29042022_First India_Ahmedabad.pdf

JP NADDA TO VISIT GUJARAT TODAY; TO
HOLD MEETINGS WITH PARTY LEADERS
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: BJP pres-
ident JP Nadda will be
on a day-long visit to
Gujarat on Friday,
where he will hold
meetings with party
workers and leaders in
view of the state As-
sembly polls, expected
to be held in December
this year, an office-bear-
er of the party said.
After his arrival at
the Ahmedabad airport
on Friday morning, Na-
dda would first visit
Gandhi Ashram, Guja-
rat BJP spokesperson
Yamal Vyas said on
Thursday
.
“From Gandhi Ash-
ram, Nadda will reach
state BJP headquarters
‘Shree Kamalam’ in
Gandhinagar to ad-
dress a gathering of
key party leaders, in-
cluding MPs, MLAs
and executive commit-
tee members of the
state. Nearly 700 party
leaders are expected to
attend the gathering,”
Vyas said.
After that, Nadda will
reach the Gujarat Uni-
versity convention cen-
tre in Ahmedabad to
address nearly 7,000
party workers from
across the state.
Turn to P6
BJP president JP Nadda
He will also
He will also
address
address
nearly 7,000
nearly 7,000
party workers
party workers
from across
from across
the state in
the state in
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad
PM TO INAUGURATE PATIDAR BIZ SUMMIT
AHMEDABAD l FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2022 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/79050 l Vol 3 l Issue No. 153
OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR, AHMEDABAD, LUCKNOW NEW DELHI www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epapers/ahmedabad I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
Ranchi: Former Bihar CM Lalu Prasad was on Thursday released on bail
from the Birsa Munda Jail after his bail bond was paid. The RJD chief
was granted bail by the Jharkhand High Court last week almost 42 weeks
after his conviction in the Doranda case.
LALU PRASAD
YADAV GETS
BAIL, RELEASED
FROM JAIL
Mumbai: Indian markets gained on Thursday, as investor sentiment improved
on optimism that the Covid-19 situation in China may not be as bad as feared.
Investors also cheered strong earnings from Meta Platforms, leading to a bounce
in technology stocks. Sensex gained 702 points and nifty ended near 17,250 P7
MARKETS
RALLY AS GLOBAL
SENTIMENT
IMPROVES
Working on lifting AFSPA
from Northeast: Modi
Guwahati: Prime Min-
ister Narendra Modi on
Thursday said the Cen-
tre was working to-
wards lifting the Armed
Forces (Special Powers)
Act [AFSPA] from the
Northeast. “For long,
many states of the
Northeast have been
under AFSPA. But in
the past eight years, be-
cause of peace and bet-
ter law and order situa-
tion on the ground, we
have lifted AFSPA from
many parts of the re-
gion,” said Modi, ad-
dressing a “Peace, Uni-
ty and Development”
rally at Diphu in As-
sam’s Karbi Anglong
district.
Earlier in the day, the
prime minister inaugu-
rated three colleges for
veterinary science and
agriculture in Diphu.
He also launched the
Amrit Sarovar Project
to rejuvenate 2,950 wa-
terbodies across the
state. Modi said that
since 2014, violent inci-
dents had reduced by 75
per cent in the region.
“That is why we were
able to lift AFSPA first
from Tripura, then
Meghalaya,” he said.
“In Assam, in the
past few years, the situ-
ation has improved so
much that AFSPA was
lifted from 23 districts,”
he said, adding that the
Centre was working to-
wards lifting the Act
from Nagaland and Ma-
nipur.
PM MODI-RATAN TATA
INAUGURATE 7 STATE-
OF-THE-ART CANCER
HOSPITALS IN ASSAM
Dibrugarh: Prime Minister Naren-
dra Modi along with industrialist
Ratan Tata on Thursday inaugu-
rated seven state-of-the-art cancer
hospitals and laid the founda-
tion stone for seven new cancer
hospitals. “Today, 7 new cancer
hospitals have been inaugurated
in Assam. There was a time, even
one hospital getting opened up in
7 years was a thing to celebrate.
Times have changed now. I have
been told 3 more cancer hospitals
will be ready for your service in a
few months,” PM Modi said.
PM LAUDS
DOUBLE-ENGINE
GOVT FOR ASSAM
‘BODO ACCORD’
BROUGHT LONG-
LASTING PEACE
INSURGENCY IN NORTH EAST
REDUCED BY 80 PERCENT: MHA
Diphu: PM lauded the
double-engine govern-
ment for the development
of northeast regions.
“Today, the double-engine
government is developing
the nation with the mantra
of ‘Sabka Saath Sabka
Vikas’,” he said.
Diphu: PM Modi hailed
the Bodo Accord, saying it
has brought “long-lasting
peace” to Assam. “Last
year, several organisa-
tions from Karbi Anglong
joined the resolve for
peace and development.
Bodo Accord opened new
doors for lasting peace in
2020,” said PM Modi in
Assam.
New Delhi: Incidents of insurgency in the north-
eastern states reduced by 80 per cent in the last
eight years while casualties of security forces
went down by 75 per cent and civilian deaths by
99 per cent, an official report said. According to
the annual report of the MHA, the security situ-
ation in the northeastern states has improved sub-
stantially since 2014 and the year 2020 recorded
the lowest insurgency incidents and casualties
among the civilians and security forces during the
last two decades.
“Modi’s Federalism is not
cooperative. It’s coercive”
Rahul attacks PM over fuel price issue
New Delhi: Congress
leader Rahul Gandhi
on Thursday accused
PM Narendra Modi of
“abdicating responsi-
bility” by ‘blaming’
states for the inflation
despite the Centre tak-
ing 68 per cent of all
fuel taxes.
“High Fuel prices –
blame states. Coal
shortage – blame
states. Oxygen short-
age – blame states,”
Gandhi wrote. “68 per
cent of all fuel taxes
are taken by the centre.
Yet, the PM abdicates
responsibility. The PM
abdicates responsibili-
ty. Modi’s Federalism
is not cooperative. It’s
coercive,” Gandhi
tweeted.
MAHA GOVT’S COLLECTED RS 79, 412 CR
AS FUEL TAXES: HARDEEP SINGH PURI
New Delhi: Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas
Hardeep Singh Puri questioned the Maharashtra govern-
ment’s decision to not reduce VAT on fuel in order to provide
relief to people. Puri stressed his stand by highlighting that
the State government is expected to collect Rs 33,000 crore
as fuel taxes this year. “The truth hurts, but facts speak for
themselves. Maha govt is expected to collect Rs 33,000 crore
this year. Why did it not reduce VAT on fuel to provide relief
to people?,” he asked.
PM Modi being felicitated with traditional Assamese
Japi by Assam CM Sarma and Union Minister
Sonowal in Dibrugarh on Thursday. —PHOTO BY ANI
CRUCIAL READ
DELHI-CENTRE POWER ROW:
SC RESERVES ORDER
New Delhi: The SC on Thursday reserved its
order on whether or not to refer to a five-judge
Constitution bench a contentious issue of who
should control administrative services in Delhi.
The Central government has sought a hearing by a
five-judge bench on the matter pertaining to a legal
dispute between the Delhi government and the
Centre regarding the control over administrative
services in the national capital.
GUJ GETS NEW CHIEF
ELECTORAL OFFICER
Gandhinagar: P Bharathi, a
2005-batch IAS officer has been
appointed Chief Electoral Officer,
amid speculations of early elec-
tions in the state. She will suc-
ceed Anupam Anand, who was
appointed CEO in May 2021.
DELHI’S HOTTEST APRIL DAY
IN 12 YEARS @ 43.5°
IMD issues orange
alert for 5 states
Kamal Nath
resigns as LOP
in MP Assembly
Bhopal: Congress lead-
er Kamal Nath has re-
signed as the Leader of
Opposition in the Mad-
hya Pradesh Assembly
.
The Congress high
command has accepted
the former chief minis-
ter’s resignation from
the post and appointed
Dr Govind Singh as the
Leader of the Congress
Legislature Party, and
therefore the Leader of
Opposition in the Mad-
hya Pradesh Assembly
.
In a letter dated April
28, Congress general
secretary KC Venugopal
wrote to Kamal Nath,
“This is to inform you
that Hon’ble Congress
President has accepted
your resignation from
the post of Leader, Con-
gress Legislature Party
,
Madhya Pradesh with
immediate effect. The
party wholeheartedly
appreciates your contri-
bution as the CLP Lead-
er, Madhya Pradesh.”
Bhubaneswar: The In-
dia Meteorological De-
partment (IMD) has is-
sued an orange alert for
five districts in India
overcontinuedheatwave
conditions until May 1.
The five districts which
have been warned are:
Bihar, Jharkhand, inte-
rior Odisha, Chhattis-
garh and Gangetic West
Bengal April 30 and Tel-
angana till May 1.
“There has been no
significantrainfallsince
February25.Inbetween,
on April 14 and April 21,
there were dust storms
in Rajasthan and Hary-
ana but there was no sig-
nificant rain. Hence the
long dry spell has result-
ed in high tempera-
tures,”seniorIMDscien-
tist R.K. Jenamani said.
New Delhi: The Delhi
Police Crime Branch on
Thursdayarrestedoneof
the most wanted accused
of Jahangirpuricommu-
nal riots from West Ben-
gal, sources said. The ac-
cusedhasbeenidentified
as Farid alias Neetu, a
history-sheeter in the Ja-
hangirpuri area with
cases of robbery
, snatch-
ing, burglary etc.
“He was very actively
involved in the commu-
nal riots and played a
major role. Our several
teams who have been
deployed in West Ben-
gal arrested him on
Thursday from his
aunt’s house in Tamluk
village. He is being
brought to New Delhi
via flight today,” one of
the sources said.
The accused had fled
from the spot after the
riots and had been
changing his locations
and moving across West
Bengal.
KOVIND, SHAH TO MEET BENGAL
VIOLENCE VICTIMS
New Delhi: President and Union home minister
Amit have agreed to meet a delegation of lawyers
representing victims of post-poll violence on
April 29. According to sources, the President has
consented to meet the delegation of lawyers at
noon. Shah will meet the delegation the same
day at 9 pm. The lawyers will also hold a peaceful
candle march in the national capital on Friday to
highlight the “struggle and fight of the affected
people of the state”.
JAHANGIRPURI VIOLENCE
Key accused Farid arrested from Bengal
Pedestrians shield their faces from the heat with a scarf, in
Gurugram, Thursday, April 28, 2022. —PHOTO BY PTI
Farid alias Neetu
PM Modi receives a traditional welcome
during his visit to Dibrugarh on Thursday.
NCB ARRESTS ONE
WITH 50 KG OF
HEROIN IN DELHI
New Delhi: The NCB
has seized about 50 kg
of “high-quality” heroin
and arrested a man after
it conducted raids in the
Shaheen Bagh area of
Delhi’s Jamia Nagar, the
federal anti-narcotics
agency said on Thurs-
day, claiming to have
busted an Indo-Afghan
drug-smuggling racket.
Narcotics Control Bureau
(NCB) Deputy Director
General (operations)
Sanjay Kumar Singh said
during a press briefing
that cash amounting
to Rs 30 lakh was also
seized.

NEWS
AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2022
02
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First India Bureau
Barpeta: A Barpeta
court on Thursday re-
served its order on the
bail plea of Gujarat In-
dependent MLA
Jignesh Mevani in con-
nection with a case of
alleged assault of a
woman police officer
here till Friday
.
Mevani's advocate
Angshuman Bora said
that the court complet-
ed its hearing in the
case on Thursday
.
The prosecution tried
to get an adjournment
but the court declined it
and ordered it to submit
its arguments on Thurs-
day itself, he said.
Meanwhile, Con-
gress, which supports
Mevani, held protests
across Assam during
the visit of Prime Min-
ister Narendra Modi to
the state.
Mevani was remand-
ed to police custody for
five days on Tuesday
for allegedly assault-
ing a woman police of-
ficer when she was ac-
companying him from
Guwahati airport to
Kokrajhar, where a
case had been lodged
against him in connec-
tion with the tweet, af-
ter being brought from
Gujarat.
He was arrested first
in Gujarat on April 19
for tweeting against
Prime Minister Naren-
dra Modi.
HCissuesnoticetogovtoverSuratgasleak
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Human
rights activist and for-
mer spokesperson of
the All India Majlis-e-
Ittehadul Muslimeen
(AIMIM) Shamshad Pa-
than has alleged that
the party is working in
Gujarat to benefit the
ruling Bharatiya Jana-
ta Party (BJP). “Its each
and every action is not
in the interest of the
minority community or
the common man but, to
politically benefit the
ruling party
,” he said on
Thursday
.
In support of his al-
legations, Pathan also
shared a document of
the Modasa nagarpa-
lika general board meet-
ing, last week. Contract
proposals were passed
by the BJP with the sup-
port of AIMIM, whereas
Congress opposed it.
The BJP had presented
proposals of contractu-
al work worth one crore
rupees. The nagarpa-
lika had not invited any
tender bids and was di-
rectly allocating pro-
jects pertaining to solid
waste management,
pipeline leakage, storm
water pipeline laying,
and office contingency
expenses.
When these proposals
came up for approval,
BJP and AIMIM coun-
cillors voted in favour
and passed a resolution.
Congress party’s coun-
cillors opposed the pro-
posal and voted against
it. They stated that allo-
cation of such projects
should be done only af-
ter following proper ten-
dering process.
The nagarplika’s cur-
rent strength of 34
councillors were elect-
ed in the 2021 general
elections. BJP came to
power with 19 council-
lors, AIMIM’s eight can-
didates got elected to
the nagarpalika and
Congress party grabbed
seven seats.
Interestingly, Pathan
and many other leaders
have recently resigned
from AIMIM on realiz-
ing the party’s main ob-
jective of dividing the
vote bank to help the
BJP. Despite recent
communal clashes dur-
ing festivals in some
parts of the state,
AIMIM did little for
community members.
AIMIM stands as ‘support team’ to ruling BJP: Shamshad Pathan
COVERT INTENTIONS?
lll
Alleges the
party did not
oppose
allocation of
projects
without tender
bids at
Modasa
nagarpalika
gen board
meeting
Modasa nagarpalika. Modasa councillors joining AIMIM.
—FILE
PHOTO
DISSENT MEMO
Tribals from Goima village
in Pardi taluka of Valsad
district staged a protest
against the proposed power
plant to be established in
the region on Thursday.
They submitted a
memorandum to the local
prant officer to express their
strong condemnation of the
state government’s approval
of the project against
the local gram sabha’s
resolution.The protest was
led by Congress MLA from
Vansda Anant Patel.
Hardik Patel gets praised and
trolled online for homage event
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Marking
his father Bharat Pa-
tel’s first death anni-
versary on Thursday,
Patidar Anamat An-
dolan Samiti (PAAS)
leader and Congress
party Working Presi-
dent Hardik Patel
was trolled and laud-
ed on social media
platforms, for organ-
izing a grand event to
pay tribute in Vi-
ramgam.
For the last few days,
Patel has been making
headlines in the media,
for expressing displeas-
ure at being sidelined
in the party. He had
even revealed that a
few Gujarat leaders
were pushing him to
quit. At the same time,
he implied that he was
in touch with Bharati-
ya Janata Party (BJP)
leaders, and even in-
vited some of them to
attend the event on
Thursday.
The brouhaha
around his discontent
with the work he was
doing for Congress
prompted big wig party
leaders to attend the
event. Patel received
media attention to pro-
ject himself as a youth
leader to reckon with.
However, the adula-
tion has come with its
share of criticisms of
the event, with people
questioning his inten-
tions and others appre-
ciating his turn towards
religion and spirituality
.
Rutvik Panchal, a
netizen said, “Hardik
Patel is using father’s
name to gain entry into
the BJP
, simultaneously
using community and
common man for his po-
litical benefit.”Another
netizen Parth Patel
questioned Patel’s abili-
ty to lead the people.
“One who is using fa-
ther’s condolence meet
for political benefit, can
he serve the people?”
Padmanabhan Jaiku-
mar urged Patel to read
one of the 1,200 Bhag-
vad Gita copies he dis-
tributed at the event. “It
would have been better
if you had learned
something from the
Bhagvad Gita.”
Praising him for his
religious inclination,
Nityanand Singh said,
“It’s better late than
never. Happy to see
you returning to In-
dian culture and reli-
gion.” Vijay Pal Singh
Tariyal paid his re-
spects to Patel’s father
by saying, “I pay trib-
ute and homage on
the death anniversary
of your father.”
ASSAM COURT RESERVES ORDER
ON JIGNESH MEVANI’S BAIL PLEA
THE COURT
COMPLETED
ITS HEARING
IN THE CASE
ON THURSDAY
Hardik Patel
should join the BJP
as such young lead-
ers are needed in the
BJP.
Nautam Swami,
Vadtal Swaminarayan temple
We are regularly
talking and sharing
each others’ view-
points. There are
differences between
me and him.
Jagdish Thakor,
President, Gujarat Congress
Hardik has no grievances with the
party or its leaders. If there are any,
we will sort them out. He is a very
strong young leader and is working
hard for the party. Just the other
day, he attended a Youth Congress
rally in Tapi district.
—Dr Raghu Sharma,
Gujarat Congress In-charge
For such a
condolence
meeting or re-
ligious func-
tion, we invite
everyone. I am
looking for
work in the
party, and if
the party as-
signs me work,
I will work at
the speed of
110 kilometres.
Hardik Patel,
Working President,
Gujarat Congress
Patel carrying a deity’s statue at the gathering.
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The Guja-
ratHighCourtonThurs-
day issued notice to the
stategovernmentasking
it to file a response re-
garding the Surat toxic
gas leak that took the
lives of six labourers
and affected 29 others in
January this year. The
petitioner has demand-
ed that a Special Investi-
gation Team (SIT) be
constituted to investi-
gate the case and file an
action report in court.
Through a public in-
terest litigation (PIL),
Paresh Parekh has
pleaded before the court
for an impartial investi-
gation of the case. The
petitioner’s grievance
is that the gas leak of-
fence was committed by
the respondent compa-
nies, and that its man-
agement worked in col-
lusion with officials of
the Gujarat Pollution
Control Board (GPCB)
and other regulatory
authorities.
Condemning the irre-
sponsible disposal of
hazardous materials,
Parekh submitted,
“Even after the unfortu-
nate incident (gas leak),
dumping of waste and
hazardous chemicals
has continued in the
state. There is a need for
an interim direction to
the GPCB to conduct
stringent checks and
regular inspections at
places where disposal is
anissue.Apropermech-
anism should also be de-
vised to inspect tankers
plyingonroads,toverify
whether they are carry-
ing or illegally discharg-
ing hazardous chemical
waste in drains, streams
and/or rivulets.”
He further pleaded to
the court to direct the
police to curb such ille-
gal activities. “I filed
this petition because
regular authorities are
not investigating inci-
dents of this nature or
attributing criminality
totheaccusedforoffenc-
es under the law. They
have been negligent de-
spite several incidents
andcomplaintsbymany
local villagers, social ac-
tivists and affected par-
ties,” alleged Parekh.
Petitioner asks court to
constitute SIT to look into the
case, file an action report
Six labourers were killed due to exposure
to harmful gas on January 05, 2022.
—FILE PHOTO

GUJARAT
03
With Eid just around the corner,
Ahmedabad’s iconic Sidi Saiyyed
Mosque is illuminated, making it
a beautiful backdrop for the city’s
snap-happy selfie enthusiasts.
—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI
Husbandgets10-yrsentence
inAyeshaMakranisuicide
Arif Khan was convicted for domestic violence, abetment to suicide of his wife
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: An addi-
tional city sessions
court on Thursday
convicted Ayesha
Makrani’s husband
Arif Khan of harass-
ment, domestic vio-
lence and abetment to
suicide and sent him
to prison for 10 years.
In February 2021,
Ayesha committed
suicide by jumping in
the Sabarmati River.
Prior to taking the ex-
treme step, she had
recorded a video nar-
rating her plight and
bidding adieu to the
world, which had won
the sympathy of neti-
zens.
While pronouncing
the judgement, the ad-
ditional city and ses-
sions judge observed,
“To curb domestic vio-
lence in the society, the
court cannot be sympa-
thetic towards the ac-
cused. It is painful that a
woman dealing with do-
mestic violence had to
take the extreme step.”
The court also took
serious cognizance that
the deceased Ayesha
Makrani had lost her
baby due to an abortion.
The viral video clip
made by Ayesha and a
voice spectrography test
played vital role in prov-
ing Arif Khan guilty in
the offence of abetment
to suicide.
In the video, Ayesha
had said, “Hello, Assa-
laam Valaikum, my
name is Ayesha Arif
Khan. Whatever action I
am going to take is my
own decision. I am not
acting under pressure
or threat and just think
that Allah has only giv-
en me this much life. If
he wants freedom from
me, I am okay with that.
When I meet God, I will
askhimaboutmyfaults.
Maybe this was my des-
tiny
. I am praying to my
belovedrivertoembrace
me in her arms.”
First India Bureau
Palanpur: Police
have booked booked
Lubhesh Majirana
for the murder of
his cousin and lov-
er, Lashuben (23),
who went missing
on Tuesday even-
ing, after her body
was found in an ad-
jacent village the
next day.
The police had
been hunting for
Lashuben, when they
found an injured
man—later identi-
fied as Majirana—ly-
ing next to her dead
body in a millet farm
in Pratapura.
Majirana, who had
apparently attempt-
ed to commit suicide
after murdering
Lashuben, was first
taken to a Palanpur
hospital, but later
shiftedtoAhmedabad
for treatment, since
he was in a critical
condition.
According to the
police complaint
filed by Lashuben’s
father Kanabhai Ma-
jirana, he had discov-
ered his daughter
missing when he
came home from
work.
The next day, he
was working in his
leased field in Khi-
mavasna village,
when his brother and
nephew informed
him that Lashuben’s
body had been found
in a pool of blood,
alongside Lubhesh,
who police say tried
to kill himself with
the same axe he had
used to slit his cous-
in’s throat.
Kanabhai told the
police that the two
cousin had been in a
relationship for some
time, against the
wishes of the family.
Family elders had ar-
ranged marriages for
both Lubhesh and
Lashuben, which
were meant to be
held next month.
First India Bureau
Gndhinagar: Guja-
rat recorded 14 new
COVID-19 infections
in the 24 hours ended
5 pm on Thursday,
but witnessed no
pandemic-related
deaths, an official of
the state health de-
partment said in a
release.
The day’s addition in
terms of cases took the
caseload in the state to
12,24,305, while death
toll remained un-
changed at 10,943.
Twenty persons re-
covered during this pe-
riod, taking the tally of
recoveries to 12,13,263.
The number of ac-
tive cases in Gujarat
now stands at 99. Two
patients are in a criti-
cal condition and on
ventilator support, the
official said.
Ahmedabad led the
district-wise list of
new cases, with eight,
while Surat and Va-
dodara each witnessed
two new cases, and Da-
hod and Kheda had one
new case each.
The state now has a
recovery rate of
99.10%, the health de-
partment said.
Arif Khan in police custody; inset: Ayesha in her final video. —FILE PHOTOS
TIMELINE
Not allowed to marry
cousin, man slits her
throat, attempts suicide
All lit up
—FILE PHOTO
So far, the state has administered 10.56 crore doses of the vaccine.
14 new COVID-19 cases take Guj active tally to 99
First India Bureau
Surat: The Surat Mu-
nicipal Corporation
(SMC), which builds
roads more than
Rs500 crore a year,
has launched an ini-
tiative to make the
first steel-slag road
in the city’s Khajod
area.
The pilot project,
300m long and 17m
wide, will cover an
area of 5,100 sq. m.
While final approval is
still pending, the road
is expected to be com-
pleted before the mon-
soon, officials said.
SMC engineer BR
Bhatt said that the ex-
pense of slag road is
Rs1,150 per square me-
ter, bitumen road is
Rs1,300 and concrete,
Rs2,700. The lifespan
of concrete road is 30
years and that of bitu-
men-slag is 15 years.
However, hot tempera-
tures, of even 45 °C.
Further, since it is
built using processed
steel slag, the road has
the potential to utilize
an unused resource
while also making
more durable roads.
Hazira’s industries
produce about 400-
600kg of slag for every
1,000kg steel produced.
Usually, this waste ends
up in landfills, where it
is exposed to weather-
ing, sparking concerns
about leaching of po-
tentially toxic elements
(PTEs) and hyper alka-
line runoffs into the
soil and water, endan-
gering the local ecolog-
ical communities.
The Central Road
Research Institute has
already approved the
project, and will help
SMC in design and
sourcing slag, officials
said.
Surat’s Khajod to get new steel-slag road
A similar road exists in Hazira, which sees heavy truck traffic.
Vapi: Officers of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence,
Vapi and Surat have arrested a passenger for smuggling
in 500g of gold—valued at
Rs25 lakh—from Dubai,
via the Sardar Vallabhbhai
Patel International Airport
in Ahmedabad. The officials
intercepted the passenger
at the Vapi Railway station, and found two capsules
containing about 500g gold paste concealed inside his
rectum after sustained interrogation and X-ray, officials
said in a release on Thursday.
Surat: The Veer Narmad South Gujarat
University (VNSGU) plans to move teach-
ing into the open. The proposed project
will commence on the 15-acre land
behind the journalism department. Syn-
dicate member Dr Kashyap Kharchia said
that students get oxygen from the natural
environment, keeping the body healthy.
There will also be a lake and fountains
near the open class, he added.
Surat: One Salim Khalil was killed on
Wednesday night after being attacked by
three youths in the city’s Rander area.
The critically injured Khalil was rushed
to hospital, where he was declared dead.
Police have detained three youths, Ravi,
Ajay and Rafiq, based on the testimony of
a friend who was with Khalil at the time of
the assault. ACP ZR Desai said economic
reasons may be behind the killings.
Vadodara: Two people lost their lives in a freak
accident involving a bike, a car and a dumper on
the Jambuva bridge on
Thursday, on the national
highway, near Vadodara.
The Makarpura police
registered the case and
are further investigating
the matter. As per details, the triple accident leads
to the death of the couple riding on the bike. Both
the deceased Rajendra Prajapati and Shobhna Pra-
japati were residents of Bharuch. Bodies have been
sent for post-mortem.
MAN ARRESTED FOR SMUGGLING GOLD
VNSGU PLANS OUTDOOR
CLASSES UNDER TREES
1 DEAD, 1 INJURED IN AN
ATTACK BY 3 ASSAILANTS
TWO DIE IN AN ACCIDENT NEAR V’DARA
CRUCIAL READ
Vadodara: Amid their
fight for control in the
Haridham Sokhada
temple, a saint Gunatit
Swami died under
mysterious circum-
stances on Wednesday
night. Haribhakt Sanjay
Bhai Chauhan said,
“We have doubts about
the demise of Gunatit
Swami in Haridham
Sokhada. He was
healthy and active, so
we have approached the
collector and demanded
a high-level inquiry with
a post-mortem.”
SANT DIES UNDER
MYSTERIOUS
CIRCUMSTANCES
COMING SOON?
—FILE
PHOTO
—FILE
PHOTO

PERSPECTIVE
04
l Vol 3 l Issue No. 153
l RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/79050.
Printed and published by
Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf
of First Express Publishers.
Printed at Bhaskar Printing Planet
Survey No.148P, Changodar-
Bavla Highway, Tal. Sanand, Dist.
Ahmedabad. Published at D/302
3rd Floor Plot No. 35 Titanium
Square, Scheme No. 2, Thaltej
Taluka, Ghatlodiya, Ahmedabad.
Editor-In-Chief: Jagdeesh Chandra.
Editor: Haresh Jhala
responsible for selection of news
under the PRB Act
SPIRITUAL SPEAK
Love should be shown without
pretending. Hate evil, and
hold on to what is good.
—Bible
IN-DEPTH
Bhupender Yadav
@byadavbjp
Chaired the 28th Annual General Meeting
of ICFRE with senior officials of the
Ministry in Dehradun today. Deliberated
upon important measures which can be
taken and implemented by ICFRE during
#AmritKaal for long-term preservation
and conservation of our ecology.
Sarbananda Sonowal
@sarbanandsonwal
Honoured to join Hon’ble PM Shri @
narendramodi ji at the inauguration of
Dibrugarh Cancer Centre in presence of
Hon’ble Governor Shri @jagdishmukhi
ji and CM Shri @himantabiswa. The
state-of-the-art centre will greatly
benefit the people of the region. My
heartfelt thanks.
TOP TWEETS
LEARNING TO BEAR
THE SCORCHING
HEAT AS CLIMATE
GETS WARMER
t is that time of the
year when swelter-
ing heat and heat
waves dominate con-
versations. With
wheat grains shriveling in Pun-
jab affecting output, some states
facing severe heat waves, which
is the longest in April in a dec-
ade, and coal and power short-
age adding to the hardship of
those managing without coolers
and air-conditioners. Absence
of rain is adding to woes. The
conversations invariably veer
towards the villain of the piece-
--global warming.
The more pressing issue at
hand is keeping power plants
running by maintaining a regu-
lar supply of coal. Power cuts
have been reported from several
states as they struggle to meet
record demand this season.
There was a shortage of 623 mil-
lion units over a week which was
equal to the total electricity
shortage in March and that
should give an idea. To ensure
that coal carrying trains have a
free passage the Railway Board
hascancelledeightexpresstrains
in Uttar Pradesh. Will the prob-
lem worsen in years to come?
I
ost the comments
by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi
naming states for
not lowering their
taxes on fuel in the interest of
the people, a blame game has
started between the Centre
and states of Tamil Nadu,
West Bengal, Jharkhand, Tel-
angana, Kerala, Andhra
Pradesh and Maharashtra.
States blame the Centre for
unfair sharing revenue from
Centralexciseandcessonpet-
rol. In the slugfest over “nam-
ing and shaming” of seven
states, it is the common man
who continues to suffer. The
prime minister blamed these
states for not passing on the
duty relief, which the Centre
effected in November last
year,totheconsumerasheap-
pealed for “co-operative feder-
alism”. Reduce the Value
Added Tax (VAT) now, Modi
urged governments of the
seven states on Wednesday
.
The states immediately
started to hit back. Tamil Na-
du’sfinanceministerPalaniv-
el Thiaga Rajan said it was
not feasible for the state to
reduce taxes on fuel as the
Central taxes were already
very high. Tamil Nadu claims
thatithadprovidedarelief of
Rs 3 per litre by reducing VAT
in August last year. Rajan
charged the Centre for “sub-
stantially increasing” levy in
the last seven years.
West Bengal’s finance min-
ister Chandrima Bhattachar-
yaalsorejectedthesuggestion
to cut fuel prices even though
petrol is selling at around Rs
115 per litre. Compared to Ma-
harashtra, Kerala, Andhra
Pradesh and Telangana “our
VAT is already low” and can’t
be lowered any further, she
said. Responses of other tar-
geted states were no different.
It is ironic that party poli-
tics dominates federalism in
our country at the expense of
citizens.
PEOPLE PAY AS CENTRE,
STATES SPAR OVER FUEL
States blame the Centre for
unfair sharing revenue from
Central excise and cess on
petrol. In the slugfest over
“naming and shaming” of
seven states, it is the common
man who continues to suffer.
The prime minister blamed
these states for not passing on
the duty relief, which the
Centre effected in
November last year, to the
consumer as he appealed for
“co-operative federalism”
P
istory proves that all reigns
mustendonedayandallking-
doms must fall eventually
.
The tale of Mumbai Indians
and Chennai Super Kings in
IPL 2022 resembles those em-
pires which rule for long peri-
ods but when they crumble,
they fall in a heap. A month
before the tournament finale,
the heavyweights are strug-
gling but T-20 fans have been
treated to some exceptional
cricket and edge-of-the-seat
thrillers by the new entrants
- Gujarat Titans and Lucknow
SuperGiants. A mid-season
snippet offers a captivating
mix of flops, successes, come-
backs and new finds.
Mumbai Indians are the
big flops and already out of
the Semi-final race after 8 de-
feats in 8 games. Chennai Su-
per Kings are also on the
verge of elimination and
need a miracle to stay in con-
tention. Kolkata Knight Rid-
ers, another champion side
of the past, is also languish-
ing in the bottom three of the
points table. Besides cham-
pion sides, two superstars of
Indian cricket, Virat Kohli
and Rohit Sharma are also
going through a terrible
slump. This is the worst IPL
season for both and ahead of
the T20 World Cup in Austral-
ia, the form of the big guns is
a big worry for Team India.
Another flop show is all-
rounder Ravindra Jadeja who
is performing poorly in all
departments of the game.
Jadeja’s feast of runs and
wickets at IPL 2021 had made
him the highest-paid reten-
tion for CSK for the 2022 edi-
tionatawhoppingRs16crore.
But his output this season has
been dismal. In 8 matches so
far, Jaddu has scored just 112
runs with the highest score of
26; also, he has taken just 5
wickets at an average of over
42 and an economy rate of
8.09. Even Jadeja’s outstand-
ing fielding has dipped and he
dropped two catches in a sin-
gle game. Clearly, CSK cap-
taincy is a burden that’s hurt-
ing Jadeja’s form.
Despite pre-season favour-
ites floundering, the IPL has
been full of thrills and high-
voltage action. Debutants
Gujarat Titans and Lucknow
SuperGiants are both doing
really well thanks to their in-
spirational leaders. While KL
Rahul has led the way for
Lucknow with two terrific
tons, Hardik Pandya is back
at his best and has taken the
Gujarat Titans to the top of
the Points table. Besides solid
batting, Pandya is bowling
quite effectively and seems
fit and ready to regain his
spot in Team India.
Among other major suc-
cesses is Rajasthan Royals
who are on a remarkable roll.
Jos Butler’s brilliance has
notched up three splendid
tons, a feat never achieved in
any IPL season. While Sanju
Samson has provided aggres-
sive batting and leadership,
Yuzi Chahal and Ravi Ashwin
are spinning a web in the mid-
dle overs after sharp spells by
Boult and Prasiddha Krishna
provide initial shocks to most
oppositions. If they can con-
tinue this form, the Royals
may triumph this year and
pay a special tribute to Shane
Warnewhotookthemtoglory
in IPL’s inaugural season.
Sunrisers Hyderabad and
Royal Challengers Bengalu-
ru are also locked in a close
race to clinch a spot in the
Final Four. After a fab start,
RCB have disappointed in a
few recent matches and need
to pull up their socks. In con-
trast, SRH is cruising to-
wards the top after a sedate
start and could well be the
surprise package of the sea-
son under Kane Williamson’s
able leadership.
Talk of SRH brings us to
Umran Mallik, the BIG FIND
of this season! The Kashmir
boy is the fastest pacer in this
IPL and his thunderbolts are
a special challenge for all op-
position. His incisive spells
areproducingbreakthroughs
at vital moments and even in
the loss to Gujarat Titans on
Wednesday
, Umran picked up
five wickets. Malik’s raw
pace has led to calls for him
to be fast-tracked into Team
India for the T20 World Cup
in Australia.
If Mallik is the newcomer
creatingwaves,DineshKartik
is the big comeback story of
thisIPLedition.Afterbeingin
the TV Commentary team for
an year, ‘DK’ as he’s fondly
called is now batting like nev-
er before. His power-packed
displays have kept RCB in the
hunt despite Virat’s horror
season. DK is keen to return
to Team India and with Ishan
Kishan being in woeful form,
Kartikmaywellgetthenodas
Finisher and 2nd stumper.
Overall, IPL 2022 so far has
provided a lot of thrills, spills
and high quality action. With
favourites floundering, debu-
tants shining and the race for
Final Four tightening, the
season seems set for a thrill-
ing climax.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
SPILLS, THRILLS AND NAIL-BITERS
DOMINATE IPL 2022!
DK is keen to return to Team
India and with Ishan
Kishan being in woeful
form, Kartik may well get
the nod as Finisher and 2nd
stumper. Overall, IPL 2022
so far has provided a lot of
thrills, spills and high
quality action. With
favourites floundering,
debutants shining and the
race for Final Four
tightening, the season seems
set for a thrilling climax
H
SIDDHAARTH MAHAN
The writer is a specialist on Sports
and Cinema who works as an actor
in the Hindi film industry
MISSES

z Mumbai Indians are the big flops
and already out of the Semi-final
race after 8 defeats in 8 games

z Chennai Super Kings are also on
the verge of elimination and need
a miracle to stay in contention

z Kolkata Knight Riders, another
champion side of the past, is
also languishing in the bottom
three of the points table

z Besides champion sides, two
superstars of Indian cricket, Virat
Kohli and Rohit Sharma, are also
going through a terrible slump

z All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja is
performing poorly in all depart-
ments of the game
HITS

z Debutants Gujarat Titans and
Lucknow Super Giants are both
doing really well thanks to their
inspirational leaders

z KL Rahul has led the way for
Lucknow with two terrific tons

z Hardik Pandya is back at his best
and has taken the Gujarat Titans
to the top of the Points table

z Jos Butler’s brilliance has
notched up three splendid tons

z Sunrisers Hyderabad and RCB
are also locked in a close race to
clinch a spot in the Final Four

z SRH brings us to Umran Mallik,
the BIG FIND of this season

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INDIA
05
Why did talks between Congress and PK fail?
Sharat K Verma
New Delhi: Once again
Prashant Kishor’s talk
with the Congress party
failed, however, the dif-
ference this time is that
Prashant has targeted
the Congress. The last
time things went wrong,
he was very angry and
attacked the Congress.
PK had said that the
Congress is not a party
of the Nehru-Gandhi
family, but they are its
custodians. He had also
said that it is not a di-
vine right of anyone to
take over the leadership
of the Congress. But
this time he tweeted,
andpolietlydeclinedthe
offer to become a mem-
ber of the Empowered
Action Group. Rejecting
the Congress proposal,
he further wrote that
the Congress does not
need him, rather needs
leadership and collec-
tive will to rectify its
deep structural flaws.
The question is that
despite such a long con-
versation and giving
presentations at least
thrice, what happened
that there was no com-
munication between the
two. According to in-
formed sources, both
Congress and PK did not
accept each other’s pro-
posals. Prashant Kishor
hadofferedtotakeevery-
thingintohisownhands.
It is being told that he
wastryingtohandleeve-
rything alone and said
that there should be no
interference from the
partyleaders.Hewanted
to report directly to So-
niaorRahulGandhi,but
the party leaders were
not ready for this.
Ontheotherhand,the
condition laid by Con-
gress was that PK’s com-
pany i.e. Indian Political
Action Committee, I-
PAC should break ties
with all other parties as
Congress considered
Prashant Kishor and I-
PACasone.ButPrashant
saidthatI-packisasepa-
rate company, with
which he is no longer
related. He said that he
has been separated from
election strategy mak-
ing and election man-
agement and the com-
pany is working inde-
pendently
. But the I-PAC
deal with the TRS in
Telangana and his pres-
ence in Hyderabad dur-
ing this time caused
Congress leaders to
raise eye brows.
A third reason is the
insecurities of some
baseless and parasitic
leaders of the Congress,
who felt that if PK took
overthereinsof theCon-
gress, they might be
shown the door. That’s
why they created suspi-
cion through propagan-
da.ItistruethatPrashant
had tried to break the
Congress for the first
time when things went
wrong and many leaders
were instigated. But this
timehesincerelywanted
the Congress to contest
the 2024 elections as he
saw only possibility in
this. But in the name of
anti-Congress relations
with Narendra Modi,
Congress leaders ob-
structed his path.
Sonia Gandhi Prashant Kishor
CRUCIAL READ
MAMATA TO ATTEND NAT’L CONCLAVE
IN DELHI TODAY, WON’T MEET PM MODI
Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Ba-
nerjee said she will go to Delhi on Friday to attend
a national conclave slated to be held there the next
day where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be
present, but will not meet him as she will return
to the city to attend the programmes on May Day
and Eid-ul-Fitr. “I will reach New Delhi tomorrow
(Friday) night and return the next day (Saturday).
I have my tickets booked. That is the reason why
I will not get the time to meet the PM this time. I
have no appointment with the PM,” Banerjee told
reporters at the state secretariat on Thursday.
MAHA MINISTER NAWAB MALIK SEEKS
INTERIM BAIL ON MEDICAL GROUND
Mumbai: Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik, ar-
rested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money
laundering case, sought interim bail on medical
ground from a special
PMLA court here on
Thursday. Malik (62)
had earlier told the court
that was unwell due to
kidney ailments and had
swelling in his legs. His
advocate Tarraq Sayyed
moved the plea for interim bail before special
judge RN Rokade. The court is likely to hear the
plea on Monday.
Bihar CM meets Lalu sons again;
other leaders also in attendance
Patna (Agencies): Bi-
har Chief Minister and
JanataDal(United)lead-
er Nitish Kumar, Rash-
triya Janata Dal (RJD)
leaders Tejashwi Yadav
and Tej Pratap Yadav
met in another Dawat-E-
Iftaar party in Patna on
Thursday
.
The Dawat-E-Iftar
gathering was being or-
ganised by Salim Parvej,
the president of JD(U)
minority wing of Bihar.
“We have personally
invited CM Nitish Ku-
mar for the Iftar party
and he has accepted
our invitation. Besides,
I have also sent invita-
tions to former CM
Rabri Devi, leader of
opposition Tejashwi
Yadav, Tej Pratap Ya-
dav, Jagadanand Singh,
leaders of BJP, Con-
gress, CPI, CPM, CPI
(ML), AIMIM, HAM
and VIP. I am expecting
all leaders will come to
the Iftar party. The ven-
ue of the Iftar party is
Patna HAJ Bhawan,”
Pravej said.
Don’t allow BSF, it is
killing people: Mamata
Kolkata (Agencies):
In a move which may
provoke the BJP gov-
ernment at the Centre,
West Bengal Chief Min-
ister Mamata Banerjee
on Wednesday asked
the Cooch Behar Police
not to allow the Border
Security Force (BSF)
beyond 50 kms from the
international border.
The Chief Minister
also alleged that the
“BSF is entering the vil-
lages and beating peo-
ple while also throwing
them on the other side
of the international
border”.
“Don’t allow BSF to
enter 50 kms of the area
beyond the internation-
al border in the state
because they are enter-
ing the village, killing
people and throwing
them on the other side,”
the Chief Minister said.
Mamata Banerjee
Karnatakaleadersacrosspartiesunite,slamAjayDevgn
HINDI ‘NATIONAL LANGUAGE’ ROW
Bengaluru (PTI): The
subject of Hindi being
India’s national lan-
guage – a debate that
has repeatedly sparked
controversy – is once
again a hotly debated
topic, following the war
of words on Twitter be-
tween Bollywood actor
Ajay Devgn and Kan-
nada actor Kichcha Su-
deep.
Politicians across
party ranks in Karna-
taka have come out in
support of Sudeep and
have slammed Devgn,
who took to Twitter to
respond to Sudeep by
saying, “Hindi was, is
and always will be our
national language.”
Former Chief Minis-
ter of Karnataka and
leader of the opposition
in Karnataka Legisla-
tive Assembly, Siddara-
maiah, tweeted, “Hindi
was never will never
be our National Lan-
guage. It is the duty of
every Indian to respect
linguistic diversity of
our Country. Each lan-
guage has its own rich
history for its people to
be proud of. I am proud
to be a Kannadiga!!
(sic)”, Siddaramaiah
tweeted.
Karnataka Congress
president D K Shivaku-
mar said, “There are
19,500 mother tongues
spoken in India. Our
love for India feels the
same in every language.
As a proud Kannadiga
and a proud Congress-
man let me remind eve-
ryone that Congress
created linguistic States
so that no one language
dominates another.”
Another former
Chief Minister and Ja-
nata Dal (Secular) lead-
er HD Kumaraswamy
slammed Ajay Devgn
and tweeted, “Actor Kic-
cha Sudeep saying that
Hindi is not a National
Language is correct.
There is nothing to find
fault in his statement.
Actor Ajay Devgn is not
only hyper in nature
but also shows his ludi-
crous behaviour.” He
posted a series of tweets
and said India is a land
of multi-cultures and
no effort should be
made to disrupt this.
At a film launch event
last week, when he was
askedhowheviewedthe
record-breaking pan-In-
dia success of the Kan-
nada film “KGF: Chap-
ter 2,” Sudeep had said,
“Hindi is no more our
national language.”
KGF’s Hindi version
alone has minted Rs 336
crore since its April 14
release, while the film
has reportedly earned
Rs 850 crore worldwide,
media reported.
Addressing the me-
dia in Kannada, Sudeep
had said, “Hindi (film-
makers) should say
they are making pan
India movies. They
have been dubbing
those (Bollywood) mov-
ies into Tamil and Telu-
gu, etc., and they are
struggling. They are
not able to. Today, we
just make films that
reach everywhere.”
INDIA TOO DIVERSE TO HAVE
ONE NATIONAL LANGUAGE OR
RELIGION: OMAR ABDULLAH
Srinagar (PTI): National Conference (NC) vice president
Omar Abdullah on Thursday said India is too diverse a
country to have a national language. “The idea of India
is that it gives space to everybody. If the Indian currency
note gives space to all languages, then it’s understood
that we are more than just one language, culture and re-
ligion,” the former Chief Minister of Jammu Kashmir
said. Speaking of slogans outside mosques, Abdullah
asked, “How would one feel when he listens to ‘ Iss mu-
luk mein rehna hai, Jai Shri Ram kehna’
(if you want to stay in this country,
you have to say Jai Shri Ram)? How
would one feel when the houses of
Muslims are bulldozed?” Abdullah
said he understands that politicians
do or say things for political motives
but, “how would one feel when TV
anchors onboard a bulldozer
suggest that only the
roof but not walls have
been dismantled?”
CM BOMMAI
COMES OUT IN
SUPPORT OF
ACTOR SUDEEP
Basavaraj Bommai Kichcha Sudeep Ajay Devgn
IED recovered along highway in
Jammu, cops avert major incident
Srinagar (Agencies): A
major tragedy was avert-
ed in Jammu on Thurs-
day after police detected
and defused an impro-
vised explosive device
(IED)alongahighwayon
the outskirts of Jammu.
The IED was planted
along the highway at
Sidhra by suspected ter-
rorists, officials said. A
police team reached the
spot after receiving in-
formation about a sus-
picious object found
alongside the highway
.
“
An information was
received regarding some
suspicious object found
alongside highway in
Sidhra area of Jammu
city outskirts. A team
from nearby station
rushedtothespotlater
senior officers also
reachedatthesite”tweet-
ed Additional Director
General police Jammu.
The site was cordoned
off soon after the explo-
sive was detected. The
bomb squad of Jammu
Police destroyed the de-
vicethroughacontrolled
mechanism, police said.
This is the third ter-
rorist-related incident
in Jammu in less than a
week causing serious
security concerns in the
city. Two Pakistani ter-
rorists of the Jaish-e-
Mohammed (JeM) were
killed in an encounter
with security forces in
Jalalabad on the out-
skirts of Jammu on Fri-
day. A CISF officer was
killed and nine security
personnel were injured
in the gunfight.
A bomb disposal squad of the army destroyed the IED. —FILE PHOTO
Cabinet talks:
Bommai to
visit New Delhi
Bengaluru (Agencies):
With Karnataka Chief
Minister Basavaraj Bom-
mai confirming his New
Delhi visit, lobbying for
statecabinetpostshasbe-
gunintherulingBJPgov-
ernment.
Bommai said that he
is leaving for New Delhi
on Friday
.
The long-pending ex-
ercise of cabinet expan-
sion is expected to be
done during the first
week of May
.
Political heavy weights
have already started hec-
ticlobbyingtogetorretain
powerful Cabinet berths.
Withtheresignationof KS
Eshwarappa from the
cabinet, five posts are ly-
ing vacant. The party
high command is also
contemplating overhaul
of the state cabinet.
Two terrorists
eliminated in
Kashmir: Cops
Srinagar (Agencies):
Two terrorists, respon-
sible for recent terror
attacks on labourers
from outside JK in
Pulwama district, have
been neutralised, police
said on Thursday
.
Police said on a spe-
cific input generated by
Pulwama police regard-
ing presence of terror-
ists in Mitrigam area of
Pulwama, a joint cor-
don and search opera-
tion was launched by
police, army, and the
CRPF on Wednesday
.
“During the search
operation, as the joint
search party proceeded
towards the hiding ter-
rorist, they fired indis-
criminately upon the
search party which was
retaliated leading to an
encounter,” police said.
Chennai: Even though
the Indian Institute of
Technology-Madras is
an autonomous institu-
tion under the Minister
of Education of the
Government of India,
the premier institution
will play the Tamil
state anthem, ‘Tamil
Thai Vaazhthu’ hence-
forth in its official
functions.
IIT-Madras to play
TN state anthem
during functions
DON’T WANT TO BECOME PRESIDENT,
RATHER BE PRIME MINISTER: MAYA
Lucknow: BSP supremo Mayawati on Thurs-
day trashed SP chief Akhilesh Yadav’s remark
suggesting that the BJP could make her the
President, saying she
would prefer becom-
ing the country’s PM
someday to realise
her goals for the
downtrodden. React-
ing to the dig at her,
Mayawati said she
never aspired to being the President and the
SP leader was dreaming about it only to clear
his own path to become the UP CM.
B’desh offers Chittagong
Port for use to India
Dhaka (PTI): External
Affairs Minister S Jais-
hankar on Thursday
called on Bangladesh
Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina, who under-
lined the importance of
connectivity between
the two neighbours and
offered her country’s
main seaport — Chit-
tagong Port — to India’s
landlocked northeast-
ern states.
Jaishankar, who ar-
rived in Dhaka on
Thursday on a brief of-
ficial visit, handed over
an invitation to Ms
Hasina on PM Naren-
dra Modi’s behalf to
visit New Delhi.
“Thank Prime Minis-
ter Sheikh Hasina for
her warm reception.
Conveyed personal
greetings of PM @nar-
endramodi. Our bilat-
eral relations are mov-
ing from strength to
strength under the
guidance of the two
leaders,” Jaishankar
tweeted.

INDIA
06
Mahesh Sharma
New Delhi: The Con-
gress party is actually
facing an existential
crisis. There has been
an uproar since Mon-
day that Congress presi-
dent Sonia Gandhi has
formed six committees
to formulate the strate-
gy for the 2024 Lok Sab-
ha elections. These are
being called the Em-
powered Committees.
Although the role of
these committees is not
yet known, yet if the
Congress party has
formed a committee for
the 2024 elections, then
the party should think
about it once again be-
cause the Lok Sabha
elections are still far
away and before that
the assembly elections
in 10 states are to be
held. Assembly elec-
tions are to be held be-
fore the Lok Sabha in
both the states where
the Congress is in pow-
er - Rajasthan and Chat-
tisgarh. That’s why the
Congress should focus
on the assembly elec-
tions instead of the Lok
Sabha elections.
If Congress does not
win the assembly elec-
tions to be held in these
two years, then it will
not be able to contest the
Lok Sabha elections and
will become a political
outcast. Parties will not
coordinate with it and
even if the party breaks
up and falls apart, it will
not come as a surprise.
Keep in mind that this
year there are assembly
elections in Himachal
Pradesh and Gujarat.
Elections to Tripura,
Meghalaya and Naga-
land are due at the be-
ginning of the year next
year.Thereareelections
in Karnataka in the
middle of the next year
and finally in Ra-
jasthan, Madhya
Pradesh, Chhattisgarh
and Telangana. That is,
before the Lok Sabha,
there are elections to 10
states. Congress will
have to perform well in
these states under any
circumstances, only
then it will be able to
contest the 2024 Lok
Sabha elections. That’s
why Congress should do
whatever it has to do in
the Chintan Shivir but
keep the focus on the
state elections. If it wins
two-three states, it will
automatically become
the center of Lok Sabha
elections.
Cong must focus on State polls and not look at LS!
CLUELESS CONGRESS
What is special in 8th
anniv of Modi Govt?
Moni Sharma
New Delhi: Next
month, the Narendra
Modi government will
complete eight years.
The third anniversary
of his second govern-
ment is on 30 May.
Modi’s second govern-
ment was formed in
May 2019 and in Janu-
ary 2020, the Corona
pandemic hit the na-
tion. So, the first and
second anniversaries of
his second term could
not be celebrated. On
the occasion of the gov-
ernment’s anniversary
in 2020 and 2021, the
BJP launched cam-
paigns to help the Co-
rona affected. But this
time BJP is preparing
to do something new
and at a larger scale.
However, this time also
the government and the
BJP have nothing spe-
cial because there is a
crisis of inflation and
unemployment and the
country’s economy has
not fully recovered from
Corona.
Despite this, the par-
ty leaders are preparing
to celebrate the anni-
versary with pomp this
time and right now the
theme of this ‘anniver-
sary’ is being discussed.
Many senior leaders of
the party and two min-
isters of the govern-
ment — Anurag Thakur
andRajivChandrashek-
har — have mulled over
it and although no deci-
sion could be taken in
the first meeting, it is
being told that some
plans have been made.
Whatever be the case,
the government’s big
publicity campaign will
run on this occasion
and three issues would
be highlighted to the
maximum i.e. free vac-
cine for corona virus,
free food grains scheme
across the country and
BJP’s victory in four
states. The entire cam-
paign of the BJP and
the government will re-
volve around these
three things.
India-Japan ties deepened
in every sphere: PM Modi
New Delhi (PTI): On
the 70th anniversary of
the establishment of
diplomatic relations be-
tween India and Japan,
Prime Minister Naren-
dra Modi on Thursday
said that the ties be-
tween the two countries
have deepened in every
sphere, be it strategic,
economic or people-to-
people contacts.
The recent visit to In-
dia by Japanese PM Fu-
mio Kishida for the an-
nual summit laid out a
roadmap for deepening
the Special Strategic
and Global Partnership
between the two coun-
tries in a post-Covid
world, Modi said in a
tweet.
He said, “As we cele-
brate 70 years of estab-
lishment of diplomatic
relations between India
and Japan today, I am
happy to see that our
ties have deepened in
every sphere, whether
strategic, economic or
people-to-people con-
tacts.”
Joe Biden to meet Modi at Quad summit
in Japan next month, says White House
NEED TO BE READY FOR ‘SHORT, SWIFT
WARS’, ‘INTENSE OPS’: AIR FORCE CHIEF
WANT TO KEEP GROWING TIES WITH
INDIA, SAYS UK FOREIGN MINISTER
New Delhi: US President Joe Biden will travel to South Korea and Japan next
month and attend the QUAD summit in Tokyo, during which he will also meet
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the White House has said. Biden’s trip
to South Korea and Japan has been scheduled for May 20 to 24. “This trip will
advance the Biden-Harris Administration’s rock-solid commitment to a free and
open Indo-Pacific,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Wednesday
here. Biden will also hold bilateral meetings with South Korea President Yoon
Suk Yeol and Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan. “The leaders will discuss
opportunities to deepen our vital security relationships,” Psaki said.
New Delhi (PTI): The current geo-
political situation necessitates the
IAF to prepare for intense and small
duration operations at a short notice,
Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal
VR Chaudhari said. He also said that
there would be a need for the force to
prepare for “short, swift wars”.
London (PTI): The UK wants to keep growing its ties
with India as part of efforts to work more closely with
allies to create a so-called Network of Liberty, Foreign
Secretary Liz Truss said in a foreign policy speech. The
Minister used her address at the Lord Mayor’s Easter
banquet to issue a stark warning to Russia and China on
its aggressive stance as the UK prioritises “security and
respect for sovereignty over short-term economic gain”.
‘Ukrainewarshowsbeing
self-reliant is necessity’
New Delhi (PTI): De-
fence minister Rajnath
Singh said on Thursday
said the Russia-Ukraine
conflict has highlighted
that being self-reliant in
military hardware is a
vital necessity, even as
he called for tri-services
synergy in dealing with
security challenges.
In an address at the
Navy Commanders’
Conference, he said
“jointness” in opera-
tions will be critical in
any future wars and re-
structuring of military
commands and estab-
lishmentof theatrecom-
mands is the way ahead.
“I am aware that ad-
equate progress has
been made towards the
study of maritime thea-
tre command,” he said.
Each of the theatre
commands will have
units of the Army, the
Navy and the Air Force
and all of them will
work as a single entity
looking after security
challenges in a speci-
fied geographical terri-
tory under an opera-
tional commander.
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh addresses the Naval
Commanders Conference 2022, in New Delhi.
Parl panel
to summon
Google, Twitter,
Amazon, others
Delimitation
panel set to
submit report on
JK next week
New Delhi (PTI): With
a number of global tech
giants facing Competi-
tion Commission of In-
dia (CCI) probe for al-
leged anti-competitive
practices, a key Parlia-
mentary panel on
Thursday decided to
summon representa-
tives of Google, Ama-
zon, Facebook, Twitter
and others to examine
their competitive be-
haviour.
The next meeting of
the panel on the issue is
likely to be held on May
12. The issue was dis-
cussed in detail by
members of the Stand-
ing Committee after a
presentation was made
before it by the CCI.
The regulator told
the panel that it was set-
ting up a ‘Digital Mar-
kets and Data Unit’ for
effectively dealing with
anti-competition prac-
tices of big tech compa-
nies and bringing a new
bill to amend the CCI
Act. CCI also cited a
number of investiga-
tions it is carrying out
in the digital space.
New Delhi (PTI): A De-
limitation Commission,
mandated to redraw the
assemblyconstituencies
of Jammu Kashmir, is
set to submit its report
to the government next
week, sources said on
Thursday
.
The panel would also
make public its “award”
detailing the number of
constituencies and their
size by bringing out a
gazettee notification af-
ter the report is submit-
ted to the government,
the sources said.
The award will deal
with basic details such
as number of constitu-
encies and their size.
Nod on vax for 5-12 age group likely today
New Delhi (PTI): A de-
cision on vaccinating
children aged 5-12 years
will be taken on the ba-
sis of the recommenda-
tion by an expert com-
mittee, Union Health
MinisterMansukhMan-
daviyasaidonThursday
.
The issue may be dis-
cussed in a meeting of
National Technical Ad-
visory Group on Immu-
nisation(NTAGI)sched-
uled on Friday
.
PM Modi in an inter-
action with CMs had
said that the govern-
ment’s priority is to
vaccinate all eligible
children at earliest with
“special campaigns”.
90-year-old Padma Shri awardee
evicted from Govt housing
New Delhi (PTI): The
Centre on Wednesday
asked eight eminent ar-
tistes, who were allot-
ted government accom-
modations years ago
but which were can-
celled in 2014, to vacate
the facilities by May 2,
a move that comes a
day after eviction pro-
ceedings were conduct-
ed against 90-year-old
Padma Shri awardee
and Odissi dancer
Guru Mayadhar Raut.
A senior Union
Housing and Urban Af-
fairs Ministry official
said out of 28 artistes,
there are still around
eight who have not
moved out of their gov-
ernment accommoda-
tions despite multiple
notices.
“These eight artistes
assured us that they are
in the process of vacat-
ing their bungalows
and sought some more
days. They have given
us an undertaking in
written that they would
vacate the facilities by
May 2 and we have giv-
en them time till then,”
the official told Press
Trust of India.
No change in India’s
approach: MEA on Pak
New Delhi (PTI): Over
a fortnight after She-
hbaz Sharif became Pa-
kistan’s new PM, India
asserted there is no
change to its approach
that talks between the
two sides can only take
place in an atmosphere
free of terror.
External Affairs Min-
istry spokesperson
Arindam Bagchi also
said that the terror at-
tack in Karachi only
underlined the need for
all countries to take an
“undifferentiated” posi-
tion against terrorism..
The MEA said on
Thursday that it was
not an opportune mo-
ment to discuss the re-
sumption of issuance
of tourist visas to Chi-
nese nationals in view
of the Covid-19 situa-
tion there.
New Delhi: A Delhi court on Thursday granted bail
to former defence secretary Shashi Kant Sharma
in a case related to
the AgustaWestland
chopper scam. Special
Judge Arvind Kumar
grants relief to Sharma
on a personal bond of
Rs two lakh, with one
surety in the like amount. The advocates appearing
for Sharma told the court that he was innocent and
was been falsely implicated in the case.
The court had on April 11 summoned Sharma.
New Delhi: Chief Justice of India (CJI) NV Ramana
and Chief Justices (CJs) of all the 25 High Courts
would take part in the 39th CJs’ conference here on
Friday to address issues concerning the judiciary
ranging from appointments of judges in HCs. The
Chief Justices’ conference, which would be attended
by two senior-most apex court judges — Justices UU
Lalit and AM Khanwilkar — in a programme to be held
in the apex court premises.
CHOPPER SCAM: COURT GRANTS BAIL
TO EX-DEF SECY SHASHI KANT SHARMA
CJI, CJS, ACJS OF 25 HIGH COURTS TO
DISCUSS ISSUES CONCERNING JUDICIARY
CRUCIAL READ
BIOTECH MUST
ADDRESS WHO’S
SUSPENSION: MEA
HIGHLIGHTS
Weeks after WHO suspended
the supply of Covaxin
through UN procurement
agencies, the MEA sug-
gested that vaccine-maker
Bharat Biotech addresses the
issue immediately to avoid
cancellation of the world
health body’s emergency
use approval for the jab. The
MEA said many issues about
vaccines have arisen and
these must be addressed.

z US biotech firm Mod-
erna seeks US authorisa-
tion for jabs in children
under 6

z India records 3,303 new
Covid-19 cases, 39 Covid
deaths in 24 hours: Centre

z Health expert advises
people to not be careless,
says impact of Covid-19 ‘is
down but not out’

z Patna detects first case
of new Omicron variant
BA.2.12
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. —FILE PHOTO
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Home Minister Amit Shah.
Sonia Gandhi with Rahul Gandhi. —FILE PHOTO
Padma Shri awardee Guru Mayadhar Raut being evicted by
Directorate of Estates on Tuesday. His belongings, including the
Padma Shri citation, can be seen strewn outside the home.
JP NADDA...
After attending a religious event in Vadodara,
Nadda would hold a meeting with state core
committee leaders as well as state parliamen-
tary board members, including state unit presi-
dent CR Patil and Chief Minister Bhupendra
Patel, at the party headquarters in Gandhina-
gar before winding up his one-day state visit,
Vyas said. Meanwhile, Patidar community body
‘Sardardham’ has announced that Prime Minis-
ter Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Global
Patidar Business Summit, to be held in Surat be-
tween April 29 and May 1, via video conference
on Friday morning.
FROM PG 1

BIZ BUZZ
07
Promoted by
AU Small Finance Bank
WTO chief warns against
retreat from global trade
Washington (Agen-
cies): Fragmentation
of the global economy
and a retreat from
global trade would
make countries more
vulnerable to produc-
tion shocks arising
from natural disasters
and outbreaks of fatal
diseases, the head of
the world trade organi-
zation said.
WTO Director Gen-
eral Ngozi Okonjo-
Iweala told an event
hosted by the National
Foreign Trade Council
that economists esti-
mated that a fragmen-
tation of the global
economy could reduce
global gross domestic
product by 5% in the
longer run.
She said those losses
would be compounded
by higher transaction
costs and balance of
payments distress. It
would also make it
much harder to tackle
problems such as cli-
mate change, or stabi-
lizing global food and
fertilizer markets that
had been badly dis-
rupted by the war in
Ukraine.
Fertiliser subsidy likely to go
up to record `2.5 tn in FY23
New Delhi (PTI): In-
dia’s fertiliser subsi-
dy bill is likely to shoot
up by 55 per cent to re-
cord Rs 2.5 lakh crore
this fiscal as the gov-
ernment will provide
additional funds to
make up for the spike
in cost from higher im-
port price, top sources
said on Thursday
.
The government
will ensure that there
is no shortage of ferti-
lisers in the country
during the kharif
(summer-sown) and
rabi (winter-sown)
season and it is al-
ready in talks with
major global produc-
ers to import key soil
nutrients, they added.
According to the
sources, Union Chemi-
cals and Fertilis-
ers Minister Mansukh
Mandaviya is likely to
visit many countries,
including Saudi Ara-
bia, Oman and Moroc-
co, soon to secure
imports on both
short and long term
basis.
“The government is
working hard to ensure
there is no shortage
of fertilisers in the
country,” said a top
government function-
ary, and added that the
country has sufficient
stocks for the ongoing
kharif season, and
there would be no prob-
lems during the rabi
season as well.
It is to be noted that
fertiliser consumption
during rabi season is
10-15 per cent more
compared to the sum-
mer crops.
The government
will not increase retail
prices of urea and also
provide adequate sub-
sidies to ensure that
the maximum retail
prices of non-urea fer-
tilisers remain at the
present level, the
sources said.
Economists
estimated that a
fragmentation of the
global economy
could reduce global
gross domestic
product by 5% in the
longer run.
NO SHORATGE
Labour survey
shows rising
employment trend
Sensex rallies 701
points on positive global
cues; HUL, RIL surge
Oil prices fall as China fuel demand
dwindles due to Covid restrictions
New Delhi (Agencies):
Oil prices dropped on
Thursday on caution
about dwindling fuel de-
mand in China, the
world’s biggest oil im-
porter, due to the eco-
nomic impact of
Covid-19 restrictions.
Brent crude futures
had fallen 62 cents, or
0.59%, to $104.70 a bar-
rel by 0712 GMT. U.S.
West Texas Intermedi-
ate crude futures
slipped 48 cents, or
0.47%, to $101.54 a bar-
rel.
Both contracts had
settled over 30 cents
higher on Wednesday
on worries
a b o u t
t i g h t
world-
w i d e
o i l
s u p -
p l i e s
a n d
anoth-
e r
drawdown in U.S. distil-
late and gasoline stocks.
The U.S. Energy In-
formation Adminis-
tration said crude
stocks rose by just
692,000 barrels
l a s t
w e e k ,
short of
expectations,
but distillate
i nve n t o r i e s,
which include
diesel and jet
fuel, fell to their
lowest since May 2008.
In China, Beijing
closed some public spac-
es and stepped up COV-
ID-19checksatotherson
Thursday
, as most of the
city’s 22 million resi-
dentsembarkedonmore
mass testing aimed at
averting a Shanghai-
like lockdown, which
has disrupted factories
and supply chains rais-
ing concerns about the
outlook for the coun-
try’s economic growth.
New Delhi (PTI) : As
many as 3.14 crore
workers were em-
ployed in nine indus-
tries in the December
quarter of 2021, indi-
cating a rising trend
in employment in the
organised sector, ac-
cording to a Labour
Bureau survey
.
In the September
quarter of 2021, the
number of workers
stood at around 3.10
crore.
The Ministry of La-
bour and Employ-
ment on Thursday re-
leased the report of
the Quarterly Em-
ployment Survey
(QES) for the period
October-December
2021 period.
“Happy to inform
the report on 3rd
Round (Oct –Dec, 2021)
of Quarterly Employ-
ment Survey shows a
rising trend in em-
ployment in organised
sector, employing 10 or
more workers, of the
selected 9 sectors,” La-
bour Minister Bhu-
pender Yadav said in a
tweet.
Mumbai (ANI): The
Indian stock market’s
benchmark Sensex
surged 701 points on
Thursday led by
strong buying support
in FMCG, energy,
banking and IT stocks
as positive cues from
the global equities
boosted inves-
tors’ senti-
ments. The
30 stock
SP BSE
S e n s e x
s u r g e d
7 0 1 . 6 7
points or
1.23 per cent to
57,521.06 points
against its previous
day’s close at 56,819.39
points.
Earlier, the Sensex
opened in the positive
at 57,296.31 points.
However, it slumped
to a low of 56,936.94
points in the morning
trade. The markets
firmed up in the after-
noon on positive cues
from the European eq-
u i t i e s.
T h e
Sensex
surged
to a high
o f
5 7 , 7 9 0 . 8 5
points in the
intra-day. The bench-
mark Sensex had lost
537.22 points or 0.94
per cent on Wednes-
day
.
The broader Nifty 50
of the National Stock
Exchange surged
206.65 points or 1.21
per cent to 17,245.05
points against its pre-
vious day’s close at
17,038.40 points.
The
30 stock SP
BSE Sensex surged
701.67 points or 1.23 per
cent to 57,521.06 points
against its previous day’s
close at 56,819.39
points.
Google, T’gana sign MoU to support youth
Hyderabad (ANI):
Google said on Thurs-
day it has signed a
memorandum of un-
derstanding (MoU)
with the Telangana
Government to provide
technical and financial
support to youth and
women entrepreneurs
in the state.
As per the deal,
Google will collaborate
with the Government
through its various
arms to extend scholar-
ships for Google Career
Certificates to Telan-
gana’s youth, support
women entrepreneurs
through digital, busi-
ness and financial
skills training, and
strengthen the Govern-
ment’s school moderni-
sation efforts with digi-
tal teaching and learn-
ing tools and solutions.
Underlining its com-
mitment to investing
and expanding its pres-
ence in Telangana,
Google also unveiled
thedesignof itsground-
up development at the
7.3-acre site it acquired
in Gachibowli in 2019.
The 3 million square
footbuildingprioritises
sustainability and en-
ergyefficiencythrough-
out its design.
Tata Motors aims to
build 80,000 EVs this
financial year: Report
New Delhi (PTI): Tata
Motors expects to ag-
gressively ramp up an-
nual production of elec-
tric vehicles (EVs) to
more than 80,000 units
this financial year,
sources with knowl-
edge of the matter told
Reuters.
That compares with
the 19,000 EVs it built
and sold in the last fi-
nancial year.
Tata, India’s biggest
automaker, declined to
comment on produc-
tion plans but said EV
sales were growing rap-
idly with demand out-
pacing supply. The
sources were not au-
thorised to speak to me-
dia and declined to be
identified.
Tata last year an-
nounced plans to
launch 10 EV models by
March 2026, investing
about $2 billion on new
vehicle architecture, re-
lated technology and
infrastructure.
Tech pioneer
Nilekani takes
on Amazon,
Walmart
New Delhi (Agen-
cies): Nandan Nile-
kani, the high-profile
mogul is helping
Prime Minister Nar-
endra Modi build an
open technology net-
work that seeks to
level the playing field
for small merchants
in the country’s frag-
mented but fast-
growing $1 trillion
retail market.
Its stated purpose
is to create a freely
accessible online sys-
tem where traders
and consumers can
buy and sell every-
thing. But its unspo-
ken objective is to
eventually curb the
powers of Amazon.
com Inc. and
Walmart Inc.-owned
Flipkart.
FUTURE INVESTMENT
Toyota Kirloskar Motor reaches 20 lakh
units cumulative wholesales milestone
New Delhi (PTI): Toy-
ota Kirloskar Motor
(TKM) on Thursday
said it has reached the
20 lakh units cumula-
tive wholesales mile-
stone ever since its in-
ception in India.
The company, which
started production in
the country in Decem-
ber 1999, said it
achieved the feat in
April 2022, while hand-
ing over a new Glanza
hatchback at its deal-
ership, Nippon Toyota
at Trichur, Kerala.
“Over the last two
decades, Toyota has de-
veloped a solid founda-
tion of renowned qual-
ity, durability, and reli-
ability (QDR) and we
hope we will be able to
cater to more segments
as well as newer mar-
kets in 2022 and be-
yond, helping us
achieve our ultimate
goal of delivering
‘Mass Happiness to
All’,” TKM Associate
Vice President, Sales,
and Strategic Market-
ing Atul Sood said.
Over the years, the
companyhascontinued
to expand its product
lineup providing a wide
range of options, tai-
lored to meet the evolv-
ing needs of the Indian
customers, TKM said.
Apart from its popu-
lar multi-purpose vehi-
cle Innova Crysta and
SUV Fortuner, the
company has also in-
troduced compact SUV
Urban Cruiser and pre-
mium hatchback Glan-
za, the cross-based ver-
sions of Maruti Suzu-
ki’s Vitara Brezza and
Baleno respectively
.
While the company
has been successful
with Innova Crysta and
Fortuner, its made-for-
India products like se-
dan Etios and hatch-
back Etios Liva could
not match up with the
former two.
However, its self-
charging vehicles,
Camry hybrid, and
Vellfire have created
their own niche.
Camry Hybrid is the
first locally manufac-
tured strong self-
charging hybrid elec-
tric vehicle in India,
the company said.
Moving forward,
TKM said its aim is to
expand footprints with
a special focus on Tier
II and Tier III markets.
MILESTONE
TAILORED TO NEEDS

A day is beautiful in the rays of
the sun, dew on the grass, a ripe
red tomato, a smile from a
stranger - revel in it.
—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO Editor-in-Chief, First India
08
2NDFRONT
Mumbai: Umran Ma-
lik’s fiery spell for a
five-wicket haul almost
scripted the sixth win
for Sunrisers Hy-
derabad, but the duo of
Rashid Khan and Rahul
Tewatia played a big
role in defeating the
‘Orange Army’ by five
wickets on Wednesday
here at the Wankhede
Stadium.
After the close finish,
Gujarat Titans captain
Hardik Pandya praised
the effort put in by his
teammates.
“I keep joking in the
dressing room that God
is telling us ‘You guys
are good, I’ll help you’.
It’s happening so often
that I fear we may run
out of luck in the knock-
out games. We keep a
very chilled atmos-
phere and everyone is
stepping up. We’re en-
suring that the players
are backed well,” said
Hardik Pandya in a
post-match presenta-
tion.
A half-century by
Wriddhiman Saha and
cameos by Rahul Tewa-
tia and Rashid Khan,
guided Gujarat Titans
to a thrilling victory
.
The high-scoring
match was settled in the
last ball of the last over.
Rashid and Tewatia
smashed 31 runs and 40
runs, respectively, to
completely outshine the
five-wicket haul of Hy-
derabad’s Umran Ma-
lik.
When asked about
his bowling fitness Pan-
dya said he is not going
to risk bowling for Gu-
jarat Titans unless and
until the need arises,
indicating that he will
use a restrained strate-
gy after the injury scare
in IPL 2022 last week.
“It’s just a conscious
decision to manage my
bowling, plan is to bowl
whenever the team
needs me. It’s a long
tournament and I don’t
want to get too excited
early. We’re quite prac-
tical, we’ve spoken
about winning these
situations and there is a
lot of self-belief in the
camp. It’s important to
keep calm in the dug-
out, a lot of credit goes
to the support staff for
how they’ve been han-
dling the players,” he
added.
Gujarat Titans’ win
over Sunrisers Hy-
derabad has taken them
to the top of the points
table.
Hardik Pandya fears GT may run out of luck in knockouts
IPL 2022
lll
After close
win against
SRH,
Gujarat
Titans are
now at the
top of the
leaderboard
‘SBI’S DENIAL OF NO-DUES
CERTIFICATEHARASSMENT’
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The Gu-
jarat High Court has
pulled up the State
Bank of India (SBI)
for not issuing a no-
dues certificate in a
land sale matter over
a farmer’s outstand-
ing amount of just 31
paise, observing that
this was nothing but
harassment.
While hearing a peti-
tion on Wednesday, Jus-
tice Bhargav Karia ex-
pressed displeasure at
the bank, the country’s
largest lender, for with-
holding the no-dues
certificate required to
clear a land deal.
“This is too much. A
nationalised bank says
that a no-dues certifi-
cate will not be issued
just for 31 paise,” the
judge said.
As per the case de-
tails, the petitioners
Rakesh Verma and
Manoj Verma had pur-
chased a piece of land
in Khoraj village near
Ahmedabad city from
farmer Shamjibhai and
his family in 2020.
Since Shamjibhai
had sold the land to the
petitioners before re-
paying a crop loan of
Rs3 lakh, which he had
taken from the SBI, the
petitioners (who are
new owners of the
land) could not enter
their names in the rev-
enue records because
of the bank’s charge on
the land parcel.
Although the farmer
later repaid the entire
amount to the bank, the
SBI did not issue a no-
dues certificate for
some reason, following
which the new owners
moved the high court
two years ago.
During the hearing
on Wednesday, when
Justice Karia asked the
bank to submit the no-
dues certificate in the
court, SBI’s lawyer
Anand Gogia said, “It’s
not possible because
there is an outstanding
amount of 31 paise. It is
system generated.”
To this, Justice Karia
said anything less than
50 paise should be ig-
nored and the certifi-
cate should be issued
because the original
borrower had already
paid the entire amount
due on the crop loan.
When Gogia said the
SBI manager had given
an oral instruction that
the certificate cannot
be issued, the judge got
angry and directed the
advocate to ask the
manager to appear be-
fore the court.
“The Banking Regu-
lation Act says that
anything less than 50
paise should not be
counted. Why are you
harassing people? It’s
nothing but harass-
ment by your manag-
er,” Justice Karia said.
As Gogia sought time
to file a detailed affida-
vit to put forth the tech-
nicalities of the issue,
Justice Karia kept the
matter for further hear-
ing on May 2.
HCrapsbankforhaltinglanddealoffarmerwhoowed31paise
‘TOO MUCH’
Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan of Gujarat Titans celebrate their win against Sunrisers Hyderabad in
Mumbai on Wednesday. —PHOTO BY PTI
V’dara student to compete in
high jump event in 2nd Khelo
India University Games 2022
First India Bureau
Vadodara: Kaushik
Jadhav (19), student
of SYBCom, MK
Amin Arts and Sci-
ence and College of
Commerce, has been
selected for the high
jump event in the
2nd Khelo India Uni-
versity Games 2022
at Bengaluru.
He is the first player
from the university to
secure a seat in the
tournament jointly or-
ganisedbytheGovern-
mentof India,theGov-
ernmentof Karnataka
and Jain University
.
He had secured the
fourth position in the
qualification round of
the All India Inter-Uni-
versity tournament in
January 2022.
Jadhavhasbeenper-
forming high jump for
four years and has ap-
peared in 18 national
events. He won silver
in the Junior National
Athletics tournament
in 2019 and also per-
formed at the West
Zone and Khelo India
Youth Games.
“My father was a
hockey player, so
sports are in my
genes. After I complet-
ed my ninth grade at
Baroda High school,
ONGC, I shifted to Na-
diad sports hostel to
pursue my 10th grade
and further educa-
tion. My coach Satish
Upadhyay tapped by
talent and trained me
to move ahead in this
game,” he said, add-
ing that heis eyeing a
spot in the Asian and
World University
Games next.
Kerala CS visits CM
Patel, lauds efficiency
of CM-Dashboard
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: In or-
der to study the CM-
Dashboard place in
Gujarat, Kerala
Chief Secretary VP
Joy visited the resi-
dence of Chief Min-
ister Bhupendra Pa-
tel in Gandhinagar
on Thursday. Prais-
ing the features of
the dashboard, Joy
stated that it was ef-
fective in monitor-
ing services per-
formed for citizens
and also received
relevant feedback.
Chief Principal Sec-
retary to the CM, K
Kailashnathan and
Chief Secretary Pan-
kaj Kumar explained
the features of the CM-
Dashboard and also its
comprehensive proce-
dure. Praising the ini-
tiative Joy said, “This
method of monitoring
various government
services available to
the people and getting
the feedback from the
beneficiaries is the
leading force towards
good governance.”
Following the sug-
gestion of Prime Min-
ister Narendra Modi,
we have come here to
study this initiative
taken by Gujarat for
transparent as well as
real-time monitoring
of public delivery ser-
vices system and pub-
lic interest schemes,
he added. He was ac-
companied by senior
officials of the Kerala
government.
Through the CM-
Dashboard, all basic
facilities such as ben-
efits of public welfare
schemes, ST, power
and water are easily
available through 26
government depart-
ments and district-ta-
luka level offices in
the state. All districts
and administrative
departments and
their schemes are
monitored on a sin-
gle-window platform
by 3,400 predefined
indicators, stated a
press release.
Through this plat-
form, the CM con-
stantly monitors ad-
ministrative functions
of all the important
officials, it added.
During the COV-
ID-19 pandemic, all
details about hospital
beds, oxygen supply,
availability of medi-
cines, among others,
were made available
to the citizens on the
dashboard.
Need to prepare for ‘short swift
wars’: IAF Chief VR Chaudhari
‘5G Spectrum auction worth
`7.5 lakh crore in early June’
current geopolitical
situation necessi-
tates the Indian Air
Force to prepare for
“short swift wars and
long drawn stand-
offs” akin to the situ-
ation in eastern
Ladakh, Chief of Air
Staff Air Chief Mar-
shal VR Chaudhari
said on Thursday.
Addressing a semi-
nar, he said, “In the
force, space and time
continuum, there
would be a need for us
to prepare for short
swift wars as well as be
ready for a long drawn
standoff akin to what
we are seeing in east-
ern Ladakh.”
He further added:
“The current geopoliti-
cal situation necessi-
tates the Indian Air
Force to prepare for
intense and small du-
ration operations at a
short notice. This new
paradigm of high-in-
tensity operations,
coupled with minimal
build-up time would
require major changes
in terms of operation-
al logistics.”
government is likely to
hold 5G spectrum auc-
tion in early June, Tel-
ecom Minister Ashwi-
ni Vaishnaw said.
The minister said
that the Department of
Telecom is working as
per expected timeline
and the process is on to
resolve industry con-
cerns around spec-
trum pricing.
On the schedule of
the spectrum auction,
Mr Vaishaw said that it
is expected to be in
early June.
Setting the stage for
the rollout of 5G servic-
es, telecom regulator
TRAIhasmootedamega
auction plan valued at
over₹7.5lakhcroreatthe
base price across multi-
plebandsforradiowaves
allocated over 30 years.
Mohansinh Rathwa says he won’t contest polls
First India Bureau
Chhota Udepur: Mo-
hansinh Rathwa, the
11-time Congress
MLA from Chhota
Udaipur in Gujarat,
on Thursday an-
nounced that he will
not contest the next
assembly elections
which are due by the
end of this year.
It was time for a
young person to re-
place him, said the
78-year-old leader from
the tribal community.
After winning elec-
tion for 11 terms, I am
of the opinion that the
youth should get the
chance to represent
this seat. I will not
fight the next assembly
elections, Rathwa told
reporters.
Every party should
think on these lines
and give more and
more tickets to young-
sters, he added.
The veteran leader is
not keeping well of late,
said Congress sources.
Rathwa, a very popu-
lar tribal leader, was a
minister in the Con-
gress government from
1990 to 95.
He was first elected
from the Chhota
Udaipur seat, reserved
for Scheduled Tribes,
in 1972.
He lost an assembly
election only once. In
2002, when the elec-
tions were held against
the backdrop of the
Godhra riots, he lost to
a BJP candidate.
Kaushik Jadhav in action.
CM Patel hands over a memento to Kerala CS Joy on Thursday.
11-time Cong MLA Rathwa

ONE OF THE MOST COURAGEOUS THINGS YOU CAN
DO IS IDENTIFY YOURSELF, KNOW WHO YOU ARE,
WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN AND WHERE YOU WANT TO
GO. A BEAUTIFUL DIVA FROM LUCKNOW, SANSKRITI
SHARMA SHARED HER MOTIVATING JOURNEY AS A
MODEL IN CANDID CONVERSATION WITH CITY FIRST
escribe yourself, and
what would you say
are some vital skills
or characteristics to
have to make it in
the modelling world?
I am a person who tries to im-
prove oneself every second
of my life, who believes
that I can accomplish
anything if I believe in
myself. I figured that
if a girl wants to be a
legend, she should go
ahead and be one, I am a per-
son who has the courage to
face the universe all alone and
wants to help the needy people,
besides modelling I love to ex-
press myself through dancing
and singing.

z If you could go in future
and tell yourself one thing
about your career what
would it be?
I see myself as a person who
would overcome all the obsta-
cles of my journey in order to
accomplish the goals that I
have always dreamt of, I want
to tell my futurself that Work
is our worship and we should
always work to inspire others
and to work for the welfare
of the society. I want
to see myself as an
improved version
of myself.

z What inspired you to
write Finding the Super-
model in You, The Insiders
Guide to Teen Modelling?
I was really inspired by Su-
shmita Sen, at the age of 14
and wanted to do something
like her, I wanted to bring
the power to my voice so that
I could bring changes in my
society, so I started search-
ing for beauty pageants and
then I came across one pag-
eant, I got selected at the
ground auditions, I worked
really hard on myself it took
me 6 months to change my-
self as a person before the
competition, I became a
confident and coura-
geous person and
won Star Miss
Teen India 2021,
Delhi.

z What was the
biggest rookie mis-
take you made when
just starting out?
Like every other person
sometimes I go through
mental breakdowns, some-
times I feel low, but at the end
of the day I knew I had myself,
I believe in myself also I am
lucky enough to have a family
who supports me.

z What has been the most
memorable or rewarding
moment in your career?
The moment when I won 2
main titles – Miss Teen India
2021 and Miss Queen of Cos-
mos 2022, it was like a dream
come true juncture.
UTTKARSHA SHEKHAR
uttkarsha.shekhar@firstindia.co.in
D
AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY,
APRIL 29, 2022
09
THE STORY OF
THE STORY OF
UNSUNG (HER)O
UNSUNG (HER)O
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epapers/ahmedabad I twitter.com/
thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia

ETC
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epapers/ahmedabad I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2022
10
t would be an un-
derstatement to
say that Robin
Roy or fondly
called Rob Roy
as he is by some,
is a seasoned journal-
ist. Anyone who reads
newspapers or is asso-
ciated with the news-
paper world will vouch
for this. What is also
true of Roy is that he is
an incredible writer,
an attribute whose
glimmers have so far
only shone through
the chinks of his news-
paper articles, which
are at best limiting in
their scope and at
worst, not read! Intel-
lectual romance with
newspapers is a thing
of the past now.
Robin Roy is but one
of those old school
scholars who still
delve deep into the
cloistered recesses of
the socio-political nar-
rative with astute pas-
sion and spin out mag-
ical ‘stories’ with pa-
nache. How to weave a
Page 1 story from nug-
gets of scanty infor-
mation minutes before
the sacrosanct dead-
line with just one sub-
editor in the office?
How to prod a reporter
and find a new peg of
an otherwise invisible
story and make it the
most read one the next
morning? How to re-
draw page design and
play up a story at the
death, beating the
competition in the best
possible way by con-
triving some ingen-
ious way that the world
outside would never
know, or how the play
of headlines – of
which Roy is a master
– changes the whole
tack of a story
. If one is
interested to know any
of these, welcome to
Robin Roy’s new book
Between the Lines.
The wit, the tenacity
,
the command over lan-
guage, the nerves of
steel, the patience, per-
severance, a tinge of
humour with a pinch
of salt and above all,
objectivity – all that go
into the making of a
good journalist have
been touched upon and
their value in journal-
ism expatiated in Be-
tween the Lines. Writ-
ten in terse caustic wit
Between the Lines can
be called an ultimate
handbook for all jour-
nalists, especially peo-
ple who are on the
desk. Perhaps there is
no relevant book near
at hand which de-
scribes the ordeals and
adventures of an edito-
rial job in such brevity
as Between the Lines
does. Any youngster
who wants to make a
mark in journalism
and if or she is espe-
cially aiming to take
the editorial job a
notch higher, this has
to be on his/her must-
read list.
In the short simple
exposition, Roy has laid
bare all the ifs and buts,
pros and cons and the
challenges and rewards
of adeskjobandwhatit
needs to be a successful
editorial hand. Yes, a
desk job is a boring
graveyardshiftthrough
the mill, with little pro-
fessional interaction
with the outer world.
The glamour that has
come to be associated
with jour-
nalism these days is
washed away in the
sweat and grime of in-
tellectualchurningthat
goes into the backroom
cubbyholes. No one
knows them outside, a
decided advantage a re-
porter has, and what
kind of struggle to pro-
duce the best for the
readergoesinside,away
from the limelight, is a
little known story
which Roy has brought
to the fore and driven
home the point how vi-
tal desk role is in deliv-
ering a good product
that stands out and re-
wards its readers for
theirtrustreposedonit.
I can’t remember hav-
ing read any book that
deals in such empathet-
ic details the littlest nu-
ances of newsmaking.
As a double-edged
sword, the book not
onlysucceedsinprovid-
ing a template for new-
bies in the line to navi-
gate and become suc-
cessfulbutitalsowarns
frail-hearts to think
twice before taking the
plunge because of the
qualities that make a
good deskie are ac-
quired through lots of
reading,understanding
and practise. It is the
devotion and the hon-
esty with which one
dedicateshimself tothe
task that is the sign of
his success – Roy him-
self being an example
of the
s a m e.
That’s
w h a t
t h e
book de-
scribes.
Between
the Lines is
an interesting read
also for the fact that
Robin Roy has inter-
cepted his tale of
boardroom secrets
with interesting anec-
dotes from his personal
experiences as a han-
dler of the editorial re-
sponsibilities – how
things are managed
under the pressure of
tightscheduleandwith
scant resources in the
dead of night. Between
the Lines is not a ‘sto-
ry’ of stories, it is the
hardcore truth of the
game straight from the
mouth of the bruised
soldier manning the
frontier in the cold,
away from the glare of
the world. It is also a
tribute to those mil-
lions of journalists,
especially the desk
nerds around the
globe, who spend their
whole lives painstak-
ingly curating news
poring into the words
to read Between the
Lines and spread the
light of knowledge.
The book is delight-
ful to read from the
very first page. The
wordplay is addictive
and sparkling in subtle
homespun humour
that speaks volumes
about Roy’s mastery
over the art of journal-
istic writing. Whenev-
er the chips are down
or the mind is in a fix,
a journalist can always
go back to this one
book and draw his in-
spiration from it. A
right piece of wisdom
at the right time!
F
A
C
E
O
F
T
H
E
D
A
Y
MANVI CHOUDHARY, Model
ARIES
MAR 21 - APR 20
This is the
best time try
something new
with life give
yourself a new
purpose. You
will feel amorous
towards your
wife. Work on
your limitations, there can be no better
time than this. You have more opposite
sex friends than the same and you may
be judged sometimes but don’t care.
LIBRA
SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22
Best day to
buy gold and
silver or any
precious metal
for investment
sake. You love to
live close to your
family. You are a
child at heart and
never let this child die. You have a big
heart and you always help someone if you
can. Video gathering is possible as you
miss your social circle like anything.
TAURUS
APR 21 - MAY 20
Do whatever
you can do to
cheer everyone
up. You will
feel financially
comfortable and
infact you are in
position to invest
money in some
new venture. Your personality will attract
many eligible bachelors. Spend time
talking with likeminded people as it will
make you feel good for now.
SCORPIO
OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22
You are a pro in
your field and no
one can beat you.
Female scorpios
are lioness and
women around
are often jealous
from them.
You give tough
competition to the people around. Many
people get inspired by you. You will get
a very special treatment from your dear
ones.
GEMINI
MAY 21 - JUNE 21
You are very
fortunate to have
a great friend
circle. You are
very generous
by nature and
also you are the
backbone of your
family. Today is
a favourable day for business. You may
postpone your study plans. Be careful of
the words that come out of your mouth.
Your lover may say yes for marriage.
SAGITTARIUS
NOV 23 - DEC 22
Take stand where
you need to, don’t
run in the same
direction where
everybody else
is going. Visit a
doctor if you have
any doubts about
your health.
Don’t attack stress even if you don’t have
any. Let go of things that are not in your
control. You want your own house and
you will work hard for it.
CANCER
JUNE 22 - JULY 23
You must create
an environment
of understanding
at home. You
need a break
from day to
tensions and the
way to cope up
with stress is to
meditate. You will succeed in any sort
of examination if you put your heart and
soul to it. Promotion can be expected
even if other are not.
CAPRICORN
DEC 23 - JAN 20
Never demotivate
someone even if
someone is not
capable of doing
something. You
make sure to
make things work
your way. You are
most wanted by
your friends. You can have romantic affair
in office and a serious one. You will invest
money in clothes and accessories today.
You are a God fearing person.
LEO
JULY 24 - AUGUST 23
You need help on
academic front
and you should
not shy away
from asking.
Your spouse
may make you
spend more than
you expected.
Fantastic day for investing money in stock
market as you can make fortune. You
miss your parents and fear to loose them.
Admit your faults in relationship.
AQUARIUS
JAN 21 - FEB 19
You are
opportunist and
this will make you
successful one
day. Your spouse
is someone
who can do
anything for your
happiness. There
may be delays in property possession
and it won’t effect you. You are happy
spending whole day at home. Help your
mothers at home today.
VIRGO
AUG 24 - SEP 23
Don’t make
friends for money
and status rather
make friends who
will stick with you
forever. You care
about you lover
but somehow
hesitate in
expressing that care. On social front, you
may have to spend some extra money
in buying gifts for someone for some
specific occasion.
PISCES
FEB20 - MARCH 20
Scrumptious
food is what you
are craving for
today. You always
maintain cordial
relationship with
everyone. You
workout daily
to keep yourself
fit. You may start a side business to earn
extra money. You are not a jealous kind
and you feel happy for others. You are a
very grounded person.
YOUR
DAY
Horoscope by
Saurabbh Sachdeva
Reading Between the Lines:
Theartofjournalism
DIPTIMAN CHAKRABORTY
Senior Journalist Writer
I

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