster doses.
A key study from
the UK into mixing
COVID-19 vaccines
has found that people
had a better immune
response when they re-
ceived a first dose of
AstraZeneca or Pfizer-
BioNTech shots fol-
lowed by Moderna
nine weeks later, ac-
cording to the results
on Monday.
—ANI
No mix match
of vaccine jabs:
govt clarifies
Image for representational purpose only.
Kolkata: Centre on Monday claimed that it did not
freeze any accounts of Missionaries of Charity (MoC),
founded by Mother Teresa. It further said, State Bank of
India (SBI) has informed that MoC itself sent a request
to SBI to freeze its accounts. Earlier today, West Bengal
chief minister Mamata Banerjee said all bank accounts
of Missionaries of Charity, were frozen by the Centre.
Expressing her shock, the Trinamool Congress su-
premo wrote on Twitter 22,000 patients and employees
of the Kolkata-headquartered charitable group were left
without food and medicines over the Central govern-
ment’s move. While the law is paramount, humanitar-
ian efforts must not be compromised, Banerjee added.
Mamata claims Centre froze all bank accounts
Kolkata: West Bengal
chief minister Mama-
ta Banerjee on Mon-
day said all bank ac-
counts of Mission-
aries of Charity,
founded by Mother Te-
resa, were frozen by the
Centre. Expressing her
shock, the Trinamool
Congress supremo
wrote on Twitt 22,000
patients and employees
of the Kolkata-head-
quartered charitable
group were left without
food and medicines
over the Central gov-
ernment’s move.
Shocked to hear
that on Christ-
mas, Union
Ministry
FROZE ALL BANK AC-
COUNTS of Mother Te-
resa’s Missionaries of
Char- ity in India!
Their 22,000 patients
employees have been
left without food
medicines. —PTI
Mamata Banerjee @
MamataOfficial
While there has been no
statement yet from the
organisation or the Centre, a case
had been filed earlier this month in
Gujarat’s Vadodara district against
the charity-run home for girls
over reports of alleged forced
conversion of inmates.
MISSIONARIES OF CHARITY ASKED SBI
TO FREEZE ITS ACCOUNTS: CENTRE
New Delhi: Kerala has
again emerged as the
top performer in terms
of overall health perfor-
mance among larger
States, while Uttar
Pradesh is the worst, ac-
cording to the fourth
Health Index launched
by NITI Aayog.
The report by the gov-
ernmentthinktanksaid
Tamil Nadu and Telan-
gana have emerged as
the second and third
best performers, respec-
tively, on health param-
eters. Bihar and Mad-
hya Pradesh were the
second and third worst
performers respectively
.
The report, however,
added that UP topped in
terms of incremental
performancebyregister-
ing the highest incre-
mental change. Among
the smaller States, Mi-
zoram emerged as the
best performer in over-
all performance, while
among UTs, Delhi and
JK ranked among the
bottom UTs in terms of
overall performance
but emerged as the
leading performer in
terms of incremental
performance.
Kerala tops Niti’s
health rankings,
UP at bottom
Kolkata: West Bengal
Governor Jagdeep
Dhankar on Monday
said that the Howrah
Municipal Corporation
(Amendment) Bill is
currently pending con-
sideration with the gov-
ernor as he is awaiting
inputs on the bill from
the state government.
“I have not signed
Howrah Municipal
Corporation (Amend-
ment) Bill, 2021. I want
to clarify that no pro-
posal was sent to me on
separating Bally Mu-
nicipality from How-
rah Municipal Corpo-
ration,” said Dhankar
in a video posted on
Twitter on Monday.
“The state government
claims that I am delay-
ing the bill, you would
be surprised to know
that I received the bill
on November 24 and I
asked for some infor-
mation regarding the
bill on the same day.
For almost four weeks,
they didn’t respond to
me,” he said.
“I haven’t received a
proper response from
the government over
my queries regarding
the bill,” he added.
The Howrah Munici-
pal Corporation
(Amendment) Bill, 2021,
proposing Bally Munic-
ipality from the juris-
diction of the Howrah
Municipal Corporation,
was passed by the As-
sembly recently
.
State EC can hold
Howrah Municipal Cor-
poration polls with 66
wards as (it happened
earlier) in 2015, said
Dhankar. —ANI
Dhankhar: Have not signed Howrah civic body
bill, still waiting for inputs from Mamata govt
New Delhi: The BJP
will contest the assem-
bly polls in Punjab in
alliance with Ama-
rinder Singh’s Punjab
Lok Congress and
Sukhdev Singh Dhind-
sa’s SAD (Sanyukt),
and the parties will is-
sue a joint manifesto,
Union minister Gajen-
dra Shekhawat said on
Monday
.
Both Singh and
Dhindsa, a Rajya Sabha
MP, met with the BJP
top brass, including
party’s national presi-
dent JP Nadda and Un-
ion Home Minister
Amit Shah, at Shah’s
residence to chalk out a
strategy for the polls.
“A meeting attended
by Union Home Minis-
ter Amit Shah, BJP
president JP Nadda,
Amarinder Singh and
Sukhdev Singh Dhind-
sa was held here. And it
was decided that the
BJP, Singh’s party and
Dhindsa’s party will
jointly contest upcom-
ing assembly polls in
Punjab,” Shekhawat
told the media.
Shekhawat, the BJP’s
poll in-charge for Pun-
jab, said a joint commit-
tee will be formed com-
prisingtwoleadersfrom
each party to finalise a
seat sharing agreement.
Sources in the BJP
said they see the elec-
tions in Punjab becom-
ing a five-cornered fight
as various farmer out-
fits may enter the fray,
besides the Congress,
SAD and the AAP
. —ANI
Amarinder, BJP, SAD (Sanyukt) forge pre-poll alliance
PUNJAB POLLS 2022
lll
Amarinder Singh
Sukhdev
Dhindsa met JP
Nadda and
Union Home
Minister Amit
Shah in Delhi Amarinder Singh with Gajendra Shekhawat.
West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar tweeted as photo
with his wife Sudesh on Monday captioned, “After brisk walk
sipping tea in Darjeeling is exhilarating with mesmerizing sublime
surroundings...

New Delhi: The Fifth
Generation or 5G tele-
com services are set to
be rolled out in selected
cities in India in 2022.
The cities which are set
to get the 5G telecom
services in 2022 include
Gurugram, Bangalore,
Kolkata, Mumbai,
Chandigarh, Delhi,
Jamnagar, Ahmadabad,
Chennai, Hyderabad,
Lucknow, Pune, and
Gandhinagar.
Leading telecom ser-
vice providers Bharti
Airtel, Reliance Jio and
Vodafone Idea, have es-
tablished 5G trials sites
in these cities. “These
Metros and big cities
would be the first places
for launch of 5G servic-
es in the country, next
year,” the Department
of Telecommunications
(DoT) said on Monday.
The fifth-generation is
the latest upgrade in
the long-term evolution
(LTE) mobile broad-
band networks. While
4G was a great leap for-
ward, allowing people
to stream music and
video on the go, 5G is
designed to connect
many more types of de-
vices than smartphones
and offers higher speed.
Apart from the lead-
ing telecom operators
and smartphone manu-
facturers, the govern-
ment is also involved
actively to facilitate the
rollout of 5G services.
The Department of Tel-
ecom has roped in re-
search institutions for
development and test-
ing of 5G technology
.
Eight agencies - Indi-
an Institute of Technol-
ogy (IIT) Bombay, IIT
Delhi, IIT Hyderabad,
IIT Madras, IIT Kanpur,
Indian Institute of Sci-
ence (IISC) Bangalore,
Society for Applied Mi-
crowave Electronics
Engineering Re-
search (SAMEER) and
Centre of Excellence in
Wireless Technology
(CEWiT) — are involved
in the research project
called ‘Indigenous 5G
Test bed project’.
The Indigenous 5G
Test bed project started
in 2018 and is set to be
completed by December
31, 2021. The project has
been funded by the De-
partment of Telecom.
“Costing Rs 224 crore,
the project is likely to
be completed by Decem-
ber 31, 2021, paving the
way for end-to-end test-
ing of 5G User Equip-
ments (UEs) and net-
work equipment by 5G
stakeholders develop-
ing 5G products/servic-
es/usecases, including
indigenous start-ups,
SMEs, Academia and
Industry in the coun-
try,” the Department of
Telecom said. —ANI
INDIA
06
Rakesh Ranjan
New Delhi: The Minis-
tryof PetroleumNatu-
ral Gas (PNG) has con-
stitutedanEnergyTran-
sition Advisory Com-
mittee (ETAC) to lay
down the policy frame-
work for moving the
country and the econo-
my from fossil fuels to
clean energy
. This step
hasbeenlongoverdueto
enable the country to
meetitsnetcarbonemis-
sion commitment under
the Paris Accord.
Under the Accord, In-
dia is committed to en-
suring net-zero carbon
emission by 2070.
The Committee, to be
headed by former petro-
leum secretary Tarun
Kapoor, is tasked to pre-
pare a comprehensive
step-by-step plan for
complete transitioning
from fossil fuels to clean
energy. It is given six
months to prepare and
submit the report.
Besides Kapoor, the
committee will be com-
posed of officials famil-
iar with the oil and gas
sector. It will have a JS-
level officer from the
MoPNG, besides offi-
cials not below the rank
of executive director
from IOCL, BPCL,
HPCL, ONGC, OIL,
GAIL EIL. Nominee
from IOCL shall func-
tion as Member-Secre-
tary of the Committee
and secretarial assis-
tance, etc., shall be pro-
vided by IOCL. The
Committee may co-opt
experts in the areas of
the energy transition as
members or to provide
assistance as invitees.
It’s not clear why ex-
pertsof thecoalindustry
are not included for ap-
pointment to the com-
mittee. Since coal-based
thermalpowerplantsare
known to be one of the
greatestcarbonemitters,
itwouldhavebeenappro-
priate to include them.
Ex Oil Gas Secretary Tarun Kapoor to lead ETAC
BID TO TACKLE CLIMATE CHANGE
5G READY TO ROLL IN INDIA
Fifth Generation set instigate in selected cities in 2022; 13 big cities to get it first
—REPRESENTATIONAL IMAGE
Anantnag : Terrorists
lobbed a grenade to-
wards a security bun-
ker in South Kashmir’s
Anantnag district on
Monday. According to
JK Police, the inci-
dent took place in the
Arwani area of Bijbe-
hara in Anantnag. —ANI
Terrorists lob
grenade towards
bunker in JK
New Delhi: Slamming
the remarks made
against Mahatma Gan-
dhi at a function in
Raipur, Congress leader
Rahul Gandhi quoted
Bapu that his thoughts
cannot be imprisoned.
Rahul’s remarks
came after a section of
Hindu religious leaders
sang paeans to Godse,
the assassin of Mahat-
ma Gandhi, at a reli-
gious congregation.
“Youcanchainme,tor-
ture me, you can destroy
this body
, but you cannot
imprison my thoughts,
the former Congress
president said quoting
the Mahatma. —ANI
Rahul quotes
Mahatma in
reply to religious
leader’s remark
Chennai: The youth
of thecountryshould
understand the age-
old traditions like
respect for elders,
service and compas-
sion, preserve and
propogate them for
their own good, Vice-
President M Venkai-
ah Naidu said.
Releasing a book
‘Dr VL Dutt-Glimps-
es of a Pioneer’s Life
Journey’ written
by VL Indira Dutt
here, he said the vir-
tues of respect for
elders, service and
compassion are at
the core of our civi-
lisational values.
“Our youth need to
understand that this
age-old tradition
needs to be preserved
and propagated for
their own good”,
he said.
Naidu said while
performing one’s
professional duty,
one should give equal
importance to
friends and family
because in the end
that is what gives one
an everlasting joy
and support.
Paying glowing
tributes to Dutt, the
Vice-President said
“my late friend, Vela-
gapudi Lakshmana
Dutt was a respected
industrialist, philan-
thropist and a vision-
ary par excellence.”
The book is based
on the life of Dr Dutt,
former Chairman
KCP Group. —Agencies
Naidu: Youth
must understand
age-old traditions
RELEASING A BOOK
Shiv Sena demands Rane’s
suspension from Assembly
Kalicharanbookedforderogatory
remarks against Mahatma
Mumbai: Days after
BJPMLANiteshNaray-
an Rane allegedly made
a cat’s sound on seeing
Maharashtra Minister
Aaditya Thackeray at
the Assembly, the Shiv
Sena on Monday de-
manded Rane’s sus-
pension from the
House. On 23 De-
cember, the
MLAs of
BJP were
sitting
on the
steps of the Vidhan
Bhavan, when Aaditya
Thackeray passed by at
the same time, follow-
ing which Rane alleg-
edly made the sound.
Also, BJP legislators
protested on vari-
ous issues includ-
ing Maratha res-
ervation, and
unemployment,
during the ongo-
ing Assem-
bly ses-
sion.
Raipur: An FIR has
been registered against
religious leader Kalich-
aran Maharaj for alleg-
edly using derogatory
words against Mahatma
Gandhi. Police have reg-
istered this FIR against
him on the charge of
promoting enmity be-
tween classes after he
used derogatory words
against Mahatma Gan-
dhi at ‘Dharam Sansad’
(religious council) held
on December 26 and
hailed his assassin Na-
thuram Godse, an offi-
cial said on Monday
.
The FIR has been
lodged at the Tikrapa-
ra Police Station under
Section 294 and Section
505 (2) of the IPC. “Ka-
licharan Maharaj who
participated in Dhar-
am Sansad used derog-
atory words against
Mahatma Gandhi. His
speech also included
statements to create
hatred among different
communities,” reads
the FIR. —PTI
First India Bureau
New Delhi: The Modi
administration on Mon-
day effected a major bu-
reaucratic rejig at the
level of Secretary
wherein Vini Mahajan
was appointed as Secre-
tary, Department of
Drinking Water and
Sanitation under the
Ministry of Jal Shakti.
Leena Nandan was ap-
pointed Secretary, Min-
istry of Environment,
Forests Climate
Change. Sanjay Kumar
Singh as Secretary
, Min-
istry of Steel.
Manoj Joshi was ap-
pointed OSD, Ministry
of Housing . Rajeev
Ranjan was appointed
as Secretary, National
Commission for Back-
ward Classes in the
rank pay of Secretary
to the Government of
India. Currently, he is
Spl Secy, Dept of Ex-
penditure, Ministry of
Finance. Pankaj Jain is
Secretary, Ministry of
Petroleum Natural
Gas. Bharat Lal was ap-
pointed Secretary to the
Lokpal vice Brij Kumar
Agarwal upon comple-
tion of his term of con-
tract. Further, as many
as eight officers work-
ing in the rank of Addl
Secy were elevated (In-
situ) as Special Secre-
tary in the rank and pay
of Secretary to the Gov-
ernment of India. They
are Sanjay Maihotra,
CMD, REC Ltd, Alkesh
Kumar Sharma Spl
Secy Cabinet Secretari-
at, Raj Kumar Goyal,
Spl Secy Financial
Advisor, Ministry of Ex-
ternal Affairs.
Shashank Priya, Spe-
cial Secretary Finan-
cial Advisor, Ministry
of Commerce Indus-
try
, Manoj Ahuja, Chair-
man, CBSE under Min-
istry of Edu, Rajesh
Kumar Chaudhry, Spl
Secy
, Dept of Public En-
terprises, Ministry of
Finance, Annie George
Mathew, Special Secre-
tary
, Department of Ex-
penditure, Ministry of
Finance and Meera
Swamp, Spl Secy Fi-
nancial Adviser, Dept
of Expenditure, Minis-
try of Finance.
MAJOR REJIG: Secretary-level
appointments effected at Centre
Lucknow: After the
Allahabad High Court
suggested deferring
the Uttar Pradesh As-
sembly elections due to
a possible Omicron-led
third Covid wave, an
Election Commission
delegation led by Chief
Election Commission-
er Sushil Chandra will
begin a three-day tour
from Tuesday of Uttar
Pradesh ahead of As-
sembly elections. CEC
said an appropriate
decision will be taken
on the issue after his
UP visit. —ANI
CEC to visit
UP for 3 days
7-TERM RAJYA SABHA MP FROM BIHAR
MAHENDRA PRASAD NO MORE
150 PEOPLE TRAPPED IN PRASHAR LAKE
DUE TO HEAVY SNOWFALL RESCUED
PUNJABIS HAVE MADE UP MIND TO TRY
KEJRIWAL: MANISH SISODIA
BJP FORMS PANEL FOR BRAHMIN
OUTREACH, AHEAD OF UP POLLS
IPS RASHMI SUMMONED TO APPEAR ON
JAN 18 BY KOREGAON INQUIRY PANEL
New Delhi: Rajya Sabha MP from the JD(U) and
industrialist Mahendra Prasad died at a private
hospital here, his party said
on Monday. The 81-year-old
Mahendra Prasad passed
away after battling prolonged
illness. Mahendra Prasad was
a seven-term Rajya Sabha
MP from Bihar and was also
elected to the Lok Sabha once. Bihar CM Nitish Kumar
expressed condolences at the death of Prasad and
said his demise is a big loss to society and politics.
Mandi: Himachal Pradesh Police rescued at least forty
vehicles and around 150 persons from Prashar lake,
who had been stuck due to
heavy snowfall in Mandi dis-
trict on Sunday night. These
people were rescued after
twelve hours of operation,
the police said. “Himachal
Pradesh Police has rescued 40
vehicles and around 150 persons from Prashar lake
who had been stuck due to snow in the region.
Chandigarh: Reacting to Aam Aadmi Party’s perfor-
mance in the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation elec-
tions, party’s national leader and Delhi Deputy Chief
Minister Manish Sisodia said on Monday that the Pun-
jab people have made up their mind to give a chance
to Arvind Kejriwal’s development model. Sisodia said,
“The results in Chandigarh have made it clear that
people are all set to give a chance to Kejriwal’s model
of development and they have broken the arrogance of
those who do politics of hatred.” Manish Sisodia was
addressing a press conference with party’s Punjab
President Bhagwant Mann at the party headquarters.
New Delhi: Amidst assessments that the Brahmin
community in Uttar Pradesh is dissatisfied with
the ruling party in Uttar Pradesh, Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) has formed a four-member commit-
tee to decide on outreach programmes for the
community in the state. The committee chaired by
former Union Minister Shiv Pratap Shukla com-
prises members Mahesh Sharma, Abhijat Mishra
and Ram Bhai Morakiya.
Mumbai: IPS officer Rashmi Shukla has been
summoned to depose as a witness again on Janu-
ary 18 by the Bhima Koregaon Inquiry commis-
sion. In its earlier hearing, Shukla abstained from
the hearing and had filed an affidavit asking for
time to depose before the commission. Rashmi
Shukla had sought time during her previous ap-
pearance before the commission.
CRUCIAL READ
Vice President, M. Venkaiah Naidu addressing at the
release of the book on Monday —PHOTO BY PIB
Sushil Chandra
Aaditya Thackeray
Rahul Gandhi









TERMS OF REFERENCE
Ambala: At least
five people were
killed and ten oth-
ers were injured
after a bus was
rammed from be-
hind by another
bus on the Ambala-
Delhi highway in
the early hours of
Monday.
The incident took
place near Healing
Touch Hospital on
Haryana’s Ambala-
Delhi highway on
Monday. “The bus
was going towards
Delhi when another
bus hit it from be-
hind. Five people
including one wom-
an killed and eight
others are injured,”
said Naresh, Assis-
tant sub-inspector
(ASI), Baldev Na-
gar Police Chowki,
Ambala.
A case has been
registered against
the driver and po-
lice are investigat-
ing the matter, the
police official said.
The injured have
been admitted to
Civil Hospital. —ANI
Five dead in
accident on
Ambala-Delhi
highway

Air India handover to Tata Group
delayed; will take place in Jan 2022
New Delhi: Tata Group’s takeo-
ver of loss-making national car-
rier Air India is most likely de-
layed by a month till January as
the completion of procedures
taking longer than expected, an
official said on Monday
.
In October, the government
accepted the highest bid made
by a Tata Sons company for 100
per cent equity shares of Air
India and Air India Express
along with its 50 per cent stake
in ground-handling company
AISATS -- the first privatisation
in 20 years.
At that time, the
Indian gov-
e r n m e n t
had stated that it
wanted to complete the
transactions, which included
Tatas paying `2,700 crore in
cash, as early as possible by De-
cember end.
As per the condi-
tions in SPA, all formalities of
handover would have to be com-
pleted within 8 weeks, but this
date can be mutually extended
by the buyer and seller and is
b e i n g
done in this case.
However, some regulatory ap-
provals are yet to come in for
the handover, and certain for-
malities are yet to be completed,
the official, who wished not to
be named, told PTI.
“The process would be com-
pleted by January,” he said
without giving a specific date.
—PTI
In October, the government accepted the
highest bid made by a Tata Sons company for
100 per cent equity shares of Air India and Air
India Express along with its 50 per cent stake
in ground-handling company AISATS -- the
first privatisation in 20 years.
07
BIZ BUZZ
Some regula-
tory approvals
are yet to come
in for the handover,
and certain formalities
are yet to be completed.
—An official
Adani to start coal export
from Oz mine this week
New Delhi: The Adani
Group will begin ex-
porting high quality,
low sulphur coal from
its Carmichael mine in
Australia as early as
this week, tapping a
new multi-decade
source to meet energy
needs.
“The first shipment
of high-quality coal
from the Carmichael
mine is being assem-
bled at the North
Queensland Export
Terminal in Bowen
ready for export as
planned,”
Bravus Mining Re-
sources - Adani
Group’s Australian
mining company - said
in a statement.
Theexports,asource
said, may start as early
as within this week.
The conglomerate
run by India’s second-
richest man Gautam
Adani has planned an
initial production of 10
million tonnes a year
from the mines in the
Galilee Basin. The coal
has low sulphur con-
tent and high calorific
value.
“We have already se-
cured the
market
for the 10 million
tonnes per annum of
coal that will be pro-
duced at the Carmi-
chael mine,” it said.
“That coal will be sold
at index adjusted pric-
ing, meaning all
taxes and royalties will
be paid in Australia.”
The firm did not share
pricing details.
Coal is almost entire-
ly destined for India,
where fossil fuel is
used to generate nearly
70% of the electricity
.
The Carmichael pro-
ject, proposed in 2010,
had provoked a sus-
tained campaign by cli-
mate activists in Aus-
tralia and other places
globally, forcing banks
and insurers not to
work with the Adani
group. The ports-to-en-
ergy conglomerate
self-financed the
project and reduced
its size to a sixth of
its potential (60 mil-
lion tonnes).
BNY Mellon last
month said it would
stop working with
Adani in Australia,
the latest institution
to do so. —PTI
ALL ABOUT THE PORT
Major edible oil brands
cut MRP by 10-15 %
New Delhi: Major
edible oil companies,
including Adani Wil-
mar and Ruchi Soya,
have reduced the
maximum retail
price (MRP) of their
products by 10-15 per
cent to provide relief
to consumers, indus-
try body SEA said on
Monday. The prices
have been reduced by
Adani Wilmar (on
Fortune brands),
Ruchi Soya (Maha-
kosh, Sunrich, Ruchi
Soya (Mahakosh,
Sunrich, Ruchi Gold
and Nutrella brands),
Emami (Healthy
Tasty brands), Bunge
(Dalda, Gagan, Cham-
bal brands) and Gem-
ini (Freedom sun-
flower oil
brands), it
said.
COFCO (Nutrilive
brands), Frigorifico
Allana (Sunny
brands), Gokul Agro
(Vitalife, Mahek and
Zaika brands) and
others have also re-
duced prices, it add-
ed. “We are happy to
share that
our leading members
have responded pro-
actively and reduced
MRP on edible oils
marketed by them,
across the board by
10-15% to provide re-
lief to consumers
during the festival
season,” SEA said in
a statement.
With a view to pro-
viding succour to
consumers, Union
Food Secretary Sud-
hanshu Pandey had
called a meeting of
industry leaders a
few days back and re-
quested them to re-
spond positively to
the reduction in im-
port duties which the
government had an-
nounced, it added.
—PTI
HOPEFUL
Sensex rises
by 296 pts;
Nifty ends at
17,086
Mumbai: Equity
benchmark Sensex end-
ed 296 points higher on
Monday, tracking gains
in index majors ICICI
Bank, HDFC twins and
Tech Mahindra amid a
largely positive trend in
global markets.
After rebounding
over 960 points from the
day’s low during the
session, the 30-share in-
dex settled 295.93 points
or 0.52% higher at
57,420.24. Similarly, the
Nifty recovered 82.50
points or 0.49% to
17,086.25. Tech Mahin-
dra was the top gainer
in the Sensex pack, ris-
ing over 3%. —PTI
Investment via
P-notes drop to
`94,826 cr in Nov
New Delhi: Invest-
ments in Indian
capital market
through participa-
tory notes (P-notes)
dropped to `94,826
crore till November-
end after hitting
43-month high in the
preceding month. P-
notes are issued by
registered foreign
portfolio investors
(FPIs) to overseas
investors who wish
to be a part of the
Indian stock market
without registering
themselves directly.
They, however, need
to go through a due
diligence process.
According to Se-
curities and Ex-
change Board of In-
dia data, the value
of P-note invest-
ments in Indian
markets -- equity,
debt and hybrid se-
curities -- was at
`94,826 crore by No-
vember end as com-
pared to `1,02,553
crore by Octend.
The month of Oc-
tober saw the high-
estlevelsinceMarch
2018, when P-notes
had invested to the
tune of `1,06,403
crore. —PTI
OIL to set up green hydrogen plant in Assam
New Delhi: Oil India
Ltd, the nation’s sec-
ond-largest state-
owned oil explorer, is
setting up a plant to
manufacture green hy-
drogen at its Jorhat oil-
field in Assam, the
company said in a
statement. “To
strengthen its bouquet
of clean energy offer-
ings”, the company has
initiated action for set-
ting up a 100 kW green
hydrogen plant at its
Pump station-3 in
Jorhat, it said.
The pilot plant will
generate green hydro-
gen using AEM tech-
nology, it said without
giving details. “This is
a first of its kind pro-
ject in the country
.”
Speaking on the oc-
casion of the ‘bhumi
pujan’ ceremony of the
project, Pankaj Kumar
Goswami, Director
(Operations) said the
hydrogen so generated
will be blended with
natural gas using the
existing infrastruc-
ture. —PTI
New Delhi: HDFC Bank has tied up with India
Post Payments Bank (IPPB) to offer its banking
services to the unbanked and underserved seg-
ments in semi-urban and rural areas. A memo-
randum of understanding was signed between
HDFC Bank and IPPB to cater to the majority of
over 4.7 crore customer base of IPPB. About
90 per cent of IPPB customers reside in rural
areas, which may benefit from this tie-up. HDFC
Bank said the strategic alliance will enable IPPB
to provide affordable and diversified offerings,
including access to finance, to its customers
through its innovative Doorstep Banking Ser-
vice. —PTI
HDFC BANK TIES UP WITH IPPB TO
DELIVER BANKING SERVICES IN
SEMI-URBAN, RURAL AREAS
IndusInd Bank, NPCI partner up for
remittance money through UPI
New Delhi: Indians
can now get remittance
money from their for-
eign sources in a much
easier way as IndusInd
Bank has tied up with
NPCI to facilitate cross-
border money transfer
by using UPI IDs of the
beneficiaries. This will
obviate the need to re-
member one’s bank ac-
count details to send
money
.
IndusInd Bank has
joined hands with NPCI
to offer real-time cross-
border remittances to
India using UPI IDs, for
its MTO partners, the
bank said on Monday
.
With this initiative,
IndusInd Bank has be-
come the first Indian
bank to go Live on UPI
for cross-border pay-
ments or NRI remit-
tances. —PTI

Masuma Bharmal Jariwala
Rajkot: Rajkot Munic-
ipal Corporation will
sign at least 182 Memo-
randums of Under-
standing (MoUs) to the
tune of Rs4,640.17 crore
at the 10th edition of
the Vibrant Gujarat
Global Investors Sum-
mit slated for January
2022--two shy of the
“target” given to RMC.
The proposed MoU in-
clude ongoing RMC’s
projects--some almost
on the verge of comple-
tion--including bridges
and projects whose
grants are sanctioned
by the state govern-
ment and aims to em-
ploy 7,100 people.
Interestingly, to
meet the target, RMC
did a “special canvass-
ing” with private
builders individually.
Of the proposed 182
MoUs 177 MoUs alone
will be done with pri-
vate builders, four
with the waterworks
department of RMC
and one for bridges.
“A total of Rs84 crore
for the Hospital chowk
triangle bridge has
been allotted from
Swarnim Jayanti
Mukhya Mantri Yojna.
The Rs211 crore for the
remaining bridges—
two bridges built on
Kalawad road and two
bridges built on the
150-feet ring road—
come from the state
government’s special
grant,” an officer of
the civic body said,
asking not to be named.
He added, “The pri-
vate category will see
projects of Rs5 crore
and above. Of the 177
MoUs to be inked with
builders, 94 projects
are in the low-rise cat-
egory, 19 under the
mid-high-rise catego-
ry and 64 projects un-
der the high-rise cat-
egory. The total pro-
ject amount is esti-
mated at Rs1,525.44
crore, Rs606.24 crore
and Rs2,230.21 crore,
respectively.”
Thebenefitsorneeds
for MoU seems to be
amiss among officials
and the builder lobby.
“MoU’S seem irrele-
vant as some RMC pro-
jects are already under
completion and grants
have been sanctioned.
Probably the govern-
ment wants to meet
their target and show a
big picture to the world
on the number of
MoU’S signed,” the of-
ficial also said.
Smile - and spread smiles - choose
to be kind and loving today and
in the coming year 2022.
—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO Editor-in-Chief, First India
08
2NDFRONT
First India Bureau
Surat: The Rural Stud-
ies Department of Veer
Narmad South Gujarat
University(VNSGU)has
backed the government
proposal for increasing
the age of marriage for
girls to 21 years. The re-
search conducted by
studying 252 children
highlights that most
malnourished mothers
were married before age
18. If the government
raises the age of mar-
riage from 18 to 21 years,
the chances of reducing
malnutrition are high.
Malnourished chil-
drenarethebiggestprob-
leminthestate.Thestate
government has been
running a campaign for
them for 15 years. After
noticing 15,000 mal-
nourished, children in
Dang district, South Gu-
jarat, VNSGU re-
searched the impact of
government schemes in
the last six years.
In Dang, preliminary
research done on 252
children, showed that
56% of mothers of mal-
nourished children
were married before the
age of 18 and mothers
of 44% of malnour-
ished children became
pregnant before the age
of 19. It further revealed
that 85% of children
weigh less than 2.5 kg.
In Dang, even today
,
pregnant women are giv-
enlessfoodinsmalluten-
sils—reason, years ago,
medical services were
fewinDang.Givingmore
food to pregnant women
will lead to the rapid
growthof thebabyinthe
stomach, endangering
thelifeof themotherdur-
ing delivery
. Although,
themedicalserviceshave
increased in Dang, yet
the tradition persists.
Meanwhile, in Va-
dodara, Minister of
State for Women and
Child Development
Manisha Vakil urged
the Anganwadi women
to help in promoting the
importance of breast-
feeding week. She said,
“The Take Home Ration
(THR) is made by Amul,
Sumul and Banas Dairy
and consultations are
held to make it more nu-
tritious. Other states of
the country have also
shown interest in repli-
cating the THR model
of Gujarat for the pre-
vention of malnutri-
tion,” said Vakil.
Young mothers = malnourished kids, new research shows
Study by VNSGU scholars says
malnutrition among children
would fall if the marriage age
for women is increased to 21
SAVE KIDS
A malnourished kid.
First India Bureau
New Delhi: GSTofficers
have arrested perfume
trader Piyush Jain and
seized over Rs177 crore
unaccounted cash—the
largest such seizure—
from his house in Kan-
pur, the Finance Minis-
try said on Monday
.
Further searches are
underway at Jain’s resi-
dential and factory
premises in Kannauj,
where about Rs17 crore
in cash have been recov-
ered; further counting is
underway
. Samajwadi
PartyleaderPiyushJain
isconsideredacloseaide
of Akhilesh Yadav.
Besides, 23kg of gold
and huge unaccounted
raw materials used in the
manufactureof perfumes,
including upwards of
600kgof sandalwoodoil—
foundhiddeninanunder-
ground storage unit and
worth about Rs6 crore—
were also recovered from
Jain’sKannaujpremises.
The Ahmedabad unit
of DirectorateGeneralof
GST Intelligence (DGGI)
on December 22 initiated
search operations in
Kanpur after intercept-
ing four trucks operated
by Ganpati Road Carri-
ers, bearing pan masala
and tobacco of the Shi-
kharbrand.Theloadhad
beenclearedwithoutpay-
ment of GST.
Following raids in the
offices and godowns of s
Ganpati Road Carriers,
it expanded its search to
the premises of Odo-
chem Industries, suppli-
ers of perfumery com-
pounds, at Kanpur and
Kannauj. When the of-
ficers tallied the actual
stock available in the
factory with the stock
recorded in the books,
they found a mismatch
between raw materials
and finished products.
This further corrobo-
rated that the manufac-
turer was removing
goods with the help of a
transporter who issued
fake invoices to manage
the transportation of
said goods. The officers
have also seized more
than 200 such fake in-
voices. The manufactur-
ersof theShikharbrand
of pan masala/tobacco
products have admitted
anddepositedanamount
of Rs3.09 crore towards
their tax liability
.
Jain’s statement was
recorded by GST offic-
ers on December 25
wherein he has accept-
ed that the cash recov-
ered from the residen-
tial premises is related
to sale of goods without
payment of GST.
CM reviews Mum-A’bad Bullet train project
First India Bureau
Surat: Chief Minister
Bhupendra Patel visit-
ed and reviewed the de-
velopment of the High-
Speed Bullet Train
Mumbai-Ahmedabad
project in Surat on Sun-
day afternoon.
Union Minister of
State for Railways Dar-
shana Jardosh was also
present at the venue.
National High-Speed
Rail Corp. Ltd (NHSR-
CL) MD, Satish Agni-
hotri who was here as
well told reporters, “We
have acquired and
started working on ap-
proximately 98.5% of
the 350km stretch in
Gujarat,” adding, “We
will try to adhere to the
time period of six years
given by the Railways
Minister to complete
the project in Gujarat.”
Jardosh tweeted, “Re-
viewed the ongoing
work of the Mumbai-
AhmedabadHigh-Speed
Rail (MAHSR) Project
C-4 section at Vaktana
near Surat with Gujarat
CM Shri @Bhupen-
drapbjp ji. The High-
Speed Bullet Train Pro-
ject is on track to bring
unparalleled economi-
cal transformation for
our nation.”
At present Mumbai-
Ahmedabad High-
Speed Rail (MAHSR)
project is the only sanc-
tioned project of High-
Speed Rail (HSR) in the
country which is under
execution with finan-
cial and technical assis-
tance from the Govern-
ment of Japan.
A special purpose ve-
hicle, namely NHSRCL
has been formed to im-
plement the project,
the Ministry of Rail-
ways said.
The bullet train will cover 350km in Gujarat. —FILE PHOTO
Inauguration ceremony of
Karjan Nagarpalika’s new
building and renovation of the
Swami Vivekananda Lake.
SMART LOOK FOR AMC STUDENTS
Students should look smart when going to school and so, 122 students of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation-run school
number 26 undergo haircuts. The Ahmedabad Mayor Kirit Parmar graduated from this school. The corporation plans to
implement this across all the corporation run schools.
GUJARAT GST UNIT
UNEARTHS `3 CR FRAUD,
RECOVERS `177.45 CR
UP SP leader who
owns the businesses
in question has
been arrested
Businessman Piyush Jain, accused of tax evasion, being
produced at a court in Kanpur on Monday. —PHOTO BY PTI
KARJAN IS
A LEADER IN
DEVELOPING
TALUKAS:
MORDIYA
First India Bureau
Vadodara: Minister
of State for Urban De-
velopment and Urban
Housing Vinod Mordi-
ya, as part of the Good
Governance week cel-
ebrations, inaugurated
the Karjan Nagarpa-
lika’s new building
and renovated the Swa-
mi Vivekananda Lake.
The building cost ap-
proximately Rs 8
crores. The Swami
Vivekananda Lake ren-
ovation cost Rs 3
crores. More than Rs
65 lakh loans were dis-
bursed to 578 people
for small businesses in
the Karjan taluka;
while a total of Rs 27
crores was allotted to
790 people for housing.
Continuous efforts are
made to make Karjan
taluka a leader in the
developing talukas.
RMC to sign 182 MoUs at Vibrant Summit 2022
MoUs to the tune of `4,640.17
crore include ongoing projects,
some on the verge of completion
Entrepreneurs and industrialists at an event in Gandhinagar on Monday, where 16 MoUs were signed.
BUSTED!
“In view of the overwhelming evidence indicating large scale
evasion of GST by M/s Odochem Industries, Kannauj, Shri
Peeyush Jain has been arrested on December 26 for com-
mitting offences prescribed under section 132 of the CGST
Act and has been produced before the Competent Court on
December 27,” the Ministry said, adding the evidence col-
lected during the searches conducted in last 5 days is being
investigated thoroughly to unravel the tax evasion.

dream becomes a
goal when the de-
termination of
one’s effort defies
all leaps and
bounds. The glam-
our world, though
glitzy on the outside, is
rough on the inside but
Sukansha Kulshreshtha
has navigated the path
quite early.
Sukansha, a model and
influencer from the land
of Nawabs has been the
face of brands like Tan-
ishq and Vedix and winner
of the title Miss photogen-
ic 2020 shared her journey
as a doctor turned model
in an interview with City
First.
Talking about her jour-
ney initially, Sukansha
said, “I always wanted to
become a fashion icon,
over the years since
then I began to
think it wasn’t
for me.
Thinking
this, I en-
t e r e d
into the medical field to
become a medical profes-
sional. After completion, I
thought of giving model-
ling a try. Very soon I got
the opportunity to work
with several brands like
Tanishq, Vedix, and many
other jewellery brands. In
2020, I was chosen Miss
Millennial Top Model
2020 for the year and also
I won the title of Miss
Photogenic.”
Remembering her inspi-
ration, she said, “I believe,
we don’t need inspiration
from any big personali-
ties, so my mother is my
greatest inspiration, she
is now no more but faced
a lot of adversity in her
life and had to raise a girl
as a single mother.”
One piece of advice
Kulshreshtha mentioned
and said, “This fashion
world has high competi-
tion, which may lead to
stress and even face a lot
of refusals which can
harm their self-esteem.
Do not get trampled by
your competitors and be
ready to face criticism.
Above all, have fun and be
positive!”
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia
facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09
SUKANSHA, A DOCTOR TURNED MODEL
FROM LUCKNOW AND WINNER OF THE
TITLES MISS MILLENIAL TOP MODEL
2020 MISS PHOTOGENIC 2020
SHARED INSIGHTS ABOUT HER JOURNEY
IN AN INTERVIEW WITH CITY FIRST!
MONICA PRABHAKAR
cityfirst@firstindia.co.in
Steering
Steering
the Glam
the Glam
A
AHMEDABAD, TUESDAY
DECEMBER 28, 2021

10
ETC
F
A
C
E
O
F
T
H
E
D
A
Y
SAKSHI BOHRA, Influencer
ARIES
MAR 21 - APR 20
Marital
relationship will
get strengthened
by mutual give
and take. Those
travelling by road
are likely to make
good time. You
may find yourself
growing financially strong. Your inputs
on the professional front will be much
appreciated. Becoming health conscious
will be a first step on the path.
LIBRA
SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22
A social
obligation may
make you waste
your time.
Financial front
looks okay but
don’t let up on
savings. Excellent
man management
skills will help you in managing many
things at once on the professional front.
Eating right and remaining active will help
maintain good health.
TAURUS
APR 21 - MAY 20
Converting a
freehold property
into builder
floors is possible
and will prove a
win-win situation
for all. Doing
exceptionally well
on the academic
front will add to your prestige. Some
award or recognition awaits those in a
government job. A new health product
may benefit those trying to get in shape.
SCORPIO
OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22
You will find
someone
knowledgeable
enough to
discuss a
complex matter.
Financially,
you could not
have been on a
sounder wicket, as money flows in. A new
deal is in the offing for businessperson
and is likely to prove lucrative. It is time
to get going on the fitness front.
GEMINI
MAY 21 - JUNE 21
Keeping a tab
on others will
help strengthen
your position
on the academic
front. Peace
prevails on the
home front. Your
bank balance is
likely to swell and make you financially
secure. Good performance is likely to get
recognition for you on the professional
front.
SAGITTARIUS
NOV 23 - DEC 22
Financially, you
will feel more
secure now, than
before. Judicious
spending will
help you save
much. Don’t pick
up an argument
at workplace as it
can go against you. Wayside food is best
avoided, especially during this season.
Family life will be immensely fulfilling.
Your health remains fine.
CANCER
JUNE 22 - JULY 23
Parents are
likely to give you
a free hand in
something you
wanted to do
all by yourself.
Whatever
preparations you
have done for
an exam or competition will be enough
to see you through. Someone may be
planning to take you out for a meal, so
remain available!
CAPRICORN
DEC 23 - JAN 20
Getting a suitable
accommodation
is foreseen for
those desperate
for it. Good
earning will keep
your coffers
brimming and
keep you in high
spirits. Financially, you are likely to find
yourself on the top of the world. You will
find things moving favourably at work.
Health remains satisfactory.
LEO
JULY 24 - AUGUST 23
Good preparation
will keep you in
contention in
a competition.
Money comes
from unexpected
sources .Hiring
party agreeing
to the terms and
conditions for a payment will be like a
financial coup for those freelancing. You
will take up an exercise regimen that suits
your lifestyle.
AQUARIUS
JAN 21 - FEB 19
All property
matters will
be resolved
favourably.
Adding to your
comfort on the
domestic front
can be one of
your aims. Your
suggestions at work are likely to be
appreciated and implemented. Joining
a gym or meditation/yoga is possible in
quest for a healthy body and mind.
VIRGO
AUG 24 - SEP 23
Don’t expect any
concessions on
the promotional
front, but the
system will
not be unfair
to you. Those
suffering from a
lifestyle disease
will succeed in getting it under control.
Your innovations on the home front will
be much appreciated. Possession of a
property may be given to some.
PISCES
FEB20 - MARCH 20
A function at
home is likely to
keep you busy
and entertained.
You can be
invited to a social
function. Less
workload at work
will give you
adequate time to pursue some personal
commitments. Joining a gym or starting
an exercise routine is indicated on the
fitness front.
YOUR
DAY
Horoscope by
Saurabbh Sachdeva
Should we drink a lot of
asically, man is a
thinking animal,
not only about his
food but also about a
very large number
of various fields of
life. But man has a
shortcoming - he likes to bor-
row wisdom and knowledge
rather than putting his ef-
forts because of over occupa-
tion to meet demands of life.
It is because of this reason
that man has always expect-
ed some miracle so that many
of his problems are solved
without any effort. Because
of this thought process, so
many naiveties have taken
root in the daily life of the
human race.
During the last 3-4 dec-
ades we have been frequently
reading, listening or getting
advised that one should
drink a lot of water to stay
healthy throughout your life
and have nicely functioning
kidneys. The common narra-
tive is that bathe your kidney
with plenty of water and it
will always stay free of influ-
ences of various toxins. It is
just like saying that “ eat an
apple a day and keep the doc-
tor away
.” This is to be noted
that so many preachers of
health with dubious qualifi-
cations and one who never
treated any sick person start
advising and so do many
qualified medical practition-
ers including nephrologists-
drink plenty of water.
At first glance, this
advice appears reasonable
but science is not based on
simple speculation, there has
to be some solid research
that can prove that what is
being thought good is good.
Passing plenty of urine
doesn’t mean that the kid-
neys are functioning perfect-
ly and are not diseased. It is
part of human nature that a
large number of people go
overzealous and start taking
such advice too seriously
.
About four years ago a
study was undertaken by re-
searchers in Canada and
they have concluded that
drinking extra water
has no significant ben-
eficial effects on hu-
man kidneys. Re-
searchers also con-
ducted one more
study which lasted
for three years and
they found that it
is the moderate
water intake
which is of
some help. Ex-
perience tells us
that despite age-
old saying eating
an apple a day doesn’t keep
us away from the doctor or
hospital. Similarly, drinking
excessive water won’t help
your kidney stay healthy or
slow down the progress of
any underlying kidney dis-
ease. The body maintains it-
self nicely and doesn’t like
being abused. It doesn’t like
extreme positions, for it,
moderation is the key
.
We should also not
forget that whether it is un-
derhydration or overhydra-
tion - both are pathological
conditions. They
both harm
the body.
Drinking too much water
in a short span of
time has resulted
in a number of
cardiac ar-
rests globally.
If people go on
drinking ex-
cessive water
for a long peri-
od of time,
they may have
diluted elec-
trolytes, their
heart is
over-
burdened with increased
blood volume, haemoglobin
gets diluted and hence, oxy-
gen-carrying capacity is re-
duced, thereby, slowing the
normal brain functioning.
Excessive loss of sodium will
lead to disorientation of the
brain and even death. Lungs
get congested and one may
have breathlessness.
This makes it clear that
only authentic advice should
be entertained. We should
learn from our experience
with plants. If we inade-
quately water our plants,
they will die of water defi-
ciency but if we go on water-
ing them a lot, they would die
of water oversaturation. Fi-
nally, a logical question aris-
es that what one should do?
The answer lies in basic
human wisdom - eat your
food when you feel hun-
gry
, drink water when
you are thirsty and
sleep at the first indi-
cation of feeling
sleepy. Trust your
body, it is more intel-
ligent than you as it has
an inbuilt survival in-
stinct.
DR RAM AWATAR SHARMA
ramawatarf132@gmail.com
B

ETC
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia AHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2021
11
SOME FAILED
SOME FAILED
RESOLUTIONS!
RESOLUTIONS!
Are you the one who always
gets excited about New year
resolutions? Collecting
diaries, making notes, then
reminding our brains to follow
them. Lol! Life wouldn’t
be so hard if we weren’t
procrastinators!
he New Year
Day, is the
day when
our life
transverses
to a new
chapter, a
new beginning
where we hope to be
a better version of
ourselves or at least
achieve milestones
we’ve wished for.
These desires and
interests take the
form of resolutions
that we set each year
to guide ourselves to
victory, but is that
always the case?
While trying their
best to bring life to
their set desires,
others joke about
the pressure these
resolutions leave on
them.
For I’ve wit-
nessed myself sail-
ing away from my
resolutions due to
p rocras tination
and of course, my
indolent life knows
how to keep me lazy
25/9.
My resolutions
for 2021 were the
Draw More and
strict Diet regimes. I
mean, it’s easier
said than done. Art
is food to my soul
but giving time for
the same was a
Strenuous task and
failed miserably.
But why is it too
hard to follow our
pre-fixed desires?
Well, According to
psychology there
are Three common
reasons so many
people’s resolutions
end in failure.
My 2021 resolution was to love myself
and not pay attention to haters. The
main motive was to make myself feel
more at peace. But I ended up listening to
haters, however, truth be told it made me a
stronger, better person. I wasn’t able to love
myself but I know it isn’t a far cry-one day I
surely will.
—AMRIN CHOUDHARY
My main reso-
lution was to be
stress-free this
year. Considering
the circumstances
we were trapped
in due to covid, I
couldn’t really achieve
it. But this didn’t stop
me from realising that
there were plenty of ways
to get rid of stress. Few
being listening to music, taking
a walk in the park or engaging in
an activity that would teach me
something new. I believe I’ll be
able to mould myself from next
year! —BABITA NEGI
Basically, in 2021 I was planning to
move out from my village to a city for
my further studies. Unluckily, covid
became a barrier. I ended up staying at the
village because of a lockdown. Moreover,
this affected me and my studies a lot. But
2022 I will try harder and will definitely
achieve my goal.
—KOMAL CHOUDHARY
My 2021 resolution was to love myself
—AMRIN CHOUDHARY —KOMAL CHOUDHARY
couldn’t really achieve
it. But this didn’t stop
me from realising that
there were plenty of ways
to get rid of stress. Few
So, the story
dates back to
2020, when I
toured to Himachal
Pradesh. I realised
that I gained a
considerable amount
of weight, which I
needed to get rid of.
But then covid hit
and I stayed on bed
literally all day, every
day. So I gained
more weight. So,
on Jan 1 2021, I made up my mind to lose
weight and get fit. But then the stress of get-
ting a job hit me. So, more stress, more food,
more food, more weight.. how the story goes.
—SAMBRITA SEAL SENGUPTA
I had kept
a resolution
to not get
angry about trivial
things. It’s difficult
though because I
tend to get irritat-
ed easily and get
so hyper that I
resort to yelling at
others. In the end,
I do realise I hurt
many around me,
it does make me cry. Loosing temper is not a
good habit. Nonetheless, I couldn’t follow this
resolution for more than a week! I hope 2022
solves my anger issues and improves me as
an individual.
—MANASVI SAXENA
Being a fitness
freak and
shopaholic
person, it was a bad
decision to keep my
resolution to shop
and exercise less to
give my body and
pocket some rest. I
love staying fit and
trendy perhaps even
being different from
the trend at times.
I can’t resist these
habits of mine but hope that I spend a little
less time doing extensive workouts to give my
body some break and even spend less money
on shopping from next year!
—ASTHA SAXENA
So, my resolu-
tion was to be
getting work
done the day itself and
not delay it LOL! Why
it is so difficult? It
wasn’t like a moun-
tain to climb but I
sure couldn’t step on
the same either. Lazi-
ness is a disease, and I
am an ultra-pro patient
suffering from this
habit, I am a lazy bear
who loves to eat and hibernate myself while
listening to varying playlists of my interest and
repeat. Maybe I’ll achieve this goal next year
or delay it in the future. Pray for me lazy fam!
—KAAMINI KAROLIWAL
done the day itself and
not delay it LOL! Why
ness is a disease, and I
am an ultra-pro patient
UTTKARSHA SHEKHAR
cityfirstdel@gmail.com
T
YOUR REASONS WERE NOT
SPECIFIC ENOUGH!
For example, determining to ‘exercise more’
or ‘lose weight’ are easy ways to set your-
self up for failure, as they lack ways to mark
the improvement and are unlikely to keep
you encouraged throughout the year.
Instead, try making your goal precise, like
running or doing mild exercises like losing 5
Kg by a specific date.
MANIFESTING IT WITH
NEGATIVE MIND!
The human brain is designed to think Neg-
ative, which ultimately attracts the worst
out of all. It’s better to start your task with
a positive mindset and a strong will to per-
form it.
YOUR RESOLUTION IS NOT
FOR YOU!
The major obstacle people face is the habit
to make New Year’s resolutions that don’t
reminisce what they actually want. Goals
need to be made for the individual. Try choos-
ing the best one according to your need and
not because of the trend!

The second edition of the 5-week long 7-a side Football
Champions League is being organised by King Star Sports
Academy ProPlay Sports Consultancy from December 26.
The 1st edition of the 7 a-side Youth League was held from
December 11 to 20. The first league was completed in 12
days due to prevalent COVID restrictions. This league would
be a 5-week long league. And matches would be held every weekend at the King Star Sports
Academy grounds at New CG Road, Chandkheda.
Police Families Welfare Society shared
glimpses of Christmas celebrations on their
official social media handle. The Swayam stall
was at the Vasant Kunj Mall with an array of
beautiful products. On the occasion, the Delhi
Police ladies along with the Pipe Band also
played melodious tunes for the shoppers who
enjoyed the experience thoroughly.
12
The Modern
CLASSIC
he Nighat
Izhar Cou-
ture pre-
sented by
N i g h a t
Izhar her-
self is the
perfect example
of today’s mod-
ern classic as it
blends the ele-
gant western fash-
ion combined with
the regal Indian
ethic work. The de-
signs have been in-
spired by her trav-
els across the world
- from the Paris
haute couture de-
rived from the re-
naissance period to
the finest Italian
stitching methods,
all the way through
to the Indian ethic
works of Zardosi
and Jaipuri, the
collection promis-
es to put us in awe
of the bandwidth
she has covered
with her designs
and will surely
make for a more
than ever-delight-
ful ramp walk ex-
perience.
The collec-
tion was dis-
played at the
Delhi Runway Week
presented by Blue
Sapphire Ex. Nighat
expressed her grat-
itude on the occa-
sion and delighted
everyone with her
collection.
T
SUSHMITA AIND
sushmita.aind@firstindia.co.in
—PHOTOS BY SHAZID CHAUHAN
25 YEARS BACK...
FOOTBALL KA HALAA BOL!
MERRY CELEBRATIONS!
KGMC College organised Silver Jubilee Georgians’ meet on Monday where Dr Akta Singh,
along with her batch mates, took a trip down the memory lane. After 25 long years of
graduating, they experienced a roller-coaster of emotions as they came back to the campus
with their life-partners and kids.
CITY FIRST
H
imeshDosilaunched
his fifth calendar
(VISAGE 5.0) at Siri
Fort Auditorium,
New Delhi on Monday. The
music album, Hum Ab Bhi
Khush Hain was also
launched on the occasion.
The theme of the event was
based on specially-abled
people, acid survivors and
cancer patients in the fash-
ion world. The event was
graced by Akash - Para-
Olympics represented India
in Tokyo 2021, Pragya, 11
international medals and
presidential award winner
as the best sportsperson in
specially disabled people in
2016, Achla Arya currently
working in income tax de-
partment and is a National
Champion, badminton; Ritu
Saini Acid Survivor who has
also worked in Chhapaak
movie,Tigerpopping,India’s
best dancer season 1 winner,
Popping flex, D.I.D, dance
plus 5 and currently in In-
dia’s best dancer season 2
and Jazzkirat Singh, singer
and Sikh youth icon.
VISAGE 5.0
Purwa Sinha with Himesh Dosi
Jazzkirat Singh
and Sanlisha
Ritu Saini
Rahul Buchar Popnflex
Tiger Pop
Achla Arya
Rupashi Verma
Neeraj Yadav
Pragya Ghildial
Models flaunting Nighat Izhar Couture
Nighat Izhar with the showstopper
—PHOTOS BY SHAZID CHAUHAN
CITY BUZZ
GET VACCINATED
STAY MASKED

28122021 first india ahmedabad (1)

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