30032022_ First India New Delhi.pdf

PM INAUGURATES 5.21 LAKH HOUSES OF
PMAY BENEFICIARIES IN MADHYA PRADESH
Bhopal (PTI): The
ownership of homes by
women has empowered
them and strengthened
their say in financial
matters of the house-
hold, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi said on
Tuesday after inaugu-
rating 5.21 lakh houses
of beneficiaries of the
Pradhan Mantri Awas
Yojna (PMAY)-Gramin
in Madhya Pradesh.
Addressing the ‘Grah
Pravesham’ pro-
gramme, to hand over
new houses to their
owners, via video con-
ferencing, Modi said
his government has
given topmost priority
to providing houses to
the poor people.
So far, 2.5 crore houses
have been constructed
under the PMAY scheme
in the country
. The wom-
enareco-ownersof about
twocroreof thesehouses,
hesaid,addingthatapro-
vision has been made in
this year’s budget to con-
struct 80 lakh more hous-
es under this scheme.
Modi said out of 30.5
lakh houses sanctioned
underthePMAY,about24
lakh have been complet-
ed in Madhya Pradesh
which has also benefited
thetribalpopulation.The
ownership of houses by
womenhasstrengthened
their participation in fi-
nancial decisions of
households, he said.
GRAH PRAVESHAM PROGRAMME
Modi says his govt has given topmost
priority to providing houses to the poor
PM Narendra Modi virtually attends the ‘Grih Pravesh’ of PM Awas
Yojana-Gramin beneficiaries, in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday.
RUSSIA ‘RESONATES’
TO UKRAINE’S OLIVE BRANCH
RUSSIA-UKRAINE TALKS BEGIN WITH ‘COLD WELCOME’
CRUCIAL READ
New Delhi: India’s
sharp economic recov-
ery post Covid-19 and
Budget initiatives will
help in sustaining
growth momentum in
the years to come, Fi-
nance Minister Nirma-
la Sitharaman said on
Tuesday. She also high-
lighted that the govern-
ment had not raised
taxes during the pan-
demic or had not used
the tax route to fund the
recovery process. Si-
tharaman said, “no tax
was increased to fund
recovery process,” or
that the government
had “not taken taxation
as a route to resource
mobilisation.” Despite
that, Sitharaman said,
Rs 8.35 lakh crore de-
volved to states in the
current fiscal, higher
than the revised esti-
mate of Rs 7.45 lakh
crore for FY22.
HEATWAVE
ALERT FOR
PARTS OF N.INDIA
SENSEX GAINS
350 POINTS, NIFTY
OVER 17,300
New Delhi: A heat-
wave spell is likely
in several parts of
north and west India
over the next two
days, while rainfall is
likely to continue over
northeast India, the
IMD has said. Delhi
and southern Hary-
ana will experience
heatwave conditions.
The Saurashtra-
Kutch region, eastern
Rajasthan likely to see
heatwave conditions.
Indian shares ended
higher for the second
consecutive session on
March 29 on positive
global cues following
reports of peace talks
between Russia and
Ukraine and a fall in
crude prices. At close,
the Sensex was up
350.16 points, or 0.61
percent, at 57,943.65
and the Nifty was
up 103.30 points,
or 0.60 percent, at
17,325.30. P6
‘Sharp recovery in FY22
to help sustain growth’
NEW DELHI l WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 2022 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI TITLE NO.DELENG/2021/19840 l Vol 1 l Issue No.209
OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR, AHMEDABAD, LUCKNOW NEW DELHI www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epapers/delhi I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
.
Alwar: A major fire spread in Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan’s Alwar district
prompting the authorities to rope in two IAF choppers to control it. Manpower of more
than 200 which included forest staff, nature guides and local people was also deployed
for the fire fighting operation. The fire was controlled by close to 40 percent and is
expected to be under control on Wednesday, a top forest department official said.
HUGE FIRE IN
SARISKA TIGER
RESERVE, IAF
TO RESCUE
New Delhi: The UP government told the SC that the “attack” on a witness in the
Lakhimpur Kheri violence case had nothing to do with the case — as alleged — but
was the outcome of some people throwing gulal (coloured powder) on the person.
Meanwhile, the UP government also said that bail application by Union Minister
Ajay Mishra Teni’s son Ashish Mishra, had been “vehemently opposed” by it. P5
LAKHIMPUR:
RECENT FEUD AN
ALTERCATION, UP
GOVT TELLS SC
IRON MAN SHAH SORTS OUT 50 YEAR OLD
ASSAM-MEGHALYA BORDER DISPUTE
Both states resolve border
issues in 6 locations, Shah
terms it ‘historic day’ for
Northeast
Aditi Nagar
New Delhi: Assam
and Meghalaya on
Tuesday signed an
agreement to resolve
their five-decade-old
border disputes in six
of the 12 locations,
with Union Home Min-
ister Amit Shah calling
it a “historic day” for
the Northeast. In fact,
sources reveal, that it
was primarily the ‘te-
nacious’ and far sight-
ed Shah who not only
initiated the efforts but
was also involved at
every juncture so that
the disputes can be re-
solved and the states
can move ahead on de-
velopmental path.
On Tuesday, the
agreement was signed
in the presence of Shah
and CMs of Assam and
Meghalaya Himanta
Biswa Sarma and Con-
rad Sangma respective-
ly
. The pact will resolve
the protracted disputes
in six of the 12 places
along the 884.9 km bor-
der. “It is a historic day
for the Northeast,”
Shah said at the func-
tion. Shah said with
the signing of the
agreement, 70 per cent
of the border dispute
between the two states
has been resolved.
There are 36 villages in
the six places, covering
an area of 36.79 sq km,
with regard to which
the agreement has
been reached.
Didi writes to all Oppn
leaders for united fight
Kolkata: West Bengal
Chief Minister Mamata
Banerjee wrote to all
Opposition leaders and
CMs calling for a united
fight against the BJP.
Mamata alleged that
the BJP repeatedly at-
tacked the federal struc-
ture of the country. “I
am writing to you to
express deep concern
over direct attacks on
institutional democra-
cy by the BJP. Central
agencies such as the
ED, CBI, CVC and the
Income Tax Depart-
ment are being used to
target political oppo-
nents for vendetta,”
said Bengal CM Mama-
ta Banerjee in her letter.
CONG MLA, SIX
OTHERS BOOKED
FOR ASSAULTING
POWER AEN JEN
Dholpur: Congress MLA
from Bari, Girraj Singh
Malinga and six others were
booked on
Tuesday for
assaulting
officials of
the Electricity
Department
and making
casteist remarks, Dholpur
SP Shivraj Meena said. They
have been booked under the
SC/ST Act. Malinga denied
his role in the case and his
name has been added as he
complained against corrup-
tion by power officials. In
a complaint to police, AEN
Harshadipati alleged that
MLA Malinga and the others
assaulted him and JEN Nitin
Gulati on Monday.
Amit Shah @AmitShah
In another milestone towards fulfilling
PM Shri @NarendraModi Ji’s resolve
of a peaceful and dispute free North East, today a
historic agreement was signed by the CM Assam
Shri @himantabiswa and CM Meghalaya Shri @
SangmaConrad for the settlement of their inter-
state boundary.
Istanbul: Russian and
Ukrainian negotiators
began the first direct
peace talks in more
than two weeks on
Tuesday in Istanbul,
with the surprise at-
tendance of Russian
billionaire Roman
Abramovich who is
sanctioned by the West
over Moscow’s invasion
of Ukraine.
Russia promised at
peace talks to drastical-
lyscaledownitsmilitary
operations around Kyiv
and the northern
Ukrainian city of
Chernihiv, while
Ukraine proposed neu-
tral status with interna-
tional guarantees to pro-
tect it from attack.
Ukrainian negotiators
said they had proposed a
status under which their
country would not join
alliancesorhostbasesof
foreigntroops,butwould
have its security guaran-
teed in terms similar to
“Article 5”, the collective
defence clause of NATO.
They identified Israel
and NATO members
Canada, Poland and Tur-
key as countries that
could help provide such
guarantees.
RUSSIAN ROCKET STRIKE KILLS 7,
INJURES 22 IN UKRAINE’S MYKOLAIV
GOVT MAKING EFFORTS TO MITIGATE
WAR-INDUCED ECONOMIC SETBACK
UKRAINE WAR HAVING IMPACT
ON SUPPLY CHAINS BROKEN
‘… I WILL
THRASH THEM’,
SAYS PUTIN
A Russian strike on a govt building in Ukrainian’s
Mykolaiv has killed seven people and injured more
than 20 others, Zelensky has said. A rocket tore a
hole through the nine-storey building shortly be-
fore 09:00 local (06:00 GMT) on Tuesday morning.
Bhopal: PM Modi on Tuesday said efforts are being
made to mitigate the burden on citizens due to the
economic crisis which, after the Covid-19 pandem-
ic, aggravated as the world has entered a battlefield,
in an apparent reference to the Russia-Ukraine war.
New Delhi: Finance Minister Sithararaman said
on Tuesday that the war is impacting all countries
similar to how the pandemic did, with the “supply
chains broken.” Crude oil prices have shot up
since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.
Moscow: Russia’s
Vladimir Putin has
vowed to ‘thrash’
Ukraine, British daily
The Times reported on
Monday ahead of anoth-
er round of peace talks
between the Russia and
Ukraine. In an exclusive
report (paywalled)
The Times said Putin
reportedly told Roman
Abramovich - the Rus-
sian billionaire ex-owner
of English Premier
League club Chelsea
seen as the president’s
unofficial envoy - ‘Tell
him (Ukraine president
Volodymyr Zelenskyy) I
wil thrash them.’
DON’T VOTE, ELSE YOU WILL FACE
CONSEQUENCES: TMC’S MLA NAREN
Kolkata: BJP Bengal co-in-charge and the party’s IT
Cell chief Amit Malviya on Tuesday shared a video of
TMC MLA Naren Chakraborty threatening the voters.
In the purported video, Chakraborty is heard asking
BJP supporters not to vote, otherwise, they would face
consequences after polls. He said that if they do not vote,
then they can continue to stay in the state and do a job.
Malviya has demanded the Election Commission to take
action against Chakraborty on the basis of the video.
Ukraine stresses on neutral status as Russia says “will
radically reduce military activity near Kyiv and Chernihiv
Chandigarh: A group
of farmers demanding
relief for crop damage
allegedly held 12 gov-
ernment officials hos-
tage for hours inside a
sub-tehsil office in
Muktsar district’s Lam-
bi in Punjab. The offi-
cials who were taken
hostage, included a
naib-tehsildar and pat-
waris, were freed by po-
lice late on Monday as
the protesters refused
to let them go.
farmers have been
demanding relief for
damage to their cotton
crop by pink bollworms.
Farmers seeking relief hold 12
Govt Officials Hostage In Punjab
7 INJURED IN POLICE LATHICHARGE
Seven farm union activists sustained minor injuries after
police resorted to cane-charge on Monday midnight to
free revenue officials held hostage for nine hours. Naib-
tehsildar Arjinder Singh and his subordinate staff were
held hostage by members of the Bhartiya Kisan Union
(Ekta-Ugrahan) and the Punjab Khet Mazdoor Union.
Police swung into action on receiving distress calls from
the officials, who had been locked in their office.
Related report on P8

CAPITOL
NEW DELHI | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 2022
02
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HEALTH MINISTER JAIN INAUGURATES FACILITY AT AYURVEDIC UNANI TIBBIA COLLEGE
New Delhi (PTI): Delhi
Health Minister Satyen-
dar Jain on Tuesday
inaugurated a 100-bed
portable integrated
care centre at the Ayur-
vedic and Unani Tibbia
College here which is
also equipped with an
oxygen plant.
He said this facility
will “aid in increasing
the bed capacity in case
of any crisis”.
“Inaugurated 100 Bed-
ded Portable Integrated
Care Centre in Ayurve-
dic Unani Tibbia Col-
lege. It is a fully equipped
facility that has 18 ICU
and 82 Oxygen beds with
an oxygen PSA plant of
250 LPM. This facility
will aid in increasing the
bed capacity in case of
any crisis,” he tweeted.
On March 23, Jain had
inaugurated a hi-tech
medical equipment at
LNJP Hospital that can
detect urinary bladder-
related problems
through a camera and
help children with uro-
logical and gastrointesti-
nal diseases.
The minister had
said that it was a “first-
of-its-kind video-urody-
namic system” at the
largest facility of the
Delhi government.
CRUCIAL READ
4 PEOPLE TRAPPED IN SEWER LINE IN
ROHINI, RESCUE OPERATION UNDERWAY
FIREFIGHTING OPERATIONS GOING ON AT
GHAZIPUR LANDFILL SITE
BUS HITS CARS, DAMAGES GAS
PIPELINE IN WEST DELHI
New Delhi (Agencies): As many as four people got
trapped inside a sewer line in Outer Delhi’s Sanjay
Gandhi Transport Nagar Tues-
day afternoon. Police said the
incident happened when three
of the victims were working
to repair wires in the sewer.
Sleuths added they received
a call at around 6.34 pm from
locals saying that three workers went missing inside
a sewer. According to news agency ANI, the rescue
operation is underway with fire tenders at the spot.
New Delhi: A thick blanket of smoke engulfed east
Delhi's Ghazipur dumping yard as a fire that broke out
on Monday continued to rage on in
some pockets even after 23 hours.
Four fire tenders are working at the
spot, an official of the fire depart-
ment said. Chief Fire officer Atul
Garg told PTI that the firefighting
operations are still underway and it might take a few
more hours to complete the cooling process. No casu-
alty has been reported, they said. According to the fire
department, the call about the fire at Ghazipur's Khatta
was received at 2.30 pm on Monday.
New Delhi (PTI) A bus hit two cars and damaged
a gas pipe line in west Delhi’s Moti Nagar area on
Monday, police said. Police received information
about a road accident fol-
lowing which a team was
rushed to the spot, they
said. It was found that a
cluster bus had damaged
two cars as well as a gas
pipeline of IGL in front of crown plaza on Nagaf-
garh Road, Moti Nagar, a senior police officer said.
No one was injured in the incident, he said. Bus
driver, Chand Singh, a resident of Sonipat district
in Haryana, was apprehended, the officer said,
adding legal action is being taken in the matter.
New Delhi (PTI): The
Delhi government will
come up with the Delhi
Excise Policy 2022-23 in
the next two months,
which will be a revised
form of the existing
policy, senior officials
privy to the develop-
ment said.
It is also likely that
the government will
once again allow dis-
counts on the retail sale
of liquor, but with mul-
tiple caveats.
As the revised excise
policy will take at least
two months to be noti-
fied, the excise depart-
ment, in the meantime,
has extended the liquor
trade licences of all pri-
vate vends till May 31.
To be sure, the rules
mandate that a new ex-
cise policy is notified
every year at the start
of the financial year. In
the past, the same ex-
cise policy was notified
every year without any
reforms. It was only last
year that the entire ex-
cise regime of Delhi
was restructured with
zones redefined, taxes
subsumed into one up-
front charge and tighter
rules brought in to im-
prove the buying expe-
rience of consumers.
“The new policy will
not be anything drasti-
cally different from the
current one. But, it is
going to address all the
problems that were
identified in the 2021-22
excise policy, which
came into effect from
November 16 last
year,” said one excise
official, requesting ano-
nymity
.
The official, as also a
second senior official,
hinted that discounts
may see a comeback in
Delhi. But, this time, it
will be highly regulated
and the rules will be nu-
anced.
Apart from that, the
excise department is
also working on simpli-
fying the process of pro-
curement of liquor for
restaurants, bars and
clubs as under the new
regime, they have to
procure all their stocks
from retailers only and
not wholesalers.
The upcoming policy
will also have more de-
tails on the procure-
ment of imported and
draught beer as several
restauranteurs had
complained about the
same.
Discounts on liquor may return with caveats
EXCISE POLICY
Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain inaugurats Care Centre in Ayurvedic Unani Tibbia College
218 deaths recorded in Rajiv
Gandhi Hospital in last 2 years
New Delhi (PTI): A
total of 218 deaths were
recorded in the cardiol-
ogy department of Rajiv
Gandhi Hospital here
in the last two years,
out of whom 101 were
those patients who had
undergone stent implan-
tation and angiography
procedures, the Delhi
government informed
the Assembly on
Tuesday.The city health
department in a written
response to a question
also said a committee
was set up recently to
probe deaths that have
taken place in the coro-
nary care unit (CCU) of
the facility. According
to the response, based
on data from medical
record department and
cardiological depart-
ment, 70 deaths took
place in 2020 and 148
fatalities in 2021. Out of
these 218 deaths in the
last two years, recorded
in the cardiology depart-
ment of RGSSH, 101
were those patients who
had “undergone stent
implantation (PTCA) and
angiography procedures
(CAG)”, it said.
100-BED PORTABLE INTEGRATED CARE
CENTRETOENSUREAHEALTHYDELHI
2 held with heroin
worth over `40 cr
Delhi Police has arrest-
ed two men and recov-
ered heroin worth over
`40 crore in the interna-
tional market from
their possession, offi-
cials said on Tuesday
.
The accused are
identified as Dinesh
Singh (57) and Nazir
alias Nazim (28), both
residents of Uttar
Pradesh, they said.
The recovered heroin
was smuggled into India
from Myanmar via Ma-
nipur, police said.
On March 24, the po-
lice got a tip-off that two
men had collected a big
consignment of heroin
from Jharkhand and
they would come to Del-
hi-Meerut Expressway
near ISBT Sarai Kale
Khan to deliver the
drug, a senior police of-
ficer said.The police
laid a trap and two per-
sons carrying back-
packs were nabbed,
Deputy Commissioner
of Police (Special Cell)
Jasmeet Singh said.
Six kilograms of
heroin — three kg each
— were recovered from
their bags and four kg
heroin was recovered
from their car, the po-
lice said.
Interrogation re-
vealed that they were
members of an interna-
tional drug cartel. They
have been supplying
drugs in Delhi/NCR and
parts of UP for the past
five years, police said.
AWARD CEREMONY
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia presents the ‘BBC Lifetime Achievement’ award to former Weightlifter
Karnam Malleswari during the Indian Sportswoman of the Year event in New Delhi. —PHOTO BY ANI
NotanAprilfooljoke:Strictlanerules
forbuses,goodscarriersfromApril1
New Delhi (ANI): Del-
hi Transport Minister
Kailash Gahlot, on
Tuesday, announced
the implementation of
strict lane rules for pri-
vate buses, goods carri-
ers from April 01, 2022,
in the Delhi Assembly.
“If a bus driver
doesn’t drive in the bus
lane, he will be penal-
ised with `10,000 for a
first-time offence,” said
Kailash Gahlot.
“For the second time
offence, a case for
dangerous driving will
be registered against
the bus driver,” he add-
ed.
The transport minis-
ter also announced
punishments for the
third and fourth at-
tempts of rash driving
by the bus driver.
He said, “the driving
license of the offender
will be cancelled if
the law is broken for
the third time, while
the fourth violation
could result in the
revoking of the permit
of the private bus.”
“We will issue a What-
sApp number where
anyone can send us a
video if they see any
bus driver violating
rules. We will take ac-
tion according to the
evidence provided,”
said Gahlot.
NOTIFICATION ISSUED
FOR SEAMLESS
TRAFFIC MOVEMENT
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi
government has issued a
gazette notification regard-
ing signing of agreement
between the governments
of states falling in the
National Capital Region
on seamless movement of
passenger vehicles in the
region, officials said. The
agreement has been signed
between the governments
of Delhi, UP, Haryana and
Rajasthan for single-point
taxation for mass public
transport vehicles of state
corporations, which will
ensure smooth movement
of passenger vehicles.
Punjabi Bagh
Metro station
gets new
interchange
New Delhi (PTI):
A new interchange
station at Punjabi
Bagh, providing in-
terconnectivity be-
tween Green Line
and Pink Line of
the Delhi Metro,
was inaugurated
on Tuesday, offi-
cials said.
This is for the
first time that the
DMRC has built
such a station
which is connect-
ing two operational
corridors.
The two lines
earlier crossed
each other but
there is was no halt
facility, and there
were demands from
the people to pro-
vide an inter-
change provision at
the intersection,
officials had earlier
said. For the first
time, the DMRC
has built a station
which connects two
operational corri-
dors. The platforms
are connected by a
foot overbridge,
which connects the
platforms with the
Punjabi Bagh West
Metro station of
the Pink Line (Maj-
lis Park-Shiv Vi-
har).
Court releases man who was jailed
for not paying maintenance to wife
New Delhi (ANI): A
Delhi Sessions Court
has ordered the release
of a person who was
sent to judicial custody
by a Mahila court for
non-payment of main-
tenancetohisestranged
wife under the Domes-
tic Violence Act.
The Sessions Court
observed, ‘while pass-
ing the orders, courts
cannot forget or ignore
the purpose of “adjudi-
cation”.
The order fails to
meet the test of ‘Adjudi-
cation’ and is not a
speaking order.
The same deserves to
be set aside. Additional
Session Judge Ravinder
Bedi at Karkardooma
Court observed, “Hav-
ing gone through the
impugned order, I am
satisfied that there is no
indication on the appli-
cation of mind by the
learned metropolitan
magistrate (MM).
Though no detailed
reasons are required at
the interim stage, there
must be sufficient indi-
cation on the applica-
tion of mind by the
Magistrate to the facts
constituting elements
while deciding ad-inter-
im relief of mainte-
nance.”
The Sessions Court
set aside the Mahila
court order and re-
manded back the mat-
ter for disposal of the
application seeking
maintenance.
The counsel for the
husband submitted to
deposit Rs 1 lakh in the
Bank Account of the re-
spondent.
HC junks PIL against
100% offline schools
New Delhi (ANI): The
High Court on Tuesday
dismissed the PIL chal-
lenging the Delhi Gov-
ernment order of 100
per cent physical open-
ing of schools with ef-
fect from April 1, 2022,
till the time all the
schoolgoing children
are vaccinated.
The bench of Acting
Chief Justice Vipin
Sanghi and Justice
Navin Chawla on Tues-
day dismissed the plea
said, “according to us
parents are willing to
send their wards to
schools”.
The petition further
seeks direction from
the DoE to ensure that
the schools give the par-
ents of the school-going
children a choice in the
matter of sending their
children to attend phys-
ical classes.
The plea further
states that, with the re-
quirement of social dis-
tancing norms to be
enforced without any
commensurateincrease
in the spatial infra-
structureof theschools,
hence the social dis-
tancing norms will defi-
nitely be on a toss put-
ting the lives of these
children (4-12 years old
and 12-14 years old) at
major risk.
—REPRESENTATIVE IMAGE

INDIA
03
PM addresses BJP leaders, tells
them to take up social justice work
New Delhi (PTI):
Prime Minister Naren-
dra Modi asked BJP
MPs on Tuesday to un-
dertake various pro-
grammes as part of “sa-
majik nyay pakhwada”
(fortnight dedicated to
social justice) from its
foundation day on April
6, and also asserted that
it is the only ruling par-
ty which has recognised
contributions of every
Prime Minister by
building a museum to
honour them.
With the birth anni-
versary of BR Ambed-
kar, architect of the
Constitution, falling on
April 14, PM Modi at the
BJP’s parliamentary
party meeting asked
party MPs to reach out
to people, especially the
disadvantaged sections
of society like Sched-
uled Castes, to high-
light various govern-
ment programmes for
their welfare.
Quoting him, Union
Minister Arjun Ram
Meghwal told reporters
that PM Modi asked
parliamentarians to
work to spread aware-
ness about the central
government’s welfare
schemes for housing,
nutrition and free
grains among others.
With a museum dedi-
cated to all former
Prime Ministers of In-
dia set to be inaugurat-
ed on April 14, PM Modi
noted his address from
the ramparts of Red
Fort on August 15 in
which he had lauded
their contributions.
“He said we are the
only ones to have ac-
knowledged former
Prime Ministers’ con-
tributions irrespective
of the party they came
from,” a BJP MP said.
The BJP has often ac-
cused the Congress,
which has ruled the
country for much of the
period since Independ-
ence, of glorifying the
Prime Ministers from
its ruling Nehru-Gan-
dhi family while ignor-
ing others.
“This is essentially
democratisation of na-
tional recognition and
articulation of popular
gratitude towards all of
our former Prime Min-
isters,” BJP MP Vinay
Sahasrabuddhe said.
That the museum is
being inaugurated on
BR Ambedkar’s birth
anniversary is a recog-
nition of the democrat-
ic architecture he be-
queathed to the country
,
another party leader
said, referring to PM
Modi’s speech.
PM Modi also noted
that the birth anniver-
sary of noted social re-
former Jyotirao Phule
falls on April 11.
An exhibition on the
movement for India’s
Independence was also
held at Ambedkar In-
ternational Centre, the
meeting’s venue, where
PM Modi arrived earli-
er than its scheduled
beginning.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked MPs to reach out to disadvantaged section of society to highlight various govt schemes.
POLITICAL CONSPIRACY
Aaditya dismisses
‘Matoshree’ controversy
Mumbai (Agencies):
Cabinet Minister and
Shiv Sena leader Aadi-
tya Thackeray, who is
on a visit to the Konkan
region of Maharashtra,
has for the first time re-
acted to reports about
the mention of a ‘Ma-
toshree’ (also the name
of the Thackeray resi-
dence) in Shiv Sena
leader and former Bri-
hanmumbai Municipal
Corporation (BMC)
standing committee
chairman Yashwant
Jadhav’s diary which
was purportedly recov-
ered by Income Tax of-
ficials during a raid.
Responding to a
question from report-
ers, Mr Thackeray said,
“We have to decide how
much to believe these
rumours. Defamation
is being done by
spreading rumours,
the system is being
used. It’s a political
conspiracy. This dirty
politics must stop.”
The Thackeray fami-
ly lives in Kalanangar
in the Bandra suburb of
Mumbai and their fam-
ily home is called ‘Ma-
toshree’. The word Ma-
toshree is often used by
Sainiks (Shiv Sena
workers) to refer to the
top leadership of the
party. Literally, the
word means ‘Mother’.
The BJP is trying to
corner the Shiv Sena on
this issue and has been
taking potshots using
the media reports about
the diary. The Income
Tax department has
made no mention of the
diary anywhere so far.
Maha govt withdraws
demolition order on
Narayan Rane’s home
Mumbai (Agencies):
The Maharashtra gov-
ernment on Tuesday in-
formedtheBombayHigh
Court that it has with-
drawnanordertodemol-
ish illegal constructions
in the bungalow owned
by Union MSME Minis-
ter Narayan Rane.
Advocate General
Ashutosh Kumbhakoni
made the submission
before a division bench
of Justices AA Sayed
and MS Karnik.
The statement fol-
lowed a plea against the
March 21 order of the
Collector ordering Rane
to remove the alleged
unauthorised construc-
tions carried out in the
bungalow failing which
the authorities con-
cerned would raze it.
Kumbhakonialsosaid
thatthegovernmentwill
consider any applica-
tion by Rane seeking
regularisation of the
purported illegalities
before taking action in
thematter,andthecourt
allowed the state liberty
to initiate any fresh nec-
essary action in accord-
ance with the law.
Even as a huge row
erupted between the
Maha Vikas Aghadi
government and the op-
position Bharatiya Ja-
nata Party, Rane had
challenged the Collec-
tor’s order citing vari-
ous grounds.
These included that
therewasnoshowcause
notice preceding the or-
der nor a reply sought,
no hearings were con-
ducted prior to passing
the order, it was without
jurisdiction or powers
and arbitrary, violated
the fundamental rights
of the petitioner, etc.
Following the state
government’s submis-
sions, the high court
disposed of Rane’s plea.
Narayan Rane
Rakesh Tikait
Aaditya Thackeray
BKU activists’
arrest:Tikait starts
indefinite protest
BJP MLA Ramesh Tawadkar
elected Goa Assembly Speaker
Panaji (PTI): Bharatiya
JanataParty(BJP)MLA
fromCanacona,Ramesh
Tawadkar, was elected
as the Speaker of the
eighth Goa Legislative
Assembly on Tuesday
.
Pro-tem Speaker
movedthemotiononthe
election for the Speaker
when the House began
on Tuesday
.
Given the BJP’s
strength in the House —
with the party having 20
out of 40 of the MLAs,
and the support of inde-
pendents and the Maha-
rashtrawadi Gomantak
Party (MGP) — Tawad-
kar’s victory was more
or less certain when he
filed his nomination on
March 27.
He won by nine votes,
defeating the Opposi-
tion Congress candi-
date Aleixo Sequeira by
24 votes to 15.
Muzaffarnagar (PTI):
BKU leader Rakesh Ti-
kait on Tuesday started
an indefinite dharna
along with his support-
ers at a police station
here against the arrest
of some activists of the
farmer outfit.
Ten activists of the
Bhartiya Kisan Union
(BKU) were arrested
following a clash at the
district hospital here on
Monday night, police
said.
Protesting at the Kot-
wali police station here,
Tikaitdemandedtheim-
mediate release of the
activists, alleging that
they have been falsely
implicated in the case.
Police said the BKU
men were demanding
an immediate medical
examination of people
who had suffered inju-
ries in a clash earlier.
‘Need for dialogue with Pak on nukes’
New Delhi (PTI): Voic-
ing concern over the ac-
cidental firing of a mis-
sile that landed in Paki-
stan, Congress leader
Manish Tewari on
Tuesday called for an
institutionalised dia-
logue on nuclear issues.
Raising the matter
during Zero Hour, he
said facts suggest that
Pakistan had prepared
a retaliatory strike
when the missile had
entered their territory
.
“The trajectory of
the missile had a large
number of civilian air-
craft in its vicinity and
there could have been
an unintended catastro-
phe. We were lucky on
that particular day,”
Tewari said.
The Lok Sabha mem-
ber from Anandpur Sa-
hib said the incident
makes a strong case for
an institutionalised dia-
logue with Pakistan on
nuclear issues.
He said Defence Min-
ister Rajnath Singh had
made a statement on
the issue on March 15
and informed the House
that a Court of Inquiry
had been ordered to
probe the incident.
According to the de-
fence ministry, one
missile got accidental-
ly released around 7
pm on March 9 during
a routine maintenance
and inspection of the
missile unit.
Pak was ready for ‘retaliatory’ strike after missile incident, says Tewari
Congress leader Manish Tewari
Newly elected Goa Speaker
Ramesh Tawadkar (C)
LTTE terror funding: NIA chargesheets six
National Investigation
Agency (NIA) on Tues-
day filed a chargesheet
against six accused in
the Liberation Tigers
of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
terror funding case.
Those named in the
charge sheet are identi-
fied as Letchumanan
Mary Franciska, Ken-
niston Fernando,
Baskaran,JohnsonSam-
uvel, G. Dharmendran,
and E Mohan. The
chargesheetwasfiledbe-
fore a special NIA court,
Poonamallee, Chennai.
The main accused,
Letchumanan Mary
Franciska, a 50-year-old
woman, was arrested at
Chennai Airport last
year for holding a fake
Indian passport.
The case was regis-
tered by Tamil Nadu
Police and taken over
by the NIA on January
18 this year.
The case pertains to a
criminal conspiracy to
revive the LTTE by com-
mitting forgery for
cheating besides using
forged documents as
genuine to divert funds
lodged in dormant ac-
countstocommitunlaw-
ful and terror activities.
During the investiga-
tion, it was found that
Letchumanan Mary
Franciska, T. Kenniston
Fernando and K.
Baskaran entered into a
conspiracy with foreign
entities to siphon off de-
posits in dormant bank
accounts by using Indi-
an identity documents
obtained fraudulently
and forging identity
documents to revive, re-
vamp and regroup
LTTE in India and Sri
Lanka, said the NIA.
“They were abetted
by Johnson Samuvel,
Dharmendran and Mo-
han in forging Indian
identity documents.”
Founded in May 1976
by Velupillai Prabha-
karan, the LTTE was
involved in armed
clashes against the Sri
Lankan government
and armed forces.
Members of National Investigation Agency (NIA). —FILE PHOTO
Man held for `1,200-crore crypto fraud
EnforcementDirectorate
onTuesdaysaidithasar-
rested an accused in con-
nection with its money
launderingprobeagainst
a Kerala-based business-
man, who is alleged to
have cheated more than
900 investors to the tune
of `1,200 crore in lieu of
providing cryptocurren-
cy to them.
Abdul Gafoor, one of
the main stockists of the
‘Morris Coin Cryptocur-
rency’, was taken into
custodyonMar24,itsaid.
He was produced be-
fore a court the next day
and sent to ED custody
till March 31.
The federal investiga-
tion agency alleged Mr
Gafoorwasnotcooperat-
ing with the investiga-
tion and was “very eva-
sive” in his replies.
“Considering the fact
that Gafoor is one of the
directors of Stoxglobal
BrokersPvt.Ltd.andhas
played active role in fa-
cilitating the placement
and layering of proceeds
of crime, he has been
placed under arrest on
Mar24,”theagencysaid.
The ED case of mon-
ey laundering stems
from a Kerala Police
(Malappuram crime
branch unit) FIR filed
against prime accused
in the case, business-
man Nishad K.
MANAGEMENT EXCELLENCE
BMC Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal on Tuesday received the SKOCH Public Service
Award for managing the coronavirus pandemic, in New Delhi. The award was presented to
him for going beyond the call of duty while managing the coronavirus pandemic in Mumbai.
SKOCH Award is considered to be one of the highest civilian honour in the country.
Sent to ED custody
till Mar 31 for duping
over 900 investors
This is
essentially
democratisation
of national recognition
and articulation of
popular gratitude
towards all of our former
Prime Ministers.
Vinay Sahasrabuddhe,
BJP MP
HC adjourns
hearing
of temple-
mosque case
First India Bureau
Prayagraj: The Al-
lahabad High court,
while expressing
dissatisfaction over
the absence of any
senior govt counsel,
adjourned hearing
of Varanasi’s Kashi
Vishwanath Tem-
p l e - G y a n w a p i
Mosque complex
case due to paucity
of time till April 4 .
Hearingapetition
of Anjuman Inta-
zamia Masjid, Jus-
tice Prakash Padia
observed, “Though
the Centre and the
state government is
thepartybutitisun-
fortunate that no
senior counsel is
present except
RajeshKumarMish-
ra and Ved Prakash
Dwivedi, learned
Standing Counsel
for the State.”

PERSPECTIVE
04
l Vol 1 l Issue No. 209
l RNI TITLE NO. DELENG/2021/19840
Printed and published by
Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of
First Express Publishers. Printed at
Impressions Printing and Packaging
Limited, C-21, 22 Sector-59,
Noida-201301. Published at G-20,
3rd Floor, 309, Preet Vihar, New
Delhi-110092. Phone 011-49846474.
Editor-In-Chief: Jagdeesh Chandra.
Editor: Sharat K Verma
responsible for selection of news
under the PRB Act
SPIRITUAL SPEAK
That is why we never give up.
Though our bodies are dying,
our spirits are being renewed
every day. For our present
troubles are small and won’t
last very long. Yet they produce
for us a glory that far outweighs
them and will last forever!
—Bible
IN-DEPTH
Narendra Modi
@narendramodi
I am honoured to be addressing the Matua
Dharma Maha Mela 2022 at 4:30 PM
tomorrow, 29th March. We shall also mark
the Jayanti of the great Sri Sri Harichand
Thakur Ji, who devoted his entire life for
social justice and public welfare.
Rajnath Singh
@rajnathsingh
Both the countries look forward to further
strengthen the bilateral relations as India-
Israel complete 30 years of full diplomatic
relations. Defence cooperation is the
founding pillar of our strategic partnership.
Military and industry cooperation
has been on an upward swing.
TOP TWEETS
SRI LANKA HAS
NO MONEY BUT
IT HAS A GOOD
NEIGHBOUR
ri Lanka’s economy
has crumbled. Minis-
ter of External Af-
fairsS.Jaishankaron
his recent visit to Co-
lomboannouncedabilliondollar
credit to help the island nation
face its economic crisis. Such is
the situation there that Colombo
has desperately sought another
loan of $1.5 billion from India.
Thatdoesnotgiveacompletepic-
ture of the seriousness of the
crisis in Lanka where the econo-
my is virtually at a standstill
with no tourists and little tea ex-
port. With just two factors driv-
ing its economy
, Sri Lanka found
the pandemic blow crippling.
The impact of this is being felt
by the people of Sri Lanka who
are leaving the country
. Those
whocan’t,havetolivewithshort-
ages. A hospital in Kandy an-
nouncedsuspensionof surgeries
due to shortage of medicines. A
“disturbed” foreign minister
asked India’s High Commission-
er in Colombo to help the hospi-
tal tide over the crisis.
Colombo is lucky to have a
good neighbour like India.
S
he demand to bar
Muslim traders
from Hindu tem-
ple sites in Udupi
and Shivamogga
in Karnataka is an extension
of the ban on wearing of hi-
jab by students. The appeal
asking Hindus to not buy
stuff from Muslims has, ob-
viously, come from right-
wing hard liners like the
Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Ba-
jrang Dal, Shri Rama Sene
and Hindu Jagarana Vedike.
It is strange that Muslim ven-
dors who must have been
running their businesses in
the vicinity of temples for
years are suddenly being
seen as threats and untouch-
ables. There is no plausible
reason other than Islamopho-
bia for this bigoted appeal.
These divisive forces are
not confined to the two Kar-
nataka districts. Sadiq Ali, a
tailor who stitched clothes
for Ram Lalla, the presiding
deity at the makeshift tem-
ple in Ayodhya for several
years, was replaced by a dif-
ferent tailor a few years ago.
In fact, lanes in Ayodhya are
the best examples of com-
munal harmony. Ironically,
his shop was located on land
belonging to Hanuman
Garhi temple.
Two Karnataka BJP lead-
ers have openly opposed the
idea oust Muslim traders
from the area. “This is all
madness. No God or religion
preaches these kinds of
things. Religions are inclu-
sive and not exclusive,” said
AH Vishwanath, an MLC. An-
otherBJPleader,AnilBenake,
an MLA who represents the
Muslim-dominated Belagavi
North constituency, also
voicedhisdissenttothemove.
It is wrong to say that people
should purchase from some
stores and not from others,
Benake said. “We will not im-
pose restrictions,” he empha-
sised. It is worrisome how
there is a gradual build-up of
an anti-Muslim sentiment.
DON’T DIVIDE TRADE
ON RELIGIOUS LINES
It is strange that Muslim
vendors who must have
been running their businesses
in the vicinity of temples
for years are suddenly
being seen as threats
and untouchables. There
is no plausible reason
other than Islamophobia for
this bigoted appeal
T
he House is on the boil. On
Monday afternoon, chaotic
scenes were witnessed in the
West Bengal Assembly as leg-
islators of the ruling Trina-
mool Congress and the Oppo-
sitionBJPcametoblowsafter
the BJP demanded that CM
Mamata Banerjee address the
House over the state’s law and
order situation.
Leader of Opposition,
BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari and
four other BJP legislators
have been suspended by the
Speaker following the ruck-
us. “The Opposition had de-
manded a discussion over
law and order and the gov-
ernment declined. They
brought Kolkata police per-
sonnel in civil dress to clash
with our MLAs,” Adhikari
later told the media.
The Birbhum killings were
the triggering factor. For al-
most five decades now and
since the Sixties, the land
which has nurtured culture
and tradition has been haunt-
ed by tremendous political
upheavals and turbulent
times. Who scored over whom
is certainly not a point to be
pondered upon, but that the
stateisrockedbytheseviolent
incidentshasbeenamatterof
huge concern and shame and
there seems to be no light at
the end of the tunnel.
Meanwhile, in Bogtui vil-
lage… the numbness is still
very much there. The palpa-
ble shock and trauma among
those living in the vicinity
hang heavy
. The rustle of
dried leaves makes you wary
that you have visited a crema-
torium or a burial ground of
sorts where the dead lay… but
not in peace. The stench of
burnt flesh is still in the air,
you may feel nauseating with
the very thought that around
8 people were roasted alive!
The area is deserted…
Most of those, whose nearest
ones were charred to death,
have fled to “safer” vistas.
Even shops and kiosks near
the “Killer Spot” have
downed their shutters. Dur-
ing the day, some manage to
huddle and discuss the conse-
quences of that horrible
night when “factional feud
within the ruling party” ini-
tiated the dance of death!
Outsiders are looked upon
suspiciously
. An eerie silence
is deafening and people hail-
ing from outside get those
looks! Often cries of women
who have lost their family
members rent the air. After
sunset,theentirevillagelooks
like a haunted ground and it
seemsthatthespiritsarelurk-
ing in your neighbourhood.
Even as at least 54 police-
menhavebeendeployedonthe
spot in two shifts, villagers are
not confident of returning
home. Some may visit their
homesduringtheday
,butpack
up well before sunset. What is
happening in the land of
Tagore? Bogtui is only 62 km
from Santiniketan, the abode
of peace that Rabindranath
Tagore had built so much love
and affection. Also, Nanoor,
where 11 landless peasants
were killed in 2000, is even
closer to this abode of peace—
just about 20 km!
Last Monday
, TMC’s Bhadu
Sheikhwasmurderedinbroad
daylight in Bogtui. Within
hours,amobattackedthefam-
ilies of the suspected killers,
set fire to their houses and
burntthemalive.Atleast8per-
sons, including 6 women and 2
children were charred alive.
The recent tragedy (in Bog-
tui) looks like an intra-TMC
clash over the loot from the
illegal stone and sand trade.
In this column I would like
to chronicle in short… the
dance of death that has
wrought havoc to our Sonar
Bangla. Naxalism was
crushed following violence
after the Congress won the
state Assembly polls in 1972.
However, till date… the
chronicled figure of the toll
has never been disclosed.
Governments have come
and gone but violence has
been constant. After the Left
Front came to power in West
Bengal in 1977, the govern-
ment, two years later, forcibly
evicted refugees who had set-
tled in Marichjhapi in the
Sunderbans areas. It was per-
haps reportedly the most hor-
rific manner in which police
in the post-Independent era
had acted even as these refu-
gees had been promised a re-
hab scheme by the Front in its
poll campaign! But in reality
what happened after the Left
came to power was something
shocking! It was once again
exhibited that these hapless
people “belonged to no one!”
When and where will this
dance of death end is the
question everyone is asking.
Isn’t it time, we looked back
and told ourselves that
enough is enough and what is
the message we are passing
on to others about ourselves?
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
WHEN WILL THIS
DANCE OF DEATH END?
T
Governments have come
and gone but violence has
been constant. After the Left
Front came to power in WB
in 1977, the government, two
years later, forcibly evicted
refugees who had settled in
Marichjhapi in the
Sunderbans areas. It was
perhaps reportedly the most
horrific manner in which
police in the post-
Independent era had acted
even as these refugees had
been promised a rehab
scheme by the Front in its
poll campaign! But in
reality what happened after
the Left came to power was
something shocking! It was
once again exhibited that
these hapless people
“belonged to no one!” When
and where will this dance of
death end is the question
everyone is asking. Isn’t it
time, we looked back and
told ourselves that enough is
enough and what is the
message we are passing on
to others about ourselves?
ROBIN ROY
The writer is Senior Associate Editor,
Free Press Journal, Mumbai and
former Managing Editor, First India
DEATHS THAT HAVE
WROUGHT HAVOC TO
SONAR BANGLA

z On July 21, 1993 during the
Left Front rule, around 13
people were killed during a
rally demanding that photo
voter identity cards be
made mandatory for free
and fair elections

z In 2000, 11 agricultural
wage labourers were killed
in Nanoor

z In 2001, 11 TMC supporters
were burnt alive in Chhoto
Angaria

z In 2007, 14 were shot dead
by the police at Nandigram

z In 2011, 9 people, including
4 women, were shot dead
in Netai village

z In 2014, Buddhadeb
Bhattachrjee, who was CM
at the time of the carnage,
admitted that “it was very
wrong… our boys had
made a mistake, a very bad
mistake”. But then it was
TOO LATE, Mr Bhattacharjee!

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INDIA
05
New Delhi: India has
one of the “lowest” 374
Covid-19 deaths per mil-
lion population, accord-
ing to the World Health
Organisation, com-
pared to similarly af-
fected countries like the
USA, Brazil, Russia and
Mexico, the govern-
ment said on Tuesday
.
In a written reply,
Minister of State for
Health Bharati Pravin
Pawar told the Rajya
Sabha that at times, cer-
tain reports have specu-
lated excess Covid-19
deaths, that is, higher
than the official number
of Covid-19 fatalities re-
ported by India.
“These reports have
mostly relied on unvali-
dated methodologies, or
data sources used to de-
rive ‘estimates’ are not
reliable.
India has ‘lowest’ 374 Covid deaths per million: Centre
CITING WHO DATA
New Delhi: In a major reshuffle, the Ministry of
Home Affairs (MHA) appointed Arunachal Pradesh-
Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory (AGMUT) cadre
IPS officer Neeraj Thakur as Director-General of
Police Andaman and Nicobar The 1994-batch
AGMUT cadre IPS officer Thakur is currently serving
as Special Commissioner of Police, Delhi Police.
The MHA also transferred incumbent Andaman and
Nicobar DGP Satyendra Garg to Delhi.
Washington: India and United States are scheduled
to hold 2+2 dialogue in Washington on April 11.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence
Minister Rajnath Singh will meet their counterparts
Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Defence
Secretary Lloyd Austin. Jaishankar and Rajnath
Singh will also have other meetings scheduled. The
last 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue between the two coun-
tries was held in October 2020 in New Delhi.
New York: Seven Indian-origin
persons have been charged by
US federal authorities with insider
trading in a scheme through which
they made over a million dollars
in illegal profits. Hari Prasad Sure,
34, Lokesh Lagudu, 31 and Chotu
Prabhu Tej Pulagam, 29, are friends and worked as
software engineers at Twilio, a San Francisco-based
cloud computing communications company.
New Delhi: The Pradhan Mantri Sangrahalaya, a mu-
seum dedicated to Prime Ministers of India, will be
inaugurated on April 14 to coincide with BR Ambed-
kar’s birth anniversary, sources in the BJP said on
Tuesday. Being built at Delhi’s Teen Murti Estate, the
museum covers the life and times of all the 14 Indi-
an PMs so far and will showcase their contributions.
The collections and works of Jawaharlal Nehru will
stay at the Nehru Memorial Museum. The museum
which is coming up at a cost of Rs 271 crore.
MHA APPOINTS NEERAJ THAKUR AS DGP
ANDAMAN, JASPAL SINGH AS DGP GOA
INDIA, UNITED STATES TO HOLD 2+2
DIALOGUE ON APRIL 11 IN WASHINGTON
7 INDIAN-ORIGIN TECHIES BOOKED IN
$1 MILLION INSIDER TRADING IN US
MUSEUM DEDICATED TO PMs
OF INDIA TO OPEN ON APRIL 14
CRUCIAL READ
SHANGHAI RESIDENTS TOLD TO STAY
INSIDE AS COVID CASES SURGE
INDIA STANDS BY TRADE WITH RUSSIA
AS FOREIGN MIN LAVROV SET TO VISIT
‘DISTURBED’ BY LANKA CRISIS,
EAM ASKS ENVOY TO HELP
HIGHLIGHTS
HIGHLIGHTS
Shanghai: Shanghai cranked up lockdown restric-
tions for people residing in the eastern half of the
city, barring everyone from leaving their homes
even to walk their dogs as local daily Covid-19
infections jumped to a record 4,477 on Tuesday.
All residents in the Pudong district, home to many
elite financial institutions and the Shanghai Stock
Exchange, will be confined to their homes and
allowed out only to get a Covid test, according to a
statement issued by the area’s residential com-
pounds reviewed by Bloomberg News. Residents
shouldn’t walk in the hallways, garages in order to
reduce the risk of infection, Wu Qianyu, an official,
said during a briefing on Tuesday.
New Delhi: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
is set to fly to India this week, sources said, finding
time to visit to one of the biggest buyers of Russian
commodities since the international community be-
gan isolating Moscow. There is little sign that buying
will slow down any time soon. One source said the
two countries could discuss smoothening trade pay-
ments disrupted by Western sanctions.
New Delhi (PTI): Foreign Minister
S Jaishankar on Tuesday asked the
Indian High Commissioner in Sri Lanka
to help a hospital that has suspended
surgeries because of the shortage of
medicines. External Affairs Minister
S Jaishankar said he felt “disturbed”
at reading a Lankan journalist’s tweet
in the middle of a massive economic
crisis in the island nation.
India logs 1,259 new
Covid cases, 35 deaths
in 24 hours
Israeli Prime Minister
Naftali Bennett, who
contracted Covid-19, has
postponed his maiden
trip to India planned for
next week, his office said
on Tuesday.
Nationals of 171 coun-
tries had e-Visa before
Covid pandemic: MoS
home Nityanand Rai
l S Jaishankar meets Nepali, Bhutanese
counterparts on sidelines of BIMSTEC
l India, Sri Lanka sign six agreements to
boost bilateral cooperation
l Rajnath Singh holds telephonic conver-
sation with Israeli Defence Minister
l India to build 3 wind farms in Sri Lanka
l‘Keenly felt’ India, China agree to adhere
to consensus of not a threat to each other:
Wang Yi on his India visit’
BIMSTEC must crack
whip on terrorism: EAM
Muslims made huge
mistake by voting for
SP, says Mayawati
Lucknow (PTI): BSP
chief Mayawati on
Tuesday claimed the
Muslims made a “huge
mistake” by voting for
the Samajwadi Party
which she accused of
being “complicit with
the BJP in giving com-
munal colour” to the
Uttar Pradesh Assem-
bly polls.
The BSP has won just
one seat in the recent-
ly-concluded election
for the 403-member As-
sembly. In a tweet in
Hindi on Tuesday, the
BSP supremo said,
“The internal complici-
ty of the SP and BJP in
Uttar Pradesh is widely
known.”
“They created an at-
mosphere of fear by
making the assembly
elections a Hindu-Mus-
lim affair which espe-
cially misled the Mus-
lim society and it made
a huge mistake of vot-
ing unilaterally for the
SP. This has to be recti-
fied to defeat the BJP
here.” Soon after the
results, Mayawati had
claimed the “fear of
‘jungle raj’ returning”
in the state if the Sama-
jwadi Party emerged
victorious made BSP
supporters shift to the
BJP.
She had also alleged
the media’s “aggressive
propaganda portraying
the BSP as the ‘B team
of the BJP’ drove Mus-
lims and anti-BJP vot-
ers from it”.
Colombo (PTI): Exter-
nal Affairs Minister S
Jaishankar said on
Tuesday that the BIM-
STEC member states
must collectively com-
bat terrorism and vio-
lent extremism as he
emphasised India’s
commitment to inten-
sify, expand areas of
cooperation, especially
connectivity, energy
and maritime.
Speaking at the 18th
BIMSTEC Ministerial
Meeting in Colombo,
Jaishankar also said
that cooperation on
port facilities, ferry ser-
vices, coastal shipping,
grid connectivity and
motor vehicles move-
ment are key
.
“Must also collective-
ly combat terrorism,
violent extremism,
transnational crime,
cyber-attacks and nar-
co-trafficking,” he
tweeted.
“Emphasised our
commitment to inten-
sify and expand areas
of cooperation” he said.
“Will encourage ac-
tive business collabora-
tion and common pro-
jects to this end. Coop-
eration on port facili-
ties, ferry services,
coastal shipping, grid
connectivity and motor
vehicles movement are
key,” EAM tweeted.
EAM S Jaishankar participates in the 18th Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and
Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Ministerial meeting, in Colombo on Tuesday. —PHOTO BY ANI
Lethal second
P-81 aircraft
squadron
commissioned
Second day of
‘Bharat Bandh’
sees mixed
response
UP bags ‘Best State’ award at
3rd National Water Awards
New Delhi (Agencies):
President Ram Nath Ko-
vind on Tuesday con-
ferred the ‘Best State’
award to Uttar Pradesh
followed by Rajasthan
and Tamil Nadu, at the
third National Water
Awards event held here.
The National Water
Awards are given by the
Ministry of Jal Shakti
for exemplary work in
the field of water man-
agement. The ‘Best Dis-
trict’ awards for the
north zone was bagged
by Muzaffarnagar (Ut-
tar Pradesh) and Sha-
hid Bhagat Singh Na-
gar (Punjab); for the
south zone, it was
Thiruvananthapuram
(Kerala) and Kadapa
(Andhra Pradesh); for
the east zone, East
Champaran (Bihar) and
Godda (Jharkhand)
won the award; Indore
(Madhya Pradesh) and
Vadodara (Gujarat) and
Banswara (Rajasthan)
won the awards in the
west zone while Goal-
para (Assam) and Siang
(Arunachal Pradesh)
won the awards for the
north-east zone.
The awards also in-
cluded zone wise ‘Best
Village Panchayat’,
‘Best Urban Local Body’
(Vapi in Gujarat, Dapoli
in Maharashtra and
Madurai in Tamil
Nadu); ‘Best Media
House’, ‘Best NGO’ cat-
egory and even ‘Best
Institution/RWA/reli-
gious organisation/
campus’. Another di-
rect user category of
awards was ‘Best Water
User Association’.
Government Girls
Higher Secondary
School, Kaveripattinam
in Tamil Nadu, Amalor-
pavam Lourds Acade-
my, Thiruvallur, Pu-
ducherry and Amity
International School,
Noida, UP won the
awards in Best School
category
.
Goa: The Indian Navy’s
second P-8I aircraft
squadron has been com-
missioned into the Navy
on Tuesday. The cere-
mony for the Indian Na-
val Air Squadron 316
was held at INS Hansa
in Goa, and Admiral R
Hari Kumar, the Chief
of the Naval Staff, was
the chief guest.
INAS 316 has been
christened ‘Condors’,
whose insignia depicts
a condor searching over
the vast blue expanse of
the sea. Condors are
known for excellent
sensory capabilities,
powerful and sharp tal-
ons and large wings.
The INAS 316 will op-
erate the Boeing P-8I
aircraft, a multirole
long-range maritime re-
connaissance anti-sub-
marine warfare air-
craft, which can be
equipped with a range
of air-to-ship missiles
and torpedoes.
48-hour ‘Bharat Bandh’
called by different trade
unions to protest
against government
policies continued for
the second day in sev-
eral states on Tuesday
.
A joint forum of cen-
tral trade unions had
given a call for a nation-
wide strike on March 28
and March 29.
The demands of the
trade unions include
scrapping of the labour
codes, rollback of priva-
tisation in any form,
scrapping of the Na-
tional Monetisation
Pipeline (NMP), in-
creased allocation of
wages under MNREGA
(Mahatma Gandhi Ru-
ral Employment Guar-
antee Act), and regu-
larisation of contract
workers among others.
This is the first such
strike after the BJP won
the Assembly elections
in four of five States.
President Ram Nath Kovind hands over an award to UP BJP
president Swatantra Dev Singh for winning the first prize in the
best state category, in New Delhi on Tuesday. —PHOTO BY ANI
3,400 communal riot
cases from ’16 to ’20
New Delhi: Nearly
3,400 communal riot
cases were registered in
the country between
2016 and 2020, Union
Home Nityanand Rai
said in Lok Sabha on
Tuesday. The minister
also said that 2.76 lakh
rioting cases were reg-
istered in the country
during the said period.
Quoting the reports
of the National Crime
Records Bureau
(NCRB), Rai said 857
communal or religious
riot cases were regis-
tered in 2020, 438 in
2019, 512 in 2018, 723 in
2017 and 869 in 2016.
HIGHLIGHTS
34 outsiders purchased
assets in JK after
abrogation of Article 370:
MHA to Lok Sabha
466 FCRA licence renewal
applications of NGOs
declined since 2020, govt
tells Lok Sabha
1,205 paramilitary
personnel committed
suicide in 10 years, says
Nityanand Rai
Lakhimpur case: Had opposed bail plea of
Ashish Mishra, UP Govt tells apex court
SC: ENV MUST PREVAIL OVER
OTHER RIGHTS, FORESTS
HAVE TO BE PRESERVED
PLEA MOVED IN APEX COURT
CHALLENGING DELIMITATION
EXERCISE IN JK
New Delhi: The Uttar Pradesh government on Tues-
day told Supreme Court that it had opposed the bail
plea of Ashish Mishra, son of Union minister Ajay
Mishra, in connection with the Lakhimpur Kheri vio-
lence that left eight people, including four farmers,
dead. It also stated that the “attack” on a witness in
the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case had nothing to do
with the case — as alleged — but was the outcome
of some people throwing gulal on the person. The
UP government said that the submission of the
petition that state did not effectively oppose the bail
application of Ashish Mishra is “completely untrue.”
New Delhi (PTI): The environment
“must prevail” over other rights
and forests must be preserved, the
Supreme Court said while hear-
ing a matter which involved issues
regarding forest and non-forest land
in Haryana. The SC stressed upon the
need to preserve forests and said it is
because of strict interpretation by the
SC that the forest cover is increasing.
“Environment is more important than
your civil rights,” a Bench headed by
Justice AM Khanwilkar said, adding,
“The environment must prevail over
all other rights”.
New Delhi (ANI): A petition has been
moved in the Supreme Court chal-
lenging the increase of the number of
seats in the Union Territory of Jammu
and Kashmir from 107 to 114. The
plea was filed by two residents of
Jammu and Kashmir. The petitioner
sought to declare that the increase
in the number of seats in JK, as
provided in the J-K Reorganisation
Act, 2019, is ultra vires the constitu-
tional provisions such as Articles 81,
82, 170, 330 and 332 and statutory
provisions particularly Section 63 of
the JK Reorganisation Act, 2019.
IN THE COURTYARD
BSP chief Mayawati

BIZ BUZZ
06
Promoted by
AU Small Finance Bank
Petrolpastthe
`100-MARK
New Delhi
(PTI): Petrol
prices in the
n a t i o n a l
capital as
well as
most state
c ap i t a l s
c r o s s e d
`100 a litre
mark as its
rates on Tuesday were
hiked by 80 paise a li-
tre and that of diesel
by 70 paise, taking the
total increase since
last week to `4.80/L.
Petrol in Delhi will
now cost `100.21 per
litre against `99.41
previously, while die-
sel rates have gone
up from `90.77 per
litre to `91.47, ac-
cording to a price
notification
of state
fuel re-
tailers.
Rates
have been
i n c r e a s e d
across the
country and
vary from
state to
state, de-
pending
upon the
incidence of
local taxation.
Petrol price in the
national capital had
last crossed `100 a li-
tre mark on July 7,
2021, and went on to
touch an all-time high
of `110.04 before the
Modi government on
November 4 reduced
excise duty on auto fu-
els. Most states
matched that cut with
a reduction in local
sales tax or VAT.
This is the seventh
increase in prices
since the ending of a
four-and-half-month
long hiatus in rate re-
vision on March 22.
On the first four occa-
sions, prices were in-
creased by 80 paise a
litre. On the following
days, petrol price went
up by 50 paise and 30
paise a litre, while die-
sel rose by 55 paise and
35 paise a litre.
In all, petrol and die-
sel prices have gone up
by `4.80 per litre -
the
steepest increase in
any eight days since
the daily price revi-
sion was implemented
in June 2017.
In Mumbai, petrol
comes for `115.0/L,
while in Chennai, it is
priced at `105.94 and
in Kolkata at `109.68.
Diesel is priced at
`99.25/L in Mumbai,
Rs 96 in Chennai and
Rs 94.62 in Kolkata.
Rajasthan’s Ganga-
nagar district has the
costliest fuel in the
country at `117.14 per
litre for petrol and
`99.96 for diesel.
New Delhi (Agencies):
India has contracted
45,000 tonnes of Rus-
sian sunflower oil at a
record high price for
shipments in April as
edible oil prices in the
local market surged af-
ter supplies from rival
Ukraine stopped be-
cause of the war, five
industry officials said.
Sunflower oil from
Russia could help the
world’s biggest edible
oil importer in easing
the shortfall at a time
when availability of
vegetable oils is
stretched because of In-
donesia’s decision to
restrict palm oil sup-
plies and lower soybean
crop in South America.
“As vessel loading is
not possible in Ukraine,
buyers are trying to se-
cure supplies from Rus-
sia,” said Pradeep
Chowdhry, managing
director of Gemini Edi-
bles Fats India Pvt
Ltd, which contracted
12,000 tonnes of Rus-
sian sunflower oil for
April shipments.
Refiners bought
crude sunflower oil at a
record price of $2,150 a
tonne, including cost,
insurance and freight
(CIF), in India for
April ship-
ments, com-
pared with
$1,630 before
Russia invad-
ed Ukraine.
India buys Russian sunoil at record price
India has contracted
45,000 tonnes of
Russian sunflower oil
at a record high price
Publicsecbankssufficiently
capitalised:MoSFinance
government has in-
fused capital amount-
ing to `2,86,043 crore in
public sector banks
(PSBs) during the last
five years and they are
sufficiently capital-
ised, Parliament was
informed on Tuesday
.
The government in-
fused about `3 lakh
crore between 2017-18
and 2021-22.
As per inputs re-
ceived from RBI, Capi-
tal to Risk-weighted
Assets Ratio (CRAR)
of PSBs has improved
substantially over the
past three years, in-
creasing from 12.20%
at the end of 2018-19 to
14.34% as on December
31, 2021, Minister of
State for Finance
Bhagwat K Karad said.
“As reflected in their
capital position as on
December 31, 2021,
PSBs are currently suf-
ficiently capitalised,”
he said.
With regard to Gen-
eral Insurance Corpo-
ration of India (GIC),
Karad said, no propos-
al to privatise GIC is
under consideration
of the government at
present. “Further, as
per inputs received, to-
tal assets outstanding
as on 31.3.2021 were
`38.04 lakh crore and
`1.35 lakh crore for LIC
and GIC, respectively,”
he said.
Govt to set up global
mkt intelligence network
New Delhi (PTI):
The government is
setting up a global
market intelligence
network to boost In-
dia’s exports from
the micro, small and
medium enterprises
sector, Union minis-
ter Narayan Rane
said on Tuesday
.
The Global Mar-
ket Intelligence Net-
work will act as a
knowledge reposito-
ry of export-related
data on foreign mar-
kets and facilitate
easier market access
for MSME exporters.
India’s MSME sec-
tor accounts for 45%
of its exports. There
is a huge untapped
potential to boost
outward shipments
from the segment.
However, lack of
credible trade-relat-
ed data on overseas
markets has been
one of the key bottle-
necks impeding the
MSME sector from
realising its true ex-
port potential by tap-
ping new market op-
portunities.
Rane said the gov-
ernment is keen to
strengthen the
MSME sector.
“Our focus is on
providing easy cred-
it, better technology
support and access
to the export mar-
kets. We want our
MSME sector to be-
come competitive
and grow,” MSME
minister said.
BCCI floats IPL media rights tender for 2023-27
New Delhi (PTI): Eye-
ingawindfallof closeto
Rs 50,000 crore, the In-
dian Cricket Board on
Tuesday floated the me-
dia rights tender for the
2023-2027 IPL seasons.
The BCCI will ar-
range an e-auction for
the new bidders for the
first time in IPL history
and it will commence
from June 12, board’s
secretaryJayShahsaid.
“With two new teams,
more matches, more en-
gagement, more venues,
we are looking to take
#TataIPL to newer and
greater heights,” Shah
posted on his Twitter
handle. “I’ve no doubts
that with this process
therewillnotonlyberev-
enue maximisation but
alsovaluemaximisation,
which will benefit India
Cricket immensely
.”
Disney Plus Hostar is
the only live streaming
platform of the IPL in
India. With the expan-
sion of IPL from 60 to 74
matches after the inclu-
sion of the Gujarat and
Lucknow franchises,
thereislikelytobeabid-
ding war from its peers
which include Zee-Sony
andRelianceViacom18.
The BCCI is expect-
ing aggressive bidding
for the digital space
between the likes of
Amazon Prime, Meta
and YouTube. The de-
tailed terms and condi-
tions are mentioned in
‘Invitation to Tender’
(ITT) which will be
made available on re-
ceipt of payment of
non-refundable fee of
Rs 25 lakh excluding
GST, the BCCI said in a
statement.
Sensex jumps over 350
points; Nifty above 17,300
Mumbai (PTI):
Benchmark BSE
Sensex rallied over
350 points on Tues-
day following gains
in index majors
HDFC twins, Bharti
Airtel and Infosys
amid a largely posi-
tive trend in global
equity markets.
The 30-share BSE
b a r o m e t e r
j u m p e d
3 5 0 . 1 6
points or
0.61% to
settle at
5 7 , 9 4 3 . 6 5 .
During the day,
it rallied 408.04
points or 0.70%
to 58,001.53.
The broader
NSE Nifty gained
103.30 points or 0.60%
to settle at 17,325.30.
From the 30-share
pack, HDFC, Bharti
Airtel, UltraTech Ce-
ment, HDFC Bank,
Dr Reddy’s, Sun
Pharma, Infosys IC-
ICI Bank were among
the lead gainers.
Mumbai (PTI): Continuing its winning streak
for a fourth straight session, the rupee on
Tuesday appreciated by 19 paise to 75.97
against the US dollar. At the interbank forex
market, the local unit opened higher at 75.97
but lost some of the gains to touch the day’s
low of 76.15. It witnessed an intra-day high of
75.90. The rupee quoted at 75.97 at 1600 hrs,
registering a rise of 19 paise over its previous
close.
` SURGES BY 19 PAISE TO 75.97
AGAINST US DOLLAR
Regulator’s 5G
recommendations in
7-10 days: Trai secy
New Delhi (PTI): Tel-
ecom regulator Trai’s
much-awaited recom-
mendations on 5G
spectrum pricing and
other modalities will
come out in the next
7-10 days, a senior of-
ficial said on Tuesday
.
Telecom Regulatory
Authority of India
(Trai) Secretary V
Raghunandan said
that the spectrum ref-
erence given to the
regulator spanned
multiple bands and
thereby involved de-
tailed and exhaustive
deliberations.
“We are in the final
stages, and will come
out with the recom-
mendations shortly in
7-10 days,” Raghunan-
dan said.
Trai’s views on
spectrum pricing and
other nuances are cru-
cial as it will set the
pace for the auctions
and subsequent roll-
out of the fifth-gener-
ation services that
will usher in ultra-
high-speed and
spawn new-age ser-
vices and business
models. The telecom
industry was expect-
ing the regulator’s rec-
ommendations to
come by March-end.
BOEING DEVELOPS 10
YEAR ROADMAP FOR AAI
New Delhi (PTI): Boe-
ing has developed a
comprehensive 10-year
roadmap for the Centre-
run AAI to modernise
its air traffic manage-
ment, the US-based
aerospace company
said on Tuesday
.
“The roadmap aims
to drive operational ex-
cellence and offer en-
hanced air traffic ca-
pacity for our fly-
ing public, and
improved naviga-
tion, com-
m u -
n i c a - tion and
surveillance for our
users, making Indian
skies seamless and saf-
er to operate in,” AAI
Chairman Sanjeev Ku-
mar said.
The AAI manages the
commercial traffic in
the Indian airspace. It
also runs more than 100
airports across the
country
.
The project “to de-
velop a comprehen-
s i v e
1 0 -
year Communication,
Navigation and Surveil-
lance/Air Traffic Man-
agement (CNS/ATM)
modernisation road-
map” was undertaken
with a grant from the
United States Trade and
Development Agency
(USTDA), Boeing said.
As part of the pro-
ject, Boeing worked
closely with the
DGCA, the air-
lines operating
in India, air-
port opera-
tors and oth-
er airspace
stakeholders, it
added. Boeing
and the AAI had
signed an agreement
in 2019 to jointly de-
velop the
roadmap.
Tata Steel appoints
Noel Tata as
additional director
New Delhi (PTI): Tata
Steel has appointed Noel
Naval Tata, a trustee on
the boards of Sir Ratan
Tata Trust and Sir Dorabji
Tata Trust, its additional
director and designated
him as the vice-
chairman. A decision in
this regard was taken
by the board of the
company at its meeting
held on Monday. “Based
on the recommendations
of the Nomination
and Remuneration
Committee, the Board
of Directors (have)
considered and
unanimously approved
the appointment of
Noel Naval Tata as an
Additional Director
(Non-Executive, Non-
Independent) effective
March 28, 2022.
Government to sell 1.5% stake in
ONGC via offer for sale
New Delhi: The government will sell 1.5% stake
in Oil and Natural Gas Corporation through an
offer for sale (OFS) on Wednesday, a move that’s
expected to shore up the centre’s divestment
receipts by over Rs 3,000 crore from the sale.
The offer for sale for 1.5 per cent equity stake
sale in ONGC, including a greenshoe option,
opens Wednesday, and retail investors can
place their bids on Thursday, Department of
Investment and Public Asset Management
Secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey said.
Coal India’s FY’22 production likely
to exceed 620 million tonnes
Kolkata (PTI): Mining major Coal India Ltd
is set to post its highest-ever production
during the 2021-22 fiscal, topping the
620-million-tonne mark and bucking two
years of a declining streak of annual output, a
company official said. The miner’s production
for the current fiscal stood at 614.4 million
tonnes as of March 28. “We have crossed the
previous production highs... And may close
the year at around 622 million tonnes,” the
official said. Coal despatch is expected to
exceed 660 million tonnes for 2021-22.
Jay Shah @JayShah
I’m pleased to announce
that @BCCI has issued
the tender document for
@IPL media rights for
seasons 2023-27. With 2
new teams, more matches,
more engagement, more
venues, we are looking to
take #TataIPL to newer and
greater heights.
The Tender document is
now available for purchase.
For the first time in @IPL
history, the media rights
will be e-auctioned. The
e-auction will commence
from June 12th, 2022
#TATAIPL
I’ve no doubts that with this
process there will not only
be revenue maximisation
but also value maximisa-
tion, which will benefit
India Cricket immensely
#TATAIPL
With expansion of IPL
from 60 to 74 matches
after the inclusion of
the Gujarat and
Lucknow franchises,
there is likely to be a
bidding war from its
peers which include
Zee-Sony and
Reliance Viacom 18.
Jay Shah

07
NEWS
CM’s distribution of portfolios has a clarity of his priorities, without succumbing to political compulsions
IN UTTAR PRADESH: IT IS NOW
THE YOGI WAY OR THE HIGHWAY
First India Bureau
Lucknow: The distri-
bution of portfolios and
some other steps taken
by Uttar Pradesh Chief
Minister Yogi Adity-
anath during the last
two days have given
enough indication that
the second term of the
BJP government is go-
ing to be Yogi way or the
highway
.
The chief minister’s
distribution of portfo-
lios has a clear picture
of his priorities, with-
out succumbing to po-
litical compulsions.
“The portfolio distri-
bution also has a mes-
sage that Yogi Adity-
anath will run the gov-
ernment in his own way
and will not work under
any pressure,” said a
senior BJP functionary
.
Deputy chief minis-
ter Keshav Prasad Mau-
rya, for instance, has
been deprived of his fa-
vourite PWD portfolio
and given rural devel-
opment and food pro-
cessing along with na-
tional integration.
Maurya’s loss has
been Jitin Prasada’s
gain. Jitin has kept a
low profile ever since he
joined the BJP least
year and it is this that
has won him Yogi’s ap-
proval.
Another deputy chief
minister Brajesh
Pathak, who was re-
portedly eyeing PWD,
has been given medical
education, health and
family welfare. These
departments are known
as ‘hot spots’ in state
politics and leave the
minister in-charge vul-
nerable to public anger.
State BJP president
Swatantra Dev Singh
has been given charge
of the all-important Jal
Shakti ministry and
has been rewarded for
being a noncontrover-
sial leader who struck
up a good rapport with
the chief minister in
the previous regime.
Former PMO official,
Arvind Sharma, who
was hoping for a home
or finance portfolio, has
been given urban devel-
opment which does not
match with his ‘status’.
Aseem Arun, the IPS of-
ficer turned politician,
was reportedly eyeing
home portfolio and jails
but has been made to
remain content with so-
cial and SC/ST welfare.
Baby Rani Maurya,
another high-profile
candidate, who was
asked to give up her gu-
bernatorial assign-
ment in Uttarakhand
and join active politics
in Uttar Pradesh, has
been given women and
child welfare. This is
certainly not the as-
signment she would
have accepted in re-
turn. Rajeshwar Singh,
a former ED official
who was touted as the
Centre’s blue-eyed boy,
has been left out of the
council of ministers.
Singh had given inter-
views during the cam-
paigning where he had
spoken at length about
the contribution he
would make in policing
and law.
First India Bureau
New Delhi: Union Min-
ister of Youth Affairs
Sports Anurag Thakur
replied in Lok Sabha
on Tuesday that his
Ministry has accredit-
ed 247 sports academies
across the country un-
der Khelo India
Scheme.
In a written reply to
a query in the Lok Sab-
ha on Tuesday, Thakur
said that sports being a
State subject, the re-
sponsibility of develop-
ment of sports, includ-
ing construction of
sportsgrounds at the
village level, promo-
tion of sports in col-
leges, establishment of
Sports Universities and
Colleges, promotion of
traditional sports in or-
der to give internation-
al recognition to such
sports and overall de-
velopment of sports
rests primarily with
the respective State/
Union Territory Gov-
ernments.
The Minister said
that the Union Govern-
ment supplements
their efforts by bridg-
ing critical gaps. How-
ever, under the “Utili-
sation and creation/
upgradation of sports
infrastructure” compo-
nent of the Khelo India
Scheme, this Ministry
has sanctioned 289
sports infrastructure
projects of various cat-
egories across the
country, including
schools, colleges and
universities, on the ba-
sis of proposals re-
ceived from the States/
UTs from time to time.
This Ministry has also
established the Nation-
al Sports University at
Imphal, Manipur,
which is a first of its
kind university, to pro-
mote education in the
areas of Sports Scienc-
es, Sports Technology,
Sports Coaching, be-
sides functioning as
the national training
centre for selected
sports disciplines. The
National Sports Uni-
versity will cater to stu-
dents from all over the
country.
The ‘Promotion of
rural and indigenous/
tribal games’ compo-
nent of the Khelo India
Scheme, is specifically
dedicated to the devel-
opment and promotion
of rural and indige-
nous/tribal games in
the country.
Sports Ministry has accredited 247 sports academies across India: Thakur
KHELO INDIA SCHEME
Anurag Thakur said, “India has had its best Olym-
pics in Tokyo and we are doing well in a quite a
few disciplines. Cycling is one such discipline
where there is a lot of potential. This first ever
SAI NCOE set up in Shimla in collaboration with
HP Government will provide world class infra-
structure and coaching to Indian cyclists prepar-
ing in the disciplines of MTB and BMX for 2028.
It is a step to enhance India’s sporting potential
and we will see the results in the years ahead.”
FIRST EVER SAI NCOE SET UP
IN SHIMLA: ANURAG THAKUR
Union Minister Anurag Thakur. —FILE PHOTO
TussleeruptsbetweenAkhileshShivpal
First India Bureau
Lucknow: The appoint-
ment of Samajwadi
Party chief Akhilesh
Yadav as leader of Op-
position has again led to
tussle in Yadav family
as Akhilesh’s uncle
Shivpal Yadav did not
seem to be happy with
the development. Shiv-
pal Yadav did not turn
up at the allies meeting
called by Akhilesh Ya-
dav today. On Tuesday
he was in Etawah.
Though Shivpal Ya-
dav contested on SP
ticket from Jaswant Na-
gar assembly constitu-
ency, he still continues
to be president of Pra-
gatsheel Samajwadi
Party (Lohia) as neither
he dissolved the party
nor merged it with the
SP. There are signs of
strains in the relation-
ship yet again. Shivpal,
has alleged that he was
not invited to the party’s
legislative meeting on
Saturday where Akhile-
shwas elected as leader
of legislature party
.
“I was not invited to
the party meeting. I
waited for two days and
cancelled all my pro-
grammes for the meet-
ing, but I wasn’t invited.
I am an MLA from Sa-
majwadi Party but still
not invited,” Shivpal
said told newsmen here
before leaving for Safai
last Friday from where
he went to Delhi to dis-
cuss future course of ac-
tion with SP patriarch
Mulayam Singh Yadav.
However, SP state
president Naresh Uttam
said despite being elect-
ed in SP tickets Shivpal
Yadav and Pallavi Patel
(Apna Dal-K) were allies
as they are leaders of
other parties. Hence,
they were not called for
SP MLAs meeting. Patel
said meeting with the al-
lies will be held soon.
But the argument seems
to have not gone down
well with Shivpal Yadav,
who was LoP during
Mayawati regime 2007-
12.After brief truce in
Yadav family during
just concluded UP As-
sembly elections, the
tussle for power seems
to have again erupted
between SP chief Akh-
ilesh Yadav and his un-
cle Shivpal Yadav.
‘Will vote for
BJP cand in
Assam RS polls’
Guwahati (PTI): Sus-
pended Congress MLA
Sashi Kanta Das on
Tuesday said he will be
voting for the ruling
BJP-led coalition gov-
ernment candidates in
the Rajya Sabha polls
for the cause of “devel-
opment”.
He, however, refuted
any plans of joining
the saffron party.
Das said, “I will be
voting for the ruling al-
liance’s candidates in
the Rajya Sabha elec-
tion for the cause of
development of my
constituency.”
Courtexpressesdispleasure
overSharjeelImam’slawyer
New Delhi (ANI): A
Delhi Court on Monday
expressed its displeas-
ure over the non-appear-
ance of counsel for
Sharjeel Imam, who is
accused in the case of
sedition, due to which
some of the prosecution
witnesses were dis-
charged unexamined.
The court was sched-
uled to record the exam-
ination of prosecution
witnesses including a
Deputy Secy of the Law
Departmentof theDelhi
Govt. ASJ Amitabh
Rawatnotedthatdespite
waiting since morning,
the Counsel for the ac-
cused did not turn
up.The court said that
SPP had submitted that
he had received a mes-
sage from counsel for
the accused that he
would come at around
12.45 PM and the matter
was kept pending.
Sharjeel Imam in custody. —FILE PHOTO
Construction near
Jagannath Temple:
Oppn raises question
B h u b a n e s w a r
(PTI): The Odisha
assembly was wit-
ness to pandemoni-
um on Tuesday as
opposition MLAs
raised questions
over the impact of
construction work,
undertaken by the
state government to
develop a heritage
corridor, near the
Jagannath temple in
Puri.
Raising the issue,
BJP’s Puri MLA Jay-
ant Sarangi alleged
that the construc-
tion works were be-
ing carried out for
the Srimandir Herit-
age Corridor Project
close to the 12th-cen-
tury shrine without
the permission of
the National Monu-
ment Authority
(NMA) and Archaeo-
logical Survey of
India (ASI).Deep
pits are being dug
close to the temple,
which may create
cracks on the walls
of the temple that
may threaten the
structure, he said.
Demanding that
temple architectur-
al experts be con-
sulted, Sarangi said,
“I am not against
the development of
the temple and the
pilgrim town, but it
should be safe.” Sup-
porting him, Con-
gress legislature
party leader Naras-
ingha Mishra de-
manded the forma-
tion of a House
Committee so that
the members can in-
spect the construc-
tion works being
carried out within
75 meters of the
shrine.
Image for representational purpose only.
Akhilesh Yadav Shivpal Yadav
8-timeMLAMahanais
newUPAssemblySpeaker
Lucknow (PTI):
Eight-time BJP MLA
Satish Mahana was
onTuesdayelectedun-
opposed as the Speak-
erof theUttarPradesh
Legislative Assembly
.
CM Yogi Adity-
anath and LoP Akh-
ilesh Yadav hailed his
election and promised
to positively contrib-
ute to the functioning
of the House.
Speaking in the As-
sembly after escort-
ing Mahana to the
Speaker’s chair, Adi-
tyanath said it’s a
good sign for the state
that two “wheels of
democracy” (ruling
and opposition)
moved in one direc-
tion. He appealed to
members of the
House that the elec-
tions are over and it’s
their duty to work for
the progress of UP.
Speaking next, Yadav
hailed the “beginning
of a healthy tradi-
tion” in the House by
electing the Speaker
unanimously. He
urged Mahana to act
with neutrality as
Speaker and protect
the rights of the Op-
position. Governor
Anandiben Patel had
fixed March 29 as the
date for the election
of the Speaker.
Lucknow (PTI) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister
Yogi Adityanath and the Leader of Opposi-
tion in the state Assembly Akhilesh Yadav
on Tuesday hailed the unanimous election of
Satish Mahana as Speaker and promised to
positively contribute to the functioning of the
House. Adityanath said it’s a good sign for the
state that two “wheels of democracy” (ruling
and opposition) moved in one direction.
YOGI, YADAV HAIL MAHANA’S
ELECTION AS SPEAKER
CLEAR MESSAGE
MEET GREET!
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in a group picture with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs after
attending the BJP Parliamentary Party meeting, at Ambedkar International Centre, in New Delhi on Tuesday.
—PHOTO
BY
ANI
Satish Mahana

COVID-19
UPDATE
WORLD
61,53,482
TOTAL DEATHS
41,82,38,579
TOTAL RECOVERED
5,97,57,654
ACTIVE CASES
48,41,49,715
TOTAL CASES
INDIA
5,21,098
TOTAL DEATHS
4,24,85,534
TOTAL RECOVERED
15,350
ACTIVE CASES
4,30,21,982
TOTAL CASES
08
2NDFRONT
As leaders, employees and
individuals, we have to be
conscious of our responsibility
for our behaviour and our output.
—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO Editor-in-Chief, First India
Russia, Ukraine’s first face-to-face talks aimed at ending war
Kyiv (AP): The first
face-to-face talks in two
weeks between Russia
and Ukraine began on
Tuesday in Turkey
, rais-
ing flickering hopes
there could be progress
toward ending a war
that has ground into a
bloody campaign of at-
trition.
An adviser to the
Ukrainian president
said the meeting in Is-
tanbul was focused on
securing a cease-fire
and guarantees for
Ukraine’s security is-
sues that have been the
focus of previous un-
successful negotiations.
Ahead of the talks,
the Ukrainian presi-
dent said his country
was prepared to declare
its neutrality, as Mos-
cow has demanded, and
was open to compro-
mise over the contested
eastern region of Don-
bas comments that
might lend momentum
to negotiations.
But he warned the
ruthless war continued,
and even the negotia-
tors assembled, Rus-
sian forces hit an oil
depot in western
Ukraine and a govern-
ment building in the
south.
Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan
told the two sides that
they had a historic re-
sponsibility to stop the
fighting.
We believe that there
will be no losers in a
just peace. Prolonging
the conflict is not in
anyone’s interest, Er-
dogan said, as he greet-
ed the two delegations
seated on opposite sides
of a long table.
Putin’s aim of a quick
military victory has
been thwarted by stiff
Ukrainian resistance
but still hopes were not
high for a break-
through. Reflecting
skepticism among
Ukraine’s Western al-
lies, British Foreign
Secretary Liz Truss
said she thought the
Russian president was
not serious about talks.
In fighting that has
devolved into a back-
and-forth stalemate,
Ukrainian forces retook
Irpin, a key suburb
northwest of the capi-
tal, Kyiv, President Vo-
lodymyr Zelenskyy said
late Monday
.
But he warned that
Russian troops were re-
grouping to take the
area back.
We still have to fight,
we have to endure,
Zelenskyy said in his
nighttime video ad-
dress to the nation.
This is a ruthless war
against our nation,
against our people,
against our children.
He also lashed out at
Western countries,
which he has repeated-
ly accused of not going
far enough in either
sanctioning Moscow or
supporting Ukraine
with weapons. As a re-
sult, Ukrainians were
paying with their lives,
he said.
If someone is afraid
of Russia, if he or she is
afraid to make the nec-
essary decisions that
are important to us, in
particular for us to get
planes, tanks, neces-
sary artillery, shells, it
makes these people re-
sponsible for the catas-
trophe created by Rus-
sian troops in our cities,
too, he said.
Delhi Govt to use EVs
for all official purposes
New Delhi (Agen-
cies): In a major push
to control the ever ex-
isting problem of pol-
lution in Capital and to
encourage people to
buy electric vehicles,
the Delhi government
has decided to switch
over to electric vehi-
cles from petrol and
CNG ones for all offi-
cial purposes. Earlier,
the New Delhi Munici-
pal Council (NDMC) in
February had an-
nounced to go green
and purchase only elec-
tric vehicles for official
use and enforcement
drives.
The committee
formed to prepare poli-
cy for the purchase/
hire/leader electric ve-
hicles has also come up
with revised guidelines
and fixed net dealer
price (NDP) at Rs` 4.75
lakh. According to NDP,
bureaucrats and offi-
cials will purchase ve-
hicles within the given
price range.
As per the revised
guidelines, “All leased/
hired cars used for the
commute of GNCTD of-
ficers shall be electric
cars and department,
guarantee institutions/
autonomous bodies
will decide the type of
(dry/wet lease) of elec-
tric vehicles at their
own level on the basis
of resources available
with them.”
From announcing 1
lakh ‘green’ jobs in 5
years through ‘Smart
Urban Farming’, new
solar policy in this
year’s budget to Go
green on terraces and
verandas and apps
along with efforts to
make environment
friendly solar city, the
city Government has
been making all efforts
to reduce pollution to
acceptable levels.
Making traffic smooth, 62
congestion points identified
New Delhi(Agencies):
In a bid to make traffic
smooth in Capital, The Del-
hi Traffic Police have come
out with an action plan. It
has identified 62 conges-
tion points and plans are
afoot to reduce the congestion in these areas. The
problems in vehicular movement in theses areas
mainly results from construction work, cave-ins,
illegal encroachments on daily basis. The available
police data tells that the most congestion points
were in the South district (14), followed by East
(10), West (10) and North districts (13) of Delhi.
The police have been facing difficulties in maintain-
ing smooth traffic movement at Lala Lajpat Rai
Marg, Barapullah flyover, Ashram Chowk.
Govt: FIRs filed in Delhi,
Mumbai in Sulli Deals,
Bulli Bai apps,6 held
New Delhi (PTI): Po-
lice have registered
FIRs in Delhi and Mum-
bai and arrested six per-
sons in connection with
the cases against ‘Sulli
Deals’ and ‘Bulli Bai’
apps, the government
said in Lok Sabha on
Tuesday
.
Also, a charge sheet
has been filed in court
on March 4, 2022 in the
Sulli Deals case.
The two apps had tar-
geted Muslim women
and posted their pic-
tures without consent,
triggering outrage and
prompting authorities
to ban them.
Replying to a query
on the issue, Union
Home Ajay Kumar
Mishra said the Delhi
Police and Mumbai Po-
lice have registered
FIRs in the matter of
‘Sulli Deals’ and ‘Bulli
Bai’ apps cases under
the Indian Penal Code,
1860 and the Informa-
tion Technology Act,
2000.
After an investiga-
tion into the case, the
Delhi Police has arrest-
ed the accused, Aumka-
reshwar Thakur, in the
‘Sulli Deals’ case, he
said in a written reply
.
He said the charge
sheet has been filed in
court on March 4, 2022.
In the ‘Bulli Bai’ inci-
dent, the minister said,
the Delhi Police have
arrested the main ac-
cused, Niraj Bishnoi. In
addition to this, four
other accused were also
arrested by the Mumbai
Police from Karnataka,
Uttarakhand and Odis-
ha.
There is no report
about obscenity in re-
spect of minor girls and
currently, all the ac-
cused arrested are in
judicial custody in Del-
hi and Mumbai, he said.
Darjeeling (WB)
(PTI): West Bengal
Chief Minister Mamata
Banerjee on Tuesday ac-
cused the BJP govern-
ment at the Centre of
trying to deflect public
ire over issues such as
fuel price hike by falsely
claiming that the law
and order in West Ben-
gal has collapsed.
Banerjee, while ad-
dressingapublicrallyin
Darjeeling town, called
on hill-based political
parties to sink their dif-
ferences and work for
the development of the
region in North Bengal.
“People are suffering
due to sharp hike in fuel
prices and the BJP is
harping on stray inci-
dents to divert attention
from core issues and
also give West Bengal a
bad name,” she said in
reference to the politi-
cal firestorm over the
killing of nine people in
Bogtui village in Birb-
hum’s Rampurhat.
“The BJP is making
false claims about col-
lapse in law and order in
West Bengal to disrupt
peace. The saffron party
doesn’t love our state or
its people. They are not
concerned about the
state’s development.
They come before elec-
tions,maketallpromises
and never fulfil those,”
the TMC supremo said.
She claimed that the
BJP government at the
Centre increased fuel
prices after the party’s
win in recent assembly
elections in four states.
“This speaks vol-
umes about their con-
cern for the people,”
Banerjee said.
Centre trying to deflect
public ire over fuel
price hike: Mamata
OUTRAGEOUS
Delhi Police opposes wrestler Sushil
Kumar’s bail, says witness terrified
Raje meets Nadda with Raj polls on mind
New Delhi (PTI): Days
after meeting Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi, former Rajasthan
Chief Minister Vasund-
hara Raje met BJP pres-
ident J P Nadda on
Tuesday as the party
works to put its house
in order in the Con-
gress-ruled state that
will go to the assembly
polls next year.
Sources said Nadda
discussed with Raje,
who led the BJP to pow-
er in the desert state
twice, the party’s af-
fairs in Rajasthan and
took feedback from her.
Her meeting with the
BJP leadership is sig-
nificant as she was per-
ceived to have been giv-
en a cold shoulder in
shepherding the party
in the state in the last
few years as, political
watchers believed, her
style of functioning at
times did not go down
well with the national
leadership.
However, she contin-
ues to remain a strong
political force in Ra-
jasthan and one of the
more popular politi-
cians. A rally she had
organised in the state
on her birthday on
March 8 drew a big
crowd and was also at-
tended by a number of
party leaders in what
was seen as her show of
strength.
She was recently in-
vited to oath-taking cer-
emonies of BJP chief
ministers, including in
Uttar Pradesh, and this
coupled with her meet-
ings with Modi and Na-
dda indicate that the
party leadership may
have turned more re-
ceptive to her to tone up
its state machinery
.
New Delhi (ANI): Del-
hi Police on Monday op-
posed the bail petition
in Delhi High Court of
wrestler Sushil Kumar,
currently in judicial
custody in the Sagar
Dhankar murder case,
saying that witnesses in
the case are so terrified
of the champion wres-
tler and his associates
that one of them had
moved court seeing pro-
tection.
23-year-old Dhankad,
along with other wres-
tlers was allegedly ab-
ducted and beaten by
Kumar and his accom-
plices inside Chhatrasal
Stadium in the national
capital on the night of
May 4, 2021. Dhankad
succumbed to his inju-
ries and Kumar was ar-
rested on May 23, 2021,
on charges of murder.
Delhi Police further, in
itsstatusreport,saidthe
accused is the kingpin
of the present case and
had conspired with oth-
er co-accused had ar-
ranged weapons and
men, including dreaded
criminals of Haryana
and Delhi to abduct the
victims.
Raje’s meeting with
BJP leadership is
significant as she was
perceived to have been
given a cold shoulder
in shepherding party
in state in recent years
Ahead of the talks, the Ukrainian president said his country was prepared to declare its neutrality.
Mamata Banerjee
Wrestler Sushil Kumar Former Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje with BJP president J P Nadda
“Falsely claims
collapse of law
order in WB”

eha Jaiswal
doesn’t just
contain multi-
tudes, she dis-
plays them,
boldly
. She has
earned a huge
name in the fashion and
glamour industry at a
young age, catapulting
from an architect to a
supermodel without
missing a beat. For
Neha, becoming a fash-
ion icon seemed to be
written in the stars yet
she never failed to work
hard towards her
dreams, seeks inspira-
tion from her everyday
life and incidents.
Born in a family of
army officers, a certain
kind of pedigree for the
fashion field was never
on her side. Since being
a part of the Elite Miss
Rajasthan in 2016, Neha
has broken barriers
throughout her career.
The stunning model,
who has graced count-
less runways, magazine
covers, and designer
campaigns throughout
her still-burgeoning ca-
reer, has become a de-
fining face for what a
new-age supermodel
not only looks like but
thinks like.
When asked about
her journey and back-
ground, the diva said,
“Moving around vari-
ous cities has always
me evolve into a better
human, has helped me
develop knowledge
about various cultures
of the country, it adds
to your confidence and
helps develop a strong
personality. This has
helped me a lot in beau-
ty pageants.”
She further added, “I
bagged the Second Run-
ners up Miss Diva title
for the national-level
beauty pageant. And
though there were
many challenges dur-
ing the journey, espe-
cially before the pag-
eant, with the support
of my friends, family
and teachers, I man-
aged to excel and tap
my potential.” While
expressing gratitude,
Neha said, “I wasn’t
much prepared with
modelling and step-
ping in for EMR was
indeed an 11th-hour de-
cision. Gaurav Gaur,
director of Elite Miss
Rajasthan along with
senior supermodels
supported me big time.
They’re no less than a
family who helped me
grow and learn.”
Talking about her cur-
rentwork,Jaiswalshared,
“Iamworkingwithalead-
ing architecture company
inMumbaiandalsopursu-
ing modelling with Times
Talent, a talent agency
. I
have been blessed with
amazingopportunitiesand
looking forward to many
more.”
NEHA JAISWAL, A SUPERMODEL, WHO
WON THE PRESTIGIOUS TITLE OF ELITE
MISS RAJASTHAN 2021, IS KNOWN
FOR HER CHARISMA AND
MESMERISED EVERYONE WITH
HER BEAUTY, SHARES HER JOURNEY,
LIFE GOALS, STRUGGLES AND
ASPIRATION WITH CITY FIRST.
NEW DELHI, WEDNESDAY,
MARCH 30, 2022
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epapers/delhi I twitter.com/
thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09
QUINTESSENTIAL
QUINTESSENTIAL
QUEEN
QUEEN OF FASHION
OF FASHION
MITALI DUSAD
mitalidusad01@gmail.com
N

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