The Chief Minister of Gujarat Vijay Rupani announced the enforcement of the Gujarat Land Grabbing Prohibition Act, 2020. Anyone found guilty under the Act will face 10 to 14 years imprisonment. The Act aims to safeguard citizens' land and take legal action against land grabbers. State government and district magistrates have been empowered to take suo moto action against high-profile land grabbers, especially those targeting government land. Strict timelines have been set for investigation and prosecution of complaints made under the Act. Committees have also been formed to prevent false complaints from damaging land title records.

1. Guj Land Grabbing Prohibition Act has been enforced: CM Rupani
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: Chief
Minister Vijay Rupani
announced the enforce-
ment of the Gujarat
Land Grabbing Prohibi-
tion Act, 2020 on
Wednesday. Now, any-
one found guilty under
the Act will be liable for
punishment of upto 14
years imprisonment.
Talking about the Act,
the CM said that it was
aimed at safeguarding
land owned by citizens
and initiating suitable
legal action against land
grabbers. “The Gujarat
government is deter-
mined to implement
strict laws against anti-
socialelementsandwork
to bring an end to land
grabbing,” he stated.
Under the new provi-
sions of the Act, land
grabbers will face a
minimum of 10 years
and maximum of 14
years’ imprisonment.
In order to prevent
false complaints that re-
sult in damage to title
records, committees un-
der the chairmanship of
respectivedistrictmagis-
trates have been formed.
They will scrutinize all
applicationsmadeunder
the Land Grabbing Pro-
hibition Act.
The committees will
include district develop-
ment officer, district po-
lice superintendent, po-
lice commissioner, mu-
nicipal commissioner,
CEO of urban develop-
ment authorities as
members, while addi-
tional resident collector
willbemembersecretary.
District magistrates
and the state govern-
ment have also been em-
powered to take up suo
moto in case of high
profile land grabbers
targeting land owned
by the government.
This will help authori-
ties in taking unre-
stricted action against
land grabbers.
The committees will
meet compulsorily eve-
ry 15 days and all com-
plaints received
through them will be
forwarded to zonal offic-
ers for investigation. To
avoid delays, a timeline
for all stages of investi-
gation has also been as-
certained. Every inves-
tigating officer will
have to obtain all infor-
mation from concerned
departments within five
days of the complaint.
Police will have to file a
chargesheet within 30
days of the complaint,
in the special courts cre-
ated to hear cases per-
taining to the Act. Inves-
tigations will be con-
ducted as per the law at
the level of deputy su-
perintendent of police
(DySP).
The investigating of-
ficer will have to verify
any false claims, title
records, breach of law,
among others, and
compile an investiga-
tion report, to be sub-
mitted to the respective
committee.
The committee, un-
der the leadership of
the district magistrate,
will then take a deci-
sion within 21 days
from the day of report
submission. If the com-
mittee agrees that a
crime has been commit-
ted under the Gujarat
Land Grabbing Prohibi-
tion Act, then it can ap-
proach police for a com-
plaint. The police will
then have a week’s time
to register a complaint.
State govt & district magistrates
empowered to take up suo motu,
those guilty may be jailed for a
term of 10 to 14 years
(L to R) Revenue Minister Kaushik Patel, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Minister of State for Home
Pradipsinh Jadeja at a press conference on Wednesday.
Mohd Fahad
New Delhi: Noting that
the Centre’s negotia-
tions with farmers pro-
testing against the agri-
cultural reform laws
have not yielded any
results, the Supreme
Court on Wednesday
said it could form a
committee to work out a
solution between the
two sides. The ongoing
protests, which is now
in its third week, have
seen thousands of farm-
ers, primarily from
Punjab and Haryana,
gathering at the capi-
tal’s doorstep.
Hearing a batch of pe-
titions seeking removal
of farmers protesting
near Delhi borders, a
bench of Chief Justice
of India S A Bobde and
Justices A S Bopanna
and V Ramasubrama-
nian issued a notice to
the Centre and posted
the matter for hearing
on Thursday.
Turn to P6
Sambhal (UP): Eight
people died, while 21
more sustained inju-
ries on Wednesday
morning when an Uttar
Pradesh Roadways bus
collided with a gas
tanker head-on amid
reduced visibility due
to fog, police said.
The impact was so se-
vere that the tanker cut
the bus into half lead-
ing to several people be-
ing killed on the stop.
The crash took place
in the Dhanari police
station area, they added.
“Eight people have
died in the accident in-
volving a bus of UP
Roadways and a gas
tanker. All the injured
have been hospitalised.
The number of injured
persons is 21. The bod-
ies of the deceased have
been sent for post-mor-
tem examination. Traf-
fic has been diverted
since there is still some
gas in the tanker,” Mo-
radabad IG Ramit Shar-
ma said.
Earlier, SP Chakresh
Mishra said that the
head-on collision took
place on the Agra-Mo-
radabad road.
Chief Minister Yogi
Adityanath directed
the district officials to
supervise the rescue
and relief operations.
Prime Minister
Narendra Modi ex-
pressed grief over the
incident. —PTI
8 KILLED, 21 INJURED AS TANKER CUTS BUS INTO HALF
The mangled remains of the vehicles
after the collision in Sambhal on
Wednesday. —PHOTO BY ANI
‘YOUR TALKS HAVE FAILED’
SC says govt talks have not worked, proposes
formation of committee to resolve deadlock
The Apex Court
said the proposed
committee would
comprise of several
representatives
from government
and farmer unions
across the country
Dressed in their tradition attire and arms, Nihang Sikhs on horsebacks taking part in the farmers
protest, in New Delhi on Wednesday. —PHOTO BY PTI
Sikh Cleric
shoots self
to death at
protest site
New Delhi: A priest
from Haryana, Baba
Ram Singh, who had
joined the farmers’
protest, committed
suicide by shooting
self on Wednesday
at the Delhi border,
where he had been
staying. In a note,
he said he was
sacrificing his life
“to express anger
and pain against
the government’s
injustice”. “Have seen
pain of farmers fight-
ing to ensure their
rights and struggling
on roads... feeling
a lot of pain as the
government is not
doing justice... to do
injustice is a sin and
to tolerate it is also a
sin,” the note left by
the 65-year-old read.
CENTRE’S PLEA FARMERS REJECT GOVT’S
DECEMBER 9 OFFERHearing a batch of
petitions seeking
removal of farmers
protesting near Delhi
borders as they pose
hindrance to medical
services, a bench of
Chief Justice of India S
A Bobde and Justices
A S Bopanna and V
Ramasubramanian
issued a notice
to the Centre
and posted
the matter for
hearing on
Thursday.
On Wednesday, the farmer unions sent a written
reply to the government, rejecting its December
9 proposal in which it offered significant
concessions. An Agriculture Ministry official said
that the government received a written response
from the farmer unions.
Your negotiations with pro-
testing farmers have not
worked apparently till now.
The protesting farmer unions
should be made a party to the
case —Supreme Court Bench
TMC’s Adhikari resigns as MLA;
may join BJP during Shah’s visit
Kolkata: Disgruntled
Trinamool Congress
leader Suvendu Adhi-
kari resigned from the
membershipof theWest
Bengal Legislative As-
sembly on Wednesday
amid indications that he
would join the BJP dur-
ingHomeMinisterAmit
Shah’s visit to the state
on December 19-20.
Adhikari,whowasMLA
from Nandigram, sub-
mitted his handwritten
resignation to Speaker
of the Assembly Biman
Banerjee.
Adhikari has already
resigned as West Ben-
gal transport minister
and from other posts
and has been distancing
himself from the party
for several months now.
The party had then
rushed poll strategist
Prashant Kishor and
senior leader Sougata
Roy to placate him but
the negotiation failed.
“As of now it is ex-
pected that Adhikari
will join the BJP at the
(East Midnapore) rally,”
said a BJP source. How-
ever, sources also said
that Adhikari had ear-
lier gone back on two
dates of Turn to P6
People coming from
other states can’t be
treated as outsiders
—Suvendu Adhikari,
TMC leader
Waste of time: Rahul walks
out of Defence panel meet
New Delhi: Congress
leader Rahul Gandhi
and other members of
his party on Wednesday
walked out of a meeting
of the Parliamentary
Committee on Defence,
alleging that the panel’s
timewasbeingwastedin
discussingarmedforces’
uniform instead of the
crucial issue of national
security, sources said.
Gandhi was not al-
lowed to speak at the
meeting by the panel
chairman Jual Oram
(BJP) when he sought to
raise the issues of Chi-
nese aggression and
better equipping the
soldiers at the border in
Ladakh, they said.
The sources said the
issue of uniforms of the
Army, Navy and the Air
Force was being dis-
cussedinthepresenceof
the Chief of Defence
Staff Gen Bipin Rawat
whenGandhiintervened
tosaythatinsteadof dis-
cussingthis,thepolitical
leadership should dis-
cusstheissuesof nation-
al security and how to
strengthen the forces
whoarefightingtheChi-
nese in Ladakh. Turn to P6
Cabinet nod to
tel spectrum,
sugar export
subsidy
New Delhi: The Union
CabinetheadedbyPrime
MinisterNarendraModi
on Wednesday approved
the next round of the tel-
ecom spectrum auction,
I&B Minister Prakash
Javadekar informed in a
press briefing adding
that the cabinet has ap-
proved relief for sugar-
cane farmers and im-
provement in electricity
infrastructure in the
northeastern states.
Spectrum in 700 MHz,
800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800
MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300
MHz and 2500 MHz fre-
quency bands would be
auctioned for a validity
period of 20 years.
Turn to P6
Baba Ram Singh
16°C - 27°C www.firstindia.co.in | www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia | instagram.com/thefirstindia
AHMEDABAD l THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208 l Vol 2 l Issue No. 23
OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR, AHMEDABAD & LUCKNOW
NOT HERE TO CHANGE NAMES, SAYS
AIMIM’S ASADUDDIN OWAISI DURING HIS
LUCKNOW VISIT SPARKING POLITICAL BUZZ
COVAXIN CORONA VACCINE PRODUCES ROBUST
IMMUNE RESPONSE WITH NO SERIOUS ADVERSE
EVENTS DURING PHASE 1 TRIAL RESULTS

2. NEWSAHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2020
02www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
lll
Research
was
conducted by
Gujarati
Matrimony, a
matchmaking
service for
people
looking to get
hitched; user
base of 4 lakh
included 31%
women and
69% men
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Gujarati
Matrimony, one of the
leading matchmaking
services for people be-
longing to the Gujarati
community, recently
conducted a study of
over 4 lakh users look-
ing for life partners. Ac-
cording to their find-
ings, there is a gender
disparity in the user
base, which comprised
31% women and 69%
men.
The study found that
individuals are taking
decisions pertaining to
marriage on their own.
It was evident from the
fact that a whopping
78% of matrimonial
profiles were created by
individuals looking for
partners, while only
around8%profileswere
created by parents, sib-
lings and others. A rev-
elation from the re-
search report highlight-
ed the use of mobile
phones by 93% people
registered with Gujara-
ti Matrimony.
The research also re-
vealed interesting in-
sights on Gujarati peo-
ple and their partner
preferences. Around
10% of the total matri-
monial profiles were
that of Non-resident In-
dians (NRIs), 33% of
women seeking a life
partner between the
ages of 26-30 years,
while 37% men sought
partners in the age
group of 21-25 years.
Not bound by the
caste factor, the progres-
sive nature of the Guja-
rati community was
highlighted by the fact
that 57% women and
55% men did not limit
their search for a life
partner within their
castes. Moreover, for
people seeking life part-
ners settled overseas,
USA, Canada, Australia
and UK were among the
most preferred coun-
tries.
Educational qualifi-
cation was yet another
highly-valued category
for 22% women and 7%
men, who sought part-
ners with at least a Mas-
ter’s degree or above.
Top professions of
male registrants in-
cluded business own-
ers, entrepreneurs fol-
lowed by managers.
Categories of female
registrants were acade-
micians or software
professionals.
The cities to receive
the maximum number
of registrations in Gu-
jarat included
Ahmedabad, Surat, Ra-
jkot, and Vadodara. For
Gujaratis living outside
the state, cities with the
highest number of reg-
istrations were Mum-
bai, Bengaluru, Thane,
and Pune.
Commenting on the
trend, Murugavel Jana-
kiraman, Founder and
CEO, Matrimony.com
said, “Since 2000, our
customer base has been
steadily growing
amongst the Gujarati
community, in the coun-
try and across the globe.
We have continued to
innovate, launch new
safety features, and en-
hance the experience
for customers.”
78%Gujaratismanagesearchforpartnersontheirown:Study
SELF-RELIANT
CONGRESS MAY SOON
SEE A CHANGE OF GUARDFirst India Bureau
Ahmedabad: As state
in-charge Rajiv Satav
concluded meetings
for the upcoming lo-
cal body elections in
the state, speculations
started doing the
rounds regarding
change of guard in
the state. According
to the rumour mill,
Leader of Opposition
Paresh Dhanani and
Gujarat Pradesh Con-
gress Committee
(GPCC) President
Amit Chavda had ten-
dered their resigna-
tions soon after the
state legislative as-
sembly by-election de-
bacle.
However, they were
not accepted by the par-
ty at the time. But now,
according to sources,
party leaders have
asked high command
for the reins to be hand-
ed over to someone else.
“The issue was set aside
after the death of vet-
eran Congress national
leader Ahmed Patel.
But now, a change in the
leadership of the state
is imminent. Satav
wants Baldev Thakor as
the party president,”
said a source.
Another source said
that Satav too will not
be staying on as the
state in-charge, a re-
sponsibility that may
be handed to Rajya
Sabha member Shak-
tisinh Gohil. “Under
Satav, the Congress
has not performed
well at all and a total
of 20 MLAs have de-
fected the party,” re-
marked the source.
“Several positions in
the state have remained
vacant. In fact, the party
has lacked organiza-
tional set up for more
than a year. Everything
needs to be done on a
priority basis in order
to go head-to-head with
the Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) in upcom-
ing elections. The state
unit needs a strong and
visionary leader. We
have made our repre-
sentation to the high
command,” asserted an-
other source.
He added, “The
names of Jagdish
Thakore, Bharatsinh
Solanki, and Arjun
Modhwadia are doing
the rounds for the
post of party presi-
dent in the state. Pun-
ja Vansh, Ashwin Kot-
wal or Shailesh Par-
mar may be appointed
as Leader of Opposi-
tion in the state as-
sembly.”
Speculations regard-
ing GPCC working pres-
ident Hardik Patel be-
ing promoted to perma-
nent president are also
rife.
PIL for Sanskrit as
national&Hindias
official language
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: A
former officer of the
state government
has filed a Public In-
terest Litigation
(PIL) in the Supreme
Court, requesting it
to declare Sanskrit
as the national and
Hindi as the official
language of India.
Former Addition-
al Secretary KG Van-
zara has moved the
petition citing Arti-
cles 343 to 351 per-
taining to languages
in the Constitution.
“Hindi is our official
language and not the
national language,
so the central gov-
ernment can carve
out a category and
make Sanskrit the
national language
and declare Hindi as
the official language
of the nation,” he
stated in his peti-
tion.
According to Van-
zara, if Sanskrit is
declared India’s na-
tional language,
then the prevalence
of dispute or divi-
sion due to caste,
creed, region and re-
ligion will not occur.
He also cited Dr
Baba Saheb Ambed-
kar’s life experience,
when he was denied
the right to learn
Sanskrit as a second
language as part of
his matriculation
curriculum on ac-
count of being a
member of the Dalit
community in 1907.
Ambedkar had gone
on to advocate for
Sanskrit language
as part of the first
cabinet of the coun-
try.
Spoken in Europe
for a time, Panini
grammar has been
universally ac-
claimed to be the
shortest and fullest
grammar in the
world. According to
studies, over 90%
languages globally
have their roots in
the Sanskrit lan-
guage.
The petitioner
also quoted Muslim
cleric Dr Zakir Nay-
ak, who favoured
Sanskrit as the lan-
guage of the com-
mon man, “India
should learn from
Israel, the nation
that in 1948 made a
language that was
considered dead for
200 years --Hebrew--
its national lan-
guage.”
NSUIaccusesGUof ‘faulty’examsystemFirst India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The gen-
eral secretary of the
National Students’ Un-
ion of India (NSUI)
Bhavik Solanki has lev-
ied allegations of a
‘faulty’ examination
system on the Gujarat
University.
Owing to the ongoing
COVID-19 pandemic,
students were allowed
to sit for examinations
online as well as offline.
“Those who opted for
the online medium
have scored full marks,
even in languages. On
the other hand, those
who appeared for their
exams offline have not
scored well,” asserted
Solanki.
Citing an example,
he said, “In Bachelor of
Arts (B.A) semester six
examination, there are
29 students who have
scored full marks out of
a total 490. Similarly, 32
students of Bachelor of
Commerce (B.Com)
have secured full
marks. In Master’s of
Commerce (M.Com)
too, 11 students who
gave their semester 4
exams have scored full
marks.”
The general secre-
tary said that students
of other streams such
as Bachelor of Science
(B.Sc), Master’s of Arts
(M.A) and Bachelor of
Laws (LLB), who opted
for the online examina-
tions have also secured
well.
“There must be uni-
formity in examina-
tions conducted at the
university level. A ma-
jor discrepancy has
been revealed in the re-
sults of the online and
offline exams. All sus-
picion lands on the soft-
ware used for the on-
line exams, which was
developed by a Bharati-
ya Janata Party (BJP)
leader’s son,” alleged
Solanki.
GPCC prez Chavda and LoP Dhanani may
have resigned; party looking to revive political
goodwill ahead of upcoming polls
GPCC President Amit Chavda.
Students who opted for online exams have curiously scored well.
Leader of Opposition Paresh Dhanani.
Supreme Court of India.
Highest number of registrations in Gujarat were seen in Ahmedabad, Surat Rajkot and Vadodara.

3. GUJARATAHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2020
03www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
DK Parmar was allegedly giving imprisoned crime boss Nikhil Donga special privileges
First India Bureau
Rajkot: Gondal Town
police have arrested
the jailer at the local
sub-jail on charges
of corruption. Jailer
DK Parmar stands
accused of colluding
with prisoners, par-
ticularly career
criminals or history-
sheeters, to provide
them with luxuries
and special treat-
ment for a price.
Sub-Inspector BL
Jhala and his team had
picked up Parmar on
Tuesday afternoon and
produced him before
the court on Wednes-
day. The police are
seeking to have Par-
mar remanded to their
custody.
When the Gandhina-
gar and Ahmedabad
special squad carried
out a surprise check at
the Gondal Sub-Jail
about two months ago,
they found history-
sheeter Nikhil Donga
and roughly 10 of his
associates enjoying a
late dinner party in the
garden. This resulted
in a criminal case be-
ing registered against
Parmar.
Donga is facing a
number of cases of ex-
tortion. In addition, he
and his gang are also
charged under the Gu-
jarat Control of Ter-
rorism and Organized
Crime (GCTOC) Act.
Donga was in police
remand for 20 days last
month. During that
time, he not only called
traders from jail, but
also called a meeting
with them in the jail
premises, during
which he asked them
to either pay money
due to another trader,
or hand over their
property.
Parmar has been
charged under various
sections of the Indian
Penal Code, including
those pertaining to for-
gery, unlawfully or
negligently causing
the spread the infec-
tion of a dangerous
disease, corruption,
and causing the disap-
pearance of evidence
of offence, or giving
false information.
Jailer arrested for ‘selling
facilities’ to history-sheeter
Gondal Sub-Jail. —FILE PHOTO
HAND IN GLOVE?
Illicit relations with aunt
gets Rajkot youth killed
Gujarat adds 1,160
new nCoV cases, 10
patients die in 24 hrs
SURAT PROF JOINS AYODHYA TEMPLE EXPERT TEAM
First India Bureau
Rajkot: Police have
arrested Vinu Vasa-
va for the murder of
his 25-year-old
nephew Nilesh
Vasava in Rajkot’s
Virpur taluka of
Rajkot district his
life. Police say the
accused admitted to
killing Nilesh after
he found out that
his wife had been
having an affair
with their nephew.
Personnel from the
Rajkot Rural police
hadfishedoutNilesh’s
body from a well on
November 27, a day af-
ter his wife lodged a
complaint about his
disappearance.
During the investi-
gation police collect-
ed call data records of
the SIM card Nilesh
had been using. This
data gave the police
their first clue. They
found evidence of fre-
quent communica-
tion between Nilesh
and one specific num-
ber, which they later
learnt belonged to
Nilesh’s maternal
aunt, Vinu’s wife.
Aunt and nephew
worked in the village
on neighbouring
farms.
When the police
question Vinu Vasa-
va, he initially denied
having any knowl-
edge about Nilesh’s
death. However, he
later broke down and
told the police that he
had found that his
nephew and his wife
were having an affair.
Angry and hurt, he
invited Nilesh for
drinks at a field
owned by one Ranch-
hodbhai Ramolia.
Once Nilesh got
drunk and passed out,
Vinu pushed him into
an abandoned well
nearby and later re-
turned home.
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: On
Wednesday, 10 pa-
tients succumbed to
the novel virus in Gu-
jarat—five in
Ahmedabad city, two
in Surat city, and one
each in Amreli, Ra-
jkot city, and Va-
dodara—taking the
state’s total death toll
to 4,203 since the pan-
demic hit in March.
The state added 1,160
new cases of infection,
a slight uptick from
Tuesday’s 1,110, on
Wednesday. With this,
Gujarat has witnessed a
total of 2,31,073 cases of
Sars-CoV-2 infection.
According to the
health department, 1,384
patients were also dis-
charged from hospitals
across the state in the 24
hours ending 5 pm on
Wednesday. This means
that 2,14,223 patients
have recovered from the
infection in the state.
Again, Ahmedabad
recorded the highest
number (239) of new
cases—230 from urban
areas and nine from ru-
ral areas. Surat, too, re-
corded a high number
of casesat169—143from
the city and 26 from ru-
ral areas. Vadodara and
Rajkot also recorded
high numbers, at 149
and 131, respectively.
Gandhinagar had 53.
At present, there are
12,647 patients active
cases across the state,
with 67 patients on ven-
tilator support.
First India Bureau
Surat: A local profes-
sor has joined the
team of experts han-
dling the planning
and execution of the
construction of the
Ram Janmabhoomi
Temple in Ayodhya.
SR Gandhi, a civil en-
gineer and professor at
the Sardar Vallabhbhai
National Institute of
Technology in Surat,
will look after the geo-
graphical aspects relat-
ed to the foundation of
the temple structure.
Professor Gandhi
joins a committee that
includes experts from
NITs (National Insti-
tutesof Technology)and
IITs(IndianInstitutesof
Technology)fromacross
the country, who are all
working towards in-
creasing the strength
and design of the struc-
ture. The Ram temple
construction committee
hassetupaneight-mem-
ber panel of India’s top
engineersandstructural
experts headed by for-
mer Director of IIT Del-
hi, VS Raju, to supervise
the foundation-laying
work for the temple.
In the wake of the
finding of sandy soil a
few feet below the
ground at the proposed
templeconstructionsite,
the Ram Temple Con-
struction Committee
headed by Nripendra
Mishra, the former prin-
cipal secretary to Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi, had held a meet-
ing last week to finalize
the foundation laying
plan for temple. The
meeting was held in con-
sultation with building
experts from Larsen &
Toubro and Tata Con-
sulting Engineers Ltd.
Internetglitchkeepshundredsoffline,students
demand online BCom exams be cancelled
First India Bureau
Vadodara: Students
at the city-based Ma-
haraja Sayajirao
University Baroda
are demanding that
the ongoing internal
examinations of the
BCom programme be
cancelled after hun-
dreds could not ap-
pear for Wednesday’s
online exam due to a
technical snag.
The university, on
the other hand, is keen
on going ahead with
the internal examina-
tions, which began on
Tuesday, but is willing
to give students facing
genuine technical is-
sues extra time.
Student leaders from
ABVP, Yash Group and
other organizations
staged a protest at the
University administra-
tive building on
Wednesday after stu-
dent leaders Harshit
Baraiya and Hardik
Nai have alleged hun-
dreds of students
could not appear for
the online exams since
they could not log in.
They said that the is-
sue was caused by a
low Internet speed.
“If the university
does not cancel the on-
line exams, students’
organizations will call
for aggressive agita-
tions,” they said.
However, University
Registrar KM Chu-
dasama has refuted
student leaders’ claim.
He said: “On Tues-
day, 93% of students
had appeared for the
online exams. If any
student faces problems
while logging in, the
university is reasona-
ble enough to extend
time for the student. If
any student comes up
with a complaint that
he or she could not ap-
pear for the exam due
to internet failure, the
university will consid-
er the case and allow
them to reappear for
the exam at a later
date.”
First India Bureau
Rajkot: To maintain
the beauty of the
city, the solid waste
department of Ra-
jkot Municipal Cor-
poration has intensi-
fied its cleanliness
drive aimed at edu-
cating shopkeepers
and people towards
keeping the city free
from litter.
On Tuesday and
Wednesday, the deputy
municipal commis-
sioner AR Singh and
senior officers from the
city’s solid waste man-
agement team person-
ally visited and moni-
tored the cleanliness
on the city’s main roads
and fined 103 shops as
much as Rs41,250 for
litter found outside
their shops.
“Major waste is
found outside paan and
tea shops. Despite dust-
bins being available
nearby, waste was
found on the roads out-
side these shops. Such
shops including hotels
were not only fined but
were also asked to
clean the area in our
presence,” Nilesh Par-
mar, a member of the
RMC team told First
India.
“Our primary goal is
to inculcate habit of
cleanliness. It is the
duty of the shopkeep-
ers to tell their custom-
ers to make use of dust-
bins. That way, both
buyer and seller will
form a habit. Rajkot
has jumped from ninth
place to sixth place in
terms of being one of
the cleanest cities. We
need to maintain this
and make efforts to
achieve better results,”
Parmar added.
Rajkot drive aims to make cleanliness a habit
SPRUCING UP
Rajkot’s Deputy Municipal Commissioner AR Singh (in black) led the solid waste management team in its
cleanliness drive on Wednesday.
 Shops selling tea and paan, as well
as hotels, were found to be among the
worst offenders in terms of littering
The students organized a protest at MSU on Wednesday.
MADE IN INDIA
The Indian Coast Guard has placed the indigenously built interceptor boat, the C-454, in
service at its Surat station to strengthen patrolling and intercepting capabilities.
A model of what the temple is expected to look like. —FILE PHOTO
Police have arrested Vinu Vasava for the murder.
Patients queued up at Ahmedabad’s Civil Hospital as intern doctors
entered Day 3 of their strike demanding higher pay for pandemic
services.The strike has since been called off unconditionally.
—PHOTOBYHANIFSINDHI

4. G Vol 2 G Issue No. 23 G 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
PERSPECTIVEAHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2020
04www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
s excited as we
all understand-
ably are about
the arrival of
the first COV-
ID-19 vaccines, the immedi-
ate road ahead remains
treacherous. The United
States, in particular, could
beonthevergeof ahorrible
scenario in which ongoing
slippages in each of four ar-
eas – public health, the
economy, policy, and house-
holdbehavior–endupmak-
ing those in the other areas
even worse. Over the next
few weeks, they risk setting
in motion a vicious cycle
that, if it materializes,
could shatter the lives and
livelihoods of many more
people, even though vac-
cines are in sight.
Fortunately, through in-
dividual and collective ac-
tion, the US has the means
not only to arrest these dy-
namics but also to trans-
form them into a virtuous
cycle. This will require a
set of sustained efforts
rather than simple repeti-
tion of one-off measures.
Notwithstanding the re-
strictions that one state af-
ter another is putting in
place, America’s current
wave of COVID-19 hospi-
talizations and deaths is
unlikely to subside in a last-
ing fashion. Yet, rather
than regarding these meas-
ures as necessary but insuf-
ficient, too many Ameri-
cans will instead be in-
clined to conclude – incor-
rectly – that restrictions are
ineffective except in their
very narrow role as tempo-
rary circuit breakers.
Moreover, the US is fail-
ing to get a handle on pub-
lic-health challenges at a
time when the economy is
already weakening. The re-
cent string of increases in
weekly jobless claims con-
firms that the recovery in
both the labor market and
the overall economy is los-
ing steam. More granular
daily indicators of eco-
nomic activity (such as mo-
bility, restaurant bookings,
and search activity) fur-
ther support this view.
A growing number of
economists now believe
that the more comprehen-
sive monthly jobs report for
December, released in early
January, may show nega-
tive job creation. It could be
only a matter of time until
westartworryingaboutthe
threat of a US double-dip
recession similar to the one
that Europe may already be
experiencing.
The third area of con-
cern is the overall US poli-
cy response to the econom-
ic crisis, which remains
unbalanced and inade-
quate. Yes, monetary poli-
cy is still in “pedal to the
metal” mode, with the US
Federal Reserve expected
to do even more at its De-
cember 15-16 policy meet-
ing to support economic
recovery. Unfortunately,
the world’s most powerful
central bank is essentially
pushing on a string when it
comes to long-term eco-
nomic well-being.
Little of what the Fed
does these days addresses
the structural impedi-
ments to short and longer-
term inclusive and sustain-
able economic growth.
Meanwhile, its ample and
predictable liquidity injec-
tions continue to decouple
Wall Street from Main
Street, worsen wealth ine-
quality, and encourage ex-
cessive risk-taking that
threatens future financial
stability.
SOURCE: PROJECT SYNDICATE
Avoiding America’s vicious COVID cycle
A
The deluded ones, who
restrain their organs of action
but mentally dwell upon the
sense enjoyment, are called
hypocrites. —Bhagavad Gita
Spiritual
SPEAK
Top
TWEET
Jagat Prakash Nadda @JPNadda
For socio-economic development
in all the six North-East States,
Rs 6,700 Crores approved
for consolidation of electricity
infrastructure. National Security
Directive on Telecommunication
Sector is also approved which will
help in keeping India safe & secure.
Mallikarjun Kharge @kharge
It has been over a fortnight since
#Farmers are protesting. They
have been called agents of Kh
alistan,Pak,China,Maoists,Urb
an Naxals & even anti nationals.
Instead of blaming everyone,
PM @narendramodi should
go & convince them on how
revolutionary the #FarmersBills are.
WHEN PANCHAYAT POLLS
GRAB HEADLINES
hentheBharatiyaJanataPartysweptthe
panchayat elections television channels
went all out to transmit the news and an-
nounced how the Congress lost its popu-
larity. A few days later there was silence
in the BJP camp when the Congress won 620 wards
in the urban local bodies elections in the state. The
BJP came third with a tally of 548. Independents
with 595 seats were placed second. In the Panchay-
ati Raj poll, BJP had won 12 Zila pramukhs with
Congress having to settle for five Zila pramukhs. On
the basis of these results one may conclude that the
BJP has a strong base in rural Rajasthan while the
Congress is better placed in urban areas but with
assembly elections still far away both the parties
have time to cover their weak spots.
Far away in Kerala also the local body elections
were making headlines. The Left Democratic Front
(LDF) government of Pinarayi Vijayan, which has
been under a cloud over gold smuggling racket and
corruption charges, found cheer in the party’s per-
formance in panchayat elections. These elections
are being seen as a litmus test for next year’s as-
sembly elections. The CPI-M-led LDF won 500 of
the 941-gram panchayats, four of the six corpora-
tions, and 10 of the 14 district panchayats. Only in
municipalities did the UDF hold an edge over LDF.
The BJP fared poorly but showed signs of firm-
ing its roots by winning a municipality and dou-
bled its tally of gram panchayats. The party lost in
Thrissur and Thiruvananthapuram corporations.
It clearly has some hard work to do.
W
IN-DEPTH
SC SHOWS CENTRE THE
WAY TO END IMPASSE
he issue of farmers’ protest reached the
Supreme Court which took up two peti-
tions against the agriculturists blocking
roads affecting their freedom of move-
ment and seeking their removal. The
Chief Justice of India SA Bobde, who headed a
bench consisting of Justices AS Bopanna and V
Ramasubramanian warned the Centre that the
agitation was threatening to snowball into a na-
tional issue and suggested forming a committee
for an early and amicable settlement of the issue.
The Bench noted that talks between the govern-
ment and farmers were not fruitful. Addressing
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta CJI Bobde said,
“Mr. Mehta we will tell you what we are planning
to do. We will form a committee to resolve the dis-
pute. It will have members of Bharatiya Kisan
Union, other farmer organizations, and the Gov-
ernment of India. We will ask farmer organiza-
tions to be part of the committee as it will soon
become a national issue.
Describing the farmers’ attitude the solicitor
general said that it was either yes or no for them.
“Their approach is either repeal the Farm Acts or
don’t repeal. It’s either yes or no for them.” When
Tushar Mehta stressed that the government will
not do anything that will adversely impact the
farmers the CJI asked, “What’s the point of saying
so when it is adversely affecting them.”
Six rounds of talks have taken place but without
any fruitful result because farmers are not ready
for a compromise because they claim the new laws
favour big corporate houses. The Centre is unable
to convince the protesters about the amendments
it proposes to make.
T
nglish inhabitants in India re-
quested the then Indian rulers
to grant them the privilege of
being governed by the English
law. Indian rulers acceded to
this request which led to the
wholesale import of English
law in India.
The law of sedition in India
is an offshoot of English law. In
the earliest English law, any
infringement of the bond of
fealty was punishable. This ele-
ment is well marked in ‘seditio
exercitus vel regmi’ – a betray-
ing of the army or of the realm.
Incitement to disorder and ex-
citing ill-will between different
classes of the King’s subjects
was a serious crime against the
state. This English criminal
law crystallised in the famous
Treason Act, 1351 III and Trea-
son Act, 1795. The picture of
the system of law prevailing in
India at the advent of the 19th
century was one of confusion
and chaos. In the words of Sir
Henry Maine India was then “a
country empty of law.” The en-
actment of the Charter Act,
1833 and the creation of an all-
India Legislative Council form
a most significant watershed in
the legal history of India. Ma-
caulay rightly observed-“our
principle is simply this – uni-
formity where you can have it;
diversity where you must have
it, but in all cases certainty.”
A Law Commission, under
the aegis of Lord Macaulay,
was appointed to enact a uni-
form criminal law for India.
Section 113 of the Draft Penal
Code, proposed by the Law
Commission, made excitation
of feelings of disaffection
against the government estab-
lished by law in the territories
occupied by the East India
Company as criminal.” The
origin of Section 124A and the
history of its introduction in
Indian Penal Code, 1860 is both
interesting and important. In
1837, it existed, in gremio, as
one of the clauses of Macaul-
ay’s draft Penal Code, but re-
mained shelved for more than
twenty years. When this Bill
saw the light in 1860, strangely
enough, the sedition clause, for
some unaccountable reason,
had been omitted.
The government of India
badly felt the need for enact-
ment of this clause when ‘Wa-
habi’ conspiracy case was going
on. It is to be noted that Sir
Barnes Peacock has appended a
substitute section for Section
113 but it was rejected by the Se-
lect Committee of the House for
being much more severe. Final-
ly, on the lines of draft Section
113,Section124Awasenactedby
the Special Act XXVII of 1870.
The first state trial for sedi-
tion on record is the case of
Queen Empress vs. Jogendra
Chunder Bose, better known as
‘Bangobasi Case,’ that being the
name of the newspaper in
which the alleged seditious
matter appeared. In 1897 three
notabletrialstookplace–Queen
Empress vs. Bal Gangadhar Ti-
lak (ILR 22 Bom. 112), Queen-
Empress vs. Ramchandra
Narayan (ILR 1898 22 Bom. 45)
and Queen Empress vs. Amba
Prasad (ILR 1898 20 All. 55). Let
us ascertain to what extent Sec-
tion 124-A had been affected by
the judicial utterances of the
learned judges who took part in
these trials. In the first place, it
seems pretty clear that the term
‘disaffection’ had proved a ‘vex-
ata quaestio’, for many defini-
tions of this word had been of-
fered which were not all exactly
alike. Besides, the ‘explanation’
to the section had undoubtedly
proved a veritable crux.
The raison d’etre of the con-
templated amendment was
stated by Mr. Chalmers, the
member in charge of the bill.
“As for the section”, he said,
“which deals with the offence
of exciting disaffection against
the government……… I cannot
say that it strikes me as model
of clear drafting. The result of
the cases was to establish that
it is a criminal offence to stir
up feelings of contempt or ha-
tred for the government and
that such conduct is nonethe-
less an offence because resort
to actual violence is not advo-
cated.” Thus, adapting these
guidelines as to the language,
Section 124-A was repealed and
the present section was substi-
tuted therefor. The amendment
affirmed in unmistakable
terms the consentient opinions
of the various High Courts
which had been called to inter-
pret the Section 124—A then
extant. The introduction of the
expression “bring into hatred
or contempt” is traceable to Sir
Comer Petheram’s charge in
the Bangobasi trial, which he
himself imported from the
English law.
Thus, it is noticeable that
Section 124-A has undergone
subtle changes. It was adapted
from time to time as a result of
the constitutional changes by
the Government of India Act,
1935, by the Independence Act,
1947 and by the Indian Consti-
tution of 1950 (Adaptation of
Laws Orders 1937, 1948, and
1950). Section 124-A has re-
mained almost the same, with
little changes, as it was in 1898.
The word ‘Sedition’ does not
appear in Section 124-A, though
it is only mentioned as a mar-
ginal note to Section 124-A. It
simplygivesthenamebywhich
the crime defined in the section
is to be known. This species of
offence against the state was
not an invention of the British-
ersinIndiabuthasbeenknown
to ancient civilizations for cen-
turies as is discernible from
the foregoing discussion. Eve-
ry state has to be armed with
the power to punish those who
disseminate such feelings of
disloyalty as have the tendency
to lead to the disruption of the
state or to public disorder.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
SEDITION IN INDIA
MODERN ERA
E
The law of
sedition in India
is an offshoot of
English law. In
the earliest
English law, any
infringement of
the bond of fealty
was punishable.
This element is
well marked in
‘seditio exercitus
vel regmi’ – a
betraying of the
army or of the
realm.
Incitement to
disorder and
exciting ill-will
between different
classes of the
King’s subjects
was a serious
crime against
the state
THE WORD ‘SEDITION’
DOES NOT APPEAR IN
SECTION 124-A, THOUGH
IT IS ONLY MENTIONED
AS A MARGINAL NOTE
TO SECTION 124-A. IT
SIMPLY GIVES THE
NAME BY WHICH
THE CRIME DEFINED
IN THE SECTION IS
TO BE KNOWN
SHRAWAN
SAWHNEY
IAS (RETD.) SOLICITOR
& LEGAL CONSULTANT

5. To Receive Free Newspaper
PDF Daily
Whatsapp:
http://bit.ly/whatsappahm
Telegram:
https://t.me/firstindiaahmedabad
Click the above link☝ & subscribe us on your
preferred platform.

6. INDIAAHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2020
05www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
25 HR COUNTDOWN FOR PSLV-C50/
CMS01 MISSION BEGINS
Chennai: The 25-hour
countdown for the
launch of communica-
tion satellite CMS-01
on board launch vehicle
PSLV-C50 commenced on
Wednesday, ISRO said.
The polar satellite launch
vehicle’s 52nd mission is
scheduled for lift-off at
15.41 hours on Thursday
from the second launch
pad at the spaceport
of Sriharikota ‘subject
to weather conditions’.
“PSLV-CMS-01 Mission:
Countdown for the launch
of PSLV-C50/CMS01 mis-
sion commenced today
at 1441hrs from Satish
Dhawan Space Centre,
SHAR Sriharikota,” ISRO
said. PSLV-C50 is the
22nd flight of PSLV in ‘XL’
configuration, and launch
would be the 77th launch.
1 HURT AFTER TRUCK HITS 8
VEHICLES ON HIGHWAY IN PUNE
Pune: One person was injured after a truck hit
around eight vehicles on Mumbai-Bengaluruhigh-
way in Maharashtra’s Pune district on. Traffic was
disrupted for some time on the highway after the
accident took place near a bridge, an official said.
The truck hit seven to eight vehicles near Navale
bridge on a by-pass of the Mumbai-Bengaluru
highway, he said. “One person received injuries.
The victim was travelling in an auto-rickshaw
which was among the seven to eight vehicles
damaged in the accident,” police official added.
NOT A SUITABLE TIME TO TALK
ABOUT ALLIANCES: HAASAN
Tirunelveli: Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) chief
Kamal Haasan said that many ask him about a
possible pact with Rajinikanth and added that it
is not a suitable time to talk about alliances. On
speculations over alliance with Rajinikanth, MNM
chief cleared that his party will form a third team
with the good candidates under his leadership
in the forthcoming Assembly elections. “He (Ra-
jinikanth) and I are good friends. If we form an
alliance, I would be happy,” he added. Speaking
about the alliance with (DMK), Haasan said.
SENSEX, NIFTY EXTEND RECORD RUN;
HDFC TWINS, IT PACK LEAD CHARGE
Mumbai: Equity bench-
marks raced to new peaks
for the fourth straight
session as participants
took note of continuously
improving macroeconom-
ic indicators and positive
trends in global markets.
The BSE Sensex settled
403.29 points or 0.87 per
cent higher at 46,666.46,
while the NSE Nifty
climbed 114.85 points
or 0.85 % to 13,682.70
-record closing for both
the benchmarks. Both the
indices also marked their
all-time intra-day highs of
46,704.97 and 13,692.35,
respectively. In the Sen-
sex pack, HDFC, ONGC,
Bharti Airtel, Asian Paints,
Titan, TCS and Mahindra
and Mahindra were the
prominent gainers, ad-
vancing up to 3.11%.
New Delhi: Prime Min-
ister Narendra Modi on
Wednesday recalled the
unwavering courage of
our armed forces on the
occasion of the Vijay Di-
was, a historic day that
made Bangladesh an in-
dependent country.
Prime Minister said
the unwavering courage
of armedforcesresulted
in a decisive victory for
our nation in the 1971
war. Taking to Twitter,
PM Modi said, "On Vijay
Diwas we recall the un-
wavering courage of
our armed forces that
resulted in a decisive
victory for our nation in
the1971war.Onthisspe-
cialVijayDiwas,hadthe
honour of lighting the
'Swarnim Vijay
Mashaal' at the National
War Memorial."
Prime Minister Modi
lit the 'Swarnim Vijay
Mashaal' at the Nation-
al War Memorial on
Wednesday to mark the
50th-anniversary of the
1971 India-Pakistan
war. The Prime Minis-
ter paid tributes to the
fallen soldiers at Na-
tional War Memorial.
He was received by
Union Defence Minister
Rajnath Singh at the
venue. On this occa-
sion, the Defence Minis-
ter unveiled the logo for
'Swarnim Vijay Varsh.'
Four 'Victory
Mashaals' (flames) lit
from the Eternal Flame
of National War Memo-
rial will be carried to
various parts of the
country including to
villages of Param Vir
Chakra and Maha Vir
Chakra awardees of
1971 war.
Vijay Diwas is cele-
brated every year on
December 16 to mark
India's triumph in liber-
ating Bangladesh from
Pakistan in 1971.
In one of the fastest
and shortest cam-
paigns of military his-
tory, a new nation was
born as a result of the
swift campaign under-
taken by the Indian
Army. —ANI
We recall unwavering courage of our forces: PM
Vijay Diwas is celebrated every year on December 16 to mark India’s triumph in liberating Bangladesh from Pakistan in the year 1971
Prime Minister Narendra Modi pays homage on the occasion of Vijay Diwas, at National War
Memorial in New Delhi on Wednesday. —PHOTO BY ANI
New Delhi: The Espla-
nade Court in Mumbai
granted bail to Republic
TV Chief Executive Edi-
tor Vikas Khanchanda-
ni,whowasarrestedlast
Sunday, in the alleged
TRP scam. He was earli-
er remanded to police
custodytillDecember15.
Hehasbeengrantedbail
on a surety of Rs 50,000.
Khanchandani was
questioned previously
by the investigators
twice before his arrest.
Mumbai Police regis-
tered a case of manipu-
lating television rating
pointsagainsttheRepub-
lic TV after rating agen-
cy BARC filed a com-
plaint through Hansa
Research Agency about
the rigging of TRP by
some channels. —Agencies
TRP scam: Republic
TV CEO granted bail New Delhi: The Su-
preme Court Collegium
has recommended
transfer of four Chief
Justices of different
High Courts including
the Andhra Pradesh
High Court Chief Jus-
tice J K Maheshwari
against whom a letter
was written to the Chief
Justice of India.
In an unprecedented
move, chief minister Y
S Jagan Mohan Reddy,
on October 6, had writ-
ten to the CJI, alleging
that the Andhra
Pradesh High Court led
by Justice Maheshwari
was being used to
"destabilise and topple
my democratically
elected government."
The Collegium head-
ed by Chief Justice S A
Bobde recommended
transfer of Justice Ma-
heshwari as Chief Jus-
tice of Sikkim High
Court and Sikkim High
Court Chief Justice A K
Goswami to Andhra
Pradesh HC.
According to the apex
court website, the Colle-
gium in its meeting held
on December 14 has ap-
proved the proposal to
transfer Telangana HC
Chief Justice R S Chau-
han as Chief Justice of
UttarakhandHighCourt
whileOrissaHighCourt
Chief Justice Moham-
med Rafiq has been sent
toMadhyaPradeshHigh
Court. —PTI
SCCollegiumproposestransferring
Chief Justices of four High Courts
Mumbai: Bombay
HC stayed the metro
car shed project at
Mumbai's Kanjur
Marg and asked the
Mumbai Metropoli-
tan Region Develop-
ment Authority
(MMRDA) to main-
tain the status quo.
Earlier on Monday,
the HC had asked
Maharashtra gov-
ernment to consider
withdrawing the or-
der passed by the
Mumbai Suburban
District Collector, al-
lotting 102 acres of
saltpan land for the
construction of a
Metro car shed. —PTI
Bombay HC
stays metro
car shed
project
New Delhi: Union Min-
ister of Education, Dr
Ramesh Pokhriyal on
Wednesday announced
the schedule for JEE
Mains 2021 examina-
tion. According to the
minister, the National
Testing Agency (NTA)
will conduct the JEE
Mains 2021 examina-
tion from February 23
to 26, 2021.
The NTA will con-
duct the JEE mains
2021 examination four
times, in February,
March, April and May,
2021.Earlier during a
live session on Decem-
ber 10, regarding the
dates to conduct class
10 and 12 board exams,
the education minister
had said the consulta-
tions with stakeholders
are in progress and the
schedule will be an-
nounced soon based on
the feedback from the
stakeholders.—Agencies
Thiruvananthapuram:
TheCPI-MledLDFmain-
tained its lead against
Congress led UDF and
the BJP led NDA. The
LDF led in gram, block
and district panchayat.
The UDF was ahead in
municipality and at par
withLDFincorporation.
The BJP led NDA, on the
other hand was at the
third position. It had
won 1068 wards in gram
panchayat, 37 wards in
block panchayat, 1 ward
in district panchayat,
320 wards in municipal-
ity and 59 wards in cor-
poration. Gram pan-
chayat has 15962 wards,
block panchayat has
2080, district panchayat
has 331, municipality
has 3078 and corpora-
tion has 414 wards.
BJP IT Cell head Amit
Malviya said the BJP
has made impressive
gains in Kerala. “It won
Palakkad Municipality
for the second time and
also Pandalam Munici-
pality, birth place of
Swamy Ayyappa. Re-
tains Madhur Panchayat
in Kasargod for 40th
year in a row! Does well
in other high stakes con-
tests too…”
Kerala Finance Minis-
ter Thomas Isaac said
the LDF is inching to-
wards a ‘resounding vic-
tory’ in Kerala. Target-
ing BJP and Congress,
he said that the people
of his state rejected the
slander campaign by the
opposition parties. Con-
gress was at the second
position while the NDA
struggled to make some
impact. The news is not
very encouraging for the
BJP in Kerala except for
Kochi and Thiruvanan-
thapuram where its can-
didates have defeated
Congress mayoral candi-
date and LDF candi-
dates. —Agencies
JEE main 2021 to be held
from Feb 23-26: Pokhriyal
‘Comprehensive’winforCPI-MledLDF
50TH ANNIV OF 1971 WAR
New Delhi: Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi on Wednesday
lit the ‘Swarnim Vi-
jay Mashaal’ from
the eternal flame of
the National War Me-
morial here, mark-
ing the beginning of
the 50th anniversary
year celebrations of
India’s victory over
Pakistan in 1971.
Modi was joined by
Defence Minister Ra-
jnath Singh, the
chief of defence staff
and tri-service chiefs
as he laid wreath and
paid homage to the
soldiers who made
the supreme sacri-
fice for the country.
Four victory
mashaals (flaming
torches) will be car-
ried to various parts
of India, including to
the villages of Param
Vir Chakra and
Maha Vir Chakra
awardees of the 1971
war, the defence min-
istry has said. “Soil
from the villages of
these awardees and
from areas where
major battles were
fought in 1971 are be-
ing brought to the
National War Memo-
rial (NWM),” few
sources from the
ministry said.—PTI
PM Modi lights
‘Swarnim Vijay Mashaal’
New Delhi: India
will host a Global
Media and Film Sum-
mit next year and it
will also set up a spe-
cial pavilion at
Cannes in 2022 on the
occasion of Cannes
Film Festival's 75
years celebrations,
Union Information
and Broadcasting
Minister Prakash Ja-
vadekar said on
Wednesday.
Javadekar made
the announcement
while addressing the
CII Big Picture Sum-
mit through video
conferencing in
which he mentioned
that "we are a coun-
try where growth of
c o m m u n i c a t i o n
technology is phe-
nomenal and this
presents a tremen-
dous scope for enter-
tainment and media
industry".
The minister re-
marked "Animation,
Visual Effects, Gam-
ing and Comic
(AVGC) is a sunrise
sector and our ex-
perts are providing
back-end support to
top filmmakers of
the world".
He added that it
was time that these
professionals started
doing more of this
for our own films so
that the use of ani-
mation and graphics
in Indian films grows
manifold. —PTI
‘India to host
Global Film
Summit in 2021’
Prakash Javadekar speaks during a press briefing on
Cabinet decisions, at National Media Centre in New Delhi.
Republic TV Chief Executive Editor Vikas Khanchandani was
arrested last Sunday.
MIN SPEA
IN THE COURTYARD
G7 SUMMIT
Amit Shah
@AmitShah
"On this day in 1971,
the Indian Army, with its
indomitable courage and
valour, made a historic
change on the world
map, protecting the uni-
versal values of human
freedom. This mark with
golden letters in history
will continue to make
every Indian proud.
Happy Vijay Diwas."
Rajnath Singh
@rajnathsingh
"Today, on the occasion
of Vijay Diwas, I salute
the valour and bravery
of the Indian Army. I
remember the bravery
of the brave soldiers
who wrote a new saga
of bravery in the 1971
war. Their sacrifice is a
source of inspiration for
all Indians. Nation will
always revere them."
KERALA LOCAL BODY POLLS

7. INDIAAHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2020
06www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
‘YOUR TALKS...
The court said the
proposed committee
would comprise of
representatives from
the government and
farmer unions across
the country to resolve
the deadlock over the
farm laws.
“Your negotiations
with protesting farm-
ers have not worked
apparently till now,”
the apex court said,
adding that the pro-
testing farmer unions
should be made a par-
ty to the case. So far,
the government and
farmer union leaders
have held five rounds
of talks without
much headway.
Meanwhile, Solici-
tor General Tushar
Mehta told the bench
that the government
would not do any-
thing against the in-
terest of farmers.
The plea was filed
by one Rishabh Shar-
ma, a law student,
who contended that
“because of the ongo-
ing protest at the Del-
hi borders, the roads
have been blocked by
the protesters and
closed border points,
which have affected
vehicular traffic and
people who are trave-
ling to and from Delhi
to get medical treat-
ment in reputed gov-
ernment/private hos-
pitals situated in Del-
hi are also affected”.
The plea said the
protesters were
“blocking the roads
for all the emergen-
cy/medical services”
required in the na-
tional capital for
those affected by the
virus.
The farmers have
expressed apprehen-
sion that these laws
would pave the way
for the dismantling
of the minimum sup-
port price system,
leaving them at the
“mercy” of big corpo-
rates. The govern-
ment has maintained
that the new laws
would bring farmers
better opportunities.
On Wednesday, the
farmer unions sent a
written reply to the
government, reject-
ing its December 9
proposal in which it
offered significant
concessions. An Agri-
culture Ministry offi-
cial said that the gov-
ernment received a
written response
from the farmer un-
ions.
TMC’s Adhikari...
joining that he had
committed to the par-
ty leadership.
On Tuesday, BJP
leader Kailash Vijay-
vargiya called up
Adhikari to wish him
on his birthday, fur-
ther fuelling specula-
tion. BJP sources said
Adhikari, an influen-
tial leader with a
mass base, could in-
fluence votes in at
least 40 Assembly
constituencies in six
districts.
Cabinet nod...
A total of 2251.25
MHz is being offered
with total valuation
of Rs. 3,92,332.70
crore (at reserve
price), the govern-
ment said in its state-
ment.
Apart from the de-
cision on spectrum
auctions, the Cabinet
also approved a subsi-
dy of Rs 3,500 crore to
sugar mills for the ex-
port of 60 lakh tonnes
of sugar during the
ongoing marketing
year 2020-21 (October-
September) in a bid to
help them clear out-
standing dues to sug-
arcane farmers, Ja-
vadekar said.
Waste of...
A presentation on the
colour of uniforms in
the Army, Navy and
Air Force was being
made to the Commit-
tee when a BJP mem-
ber called for uni-
formity in the uni-
form colour of the
three forces as in the
United States.
However, the for-
mer Congress chief
said the Army, Navy
and the Air Force
should decide what
the colour of their
uniform should be,
and not the politi-
cians.
“The politicians
should have no busi-
ness to tell the Army,
Navy or Air Force
which uniform to
wear and it is neither
their jurisdiction nor
domain and should
not belittle them or
insult them.
“The political lead-
ership should instead
provide hot tents,
boots and equip the
soldiers who are brav-
ing out at the border
and are fighting the
Chinese in Ladakh,”
Gandhi was quoted as
saying at the meeting.
According to the
sources, Gandhi said,
“The leadership
should also focus on
how to push back the
enemy and support
and strengthen the
armed forces rather
than dictating the col-
our of their uni-
forms.”
FROM PG 1
New Delhi: Congress
leader Randeep Singh
Surjewala on Wednes-
day posed various
questions to Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi over PM CARES
Fund, including the re-
ceipt of donations to
the fund through Indi-
an Embassies.
"The intriguing case
of 'foreign donations',
including from China,
Pakistan and Qatar to
PM Cares Fund! The
Congress leader fur-
ther posed questions
including, "How many
thousand crores were
received in Fund from
27 foreign countries
and was there a quid
pro quo with NISSEI
ASB between donation
and restarting their
factory?"
"Why were the 27 In-
dian Embassies adver-
tising the Fund through
'Closed Channels, not
in Public Domain',
when Fund is not a
'Public Authority' with-
in RTI?" Surjewala
tweeted.
"Why has the Fund
been exempted from
the preview of FCRA
by the Government?
Isn't it the only excep-
tion in India for a
Charitable trust? Why
this Special treat-
ment?" he added. Why
is the Fund then not a
'Public Authority',
asked Surjewala. "Why
is Fund not audited by
CAG or GOI amd re-
port made public as
substantial foreign do-
nations were re-
ceived?" he added. —ANI
CONGRESS QUESTIONS PM CARES
FUND OVER FOREIGN DONATIONS
New Delhi: Market
regulator Sebi on
Wednesday decided to
relax profitability crite-
ria for becoming a mu-
tual fund sponsor with
a view to facilitating
innovation and expan-
sion in the MF sector.
The regulator has
also decided to segre-
gate and ring-fence as-
sets and liabilities of
mutual fund schemes,
Sebi said in a statement
after its board meeting.
This is in addition to
the existing require-
ment of segregating
bank accounts and se-
curities accounts.
The Sebi board also
approved proposals in-
cluding dispensing
with the requirement
to issue physical unit
certificates, reducing
maximum permissible
exit load and reducing
the timeline for pay-
ment of dividend.
Also, the board
cleared a proposal for
permitting other modes
for payment of divi-
dend and providing
clarity with respect to
payment of interest
and penalty in case of
delay in dividend pay-
ment.
With regards to spon-
sor eligibility, Sebi said
sponsors that are not
fulfilling profitability
criteria at the time of
making application,
will also be considered
eligible to sponsor a
mutual fund. —Agencies
Profitabilitycriteriafor
mutualfundsponsors
Cooch Behar: West
Bengal Chief Minister
Mamata Banerjee on
Wednes-
day ac-
cused the
BJP of
trying to
c o e r c e
T r i n a -
mool Con-
gress leaders to join the
saffron party.
Addressing a rally
here, Banerjee termed
detractors in her party
as "opportunists" and
blamed the BJP for try-
ing to break the TMC by
using "moneybags".
"Imagine the audaci-
ty of the BJP leaders,
they are calling up my
state president Subrata
Bakshi and asking him
to join the party. The
BJP doesn't have any
political courtesy or ide-
ology. And, there are
one or two opportunists
who only work for their
benefit. —PTI
"The old-timers of the
party are our real as-
sets. The BJP is trying
to coerce TMC leaders
to join. It is using mon-
eybags to break opposi-
tion parties... But, we
will fight and defeat
them in the assembly
polls," she asserted.—PTI
‘BJP calling up TMC leaders,
trying to coerce them to join’ New Delhi: The Minis-
try of Home Affairs
(MHA) has asked the
paramilitary forces to
create “vatika (gar-
dens)” in the name of
the martyrs and also
put their photographs
there.
“All forces should
create and dedicate a
vatika to the martyrs.
Their picture should
also be placed at the va-
tika,” the Ministry of
Home Affairs said in a
letter after a review
meeting held last
month.
The MHA directed
the forces to build the
special gardens in plac-
es, which have seen
maximum martyrdom
like Pulwama.
Dedicate gardens
to martyrs:
MHA to forces
New Delhi: Covaxin -
one of three coronavi-
rus vaccine candidates
being considered for
emergency use author-
isation in India - in-
duced an immune re-
sponse and registered
no serious adverse
events, interim find-
ings of Phase I trials
have reveale.
The vaccine induced
a neutralising antibody
(an immune response)
and was well-tolerated
in all dose groups with
no vaccine-related seri-
ous adverse events, pre-
publication data
showed. After the first
vaccination, local and
systemic adverse
events were predomi-
nantly mild or moder-
ate in severity and re-
solved rapidly, without
any prescribed medica-
tion. The most common
adverse event was pain
at the injection site,
which resolved sponta-
neously.
A patient vaccinated
July 30 had a fever and
headache five days lat-
er. Although this was
originally classified as
a “serious adverse
event”, he later tested
positive for COVID-19.
Emergency use approv-
al of a drug - which is
what Bharat Biotech
(and two other firms)
have applied for) can be
granted if there is suf-
ficient evidence to sug-
gest the drug is safe
and effective.
New Delhi: Commis-
sion deliberated upon a
report, received from
the Central Board of
Direct Taxes (CBDT),
intimating its search
operations in Madhya
Pradesh and its find-
ings of extensive use
of unaccounted cash
during the General
Elections 2019 in Mad-
hya Pradesh.
It is reported that
these entities/individu-
als engaged in unau-
thorized and unac-
counted cash contribu-
tions to individuals on
behalf of certain politi-
cal party, which is re-
ported to be corrobo-
rated during searches
against persons by In-
come Tax department
under Section 132 of the
Income Tax Act, 1961.
Commission has also
directed Union Home
Secretary to initiate ap-
propriate departmental
action against All India
Service officers and
also to Chief Secretary,
Madhya Pradesh for
similar action against
State officer.
Departmentalaction
against IPS officers
VACCINE TRIGGERS
IMMUNERESPONSE
New Delhi: Facebook's
India head Ajit Mohan
deposed before a parlia-
mentary panel and was
questioned about a re-
cent report that the so-
cial media giant is reluc-
tant to ban the Bajrang
Dalduetoconcernsover
the security of its staff.
Mohan deposed be-
fore the Parliamentary
Standing Committee on
IT, chaired by Congress
leader Shashi Tharoor.
Facebook’s
India head Ajit
Mohan deposes
New Delhi: Nearly 9
months after the four
death row convicts in
the 2012 Delhi gang-rape
case of Nirbhaya were
hanged at Tihar Jail,
Nirbhaya’ mother Asha
Devi has pledged to fight
for providing justice to
all rape victims.
Asha Devi said fight-
ing for justice for rape
victims will be a tribute
to her daughter, who
was gang-raped on this
day in 2012.
“Justice has been de-
livered to my daughter.
But it does not mean
that I will sit in silence.
I will continue to fight
for justice to all rape vic-
tims. Like this I will pay
tribute to my daughter.
‘A pledge to
fight for all
rape victims’
New Delhi: After ask-
ing publisher to stop
the publication of his
father Pranab Mukher-
jee's last memoir, Abhi-
jit Mukherjee requested
the publisher to allow
him to go through its
contents before final
rollout.
"Contrary to the opin-
ion of some, I am not
against the publishing
of my father's Memoir
but I have requested D
publisher to allow me to
go through its contents
before final roll out & I
believe my request is
quite legitimate & with-
in my rights as his Son,"
Abhijeet Mukherjee
tweeted. —ANI
Not against
publishing of my
father’s memoir,
says Mukherjee
QUESTIONS TO THE PRIME MINISTER
ENTITIES INVOLVED
MAMATA SHOULD WORRY: OWAISI
Randeep Singh Surjewala
WHO ARE THE TOP FAVOURITE
SECRETARIES OF THE PM?
In the corridors of power, it is said that PM Nar-
endra Modi is very happy with the working of four
Secretaries in the GoI. One can guess the names.
WILL ANIL MUKIM GET IMPORTANT
ASSIGNMENT IN DELHI?
Insiders say that Gujarat Chief Secretary Anil
Mukim will, after his superannuation in February,
return to Delhi on an important assignment most
probably in the PMO or in the Election Commis-
sion. He is 1985 batch IAS officer.
MAJOR GEN MOGHE TO HEAD 29
INFANTRY DIVISION?
Major General RA Moghe is likely to take over
the charge of 29 Infantry Division as new General
Officer Commanding.
SURESH MADHAVAN IS ALSO CVO,
JUTE CORP OF INDIA LTD
Suresh Madhavan, CVO, MSTC, has been as-
signed an additional charge of CVO, Jute Corpora-
tion of India Limited, Kolkata.
ROHIT TIWARI APPOINTED
IGF, MOEF&CC
The ACC has approved the appointment of Rohit
Tiwari as Inspector General of Forest (IGF), Minis-
try of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, New
Delhi, on deputation basis. He is a 1993 batch IFS
officer of W Bengal cadre.
ADDITIONAL CHARGE FOR ANURAG
AGARWAL IN HARYANA
Anurag Agarwal, Chief Electoral Officer, Hary-
ana and Principal Secretary, Haryana, Elections
Department and MD, Haryana State industrial
& Infrastructure Development Corporation, has
been handed over additional charge of Managing
Director, Haryana Financial Corporation. He is a
1994 batch IAS officer of Haryana cadre.
CADRE OF MALIKA GARG TRANSFERRED
The Central Government has transferred the
cadre of Malika Garg from West Bengal to Andhra
Pradesh on the grounds of her marriage. She is a
2015 batch IPS officer.
B ANAND IS ALSO SECRETARY, COMMISSION
FOR SCHEDULED CASTES
B Anand, Secretary, NCM, has been assigned an
additional charge of Secretary, National Commis-
sion for Scheduled Castes till December 31, 2020.
He is a 1987 batch IAS officer of Tamil Nadu cadre.
POWERGallery
By arrangement with: http://
whispersinthecorridors.com
Mumbai: Arjun Ram-
pal was summoned by
the Narcotics Control
Bureau (NCB) today
(December 16). He was
summoned for the sec-
ond time for question-
ing regarding the drug
probe related to late ac-
tor Sushant Singh Ra-
jput's death case. Arjun,
however, did not appear
before the NCB today.
The actor has asked for
time till December 21.
According to ANI,
Arjun has sought time
till December 21. Their
tweet reads, " Actor Ar-
jun Rampal seeks time
till 21st December, to ap-
pear before Narcotics
Control Bureau (NCB)
NCB had summoned
the actor today in a
drug-related case
probe."
Arjun Rampal seeks time
till Dec 21 to appear before
NCB in drug case

8. HASCOVID-19COST
TALKING POINTAHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2020
07www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
I
f you
l e a v e
y o u r
car sitting
the garage for
too long, the bat-
tery can go flat.
Similarly, if we don’t
maintain our friend-
ships, they can go a bit
flat too.
So just as it’s good
practice to drive your
car every so often and
have it serviced regu-
larly, friendships are
easier to maintain
with some semblance
of regular contact.
What has this meant
for our friendships
during 2020, a year of
social distancing and
lockdowns? My re-
search suggests physi-
cal separation wasn’t
necessarily associated
with psychological
separation or the
breakdown of friend-
ships.
And that appears to
be thanks mostly to
communication tech-
nologies.
Technology
may have helped
people stay
connectedduring
the pandemic
SHANE ROGERS,
Lecturer in Psychology,
Edith Cowan University
Consistent with
research from other
parts of the world,
lockdown experi-
ences in Australia have
been associated with
diminished emotional
well-being for many
people.My colleague
Travis Cruickshank and
I surveyed 1,599 Aus-
tralians from various
age groups during the
national lockdown in
April. Our study is still
at the preprint stage,
which means it hasn’t
yet been published in a
peer-reviewed journal.A
substantial propor-
tion of participants
reported a deterioration
in their mental health
due to COVID-19 (10%
deteriorated a lot, 44%
deteriorated some-
what, 40% reported
no change, and 6%
improved somewhat).
We also asked how
their friendships had
been affected, and
surprisingly, most
respondents reported
no change (66%). This
was despite 72% not-
ing they were interact-
ing face-to-face with
friends a lot less (and
a further 14% some-
what less) during the
pandemic.
At first glance our
results seem strange,
as even the best
communication
technologies are argu-
ably not an adequate
substitute for face-to-
face interaction. It’s
difficult to make eye
contact—an important
social cue—through a
screen. And if you’ve
ever tried to catch up
with a group of friends
over Zoom or a similar
platform, you’ll know
it can become a little
chaotic. However,
56% of participants
in our study reported
spending more time
interacting with friends
using technology dur-
ing the pandemic (for
example, phone, email,
or online chat). So it
seems most people
used communica-
tion technologies to
stay connected with
their friends during
lockdown—even if it
wasn’t quite the same
as catching up in
person.Social media
sometimes gets a
bad rap. For example,
excessive social media
use has been associ-
ated with negative
outcomes such as
lower self-esteem and
narcissistic tendencies.
It can also be a vehicle
for spreading misin-
formation.However,
having a raft of options
for communicating
digitally, of which
social media plat-
forms are a big part,
has arguably been a
good thing overall.
People have been able
to share jokes with a
wide audience to keep
spirits up. For exam-
ple, a Facebook group
encouraging people to
dress up in costumes
to take their bins out,
and then post pictures,
went viral around the
world. More important-
ly, people could stay
connected with friends
and family during a
stressful time. We
know social support is
important for manag-
ing anxiety, especially
during fraught times.
Our results are con-
sistent with other Aus-
tralian research and US
research which found
people didn’t perceive
their social support to
be negatively affected
during the pandemic.
Mental health, friendships
and COVID-19
Communication technologies
to the rescue
Authorprovided
Video chat platforms
(such as Zoom) saw
a dramatic increase
in use during the
pandemic. While
serviceable, video
chat is still lacking
compared with face-
to-face interaction.
The pandemic has
heightened interest in
the development of
new digital communi-
cation technologies.
One prospect is com-
munication in virtual
reality (VR).During
the pandemic, a host
of start-up compa-
nies have appeared
selling VR meeting
platforms. There was
also an increase in
usage of social VR
programs, although
these remain on the
fringe.A current issue
with social interac-
tion in VR is that the
avatars generally
have minimal expres-
sion and therefore
only represent a shell
of a character that
transmits your voice.
As summed up in this
article on The Conver-
sation, “VR tech-
nologies perhaps only
offer a pale imitation
of the multi-sensory
experiences of life”.
However, new devel-
opments in motion
tracking technology
and touch-stimulating
devices are set to sig-
nificantly improve the
social interaction ex-
perience in VR within
the next few years.
New VR headsets
are in development
that include inbuilt
facial motion track-
ing, such as those by
Facebook, and also
the DecaGear 1. In
the coming years, we
may be interacting
in VR at work and at
the weekend with our
friends.
New communication
technologies on the horizon
But not everybody made use of technology
In our study, while most
people reported no impact
on their friendships, 27% of
people reported a deteriora-
tion in their relationships
with friends. These people
were more likely to also
report not increasing their
level of communication via
technological means. These
people were also more likely
to report their mental health
had deteriorated. It’s impor-
tant to note we collected our
data fairly early in the pan-
demic. So it’s possible more
people, particularly those
in Victoria who endured a
prolonged second lockdown,
may have experienced dete-
rioration in their friendships
since we collected our data.
But our results highlight the
important role communica-
tion technologies can play
during a pandemic, and the
value of using such technol-
ogies to maintain relation-
ships and social support,
for the benefit of our mental
health. Interestingly, 7% of
people reported an improve-
ment in friendship quality.
Perhaps connecting over
difficult times brought some
people closer. Alternatively,
with various communication
technologies and apps gain-
ing traction, some people
may have started interacting
with friends during lock-
down who they wouldn’t
normally see or speak to.
Technology can’t entirely replicate the benefits of socialising face-to-face. —SHUTTERSTOCK
Shutterstock
Some participants in our study reported their social relationships
had deteriorated. —SHUTTERSTOCK
friendships?
Source : THECONVERSATION.COM

9. Never underestimate the power of
a sincere apology. It is a rainbow
in an overcast sky, full of
possibilities.
—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India
AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2020www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
08
2NDFRONT
Though 2022 deadline looks tough, NHSRC quickly signs second civil contract in a month; 92% work has been contracted
Shishir Awasthi
New Delhi: With Na-
tional High-Speed
Rail Corporation
(NHSRCL) having
signed the second con-
tract agreement for
the design and con-
struction of the 88-km
long viaducts between
Vadodara and
Ahmedabad in Guja-
rat on Wednesday, it
has awarded 92% of
the works for the am-
bitious Mumbai-
Ahmedabad bullet
train project.
This phase will also
include construction of
an elevated station at
Anand/Nadiad, mainte-
nance depot and bridges
for the bullet train cor-
ridor. With this, the
NHSRCL has awarded
civil contracts for the
construction of 92%
high-speed rail corridor
alignment in Gujarat,
which is 325 km out of
352 km in the State.
Earlier on November
26, 2020, it had awarded
contracts for 47% of the
civil works. It had stated
the project will take 4
years to be completely
operational once the
contractswereawarded,
clearly missing the 2022
deadline.
According to NHSR-
CL, the agreement with
Larsen and Toubro con-
glomerate also includes
five high-speed rail cor-
ridor stations namely
Vapi, Bilimora, Surat,
Bharuch, and Anand/
Nadiad, train depot at
Surat as well as one
mountain tunnel of 350
metres. These contracts
are likely to provide a
boost to the steel and ce-
ment industries and its
allied supply chains.
The total cost of the
awarded contracts is
32,000 crore approxi-
mately.
NHSRCL team has
signed 2 big contracts
for the project in less
than a month. When the
construction works
start soon, it will also
create jobs, for which
NHSRCL had already
started providing con-
struction-related train-
ing, said Achal Khare,
Managing Director.
Earlier, NHSRCL
signed a contract agree-
ment with L&T for the
237 km long viaduct be-
tween Vapi (Zaroli vil-
lage at Maharashtra-
Gujarat border) and Va-
dodara (Gujarat).
This is said to be the
country’s biggest infra-
structure contract for
construction and de-
sign. The contract in-
volved 47 per cent of the
high speed rail align-
ment, which includes
the construction of four
corridor stations and a
depot.
Once completely im-
plemented and ready for
services,the508kmlong
Mumbai-Ahmedabad
bullet train project will
operate at a speed of 320
km per hour.
It will cover 12 sta-
tions along the route,
passingthroughspecific
regionsinMaharashtra,
Gujarat, and Dadra and
Nagar Haveli. The en-
tire distance will be cov-
ered in three hours with
all stops.
@320km,Bullettrainmaybeworththewait
Abikeroffersrideto
Morbigirl,rapesher
First India Bureau
Morbi: A woman who
took a ride offered by
a motorcyclist was on
dragged to an orchard
and allegedly raped
by him near Morbi.
According to a police
complaint filed on
Wednesday, the woman
was waiting near Mi-
tana Chowkdi in Morbi
to travel to Rajkot.
A man on a motor-
bike convinced her to
come with him as he
was heading to Rajkot
and would drop her
there. When the girl
agreed, he took her to
the village border and
then allegedly raped
her in an orchard.
The Morbi police
have started a hunt for
the youth, while the
woman is undergoing
treatment at a hospital
in Rajkot
This is a second
rape incident in and
around Rajkot in a
month. Earlier last
month, a 23-year-old
woman from Rajkot
had alleged that she
was gangraped by 5
men at various places
after she fell prey to
their promise of a
corporate job.
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The Gu-
jarat High Court on
Wednesday put a stay
on all types of con-
struction in front of
Pratap Vilas Palace,
which is 106 years old
and has a historical
value.
Indian Railways has
purchased a parcel of
land in front of the pal-
ace and is planning to
build a storage facility.
Challenging the move,
the petitioner has
sought a direction to
the Railways to build a
storage facility at some
other place, where the
land is available.
The court has pri-
marily accepted the pe-
titioner’s submission
that the palace has a
historical value.
The royal Gaekwad
family of Vadodara had
launched a movement
against the railways’
plan in July. They have
pointed out that the pal-
ace construction had
begun in 1908 and was
designed by Charles
Stevens.
Since 1952, the palace
has been used by the
railways as a railway
staff college. The estate
is spread over 55 acres
and construction could
be done at some other
place.
The Railways had
earlier told the media
that it had plans to
construct a building
to accommodate Na-
tional Rail and Trans-
portation institute
and other offices, but
the location was not
finalized.
In 2014, Vadodara had
lost a heritage struc-
ture when the Naz-
arbaug Palace was de-
molished. It was an ar-
cheological jewel of the
city.
Nazarbaug gone, Vadodara fights for this palace
VANISHING HERITAGE
 Gujarat HC stays all types of
construction in front of Vadodara’s
historical Pratap Vilas Palace
HI-SPEED IDEA!
‘Cong confusing
farmers, wants to
destabilise country’
Teachers’ body leader threatens TEO
First India Bureau
New Delhi:
Bharatiya Janata
Party’s Gujarat
unit president
CR Paatil on
Wednesday said
the ongoing pro-
tests by the farm-
ers against the
Centre’s reforms at
Delhi borders was
a planned conspir-
acy by opposition
parties to destabi-
lise the country,
adding that the
Centre won’t let
this happen.
“This agitation is
a planned conspira-
cy by the opposition
to destabilise the na-
tion, but the central
government under
Prime Minister Nar-
endra Modi will not
let this happen.
Since opposition
parties have lost
their base, they are
trying to create an-
archy in the coun-
try,” Paatil told re-
porters as part of
the BJP’s outreach
exercise to make
people aware of the 3
laws being opposed
by farmers.
Paatil alleged
that the Congress
party was in favour
of these reforms
when it was in pow-
er but it was now
spreading false-
hoods and misguid-
ing farmers.
“Congress was
also in favour of
these agricultural
reforms when it was
in power. But now,
the opposition party
is spreading false-
hood and misguiding
farmers. People need
to identify such forc-
es and remain cau-
tious about their mo-
tives,” the BJPGuja-
rat chief added.
Patil’s remarks
about the ongoing
stir came a day af-
ter Prime Minister
Narendra Modi
had said the Centre
was addressing the
concerns of the
farmers regarding
the new reforms
and accused the op-
position of mis-
guiding them.
“Farmers are be-
ing misled as part of
a conspiracy. Farm-
ers are told that their
land will be grabbed
by others,” Modi said
in Kutch on Tuesday.
Gujarat BJP President CR Paatil.
READY-
ING FOR
R-DAY
Workers busy
making national
flags and scarves
in the Behrampura
area of Ahmedabad
on Wednesday,
preparing for the
Republic Day
celebrations.
—PHOTO BY
HANIF SINDHI
First India Bureau
Himmatnagar: An au-
dio clip has gone viral
on social media where
the general secretary of
the Gujarat Primary
Teachers Association is
heard questioning a Ta-
luka Education Officer
(TEO) for daring to is-
sue orders to relieve
teachers from their ex-
isting postings without
consulting him.
Bayad Taluka Educa-
tion officer N M Tamar
issued official orders to
the District Programme
Office to relieve some
teachers. Tamar stated
that the DPO had issued
notices asking the rea-
son for not relieving ex-
tra teachers when other
talukas had done so.
And so he had to follow
the directives.
Teachers Association
general secretary Sat-
ish Patel called Tamar
and abused him for not
taking him into confi-
dence before issuing
such orders. He even
threatened Tamar that
he was going to be gen-
eral secretary till 2024
and he would face the
music. Reacting on the
audio clip, Association
president Digvijaysinh
Jadeja condemned this
and said the office-bear-
ers were supposed to be
a bridge between the
government and the
teachers.
COVID-19
UPDATE
GUJARAT
4,203
DEATHS
2,31,073
CONFIRMED CASES
RAJASTHAN
2,578 DEATHS 2,94,831 CASES
DELHI
10,147 DEATHS 6,11,994 CASES
WORLD
16,47,983
DEATHS
7,41,20,034
CONFIRMED CASES
INDIA
99,55,701
CONFIRMED CASES
1,44,375
DEATHS
MAHARASHTRA
48,339 DEATHS 18,86,807 CASES
UTTAR PRADESH
8,103 DEATHS 5,68,064 CASES
KARNATAKA
11,971 DEATHS 9,04,665 CASES
—FILE PHOTO

10. AHMEDABAD, THURSDAY
DECEMBER 17, 2020
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia
facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09
ajasthan’s finest
fashion show, The
Fashion Connect by
FirstIndiaorganised
its eighth season on
Wednesday, at Maha-
rani Bagh, Rambagh
Palace Jaipur. This event was
long due and was organised
almost after nine months due
to the COVID outbreak, but it
was definitely worth the wait.
The royalty of the entire
show was as such that the au-
diencewasgluedtotheirseats
from the beginning till the
end, and enjoyed every mo-
ment thoroughly.
Tollywood actress Kriti
Garg, along with various oth-
ereminentpersonalitieswere
also present at The Fashion
Connect Season 8.
The grand opening of the
show was done with the de-
signsof RajdeepRanawat,fol-
lowed by Bani Pasricha, Sakh
JaipurbyNehaKhatri,Acces-
sory Show by Cosa Nostraa
and Ranka’s by Tina Ranka.
House of Kotwara was the fi-
nale designer and ended the
show with a bang.
Brand Ambassador Rishee
Miglani and Show Director
Lokesh Sharma managed the
entire fashion show really
well.
The event was organised
keeping all the COVID proto-
cols in mind- social distanc-
ing, masks, sanitizing, and
everything possible. After all,
the health of the guests was
the biggest concern, and it
was taken care of really well,
so as to make sure they enjoy
the event throughout.
The show was supported
by House of 64 Facets, Lux-
ury Ride, Clarks Amer, Ak-
shat Builders, Gunjan Sin-
ghal Design, Vineet Jain,
Shuban Prints, Heights Insti-
tute, Shades Salon, 94.3 My
FM, Sogani Jewellers, ICC
Design, Ace Beverages,
Brown Sugar, Mathuradas
MathurPoloCup,ShubhWed-
dings Magazine, AU
Finance, Coach AJ Fitness,
Kalra Bus Service, SGM &
NS Publicity, Oliria Tea,
Trance Events, Smart
City Time Online
Magazine, Paltan
SecurityandPearl
Con Consultants,
Video Merchant
and JPIC.in.
More details
in City First
tomorrow!
SETTING THE
RAMP ON FIRE
The eighth season of
The Fashion Connect by
First India was organised
at Rambagh Palace Jaipur
on Wednesday evening,
after a wait of almost
nine months, and it was
definitely worth the wait!
NEHAL NAYAR
nehal.nayar@firstindia.co.in
R
Kriti Garg
Jagdeesh Chandra with the team of Rambagh, First India and Fashion Connect
House of Kotwara

11. ANU JOSHY
he timelessness of
forts is basic to Ra-
jasthan where his-
tory commands a
compelling pres-
ence. Reverence
pervades, even in
the rustle of leaves...” The
enriching conversations
with the literary doyens of
India – Afternoons with An
Author, organized by Valley
of Words in cooperation
with Civil Service Officers
Institute and others like
Athulya Bharath and Ra-
jasthan Tourism, was in for
arealtreaton13thDecember
2020,whenMrVijaySharma
IAS and Mrs Rita Sharma
IAS,authorsof ‘TheFortsof
Rajasthan’ graced the dias
with their presence. The vir-
tualconversationmoderated
by Shri Sanjeev Chopra IAS,
Director of the esteemed Lal
Bahadur Shastri National
Academyof Administration
also had the presence of Ms.
Mugdha Sinha IAS, who is a
Secretary to the Govern-
ment of Rajasthan and has
extensive field experience
and knowledge of Forts in
Rajasthan.
As Shri. Sanjeev Chopra
rightly puts, the book is “a
labour of love, a love for the
subject, a deep analytical in-
sight into the subject, con-
necting antiquity to the pre-
sent”. The authors are no
amateursinthefield,having
already brought out a work
on the Forts of Bundelkand
enriched by their deep un-
derstanding of the region,
havingworkedthereforover
40 years. Their illustrious
journey post retirement
marked by travels all across
India and photography has
helped immensely in shap-
ing both the books into
workswithnotonlyacadem-
ic merit but also an irresist-
ible literary appeal.
People,PlacesandEvents,
are the three nudging ele-
ments that the authors ac-
knowledge as their inspira-
tion to write. Mrs. Rita Shar-
ma recalled her piece “Di-
vine Devasted Devgarh’ that
appeared in the Illustrated
Weekly of India, and re-
ceived much critical ac-
claim. She was then invited
for an event in Gwalior
where she was acknowl-
edged as a civil servant writ-
er with a lot of potential.
This, she says, was the cata-
lyst in their writing on the
Forts.Theauthorsalsofond-
ly remembered the role of
Dr. Trivedi, who was the Di-
rector in charge of the Mu-
seumof Jhansiwhoinspired
themwithhispassionforart
history. Their travels with
him on weekends rescuing
pieces of art strewn around
the landscape of Bundel-
kand inspired them later on
tohomeschoolthemselvesin
the fields of art history, ar-
cheology and more specifi-
cally the forts of India.
Responding to Ms Mugd-
ha Sinha’s query as to a pos-
sible historic link between
Rajasthan and Bundelkand
the authors shared some in-
teresting snippets of the
past.“Historyisnot
in silos, but
seamless”
said Mr. Vijay Sharma. Nar-
war in Jhansi for instance
he said was the original
home of the Kachwaha clan
who went on to establish
powerfulkingdomsandforts
in Rajasthan. On being
asked about their favourite
Fortsandthereasonbehind,
the authors to everyone’s
surprisecastasidethefamed
Fort of Chittorgarh to the
lesser-known Forts of Kum-
balgarh, Nagaur and Jais-
almer. Kumbalgarh, accord-
ing to Mrs Rita Sharma
stands out because of its
grand vision. Magnificent,
huge and impregnable, its
appearance, disappearance
and reappearance as one
travels along the wind-
ing Aravallis, is a
thingof marvel.
Its broad
ramparts, imposing portals
that dwarf everything else
around and beautiful step-
wells pays tribute to the
greatRanaPrathapwhowas
bornthere.Butthefortitself
stands in testimony to its
originalbuilderRanaKumb-
ha, who was a great warrior
and an art aficionado at the
same time. An expert in
Veena and a great literary
critic he penned the book
‘Sangeeth Raja’ which much
likethefortisrichinartistic
merit. TheNagaurFort,said
Mr Sharma is his favourite.
The often-overlooked fort is
impossible to be captured in
photo due to the close hem-
ming in of the settlements
all around. Yet the preserva-
tion work in this fort is noth-
ing less than absolutely re-
markable, according to him.
Theconversationalsosaw
some interesting questions
from the audience. Like for
instance, Dr. M A Ibrahami
IAS, who roped in fabled
ghost stories surrounding
the forts of Rajasthan much
to the amusement of the au-
thors.Theauthorsthenelab-
oratedontheghostvillageof
Kuldhara which was aban-
doned by the Paliwals over
two centuries ago following
alovefeudandapotentialat-
tack. The discussion then
steered on to the architec-
tural variations in the forts
of Rajasthan as can be seen
from their variety in terms
of being river forts, stone
forts, mud forts etc. When
askedastohowhistorycould
actuallybewritten,reconcil-
ing anniversaries, hagiogra-
phies with history, the Shar-
mas responded that one
must always be open to new
ideas and that ideas are al-
ways prone to supersession.
Theauthorsdeservemuch
acclaim not only for their lit-
erarymeritbutalsofortheir
service to the nation, docu-
menting our rich cultural
heritage for all posterity.
There is a lot of promise not
only for the Forts of Ra-
jasthan but also history and
antiquity as subjects of in-
terest in the academic and
cultural realm of India in
the years to come. As Mrs
Sharma quoting from the
bookperfectlysummedupin
the end “…Then an inner
waiting bustles today, in Ra-
jasthan’s forts, with people
havingacquireda newinter-
est in rejuvenating bygone
events and molding debate
around references from his-
tory. It is an evolving knowl-
edge demand, as you can see
from the questions coming.
The book underlines the
need for amateur history
buffs, knowledge ferreters
and scholars to come togeth-
er for enhancing our under-
standing of the past...”
T
10
ETCAHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2020www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
FACEOFTHEDAY
AASHNA HEGDE, Content Creator
LEO
JULY 24 - AUGUST 23
Money will not seem a
problem for those trying to
purchase a major
household item. Getting
work out of a new team may seem
tough, but you will manage it. Spouse
may ask for your time and attention
today for an important discussion. A
special treat awaits you.
LIBRA
SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22
You may need a good
resource to fund your
current venture. Good
news awaits some on the
academic front. You will be able to
achieve stability on the professional
front. An invitation to a party or
function can be expected and will
enable you to meet someone.
ARIES
MAR 21 - APR 20
Your multitasking skills
may be much in demand
as you make it possible to
juggle different jobs at
work with ease. Someone close
going abroad or out of town can
make you emotional. You will find
yourself fit and energetic. Luck
shines on your bank balance.
SAGITTARIUS
NOV 23 - DEC 22
If you can trust someone
with a job, then don’t
dilly-dally and get over with
it. Doors to new
opportunities will open by meeting
people. Doing up the property owned
by you is indicated and will be a step in
the right direction. Remain a little
tight-fisted on the financial front.
GEMINI
MAY 21 - JUNE 21
A senior will appreciate
your skills in an event or a
conference. Those
planning to set up a side
business are likely to bring their
ideas in execution now. A family
youngster may look up to you for
your guidance. You are likely to take
the initiative.
AQUARIUS
JAN 21 - FEB 19
You may receive a payment
you had given up for lost.
Delegating work will lessen
your workload at office, but
do supervise the work. Today, you may
have to contend with some unwanted
guests preying on your private time.
Monetary benefits are likely to come in
a partnership venture.
TAURUS
APR 21 - MAY 20
Your good performance at
work will be noticed by
those who matter. Those
debuting on television or
films may find instant fame. Singles
may make efforts to win a romantic
dinner date with the one they secretly
love. Students should get the right
coaching to regain lost grounds.
CAPRICORN
DEC 23 - JAN 20
Someone is testing your
patience, so remain cool.
Your performance at work
will remain consistent.
Total satisfaction is guaranteed in
something that you are pursuing on
the academic front. Marriage of
someone eligible in the family is
likely to be solemnised soon.
VIRGO
AUG 24 - SEP 23
You succeed in pacifying a
distraught family member
by your soft approach and
soothing words. This is the
day when you can struggle a bit on
the professional front. Remain up to
date with the course, as a surprise
test can be unleashed anytime. An
opportunity on the financial front.
CANCER
JUNE 22 - JULY 23
You may be called by
someone in authority at a
short notice today.
Professional front may
require some fine tuning; get in
action. There may be clash of
purpose between your desire to buy
quality stuff and your wish for saving
money, so take the middle path.
PISCES
FEB20 - MARCH 20
You will be able to impress
all and sundry on the
professional front. Your
cost cutting measures are
likely to benefit you a lot. Maintaining
a balanced diet may begin to show
on your body earlier than expected.
Getting into a favourable situation on
the academic front is possible.
SCORPIO
OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22
This is a good day to
broach anything personal
to higher ups at work. Your
profession is likely to go
great guns, as you add celebrities to
your client list! Good preparation is
likely to keep you ahead of others in
a competitive situation on the
academic front.
YOUR
DAYHoroscope by
Saurabbh Sachdeva

12. R
umours are swirling that Dakota John-
son might be engaged to Chris Martin
after she was spotted wearing a mas-
sive ring on that special finger. The
31-year-old Fifty Shades of Grey actress was
seen with an emerald green stone on her
ring finger while shopping last
week in West Hollywood. For
the unversed, Dakota and
Chris, 43, have been dat-
ing since late 2017 and
they have kept their re-
lationship relatively
private. The couple
was spotted taking a
ride in her vintage
car just a couple
weeks ago in Malibu.
—Agency
ETCwww.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2020
11
NEW HASHTAGTREND
Athletic Training
JOURNEY
SUN-KISSED
LIZZO REACTSTO FANS
B
ollywood star Kartik Aaryan on Wednesday treated
fans yet again to a stunning picture as he flaunts his
long hair with a fully grown beard. The ‘Pati Patni Aur
Woh’ actor posted a picture on Instagram, in which he tells
his fans about the advantages of having long hair as he
flaunts luscious locks. The actor is seen sporting a full-grown
moustache, as he donned a yellow crew-neck T-shirt teamed
up with a denim jacket. His caption read: “Lambe Baalo ka
Swag hi Alag hai,” (translation: Long hairstyles have different
style) using a baby emoticon. #PoseLikeKartikAaryan’ trend
during his lockdown series ‘Koki Poochega’, asked his fans
if they along with him start a new trend with #HairLikeKarti-
kAaryan again. The ‘Love Aaj Kal’ actor wrote, “Phir se Trend
shuru karein ? #HairLikeKartikAaryan”. —ANI
A
s her 'painful' yet in-
spiring training jour-
ney comes to an end,
Bollywood actor Taapsee
Pannu, on Wednesday shared
a glimpse of her transforma-
tional journey from 'Rashmi
Rocket' with fans. The 'Thap-
pad' star who is working her
fingers to the bones to make
her body tough for her up-
coming sports flick, has
wrapped up her training ses-
sions schedule for the shoot.
To treat her fans, Taapsee
shared a sneak peek of her
athletic drill from 'Rashmi
Rocket', on social media. The
clip which shows the 33-year-
old actor gearing up to run on
the race track also features
Taapsee sharing her experi-
ence throughout the journey,
"It was painful. The third day
of the shoot, I felt like my
body couldn't take it any-
more, I just couldn't run any-
more. I have to stop the shoot
for a while just be able to
walk," she said. The 'Pink' star
said that she hit the gym re-
ally bad for the film. —ANI
B
ollywood star Disha Patani on Wednesday
shared a stunning sun-kissed picture, where
she was seen in a pink body con dress. The
'Malang' star took to Instagram and posted a candid
photograph of herself. The 'MS Dhoni: The Untold
Story' star looked drop-dead gorgeous as she posed
while holding her luscious locks. The bodycon dress
fit the super-fit star like a glove. Patani is seen posing
amid rich flora in the backdrop while the sheer sunlight
makes her body and face glow. Keeping it simple, Patani
left a pink flower emoticon in the caption. With the post hitting
the photo-sharing platform, celebrity followers including Tiger
Shroff and more than nine lakh fans liked the post. —ANI
L
izzo recently defended her latest juice detox after social
media users argued she was encouraging harmful
health practices. The singer announced she had com-
pleted a 10-day cleanse on her TikTok account, which caused
one critic to post, “Not Lizzo doing toxic diet culture,” as
another wrote, “I’m disappointed to see another celebrity
perpetuate harmful weight loss.” She continued, “I would
normally be so afraid and ashamed to post things like this
online because I feel like, as a big girl, people just expect if
you are doing something for health, you’re doing it for a
dramatic weight loss, and that is not the case.” —Agency
B
ollywood actor Vidya Balan who was recently
enjoying her holiday in Palampur, took up the
task of cleaning the vicinity while on vacation.
The 'Kahaani' star is currently enjoying a family vaca-
tion with producer husband Siddharth Roy Kapur cel-
ebrating their wedding anniversary in the mountains.
The 'Shakuntala Devi' actor has always been vocal
about social issues and makes it a point to contribute
towards the betterment of the environment. Recently
while on her break, Balan shared videos and pictures
on Instagram Stories wherein she cleared bottles off
the mountains, as well as expressed her pleasure for
being able to earn 'good karma' on her vacation. —ANI
Kartik Aaryan’s post
Taapsee Pannu
Disha Patani’s post
Lizzo
Vidya Balan
evin Brugman de-
lighted her Insta-
gram followers
with a sexy throw-
back of herself
posing on the
floor shortly af-
ter she moved into her
new home on Wednes-
day. The location was
decidedly empty, with
a dark swivel chair,
shiny brown wood-
en floors, a light
planter, and a
fluffy cream
carpet. Devin
lounged on
the rug
with her
h e a d
r e s t -
ing on
the edge
of the chair,
and one foot
stretched out
onto the floor. She
wore an ebony
high- cut, square-neck bod-
ysuit with small capped sleeves.
The garment showcased a gener-
ous glimpse of Devin’s ample cleav-
age, which pushed out over the neck-
line. She wore high-heel peep-toe
sandals on her feet, revealing her tat-
too on one foot. “OMG! What beautiful
cleavage. You are an angel, Devon,” one
follower enthused, including a flame and
a black heart. —Agency
D
...her post
A
fter teas-
ing fans
with in-
t r i g u i n g
posters from ‘Shakee-
la’, the makers on
Wednesday dropped
the intriguing trailer
of the Richa Chadha
and Pankaj Tripathi
starrer. The two-min-
ute thirty-nine sec-
onds trailer shows the
story of one of the
most hated and loved
adult film star that
shook the industry
in the late 90s and
early 2000s. The un-
likely tale of a wom-
an driven by circumstances of
going from rags to riches to
rags, tells the story of the real-
life behind the reel personality
people. The trailer showcases
immense popularity of the ac-
tor, that her films are released
in several languages including
Sinhalese and Chinese. —ANI
TRAILER OUT NOW
'GOOD KARMA'
S
hawn Mendes recently opened up about
dealing with people questioning his sex-
uality. Shawn explained why it’s been “so
frustrating” to address this topic. “It was
so, so frustrating for me because there were
some people in my life that I was very, very close
to... who were gay and in the closet,” the 22-year-
old star said on Monday. “And I felt this real an-
ger for those people.” “Everyone’s been calling
me gay since I was 15 years old,” Shawn ex-
plained. “I’m not gay and I’m like,
‘What does that mean?’ I had these
problems with the way my voice
sounded. I’m like, ‘How do I sit?’
I’m always first to cross my legs
and sit with a position of this
feminine style and I really
suffered from
that s--t.”
—Agency
Shawn’ssufferings
Richa Chadha
Shawn Mendes
Still from the trailer
Devin Brugman
DAKOTAJOHNSON
ENGAGED?
Dakota Johnson
BRUGMAN
REVEALS