First india lucknow edition-05 january 2021

Women-power from Aligarh embody communal harmony...
Vishal Srivastav
Aligarh: While Uttar
Pradesh is often seen as
a communally unstable
state by the foreign par-
ties, a community in
Aligarh is painting an
beautiful picture that
loudly defies this no-
tion.
Under one roof of
Manav Samman Seva
Samiti, women from
Christianity, Muslim-
ism, Sikhism, Bud-
dhism, Jainism and
others have been learn-
ing various facets of
how to become self reli-
ant. The initiative has
been taken under the
Seekho Aur Kamao
scheme of the Central
Government under
which women from mi-
nority community are
trained and provided
various skills.
The Samiti is run-
ning the skill develop-
ment centre under the
Ministry of Minority
Affairs’ scheme which
was initiated in 2013-14
for the women from
minorities.
Sanjay Sharma, the
director of the Centre,
said that his centre
trains women in the art
of stitching and em-
broidery among vari-
ous other things and
then makes them self-
reliant by helping them
get jobs in self-help or-
ganisations.
The women who are
getting training at the
skilldevelopmentcentre
thanked the central gov-
ernment for the scheme
and hoped that the ac-
quired skills will help
thembecomeself-reliant
and independent.
“This scheme is ex-
tremely beneficial for
us. I have been learning
to stitch here for two
months. When I joined,
I didn’t know anything
about stitching, but
now I’m almost profi-
cient in the art,” said
Preet Kaur, a student at
the skill development
centre. Turn to P6
A woman enrolling herself at the Manav Samman Seva Samiti
Women from various religious
backgrounds stand by each other to
learn various skills that empower them
BJP meet to finalise
MLC poll candidates
M Tariq Khan
Lucknow: With the ten-
ure of 12 Members of
Legislative Council
(MLCs)comingtoanend
on January 31, the Uttar
Pradesh BJP held a
brain-storming session
hereonMondaytoselect
candidatesandalsodraft
strategy for upcoming
Panchayat polls.
According to sources,
the two-hour-long meet-
ing, which was attended
by chief minister Yogi
Adityanath and senior
party functionaries, has
short-listed its candi-
dates for the council
polls. “The party has au-
thorised UP BJP chief
Swatantra Dev Singh to
send the list to high
command in New Delhi,
which will take a final
call on it,” said a source
privy to the meeting.
A decision was also
taken to galvanise the
party cadre in view of
the upcoming panchay-
at polls. Turn to P6
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LUCKNOW l TUESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2021 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. UPENG/2020/04393 l Vol 1 l Issue No.53
OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR, AHMEDABAD LUCKNOW
New Delhi: The Union
Health Ministry said on
Monday 38 people have
tested positive for the
new UK variant of
SARS-CoV-2 in India so
far. “All these people
have been kept in single
room isolation in desig-
nated healthcare facili-
ties by respective state
governments and their
close contacts have also
been put under quaran-
tine,” the ministry said.
Comprehensive contact
tracing has been initiat-
ed for co-travellers, fam-
ily contacts and others.
AccordingtoMoHFW,
there are 10 cases in
Bengaluru’sNIMHANS,
3 in CCMB (Hyderabad),
5 in NIV (Pune), 11 in
IGIB (Delhi), 8 in NCDC
(New Delhi) and 1 in
NCBG (Kolkata).
The MoHFW said that
the NCBS, InSTEM,
Bengaluru, CDFD Hy-
derabad, ILS Bhubane-
swar, and NCCS Pune
have so far found no UK
mutant virus.
The positive samples
are being tested at 10 IN-
SACOG labs (NIBMG
Kolkata, ILS Bhubane-
swar, NIV Pune, NCCS
Pune,CCMBHyderabad,
CDFD Hyderabad, In-
STEM Bengaluru, NIM-
HANS Bengaluru, IGIB
Delhi, NCDC Delhi) for
genome sequencing.
Turn to P6
38 infected with new corona strain in India
New Delhi: The 8th
round of meeting be-
tween the Central gov-
ernment and farmers’
representatives which
beganatVigyanBhawan
on Monday morning has
concluded. Next round
of talks will be held on
January 8 at 2 pm.
The farmers’ repre-
sentatives demanded
the government to re-
peal the three farm laws
in the meeting on Mon-
day. Union Ministers
Narendra Singh Tomar,
Piyush Goyal and Som
Parkash along with gov-
ernment officials and
representatives of
farmers also observed a
two-minute silence for
farmers who died dur-
ing the ongoing protest.
After the meeting,
Rakesh Tikait, Spokes-
person of Bharatiya
Kisan Union (BKU) said
that farmers, who are
protesting for over a
month against three ag-
riculture laws at differ-
ent borders of the na-
tional capital will not go
back until the Acts are
repealed.
“Discussion took
place on our demands,
repeal of the three laws
and MSP... Kannon wa-
pasi nahi, to ghar wa-
pasi nahi (We will not
go home until the laws
are withdrawn),” Tikait
told ANI.
Earlier, Tikait
claimed that 60 farmers
have so far lost their
lives during the ongo-
ing agitation. Turn to P6
Deadlock continues: Now next round of
talks between Centre farmers on Jan 8
New Delhi: Prime Min-
ister Narendra Modi
said on Monday that the
world’s biggest inocula-
tion drive against coro-
navirus is set to begin
in the country, a day af-
ter the drugs regulator
approved two vaccines
for restricted emergen-
cy use.
Lauding the scien-
tists and technicians for
the ‘Made in India’ vac-
cines, he said the coun-
try is proud of them.
“World’s biggest
COVID-19 vaccination
programme set to begin
in India. For this, the
country is proud of the
contributions of its sci-
entists and techni-
cians,” Modi said.
India’s drugs regula-
tor on Sunday approved
Oxford COVID-19 vac-
cine Covishield, manu-
factured by the Serum
Institute, and indige-
nously developed Cov-
axin of Bharat Biotech
for restricted emergen-
cy use in the country,
paving the way for a
massive inoculation
drive. Addressing scien-
tists at the National Me-
trology Conclave, Modi
said it must be ensured
that Turn to P6
Of these cases of mutated strain, 10 have been detected at NIMHANS in Bengaluru, 8 in NCDC Delhi,
5 in NIV Pune, 3 in CCMB Hyderabad, 11 in IGIB Delhi and 1 case at NIBMG Kalyani
Farmers take cover from the rain during their ongoing protest against new farm laws, at Singhu
border, in New Delhi on Monday. —PHOTO BY PTI
World’s biggest vaccination
set to begin in India: PM
Covaxin 200% safe, don’t deserve
backlash: Bharat Biotech MD
New Delhi: Amid ques-
tions raised by experts
and Opposition over the
restricted use approval
given to Covaxin despite
no efficacy data from
Phase III trials, Bharat
Biotech MD Krishna
Ella Monday said the
company had “tremen-
dous experience” in
developing vaccines and
that criticism against it
was a “backlash against
Indian companies”. Ad-
dressing a virtual press
conference, Ella said his
company’s work was no
less than Pfizer’s, which
also came out with a
vaccine for coronavirus.
“Now that vaccine is
being politicised, I want
to state very clearly that
none of my family mem-
bers is associated with
any political party. Many
people are just gossip-
ing, it is just a backlash
against Indian compa-
nies. That is not right
for us. We don’t deserve
that. Merck’s Ebola vac-
cine never completed a
human clinical trial at all
but WHO gave emer-
gency authorization for
Liberia and Guinea,” Ella
said. Turn to P6
Children look at a mural depicting frontline workers fighting against COVID-19 in Kolkata. —PTI
ALERT! NEW STRAIN FOUND IN 3 UK
RETURNEES FROM SRI GANGANAGAR
First India Bureau
Jaipur: Three UK re-
turnees from a family
of Sadulshahar in Sri
Ganganagar district
of Rajasthan have
tested positive for the
new strain of corona-
virus, said a health
department official.
The trio, a man,
wife, and a child, had
returned from Britain
on December 18 and
their reports were
sent to Pune-based Na-
tional Institute of Vi-
rology for further test-
ing as they had tested
positive for corona on
December 28.
The health depart-
ment officials got on
an alert mode and ad-
mitted the trio on
Monday to the district
hospital in Sriganga-
nagar. Total 23 people
returned from UK on
December 18 to Sri
Ganganagar. Earlier,
the health department
had sent samples of 11
UK returnees, who
tested positive for co-
rona, but they all test-
ed negative for the
new strain. The new
strain is considered to
spread 70% faster
than the earlier one.
New Delhi: After
Monday’s talks, the
Centre could not
reach any “solution”
as farmer unions re-
mained “adamant”
over repealing of
three farm laws, Un-
ion Agriculture Min-
ister Narendra Singh
Tomar said.
“We wanted farmer
unions to discuss
three laws clause-
wise. We could not
reach any solution as
farmer unions re-
mained adamant on
the repeal of the
laws,” Tomar told re-
porters at Vigyan
Bhawan. He said he is
“hopeful” that a con-
clusion will be found
in the next round of
talks which will be
held on January 8 at 2
pm.
“Looking at today’s
discussion, I hope
that we will have a
meaningful discus-
sion during our next
meeting and we will
come to a conclu-
sion,” he said. —ANI
Tomar: No solution,
farmers ‘adamant’
on full rollback
SENSEX CLOSES AT
RECORD-HIGH OF 48,177,
TATA STEEL JUMPS 8.2 PC
Equity benchmark indices continued their
upward journey on Monday with the Sensex
testing 48,000 mark amid positive devel-
opment on the vaccination front. Investor
sentiment was lifted after the Drug Controller
General of India approved Covid vaccines
Covishield and Covaxin for emergency use
in the country. Moreover, IHS Markit said the
manufacturing PMI remained in the expan-
sion zone for fifth straight month and stood
at 56.4 in December. At the closing bell, the
BSE SP Sensex was up by 308 points or
0.64 per cent at 48,177 while the Nifty 50
edged higher by 114 points or 0.82 per cent
to 14,133. All sectoral indices at the National
Stock Exchange were in the green zone with
Nifty metal jumping by 5.3 per cent, IT by 2.7
per cent, auto by 1.6 per cent and PSU bank
by 1.1 per cent. Metal stocks were stars of
the day with Tata Steel gaining by 8.3%.

UTTAR PRADESHLUCKNOW | TUESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2021
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First India Bureau
Lucknow: Uttar
Pradesh government
on Monday made loca-
tions of all the night
shelters or ‘Rain
Baseras’ available on
Google Maps, for easier
access.
Relief Commissioner
Sanjay Goyal on Mon-
day informed that,
“The state government
has made the location
of all night shelters
available on Google
Maps. Now it is easy to
reach the night shelters
via Google.”
The Relief Commis-
sioner said that on the
instructions of Uttar
Pradesh Chief Minister
Yogi Adityanath, a
large number of night
shelters have been set
up to provide relief to
people from the preva-
lent winter conditions.
“All the necessary fa-
cilities have been pro-
vided there. Now, any
person can go to Google
and type ‘Rain Basera’
or night shelter or gov-
ernment night shel-
ter.”, he said.
The location of the
nearby night shelters
will appear on the
smart phones’ when
searched on Google
Maps . The location
of the night shelters
is also available on
Aapda Parihari app
of Uttar Pradesh gov-
ernment and also on
the related website
rahat.up.nic.in.
Relief Commissioner
Sanjay Goyal, talking
about the steps taken
by the Uttar Pradesh
government, further
went on to say that that
so far, 1,027 night shel-
ters have been estab-
lished across the state
of Uttar Pradesh and a
control room has been
set up for 24-hour moni-
toring of these night
shelters and ones tak-
ing refuge in them.
Rain Baseras on Google Maps for easy search
WARM GESTURE

1027 night
shelters across
the state of UP
will be
monitored
through a
dedicated
control room
working round
the clock
UP TO EMERGE HEALTH TOURISM HUB, SAYS CMYogi stresses usage of traditional methods such as Ayurveda, that have saved many lives during the pandemic
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Chief Min-
ister Yogi Adityanath,
who virtually inaugu-
rated 142 Health and
Wellness Centres on
Monday, said Uttar
Pradesh will soon be
globally recognised as
a ‘New Health Tourism
Destination’ of the
country.
Be it Yoga to keep fit
or consuming ‘Kadha’
(decoction) to enhance
immunity, our tradi-
tional health practises
have been recognised
globally during the
COVID,” he said add-
ing that more and more
people now are practic-
ing the same. He was
speaking at a function
organised to distribute
appointment letters to
1065 Homeopathic and
Ayurvedic Medical of-
ficers recruited by Ut-
tar Pradesh Public Ser-
vice Commission.
Taking a dig, at
MBBS doctors, who
had protested a move to
enable Ayurveda post-
graduates to learn sur-
gery and modern medi-
cine, the UP Chief Min-
ister said, “I pity their
intellect. Surgery start-
ed with Ayurveda that
also gave the first sur-
geon ever,”
He said that these
doctors were not aware
of the true potential of
Ayurveda, Unani, Ho-
meopathy or Naturopa-
thy methods, which
present remedies for
various chronic dis-
eases.
Seeking to inculcate
sense of pride among
the new recruits, the
CM said, “Making a ca-
reer in this field is not
just limited to being
selected for the post of
a government doctor.
These medical profes-
sionals have been se-
lected on the basis of
their merit through a
fair and transparent
process and will defi-
nitely follow and ad-
here to the values of
the profession.”
Interacting with
the medical
officers, the
CM said,
“Oursaints
have given
the formula
of ‘Nasthi
M o o l a m
Anushad-
ham.’ “It
m e a n s
t h a t
every plant in this
world possesses some
sort of medicinal prop-
erties. Some plants are
toxic but still, they
have some medicine
usage. We should per-
form new researches to
find medicinal proper-
ties of herbs,” he said.
“The Dadi Ke Nuskhe’
which were ignored as
archaic, today in the
COVID-19 period,are
safeguarding our
health”, the
Chief Min-
ister said.
First India Bureau
Lucknow: CM Yogi
also launched the
Ayush Telemedicine
Service on Monday,
making UP the first
state to launch a state-
wide telemedicine
service.
With this, peo-
ple of the state
will be able to
get consulta-
tion from
AYUSH ex-
perts through
an online me-
dium while sit-
ting at their
homes.
In the first phase,
384 dispensaries of 16
districts including
Gorakhpur, Ayodhya,
Lucknow have been
attached to the tele-
medicine service.
People who are not so
tech-savvy can go to
the nearby AYUSH
hospitals and consult
with experts.
Minister of Depart-
ment of AYUSH, Dhar-
am Singh Saini said,
“The Ayush Kadha and
Aayush Kavach-Covid
helped save many lives.
With appointment of
1065 physicians and
start of Ayush Telemed-
icine Service, the Yoga
and Wellness Center
will help in providing
quality medical care to
the people.”
ACS of AYUSH De-
partment Prashant
Trivedi, Special Secre-
tary Rajkamal Yadav,
Chief Minister’s Secre-
tary Alok Kumar, Spe-
cial Secretary Surendra
Singh, and other offi-
cials were also present
on the occassion.
CM CREDITS PM FOR PROMOTING YOGA
TELE CONSULTATION PROCESS
UP first state to launch
telemedicine services
Yogi Speaks
Yogi Speaks
CM Yogi Adity-
anath has deeply
mourned the deaths
of people in a road
accident in the Ga-
jraula area in Amroha
district on Monday.As
many as six people
were killed while 10
people sustained
serious injuries when
an animal-laden con-
tainer fell into a ditch
after its tyre burst.
Chief Minister
Yogi Adityanath
has also expressed
sorrow over the
death of Jitendra Pal
Singh, chief medical
officer of Ballia due to
Covid and conveyed
his condolences to
the bereaved family
members.
First India Bureau
Lucknow: The Chief
Secretary of Uttar
Pradesh, Rajendra Ku-
mar Tiwari said that
the final decisions tak-
en for resolution of the
industry issues in the
meetings should be im-
plemented in a time-
bound manner adding
that officers of the con-
cerned departments
should come well-pre-
pared in the meetings.
He directed that indus-
tries’ issues should not
be kept pending.
The Chief Secretary
was presiding over a
high-level meeting of
‘Invest UP’ related to
resolution of indus-
try-related issues in
his office at Lok Bha-
wan on Monday.
In all seven issues
were discussed and re-
lated instructions were
issued in presence of
Infrastructure and In-
dustrial Development
Commissioner Alok
Tandon, Additional
Chief Secretary, Indus-
trial Development Alok
Kumar, Additional
Chief Secretary, Energy
Arvind Kumar, Addi-
tional Chief Secretary,
Agriculture, Devesh
Chaturvedi, Additional
Chief Secretary, MSME,
Navneet Sehgal with
along with entrepre-
neurs concerned.
The Chief Secretary
in the meeting directed
that the Gorakhpur In-
dustrial Development
Authority (GIDA)
should take necessary
actions by the end of
the current month (Jan-
uary) to issue a new
policy for rationaliza-
tion of the maintenance
charges for the plots
larger than 50 acres
(bulk land). These di-
rections were issued to
the Chief Executive Of-
ficer, GIDA to resolve
the issues of Ankur
Udyog Ltd, Gorakhpur.
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Talking
about the importance
of elementary educa-
tion, governor of Uttar
Pradesh Anandiben Pa-
tel said that they have
adopted a new teaching
technique at the Aan-
ganbadi for the kids
aged 4 to 6 years, in ac-
cordance with the new
education policy. She
added that the children
are very receptive dur-
ing the first eight years
of their lives and they
are likely to imply 80%
of these learnings in
their real lives.
She also said that the
new technique will fo-
cus on the overall devel-
opment of the children
attending Aanganbadi
classes.
The techniques in the
New Education Policy
will shape aspects such
as talking, behaving,
studies, and even play-
ing, to add quality to
their lives. To add a cul-
tural element to their
learnings, students will
be taught to make ra-
khis, celebrate national
festivals and dress as
the reputed national
leaders on special occa-
sions. These activities
will lay a strong founda-
tion of learning for
these students, she said.
First India Bureau
Varanasi: UP governor
Anandiben Patel ad-
dressed the Small and
Medium Enterprises
union on Monday at
Circuit House Audito-
rium in Varanasi. She
talked about TB and at-
tempts of the people to
fight this disease.
The governor also
discussed various at-
tempts of NGOs in con-
structing toilets around
the country. She repeat-
ed PM Narendra Modi’s
pledge to make India
will be free of TB by
2025. Anandiben also
talked about adopting
Aanganbadis and on
how businessmen can
support this initiative.
First India Bureau
Lucknow: In yet anoth-
er major push to devel-
opment, Uttar Pradesh
Deputy Chief Minister
Keshav Prasad Maurya
on Monday inaugurated
projects worth Rs 126
crore in neighbouring
Deoria district.
The Deputy Chief
Minister said that four
years of the BJP gov-
ernment in the state
has ensured more de-
velopment than during
the 15-year rule of SP-
BSP governments.
“Even if bua’
(Mayawati) and babua’
(Akhilesh Yadav) unite,
they would not be able
to form government in
the state in next 25
years. The SP, BSP and
Congress should wear
spectacles as they are
not able to see the devel-
opment in Uttar
Pradesh. Farmers are
getting direct benefit
from Kisan Nidhi
scheme, and extensive
work on power, roads
and water is being done
in the state,” Maurya
said.
CS directs officials to accelerate
resolution of industries’ issues
Governor praises new way
of teaching in Aanganwadis
Anandiben
addresses
SME’s Union
DyCM unveils projects
worth `126 crore
Governor of UP Anandiben Patel
CS RK Tiwari with ACS Navneet Sehgal (Right) and other officers.
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Chief Min-
ister Yogi Adityanath
on Monday instructed
officials to conduct
vaccination works in
accordance to the
guidelines issued by
the central govern-
ment.
The CM was presid-
ing over the unlock
meeting organised at
his official residence
that witnessed pres-
ence of top notch offi-
cials of the state.
Presiding over the
meeting held on the
eve of statewide dry
run of Covid vaccina-
tion , the CM said that
the dry run was im-
portant before carry-
ing out the vaccina-
tion process.
Taking a stock of
preparedness at the
district levels, the CM
asked officals to regu-
larly review vaccina-
tion related arrange-
ments. He told offi-
cials to ensure safe
storage, effective cold
chain of storage facili-
ties and unhindered
transportation of vac-
cines.
The CM laid empha-
sis on conducting the
Covid-19 tests on a full
fledged mode and
asked the officials to
ensure that 1.5 lakh
samples are tested
every day in Uttar
Pradesh. He directed-
contact tracing and
surveillance teams
and the integrated
command centres to
be ready on a 24 by 7
basis.
The CM said that all
District Magistrates
and Chief Medical Of-
ficers should hold re-
viewmeetings in
morning and the
evening to assess per-
formance of these cen-
tres.
Health Minister Jai
Pratap Singh, CS RK
Tiwari, Industrial
Commissioner Alok
Tandon, ACS Home,
Awanish Awasthi,
DGP HC Awasthi, PS
to CM SP Goyal, ACS,
Navneet Sehgal and
others officials at-
tended the high level
meeting.
SLACKNESS COULD COST LIVES: CM
Covid vaccination: CM takes stock as UP gears up for a state-wide dry run
CM Yogi
Rain Basera. —FILE PHOTO

UTTAR PRADESHLUCKNOW | TUESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2021
BRIEF
inin
Two teenagers
found hanging
Two teenagers were
found hanging from a
tree in the Ujhani area
of Budaun on Monday,
the police said. The
deceased were identi-
fied as Ratiram (18)
and Priti (17). Senior
Superintendent of Po-
lice Sankalp Sharma
said prima facie it
seemed that the mat-
ter is related to a love
affair. Both are from
the same community
and distant relatives,
he said. Efforts are on
to ascertain the rea-
sons leading to their
death, the SSP added.
Man killed by
SDM’s vehicle
A 60-year-old man died
allegedly after a sub-di-
visional magistrate’s
vehicle hit his moped
in Amethi district on
Monday, the police
said. Sanjeev Kumar
Maurya, SDM of Gau-
riganj, was on way to
Lucknow at 11 am
when his vehicle hit
the moped near Tetar-
pur, leaving Mohd Sar-
var injured, Jagdish-
pur SHO Rajesh Singh
said. Sarvar suc-
cumbed on the way to
the hospital, he said.
Smuggling gang
busted, 1 held
The police on Monday
busted a drug smug-
gling gang, arrested
one of its members
and seized 181 kg of
charas worth around
Rs 2.25 crore in Sham-
li district, officials
said. The seizure was
made after police, act-
ing on a tip-off, inter-
cepted a truck and a
car near Lank outpost
on Karnal-Meerut
Highway, SP Sukirti
Madhav said
First India Bureau
Ghaziabad: Hundreds
of people, including
family members of the
victims of Sunday’s
roof collapse incident
at Ghaziabad’s Murad-
nagar, in which 24 peo-
ple had died and in-
jured over a dozen peo-
ple, took out a protest
and blocked the Na-
tional Highway pass-
ing through Muradna-
gar on Monday.
Police personnel
have been deployed
in large numbers to
maintain the law
and order situation in
the area.
“Twenty-four people
have died and 17-18 in-
jured in Muradnagar
roof collapse incident.
Three people have been
arrested on the basis
of initial investiga-
tion. A two-member
probe committee con-
stituted to investigate
the matter,” SP Rural,
Ghaziabad said on
Monday.
Meanwhile, Uttar
Pradesh cabinet minis-
ter Atul Garg paid a
visit to the site of the
tragedy on Monday
morning.
“Currently, our pri-
ority is to save the max-
imum number of lives.
The Chief Minister
himself sent me here
to ensure the proper
treatment of the in-
jured. I am going to the
hospitals in which the
patients are being
treated to check the
proper arrangements,”
the minister said.
“A committee has
been formed including
the commissioner and
IG who will submit the
report in 48 hours in
this case,” the minister
added.
Talking to mediaper-
sons, Inspector Gener-
al (IG) Praveen Kumar
said: “Relief and res-
cue operation is under-
way. We are constantly
keeping in touch with
the doctors treating the
injured. Everyone will
be punished.”
“We will reveal the
final figures of the de-
ceased later after the
investigation is over,”
he added.
A roof of a cremato-
rium in Muradnagar
collapsed on Sunday
leading to loss of lives
and leaving at least
seventeen people in-
jured.
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Samajwadi
Party (SP) chief Akh-
ilesh Yadav on Monday
blamed the BJP gov-
ernment in the state
for the crematorium’s
roof collapse in Uttar
Pradesh’s Muradnagar
in which over 20 people
were killed and de-
manded a compensa-
tion of Rs 50 lakh for
the kin of deceased.
“BJP used to men-
tion crematoriums in
their speeches. We are
sad that people went
there in grief. They did
not know that the roof
was constructed using
sand by BJP govern-
ment. What will you
expect from BJP? This
party has looted money
meant for the cremato-
rium,” Yadav said at a
press conference here.
“What action have
they taken against of-
ficials? the BJP gov-
ernment is responsible
for the deaths. They
have announced Rs 2
lakh ex gratia. They
should give Rs 50 lakh
(ex gratia) to the de-
ceased’s kin as they
used to remember
‘shamshaan’ earlier.
Around 25 people died
and the BJP govern-
ment is responsible for
this,” he added.
Twenty-four people
died and several others
were injured after the
roof at a crematorium
in Muradnagar col-
lapsed on Sunday. The
victims had gone to the
crematorium to per-
form the last rites of
their kin.
Family members of the 24 deceased staged a protest blocking the national highway on Monday.
Panel to probe roof collapse, kin hold protest
Akhilesh blames govt, demands
`50L for deceased’s family
Hundreds block Muradnagar national highway; Three arrested in connection with Sunday’s incident that killed 24
CM INITIATES TOUGH ACTION
Mayawati condoles Muradnagar deaths
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Bahujan
Samaj Party (BSP)
Chief Mayawati on
Monday condoled the
death of people in the
roof collapse at a cre-
mation ground in Uttar
Pradesh’s Muradnagar,
and demanded that
the state government
give stringent punish-
ment to the guilty after
conducting a timely
probe.
Twenty-four people,
most of them attending
a funeral, were killed
and 17 others injured
when the roof col-
lapsed on Sunday.
In a tweet in Hindi,
Mayawati said, “The
death of around two
dozen people in a roof
collapse at a cremation
ground in Muradnagar
in Ghaziabad is painful
and saddening. The UP
Government should
conduct a timely and
genuine probe, and
the guilty persons
should be given string
punishment. In other
words, no one should
be shielded, and the
aggrieved families
should be given appro-
priate financial assis-
tance.”
Akhilesh Yadav
Mayawati
Janardan Misra
Lucknow: Additional
Chief Secretary Infor-
mation Navneet Sehgal
has claimed that indus-
trial, economical and
general activities were
getting on track swiftly
in Uttar Pradesh. He
said that Yogi Adity-
anath government was
fully committed to eco-
nomic and social uplift
as soon as possible.
Addressing the media
here on Monday, Sehgal
said state gained about
Rs 2,400 crore additional
revenue as compared to
the revenue collected in
December month last
year through several
revenue sources. It re-
flectsthatindustrialand
general activities were
regaining strength bet-
ter than expectations.
He said about 8 lakh
units were actively
working in state in
which about 52 lakh em-
ployees are working.
Apart from this more
employment opportuni-
ties were generated af-
ter coordination with
several banks. Special
focus was on strength-
ening MSME sector
which generates ample
employment opportuni-
ties. “About Rs 20,868
crore funding were pro-
vided to new 688000
MSME units. While Rs
11,100 crore were dis-
tributed among 4,37,000
units under self-reliant
packages” he pointed
out.
UP ACS said that
more than 27 lakh per-
sons got employment
through Rs 32,000 crore
loans provided among
11,200 MSME units
about after May 14, 2020.
He reiterated that UP
government was mak-
ing efforts to generate
more vacancies in gov-
ernment sector under
‘mission employment’.
Hesaidthatgovernment
departments, commis-
sions, corporations and
councilswereinstructed
to fill vacant posts as
soonaspossiblethrough
transparent and swift
recruitment process.
He said that UP gov-
ernment has aimed to
proved 4 lakh govern-
ment jobs within four
years. He said CM Yogi
distributedappointment
letters to 1065 doctors of
Ayush department.
Life getting back to normal in UP, says Sehgal
RESURGENT UP
ACS Information Navneet Sehgal said
the Yogi govt was committed to the
economic and social uplift at the earliest
First India Bureau
Lucknow: The police
on Monday arrested
the main accused in the
murder of a local Con-
gress leader and his
nephew in Chitrakoot
district in Uttar
Pradesh last week.
“Today main accused
of the murder Kamlesh
Raikwar was arrested.
His son Rahul was ar-
rested on Sunday,” Su-
perintendent of Police
(SP) of Chitrakoot An-
kit Mittal said.
Former district unit
vice-president of Con-
gress Ashok Patel (55)
and his 28-year-old
nephew Shubham were
shot dead in their resi-
dence in Prasiddhpur
village in the evening
of December 29, the po-
lice officer said.
The police had earli-
er said that Raikwar
had an old rivalry with
Patel. Two family mem-
bers of the deceased
were also injured in the
attack.
Following the double
murder, Pahadi police
station SHO Shravan
Kumar Singh was sus-
pended on charges of
laxity.
Former district unit
vice-president of Con-
gress Ashok Patel
(55) had an old rivalry
with his neighbour
Kamlesh Kumar, who
arrived at his house on
Tuesday night and
opened fire with his
rifle, Superintendent
of Police had stated
earlier.
Accused of
killing Cong
leader, kin
arrestedFirst India Bureau
Lucknow: Uttar
Pradesh’s Covid-19 tally
reached5,88,882onMon-
day with the detection
of 714 fresh cases, while
the death toll linked to
the pandemic rose to
8,413 after 10 more peo-
ple succumbed to the
infection, officials said.
Additional Chief Sec-
retary Health Amit Mo-
han Prasad said the
number of active cases
in the state now stands
at 12,505 -- the lowest in
nearly six months.
Of the active COV-
ID-19 cases, 5,012 are in
home isolation and 1,339
at private hospitals, he
said.
The recovery count
reached5,67,964onMon-
day after 1,054 more pa-
tients were discharged
from hospitals in Uttar
Pradesh after recovered
from the infection. The
state has a COVID-19 re-
covery rate of 96.45 per
cent, he said.
According to a health
department bulletin,
two deaths each were
reported from Lucknow,
Varanasi, Deoria and
one each from Praya-
graj, Pratapgarh, Rae
Bareli, Ghazipur in the
past 24 hours. Lucknow
reported 162 new cases,
the bulletin said.
On Sunday, over 1.19
lakh tests were per-
formed, taking the num-
ber of novel coronavi-
rus tests done till now in
the state to 2.44 crore.
Prasad said vaccine
dry run will be conduct-
ed in all 75 districts of
the state on Tuesday --
three each in rural and
urban areas. He said
those returning from
the UK are being tested.
Covid toll reaches 8,413 with 10 more
deaths; 714 new cases in state
Over 2,500 samples
of UK returnees were
sent for testing and
only 12 positive cases
have been detected
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Light to
moderate rain coupled
with thundershowers
occurred at many places
in Uttar Pradesh on
Monday, with mercury
dipping to 6 degrees Cel-
sius in Banda.
Accordingtothemete-
orological department,
state capital Lucknow
recorded a minimum
temperature of 14.6 de-
grees Celsius, while Al-
lahabad recorded a low
of 13.6 degrees Celsius.
Both Kanpur and
Gorakhpur recorded
minimum temperature
of 13.8 degrees Celsius,
it said.
Varanasi recorded a
minimum temperature
of 11.5 degrees Celsius,
while Jhansi’s tempera-
ture settled at 15.2 de-
grees Celsius. Muzaffar-
nagar recorded a mini-
mum of 10.6 degrees
Celsius, the MeT said.
Banda was the coldest
place in the state where
mercury dipped to 6 de-
grees Celsius, it said.
The weather depart-
mentsaidthunderstorm
and lightning accompa-
nied with hailstorm are
very likely at isolated
places over western
parts of the state on
January 5.
First India Bureau
Kanpur: In a shokcing
incident, a doctor left a
surgical pad in the abdo-
men of a woman who
underwent C-section for
her delivery in Kanpur.
She carried the pad for
77 days, that caused her
serious health issues.
On Sunday the surgi-
cal pad was taken out in
an operation.Her family
has complained to the
district magistrate and
the chief medical offic-
ers but no action has
been taken against the
doctor or the hospital.
Robby Bajpai, 30, had
given birth to a baby
on October 17 at a nurs-
ing home near Bagiya
crossing in Kalyanpur
locality. However, sharp
pain persisted in her
abdomen even after be-
ing discharged from
the hospital. An ultra-
sound scan revealed
presence of a foreign
element or formation of
big blood clot.
Her husband Hitesh
Bajpai informed the
CMO and lodged com-
plaint with SSP Kanpur
over WhatsApp. The
CMO advsed him to take
his wife to LLR Hospital
where a team led by Dr
Sandesh Katiyar took
out the surgical pad.
Thefamilyhasdemaded
stern action against the
doctor who did the C-
section and the hospital.
Rain continues to batter state,
tempdipsto6degreesinBanda
Doc leaves surgical
pad inside abdomen
A top shot of vehicles moving slowly on the roads of the state capital
amid dence fog on Monday evening. —PHOTO BY SUMIT KUMAR
AAP CALLS OUT YOGI
—REPRESENTATIONALPURPOSE
ACS Information Navneet Sehgal

l Vol 1 l Issue No. 53 l RNI NO. UPENG/2020/04393. Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Amar Ujala Ltd. B-5 Amausi Industrial Area Kanpur Road Lucknow.
Published at 98, Friend’’s Colony, Raheem Nagar, Dudouli Road, Madiyaon, Lucknow (UP). Editor-In-Chief: Jagdeesh Chandra. Editor: Anita Hada Sangwan responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act
These also are sayings of the
wise. Partiality in judging is
not good. —Proverbs 24:23
Spiritual
SPEAK
PERSPECTIVELUCKNOW | TUESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2021
04www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
n the brilliant
and hugely suc-
cessful 2020 Net-
flix miniseries
The Queen’s
Gambit, the chess prodigy
Beth Harmon (played by
Anya Taylor-Joy) polishes
off her male opponents
with style and speed. Be-
cause the story is set in the
1950sand1960s,thereareno
cellphones,socialmedia,or
computer chess programs.
Life was slower then, as it
againseemstobenowadays
during the pandemic.
In the 1960s, anyone who
wanted to develop a deep
knowledge of the game
had to pore through tomes
like Modern Chess Open-
ings. To learn the latest
variations coming out of
the Soviet Union, where
most of the best players
were, there was no choice
but to wait for 64 magazine
to arrive on a slow boat
from Moscow, and then
navigate the Russian.
Based on a 1983 novel by
Walter Tevis (author of
The Color of Money, The
Hustler, and The Man Who
Fell to Earth), The Queen’s
Gambit has a simple prem-
ise: What if the American
chess player Bobby Fischer
– one of the all-time greats
– had been a woman? (Te-
vis, who prided himself on
constructing characters
from his own imagination,
was lucky that his book
came out just before the
emergence of the amazing
Hungarian chess-playing
sisters Judit, Zsuzsa, and
Zsófia Polgár, whose real-
life story would make an
even better film.)
Most of the Netflix se-
ries hews closely to the
novel and strives to be
faithful to both the period
and the game. The director,
Scott Frank, even enlisted
former World Chess Cham-
pion Garry Kasparov and
legendary chess coach
Bruce Pandolfini to ensure
that all the games in the
series were authentic.
Whereas the novel de-
scribes Beth as winning
with a spectacular queen
sacrifice – a rare and excit-
ing event in chess – The
Queen’s Gambit portrays
an actual game in which
this occurred. The big
game in the seventh and
final episode of the series
also follows a real match,
except for a spectacular
finish checked against a
computer for accuracy.
Some have complained
that it was unrealistic to
cast someone as beautiful
as Taylor-Joy to play Beth,
and that no chess player
would have worn such
amazing outfits. But Fis-
cher himself was quite
good-looking as a young
champion, and appeared
on the cover of Life maga-
zine in 1971. He also took
great pride in his well-tai-
lored suits, partly to show
off his success and partly
to appear the consummate
professional.
One area where the se-
ries does take artistic li-
cense is the speed of play.
Theatrically, it is hugely
effective, making the snip-
pets of the games much
more fun to watch. It helps
also that Taylor-Joy taught
herself to move the pieces
with incredible fluidity
and authority, as if she had
been a professional chess
player all her life. In con-
trast, real-life champion-
ship chess is incredibly
slow. In their famous 1972
world championship
match, Fischer and Boris
Spassky of the Soviet Un-
ion used a time control that
allotted just under four
minutes for a move, with
most of the games taking
several hours per session.
SOURCE: PROJECT SYNDICATE
Fast and slow in ‘The Queen’s Gambit’
I
Top
TWEET
Prakash Javadekar
@PrakashJavdekar
Moving forward towards vision of
‘Minimum Government, Maximum
Governance’ the @narendramodi
govt has asked all the ministries,
departments delivering citizen
services to mandatorily integrate
all their systems with Digi Locker
for issuing verifying documents
from 1st Jan 2021.
Mallikarjun Kharge @kharge
Several weeks of #FarmersProtest
over 50 farmers dead. How
many more people should die
before the Govt responds to
people’s demands? I hope Govt
adopts a more positive frame of
mind for the talks today resolves
all issues instead of undermining
the farmers movement.
Promoted by Vrion Global Pvt. Ltd.
BHARAT BIOTECH’S
STOUT DEFENCE
he Drug Controller-General of India’s
(DCGI) approval for Bharat Biotech’s
Covaxin and the Serum Institute of In-
dia’s Covishield has turned into a war
between a home-made vaccine and a
home-produced vaccine. One may also call it vac-
cine nationalism. On Sunday, the Serum Institute
of India CEO Adar Poonawalla remarked that
“everything else has proven to be safe, just like
water is safe. But the efficacy, to know how well a
vaccine works---70%, 90%, 80% --- has only been
proven in Pfizer, Moderna and Oxford-AstraZene-
ca’’. The remark was made in reference to Bharat
Biotech’s Covaxin, Covishield’s rival.
Dr Randeep Guleria, Director of All-India Insti-
tute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, said that Covaxin
can be used as a back-up option as it has not yet
completed the phase three trials. There were also
transparency issues about Covaxin’s data on the
vaccine’s efficacy and safety. The DCGI has ap-
proved Covaxin for restricted emergency use trials
which are to be treated as third phase of clinical
trials with all the necessary protocols.
The statements drew a scathing response from
Bharat Biotech’s Chairman, Dr Krishna Ella. “We
don’t deserve this bashing,” he said and added that
his company had carried out “200 per cent honest
clinicaltrials”.Havingmanufactured16vaccines,Dr
Ella said that Bharat Biotech was a global company.
With Atmanirbhar Bharat on one side and the
safety of individuals on the other, politicians too
have taken up positions. Congress leaders led by
Anand Sharma questioned the green signal given
to Covaxin before the third phase trial was over,
only to be rebuffed by BJP leaders.
T
IN-DEPTH
TALKS WITH FARMERS
GO INTO ROUND EIGHT
he ongoing protest by farmers is in its
second month---40 days. During this pe-
riod 57 protesters have lost their lives,
some even committed suicide, to force
the government to consider their de-
mands. They have faced water cannons and tear-
gas shells in this chilly weather but refused to re-
treat in the face of any hardship. As the govern-
ment is refusing to accede to their demands, the
farmers’ resolve is getting firmer by the day.
After the sixth round of talks with leaders of
farmers on December 30 ended in a deadlock, the
government side was still optimistic that the issue
would be resolved on January 4 as there was agree-
ment on two minor demands. The two sides met
for the seventh round of negotiations on Monday
(January 4) to find some common ground but failed
to come to an agreement. After Monday’s delibera-
tions, there was no forward movement. The gov-
ernment is unyielding on the demand to repeal the
three Acts on Agriculture reforms and farmers too
have been resolute in their stand of repeal of the
“anti-farmer laws”. We are now told that the next
round will hopefully see an end to the agitation.
How? Will farmers ready to drop their demand for
the repeal of laws or will the government accept
their demand? If not, then what makes the govern-
ment think that the lakhs sitting along Delhi’s
border will disperse on January 8?
Nothing has changed ever since the two sides
began negotiations and nothing will change in the
next round either. But talks must continue until
one side blinks first.
T
had never imagined a year
back, as I celebrated Christ-
mas and New Year 2020, that
just a few months later I’ll be
adding new words to my vo-
cabulary – “coronavirus”,
“lockdown” and “social dis-
tancing”. I’m sure you’ll
agree that we have dealt with
the worst health and eco-
nomic crisis of the past cen-
tury this year and have wit-
nessed a shift in the public
narrative…from the shock of
the pandemic to thinking
about how to ease back to
some sense of normalcy.
In the emergence of a new
strain of Covid – 19, I often won-
der how this virus has sur-
passed (much frowned upon)
politician travels, through vast
geographics and communities,
spreading across 170 countries
in the past 4 months. This crisis
has triggered a major shift in
the attitude and behaviour –
leading to new preferences and
needs. With predictions of up to
1.4 million job losses by the end
of this year, financial pressures
will be at the front and center
of many people’s lives.
The only positive change
which I’ve observed is that
this crisis has accelerated
the adoption of digital tech-
nologies across society. Digi-
tal experience has gained
importance even more than
before the crisis and their
expectations towards digital
services are evolving.
New Normal will provide op-
portunities to those who are
ready to seize them. Skilled or-
chestration of mindful digital
experiences will build valuable
relationships and determine
success. We can expect to see
lots of changes when we
emerge from these forbidden
times…from a favourite café
that didn’t survive the lock-
down to failed super markets
and uncomfortable greetings
between friends.
Usual activities like driv-
ing a car, a drink at the pub
and a dinner party with
friends and family might
feel strange and be tinged
with concern about whether
it is wise to socialise at pub-
lic places in close contact...
But for others, the changes
might be deeper with the
sudden and intrusive arriv-
al of the pandemic in our
lives, that has left us ques-
tioning whether the world is
still a safe place!
While we cope with these cir-
cumstances, there will be a
point in time when we will
need to focus on what is next:
How do we return to business
as usual? What does our new
‘normal’ even look like? This
might seem like a daunting
task, but these are a few key
questions that every Leader
needs to ask to help them ar-
ticulate their personal and pro-
fessional life.
Having spent more than
two decades focusing on
business continuity and re-
silience, both as a practi-
tioner and a mentor, experi-
ence shows that meaningful
engagement with your staff
and family members is the
key to long term retention
and evolution. Recalling the
vigor of the pre-pandemic
days entails a lot of work,
and can take a couple of
years to regain. Inculcating
the flexibility to ride with
the wave of change comes as
an indispensable solution to
survive the crisis.
It’shardtothinkof thefuture
now, but it’s key to your surviv-
al. We have to be prepared for
therepercussionsinthecoming
months, possibly even years...
By thinking about your future
now, engaging with your staff
and strategically planning your
return to a new normal, you
have the opportunity to prevail
and come through this phase as
‘fighting fit’.
From the business per-
spective, the uncertainty of
what’s to come is precisely
why employee experience
management is so valuable
now, more than ever. Ulti-
mately, it is all about con-
sistent learning, sharing
insights, and rapidly adapt-
ing; three capabilities that
are essential for everyone to
bounce back the right way.
To ensure that these labori-
ous learnings are gracious,
we need to deal with the
‘new normal’ as a united
front and make sure that no
one is left behind.
The new era indeed will be
marked by increased protec-
tionism with a trend towards
further global integration and
digitization. It will require
managers to rethink their en-
tire approach to business—
from research and develop-
ment and product design to
manufacturing, sales, market-
ing, and even government rela-
tions. Inherent prejudices
about business models will
have to be jettisoned and a flex-
ible quick-response mindset,
capable of responding to the
challenges of rapidly trans-
forming global markets will
need to be developed. This will
be the only way to PREVAIL IN
THE NEW NORMAL.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
PREVAILING IN THE
NEW NORMAL
I
In the emergence of
a new strain of
Covid – 19, I often
wonder how this
virus has
surpassed (much
frowned upon)
politician travels,
through vast
geographics and
communities,
spreading across
170 countries in
the past 4 months.
This crisis has
triggered a major
shift in attitude
and behaviour –
leading to new
preferences and
needs. With
predictions of up
to 1.4 million job
losses by the end of
this year, financial
pressures will be at
the front and
center of many
people’s lives
NEW NORMAL WILL
PROVIDE
OPPORTUNITIES TO
THOSE WHO ARE
READY TO SEIZE
THEM. SKILLED
ORCHESTRATION OF
MINDFUL DIGITAL
EXPERIENCES WILL
BUILD VALUABLE
RELATIONSHIPS AND
DETERMINE SUCCESS
DR DIVYA
JAITLY
She is a TEDx Speaker, Integrated
Communication Specialist,
Leadership Mentor, Public Speaking
Coach, Image Consultant
Renowned TV Anchor in India

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INDIALUCKNOW | TUESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2021
JUSTICE JOYMALYA BAGCHI SWORN
IN AS ANDHRA PRADESH HC JUDGE
Amaravati: Justice Joy-
malya Bagchi was sworn
in as a Judge of Andhra
Pradesh High Court on
Monday, informed a few
reliable sources from
the department. Andhra
Pradesh High Court Chief
Justice JK Maheswari ad-
ministered the oath of of-
ﬁce to Justice Bagchi on
Monday morning. Justice
Bagchi has been trans-
ferred from Calcutta High
Court to Andhra Pradesh
High Court, added the
sources while elaborating
further about the new ap-
pointment. The state High
Court judges, lawyers and
court employees attended
the oath taking ceremony
of the new HC Judge,
Justice Bagchi’s added
the departmental sources.
—ANI
ARPS IS THE FIRST KHELO INDIA
SPORTS SCHOOL IN NORTH EAST
New Delhi: Union Minister of Youth Affairs
Sports Kiren Rijiju Assam Rifles Public School
(ARPS) in Shillong as a Khelo India Sports
School. At present, nine Sports Schools have
been approved across the country, out of which
five are managed by Defence Para-military
forces. In the North-East region, Assam Rifles
Public School is the first Sports School announced
under the Khelo India scheme. The government
shall now bear the expenses for Talented Sports
Students of the school, said Sports Ministry.
BENGAL TO OBSERVE NETAJI’S BIRTH
ANNIV AS ‘DESH NAYAK DIWAS’
Nabanna: To mark birth
anniversary of Netaji Sub-
has Chandra Bose, West
Bengal will observe Janu-
ary 23 as ‘Desh Nayak
Diwas’, CM Mamata
Banerjee said, while de-
manding Centre to declare
it as a national holiday.
A national university will
also be built in Netaji’s
memory. “On January
23, a rally will be taken
out from Shyambazar to
Netaji Statue in Kolkata
at 12:15 pm, along with
the police band. A tableau
will also be displayed on
theme based on Netaji’s
life on Jan 26. I would ap-
peal everyone in including
NRIs to blow conch at
12:15 pm on 23rd Janu-
ary, the birth anniversary
of Netaji Subhas Chandra
Bose,” Banerjee said.
PANKAJ MITHAL TAKES OATH
AS NEW CHIEF JUSTICE OF JK
Jammu: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha
administered the oath of ofﬁce to justice Pankaj
Mithal as the new Chief Justice of the common
High Court for the Union Territory of Jammu
Kashmir and Union Territory of Ladakh in
Jammu on Monday.Sinha congratulated Mithal
on his new appointment. The registrar general
of the HC read out the warrant of appointment.
Proceedings of the oath ceremony were con-
ducted by Nitishwar Kumar, principal secretary
to the L-G.
‘60 FARMERS LOST THEIR LIVES IN
STIR AGAINST NEW FARM LAWS’
New Delhi: A total of 60 farmers have lost
their lives during the ongoing farmers’ pro-
test against the new farm laws so far, claimed
Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) spokesperson,
Rakesh Tikait on Monday. He further said that
one farmer is dying every 16 hours and it is
the responsibility of the government to give an
answer. He made the statements ahead of the
eighth-round of talks with the Central govern-
ment over the issue. The meeting between the
farmer unions and the Central government took
place on Monday. —ANI
Jaishankartobe
on3-dayvisittoSri
LankafromJan5
New Delhi: External
Affairs Minister S Jais-
hankar will pay a three-
day official visit to Sri
Lanka starting from
Tuesday, Ministry of
External Affairs (MEA)
announced on Monday.
During his visit, he
will hold discussion
with his counterpart
Dinesh Gunawardena
and Sri Lanka’s leader-
ship on the entire gam-
ut of bilateral relations,
the MEA said in a state-
ment. “At the invitation
of the Foreign Minister
of Sri Lanka Dinesh
Gunawardena, Exter-
nal Affairs Minister Dr.
S Jaishankar will pay
an official visit to Sri
Lanka from 5-7 January
2021,” the statement
read.
This will be the first
foreign visit by the Min-
ister in 2021, and also
the first by a foreign
dignitary to Sri Lanka
in the New Year.
“As such, it signifies
the priority both coun-
tries attach to strength-
ening their close and
cordial relations in all
spheres of mutual in-
terest,” the statement
read. —ANI
IN THE COURTYARD
Vandalism: Jio to move
Punjab Hrryana HC
I-T records Vadra’s statement in Benami assets case
New Delhi: The In-
come Tax Department
officers started record-
ing the statement of
Robert Vadra in connec-
tion with a benami
properties case. An I-T
department source re-
lated to probe informed,
“An I-T team is at
Vadra’s residence to re-
cord his statement in
the Benami properties
matter.”
Robert Vadra is Con-
gress President Sonia
Gandhi’s son-in-law
and is married to Con-
gress General Secretary
Priyanka Gandhi. He
has been unable to join
the probe due to the
COVID-19 pandemic.
Besides the I-T de-
partment, Vadra is be-
ing investigated by the
ED under the provi-
sions of PMLA pertain-
ing to allegations of
money laundering in
the purchase of a Lon-
don-based property at
12, Bryanston Square,
worth 1.9 million
pound.
It is alleged that the
said property is alleg-
edly owned by him. He
is currently out on an
anticipatory bail. —PTI
Exam dates to be
announced on Jan
7, says Pokhriyal Mumbai: Reliance In-
dustries Limited (RIL),
through its subsidiary
Reliance Jio Infocomm
Limited, in a petition
mentioned to be filed in
Punjab Haryana HC,
has sought urgent inter-
vention of Government
authorities to bring a
complete stop to illegal
acts of vandalism by
miscreants, said RIL.
These acts of vio-
lence have endangered
the lives of thousands
of its employees
caused damage dis-
ruption to vital commu-
nications infrastruc-
ture, sales service
outlets run by its sub-
sidiaries in the two
states, RIL said in a me-
dia statement.
The miscreants in-
dulging in vandalism
have been instigated
aided by vested inter-
ests our business ri-
vals. Taking advantage
of ongoing farmers’
agitation these vested
interests have launched
an incessant, malicious
motivated vilifica-
tion campaign against
RIL, which has abso-
lutely no basis in truth,
it said. —ANI
New Delhi: Union edu-
cation minister Ramesh
Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ on
Monday said he would
announce the eligibility
criteria for admission
into Indian Institutes of
Technology (IITs) and
the date of the Joint En-
trance Examination
(JEE) Advanced 2021 at
6 pm on 7 January.
The first edition of
the Joint Entrance Ex-
amination (JEE) Mains
will be held from 23 Feb-
ruary to 26 February,
followed by rounds in
March, April and May.
Candidates who have
qualified for JEE Ad-
vanced are allowed to
appear for admission
process in the IITs. The
counselling and seat al-
lotment process is con-
ducted by the Joint Seat
Allocation Authority
and the counselling pro-
cess is conducted on the
basis of the candidate’s
score in JEE Advanced.
The education minis-
ter had in December
stated that the JEE
Main 2021 will be con-
ducted in four cycles
this year, with the Na-
tional Testing Agency
(NTA) holding the first
phase in the aforemen-
tioned dates.
Minister said stu-
dents can appear for the
exam as per their con-
venience. —ANI
Chhota Rajan, three
aides jailed for 2 yrs
Mumbai: A Mumbai
special CBI court sen-
tenced underworld don
Chhota Rajan and three
others to two years in
jail in connection with
an extortion case.
Chhota Rajan, the
former D-Company
member, who has been
lodged in Tihar jail in
Delhi after his deporta-
tion to India following
his arrest in Indonesia
in October 2015, is serv-
ing a life sentence on
the charges of murder,
attempt to murder, ex-
tortion and criminal
conspiracy. In 2019,
Chhota Rajan and five
others were sentenced
to prison for eight years
by a special court in
Mumbai in a 2012 at-
tempt-to-murder ex-
tortion case lodged
against them by a Mum-
bai hotelier.
The court has also
asked the underworld
don to pay a fine of Rs 5
lakh. —PTI
Custodial
torture: PIL to
be examined
Malegaon
Blast Case:
Hearing
adjournedNew Delhi: The SC de-
cided to examine afresh
a plea seeking direction
to government to frame
a law to prevent custo-
dial torture inhuman
treatment as India was
a signatory to the UN’s
convention on torture.
The apex court is re-
visiting the issue after
more than a year as it
was told that no pro-
gress was made in this
regard even after an as-
surance was given that
the government was
looking into the matter
with ‘all seriousness.’
The PIL filed in 2016
by former law minister
CongressleaderAshwini
Kumar was disposed off
on Nov 27, 2017. —ANI
Mumbai: The Special
NIA Court in Mumbai
adjourned for Tuesday,
the hearing in 2008
Malegaon blast case.
BJP MP Pragya Singh
Thakur has sought an
exemption from daily
appearance in court on
the grounds of health
and security.
The court has asked
Thakur to file an appli-
cation, and be present
in court whenever
asked.
Thakur appeared be-
fore Special NIA Court
earlier on Monday, in
connection with 2008
Malegaon blast case.
Speaking to the re-
porters, Tahkur said, “I
appeared in the court
and they told me that I
will be called whenever
required. I agreed to
that.”
On being asked the
reason behind not ap-
pearing before the court
regularly, Thakur said,
“Last time when the
court had called me, I
was hospitalised and I
am still undergoing
treatment.” —ANI
CONSIDER FARMERS’ DEMANDS AND
REPEAL BLACK LAWS: KEJRI TO CENTRENew Delhi: DelhiChief
Minister Arvind Kejri-
wal urged the Bharati-
ya Janata Party (BJP)-
led central government
to repeal the three agri-
culture sector laws
passed in the last mon-
soon session of parlia-
ment, keeping in view
the plight of the agitat-
ing farmers amidst cold
and rain.
“Salute to the cour-
age of our farmers who
took to the streets
amidst the cold and
rain. I appeal to the
Central government
that in today’s meeting,
considering all the de-
mands of farmers and
repeal all three black
laws,” the Delhi Chief
Minister tweeted. The
eighth round of meet-
ing between the Central
government and farm-
ers’ representatives
took place at Vigyan
Bhawan on Monday.
Leaders of farmers
unions reiterated that
nothing less than the
repeal of Central farm
laws will be acceptable
to them.—ANI
Farmers during an ongoing protest against the new farm laws, at the Tikri border in New Delhi on
Monday. —PHOTO BY ANI
External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar
Union education minister Ramesh Pokhriyal
FARMERS’ STIR
JEE ADVANCED 2021
EXTORTION CASE
USING WATER
CANNONS ON FARMERS
SC accepts PIL seeking
probe against Hr cops
New Delhi: The SC ac-
cepted a letter petition
sent to CJI SA Bobde by
a group of students
from Punjab seeking an
inquiry against Hary-
ana Police for using wa-
ter cannons, tear gases
shells on farmers to
stop them from proceed-
ing to Delhi to protest
against the Centre’s
newly-enacted farm
laws. The students
wrote an open letter to
the CJI and urged that
Haryana and Delhi po-
lice withdraw all the
cases against farmers
which were registered
under alleged political
vendetta.
The letter, written by
former and current hu-
man rights students of
the Centre for Human
Rights and Duties, Pun-
jab University, also asked
that the cases of illegal
detentionof protestersbe
looked into. The letter
signed by Gurmohan
Preet Singh and 34 oth-
er students requested
that governments at
both Central State
level ensure the safety
of all protesters pro-
vide basic amenities for
all, especially women,
children elderly. It
also asked for mobile
toilet vans to be provid-
ed at protest places. “Is-
sue appropriate guide-
lines, as the court may
deem fit, regarding hy-
gienic conditions at pro-
test sites in the backdrop
of Covid-19. Take an ac-
tion to curb fake news
against media channels,
engaged in misrepresen-
tation,polarisationsen-
sationalisation of the en-
tire issue,” it stated.—ANI
ARVIND KEJRIWAL
@ARVINDKEJRIWAL
Salute to the courage of
our farmers who took
to the streets amidst the
cold and rain. I appeal to
the Central government
that in today’s meeting,
considering all the
demands of farmers and
repeal all three black laws.

INDIALUCKNOW | TUESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2021
Women-power...
Talking about how the
scheme also promotes
communal harmony,
Kaur said women from
multiple communities
are taking training un-
der the same roof, but
there is no discrimina-
tion among them.
“We help each other
whenever needed,” she
said. Another trainee
Yasmin Khan also
hoped that skills learnt
here would help her live
a self-reliant and re-
spectable life.
What stands out at
the Centre though is
that all the women work
in complete harmony
here. They learn from
each other and have
been acquiring skills
that they do not possess.
The Centre certainly
holds a lot of weight in
times when communal
disharmony is an eve-
ryday affair in one way
or the other.
BJP meet to...
“The party has decided
to launch a 10-day state-
wide campaign from
January 10 to get a
sense of the ground and
make its poll machin-
ery battle-ready,” said
the source. National
general secretary of the
BJP, Arun Singh, senior
party leaders Sunil
Bansal, Radha Mohan
Singh, deputy CM Kes-
hav Prasad Maurya and
Dinesh Sharma, agri-
culture minister, Surya
Pratap Shahi and Kanta
Kardam attended the
meeting.
With 305 MLAs while
the BJP enjoys an abso-
lute majority in the as-
sembly, it is the SP,
which has a majority
with 55 MLCs in the leg-
islative council fol-
lowed by 8 of BSP and
two of Congress. The 12
MLCs whose six-year
term is coming to end
on January 31 include
six of SP and three each
of BJP and BSP.
A candidate will need
at least 35 to 36 votes for
victory. The BJP with
its dominant position
will easily ensure vic-
tory on nine out of 12
vacant seats and may
wrest another with sup-
port from others but it
will still not be able to
overtake SP in the coun-
cil. The SP with 48
MLAs will win one and
may have to look for
support from BSP and
Congress none of who
are in a position to bag
seat on their own in
these elections. The ten-
ure of chairman of
council is coming to an
end but since the BJP is
still not in a position to
get its candidate elect-
ed, it may try to get the
polls deferred. —ani
38 infected...
“All these persons have
been kept in single room
isolation in designated
Health Care facilities by
respective State Govern-
ments. Their close con-
tacts have also been put
under quarantine. Com-
prehensive contact trac-
ing has been initiated
for co-travellers, family
contacts and others. Ge-
nome sequencing on
other specimens is go-
ing on,” said the Union
Health Ministry.
—Agencies
Deadlock
continues...
He said one farmer is
dying every 16 hours
and it is the responsibil-
ity of the government to
give an answer. They-
have been protesting
since November 26
against the new farm
laws. —ANI
World’s biggest...
‘Made in India’ prod-
ucts not only have glob-
al demand but also glob-
al acceptance. “Quality
is as much important as
quantity, our standards
should rise with our
scale in our quest for
Aatmanirbhar Bharat,”
he said.The PM said in
any progressive society,
research is key. They
also help widen ap-
proach and thinking.
“Past teaches us that
more a country concen-
trates on science, the
more its technology gets
strengthened. This tech-
nology in turn helps
new industries and pro-
motes research.” he
said.
“We do not want to fill
the world with Indian
products, but we must
win the hearts of every
customer of Indian
products in every cor-
ner of the world,” he
said. Quality of services
and products, both pub-
lic or private sector, will
determine India’s
strength in the world, he
stressed.
Covaxin 200%...
Covaxin has shown less
than 10 pc adverse reac-
tions, while others have
60-70 pc adverse reac-
tions. AstraZeneca was
giving 4g paracetamol to
volunteers to suppress
such reactions. We
haven’t given paraceta-
mol to any volunteer. I
can assure our vaccine
is a 200 pc safe,” he said.
FROM PG 1
Kangra (Himachal
Pradesh): Hundreds of
winter migratory birds
were found dead in the
Pong Dam Lake sanctu-
ary in Himachal
Pradesh recently, said
an official, without
specifying the cause.
In a letter, the range
forest officer of Nagro-
ta-Surian stated that on
December 31, a total of
141 winter migratory
birds were found dead
in Pong Dam Lake Sanc-
tuary in Nagrota-Suri-
an wildlife range.
In Nagrota-Surian
area of the range, a to-
tal of 105 migratory
birds were found dead.
In Jawali Beat area of
the range, 29 migratory
birds were found dead.
In Bhatoli Phakorian
area, 7 Bar Headed
Goose birds were found
dead. This totals up to
141 migratory birds, the
letter added.
However, the cause of
the death was not stated
in the letter. —ANI
277 IAS OFFICERS DUE TO RETIRE
IN 2021
As many as 277 officers of Indian Adminis-
trative Service (IAS) of various cadres and
batches will be retiring in the year of 2021.
PAWAN KUMAR MEENA QUITS
INDIAN REVENUE SERVICE-IT
Pawan Kumar Meena, presently ACIT, has
resigned from the Indian Revenue Service of
Income Tax cadre.
MS. MALIKA GARG JOINS AP GOVT
ON INTER-STATE TRANSFER
Ms. Malika Garg has joined the Government of
Andhra Pradesh on inter-state transfer from
West Bengal. He is a 2015 batch IPS officer of
West Bengal cadre.
NO EMPANELMENT AT JOINT
SECRETARY LEVEL FROM WB
DESPITE 5 IAS OFFICERS
Despite being as many as five IAS officers
of 2003 batch in West Bengal, no officer has
been empanelled for holding Joint Secretary or
equivalent posts in Government of India.
WILL MS. FAISAL JOIN CCI ?
The name of Ms. Ghazala Faisal is doing the
round for the post of Addl. DG, Competition
Commission of India (CCI). She is an ITS officer.
RAVI SHANKAR PRASAD LIKELY TO
RETURN TO PARENT CADRE IN FEB
Ravi Shankar Prasad, presently on central dep-
utation as Additional Secretary in the Ministry
of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, is
expected to return to parent cadre in Febru-
ary, 2021. He is a 1990 batch IAS officer of
Assam-Meghalaya cadre.
ANIL KUMAR PROMOTED AS
JOINT DIRECTOR, LABOUR
BUREAU, SHIMLA
Anil Kumar has been promoted to Junior Ad-
ministrative Grade (JAG) and posted as Joint
Director, Labour Bureau, Shimla. He is a 2010
batch IES officer.
MS. MEENA BAKSHI ENGAGED
AS CONSULTANT, OFFICE OF
SECURITY ADVISOR
Ms. Meena Bakshi, retired Private Secretary
from MHA, has been engaged as Consultant in
the Office of Security Advisor (LWE) (Colonel
Harjot Singh) for a period of six months till
June 30.
MHA SEEKS RETIRED OFFICERS
FOR CONSULTANTS
The Ministry of Housing Affairs wishes to
engage retired Central Government officers as
Consultants on contract basis.
1989 AND 1990 BATCH IPS
PROMOTED TO DGP RANK IN J K
(UPDATED) Two IPS officers of JK cadre have
been promoted to DGP grade. The officers
are: Lalatendu Mohanty of 1989 batch and B
Srinivas of 1990 batch.
MS BHANUMATI GIVEN ADDITIONAL
CHARGE OF INVESTIGATIONS IT
IN MUMBAI
Ms Bhanumati, Commissioner, ITD, Mumbai,
has been given the additional charge of DG,
Investigation, Mumbai. She is an IRS-IT officer.
DEPUTATION TENURE OF SUDEEP
JAIN AS DEPUTY ELECTION
COMMISSIONER EXTENDED
The central deputation tenure of Sudeep Jain
working as Deputy Election Commissioner,
Electio Commission of India has been extended
for a period of one year beyond December 21,
2020. He is a 1994 batch IAS officer of Tamil
Nadu cadre.
POWERGallery
By arrangement with: http://
whispersinthecorridors.com
Patna (Bihar): Bihar
Congress leader Ajit
Sharma on Monday
said that Prime Minis-
ter Narendra Modi
should take the first
shot of COVID-19 vac-
cine to assure the peo-
ple of the country.
“We are delighted to
have got two vaccines in
the new year but there
is also doubt among
people about this. In or-
der to remove this
doubt, head of state in
Russia US have taken
the 1st shot of vaccine,
I believe that PM Modi
senior-most BJP lead-
er should win the trust
of the people by taking
the first vaccine shot,”
said Congress leader.
Sharma claimed that
BJP is trying to take
credit for the two vac-
cines but both the com-
panies Serum Institute
of India and Bharat Bi-
otech, which have pre-
pared the coronavirus
vaccine, were estab-
lished during the Con-
gress tenure so the peo-
ple should also congrat-
ulate and give credit to
Congress party.—ANI
‘PMshouldtake1stshot
ofvaxtoreassurepeople’
Infuse confidence in people: Cong leader Ajit urged PM Modi
Enough vaccine
stockpile for 1st
phase of Drive,
says Centre
India has enough
stockpile of the
COVID-19 vaccine for
inoculation of prior-
ity groups, including
healthcare workers
and frontline workers,
in the first phase, Niti
Aayog member V K
Paul said on Monday.
The government will
soon announce its
plans for purchase
and distribution of
COVID-19 vaccine.
“Our first phase (of
vaccination) compris-
es priority groups with
high risk of mortality
and our healthcare and
frontline workers, Mr
Paul further added.
Supreme Court verdict
on pleas against Central
Vista Project today
New Delhi: SC to pro-
nounce verdict on Tues-
day on pleas against
Central Vista Project
The common Central
Secretariat is likely to
be built by 2024 under
the project against
which various pleas
have been filed. The Su-
preme Court is sched-
uled to pronounce its
verdict Tuesday on a
batch of pleas, which
have questioned sever-
al aspects including the
environmental clear-
ance granted to ambi-
tious Central vista pro-
ject. The Central Vista
revamp, announced in
September, 2019 envis-
ages a new triangular
Parliament building,
with seating capacity
for 900 to 1,200 MPs,
that is to be constructed
by August, 2022 when
the country will be cel-
ebrating its 75th Inde-
pendence Day. The com-
mon Central Secretari-
at is likely to be built by
2024 under the project
against which various
pleas have been filed. A
bench of Justices AM
Khanwilkar, Dinesh
Maheshwari and Sanjiv
Khanna will pronounce
the verdict on the batch
of pleas on which it had
reserved its verdict on
November 5, last year.
On December 7, last
year the top court had
allowed the Centre to
proceed with the foun-
dation stone-laying cer-
emony for the Central
Vista project on Decem-
ber 10 after the govern-
ment assured it that no
construction or demoli-
tion work would com-
mence till the apex
court decides the pend-
ing pleas on the issue.
INDIGENOUS VACCINE SHOWS BENEFITS
OF ATMANIRBHAR BHARAT: NAIDU
KOLKATA: Senior
CPI(M) leader Ashok
Bhattacharya's state-
ment that BCCI pres-
ident and former In-
dian cricket captain
Sourav Ganguly, who
suffered a heart at-
tack and is now hos-
pitalised, was under
pressure to join poli-
tics created a storm
on Sunday.
Speculations were
rife that the former
batting great will
join the BJP ahead of
the state assembly
elections due in
April-May this year.
But Ganguly him-
self never made his
intentions quite
clear about taking
the political plunge.
He underwent an-
gioplasty after a
mild heart attack
on Saturday.
GANGULY UNDER
PRESSURE TO JOIN
POLITICS: CPM
WILL BE BACK
SOON: THAKUR
LIKELY TO GET
OUT ON JAN 6 ALERT IN KERALA
AFTER MP RAJ
Misogynistic: TMC on BJP
Leader’s comments on Mamata
Kolkata: Women lead-
ers of the Trinamool
Congresshaveslammed
BJP national general
secretary Kailash Vi-
jayvargiya, accusing
him of posting a misog-
ynistic tweet against
West Bengal Chief Min-
ister and party chief
Mamata Banerjee.
Mr Vijayvargiya
shared a photo of Ms
Banerjee, in which she
is seen cooking in a
tribal village, on Twit-
ter and, in an accompa-
nying statement, said
in Hindi, “Didi has al-
ready started doing the
work she will have to do
after 5 months.”
Ms Banerjee’s photo
was taken at Ballavpur
village where she had
stopped for some time
while returning to Kol-
kata from Birbhum dis-
trict last week. The as-
sembly election in the
state is due in April-
May this year.
Reacting sharply to
Mr Vijayvargiya’s
post, TMC MP Kakoli
Ghosh Dastidar
claimed that the coun-
try is filled with mi-
sogynists from the BJP
who think the place of
a woman is in the
kitchen. —PTI
Hundreds of winter migratory birds
found dead in Himachal’s Pong Dam
People in Tamil
Nadu yearning
for change:
Kamal Haasan
Salem: The People in
Tamil Nadu were
yearning for a change
in the coming assem-
bly elections from
those who so far “in-
dulged” in corruption
and Makkal Needhi
Maiam was well poised
to offer it, party chief
Kamal Haasan said on
Monday, in a veiled at-
tack on AIADMK and
DMK.
Proof of this was
their love and affection
for him and his party
and the credit for the
growing support to
MNM went to those
who had been indulg-
ing in corrupt practic-
es, he said. —PTI
BJP's Kailash Vijayvargiya had commented on Mamata
Banerjee's photo at a tribal village in Bengal.
Sourav Ganguly

NEWSLUCKNOW | TUESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2021
07www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
First India Bureau
Hathras: The four ac-
cused in the Hathras
rape case were pro-
duced in the court in
tight security arrange-
ments and presence of
the Central Bureau of
Investigation (CBI) of-
ficials.
They appeared for
the first time after the
CBI filed the charge-
sheet in the case, in the
court of special judge
(SC/ST). The accused
are lodged in Aligarh
jail from where they
were taken to Hathras
court proceedings.
The court would hear
the case next on Janu-
ary 29. All the accused
were given the copies of
the chargesheet
through their lawyers.
The Deputy SP with
CBI Seema Pahuja was
present in the court.
However, some wom-
en from the families of
accused attempted to
meet them but they
were not allowed. The
CBI recently had sub-
mitted the charge-
sheets after 67 day long
investigation into rape
and murder of a dalit
girl in Hathras. The
charge-sheet was filed
in special SC/ST court
as the FIR has sections
of SC/ST act among
others.
The accused in the
case are Sandeep,
Ramu, Lav Kush and
Ravi. The lawyers said
it was possible the case
is transferred to a spe-
cial CBI court or re-
main with this court.
Meanwhile ahead of
the high court hearing
in a matter related to
this case scheduled late
this month the UP
government has
transferred the contro-
versial district magis-
trate Praveen Kumar
Laxkar.
The high court had
expressed its displeas-
ure at no action taken
against Laxar. He had
bee sent to Mirzapur in
same capacity after
spending 22 months in
Hathras as DM.
First India Bureau
Lucknow: In a signifi-
cant move the Uttar
Pradesh government
has decided to open an
Anti-terrorist squad
(ATS) police station be-
tween Rupaidiha and
Nanpara on Indo-Nepal
border.
A similar police sta-
tion has already been
opened in Shravasti to
curb anti-national, ter-
rorist and illegal activi-
ties on India-Nepal bor-
der. Additional SP, ATS
Dinesh Yadav reached
Bahraich and met the
policeandtehsilofficials
to identify the place
where the police station
building would come. A
report for land acquisi-
tion would soon be sent
to the state government.
The open border with
Nepal and the govern-
ment was worried with
continuance of anti-In-
dia activities. Organisa-
tion such as Student Is-
lamicMovementof Inda
(SIMI), Popular Front of
India (PFI), Internation-
al Islamic Council (ISN),
active in Nepal, are par-
ticularly under a scan-
ner.Thedecisiontoopen
theanATSpolicestation
has been taken to keep a
closeandeffectivewatch
on the activities.
The land was earlier
being identified close to
the Nepal border in Ru-
paidiha. On the direc-
tions of district magis-
trate Shambhu Kumar
and SP Bahraich Vipin
Kumar Mishra the Sub
divisional magistrate
Suraj Patel and circle of-
ficer Jang Bahadur Ya-
davwithrevenuedepart-
ment officials have iden-
tified the land for police
station in Babagunj
town. ATS additional SP
Dinesh Yadav visited
this time fuelling possi-
bilities the police station
would be established
soon.
The ATS team would
have primarily those
who were skilled in anti-
terror ops. Apart from
them sharp policemen
from outside the ATS
realm would be posted.
TheAdditionalSP,rural,
Ashok Kumar said the
police station has to be
built near the national
highway in Nanpara
tehsil. A report to the
district magistrate was
beingsentforlandacqui-
sition.
Transport Department gears up for
smart motor registration certificates
First India Bureau
Lucknow: After the
successful trial of the
fitness portal, the
Transport Department
is now preparing to
make RC smart. RC or
Registration Certificate
will be made like DL
and PAN card. Efforts
have already begun in
this regards. A commit-
tee has been constituted
under the chairman-
ship of the Finance
Controller, who will de-
cide whether a chip will
be placed in it or it will
be prepared as a lami-
nated card. Like before,
the new RC will not
have a one-page long
registration certificate;
instead, it will be a
smart card which can
be kept in a pocket
purse. The information
has been sought from
other provinces and
nearby districts. ARTO
IT Prabhat Pandey said
that they had a discus-
sion with NIC to make
smart RCs.
Smart RC will cost
Rs 200: Acting on the
instructions of the gov-
ernment, this exercise
to transform RC into a
pocket card will be fi-
nalized soon. According
to the ARTO, the com-
mittee will submit its
report to the Transport
Commissioner as soon
as information is re-
ceived from the dis-
tricts and provinces of
the state.
The RC will be final-
ized after receiving the
report. The price of
Smart RC is likely to be
around Rs 200.
“Gradually the entire
system is becoming on-
line. DL etc. have also
become like smart
cards. In such a situa-
tion, work has started
in the direction of mak-
ing RC or registration
certificate smart,” said
Dheeraj Sahu, Trans-
port Commissioner.
4 Hathras case accused
produced in court,
hearing on January 29
UP ATS to open
police station on
Indo-Nepal border
First India Bureau
Lucknow: The Fire De-
partment in Lucknow
has taken a unique ini-
tiative to bring aware-
ness about fire safety
among the public. It will
give firefighter training
to youths for free. The
trainee will also get a
certificate from the de-
partment. Young inter-
ested adults can go to
their nearest fire station
in Lucknow and apply
for training. Post appli-
cation, the fire depart-
ment will train them for
a week at the fire station
making them efficient
for fire fighting. This
training will be free of
cost. The department
will also reward the
youthwhoperformwell.
Private companies,
school workers, stu-
dentsandgeneralpublic
can apply
The youth will have to
apply for training at
Chief Fire Officer Haz-
ratganj, Indiranagar,
Alambagh, Sarojnina-
gar, BKT, Chowk, Gom-
tinagar and PGI Fire
Station. If there are 25-
30 people, the depart-
ment will train at the
applicant’s nearest fire
station. Under the train-
ing, the participant will
be educated on how to
prevent fire and how to
control the fire from
chemical, plastic, gas
leakage and other types,
necessary steps to take
if a person is burning
and other fire factors.
On completion of the
training, participants
will have to give a demo
of firearm, relief and
rescue work. After suc-
cessful testing, the par-
ticipant will be given a
certificatebythedepart-
ment.
Fire stations will reg-
ister the mobile num-
bers of these trainees
and will connect with
them whenever there’s
fire around their areas.
The prime objective of
this drive is to bring
awareness to the public
about fire safety.
Fire dept to train youth
in firefighting for free
BRAVING THE CHILL TO RECLAIM RIGHT!
Farmers setup makeshift tents at Chilla border during the ongoing protest against new farm laws, in Noida.—PHOTO BY PTI
BABU NOT
TAKING CALLS
When it comes to
giving the short-
shrift or not taking calls,
our civil servants make
no distinction. Be it a
common man or an
important member of
the ruling party – a BJP
Member of Parliament
(MP) to be precise in
this case. Aggrieved
by the behaviour of
this senior IAS officer
occupying a plum post
in Lucknow, who refused
to take calls from this
BJP Rajya Sabha on
his CUG number, this
parliamentarian has now
threatened to report
the matter to UP Chief
Minister. “When these
officers ignore phone
calls on important matters
from people like me, how
can we expect that they
would be courteous and
attentive towards the
public?” asked the MP.
“Such officers should
be removed from prized
positions,” he said. The
MP, however, refused
to disclose what exactly
the ‘important’ was that
he wanted to discuss
with the officer. His
ego bruised, the upset
‘netaji’, who cut a sorry
figure in front of his
supporters, said he would
also recommend that the
phone reimbursement
given to such ‘erring’
officers should be
withdrawn immediately.
Depending on their
seniority, IAS officers are
entitled to Rs 54000 to
Rs 30000 every year for
meeting the expenditure
on account of their phone
bills.
—-M Tariq Khan
CURIOUS CASE
OF BEING
OVERLY
QUALIFIED
While there is dearth
of government jobs
in Uttar Pradesh, there
is hardly any dearth of
number of B. Tech students
passing every year from
innumerable engineering
colleges in the state.
However, most students
are miffed with the UP
government on the fact that
a B. Tech degree holder is
not eligible for the position
of Junior Engineer while a
diploma holder is. Ironical
it may sound but even the
High Court agreed with this
in 2019. The argument put
forth by the government
in this regard is that the B.
Tech students are overly
qualified for the job. But
what is even worse is
the fact that the diploma
holders are eligible to be
promoted to the ranks of
Assistant Engineers. Writing
about this a number of
tweets have been done with
a hashtag #Allow_Btech_
in_UP_JE. It would be
interesting to see what the
government comes up with
in this regard now.
—VishalSrivastav
GOVERNMENT
FORGETS IAS
OFFICER?
The bureaucracy of
Uttar Pradesh brings
new pictures every now
and then. Nowadays the
discussion of an officer
is rife who tells people
that he has become an
IAS officer from the
PCS officer of the State
Service. It is going to be
about 3 years since he
became an IAS, but his
pain is that he had gone
to the chair where the
government had made
him a PCS officer, but so
much time has passed
that he became an IAS.
When he started raising
his complaint, people
remembered that as per
rule, the officer should
also get a new deployment
after becoming an IAS.
The officers of the same
appointment department
say that until the child
cries, his mother does
not even realize that she
hasn’t fed him. The same
situation is evident from
the officer who never
came to meet nor came
to know the status. In
such a scenario, he was
expecting from us that we
issue a new posting order
after his promotion. If it
is our fault, it is his fault
too! Let’s wait and watch
whether the complainant
gets a new post or silence
from the department.
—Ahtesham Siddiqui
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Protests
took place across the
country after the Citi-
zenship Amendment
Act (CAA) was enacted.
Protests were also held
against CAA in several
districts including Ut-
tar Pradesh capital Luc-
know. Violence erupted
during the protests. In
these cases of violence,
the difficulties of the
accused are now in-
creasing. The UP Police
has filed a charge sheet
in this case.
Uttar Pradesh Police
has filed a charge sheet
against a total of 4751
accused in the violence
and arson case in the
capital Lucknow as well
as other districts. In the
charge sheet filed in
Lucknow court, it has
also been said to com-
pensate the accused due
to arson. Yogi Govern-
ment Minister Shrikant
Sharma said that those
who commit violence
will not be spared. It is
notable that riots broke
out during the anti-
CAA demonstration.
During this time, pro-
testers also vandalized
and opened fire. Gov-
ernment and the non-
government property
was severely damaged
in the arson.
It is estimated that
crores of property were
destroyed in the arson
during the anti-CAA
demonstration. The
Yogi government had
taken a strict stand re-
garding this. In this
case, the police regis-
tered a case against sev-
eral people and arrested
them. In the capital
Lucknow, in the case of
violence and arson,
posters of the accused
were also placed at the
intersections. There
was a lot of ruckus
about this too.
Charge sheet filed against
those committing violence
CAA PROTEST

Life may dictate bondage of
the body at times but let your
soul and mind roam free at
all times.
—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO Editor, First India
LUCKNOW | TUESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2021www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
08
2NDFRONT
COVID-19
UPDATE
UTTAR PRADESH
8,411
DEATHS
5,88,834
CONFIRMED CASES
GUJARAT
4,321 DEATHS 2,47,926 CASES
DELHI
10,597 DEATHS 6,27,256 CASES
WORLD
18,55,051
DEATHS
8,57,46,545
CONFIRMED CASES
INDIA
1,03,57,564
CONFIRMED CASES
1,49,886
DEATHS
MAHARASHTRA
49,695 DEATHS 19,47,011 CASES
RAJASTHAN
2,714 DEATHS 3,10,278 CASES
KARNATAKA
12,110 DEATHS 9,22,538 CASES
First India Bureau
Prayagraj: Allahabad
High Court is at the top
in the country in terms
of pending cases. There
are more than 7.46 lakh
cases pending in Alla-
habad High Court fol-
lowed by Punjab and
Haryana High Court
with 6.07 lakh cases. Ma-
dras High Court has 5.7
lakh pending cases
while 5.07 lakh cases are
pending in Rajasthan
High Court. The Sikkim
High Court has the low-
est number, with only
240 cases pending.
Eighty-two lakh cas-
es are pending in differ-
ent district level and
lower courts of Uttar
Pradesh. There are 42
lakh disputed cases in
Maharashtra while 31
lakh in Bihar. The least
681 cases are pending in
Ladakh.
About 4 crore cases
are pending in different
courts of the country.
About 62,000 cases
pending in the Supreme
Court while 51,52,921
cases are pending in the
high courts. About 3
crore 47 lakh disputed
cases are pending in the
lower and district
courts.
If the pending cases
continue to be settled at
the current pace, it will
take 300 years for the
courts to settle all the
disputed cases.The
prime reason for the de-
lay in the judicial sys-
tem is that the number
of judges in India is
very less. In Australia,
there are 42 judges per
one million people, 75 in
Canada, 51 in Britain,
107 in the US and in In-
dia there are only 11
judges per 1 million
people. 1,7900 judges are
working in lower
courts. The country
needs at least 10,000
more judges.
The saddest thing is
that there are 150 cases
in the country which
have been pending for
more than 60 years and
90,000 cases have been
pending for over 30
years. As many as 28.23
lakh cases have been
pending in various
courts for more than 10
years and 60 lakh cases
have been pending for
more than 5 years.
There are 3677089
civil cases while
1475832 criminal cases
are pending in various
high courts of the
country. There is a need
to increase the number
of judges to strengthen
the judicial system.
The government needs
to work seriously in
this direction only then
the dream of giving
speedy justice to the
people can be realized.
Allahabad High Court — FILE PHOTO
ORDER, ORDER: Allahabad HC
ontopoflistforpendingcasesOver 7.46 lakh pending cases in HC, 82L cases pending in dist lower courts in UP
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Congress
General Secretary and
in-charge of the party’s
Uttar Pradesh unit Pri-
yanka Gandhi Vadra is
all set to kick-start ‘Mis-
sion UP’ with an eye on
the 2022 assembly polls
after setting the house
in order at the state and
district level.
Gandhi has decided
to camp in Lucknow
from February onwards
on a regular basis and
will be spending most
of her time there.
According to sources
close to Priyanka Gan-
dhi, she has asked party
workers to strengthen
the party at the Nyay
Panchayat level, form
committees for the
same and hold meet-
ings. Along with this,
state office bearers have
been appointed as ob-
servers.
The Congress leader
held a virtual meeting
of district presidents,
askedthemtostartwork
and said that she would
pay the meetings sur-
prise visits. She is likely
to visit the meetings at
Nyay Panchayat level in
the last week of Janu-
ary, the sources added.
Another leader fa-
miliar with the develop-
ments said that as
about a year is left for
the Assembly Polls, ac-
tivities have been
ramped up at all the lev-
els in the state. An Out-
reach and Communica-
tion Committee has
been set up and has
been tasked with reach-
ing out to important
players in society.
Congress leader
Pramod Tiwari is head-
ing the committee. Oth-
er committee members
include senior leaders
of the state. All the
members have been
asked to reach out to the
members and leaders of
their respective com-
munities and castes.
The Party has started
Cow Protection Yatra at
the district level and is
eyeing the upper caste
votes, especially the
Brahmin voters who
have influence in more
than 100 seats in the
Eastern UP areas, the
sources added.
First India Bureau
Lucknow: On Monday,
a group of 224 con-
cerned citizens who
have served in the judi-
ciary, armed forces, bu-
reaucracy and academ-
ia backed the UP gov-
ernment’s ordinance
against unlawful con-
versions.
They have countered
the open letter penned
by 104 retired civil
servants who alleged
misuse of the UP Pro-
hibition of Unlawful
Conversion of Religion
Ordinance, 2020.
Claiming that this
was a “politically moti-
vated pressure group”,
the statement disap-
proved of their alleged
attempt to “tarnish”
Parliament, Election
Commission of India
and the Supreme Court.
Explaining the in-
tent of the anti-conver-
sion laws, the citizens
contended that the or-
dinance cannot be
deemed illegal and an-
ti-Muslim solely based
on the Moradabad inci-
dent where a woman
allegedly suffered a
miscarriage. Moreover,
they pointed out some
cases in which women
had been brutally mur-
dered in the course of
inter-faith marriages
and conversions.
Maintaining that
they consider unlawful
conversions as a threat
to communal harmony,
the 224 individuals
opined that this was a
negation of the ‘Ganga-
Jamuni culture’. On De-
cember 30, 2020, 104 ex-
bureaucrats demanded
the withdrawal of the
anti-Love Jihad ordi-
nance in Uttar Pradesh.
Alleging that the
aforesaid ordinance
was being used to vic-
timize Muslim men
and women who dare to
exercise their freedom
of choice.
Furthermore, it re-
ferred to the Allahabad
High Court’s judgment
affirming that “the
right to live with a per-
son of his/her choice
irrespective of religion
professed by them, is in-
trinsic to the right to life
and personal liberty”.
Claiming that the vigi-
lantes are intimidating
innocent citizens, the
former civil servants
lamented that UP had
become the epicentre of
the “politics of hate, di-
vision and bigotry.”
First India Bureau
Ballia: Dr Jitendra
Pal, the Chief Medi-
cal Officer (CMO) of
Ballia, who had been
afflicted by the novel
coronavirus, died at
Lucknow’sSGPGIMS.
District Magistrate
Hari Pratap Shahi on
Monday said that the
CMOs sample had been
sent for testing on De-
cember 25 and his re-
port had come positive
on December 26.
As his condition got
serious on December
29, Pal was admitted to
Lucknow’s PGI where
he died early Monday
morning.
Shahi said that CMO
Dr Jitendra Pal’s sac-
rifice can not be for-
gotten. Meanwhile, in
a condolence meeting
held at the CMO office,
He said doctors in the
district are working
hard to fight against
covid-19.
Minister of State
Anand Swaroop Shuk-
la offered his tribute
to Jitendra Pal and
said that he was soft-
spoken and sociable.
His contribution to
the health services of
the district will be re-
membered for a long
time.
Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra
Priyanka on mission UP, will
camp in Lucknow from Feb
224 citizens counter ex-babus
on evocation of ‘love jihad’ law
Ahtesham Siddiqui
Lucknow: Yogi Adi-
tyanath government
in Uttar Pradesh pro-
moted a staggering
116 IAS officers on
New Year but due to
incomplete service
record they could not
make the cut.
The appointment de-
partment, which regu-
larly updates the ser-
vice records could not
make secret remarks
in the service books
thus denying promo-
tion to many officers
in 2011.
For example IAS
officer of 2005-batch
Digvijay Singh could
not become secre-
tary because of lack
of entries in his ser-
vice book. Similarly
this technical glitch
cost the selection
grade to IAS officers
of 2008 batch Bhav-
na Srivastava, Gyan
Prakash Tripathi
and Akhilesh Singh.
The departmental
promotion committee
(DPC) deferred the
proposals about their
promotion, officials
said.
However, IAS of-
ficer of 212 batch
Ankit Kumar Agar-
wal and Manoj Ku-
mar (II) could not
get the benefit of
senior scale from
junior administra-
tion grade. Both the
officers were facing
departmental in-
quiries.
Another officer of
2005-batch G Srinuva-
sulu has his promo-
tion on a temporary
hold. He was on the
deputation and recent-
ly returned to his par-
ent cadre. But he
would get promotion
only after the vigi-
lance department
gives his promotion a
clearance.
Relatively young of-
ficer Divyanshu Patel
of 2017-batch would
not promoted as he has
not completed the
mandatory promotion
training.
Service record glitch stalls IAS officers’ promotion
IN A FIX
Yogi-govt had promoted 116 officers
but many of them got stuck
Ahtesham Siddiqui
Lucknow: Simmering
discontentment is
brewing among the
officers of state po-
lice cadre over the
discrimination being
meted out to them.
The IPS officers in
the state are getting
timely promotion, in
some cases in advance,
while the PPS officers
were struggling to get
the promotion.
Against the rules
the PPS officers who
have completed 12
years in active service
haven’t been promot-
ed. The worst part is
their pain and problem
were not being real-
ised in corridors of
power.
In Uttar Pradesh at
present 52 positions of
circle officers and ad-
ditional SPs are vacant
but the promotion was
not being cleared de-
spite the officers have
become eligible six
months ago.
Earlier PPS officer
eligibility for promo-
tion was eight years of
service. Rules with
this regard were
changed to 10 years
and now 12 years.
State police cadre unhappy
over delay in promotions
Covid-afflicted Ballia CMO passes away
UPS DOWNS
Farmers
during
the
ongoing
protest
against
new farm
bills at
Ghazipur-
Delhi
border on
Monday.
—PHOTOBYRAJEEVBHATT

QUEEN OF B’TOWNQUEEN OF B’TOWN
Since the time she entered the Bollywood industry,
Deepika Padukone has been ruling the silver
screen, not just with her alluring beauty, but also
her outstanding acting skills. City First wishes the
Queen of Bollywood a very Happy Birthday!
eepika Padukone,
one of the most
graceful and gor-
geous actresses of
the Bollywood indus-
try celebrates her
35th birthday today, 5
January. From ‘Om Shanti
Om’, her first movie, to re-
vealing a few pictures of her
last film ‘’83’ (yet to be re-
leased), Deepika has truly
taken over the silver screen
with utmost elegance.
On a personal note, I genu-
inely LOVE Deepika Padu-
kone- the way she talks, the
way she carries herself and
the way she handles every
situation maturely is some-
thing I totally look upon.
One thing that shows Deep-
ika is absolutely bold and
fearless, is the time she
opened up about her being
depressed. Not many people
are courageous enough open
up about this, and I truly ad-
mire her for how strong she
is. I guess this is something
that sets her apart from the
other actresses in the indus-
try, and Deepika will always
and forever remain my fa-
vourite, no matter what.
I remember watching her
on the silver screen in her de-
but film ‘Om Shanti Om’ and
knew there and then that she
is going to make it big in the
industry, and I have been a
fan since then.
But her appearance in San-
jay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Goliyon
Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela’ to-
tally shook me- her acting was
out of the world. Right after
that, she was spotted in ‘Yeh
Jawaani Hai Deewani’ by
Ayan Mukherji, which also
happens to be my favourite
film, and I could instantly con-
nect with Naina Talwar (her
character in the film). Well,
of course, this made me
love her even more. She
later went on to do other
amazing movies like
‘Bajirao Mastani’ and
‘Padmavat’, and the
rest is history.
Happy
Birthday,
DP!
NEHAL NAYAR
nehal.nayar@firstindia.co.in
D
LUCKNOW, TUESDAY
JANUARY 5, 2021
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia
facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09

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