First india ahmedabad edition-11 march 2021

First India Bureau
Mumbai/ Dadra Na-
gar Haveli: Almost
20 days after Lok
Sabha MP Mohan
Delkar was found
hanging from a ceil-
ing fan in a hotel
near Mumbai’s Ma-
rine Drive, police
have booked union
territory Dadra &
Nagar Haveli/Da-
man & Diu adminis-
trator, Dadra & Na-
gar Haveli collector
and former superin-
tendent of police and
named them as ac-
cused in the abet-
ment to suicide case.
Mumbai Police have
registered a First In-
formation Report
(FIR) on charges of
abetment to suicide in
connection with the
death of MP Delkar, a
senior police official
said on Wednesday.
Delkar, 58, a seven-
term MP from Dadra
and Nagar Haveli un-
ion territory, was
found dead on Febru-
ary 22.
The FIR was regis-
tered on Tuesday after
Delkar’s family mem-
bers visited the Marine
Drive police station
and lodged a complaint,
the official said. The
police registered the
case under the charge
of abetment to suicide
and provisions of the
Atrocities Act, the of-
ficial said.
The police had recov-
ered a 15-page suicide
note from Delkar’s ho-
tel room which was
written on his letter
head, the official said,
adding the note men-
tioned a few names.
Maharashtra Home
Minister Anil Desh-
mukh on Tuesday an-
nounced that a Special
Investigation Team
(SIT) will probe the al-
leged suicide of Delkar.
Deshmukh said in
the Maharashtra
state assembly that
Delkar’s suicide note
stated that the Dadra
& Nagar Haveli union
territory administra-
tor Praful Patel was
harassing the MP
.
Delkar’s wife and son
met Chief Minister
Uddhav Thackeray at
the Vidhan Bhavan in
Mumbai on Tuesday.
Later, talking to me-
diapersons his son
Abhinav Delkar
claimed Patel “left no
stone unturned to hu-
miliate” the de-
ceased.
UT admin Praful Patel named in MP Delkar suicide case
ON RECORD
MP Mohan Delkar with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Other accused include
Dadra & Nagar Haveli
collector and former
superintendent of
police; SIT to probe
DIDI HURT IN
NANDIGRAM
BJP-JJP govt survives Congress’
no-confidence motion in Haryana
Chandigarh: TheMano-
har Lal Khattar govern-
ment in Haryana defeat-
ed the no-confidence
motion moved by the
Congress in the state as-
sembly on Wednesday
.
The ruling BJP-JJP
alliance had 55 votes,
the opposition scraped
up 32 votes.
The Congress had
moved the motion,
claiming two Independ-
ent MLAs supporting
the government have
withdrawn support to
the government.
The party, though,
had made it clear that
the exercise was meant
to expose MLAs who
were not supporting the
farmers’ cause amid
widespread anger over
the Centre’s farm laws.
In parts of the state, the
farmers have boycotted
the elected MLAs who
are supporting the Cen-
tral laws.
The BJP alone had 40
seats in the 90-member
Haryana assembly. It
also has the support of
10 MLAs of ally Dushy-
ant Chautala’s Jannay-
ak Janata Party and
five independent legis-
lators. The Congress
has 31 seats.
The voting took place
after nearly six hours of
debate, during with
Chief MinisterMLKhat-
tar claimed that his gov-
ernment has a keen eye
on farmers’ welfare and
had “never used force”
against them. “Force
means lathicharge and
firing....yes we did dig
trenches....used water
canon....to stop them
from interstate move-
ment,” he said, Turn to P6
8 DEAD, 11 INJURED AS BUS
FALLS IN GORGE IN CHAMBA
SHOOT-AT-SIGHT FOR TIGER
AFTER IT KILLS 4 IN K’TAKA
Shimla: Eight people were
killed and 11 others injured
as a private bus fell into
a deep gorge in Himachal
Pradesh’s Chamba district
on Wednesday, police said.
The accident occurred in
Teesa sub-division in the
morning, Chamba Super-
intendent of Police S Arul
Kumar told PTI. During the
ongoing budget session of
the state assembly, Chief
Minister Jai Ram Thakur
told the House in the after-
noon that he has ordered
an inquiry to ascertain the
exact cause of the accident.
The injured have been
rushed to Medical College
Chamba, Thakur said,
adding that four of them
are critical. Expressing
grief over the loss of lives,
Prime Minis-
ter Narendra
Modi on
Wednesday
extended his
condolences to the families
of the deceased and wished
the injured a speedy
recovery. BJP president J
P Nadda also expressed
condolences.
Bengaluru: Ei After a tiger
attacked and killed four
people in Karnataka’s Koda-
gu district recently, the
state government has is-
sued a shoot-at-sight order
for the big cat. This comes
after a boy was killed and a
plantation worker seriously
injured in a tiger attack at
Belluru village in Ponnam-
pet taluk of South Kodagu
on Monday.
The boy was
identified as
Rangaswa-
my (8) while
his grandfather, Kencha,
was injured and has been
hospitalised in Mysuru.
After this incident, two
Kodagu MLAs on Tuesday
took up in the Assembly
the issue of repeated man-
animal conflicts. BJP MLA
from Virajpet, KG Bopaiah,
said in the Assembly, “If
the forest department
cannot catch or kill the
man-eating animal, let us
know. We will take neces-
sary action. We will kill and
marry the tiger (referring to
‘Nari Mangala’ tradition of
the Kodava community.”
Kolkata: West Bengal
Chief Minister Mama-
ta Banerjee said she
was attacked today
while in Nandigram,
where she had gone to
file her nomination for
the coming elections.
Visuals from the spot
showed security guards
lifting and placing her
on the backseat of a car.
The 66-year-old -- who
has sustained many an
injury earlier in the
line of work -- appeared
pale, visibly shaken
and in much pain.
The Chief Minister
said she was pushed by
four or five men while
she was trying to get
into her car. Pointing to
her leg, she added, “See
how it is swelling up”.
According to the po-
lice, she was meeting lo-
cal voters at the bazar
when there was an alter-
cation and the Chief
Ministerfelldowninjur-
ing her leg. She has also
sustained a slight injury
on her head, they said.
However, the chief
minister alleged that
when she was coming
out from a temple and
going towards her car,
Turn to P6
AHMEDABAD l THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2021 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208 l Vol 2 l Issue No. 105
OUR EDITIONS:
JAIPUR, AHMEDABAD
& LUCKNOW
www.firstindia.co.in
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Tirath Singh
Rawat is new
Uttarakhand
Chief Minister
Dehradun: BJP’s sur-
prise choice for the top
job in Uttarakhand Ti-
rath Singh Rawat was
sworn-in as the state’s
new chief minister on
Wednesday, replacing
Trivendra Singh Rawat
ahead of next year’s As-
sembly polls.
The oath of office
was administered on
Rawat by Uttarakhand
Governor Baby Rani
Maurya at a simple
function held at the Raj
Bhawan here in the
evening in the presence
of a host of dignitaries.
Rawat alone was
sworn-in on Wednesday
,
which means the mem-
bers of his Cabinet will
be finalised and sworn-
in later.
Rawat is currently
the BJP MP from Utta-
rakhand’s Pauri Garh-
wal Lok Sabha constitu-
ency as well as a nation-
al secretary of the party
.
He was the president
of the Uttarakhand BJP
from 2013-15. Turn to P6
...CLAIMS CONSPIRACY, SAYS PUSHED
BY 4-5 MEN, BJP REFUTES STATEMENT
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee appeared pale, visibly shaken and in much pain after getting
injured during her campaign trial at Nandigram in Purba Medinipur on Wednesday. —PHOTO BY PTI
Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar speaks in the Vidhan Sabha.
His deputy, Dushyant Chautala is seen sitting to his right.
Tirath Singh Rawat
EC SEEKS REPORT
New Delhi: Election
Commission on
Wednesday sought
a report from
West Bengal chief
secretary Alapan
Bandyopadhyay
on the Nandigram
incident. The EC
has also sought a
report from Vivek
Dubey, special
police observer and
Ajay Nayak, special
general observer,
West Bengal.
Har Har
Mahadev!
Artists paint graffiti on the wall of the Shiv Mandir on the eve
of Maha Shivratri in Mumbai on Wednesday. —PHOTO BY ANI
CRUCIAL READ
Maha Shivratri will be
celebrated across India with
festive fervour on Thursday.
Workers clean Lord Shiva’s
mega statue at Gurugram
on Wednesday.

NEWS
AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2021
02
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3municipalcorpsinductnewoffice-bearers
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The
Bharatiya Janata Par-
ty (BJP) state parlia-
mentary board on
Wednesday selected
office-bearers for
Ahmedabad, Va-
dodara and Bhavna-
gar municipal corpo-
rations. Post the offi-
cial announcement of
mayors, deputy may-
ors and standing com-
mittee chairmen, the
first general board
meeting of all three
corporations was held
in the respective cit-
ies.
Kirit Parmar was in-
ducted as the
Ahmedabad mayor, who
will be supported by
deputy mayor Geetaben
Patel during his office
tenure. Hitesh Barot
was selected to be the
standing committee
chairman of
Ahmedabad Municipal
Corporation (AMC),
with Bhaskar Bhatt as
the BJP leader of oppo-
sition and Arunsinh
Rajput as the party
whip. According to par-
ty representatives, Par-
mar has roots in the
Rashtriya Swayamse-
vak Sangh (RSS) and is
a down-to-earth indi-
vidual, who has chosen
not to move into the
mayor’s official resi-
dence but stay put in his
home located in Virab-
hagat ni Chali in Bapu-
nagar area of the city
.
Sources indicated
that Union Home Min-
ister Amit Shah had a
say in the selection of
the deputy mayor,
standing committee
chairman and party
whip, and that is the
reason why all three be-
long to western part of
Ahmedabad. Interest-
ingly, it falls under the
Gandhinagar Lok Sab-
ha constituency, which
is represented by Shah.
Promising to work on
easing traffic conges-
tion, standing commit-
tee chairman Hitesh
Barot said that the cor-
poration will plan flyo-
vers on all crossroads in
the city
.
In Vadodara, Keyur
Rokadiya was appoint-
ed the mayor and Nand-
aben Joshi, the deputy
mayor. Dr Hitendra Pa-
tel was inducted as the
Vadodara Municipal
Corporation (VMC)
standing committee
chairman.
Addressing the maid-
en general body meet-
ing of the newly induct-
ed body, Rokadiya as-
sured citizens that de-
velopment will be high
on his agenda and all
pending projects for ba-
sic amenities will be
fast-tracked.
Party sources from
Vadodara stated that
Parakramsinh Jadeja,
Dr Sheetal Mistry and
Dr Hitendra Patel were
the frontrunners for
the mayoral position
and many were sur-
prised at Rokadiya’s ap-
pointment. They added
that Jadeja’s support-
ers were prepared for
celebrations had he
been declared as the
mayor but, had to toe
the party line and re-
spect the decision made
by senior leaders.
Bhavnagar has in-
ducted Kirtiben Danid-
hariya as its mayor,
with Kumar Shah as
the deputy mayor.
Dhirubhai Dhameliya
was named the Bhavna-
gar Municipal Corpo-
ration (BMC) standing
committee chairman.
While Kirtiben has
been elected from Con-
gress for the past two
terms, Shah served as
the standing commit-
tee member in the pre-
vious term.
First-timer office-
bearer Budhabhai Go-
hel of the Koli commu-
nity was selected as the
party leader of opposi-
tion in the municipal
corporation and coun-
sellor Pankajsinh Gohil
was appointed as the
party whip. Incidental-
ly, this is Gohil’s second
term, as he was a mem-
ber of the standing
committee previously
.
A’badmayorKiritParmar’sparentsathisresidenceinVirabhagatniChaliinAhmedabad.
—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI
Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Bhavnagar bodies announced the appointments on Wednesday; maiden standing committee meets held
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: During
the ongoing state leg-
islative assembly ses-
sion, discussion on
the Budget for the
next fiscal year was
conducted on Wednes-
day
, where Pavijetpur
MLA Sukhram Rath-
wa of Congress held
court and initiated
the debate instead of
Leader of Opposition
Paresh Dhanani. Also
Deputy Leader of Op-
position Congres
Shailesh Parmar
spoke about the debt
racked up by the
Bharatiya Janata Par-
ty (BJP) government
over the years.
Addressing the
House, Parmar asserted
that “each Gujarati had
a debt of Rs49,600 on
their heads.” He also
shared details of the
debt surge under the
leadership of each chief
minister starting from
Chhabil Mehta. Parmar
insisted that the debt
has been increasing at
breakneck speed, due to
which, “the citizens of
Gujarat were buried un-
der it.”
Sharing data, the Dy-
LoP stated, “From 1995
to 2021, the total debt
racked up by the state
stands at Rs2,97,000
crore and is more than
the estimate in Budgets
presented. Maybe the
electronic voting ma-
chines (EVMs) are not
made in Kamalam (BJP
headquarters in Guja-
rat), nor are the vac-
cines but, debt has been
increasing due to Ka-
malam.”
In the past five years,
the state government
has paid Rs86,120 crore
as loan interest with a
capitalof Rs61,055crore.
It took out a loan of
Rs1,44,951 crore, he add-
ed.
Commenting on the
issues faced by the pub-
lic, Parmar said, “The
education mafia are
steadfast as are the
white-collar goons and
land mafia. Atrocities
on Dalits have not
ceased, neither has
horse-trading (ahead of
elections) and anti-so-
cial aliments have con-
tinued to wreak havoc.”
Requesting the gov-
ernment to end “un-
necessary spending
and attempts to fill its
coffers”, Parmar
asked that it focus on
reducing the state’s
debt.
State debt increased to Rs2.79 lakh cr under BJP’s regime
ONE FOR THE MONEY

In the last
26 years,
the govern-
ment has
taken sev-
eral loans
to grease
the govern-
ance ma-
chinery
BJP Gujarat headquarters ‘Kamalam’ in Gandhinagar . —FILE PHOTO
GovernmenttopayRs1.6Kcrore
insurancepremiumtocompanies
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: The
state government on
Wednesday informed
the state legislative as-
sembly that it will pay
over Rs1,600 crore as
premium to insurance
companies for provid-
ing crop insurance for
2019 and 2020. Accord-
ing to official records,
insurance companies
paid farmers a total of
Rs150 crore approxi-
mately for crop failure
claims made by them.
Junagadh MLA
Bhikhabhai Joshi had
asked about the premi-
um paid to various in-
surance companies un-
der the Pradhan Mantri
Fasal Bima Yojana for
two years till December
31,2020.Healsoinquired
about the claims made
by farmers and the pay-
ments made to them.
In response to Joshi’s
queries, state agricul-
ture minister RC Faldu
said that a total of
Rs16,08,62,77,435 was to
be paid as premium for
crop insurance for the
two- year period till De-
cember 31, 2020. “The
maximum premium of
Rs620,45,78,663 will be
paid to Reliance Gener-
al Insurance Limited,
Rs396,93,31,438 is to be
paid to Universal Som-
po General Insurance
Company Limited,
Rs356,62,57,808 to be
paid to Agriculture In-
surance Company of
India, Rs2,08,97,22,218
to be paid to Bharti
AXA General Insur-
ance Company Limited,
Rs19,19,95,444 to be paid
to Bajaj Allianz General
Insurance Company
Limited and
Rs5,43,91,884 to be paid
to United India insur-
ance Company Limit-
ed,” he stated.
The minister also in-
formed the House that a
total of Rs149,40,81,504
was paid by insurance
companies for claims
made by the farmers.
Out of which,
Rs37,78,45,409 was paid
for the Ravi crops in
2018-19, Rs111,52,15,275
for the Kharif crop
claims in 2019 and
Rs10,20,820 for Ravi sea-
son in 2019- 2020. There-
after, the crop insur-
ance scheme was pulled
back but a total of 23,707
farmers benefited in
the Ravi season of 2018-
19, around 91,606 farm-
ers in Kharif season of
2019 and 209 farmers
benefitted in 2019 -20.
After hearing Faldu’s
address, the Congress
party remained uncon-
vinced and alleged that
the farmers had not
benefited from the
Pradhan Mantri Fasal
Bima Yojana or the
Mukhya Mantri Kisan
Sahay Yojana.
Vadnagar residents want to
rename municipality building
First India Bureau
Mehsana: After re-
naming the newly
renovated Sardar Pa-
tel (Motera) Stadium
as Narendra Modi
Stadium, a group of
people from Vadna-
gar have urged the
local body leaders to
rename the new na-
garpalika building
as Narendra Damod-
ardas Modi Seva Sad-
an. Vadnagar is the
hometown of Prime
Minister Modi.
According to local
media reports, many
people from the town
have been asking the
municipality to repay
their gratitude to the
former CM of Guja-
rat. A group of citi-
zens also submitted a
memorandum to the
mamlatdar in this re-
gard. They requested
a crossroads near the
Vadnagar public li-
brary to be renamed
as the Narendra Modi
Square too.
In their memoran-
dum, the citizens
stated that the cur-
rent PM was respon-
sible for develop-
ment in the area,
which includes an
engineering college
and also a medical
college. However,
sources said that the
new building is al-
ready set to be named
Pandit Dindayal
Bhavan.
Vadnagar Seva Sadan
—FILE PHOTO
DEBT INCREMENT UNDER CM TENURE
Chhabildas Mehta 1994-1995 `12,990 crore
Keshubhai Patel 1998-2001 `14,800 crore
Narendra Modi 2001-2014 `1,67,451 crore
Anandiben Patel &
Vijay Rupani
2015-2021 `2,434,60 crore
NAME YEAR DEBT
The new AMC office-bearers at the civic body office on Wednesday. —PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI
Vadodara mayor Keyur Rokadiya
Bhavnagar mayor Kirtiben Danidhariya
Vadodara deputy mayor Nandaben Joshi
They have submitted a memo with the local
mamlatdar and asked that the new structure be
called Narendra Damodardas Modi Seva Sadan

GUJARAT
03
Rann Utsav generated income
for govt, no clarity on locals
NoofficialdataofemploymentreceivedbythemwaspresentedintheHouse
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: The
annual Rann Utsav
organized in the
Kutch district of the
state may not be as
advantageous for lo-
cals as it is touted to
be, if the discussion
during the state leg-
islative assembly’s
Wednesday session is
to be believed. The in-
formation shared by
in the House did not
mention local em-
ployment benefits re-
ceived by residents.
The government pre-
sented data regarding
the income generated
by the festival for the
state but denied having
any estimate of em-
ployment opportuni-
ties gained by locals.
Stating that the total
earnings from the
Rann Utsav festival
were Rs9.44 crore in
royalties, representa-
tives of the ruling
Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) however had no
response to local em-
ployment generated
from it.
The query regarding
royalty income gener-
ated from the festival
by the state govern-
ment in the last two
years was raised by
Congress MLA Santok-
ben Orathiya of Rapar
constituency. In re-
sponse to her question,
the government assert-
ed that it had gained
earnings of Rs4.62
crore in 2019 and Rs4.81
crore in 2020.
When asked if there
was any increment in
the employment oppor-
tunities granted to lo-
cals in the district, the
government mentioned
that no such estimate
of numbers had been
surveyed for the time
period as of now.
According to data ta-
bled in the House, the
state generated Rs3.55
crore from the entry
fees for White Rann. In
2019, it earned Rs2.10
core and Rs1.45 core in
2020 during the Rann
Utsav.
Rann Utsav —FILE PHOTO
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar:Around
one-third of the popu-
lation in the state of
Gujarat lives below
the poverty line, ac-
cording to Congress
MLAs. As per data ta-
bled in the state legis-
lative assembly on
Wednesday, opposi-
tion party representa-
tives claimed that
over 31.41 lakh fami-
lies lived in deplora-
ble conditions.
There are 2,411 fami-
lies in the Amreli dis-
trict who have been liv-
ing below the poverty
line in the last two
years. In the Rajkot dis-
trict, as many as 1,509
families lived below the
poverty line. Members
of the Gujarat Pradesh
Congress Committee
criticized the ruling
Bhartiya Janta Party
(BJP) government by
saying they had not
done enough work to
uplift the poor in the
state.
The Congress MLAs
further stated taking
into account that one
family had six mem-
bers each, then a total
of 1.88 crore people
were believed to be
living below the pov-
erty line in the state.
In the last two years,
only three districts –
Narmada, Chhota
Udepur, and Panch-
mahal – did not see an
increase in the num-
ber of such families.
On the other hand,
the districts of Tapi,
Surat and Navsari dis-
tricts did add families
to the category. Inci-
dentally, all details
regarding the topic
shared in the House
were of the families
who have ration
cards.
One-third of Guj citizens live below poverty line: Cong
IN MISERY
Despitevaccine,stategets
675newcases;nofatalities
Social media influencer arrested for bike stunts
First India Bureau
Surat: Local police on
Wednesday arrested
a second-year BCom
student for allegedly
performing danger-
ous bike stunts and
uploading videos of
the act on social me-
dia platforms. Ac-
cording to police, the
woman, who lives in
Bardoli, was driving
a motorcycle without
wearing a mask.
With over 3.27 lakh
followers on a social
media platform, the ac-
cused has been identi-
fied as Sanjana alias
Princy Prasad. Surat
police initiated inquir-
ies into the matter after
a video of her perform-
ing dangerous maneu-
vers on a KTM bike
were popularly shared
in the virtual world. Of-
ficials then traced the
owner of the bike Mo-
hammed Bilal, who
confirmed that he had
lent his vehicle to Prin-
cy for photography and
driving. She has been
booked under the Epi-
demic Diseases Act for
riding the vehicle with-
out a mask and endan-
gering people’s lives. A
social influencer, Prin-
cy has multiple ac-
counts on various so-
cial media platforms
that have posts of her
stunts on different ve-
hicles.
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: Even
as senior citizens
continue to receive
doses of the COV-
ID-19 vaccine, the
surge in the COV-
ID-19 cases witnessed
since the beginning
of the month has
failed to abate. On
Wednesday, 675 new
cases of the virus in-
fection were reported
in the state, taking
the total number of
cases to 2,75,197,
since March 2020.
However, not a single
death was reported
across the state in the
last 24 hours, as of 5
pm. The state’s pan-
demic death toll stands
at 4,418, said a release
of the state health and
family welfare depart-
ment.
Surat Municipal Cor-
poration registered 161
new COVID-19 cases,
highest in the state, fol-
lowed by Ahmedabad
Municipal Corporation
(141), Vadodara Mu-
nicipal Corporation
(96) and Rajkot Munici-
pal Corporation (65).
With 484 more pa-
tients recovering dur-
ing the day, the tally of
discharged cases in-
creased to 2,67,250. The
state’s rate of recovery
stands at 97.11% as on
Tuesday, said an offi-
cial document.
The numbers of ac-
tive cases in Gujarat
currently stand at
3,529, of which, 47 pa-
tients are on ventilator
support, while 3,482 are
in stable condition.
A health press bul-
letin further stated
that four districts -
Botad, Dang, Por-
bandar, and Valsad -
did not report a sin-
gle COVID-19 case on
the day.
Over 2,411 families in Amreli district were found to be surviving below poverty line.
According to the opposition
party, over 31.41 lakh families
were barely surviving on a
day-to-day basis; criticize
BJP for no action
Surti 11-yr-
old breaks
10m air pistol
shooting
record
First India Bureau
Surat: With only
two months of
practice under
her belt, an
11-year-old girl
has shattered all
records to gain
the winning
score of 318 out
of 400 at the Gu-
jarat State
Shooting Compe-
tition organized
by the Military
and Rifle Train-
ing Association
of Ahmedabad
from February
25 to March 6.
After shooting
over 40 short tar-
gets in 60 minutes,
Surat’s Siddhi Pa-
tel also broke a
22-year-old record
in the 10 metre air
pistol category.
She has been se-
lected for the
youth category
shooting and will
now undergo
training to pre-
pare for the air
pistol shooting
competition to be
organized in
Mumbai.
Talking about
her record-break-
ing success, Sid-
dhi said, “I want
to bring home an
Olympic gold
medal and bring
glory to Surat on
an international
level.”
With more
than 270 partici-
pants from differ-
ent cities and dis-
tricts of Gujarat
in competition,
Siddhi came out
on top. She cred-
ited her success
to her coachTrip-
ti Chevali and
training for a
minimum of five
hours daily
.
FOR THE BHOLENATH
On the eve of the
Maha Shivratri
festival, a priest
and devotee
duo cleaned
the shivling
located in
Nirnaynagar area
of Ahmedabad
on Wednesday.
They sprayed it
with water for
celebrations
today.
—PHOTO BY
HANIF SINDHI
HC rejects Patel’s
plea for removal of
bail condition
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The Gu-
jarat High Court on
Wednesday rejected
the plea of Gujarat
Pradesh Congress
Committee (GPCC)
working president
HardikPateltoremove
the condition of court
permission to travel
out of state. Patel was
directedbythecourtto
seek approval from a
lower court each time
he wishes to visit plac-
es out of Gujarat.
Last week, a lower
court had granted per-
mission to Patel for
travel within the state.
It had also ruled that
he would need to
sought prior approval
from it should he wish
totravelawayfromthe
state, mentioning that
it would be at the dis-
cretion of the lower
court to grant permis-
sion or not.
One of the bail con-
ditions imposed upon
Patel after he was ar-
rested in January 2020
for failing to appear
before a trial court in
connection with the
First Information Re-
port(FIR)filedagainst
him in 2015 by the
Ahmedabad Crime
Branch.
The crime branch
had filed a sedition
case against the GPCC
president and three
others for leading the
Patidar agitation de-
manding reservation
for socially and eco-
nomically underprivi-
leged under the ban-
nerof PatidarAnamat
Andolan Samiti
(PAAS).
Earlier, he had
moved a petition be-
fore the lower court as
well as the HC seeking
suspensionordeletion
of the travel specific
bail condition. How-
ever, it was rejected by
both courts.
GPCC working prez Hardik Patel. —FILE PHOTO
A senior citizen getting the vaccine shot in Ahmedabad. —FILE PHOTO
Sanjana aka Princy Prasad on her bike.

Vol 2 Issue No. 105 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208. Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar Printing Planet Survey No.148P, Changodar-Bavla Highway, Tal. Sanand, Dist. Ahmedabad.
Published at D/302 3rd Floor Plot No. 35 Titanium Square, Scheme No. 2, Thaltej Taluka, Ghatlodiya, Ahmedabad. Editor-In-Chief: Jagdeesh Chandra. Editor: Anita Hada Sangwan responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act
PERSPECTIVE
04
f late, state-
ments from the
highest level in
Pakistan’s gov-
ernment have
urgedtheglobalcommunity
to build a relationship with
thecountrycenteredaround
“geoeconomic security
.”
The new policy posture is
aimed at the Biden adminis-
tration, but it appears in
equal proportion in Paki-
stan’s recent diplomatic
overturestoothercountries.
In the past, Pakistan’s
global pitch was peppered
with terms such as “geo-
strategic pivot” — an um-
brella concept for military
and security nuances — to
emphasize its indispensa-
bility in South Asia. This
predisposition informed
the overall trajectory of
the US–Pakistan relation-
ship since the 9/11 attacks
in 2001, as well as the bur-
geoning China–Pakistan
bonhomie that has mani-
fested through the China–
Pakistan Economic Corri-
dor (CPEC).
WHAT AN AFGHAN
PEACE DEAL
COULD LOOK LIKE
Pakistan’s sojourn from
“geostrategy” to “geoeco-
nomics” is led by the coun-
try’s national security ad-
viser, Moeed Yusuf. In his
speech at the Wilson Cent-
er in January, Yusuf re-
minded the United States
that it would be engaging
with a “very different Paki-
stan” that is now focused
on the “economic security
paradigm.” He said Paki-
stan should be seen beyond
the Afghanistan “prism”
as an economic partner. He
also cautioned against
viewing Pakistan from a
“third country lens and
keeping India at the center
of all conversations.”
Similar sentiments were
echoed later during the
launch of a report titled,
“Pak-Americana — Usher-
ing in a New Era of Paki-
stan–U.S. Relations,” pub-
lishedbyTabadlab,anIslam-
abad-based think tank. The
speakers at the event unerr-
ingly ground the future of
US–Pakistan relations in
economic terms. This para-
digm shift was also men-
tioned by Prime Minister
Imran Khan during his re-
centtriptoSriLanka,which
he invited to join the CPEC.
Interestingly
, Pakistan’s
new pitch has also gone in
lockstepwithrecentinterna-
tional publications. For ex-
ample,writingfortheAtlan-
tic Council, Shamila Chaud-
hary and Vali Nasr have ar-
gued that Pakistan’s strate-
gic calculus has changed
over the years and US policy
toward the country should
be informed by considera-
tions of a broad-based eco-
nomic partnership.
THE DRIVER
The underlying driver be-
hind these new policy ut-
terances could be the at-
tempted pushback against
entrenched perceptions
in US policy circles where
Pakistan has been viewed
with suspicion. In the
best of times, Pakistan
has been seen as a secu-
rity hedge for protecting
US regional interests.
Since 9/11, the US–Paki-
stan relationship has
been largely about the
South Asian nation con-
ducting counterterrorism
operations and support-
ing US military action in
Afghanistan. Lately, Paki-
stan has been trying to
put an end to the 20-year-
long war in Afghanistan
to help the US extricate
itself from the Afghan im-
broglio.
HTTPS://WWW.FAIROBSERVER.COM/
PAKISTAN’S NEW ‘GEOECONOMICS’ LAWFARE
O
I say to the Lord, You are
my Lord; apart from You I
have no good thing.
—Psalm 16:2
Spiritual
SPEAK
Top
TWEET
Dharmendra Pradhan
@dpradhanbjp
Greetings to our CISF personnel
@CISFHQrs on their 52nd
#CISFRaisingDay. The nation is
grateful to CISF for their invaluable
service in providing internal
security, safeguarding strategic,
economic infrastructural assets
and in advancing national progress.
Prakash Javadekar
@PrakashJavdekar
Congratulations to Haryana CM
Shri @mlkhattar for defeating the
No-Confidence motion moved by
Congress in Haryana Assembly today.
The trust of the people of Haryana
continues to be with BJP government
led by Shri Manohar Lal Khattar.
#HaryanaNoConfidenceMotion
t last the much awaited pro-
cess of deportation of Roh-
ingyas, the illegal immi-
grants, has begun. In a recent
move, Jammu and Kashmir
Police after the due identifica-
tion process has started mov-
ing them to “holding centres”
prior to their deportation
which is to be organised cen-
trally by the Government of
India. It is believed to be a
part of the larger all-India ex-
ercise which will finally cul-
minatewiththeirdeportation
to the country of their origin.
As is well-known these Roh-
ingyas, with established ter-
rorist links, were brought all
the way to Jammu between
2002 to 2014 during the re-
gimes of PDP- Congress, and
NC-Congress regimes. They
were also with the conniv-
ance of local politicians be-
longing to these parties pro-
vided identity documents,
ration cards and settled on
the periphery of Jammu city
surrounding the military gar-
rison at Sunjuwan. It took
some time for the majority
community in Jammu to real-
ise that it was a well-planned
conspiracy not only to chal-
lenge national security but
also to change the demogra-
phy of the winter capital city
.
The twin threat became a tin-
der box as far as Jammu was
concerned. However, the gov-
ernmental support ensured
that they continued to mush-
room in and around Jammu
only
. The fact that they were
being settled nowhere else in
the state but Jammu only fur-
ther raised the heckles of se-
curity analysts and the local
civil society
. Any move to pro-
test against their planned set-
tlement was dubbed as a right
wing communal protest and
silenced. Many of them were
also enrolled as voters and
provided voter cards by the
then local MLA to enhance
his vote bank. National secu-
rity and the sentiments of the
majority population were no
consideration for these self-
seeking politicians.
The sinister design became
clearer when these illegal im-
migrants were not allowed to
settle in Kashmir despite reli-
gious affinity and were also
being supported financially
by many Kashmiri philan-
thropic organisations who
were also working towards
their rehabilitation in Jam-
mu. Even these organisations
never thought of taking them
to Kashmir where to look af-
ter them would have been
much easier logistically
. Jam-
mu due to its strategic loca-
tionandHindu-majoritychar-
acterwasobviouslythetarget
of Pakistan’s Inter-Services
Intelligence, the mastermind
of this plan. The ISI’s inten-
tion behind selecting Jammu
was two-fold: firstly; to spread
fundamentalism in the areas
they settle and keep an eye on
thesensitivemilitaryinstalla-
tionsinthenarea,secondly;to
foment serious political and
religious fights to force the
exodus of Hindus to alter the
local demography
. As and
when needed they could also
be inducted into terrorism.
Manypeoplearguedthatall
Rohingyas are not terrorists
or jihadis but then going by
the track record of the com-
munity and their presence in
large numbers in terrorist
training camps run by ISI in
Bangla Desh and Pakistan it
was well- nigh impossible to
draw a distinction. The grow-
ing dissent in Jammu to these
illegal settlers received no at-
tention of the successive state
governments. In fact their
numbers continued to swell.
The noose was finally
tightened around their neck
after the formation of new
BJP-led government at the
Centre in 2014. After BJP
formed government with
PDP in 2015 in the state it re-
alised that PDP was not sin-
cere to check the menace. It
finally withdrew from the
government in 2018 after the
Central government had be-
gun to act earnestly in 2017.
The uncompromising stance
of the new government with
relation to national security
began the process of putting
an end to their inflow as well
as take a firm view on their
deportation including one to
one talks between Prime Min-
ister Modi and Aung San Suu
Kyi, de-facto ruler of Myan-
mar. (She has now been re-
placed by a military regime).
Interestingly, it is not only
the Government of India or
the people of Jammu who
consider Rohingyas as a secu-
rity threat. Both Myanmar
and Bangladesh also consider
thesame.ManyotherMuslim
nations like Indonesia and
Malaysia who have resisted
the entry of Rohingyas into
their country also do so be-
cause of security concerns
despite sharing religious af-
finity
. In June 2017, Bangla-
desh Foreign minister Abul
Hassan Mahmood Ali told the
national parliament that Roh-
ingyas may become a threat
for national security in the
future. “Among the Cox’s
Bazar population, 20-25 per-
cent people are now Rakhine
Muslims. Such huge Rakhine
Muslimsmaybecomeathreat
for national security in the
future,” he said. Only recent-
ly his junior minister Shariar
Alam echoed the same senti-
ments when he said that the
Rohingya crisis is both a hu-
manitarian and security is-
sue. He further said that the
possibility of links between
Arakan Rohingya Salvation
Army(ARSA)andforeignter-
ror groups cannot be ruled
out. India also shared a simi-
lar view point. India had sent
relief material to the refugee
campsinBangladeshhousing
Rohingya refugees as human-
itarian aid. But humanitari-
anism and national security
cannot be viewed from the
same prism, particularly
whenIndiaisavictimof glob-
al jihadi terror.
As soon as the police began
to act, the pseudo-secular pro-
Rohingya lobby also became
active. The Rohingyas had
solid support base in Kash-
mir among the separatists
and the terrorists. In the past
whenever protests were made
in Jammu to deport them
there used to be a severe back-
lash in Kashmir because the
whole issue of national secu-
rity was communalised by
the vested lobby by portray-
ing it as a religious vendetta.
Hurriyat at one time had
threatened of a Valley-wide
agitation. Terrorists openly
supported the Rohingyas
though it is said that terror-
ists have no religion. Notori-
ous Kashmiri terrorist Zakir
Musa had threatened to kill
Hindus of Jammu if Rohing-
yas were deported. AQIS and
ISIS had also called for com-
ing to the aid of Rohingyas.
Fortunately
, with the changed
environment the separatist
andterroristvoiceshavebeen
silencedinKashmir.Buttheir
new Avtaars in Kashmir rep-
resented by the Gupkar Alli-
ance have begun to criticise
the government’s move and
dubbed it once again as reli-
gious vendetta.
The patron of Gupkar Alli-
ance has said that India being
a signatory to the UN charter
must abide by it and work on
humanitariangrounds.While
his party spokesperson ac-
cused the then Vajpayee led
NDA government of settling
them in Jammu. Dr Abdullah
also supported him indirectly
by saying, “Nobody can settle
here without the permission
of the Government of India.”
Having failed in its ambitious
plan of overhauling Jammu’s
demography
,NCisnowtrying
tospin-doctoranewnarrative.
But everybody in Jammu is
aware of the truth and no
amountof spin-doctoringwill
help NC, PDP or Congress to
wash their hands away from
involvementinfacilitatingthe
Rohingyas to settle here ille-
gally and in the process facili-
tate the nefarious designs of
ISI. Incidentally
, India is not a
signatory to the 1951 UN con-
vention on refugees.
Where was the humanitar-
ian conscience of Dr Farooq
Abdullah and his party that
had turned a blind eye to the
persecutionandethniccleans-
ing of Hindu Kashmiri Pun-
dit community from their an-
cestral land by blood thirsty,
slogan shouting, gun trotting
locals to convert Kashmir
fromamulti-ethnic,peacelov-
ing, multi-religious society to
a monolith? Till date except
for a lip-service they have
made no sincere effort for
their safe and honourable re-
turn to their home land.
The clear aim of these po-
litical parties is to draw the
necessary political mileage
through polarisation which
is a sad reflection of their to-
tal disregard of national se-
curity for petty vote bank
politics. But the Government
of India is sincere and un-
compromising on the issue
of national security hence it
is not going to blink or get
buckled down by such ac-
tions of the self-seeking op-
position parties.
The police needs to be com-
plimented but it has a long
haul yet. The number of ille-
gally settled Rohingyas is not
in hundreds but thousands
and may have reached till ten
thousand by now. Many of
themormissingpossiblyhave
mixed and settled with the lo-
cal population through fraud-
ulent means. Police has an
arduous task ahead to identi-
fy
,locateanddeportthem.But
one thing is crystal clear Roh-
ingyashavetogoback.Thisis
unnegotiable. Their exit from
Jammu is mandatory
. The na-
tion can ill afford to let the
design of ISI succeed in stra-
tegically vital Jammu.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
ROHINGYAS HAVE TO GO BACK
A LARGER ALL-INDIA EXERCISE WILL FINALLY CULMINATE WITH THEIR DEPORTATION TO COUNTRY OF THEIR
A
Many people
argued that all
Rohingyas are
not terrorists or
jihadis but then
going by the
track record of
the community
and their
presence in
large numbers
in terrorist
training camps
run by ISI in
Bangla Desh
and Pakistan it
was well- nigh
impossible to
draw a
distinction.
BRIG VETERAN
ANIL GUPTA
The author is a Jammu
based veteran, political
commentator, columnist, security
and strategic analyst
INTERESTINGLY, IT IS NOT ONLY GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
OR PEOPLE OF JAMMU WHO CONSIDER ROHINGYAS AS
A SECURITY THREAT. BOTH MYANMAR AND
BANGLADESH ALSO CONSIDER THE SAME. MANY OTHER
MUSLIM NATIONS LIKE INDONESIA AND MALAYSIA WHO
HAVE RESISTED THE ENTRY OF ROHINGYAS INTO THEIR
COUNTRY ALSO DO SO BECAUSE OF SECURITY
CONCERNS DESPITE SHARING RELIGIOUS AFFINITY.

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INDIA
05
Kerala polls: PC Chacko quits,
says no democracy left in Cong
Kerala: Senior Con-
gress leader PC Chacko,
a former Lok Sabha MP
from Thrissur district
in Kerala, quit the party
on Wednesday, report.
His resignation came
less than a month be-
fore Assembly elections
in the state.
Chackosaidtherewas
“groupism” within the
Congress. He also com-
plained that there was
no democracy in the
party, according to
sources. “Kerala is fac-
ing a crucial election,”
Chacko said. “People
want [the] Congress to
come back but there is
groupism practiced by
top leaders of Congress.
Ihavebeenarguingwith
high command that this
should be ended.”
Chacko alleged that
the Congress high com-
mand was being a
“mute witness to this
disaster”. “Congress is
a great tradition,” he
said. “Being a Congress
man is a prestigious
thing but today in Kera-
la nobody can be a Con-
gress man. One can be-
long to either ‘I group’
or ‘A group’. So I decid-
ed to call it a day
.”
Chacko accused the
Congress of ignoring
leaders in Kerala in
choosing candidates for
the Assembly elections.
“There is no democracy
left in the Congress,” he
said. “The list of candi-
dates has not been dis-
cussed with the state
Congress committee. I
have sent my resigna-
tion to Sonia Gandhi.”
Chacko added that be-
ing a Congress leader in
Keralawasverydifficult.
He claimed that a party
member can “survive”
only if one belonged to a
faction in the Congress.
“The leadership of the
Congress is not much
active,” he said.
The senior politician
said he hoped his resig-
nation will be an eye-
opener, reports. “I’m un-
happy with the function-
ing of the Congress,” he
said. “The Congress is
becoming weaker and
weaker day by day
, if my
resignation opens the
eye, then I will think my
resignation has served
the purpose.”
Congress leader
Anand Sharma dis-
missed Chacko’s allega-
tions. —ANI
Congress leader and Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi has sent sports shoes to Kanyakumari’s 12-year-
old boy Antony Felix as promised. During Rahul’s Tamil Nadu tour Felix, had told Rahul that he is the
runner of the 100 meters race. Rahul had promised to send him a pair of shoes which he got today.
SCtoCentre:Whynowomen
inNat’lDefenceAcademy?
Denial of admission for women to NDA has been
challenged by a petitioner in the Supreme Court
New Delhi: Denial of
admission for women to
the National Defence
Academy has been chal-
lenged by a petitioner
in the Supreme Court,
which has asked the
centre to respond to it.
The petition filed by
Kush Kalra, an advo-
cate, said women being
not allowed admission
to the National Defence
Academy (NDA) is a vi-
olation of fundamental
right of equality and
right to practice a pro-
fession.
The NDA is the coun-
try’s joint military
training institution for
producing junior lead-
ers for the armed forc-
es. The petition said
eligible women candi-
dates with 10+2 level of
education are denied
an opportunity to take
the NDA examination
on the ground of their
gender, and the conse-
quence of this denial is
that they do not have
access to any mode of
entry to the armed
forces as officers at
this level.
The petition said the
number of women in
the armed forces is
extremely low.
National Defence Academy
INDIA EXPORTING DEFENCE
EQUIPMENT TO 84 COUNTRIES: GOVT
INS KARANJ, INDIGENOUS SUBMARINE,
COMMISSIONED INTO INDIAN NAVY
New Delh: Minister of State for Defence Shripad
Naik on Wednesday shared the details of the
important defence equipment exported during
the last five years. In a written reply in the Lok
Sabha in response to a question asked by Kaushal
Kishore and P P Chaudhary, Naik informed that
presently defence items from India are being
exported to more than 84 countries.
A third Scorpene class submarine INS Karanj of
Project-75 was on Wednesday commissioned
into the Indian navy,
after two years of sea
trials.The submarine
was launched in Jan
2018 for sea trials
and will increase the
strength and capability of the Indian navy, said
chief of staff (CNS) admiral Karambir Singh.
Demarche to UK
over agriculture
laws discussion
MUKESH AMBANI BOMB SCARE: MUMBAI COP TRANSFERRED
‘An outsider, Didi’s mantras all wrong’:
Suvendu Adhikari plays recording
Mumbai: The Maha-
rashtra government on
Wednesday announced
the transfer of Assis-
tant Police Inspector
Sachin Vaze from the
Mumbai Crime Branch
after the cop was ac-
cused of murdering
Mansukh Hiren.
Hiren, who owned
the vehicle that was
found laden with explo-
sives near billionaire
businessman Mukesh
Ambani’s residence,
was found dead in the
Kalwa creek last week.
Addressing the state
Legislative Assembly,
Maharashtra Home
Minister Anil Desh-
mukh said, “Police of-
ficer Sachin Vaze will
be removed from his
current posting in the
crime branch till the in-
vestigation is not com-
pleted.”
“I am taking this de-
cision in view of the ris-
ing demand from the
Opposition. We will
take appropriate action
against Vaze if he is in-
volved in his death,” the
Minister added. Hiren’s
wife, Vimla, has ac-
cused Vaze of playing a
role in his murder. Vaze
was the investigative of-
ficer in the Ambani
bomb scare case until
he was replaced by an-
other officer.
Vaze had been using
Hiren’s car from No-
vember 2020 till Febru-
ary 5, Vimla said. She
said Vaze had told her
husband to get arrested
in the case, assuring he
would be bailed out.
Vaze’s transfer comes a
day after the Opposi-
tion demanded Vaze’s
suspension and arrest.
The Leader of Oppo-
sition in the Assembly,
Devendra Fadnavis,
read parts of Vimla’s
statement in the House.
He demanded Vaze’s ar-
rest in connection with
the case.
If not murder, the cop
should at least be ar-
rested, said Fadnavis, a
former state CM. —ANI
Nandigram: Branding
West Bengal Chief Min-
ister Mamata Banerjee
as an outsider in Nandi-
gram, BJP leader and
her former protege Su-
vendu Adhikari on
Wednesday asserted
that people duped by
chit fund companies in
the state would get back
their money if the saf-
fron party is voted to
power.
Accusing Banerjee of
trying to divide commu-
nities on religious lines
ahead of the assembly
elections, Adhikari said
the TMC supremo had
“incorrectly” recited
the ‘Chandipath’ (holy
text) here on Tuesday.
The chit fund scam hap-
pened because of the
TMC government and
its leaders “looted pub-
lic money”, he alleged.
“She is an outsider in
Nandigram. She does
not even cast her vote
here. I am not only the
‘bhoomiputra’ (son of
the soil of Nandigram),
but also a regular voter
of the area.
“I have been with the
people of this place for
several years unlike
her, who comes here
only during polls,”
Adhikari said, while in-
augurating his election
office. Nandigram As-
sembly constituency is
set for a high- octane
battle with Banerjee de-
ciding to contest from
the seat against Adhi-
kari. —ANI
New Delhi: India sum-
moned the British high
commissioner on Tues-
day and conveyed its
strong opposition to the
“unwarranted and ten-
dentious” discussion on
India’s agri reforms in
the UK Parliament, de-
scribing it a “gross in-
terference” in politics
of another country
.
The ministry of exter-
nal affairs said Foreign
Secretary Harsh Vard-
hanShringlaadvisedthe
envoy that British MPs
shouldrefrainfromprac-
tising “vote bank poli-
tics” by misrepresenting
events,especiallyinrela-
tion to another fellow
democracy
. India’s de-
marche to the envoy
came a day after several
British MPs held a dis-
cussion in the parlia-
mentoverissuesaround
the use of force against
protesters opposed to
agricultural reforms in
India and journalists be-
ing targeted while cov-
ering the protests on the
outskirts of Delhi.
“Foreign Secretary
summoned the British
high commissioner and
conveyed strong opposi-
tion to the unwarranted
and tendentious discus-
sion on agricultural re-
forms in India in the
British Parliament,”
the MEA said in a state-
ment. —ANI
SHIVRAJ SINGH CHOUHAN GIVES
HIS SPIN TO ‘PAWRI HO RAHI HAI’
Indore: After Bengal, the
‘pawri’ fever has now
made its way into Madhya
Pradesh where CM
Shivraj Singh Chouhan
gave the viral catchphrase
his own spin on Tues-
day to reiterate the BJP
government’s resolve of
cracking down against
land mafia. Chouhan, who
was in Indore to attend
a programme, was seen
in an unusual avatar on
the stage as he used the
‘pawri ho rahi hai’ meme
to laud his government’s
crackdown against mafia
in the state. “Yeh main
hun. Madhya Pradesh
main meri BJP ki sarkar
hai. Yahan meri sashakt
prashanik team hai!
Aur bhumafia Madhya
Pradesh chhod kar bhag
rahe hain),” said CM.
SECURITY FORCES GUN
DOWN CHIEF OF AL-BADR
New Delhi: The
Jammu and Kashmir
police gunned down
one terrorist in Sopre
in an encounter.
Based on specific
inputs an operation
was launched by the
Sopore police at Tujjer
Sharief after contact
was established.
During the search
operation, as the
presence of a terrorist
got ascertained he was
given opportunity to
surrender, however, he
fired indiscriminately
upon the joint search
party, which was
retaliated leading to an
encounter.
NO DAMAGE CAUSED TO
WILDLIFE OR HUMANS: GOVT
Odisha: Claiming that
no life was lost in the
forest blaze, which had
been raging in Odisha
for more than a week,
on Tuesday said “95
per cent of the fire
points” have been
extinguished or at least
attended to” over the
last 24 hours. A mas-
sive fire ripped through
vast tracts of Simlipal
National Park in May-
urbhanj district and
other wildlife habitats
nearby, raising concern
among wildlife and
environmental activ-
ists over its possible
impact.
MAN WHO ATTACKED DELHI
COP WITH SPEAR ARRESTED
New Delhi: Two persons,
including a 21-year-old
man who assaulted a
policeman on duty at Red
Fort with a spear on Jan
26, has been arrested
in connection with the
violence at the historic
monument. With this, the
total number of arrests
made in connection with
the case of violence at
the Red Fort on Republic
Day stands at 14, the
police said. It may be
noted that various teams
of the Crime Branch Unit,
probing the Red Fort
violence case, have been
conducting regular raids
in Delhi and Punjab in
search of the culprits. The
duo, Maninderjit Singh,
23, and Khempreet Singh,
21, which was actively
involved in the violence.
Resolution in Andhra
assembly for steel plant
Visakhapatnam: The
Rajya Sabha member
and YSRCP general sec-
retary Vijayasai Reddy
and tourism minister M
Srinivasa Rao said they
would meet the Prime
Minister and also pass a
resolution in the
Andhra assembly for
the protection of Vizag
Steel Plant.
Speaking to media
persons on Tuesday,
they said that they are
committed to the pro-
tection of the plant.
“Andhra Pradesh chief
minister YS Jagan Mo-
han Reddy had written
a letter to the Prime
Minister and requested
him not to privatise the
plant,” they said.—ANI
TMC MIN
HANSDA
AND MLA
DUTTA
JOIN BJP
Kolkata: In a fresh
setback for the
TMC, State minister
Bachchu Hansda
and TMC MLA Gouri
Sankar Dutta who did
not receive a ticket
to contest in the
upcoming Assem-
bly polls, joined the
BJP on Wednesday.
Several other leaders
including TMC MP
Pratima Mondal’s sis-
ter Jayashree Mondal
and Bengali film actor
Bonny Sengupta too
joined the BJP at
the party’s Hastings
office in the presence
of West Bengal BJP
president Dilip Ghosh
and party leader
Rajib Banerjee. While
Hansda is the Minis-
ter of State for North
Bengal Development
and a two-time MLA
from Tapan seat in
South Dinajpur dis-
trict, Dutta is an MLA
from Tehatta in Nadia
district.
PC Chacko
Security heightened after gelatin sticks found in SUV outside Mukesh Ambani’s Mumbai house.

INDIA
06
New Delhi: Six states
-- Maharashtra, Kerala,
Punjab, Karnataka,
Gujarat and Tamil
Nadu -- accounted for
83.76 per cent of the
17,921 cases of COV-
ID-19 reported in the
country in a day, the
Union Health Ministry
said on Wednesday.
India’s tally of active
COVID-19 cases stood at
1.84 lakh and comprised
1.64 per cent of the total
infections, according to
the ministry’s data.
The total number of
tests conducted in In-
dia so far has crossed
22 crore and the daily
positivity rate stood at
2.43 per cent.
Maharashtra contin-
ued to report the high-
est daily new cases at
9,927, followed by Kera-
la with 2,316 cases and
Punjab 1,027 fresh in-
stances of the infection.
According to the
ministry, 133 deaths
were reported in a day,
with five states ac-
counting for 77.44 per
cent of the fatalities.
Maharashtra saw the
maximum daily deaths
at 56, followed by Pun-
jab where 20 people suc-
cumbed to the disease
and Kerala witnessing
16 fatalities.
Nineteen states and
Union Territories have
not reported any COV-
ID-19 death in a day
.
These are Rajasthan,
Andhra Pradesh, Chan-
digarh, Odisha, Uttara-
khand, Jharkhand, Bi-
har, Puducherry, Lak-
shadweep, Sikkim,
Ladakh, Manipur,
Meghalaya, Nagaland,
Daman and Diu, Dadra
and Nagar Haveli,
Tripura, Mizoram, the
Andaman and Nicobar
Islands and Arunachal
Pradesh.
According to a provi-
sional report, over 2.43
crore vaccine doses
have been administered
through 3,39,145 ses-
sions till 7 am on
Wednesday
.
These include
71,30,098 healthcare
and 69,36,480 frontline
workers who have ad-
ministered the first
dose, 38,90,257 health-
care and 4,73,422 front-
line workers who re-
ceived the second dose
of the vaccine.
Besides, 8,33,526 peo-
ple aged more than 45
years with specific co-
morbidities and
51,04,123 beneficiaries
aged over 60 years
also were given the
first dose.
On Day-53 of the vac-
cination drive, more
than 13.5 lakh vaccine
doses were given in
52,351 sessions.
Out of this, 10,60,944
beneficiaries were ad-
ministered the first
dose and 2,98,229 health-
care and frontline work-
ers received the second
dose of vaccine. —PTI
TN, MAHA, KERALA WORST AFFECTED STATES
17,921 new cases found with 1 crore recoveries so far 133 new fatalities include 56 from Maharashtra, 20 from Punjab 16 from Kerala
Senior citizens wait for their turn to get vaccinated with COVID-19 vaccine at BMC hospital in Mumbai Wednesday. —PHOTO BY PTI
New Delhi: Prime Min-
ister Narendra Modi on
Wednesday requested
MPs and all public rep-
resentatives to take part
in ‘Amrit Mahotsav’ to
mark India’s 75 years of
Independence, which
will start from March 12
in Gujarat’s Sabarmati
Ashram, Parliamenta-
ry Affairs Minister
Pralhad Joshi said.
Addressing the BJP’s
parliamentary party
meeting, Modi in-
formed that the grand
festival to commemo-
rate the 75th year of In-
dependence will be held
at 75 locations across
the country for 75
weeks, he said.
The PM also gave a
clarion call to the Mem-
bers of Parliament that
they should reach out
to people and help in
carrying out the Cov-
id-19 vaccination
drive by the govern-
ment, Joshi told report-
ers after the meet-
ing.
“PM Modiji told
MPs that they
should act as a fa-
cilitator in the ongo-
ing vaccina-
tion drive
like by ar-
ranging
vehicles
for citizens
to take
them to the vaccination
centres, helping in
making arrange-
ments at the vacci-
nation centres and
through other pos-
sible means,”
he said.
Modi
a l s o
asked all
public
repre-
senta-
tives to
t a k e
part in
‘Amrit
Mahot-
sav’ to commemorate 75
years of Independence,
Joshi said.
“The grand festival
will be celebrated at 75
locations across the
country for 75 weeks
and will start from Sa-
bramati Ashram in Ah-
mdedabad in Gujarat
from March 12,” he
said. The BJP’s parlia-
mentary party also
passed a resolution ap-
plauding the prime
minister for his able
and effective leadership
during the Covid-19
pandemic. —PTI
‘AmritMahotsavtomark75yrsofIndependence’
New Delhi: The Cen-
tral Bureau of Investi-
gation registered 425
cases of corruption in
2020, the Lok Sabha was
informed on Wednes-
day. In 2019, the federal
probe agency registered
396 cases. In 2018, 460
cases were registered.
“Total number of
corruption cases regis-
tered by CBI in current
year i.e. in 2021 till
31.01.2021 is 39,” Minis-
ter of State for Person-
nel Jitendra Singh said
in a written reply
. —PTI
425 corruption
cases registered
by CBI in 2020
Bengaluru: ISRO’s
commercial arm NewS-
pace India Limited
(NSIL) has bagged four
more dedicated launch
service contracts even
as it plans to pursue sat-
ellite building deals.
NSIL launched its
first dedicated commer-
cial mission on Febru-
ary 28, orbiting Brazil-
ian satellite Amazo-
nia-1 from Sriharikota
spaceport of the ISRO.
“We currently have
four more dedicated
launch service con-
tracts, which will be ex-
ecuted in the coming
two to three years,”
NSIL’s Chairman and
Managing Director G
Narayanan told news
agency PTI.
NSIL is also actively
pursuing the new poli-
cy change to provide
space-based services on
‘’demand driven basis’’,
a shift from the current
supply driven model, he
said. “Towards this we
are in discussions with
several users to ascer-
tain their demands and
shortly you will hear
from us regarding firm
agreements for build-
ing and launching of
satellites through
NSIL”, he said. —PTI
ISRO’s commercial arm bags
4 contracts, eyes satellite deals
New Delhi: 33% of
the sitting MLAs in
Tamil Nadu - 68 out
of the 204 - have de-
clared criminal
cases against them,
as per report by poll
rights group ADR
(Association for
Democratic Re-
forms). Out of the
total sitting MLAs
from the poll-bound
state, 38 (19%)
MLAs have serious
criminal cases
against them, it
said. Serious crimi-
nal cases are non-
bailable offences
with over five years
of imprisonment.
33% TN MLAs
have criminal
cases against
them: Report
New Delhi: As many as
755 FIRs have been reg-
istered and 1,829 people
were arrested in con-
nection with the north-
east Delhi riots last
year, the Centre in-
formed Parliament on
Wednesday
.
Minister of State for
Home G Kishan Reddy
told the Rajya Sabha the
investigation was car-
ried out in all the cases
based on facts and evi-
dence, using the latest
scientific techniques,
and without any regard
to the affiliation or
identity of the accused.
Mr Reddy said the
Delhi Police conveyed
that 755 FIRs had been
registered in connec-
tion with the riots, out
of which 62 heinous
cases were investigated
by the special investiga-
tion teams in the crime
branch. A total of 1,829
people have been ar-
rested charge sheets
in 353 cases have been
submitted in the court
for trial, he added. —PTI
1,829 arrested, 755 cases
lodged in connection with
Delhi riots, says Centre
New Delhi: Pfizer has told the government it wants
to produce its vaccine locally if assured of faster
regulatory clearance and freedom on pricing and
exports, sources told the media. The US company
pulled an application last month seeking emergen-
cy approval for its product in India after the drug
regulator declined its request to skip a small local
safety trial. That has kept its vaccine, developed
with Germany’s BioNTech SE, out of one of the
world’s biggest drug markets. Pfizer was the first
company to apply for emergency use authorisation
in India, proposing to import doses from its US
European facilities instead of producing locally.
New Delhi: More than 2.43 crore (2,43,67,906)
vaccine doses have been administered through
3,39,145 sessions across the States and Union
Territories so far, Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare (MoHWF) informed on Wednesday.
“More than 2.43 cr (2,43,67,906) vac-
cine doses have been administered through
3,39,145 sessions across the States and UTs.
Meanwhile, 83.76 per cent of the new cases
are from Maharashtra, Kerala, Punjab, Karna-
taka, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. —PTI
PFIZER WANTS TO MAKE VAX IN INDIA
IF FASTER CLEARANCE ASSURED
OVER 2.4 CRORE VACCINE DOSES
ADMINISTERED SO FAR ACROSS INDIA
New Delhi: Farmers
are ready to continue
protests on the bor-
ders of Delhi, against
the three agricultur-
al laws, for the re-
maining three and
half years of the Nar-
endra Modi govern-
ment’s second term,
said farmer leader
Narendra Tikait. The
protests cannot be
“culled” he said.
The farmers’ pro-
test has been contin-
uing for more than
100 days. Narendra
Tikait does not hold
any official position
in the Bharatiya
Kisan Union (BKU),
formed by his father,
Mahendra Singh Ti-
kait, in 1986. He
mostly focuses on
the family’s farming
activities but is as
vocal on farmers’ is-
sues as his two elder
brothers, Naresh
and Rakesh Tikait,
who are leading from
the front. —PTI
Will protest till
Modi govt lasts:
Narendra Tikait
Farmers protesting against the new farm laws.
NSIL launched its first dedicated commercial mission on Feb 28.
GOVT’S TACTICS
Prime Minister
Narendra Modi
BJP-JJP...
adding, “Don’t take our
patience as our weak-
ness,” he said.
Congress’s former
Chief Minister Bhupin-
der Singh Hooda said
Chief Minister Khattar’
s inability to hoist the
flag in Panipat on Janu-
ary 26 indicated its un-
popularity among peo-
ple. Mr Khattar’s chop-
per was not allowed to
land by protesting
farmers. He also re-
minded the government
that agriculture is a
state subject, saying,
Senior Congress lead-
er Raghuvir Singh Ka-
dian said the no-confi-
dence motion would
make it clear who
stands with farmers
and who is against
them. “Entry boards
have been put up out-
side villages banning
entry of BJP and JJP
leaders while Khap
Panchayats have given
social boycott calls.
Never before in history
has it happened before
that the chief minister
and deputy CM’s heli-
copters are not being
allowed to land in vil-
lages,” said Kadian.
The party’s target
was seen to be JJP –
which has a considera-
ble following among
farmers.
Kadian said MLAs of
JJP, which had contest-
ed the 2019 assembly
polls against the BJP
before forging an alli-
ance, should examine
their conscience.
didi hurt...
four-five people sudden-
ly pushed her car’s door
and her right leg got
stuck in the door, injur-
ing her right knee and
ankle in the process.
Visibly furious, Ba-
nerjee said, “This is a
conspiracy. No admin-
istration was there to
protect me. Police Su-
per was also not there.
They basically came
there to hurt me. I de-
cided to return to Kol-
kata right now.” Baner-
jee, who was expected
to spend the night in
Nandigram, soon left
for Kolkata, around 130
km away
.
The attack came a
day after the Election
Commission replaced
the Director General of
Bengal Police, Virender
amid concerns of vio-
lence voiced the loudest
by the BJP. An Indian
Police Service officer of
the 1987 batch, P Niraj-
nayan, has been named
the new police chief.
Nandigram will be
the site of the biggest
battle in the state elec-
tions that begin by the
end of this month. The
Chief Minister has
been challenged by her
erstwhile aide Suvendu
Adhikari, who is now
representing the BJP.
Adhikari had won
Nandigram in 2016 on
Banerjee’s behalf. His
followers have now
dubbed her the “outsid-
er”. Adhikari has
dubbed himself
“bhoomiputra” (son of
the soil).
The BJP, which had
blamed the Trinamool
after its chief JP Na-
dda’s convoy came un-
der attack in Bengal in
December, said today’s
incident was a politi-
cal stunt by the ruling
party.
Tirath Singh...
Known as a simple and
down-to-earth leader,
Rawat takes over the
reins of power in Utta-
rakhand at a time when
the ruling Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP) is
preparing for the state
Assembly polls due ear-
ly next year. His princi-
pal challenge will be to
ensure the party anoth-
er term in office.
Earlier in the day,
Rawat was elected as
the leader of the Uttara-
khand BJP legislature
party, which came as a
surprise to many as his
name was not among
the nearly half-a-dozen
names doing the rounds
in the media over the
last few days as con-
tenders for the top post.
Rawat’s supporters
burst into celebrations
and lifted the 56-year-
old leader on their
shoulders amid the
beating of drums as his
name was announced
by outgoing chief min-
ister Trivendra Singh
Rawat as the leader of
the legislature party af-
ter its meeting at the
state BJP office at Bal-
bir Road. After the cel-
ebrations at the state
party office in the pres-
ence of senior leaders,
MLAs and MPs, Rawat
went to the Raj Bhawan
to meet the governor
and stake his claim to
form the government.
After being congratu-
lated by the outgoing
chief minister and the
BJP’s central observer
and national vice-presi-
dent Raman Singh,
Rawat thanked the top
leadership of the saf-
fron party for giving
him the new responsi-
bility
.
“I am a small party
worker from a village. I
had never imagined
that I will be a given an
opportunity like this by
the party. I hope that
with everyone’s coop-
eration and blessings, I
will fulfil the expecta-
tions from me,” he said.
FROM PG 1

CATHERINE CLASE
Physician, epidemiologist, associate professor,
McMaster University
CHARLES-FRANCOIS DE LANNOY
Assistant Professor, Chemical Engineering,
McMaster University
JUAN JESUS CARRERO
Professor of Epidemiology, Karolinska Institutet
ROBERTO PECOITS-FILHO
Professor of Medicine, Pontificia Universidade
Católica do Paraná
SCOTT LAENGERT
Professor of Medicine, Pontificia Universidade
Católica do Paraná
D
ouble masking has
emerged as a crowd-
sourced method for
adding extra layers to our
masks, using the masks
that we have — a response
to concerns about the over-
all direction of the pandem-
ic and the transmissibility
of new COVID-19 variants.
When our group recom-
mended cloth masks as a
worthwhile additional ef-
fort to reduce transmission
of COVID-19, some of the
masks that we had identi-
fied in the literature were
three-andfour-layermasks:
in an experimental setting,
they were very effective at
blocking particles exhaled
by the wearer.
We are a group of epide-
miologists and engineers
who have been working to
summarize what is known
about the filtration proper-
ties of textiles, to maintain
a plain-language website
clothmasks.ca, and to cre-
ate new knowledge about
the best textiles to use and
the best mask designs.
On the basis of our re-
search review, we recom-
mended two- to four-layer
masks, and provided a pat-
tern for making a four-layer
mask. Four layers is a chal-
lenge, though, in terms of
design, particularly for the
home or artisanal sewer,
and few commercial masks
have four layers. To sew a
four-layer mask, stitching
may have to go through
eight layers of material af-
ter turning seams, multi-
plied by three for darts or
pleats.
The simple action of
wearing two multi-layer
masks together gets around
this problem. It seems to
have arisen, like many good
ideas, in a number of plac-
es at the same time.
Filtration
efficiency
We summarize the
protective function of
a mask or mask material in
terms of the percentage of
small particles that it filters
out — the filtration
efficiency
. Every extra layer
worn increases the overall
filtration efficiency of the
mask, though not in a
simple way. This was first
shown in a laboratory
setting in 1919 and
confirmed in studies
conducted in aerosol labs in
Chicago and from the US
National Institute of
Standards and Technology
during the current
pandemic.
Nurses working in the
1919 influenza pandemic
double masked, wearing
two three-layer gauze
masks. During the first
SARS outbreak in 2003,
health-care workers in Chi-
na made twelve- to sixteen-
layer masks when they ran
out of certified personal
protective equipment. Stud-
ies that included people
wearing these masks sug-
gested that they did provide
protection for the wearer.
Increasing the filtration
efficiency is our goal wheth-
er we are trying to achieve
source control (my mask
protects you, your mask
protects me) or protection
of the wearer (my mask
protects me). Health Cana-
da recommends a middle
layer of non-woven polypro-
pylene in masks to improve
filtration efficiency
.
We think that this non-
woven material, which can
be sewn and washed like a
textile, is likely to be a use-
ful addition. Probably the
best way to improve the fil-
tration efficiency of masks
is to add a layer of polypro-
pylene, either when the
mask is made or as a wash-
able filter insert into a
pocket masks.
Wearing two such masks
together, or one mask with
polypropylene with anoth-
er that you are less sure
about, is likely to be a good
way to further improve fil-
tration. You can even layer
two masks without poly-
propylene and place a rec-
tangle of polypropylene
between masks. The ten-
sion of the outer mask will
keep it in place.
The non-standardized
community masks that we
have bought, made or been
given, imperfect and varied
though they are, are prov-
ing effective at reducing
transmission in the pan-
demic. Studies of mask
mandates in the United
States, Canada and Germa-
ny, and between-country
comparisons, all consist-
ently show associated re-
ductions in transmission
when masks are worn.
Improving filtration fur-
ther is also likely to be a
worthwhile goal: modelling
studies show that improv-
ing filtration reduces trans-
mission of COVID-19. Add-
ing layers by double mask-
ing is a way of using the
masks that we already have,
possibly to better effect.
And we need all the lever-
agewecanfindatthispoint.
Breathability
There is an important
caveat. Every layer
added also affects
breathability, or how it
feels to wear the mask in
term of the effort of
breathing. This is impor-
tant for comfort and
helps keep the mask safe
for the wearer.
If you feel short of
breath in a double mask,
it may be too many layers
for you. If you are exer-
cising in a double mask,
be alert for the feeling of
breathlessness and mon-
itor how it feels; don’t
push yourself further
than you normally
would.
The other problem
with the extra layers is
that when breathability
decreases, it means that
the resistance of the
mask to the passage of
air has increased. This
increases the pressure
inside the mask and
may cause leaking
around the edge. Some-
times the double mask,
with two sets of head
fastenings, will get
around this problem be-
cause the fit to the face
is more snug and held in
place by more points.
But there will be di-
minishing returns if
the breathability is so
poor that there is sig-
nificant airflow around
the edges of the mask.
The aim is to minimize
this completely unfil-
tered air. You can watch
out for this when you
add the second mask —
does the amount of
leakage feel less, or
more, than when you
wore one of the masks
alone? And can you
breathe comfortably
enough for the task you
are planning?
At McMaster’s Cen-
tre of Excellence in
Protective Equipment
and Materials, our
group is working with
commercial mask man-
ufacturers, textile ex-
perts, quilters and oth-
er home sewers to cre-
ate alternative designs
for masks and test them
in the laboratory. Until
such studies are done,
double masking is a
creative innovation
that is worth trying out
with the masks that
you have.
ARE TWO CLOTH MASKS
BETTER THAN ONE FOR
COVID-19?
SOURCE: THECONVERSATION.COM
Layering face masks has been suggested as a way to increase
protection against COVID-19 variants that may be more transmissible
—KENA BETANCUR/AFP
More layers provide more protection, but
it’s difficult to sew masks with more than
three layers. Wearing two multi-layer masks
together gets around this problem.
Wearing two fabric face masks together
improves filtration efficiency
TALKING POINT
07

Greetings on the occasion of
Mahashivratri, may Lord Shiva
fulfill all your wishes and bless
each aspect of your life!
—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO Editor-in-Chief, First India
08
2NDFRONT
Civil hosp sanitation
STAFF ON STRIKE
First India Bureau
Surat: More than 400
class 3 and 4 employees
of the New Civil Hospi-
tal went on a flash strike
on Wednesday over sal-
ary arrears of two
months. The angry
staff asserted that the
hospital had no money
to pay the cleaners.
All the key opera-
tions were disrupted,
with the staff being
away from operation
theaters, wards, post
mortem and trauma
centres and OPD and
squatted on the road.
Meanwhile, the Aam
Aadmi Party threw its
lot behind them and
joined the protest. They
said in previous
month’s salary they had
received from Rs 500 to
1500 less. Police re-
moved protestors.
The workers said
they had lost all pa-
tience, and that their
family went hungry
while, ironically, they
served poor patients.
They wondered the au-
thorities withheld their
salaries but not of the
highly paid doctors.
“Doctors only treat pa-
tients, we clean up all
the mess that a doctor
or hostess won’t do,”
said one of them
Staff struck work over salary arrears.
Man polishes off Rs 1.15 lakh
from his girlfriend’s account
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad : A man
arrested by the Cyber
Cell police is now fac-
ing one more accusa-
tion of siphoning Rs
1.15 lakh from the
bank account of his
girlfriend. A case of
cheating has also
been lodged against
him at the Navrang-
pura police station.
Rinaben Rathod, resi-
dent of Saijpur Bogha
and working at a private
hospital in the Navrang-
pura area, had received
an abusive message on
her Instagram account.
Rina took help of a
friend, Jay Chauhan, to
crack the source of the
absuve post.
Jay Chauhan took
away Rina’s mobile
phone for a day on the
pretext of helping her
but he copied the QR
code of her mobile wal-
let. She was shocked to
learn when the police
traced the abusive mes-
sage on her Instagram
account to none other
than Jay Chauhan and
arrested him.
She has an account
with a private bank in
which she had Rs 1.17
lakh and when she
checked her balance it
was only Rs 2,000. The
bank statement re-
vealed a few thousand
rupees were transferred
to Chauhan and others
into some company’s ac-
count and she never re-
ceived any transaction
alert from her bank.
“RENOVATING” MAHATMA’S LEGACY
Work in progress at frenetic pace on refurbishing Mahatma Gandhi’s Dandi bridge in Ahmedabad ahead of symbolic salt
march on Friday by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. —PHOTO HANIF SINDHI
Masuma Bharmal Jariwala
Rajkot: Kidneydiseases
are increasing rapidly
across the world. As the
world observes World
Kidney Day on Thurs-
day
, people can now get
everysingleinformation
relatedtothediseaseata
single click -- and in 37
languages.
Brain child of Rajkot-
based senior nephrolo-
gist Dr. Sanjay Pandya,
the website www.Kid-
neyEducation.com de-
signedbyKidneyEduca-
tion Foundation has
beenmadein37languag-
es.
The website claims to
have authentic informa-
tion by a global team of
100-plus kidney experts
and is supported and en-
dorsed by some of the
prestigious global kid-
ney organizations, in-
cluding World Kidney
Day(WKD)organisation
andAmericanSocietyof
Nephrology
, the largest
kidney health organisa-
tion with more that
22,000 members.
According to Dr Pan-
dya,thewebsitealsopro-
vides free downloadable
200-page kidney book,
which provides all infor-
mationaboutprevention
and cure of kidney dis-
eases. The 2021 theme on
World Kidney Day is
“Kidney health for Eve-
ryone Everywhere-liv-
ing well with Kidney
Diseases”.
Pandya, who is also
the founder and chief
mentor of Kidney Edu-
cation Foundation that
has been instrumental
in creating the website
content, believes that
“with world becoming
an information jungle, it
is important that people
have correct source for
right information espe-
cially when it comes to
diseases.”
The website has made
a record for world’s larg-
est multilingual website
for ebook in the highest
number of languages
and recorded 850 million
hits in 130 months.
World’s largest kidney storehouse in 37 languages
WORLD KIDNEY DAY
—FILE PHOTO
First Indian from IIT-Gn
gets global maths prize
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: In a
proud moment, Prof
Atul Dixit, Assistant
Professor of Mathe-
matics at the Indian
Institute of Technol-
ogy, Gandhinagar
(IIT-Gn), has become
the first Indian math-
ematician to win the
prestigious Gábor
Szegö Prize 2021
awarded by the Soci-
ety of Industrial and
Applied Mathematics
(SIAM), USA.
The SIAM Activity
Group on Orthogonal
Polynomials and Spe-
cial Functions (SIAG/
OPSF) awards the Gá-
bor Szegö Prize every
two years to one early-
career researcher for
outstanding research
contributions in the
area of orthogonal pol-
ynomials and special
functions.
It is for the first time
that this prize has been
awarded to an Indian
mathematician, for
“impressive scientific
work in solving prob-
lems related to numbers
theory using special
functions, in particular
related to the work of
Ramanujan.”
The prize includes a
certificate containing
the citation. The award
was originally sup-
posed to be presented at
the 2021 International
Symposium on Orthog-
onal Polynomials, Spe-
cial Functions, and Ap-
plications (OPSFA16).
MAN KILLS BROTHER-IN-LAW,THRASHES ENTIRE FAMILY
First India Bureau
Surat: In a gruesome
incident in broad
daylight, a man
stabbed to death his
wife’s brother and
later on thrashed
other family mem-
bers with wooden
stick. A pregnant
woman of the family
was also hurt.
He was enraged over
his wife and her family
members objecting to
his affair with another
woman. He wanted to
live with the other
woman and divorce his
wife.
Raghavbhai, the de-
ceased uncle, said that
his niece was married
to Mahesh Rathi Mad-
hubhai Janjamera 20
years ago. However,
son-in-law Mahesh had
been in love with an-
other woman for some
time and wanted to di-
vorce his wife Preeti.
This had often caused
heated arguments dur-
ing which he threat-
ened the family.
He said on Tues-
day evening, Mahesh
and his family came
to meet Preeti at her
own home and raised
the issue of divorce.
Jayesh and his
younger brother
Nitesh, who had
gone home from the
market in the even-
ing, came to know
about this and tried
to explain. During
this, Mahesh at-
tacked them all. The
entire family was
taken to a hospital
and Jayesh suc-
cumbed there.
Dr Sanjay Pandya, Founder Chief Mentor, Kidney Education
Foundation and Consulting Nephrologist, Rajkot
The gruesome incident was talk of the town.
PULL UP SOCKS: HC asks Gujarat to
step up Covid testing in major cities
First division bench of the court has expressed concern over recent spurt in cases
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: With the
coronavirus rearing
its head again, the
Gujarat High Court
has asked the State
Government to step
up testing in four ma-
jor cities of
Ahmedabad, Va-
dodara, Surat and Ra-
jkot and not to let its
guard down.
Asking the govern-
ment to be prepared for
the worst in the future,
the high court has alert-
ed the State to be ready
with adequate number
of Covid-19 designated
hospitals and that there
should be sufficient
number of beds at all
such health facilities.
The first division
bench of Chief Jus-
tice Vikram Nath and
Justice JB Pardiwala
has asked the State to
file its reply on the
compliance by the
next date of hearing
on April 9.
The bench is hearing
a suo motu initiated by
the court and other co-
rona-related petitions
clubbed with it.
In its recent order
uploaded on Wednes-
day, the court sug-
gested to the State
that, “The mandate
of wearing mask
should be strictly im-
plemented and strict
vigilance should be
deployed at all the
major public places
and centres of the cit-
ies of Ahmedabad,
Surat, Vadodara, Ra-
jkot, Jamnagar and
Bhavnagar.”
The high court ex-
pressed serious con-
cern over the increas-
ing corona cases in Gu-
jarat. As on March 10
evening, the State had a
total caseload of over
2.75 lakh cases.
The court was espe-
cially concerned
about the interest of
the people hailing
from the poor strata
of society. It said peo-
ple who come to the
government hospitals
should not be de-
prived of the essen-
tial medical services
on account of short-
age of equipment,
medicines and lack of
other infrastructure
facilities.
“If there are no ade-
quate number of doc-
tors, then it is only the
people from the poor
strata of society who
would have to suffer,”
the bench observed.
The people at large
should once again be
put to caution that
their carefree atti-
tude or negligence
might force the State
Government to once
again impose a lock-
down, the high court
stated.
Gujarat High Court —FILE PHOTO
KEY PROTOCOLS
A Rajkot-based nephrologist has developed
a website that provides every answer to
prevention and care of kidney diseases

THE MASCULINE ELEGANCE
CITY FIRST ANNOUNCES THE NEXT DESIGNER OF THE FASHION CONNECT SEASON-9, TO BE HELD ON MARCH 20, IN DUBAI!
KARISHMA GWALANI
karishma.gwalani@firstindia.co.in
n an ongoing designer announce-
ment series of The Fashion con-
nect Season 9 to be held on March
20 at Oaks Ibn Battuta, Dubai, we
present you our next designer-
Pankaj Kothari, a man of immense
devotion driving himself subse-
quently towards his epic dream of creating
a distinctive brand, PKIN, with the love
and support of his fellow mates and family
.
On his journey of aspiring the unfath-
omable, his constantly fueled dreams have
led him to introduce PKIN’s exquisite col-
lection of ‘Groom Wear Traditional’ in
The Fashion Connect S-9.
His wife played a huge role in his sup-
port and stood strong with him in this
journey of his. He marched towards his
dream headstrong to bring forth a brand
unparalleled to varied extents in this
evolving Fashion Industry
.
Their designs for Ethnic Men’s Wear are
paired with Tie and Dye Kurta Pants,
which ensembles a perfect memorabilia of
India’s colorful fashion sensibilities.
Showcasing bold personalities with the
Bold designer Blazers Coats. A fine as-
sembly of Sherwani to compliment the
Groom on the most special day of their
life. Pankaj has empowered the brand’s vi-
sion to cultivate the masterpieces crafted
by highly skilled designers to put forth the
best there could be.
PKIN’s wide range of extravagant out-
fits from varied collections strike an ap-
peal to the eyes and so have been said by
their clients. They have displayed an array
of Traditional designs suitable for your
every occasion and weddings. While cher-
ishing the modern touch they have inter-
twined it with the incredibly desirable
traditional outfit designs.
I
Models showcasing the design by PKIN
Pankaj Kothari
AHMEDABAD, THURSDAY
MARCH 11, 2021
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia
facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09

10
ETC
F
A
C
E
O
F
T
H
E
D
A
Y
ROOP VERMA, Digital Creator
LEO
JULY 24 - AUGUST 23
A deliberate attempt at
saving is the only way you
can repay your loans. Work
front may appear a bit too
demanding, but you will be able to
handle it well. A family get-together
will provide an excellent opportunity
to meet people you have not met in
years. Social front will be happening.
LIBRA
SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22
Fingers may be pointed at
you for something you are
not responsible for at
work. You can find yourself
fitter with regular exercises. This is
the time to strengthen the family
bonds. A prime property may come
into your name. Your life will turn
better if you accept the changes.
ARIES
MAR 21 - APR 20
Peak physical fitness will
make even strenuous
activities seem like child’s
play. Bad mood of a family
member may spoil the domestic
environment. A holiday promises
much rest and rejuvenation.
Dilly-dallying may let a property deal
slip out of your hands.
SAGITTARIUS
NOV 23 - DEC 22
Financial worries can make
some restless, but the
situation will not be beyond
redemption. A new project
will proceed smoothly as you get help
from all quarters. You will need to
handle a tensed family member with
sympathy. A property dispute can pit
you against someone close.
GEMINI
MAY 21 - JUNE 21
Those struggling to find a
solution to a workplace
problem will succeed. A
forthcoming family event is
likely to raise your spirits. Those
dealing with property issues may
need to be careful not to get into
legal hassles. A get together is likely
to prove refreshing.
AQUARIUS
JAN 21 - FEB 19
Those ailing can expect their
condition to improve. Those
feeling restless in a
particular job will be able to
settle down in time. Interruptions on
the domestic front are foreseen that
will not allow you to do your own
thing. Enhancing social image will be in
your focus.
TAURUS
APR 21 - MAY 20
A friend will come to the
rescue in bailing you out of
a financial situation.
Inculcating physical
workouts in your lifestyle will benefit
health. A family get together can find
you into your element. You will have
enough to invest in a suitable
property.
CAPRICORN
DEC 23 - JAN 20
Those experiencing a cash
crunch will manage to
overcome it by tight
budgeting. You may feel
hesitant to broach a contentious
issue with a rival at work. A family
member may prove annoying by not
doing your bidding. Good returns can
be expected by those investing.
VIRGO
AUG 24 - SEP 23
Assistance of colleagues
will help complete a project
much before time. A family
youngster is likely to make
you proud. Don’t be hasty in matters
pertaining to property. An entertain-
ing time with near and dear ones is
foreseen. An expected raise or bonus
is on the cards for some.
CANCER
JUNE 22 - JULY 23
Those on medication will
find a distinct improvement
in their condition. You can
feel overworked on the
professional front. Spouse can
expect a helping hand. Settling down
in a new house is indicated for some.
An invitation to a party may provide
you an opportunity to meet someone.
PISCES
FEB20 - MARCH 20
New dimensions open up
on the professional front
as you handle more than
one project. Your health
consciousness will keep you hale and
hearty. Pending things on the home
front may hinder official work. Those
looking to buy property are likely to
get one at bargain price.
SCORPIO
OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22
You will manage to
showcase your profes-
sional skills to those who
matter. Playing your cards
well in a family situation will get you
the support and attention you crave
for. Taking possession of a new
house may become a reality for
some.
YOUR
DAY
Horoscope by
Saurabbh Sachdeva
he southern part
of India, also fa-
mously known as
South India, com-
prises 5 states.
Each of those
states has its spe-
cial cuisine. Andhra
Pradesh is known to have
the spiciest food in the
country whereas Karnata-
ka has the well-known
‘Mysore Pak’. But the one
food item which ties them
all is rice, it is the staple
food of all these five states.
Apart from simple
steamed rice, a variety of
rice dishes are made in
south Indian homes. There
are a large number of veg-
etarian and vegan rice dish-
es, some of them are gluten-
free as well.
One generally gets to
think that rice is boring
and tasteless, which is at
some point agreeable. How-
ever, if something is a sta-
ple food of so many states,
people eventually and in-
evitably find a way to make
it interesting.
Other than steamed rice
being cooked in almost eve-
ry household in the south-
ern part of India, there are
some other free-standing
recipes, too, that are exclu-
sively made with rice.
To start with, we have
Curd Rice, called Thayir
Saadam in Tamil, and this
is popular throughout
South India.
 Lemon Rice, called Chi-
tranna locally in Karna-
taka.Thedelightfulyellow
colour of the dish comes
from turmeric powder.
Peanuts add a crunch to
the experience, with the
lemonjuicekickinginjust
at the right time to satisfy
your taste buds, and of
course, curry leaves.
 The Tamarind Rice is
known as Pulihora, Puli-
yogare and Puliyodarai,
locally
. Again, popular in
all South Indian states, it
is also made as an offer-
ing to the Gods on several
auspicious occasions.
 Mint Rice, also called Pu-
dina Sadam has achieved
championing amongst
dishes with mint! The
crunchy texture that is
added to this dish is due
to cashew nuts.
 Coconut Rice is popular
across all of the south In-
dian states. As its name,
it gets its crunch from
mustard seeds and two
types of beans.
 Bisi Bele Bhath trans-
lates to “Hot Lentil Rice”
in Kannada, served hot
with Papadum.
 South Indian cuisine uses
a lot of rice in various
ways and not just differ-
ent kind of rice prepara-
tions.
 Appam – the rice and co-
conut pancake – has a soft
and thick centre and a
paper-thin exterior, one
can pair it with any curry
.
 Ven Pongal, rice and len-
tils that are cooked to-
gether, has a touch of
cumin and ghee in them.
It’s usually served in
breakfast.
 Light and scrumptious
Uttapam is like Dosa, the
preparation is made with
a mixture of rice, urad
dal and fenugreek seeds.
 Puttu is a steamed rice
cake prepared in bamboo,
it is extremely popular in
Kerala and can be rel-
ished with Kadala curry,
egg curry and even ripe
bananas.
 An indispensable South
Indian classic, Dosa, is
ubiquitous in India. Just
a bite of those thin, wafer-
like crepes loaded with
flavorful masalas trans-
ports you to heaven. Did
you know that the ‘dosa’ is
listed on the world’s 50
most delicious food items
and also the list of top ten
tasty foods of the world?
Also, please note that
there are over 120 differ-
ent types of dosas.
 Neer Dosa is a traditional
South Indian (Karnata-
ka) delicacy
.
 Mysore Masala Dosa, the
king of all, has a spicy po-
tato filling. This version
of Dosa is crunchy from
both sides and is served
with sambhar and chut-
ney
.
 Podi Dosa is a wholesome
dosa made with a mix of
spices and herbs.
 Coconut Dosa is a deli-
cious instant dosa recipe
made with dosa batter
and coconut shavings.
 Adai Dosa, made with
three different pulses
teamed with rice, is
served with sambhar, co-
conut chutney and spiced
potato curry
.
 Even though foodies have
a lot to discuss, one de-
bate that hasn’t been re-
solved for ages is the ori-
gin of the Idli. Some be-
lieve that idli originated
in Karnataka. Neverthe-
less, there are over 185
types of idlis.
 Idli uses the same mix-
ture – rice and urad dal
but the batter is coarser
and grainier in compari-
son to dosa. Udupi idli,
Chettinad idli,
Kancheepuram Idli,
Kadubbu or Moode idli,
Ramasseri Idli, Thatte
Idli are a few popular
names. Each has a differ-
ent flavour palette and a
separate way of presenta-
tion, even the coupling
with items like sambhar
or chutney varies.
Many of these dishes are
cooked all across India and
in fact, the world. These
cuisines vary significantly
from each other and use lo-
cally available ingredients,
herbs, vegetables and even
fruits. The dishes are
served according to taste,
mild, medium or spicy
.
MOUTH-WATERING
SOUTH INDIAN DISHES
ABOUT CAULDRON SISTERS
Ratika Richa Khetan, two
Sisters, started Cauldron
Sisters in 2015. It started as
an exotic food gift hamper
business, but their love for
food encouraged them to
start culinary workshops,
food deliveries, and slowly
and gradually it turned huge
as restaurants and cafes
started approaching them for
consultancy.
T

T
he most awaited song titled Har
Funn Maula starring Bollywood
perfectionist Aamir Khan and
Elli AvrRam has finally re-
leased. The song titled Har Funn Maula
from the film Koi Jaane Na is already
trending on digital platforms. The
film which
stars Amyra
Dastur and
Kunal Kapoor
in the lead
roles will be
releasing in
cinemas on
April 2, 2021.
This is the
first time that
viewers will
see Aamir
s h a r i n g
screen space with Elli. Both
are setting the stage on fire
as they groove on the hot
number. In the song, Aamir
can be seen sporting a
chilled casual, hipster look,
while Elli looks gorgeous in a
sequined dress and high heels.
—Agency
ETC
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2021
11
W
e have known him
from Silk Route. His
voice has spread
magic through the
songs Khoon Chala from Rang
De Basanti. His songs are a
must on a travel destination
such as Phir Se Udd Chala. We
can even dance to his beats with
Matargashti. There is not just
one feeling that can be fixated
on him when it comes to music.
As he celebrates his birthday
today, we wish Mohit Chauhan
all the best and may he flourish
more and more in his future en-
deavours.
Happy birthday!
H
ollywood actress Jen-
nifer Garner says that
her kids love to make
her look goofy. She
spoke about how she makes her
kids run, do sit-ups, and, once
when tables turned and they
madeherworkout,shecouldn’t
take it. “Now that my kids
are bigger, they like to tor-
ture me. So, they want to
make me look silly,
which is why we have
that in the movie,
they want me to be
out in the world
looking goofy,
said Garner.
—Agency
S
inger song-
writer Zayn
Malik went
off on a mas-
sive rant dissing
The Grammy
Awards which is
going to air on 14th
March. The singer
wasn’t nominated for the upcoming
63rd GRAMMY Awards and took to
his Twitter to explain why
. The star
previously hasn’t been nominated
for the award and going by his re-
cent remarks, had some things to
get off his chest. Zayn’s tweet sum-
marized exactly how he felt which
quickly took momentum reaching
over 100K retweets. —Agency
H
ollywood actors Zach Braff
and Florence Pugh, who
have been dating for a
while, might have taken a
huge step in their relationship! In
some new photos acquired by People
magazine, the 45-year-old actor and
25-year-old Os-
car nominee can
be seen walking
their pup Billie
together, and
while that is a
daily occur-
rence, what’s
changed is
the pres-
ence of a
ring on
Pugh’s
finger.
—Agency
No nomination
adhika Apte, Jackie
Shroff, Vijay Varma
and Rasika Dugal
take a ride into the
future with OK
Computer. The se-
ries deals with Arti-
ficial Intelligence and poses
a relevant question of
whether AI can become a
bane instead of a boon for
humans in the near future.
Anand Gandhi’s sci-fi com-
edy, a six-episode series is
set in a world where Homo-
sapiens meet the Robo-sapi-
ens.
The writer-director,
who helmed the critical-
ly-acclaimed Ship of
Theseus (2013), is keen
to popularise science fic-
tion entertainment in the
country. The series focus-
es on the battle between
ideologies – for and against
technology.
—Agency
I
t’s been over a year since Farhan Akhtar’s
massive fan following saw him on the sil-
ver screen. The handsome actor was last
seen in Shonali Bose’s The Sky is Pink and
needless to say, his fans are missing his presence on the
screen. But the wait is going to be over soon as the Zindagi
Na Milegi Dobara actor will be next seen in Rakeysh Om-
prakash Mehra’s Toofaan along with Mrunal Thakur in
the lead. To note, the sports drama will be releasing on
the digital platform on May 12. This announcement has
not just got his fans over the moon but several fans
have also been rooting for this Rakeysh Omprakash
Mehra’s directorial. —Agency
OK COMPUTER
R
CRAZY
KIDS
T
he third season of Em-
powering Women
Award-2021wasorganised
recently at the Constitu-
tion Club of India in Delhi. The
award function was powered by
Lux Cozi, My Rajasthan Concept
and Rahat Aid Foundation. The
motive of the event to encourage
people who with their actions be-
came a source of inspiration for
others. Awardees from 15 cities
and 2 countries were present at
the grand event.
Fashion designer Pooja Mot-
wani, founder-director of the
event said, “This time the theme
of the event was #HeforShe - In
which they showed that every
woman has a very important
role and contribution in the life
of a man.” The event glittered
with the presence of actors and
the loving couple Tannaz Irani
and Bakhtiyaar Irani. Udit Raj,
Naveen Todi, Kshitij Khattar,
Meenakshi Dutt, Swati Mehro-
tra, Anca Verma, Joint Commis-
sioner of Delhi, Alok Kumar,
ACP Anil Sharma, Anurag
Chauhan, Amanpreet Wahi,
Nirmal Randhawa, Kshitij
Khattar, Rita Gangwani and
Dinesh Pareek were also pre-
sent as special guests.
#HeforShe
HAR FUNN MAULA
Toofan
SECRETLY
MARRIED?
SUSHMITA AIND
cityfirst@firstindia.co.in
ACP Anil Sharma and Tannaz
Zayn Malik
Aamir Khan
Elli AvrRam Jennifer Garner
Radhika Apte
Florence Pugh
Mohit Chauhan
Udit Raj and Navin Todi
Amit Andre, Tannaz and Bakhtiyaar
Priyanka Khamboj, Tannaz and Bakhtiyaar
Bakhtiyaar and Tannaz with an awardee
Meenakshi Dutt and
Nirmal Randhawa SI Yogendra and Kshitij Khattar Dinesh Pareek and Tannaz
Charu Dutt and Tannaz
Anca Verma
Nupur Maggo, Tannaz and Akshay Maggo
Deana Uppal, Tannaz and Bakhtiyaar
Alok Kumar, Nishi Singh, Pooja and Harsh Singh
Pooja Motwani, Amanpreet Wahi, Tannaz Irani and Bakhtiyaar Irani
During the lamp lighting ceremony
Pooja and Soniya
Sakshi Randhawa, Tannaz and Bakhtiyaar
Poster of the film

First india ahmedabad edition-11 march 2021

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