First india lucknow edition-10 february 2021

M Tariq Khan
Lucknow: Uttar
Pradesh cabinet on
Tuesday approved a
dozen proposals in-
cluding
reservation of seats
for three tier panchyat
institutions, anti-con-
version law and realisa-
tion of damages caused
to public property dur-
ing agitation or riots.
The decisions were
taken by the Yogi cabi-
net by circulation. The
follow up government
order for the reserva-
tion will be issued in
next two days and the
process of reservation
has to be completed
before March 17.
The Allahabad high
court had earlier di-
rected the state govern-
ment to complete the
Panchyat elections by
April 30. Turn to P2
UP cabinet clears reservation in Panchayat polls
HUDDLING FOR PROGRESS
The prohibition of religious conversion
Bill 2021 & damage to public and private
property Act, 2020 also get the nod
Swiss Ambassador Dr Ralf Heckner (extreme right) called on CM Yogi on Tuesday & discussed a
wide range of issues. The Swiss Ambassador lauded the CM for excellent Covid management. CS
RK Tiwari & ACS Information Navneet Sehgal were also present during the meeting.
Schools for class 6 to
8 students open today
First India Bureau
Lucknow: After
opening of schools
from classes 9 to 12
in Uttar Pradesh,
junior schools are
all set to open from
today. The schools,
which have been
closed due to the
Covid-19 pandemic,
will be opened after
about 11 months.
Schools from sixth
to eighth will be
opened from 10 Feb-
ruary. All schools
from 1st to 5th will
open from March 1st.
The format of the
consent form has also
been released. The
format clearly states
that the school will do
everything possible
to prevent the corona
epidemic, but it does
not guarantee that
the corona will not
spread.
In such a situation,
sending the student
to school is entirely
at the discretion of
the parents. The
school administra-
tion will not be re-
sponsible if the infec-
tion spreads.
Liquor mafia
brutally kills
cop in UP
Kasganj: Taking note
of Kasganj incident
UP CM Yogi Adity-
anath has ordered
stringent action
against the liquor
mafia who brutally
killed a constable and
injured a sub-inspec-
tor when they were
pasting property at-
tachment notice at
his house.
Police said that SI
Ashok Singh and con-
stable Devendra Kumar
reached Nagla
Dheemar village to
paste property attach-
ment notice at liquor
mafia Motiram’s house.
The mafia and his men
thrashed the two and
killed Kumar. CM Yogi
has announced an ex-
gratia of Rs 50 lakh for
the family of police
constable and directed
to impose NSA on the
accused.
CITYWIDE RALLY TODAY
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LUCKNOW l WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2021 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. UPENG/2020/04393 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 88
OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR, AHMEDABAD & LUCKNOW
New Delhi: As many as
197 people are missing
while 20 have died in
Sunday’s avalanche and
flash floods in Uttara-
khand, Union Home
MinisterAmitShahtold
RajyaSabhaonTuesday
.
He said the figures re-
ceived from the state
government may
change and the situa-
tion is being monitored
round-the-clock at the
highest level by the Cen-
tre and Prime Minister
Narendra Modi himself.
5 more bodies were
recovered on Tuesday
taking toll from the gla-
cier disaster to 31 as
multiple agencies raced
against time to reach
about 30 workers
trapped inside a tunnel
in a power project site
and175peopleremained
missing. Turn to P6
New Delhi: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi broke down
several times in the Rajya Sab-
ha on Tuesday while reminisc-
ing about his close association
with Congress leader Ghulam
Nabi Azad whose term is com-
ing to an end next week.
The prime minister was par-
ticipatinginthefarewellspeech
for Leader of Opposition Azad
and three other members from
Jammu and Kashmir—Nazir
Ahmad Laway
, Shamsher Singh
Manhas, Mir Mohammad
Fayaz—whose terms in the Up-
per House are coming to an end.
Modi said it would be diffi-
cult for anyone to fill the shoes
of Azad as he cared not only
about his political Turn to P6
New Delhi: Seven
states and UTs have re-
ported no new COV-
ID-19 deaths in the last
three weeks, while 15
have not registered any
fatality in the past 24
hours, the Centre said
on Tuesday, underlin-
ing that consistent
gains are being made in
terms of declining new
cases and casualities.
The Centre, however,
noted that the last na-
tional serosurvey find-
ings have shown that
over 70% of population
is still susceptible to the
disease.Thesevenstates
and UTs—Andaman
and Nicobar Islands,
Arunachal Pradesh,
Tripura, Dadra and Na-
gar Haveli, Mizoram,
Nagaland and Lakshad-
weep—have reported no
new COVID-19 deaths in
last three weeks, Union
Health Secretary Rajesh
Bhushan said. Address-
ing a press briefing, he
said India was fastest
country to reach 6 mil-
lion vax doses in 24 days.
—ANI
No new COVID deaths
in 7 states/UTs in 3 wks
20DEAD,197MISSING,
SHAHINRAJYASABHA
PM gets emotional, bids tearful
send off to Azad in Rajya Sabha
Prime Minister Narendra Modi (L) &
Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad
(top) got emotional in farewell speech
during the Budget Session of Parliament
on Tuesday. Azad retired as RS member.
97% PEOPLE SATISFIED WITH
VAX EXPERIENCE: GOVT
DIDN’T SIT
IN TAGORE’S
CHAIR: SHAH
SLAMS
ADHIR OVER
CLAIMS
New Delhi: Ninety-seven per cent of the people
who gave their feedback after receiving COVID-19
vaccine dose are satisfied with the overall experi-
ence, Health Ministry said on Tuesday. Addressing
a press conference here, Health Secretary Rajesh
Bhushan said under CoWin response system,
the Health Ministry is using a Rapid Assessment
System (RAS) of Ministry of Electronics and In-
formation Technology (MEITY) for taking feedback
from the people receiving COVID-19 vaccine dose
during pan-India COVID-19 vaccination drive.
CoWin is a mobile app to manage the vaccination
drive. Bhushan said the process of taking feed-
back started from January 17, 2021.
New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on
Tuesday in Lok Sabha lambasted senior Congress
leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury over his claim that
he violated “dignity of Shantiniketan by sitting in the
chair of Rabindranath Tagore” during his recent visit
to West Bengal. While showing some pictures of
former president Pranab Mukherjee, former PM Rajiv
Gandhi, and a few other political leaders sitting by the
“window” to sign the visitor’s book, he said, Turn to P6
In a tunnel of NTPC project, approximately 25-35 people are suspected to be trapped,
Amit Shah said; 5 helicopters of Indian Air Force have also been engaged in rescue ops
17 ministers
inducted in
Bihar Cabinet
Patna: Seventeen min-
isters including Syed
Shahnawaz Hussain,
Shravan Kumar and
Madan Sahni on Tues-
day took oath as minis-
ters in Bihar Cabinet.
Governor Phagu
Chouhan administered
the oath of office to the
new ministers. Syed
Shahnawaz Hussain,
Shravan Kumar, Madan
Sahni, Pramod Kumar,
Sanjay Kumar Jha, Lesi
Singh, Samrat Chowd-
hary, Neeraj Kumar
Singh, Subash Singh,
Nitin Naveen, Sumit
Kumar Singh, Sunil Ku-
mar, Narayan Prasad,
Jayant Raj, Alok Ran-
jan, Jama Khan and
Janak Ram took oath as
ministers.
After Cabinet expan-
sion ceremony, Chief
Minister said the port-
folios of ministers will
be allotted soon. —ANI
RAHUL GANDHI TO LEAD
CONGRESS ATTACK ON
UNION BUDGET IN LS
New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will
lead the Congress attack during debate on the
union budget and will be the first speaker from his
party in the discussion likely to be taken up by Lok
Sabha on Wednesday. The discussion on union
budget 2021-22 is slated to be taken up after reply
to the motion of thanks on the President’s Address
by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Wayanad
MP has been critical of the Union Budget pre-
sented by the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman
on February 1 and said that the budget proposals
will adversely impact the common man. He has
slammed the government’s economic policies and
has advocated direct cash transfers to the poorest
sections to give a boost to the economy.
ENGLAND BEATS
INDIA BY 227 RUNS
TOPS WORLD TEST
CHAMPIONSHIP TABLE
Chennai: England took a huge step towards
ensuring a place in the final of the inaugural
World Test Championship after zooming to the
top of the World Test Championship table post
their comprehensive victory over Indian in the
firstTestmatchatChennai.England’swinning
start against India in their ICC World Test
Championship series has kept alive the visit-
ingside’shopesof makingthefinalof thenine-
team competition. The victory at the MA Chi-
dambaram Stadium in Chennai Turn to P6
England’s James Anderson celebrates a wicket during the
5th & final day of the first cricket test match between India
and England in Chennai on Tueday.
—PHOTO BY ANI
I liked that and also did it. This kind of connection is
there because he has the experience of both being in
power and in opposition. Twenty-eight years experience
in all, it is a big thing —Narendra Modi, Prime Minister
GLACIER
DISASTER

UTTAR PRADESH
LUCKNOW | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2021
02
First India Bureau
Lucknow: The ODOP
scheme of Yogi govern-
ment in UP has given a
boost to the cultivation
of Banana in Kushi Na-
gar district. The plat-
form has not only
helped them gain a
unique identity across
India but also increased
demand in the interna-
tional market for them.
The ‘Hunar Haat’ re-
cently organised in the
state capital to show-
case ODOP products
attracted a large footfall
as people flocked to the
venue to buy indige-
nous products made by
artisans and craftsmen
across the country
.
Products made from
banana stem, fiber,
fruit, leaves from Kush-
inagar — were a major
draw at the fair. Ravi, a
resident of Hariharpur
village in the Kushina-
gar district appreciated
CM’s commitment to-
wards promoting the
locally developed goods
even at an international
level.
Banana being culti-
vated in a large quanti-
ty of about 9000 hec-
tares in Kushinagar has
given employment op-
portunities to more
than 9400 farmers and
about 500 craftsmen.
Around 500 people un-
der the ODOP were
trained in which 150
people were instructed
to make banana prod-
ucts and 350 people
were skilled to make
products from banana
fiber.
As a result, a range of
20 to 25 products made
from banana stems and
fiber were immensely
relished at the Hunar
Haat.
Ravi initially began
the production of vari-
ous products from ba-
nana fiber after taking
financial aid of 5 lakhs
under the PMEGP
Scheme and now under
the state government’s
ODOP, his initiative has
given employment op-
portunities to a total of
450 women and around
60 men.
The products made
out of banana stem and
fibers succeeded in
gaining a distinct rec-
ognition worldwide
where they not only re-
ceived orders in bulk
from Ahmedabad, Pat-
na, Tamil Nadu and Su-
rat, but also outside the
country from Australia.
Ravi also expressed
gratitude towards Yogi
Government for provid-
ing a platform to the
handcrafted products
through Hunar Haat.
ODOP adds ‘Khushi’ in lives of Kushinagar’s banana-craftsmen
FRUIT FOR ART
A craft made up of Banana fibres.
The mammoth budget to be tabled in the Legislative Assembly is likely to range between `5.5 to `5.6 lakh crore
First India Bureau
Lucknow:TheYogiAdi-
tyanathgovernmentwill
present its last but big-
gest-ever populist and
first-everpaperlessbudg-
et on February 22 to dole
out sops for farmers,
women and youth with a
focus on the Assembly
elections due in first
quarter of 2022.
It will be the largest-
ever budget by any gov-
ernment in the state, ac-
cording to UP Finance
Minister Suresh Khan-
na.
Hesaidthatthebudget
is likely to be of approxi-
mately Rs 5.5 to 5.6 lakh
crores. Last year, the
Yogi government had
presented a budget of
over Rs 5.12 lakh crores.
The finance minister
indicated that the Legis-
lators’ Fund (Vidhayak
Nidhi), which was in-
creased from Rs 2 to 3
croreslastfinancialyear
but was withheld due to
Covid-19 pandemic, will
be released in the cur-
rentbudget,whichisthe
fifth and last budget of
thepresentgovernment.
The budget session
will begin on February
18 with UP Governor
Anandiben Patel ad-
dressing the joint ses-
sion of the State Legisla-
ture.
All legislators have
been asked to buy Apple
iPads as it will be the
first paperless budget in
the history of the State
Legislature. A Covid-19
test has been made man-
datory for all MLAs and
MLCs. Entry will be giv-
en to only those legisla-
tors who produce Cov-
id-19 negative reports.
Thefinanceminister
said that the focus of
the budget would be
mainly on agriculture,
infrastructure, indus-
trialisation (to in-
crease employment op-
portunities for youth),
education, women and
child welfare.
Budgetary provi-
sions are likely to be
made for developing
ancient Ayodhya, Var-
anasi, and Mathura
cities to world stand-
ards and special pack-
ages for Bundelkhand,
Eastern UP
, and clean-
ing of Ganga and oth-
er prominent rivers of
the state.
In its last budget, the
YogiAdityanathgovern-
ment’s main focus will
be on schemes and pro-
jects for the overall de-
velopment of the state
and its people to drum-
beat and showcase his
development plank dur-
ing the Assembly 2022
polls.
Yogi Speaks
Yogi Speaks
CM Yogi has asked
the state police to
set up a new police
outpost in Sonbarsa
area of Gorakhpur to
strengthen law and
order to curb crimes.
UP CM reviewed a
presentation related
to the reorganization
and financial consoli-
dation of Uttar Pradesh
Jal Nigam at his
residence.
BIGGESTBUDGETEVER!
SWISS AMBASSADOR LAUDS YOGI
BIGGESTBUDGET
CM vouches for laboratories
to certify organic products
Governor motivates students to
use tech for society’s betterment
Govt gears up for P’chayat polls
Cont’d from page 1
Thecourthadalsodirect-
ed the government to
complete process of res-
ervation of seats in vil-
lage Panchyats, Block
Pramukh,memberblock
development committee,
member Zila Panchyat
and Chairman, Zila
Panchyats by Feb 12.
Thegovernmenthasto
rush with issuing gov-
ernment order for reser-
vation as the process of
identifying seats in three
tier panchyat bodies will
take at least a month’s
time.
A proposal related to
UP damage to public and
privatepropertyAct2020
which aims at recovery
of suchdamagesfromac-
cused through claim tri-
bunals also received the
government nod, accord-
ing to sources. T
he much-discussed UP
prohibition of religious
conversion bill 2021 (in
the name of ‘love-jihad’)
was also passed by the
state cabinet. UP now be-
comes the ninth state af-
ter Arunachal Pradesh,
Odisha, Madhya
Pradesh, Chattisgarh,
Gujarat, Himachal
Pradesh, Jharkand and
Uttarakhand to enact
this law. UP educational
institutions(reservation)
bill 2021,a proposal for
payment of gratuity to
theclassIVemployeesof
the junior high school on
attaining the age of 60
years was also cleared by
the cabinet.
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Chief Min-
ister Yogi Adityanath
on Tuesday said labora-
tories certifying organ-
ic agriculture products
should be established at
divisional levels in Ut-
tar Pradesh
The CM, who presid-
ed over a high-level
meeting of various de-
partments at the Lok
Bhavan, said this had
become imperative as
people were giving pri-
ority to organic farm
products.
“The need of the
hour is to promote or-
ganic farming. Labora-
tories certifying organ-
ic agriculture products
should be established at
the divisional level in
the state,” he said.
He said use of tech-
nology and diversifica-
tion of agriculture was
a good medium to in-
crease the income of
farmers.
“Farmers in some
districts of the state
have grown crops us-
ing innovative experi-
ments, which were
not considered to be
appropriate as per
the local climate and
soil. The cultivation
of strawberry
, dragon
fruit and black rice in
the state have given a
new message to the
country and the
world. The ‘Strawber-
ry Mahotsav’ in Jhan-
si has generated
awareness among
farmers,” he said.
Chief Minister Yogi-
Adityanath also direct-
ed that a dragon fruit
festival be held in UP on
the lines of the ‘Straw-
berry Mahotsav.’
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Governor of
Uttar Pradesh, Anandi-
ben Patel gave Gold
Medal to 16 students
and degree certificates
to 1191 students, during
the fifth convocation
ceremony of Madan
Mohan Malaviya Tech-
nological University in
Gorakhpur.
In her address during
the ceremony, the gov-
ernor congratulated the
students who were
awarded gold medals
and said that all stu-
dents should strive to
achieve more in their
life and make their
country proud.
She added that the de-
gree is not just a piece
of paper but future of
the students and the
country
.
The Governor
asked the students to
implement what they
have studied to use
technology for the
betterment of society
.
The governor also
urged the students to
visit villages and work
to solve the problems
faced by the women
and children at the
ground levels.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath
Governor Anandiben Patel at the convocation ceremony.
The populist budget is likely to be aimed at wooing voters for the upcoming Vidhan Sabha elections in the first quarter of 2022.
‘Bulldozer’ Yogi to
crush ones like
Owaisi: Shukla
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Targeting
AIMIM leader Asadud-
din Owaisi, an Uttar
Pradesh minister said
people who seek to di-
vide the country will be
crushed under the bull-
dozer of Chief Minister
Yogi Adityanath.
People like Owaisi
and those of his mental-
ity will be finished in
India. Those who are
stayinghereafter1947so
that they can divide the
country again should
understandthatinUttar
Pradesh, bulldozer’ of
Yogi Adityanath is run-
ning. Those like Owaisi
will be crushed here,”
UP minister Anand
Swarup Shukla told re-
porters Monday night.
The All India Majlis-e-
Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen
(AIMIM) leader had re-
cently indicated that his
party would contest the
upcoming panchayat
polls in Uttar Pradesh
under an electoral pact
with regional outfit
Suheldev Bharatiya Sa-
maj Party (SBSP).
On SP chief Akhilesh
Yadav’s criticism of the
state government over
law and order, Shukla
said, “We pray to God
that Akhilesh remains
SP president for his en-
tire life and keep giving
absurd statements.”
UNVEILED!
ACS
(Information),
Navneet
Sehgal on
Tuesday
inaugurated
‘Sachivalay
Sahityiki’
magazine that
is brought out
by the Gazetted
Officers
Union of the
Secretariat in
Lucknow.
CM said that the
upcoming Uttar
Pradesh Police and
Forensic Science Insti-
tute in the State should
be developed as a
Center of Excellence.
Yogi mourned death
of Padma Bhushan
Darshan Lal Jain, for-
mer RSS sanghchalak
of Haryana Prant. In
his message to the be-
reaved family, he said,
Jain was a committed
philanthropist, who
contributed to revival
of Saraswati River.
CM has asked of-
ficials to expedite
work on the establish-
ment of medical col-
leges in 16 districts.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
—FILE PHOTO BY SUMIT KUMAR

UTTAR PRADESH
03
First India Bureau
Lakhimpur Kheri:
Thirty-one bodies had
been recovered till Tues-
day afternoon from the
disaster area in Ut-
tarkhand’s Chamoli as
relief workers raced
against time to rescue
about 30 others feared
trappedinatunnelatthe
Tapovan hydro power
plant. About 175 people
are still missing.
State Relief Commis-
sionerSanjayGoyalsaid
about 70 of the total
missing people were
from the state, most of
them being from Lakh-
impur Kheri.
This includes 34 from
Lakhimpur Kheri, nine
from Saharanpur fol-
lowed by five from
Shravasti,” he said on
Tuesday
.
In Ichhanagar, a vil-
lageinLakhimpurKheri
district, three families
hover between hope and
despair. There has been
no contact since the ca-
lamitywith15people,all
of them workers at the
same hydel project.
At least five of them
are related Shrikrishna
(50), his son Raju (22),
close relative Jagdish
(40) and his son Umesh
(21),andanotherrelative
Ramtirtha (35).
Tears rolled down the
face of Shrikrishna’s
wife as she told media
persons that Raju had
talked to the family on
the phone just hours be-
fore the calamity
.
Raju’s marriage is
scheduled in April and
his mother and three
younger sisters now
pray for his return.
Ichhanagar’s Azim
told his family that he
survived as he had left
the Tapovan site for a
higher location on Sun-
daytogettherefillforan
LPG cylinder. Muzeem
from Mirzaganj had also
come with him.
But there is no news
of co-worker Bhalbhal,
also from Mirzaganj.
Eighteen people from
Bhairampur village
worked at the project.
Ten had stayed away
from work on Sunday
and are safe. There has
been no contact with the
remaining eight.
CM Yogi deputes
ministers
CM Yogi Adityanath on
Tuesday sent a team of
three ministers to Utta-
rakhand for better coor-
dinationwiththestatein
carrying out relief
works after the glacier
disaster, an official
spokesman said here.
“The CM constituted
a committee of three
ministerstovisitUttara-
khand for better coordi-
nation with the state.
The members of the
committee included
Suresh Kumar Rana, Vi-
jay Kashyap and Dhar-
am Singh Saini, who
haveleftforUttarakhand
on Tuesday
,” he said.
Adityanath also con-
stituted a team of offic-
ers led by ACS, Home,
AwanishAwasthi.Acon-
trol room has also been
established at the Relief
Commissioners’ office.
First India Bureau
Jaunpur: As many as
seven persons were
killed and around ten
others suffered inju-
ries after a pickup
vehicle and a truck
rammed into each
other on the Varana-
si-Lucknow Highway
near Jalalpur area in
Jaunpur district. The
incident took place in
the wee hours of
Tuesday.
“Five people in-
volved in the accident
died on the spot and
one succumbed to in-
juries while he was
taken to the hospital,”
informed Superinten-
dent of Police (SP)
Jaunpur Sanjay Ku-
mar. “They were re-
turning back from
Varanasi after per-
forming last rites of a
relative when a truck
coming from the oppo-
site direction rammed
into their vehicle,” Ku-
mar said.
“The bodies have
been sent for postmor-
tem,” he added.
“One critically in-
jured patient is being
taken to Varanasi
while other injuries
have been admitted to
nearby hospitals,” in-
formed District Magis-
trate of Jaunpur Man-
ish Kumar Verma.
PM Narendra Modi
and CM Yogi Adity-
anath have condoled
the deaths.
First India Bureau
Varanasi: World’s old-
est known city of Vara-
nasi may soon get the
newest mode of trans-
portation -Metro Train.
Under the comprehen-
sive mobility plan, the
district administration
of Prime Minister Nar-
endra Modi’s constitu-
ency
, may soon give a go
ahead to the lighter ver-
sion of the train in the
form of Lite Metro.
If all goes as planned,
the lite metro may be
seen functioning be-
tween VDA and Tarna
parts of the city
. The
route is approximately
13 kilometres.
The first phase would
have the said route, the
DPR of which would be
prepared under the lens
of the district adminis-
tration.
However, even before
an on-paper approval
comes in to force,CM
Yogi has already has
given an in-principle
nod to the project that
prompted authorities to
work in this direction.
Other than this, Vara-
nasi is also scheduled to
have a full fledged metro
train also under the Var-
anasi Metro project.
Sumit Awasthi
Kanpur: Corruption
matters related to the
dead in Bhagwat Das
crematorium has come
to fore in Kanpur,
where relatives of the
dead claim that money
is being extorted from
them in the name of
last rites. It is to be not-
ed that Rs 400 is the set
rate for conducting the
last rites of the dead.
Relatives claim that
up to Rs 10,000 are be-
ing extorted in the
name of these rituals.
They also alleged of be-
ing mistreated by the
management at the cre-
matorium that works
hands in glove with the
police.
Deeply anguished at
the treatment, one
Rakesh Mishra even
decided to jump into
the funeral pyre of his
dead father.
The police however
reached the venue and
arrested Mishra.
Mishra is the President
of Parents’ Union here.
First India Bureau
Gorakhpur: Father of
two daughters was
booked under National
Security Act (NSA) for
kidnappingandrapinga
minor girl. The accused
was living in Mumbai
where he was jailed un-
der POCSO Act and had
returned to Gagha vil-
lage five months back.
A 7-year-old girl was
raped in November last
year. Accused Sintu Rao
had taken the girl in se-
cluded area where he
did the heinous crime.
Mother of the victim
had found the girl in
blood pool but due to so-
cial constrains she did
not report the incident
to the police. But when
some other villagers
came to know about the
incident, they reported
the matter to the police.
Police shifted the vic-
tim to the hospital and
arrested the accused
after registering case
against him. His wife
had left him five years
back due to family feud.
First India Bureau
Lucknow: A meeting
of the Executive Coun-
cil / Board of the Uttar
Pradesh Workers and
Workers (Employment
and Employment) Com-
mission was chaired by
Chief Secretary Rajen-
dra Kumar Tiwari here
on Tuesday
.
In his address the
Chief Secretary said
that weekly meetings of
the District Employ-
ment Committees
formed under the Mis-
sion Rojgar Abhiyan
should be held and each
district must make its
own employment plan.
He added that the dis-
tricts whose employ-
ment plan is not ready
yet, should make it
within the next one
week.
The CS directed all
departments to nomi-
nate nodal officers un-
der the Mission Rojgar
Abhiyan as well as up-
load the employment
plan and review the em-
ployment data entered
in the portal. He added
that recruitment to out-
sourcing posts by all
departments should be
done by selecting the
vendor through the
Gem portal.
He said strict action
should be taken if any
recruitment is not done
through the vendor em-
ployment portal.
Rescue work in progress at Tapovan project site.
The truck and the pick-up van after the accident on Tuesday.
Parents’ Union prez Rakesh Mishra being carried away by cops as he
tried to jump over his father’s funeral pyre at Bhagwat Das crematorium.
—FILE
PHOTO
CS RK Tiwari chairing the meet
on Tuesday. ACS, MSME, Navneet
Sehgal also seen.
UK Disaster: Fear & uncertainty
gripUPvillagesinraceagainsttime
Seven killed, 10
injured in mishap
Corruption taint
on crematorium
Man booked under NSA
for kidnapping, rape
Districts must make own
employment plan soon: CS
30 feared trapped in tunnel at project site as relief workers frantically try to reach them
CONTROL ROOM
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Formermin-
ister and accused of
money laundering, col-
lecting huge money
throughscamsandforge
firms Gayatri Prajapati
was send to judicial cus-
tody by Enforcement Di-
rectorate’s special jus-
ticeDineshKumarShar-
mainmatterfiledbyED.
The Court will hear
the appeal of ED to take
10 days police custody
remand of Gayatri on
February 10. Gayatri,
who was jailed under
gang-rape charges, was
presented in court.
Vigilance department
had registered case
against Gayatri Praja-
pati under dispropor-
tionateassetschargeson
October 26 last year. ED
initiated investigations
into the matter and it
was revealed that ac-
cused had accumulated
huge assets through
frauds and corruption
while being mining min-
ister in UP government.
ED has to take remand
of Prajapati for further
interrogation.
Spl ED court
sends ex-min
Prajapati into
judicial custody
13-km-long Lite Metro rail on anvil for Varanasi
The accused is a
father of two and was
also jailed in Mumbai
under POCSO Act
Janardan Misra
Meerut: Even after an-
nouncing reward on ar-
rest of Bhudev Singh,
one of the accused in Rs
4,200-cr Bike Bot scam,
Bhudev was away from
clutches of Economic
Offences Wing (EOW).
Now EOW will attach
property of Bhudev and
notice in this reference
was pasted at the gate of
his house.
EOW has arrested
several accused in-
volved in the scam from
Punjab, Meerut and
Noida but many of them
are still on the run.
SSP (EOW) Ram
Suresh Yadav here said
that scam accused Lo-
kendra Singh son of
SardarSingh,additional
director of Garvit Inno-
vative Promoters Limit-
ed was on the run from
long time. Noida police
had announced reward
of Rs 50,000 on arrest of
Lokendra and his ac-
complice Bhudev Singh.
EOW arrested Lokendra
later but Bhudev was
still on the run.
EOW to attach
property of
Bike Bot scam
accused
First India Bureau
Lucknow: In a news
that is certainly bound
to bring smile to many
faces,UttarPradeshreg-
istered no death due to
Coronavirus in the long-
est time recently
.
While the state didn’t
see any deaths on Tues-
day, there were 113 new
cases, an official from
the health department
said here. ‘”No fresh
case has been reported
from 37 of the total 75
districts in the past 24
hours,” the official said
that in the remaining
districts also, the con-
sistency of new Corona-
virus cases was mini-
mal.
Experts from the
state have also pointed
out that Uttar Pradesh
may have moved to-
wards the herd-immu-
nity even without the
vaccine shots.
The recovery rate
rose to over 98 per cent.
There are now only
3,306 active cases and
there is not a single ac-
tive case in a district,
Additional Chief Secre-
tary (Health) Amit Mo-
han Prasad said.
Of the active cases,
908 are in home isola-
tion and 332 are under-
going treatment in pri-
vate hospitals, while
the remaining are in
different government
facilities, he said.
As many as 8,691
deaths have been report-
ed so far and 5,89,565
people have recovered,
Prasad said.
Agovernmentspokes-
person said Chief Min-
ister Yogi Adityanath’s
strategy in dealing with
the pandemic had
proved successful with
the state achieving a re-
covery rate of 98 per
cent, which has sur-
passed the national av-
erage.
Accordingtoaspokes-
person, Uttar Pradesh
has become the first
state in the country to
vaccinate more than six
lakh people. More than
2.80 crore tests have
been done in the state.
No new covid deaths in state; experts hint at herd immunity
WANING SCARE

Those above the
age of 50 in the
state would be
given covid
vaccine shots
from Feb 18.
First round of
the second
phase has
already begun
Relatives claim
against the rate of Rs
400, up to Rs 10,000
is being extorted
FULL METRO TOO

Vol 1 Issue No. 88 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
PERSPECTIVE
04
t a time when so
little interna-
tional business
is face to face
because of the
pandemic, the United King-
dom is flying ministers to
India to lay the groundwork
for a deal on free trade.
In a sign of the impor-
tance that the UK attaches
to reaching what is being
described as an “enhanced
trade partnership” with
India on the back of Brexit,
the international trade sec-
retary, Liz Truss, has met
Piyush Goyal, the Indian
commerce and industry
minister.
It is part of a British
wide charm offensive with
the subcontinent that al-
ready saw UK Foreign Sec-
retary Dominic Raab pay-
ing a visit in December. So
what is at stake and what
are the chances of success?
India is already the UK’s
sixth-largest non-EU trad-
ing partner after the US,
China, Japan, Switzerland
and Norway, and the rela-
tionship now supports
more than 5,00,000 UK jobs.
In 2019, bilateral trade in
goods and services between
the two countries were re-
spectively worth $15.7 bil-
lion and $18.9 billion and
becoming increasingly im-
portant. The UK’s services
exportstoIndiahavegrown
at 7% a year between 2013
and 2018, and yet India con-
tinues to enjoy a trade sur-
plus with the UK. The UK
is also the second-largest
investor in India.
Meanwhile, India is the
second-largest investor in
the UK after the US. India
invested in 120 projects and
created 5,429 new jobs in
the UK in 2018-’19. Indian
companies in the UK turn
over an excess of £40 bil-
lion. Steel to car-making
giant Tata is easily the
largest, but there are many
other major Indian em-
ployers, such as First-
source (contact centres),
Tenon (facilities manage-
ment), HCL (IT services)
and TVS (logistics).
THE UK’S NEED
FOR A DEAL
WhenDominicRaabvisited
India before the turn of the
year, it saw a declaration of
aten-yearroadmaptowards
upgrading the nations’ 2004
strategic partnership into a
new“comprehensivestrate-
gic partnership” involving
closermilitaryties,coopera-
tion in the Indo-Pacific re-
gion, and measures to coun-
ter-terrorism and fight cli-
mate change.
UK Prime Minister Boris
Johnson was due to visit
the subcontinent in Janu-
ary but postponed until the
spring to deal with the lat-
est wave of the Covid cri-
sis. His counterpart Naren-
dra Modi is also invited to
attend the G7 summit in
Cornwall, south-west Eng-
land in June, and there is
no question that the eco-
nomic realities of the pan-
demic and changed geopo-
litical priorities following
Brexit provide an incentive
for both sides to negotiate a
fast-track trade deal.
FortheUK,thisreiterates
the government’s “Global
Britain” strategy of devel-
oping stronger ties in Asia
Pacific – in line with the
country’sapplicationtojoin
theCPTPPfree-tradebloc.A
trade deal with India is an
opportunity to foster post-
Brexitandpost-Covidrecov-
ery
, giving British business-
esgreateraccesstoamarket
of 1.3 billion people when
the prospects for global
growth after the pandemic
still remain uncertain.
UK companies already
have a growing market
share in India in several
sectors, including food and
drinks despite high tariffs
and other trade restric-
tions. Notably, India is the
third-largest market for
Scotchwhisky
,forinstance.
SOURCE: THE CONVERSATION
UK is eager to sign a free-trade deal with India
A
To live a pure unselfish life,
one must count nothing as
one’s own in the midst of
abundance. —Buudha
Spiritual
SPEAK
Top
TWEET
Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank
@DrRPNishank
#AatmanirbharBharatKaBudget
more than doubles the
allotment for National Initiative
for Design Innovation. The
Budget will boost RD in higher
education aligns with the goal
of #NEP2020, in helping India
become a #VishwaGuru.
Prakash Javadekar
@PrakashJavdekar
Replying to a Zero Hour mention
in the house today, stated that
Guidelines and direction are
almost ready on Over the Top
(OTT) platforms and will soon
be rolled out and implemented.
ature has provided us with the fa-
cility to delve into our own inner
resources to the full through mind-
fulness, or being meditatively fo-
cused — this is the fundamental
principle that propels us to engage
ourselves with our inner being, or
soul, and turn things around from
the inside out, as and when need-
ed. It is up to us to use this divine
gift to participate in our own areas
of activity and creativity — to live
well in a harmonious and useful
manner. It takes us towards a fully
awakened, exciting voyage — to
meeting and overcoming the many
trials and tribulations of our life.
In so doing, it turns our good rela-
tionships into a universal fusion
of healthy partnerships and
shared thoughts, or feelings. It is
the source of our blossoming and,
perhaps, the best ‘gadget’ we could
all use for ourselves and also for
others around us — for our good
and their good. It ‘ups’ the inde-
pendent character of our own life.
Being mindful is living in the pre-
sent moment. It helps us to deal with
day-to-day issues, or difficulties, in a
constructive, also self-assured, man-
ner. Yes, you are reading this article
in your favourite newspaper. Thanks.
But, chances are you may not be read-
ing it. Maybe, you’ve just had a quick
look at it as you savoured your morn-
ing cup of tea or coffee. We can’t
blame you for it, because you have so
much to do — and, so little time. But,
wait a minute — you may be wrong,
in spite of your earnest intentions.
Is there a way out of this every-
day ‘jam?’ Yes — and, you may not
believe it. First things first — just
slow down your pace and relax.
Speeding up things is not the best
way of doing it. Also, think of a
process where you learn how to be
in the present moment, not what-
can-be, or could-be moment. It will
help you lead, and live, a fuller life.
This is apparently a simple, practi-
cal ‘act’ — one that will guide you
to paying close attention to what
you’re doing at any given point in
time. It is also something that will
help you do only one thing at a
time. It will not throw you off bal-
ance from your busy schedule.
Being mindful, or meditatively fo-
cused, is a great tool-kit. You not only
make up for a lost time by performing
more efficiently, but you will also see
problems as they are — not what you
have, till now, imagined them to be.
Not that mindfulness will take you on
a great journey where difficult situa-
tions recede at the proverbial drop of
a mantra. Far from it — rather, it is a
state of being that provides you with
useful prerequisites to dealing with
difficulties in a thoughtful, practical,
decisive, proactive, and progressive
manner. So, the next time you get
worked up, go out for a brisk walk, or
listen to soft, soulful music, or write
down what you feel, or felt like, in
your own words. As Jon Kabat-Zinn,
the American professor of medicine
and creator of the Stress Reduction
Clinic and Center for Mindfulness in
Medicine at the University of Mas-
sachusetts Medical School, explains,
“The best way to capture moments is
to pay attention. This is how we cul-
tivate mindfulness. Mindfulness
means being awake. It means know-
ing what you are doing.”
You don’t have to be a Zen master
to learn mindfulness. All you’ve to
do is look at situations dispassion-
ately — like choosing what you’d
most likely do in the given circum-
stance, or reaping the rewards by
responding in the most mindful
manner that is your own. This
holds the key to turning dull, bor-
ing routines into enriching, also
worthwhile, experiences. It’d, in
the process, also help you work and
(re)focus on the vistas, resonances,
and fragrances around you.
It’d be interesting to note that the
scientific relationship between elec-
troencephalogram (EEG) activity,
meditation, and allied mindful prac-
tices has been extensively investigat-
ed during the last six decades. The
accepted view today is that focused
mindfulness, or meditation, produces
a type, or form, of relaxation, includ-
ing a sense of inner calm — and, not
sleep. This is precisely the reason why
any meditative practice that one is
comfortable with has become one of
the several approaches to ‘teaching’
individuals and/or patients how to
relax. To paraphrase the globally re-
nowned spiritual leader Thich Nhat
Hanh, “Meditation is ‘mouth yoga.’”
This is because, when you breathe in,
you smile. When you smile, you’d be
able to purge your worries, hostile
feelings, and also negative emotions.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
N Being mindful, or
meditatively
focused, is a great
tool-kit. You not
only make up for
a lost time by
performing more
efficiently, but
you will also see
problems as they
are — not what
you have, till
now, imagined
them to be. Not
that mindfulness
will take you on a
great journey
where difficult
situations recede
at the proverbial
drop of a mantra.
Far from it —
rather, it is a state
of being that
provides you with
useful
prerequisites to
dealing with
difficulties in a
thoughtful,
practical,
decisive,
proactive, and
progressive
manner
YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE A ZEN
MASTER TO LEARN
MINDFULNESS. ALL YOU’VE TO
DO IS LOOK AT SITUATIONS
DISPASSIONATELY — LIKE
CHOOSING WHAT YOU’D MOST
LIKELY DO IN THE GIVEN
CIRCUMSTANCE, OR REAPING
THE REWARDS BY RESPONDING
IN THE MOST MINDFUL MANNER
THAT IS YOUR OWN
MIND IT
MEND IT
TO
RAJGOPAL
NIDAMBOOR
WELLNESS PHYSICIAN,
INDEPENDENT RESEARCHER
AND AUTHOR
IN-DEPTH
MODI BIDS TEARY
FAREWELL TO AZAD
ajya Sabha, which has been witnessing
pandemonium over farm laws, wit-
nessed rare heart-warming emotional
scenes on Tuesday. The occasion was
Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad’s
farewell from the House. Azad’s term ends on Feb-
ruary 15. Recalling a tragic incident in which some
people from Gujarat were stuck while a few others
were killed in a terror attack in the Valley, Prime
Minister Narendra Modi described in a choked
voice how Azad was so concerned for the return
of survivors and the corpses to Gujarat as if they
were his own family members. Azad was then the
chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir. Praising
the Leader of the Opposition in the House with
whom he has had a long association, Modi said
that Azad’s replacement will have difficulty fitting
into his shoes. Azad too got emotional when he
spoke of his decision of not going to Pakistan and
urged Muslims to feel proud to be in India.
OnMonday
,Azadhadpraisedtherecentelections
held in Jammu-Kashmir for which he was applaud-
ed by the prime minister. Taking a swipe at the Con-
gress, Modi said that the Grand Old Party should
not interpret Azad’s compliments in a wrong way
.
Azad is one of the members of the Group of 23 (G-
23) which wrote a letter to the Congress high com-
mand seeking structural changes in the party
. The
letter had caused ripples as voices of dissent in the
Congress were getting louder. Although Azad’s was
one of the dissenting voices, the party will surely
miss a good parliamentarian and his good counsel.
R
THE GLACIAL TRAGEDY
IN GARHWAL HILLS
he glacier burst in the Chamoli district of
Garhwal in Uttarakhand on Sunday has
caused massive destruction to life and
property with 30 persons reported dead
and nearly 197 missing. Three days after
the natural calamity
, a major search operation is on.
While more bodies continue to be found, the NTPC
and a private company must be calculating their
losses. The Rishi Ganga hydel power project owned
by a private company was washed away
, while NT-
PC’s Tapovan-Vishnugad Hydro Power Project suf-
feredextensivedamageinthesuddenfloodcausedby
the melting glacier after it broke off. The Himalayan
tragedy revived the horrific memories of the Kedar-
nath floods caused by a cloudburst in 2013. Nearly
6000 people were feared dead in the flash floods.
Ecologists have repeatedly warned against nat-
ural disasters in the Uttarakhand hills ever since
a 6.8 magnitude earthquake rocked Uttarkashi in
1991. Various studies have classified the region as
quake-prone. The debate raged for almost a decade
over the construction of the Tehri dam. With in-
termittent natural disasters striking the Garhwal
region, scientists and environmentalists have been
raising the issue of environmental degradation for
the sake of development. The warning has gone
largely unheeded as over 50 hydel power projects
dot the region. The way thousands of trees have
been felled for the strategically important Chard-
ham road project has also been a cause of concern.
Besides protecting the environment, India also
needs scientific advancement to identify glacial
lakes the outburst of which leads to sudden flood-
ing, like the one on Sunday, to prevent such occur-
rences in the future.
T

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INDIA
06
20 DEAD...
A portion of the Nanda
Devi glacier broke off in
Uttarakhand’s Chamoli
district on Sunday, trig-
gering an avalanche and
a deluge in the Alaknan-
da river system that
washed away hydroelec-
tric stations and endan-
gered lives of people liv-
ing along the banks.
Shah told the Rajya
Sabha that the rising
water levels washed
away the functional
Rishiganga small hydro
project of 13.2 MW and
also affected the under-
construction 520 MW
NTPC Hydro Power Pro-
ject at Tapovan on the
downstream of the
Dhauli Ganga river.
Twelve people work-
ing on the NTPC project
and 15 on the Rishi Gan-
ga one have been saved.
In a tunnel of NTPC
project, approximately
25 35 people are suspect-
ed to be trapped, Shah
said.
“I assure the House
that the Centre is ex-
tending all possible as-
sistance to the state gov-
ernment for relief and
rescue work. The Cen-
tral government is
working in close coordi-
nation with the state
and all necessary steps,
which are considered
appropriate, are being
taken,” he said.
Besides, eight teams
of Indian Army
, includ-
ing one Engineer Task
Force (ETF), are carry-
ing out rescue operation
at the incident site. A
diving team of the Indi-
an Navy has also
reached the site for the
rescue operation.
DIDN’T SIT...
“I did not sit in Ra-
bindranath Tagore’s
chair. I want to clarify in
the LS that I did not in-
tend to hurt any senti-
ments.”
Referring to a letter
by the VC of Shantini-
ketan, Shah said that
there was no violation
by him during his visit
to the place as he didn’t
sit in the chair but by a
window.
“You (Adhir Ranjan
Chowdhury) have un-
fortunately been misin-
formed, as this is pa-
tently untrue. In the
past, during their offi-
cial visits for Uttarayan,
a number of dignitar-
ies, including the for-
mer Chancellors, Pan-
dit Jawaharlal Nehru,
Madam Sheikh Hasina,
among leaders, have sat
in that makeshift seat,
which is actually just
the edge of a window on
which cushions are
placed,” the letter reads.
—ANI
PM GETS...
affiliationbutalsoabout
the country and the
House.“I worry that af-
ter Azad whosoever will
take over from him will
havetofillverybigboots
because he cared not
only about his party but
about the country as
well as the House. This
is not a small thing, this
a big thing,” Modi said.
“Iwouldliketodepart
with only a few words
using a few couplets. A
ten-hour speech can be
summed up in merely
two couplets by a poet.
And I would like to take
that approach. To ex-
press my thoughts on
my entire political ca-
reer would be a tough
task to perform,” Azad
said in Rajya Sabha.“If
any Muslim should feel
proud in the world, it
should be the Indian
Muslim. Over the years,
we have seen how Mus-
lims countries from Af-
ghanistan Iraq getting
destroyed. There are no
Hindus or Christians
there -- they are fighting
amongst themselves,”
he added.
ENGLAND BEATS...
on Tuesday has lifted
England to first place
and 70.2 percentage
points on the points ta-
ble and they’ve im-
proved their chances of
securing one of the
three series results in
their favour that could
see them through to the
final – 3-1, 3-0 or 4-0.
Jack Leach picked
four while James An-
derson scalped three
wickets as England de-
feated India by 227 runs
in the first Test here at
the MA Chidambaram
Stadium on Tuesday
.
It was a perfect day
for England despite In-
dia skipper Virat Kohli
showing resilience in
the second innings. The
England bowlers domi-
nated the hosts right
from the start of the fi-
nal day
. Shubman Gill
showed a glimmer of
hope but that was short-
lived as James Ander-
son dismantled top or-
der dismissing Gill,
Ajinkya Rahane, and
Rishabh Pant. With this
win, England has taken
a 1-0 lead in the four-
match Test series. If
Dom Bess stole the show
for England in the first
innings, it was Jack
Leach and Anderson’s
combined performance
that hogged the lime-
light for the visitors in
the second essay
. The
win over India in the
first Test has also pro-
pelled England to the
top of the ICC World
Test Championship
standings. —Agencies
FROM PG 1
RAGA SLAMS CENTRE’S DEVELOPMENT MODEL
New Delhi: Congress
leader Rahul Gandhi on
Tuesday alleged that
Prime Minister Naren-
dra Modi’s development
model will reduce the
number of Public Sec-
tor Undertakings (PSU)
and it will harm the
country
. “Mr Modi’s ‘Vi-
kas’- PSUs to be shrunk
to one-tenth. Country’s
loss, crony’s gain,” Gan-
dhi tweeted. He further
said that in this develop-
ment the country has
suffered a loss and the
PM’s close friends have
been benefited.
The Congress MP has
been attacking the cen-
tral government and
Prime Minister Naren-
dra Modi on every front.
Whether it is about the
budget or the issues re-
lated to farmers, the is-
sue of India-China bor-
der tension, he has been
constantly asking ques-
tionstothegovernment.
Earlier, Congress
leader accused the Cen-
tral Government of re-
ducing the pension of
soldiers in the Union
Budget and ignoring the
farmers and youth of
the nation. He further
accused that the Centre
has only three to four
industrialist friends
who are ‘God’ for them.
Earlier too, the Con-
gress leader had target-
ted the Union govern-
ment over the budget,
saying that cowardice
runs deep in the gov-
ernment of India.
Taking to Twitter, he
had stated that in her
budget speech this year,
the Union Finance Min-
ister used the word
“Prime Minister” 6
times the word “cor-
porates/ companies” 17
times but did not men-
tion “defence” “Chi-
na” even once.
The Finance Minis-
ter presented the Union
Budget for the financial
year 2021-22 in Lok Sab-
ha on February 1. —ANI
BLAME GAME
Congress leader alleged that PM’s
development model will reduce
number of PSU harm country
Bengal’s culture threatened under
Mamata Banerjee’s Rule: Nadda
‘Corona unlikely to have
leaked from China lab’
Wuhan: The coronavi-
rus most likely first ap-
peared in humans after
jumping from an ani-
mal, a team of interna-
tional and Chinese sci-
entists looking for the
origins of COVID-19
said Tuesday, dismiss-
ing as unlikely an alter-
nate theory that the
virus leaked from a
Chinese lab.
A closely watched
visit by World Health
Organisation experts
to Wuhan the Chinese
city where the first
coronavirus cases
were discovered did
not dramatically
change the current un-
derstanding of the
early days of the pan-
demic, said Peter Ben
Embarek, the leader of
the World Health Or-
ganisation mission.
But it did add details
to that story, he said at
a news conference as
the group wrapped up a
nearly four-week visit
to the city.
And it allowed the
joint Chinese-WHO
team to rule out one
theory on the origins of
the virus. The Wuhan
Institute of Virology
has collected many vi-
rus samples, leading to
allegations that it may
have been the source of
the original outbreak,
whether on purpose or
accidentally
.
But experts now con-
sider the possibility of
such a leak so improb-
able that it will not be
suggested as an avenue
of future study, said
Embarek, a World
Health Organisation
food safety and animal
diseases expert.
China had already
strongly rejected that
possibility and has pro-
moted other theories.
The Chinese and for-
eign experts consid-
ered several ideas for
how the disease first
ended up in humans,
leading to a pandemic
that has now killed
more than 2.3 million
people worldwide. —ANI
Birbhum: BJP national
president JP Nadda on
Tuesday slammed the
Trinamool Congress for
dividing communities
by branding people as
insiders and outsiders,
and said the rich culture
of West Bengal has been
threatened under
MamataBanerjee’srule.
Mr Nadda, while flag-
ging off the second
phase of the ‘’Parivar-
tan Yatra’’ from Tarap-
ith in Birbhum district,
alleged that the state
government “criminal-
ised politics, institution-
alised corruption and
politicised the police”.
Nadda also said the
government will be de-
feated by people in the
assembly elections.
“Under Mamata’s
rule, rich culture her-
itage of WB are under
threat. Only the BJP
can protect these. The
insider-outsider culture
is not the real culture of
Bengal,” he said. —ANI
CENTRE NOT DISBURSING PM-KISAN SCHEME
FUNDS TO BENGAL, ALLEGES DIDI
Kalna: Mamata Banerjee alleged that the Centre was not disbursing funds under
the PM-Kisan scheme to peasants in the state despite the TMC administration
having sent the verified names of farmers to it. Accusing the BJP of falsely claiming
that she is denying funds to the farmers, she said that the TMC is giving Rs 5,000
each to farmers has also arranged for free crop insurance. The CM had informed
the Assembly that out of 6 lakh applications of farmers sent by the Centre for veri-
fication for payment of monetary assistance under PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, the
state government has returned 2.5 lakh names following necessary work.
BJP National President JP Nadda addresses a rally, in Birbhum on Tuesday. —PHOTO BY ANI
ED raids
premises of
media outlet
in Delhi
New Delhi: The En-
forcement Directorate
(ED) swooped in action
on Tuesday morning
and carried out search-
es at the office premises
of a media outlet here in
connection with a mon-
ey laundering probe.
According to ED
sources, the agency
sleuths started search-
es around 10 a.m. in the
morning in the office
premises of Newsclick
in Saidulajab area of
south Delhi.
The sources said that
the action is based on
the inputs that the news
outlet received foreign
funding.
The team of ED also
carried out searches at
the premises of News-
click editor Prabir Pur-
kayastha and Pranjal,
the sources added.
However, senior offi-
cials of the agency are
tightlipped about the
matter. —Agencies
IN THE COURTYARD
Amaravati land case: SC
adjourns hearing till March 5
New Delhi: The SC ad-
journed the hearing of
an appeal filed by the
Andhra Pradesh gov-
ernment against the HC
order that had stayed
the SIT probe into the
alleged “illegal pur-
chase” of land in Am-
aravati till March 5.
A Bench headed by
Justice Ashok Bhush-
an allowed Telegu De-
sam Party leaders to
file their replies by
March 5.
TDP leaders Varla
Ramaiah and Raja had
filed a petition in the
Andhra Pradesh High
Court challenging the
formation of the special
investigation team
(SIT) pursuant to which
the High Court stayed
the government’s or-
ders setting up the SIT.
Earlier, the apex
court had stayed the
Andhra Pradesh High
Court’s gag order on
media reporting in rela-
tion to the FIR regis-
tered against a former
advocate general in Am-
aravati land case. It also
issued notice to the ex
advocate general on the
Andhra Pradesh gov-
ernment’s plea.
Interim relief from arrest
to AAP’s Sanjay Singh
Villagers suspect radioactive
device behind U’Khand disaster SC seeks govt
response on
issues with
minority status
New Delhi: The Su-
preme Court on Tues-
day granted interim re-
lief and stayed the ar-
rest of AAP Rajya Sab-
ha Member of Parlia-
ment Sanjay Singh, in a
plea seeking the quash-
ing of the 14 FIRs regis-
tered against him in
Uttar Pradesh under
various charges, in-
cluding sedition.
The Apex Court
bench headed by Jus-
tice Ashok Bhushan
also issued notice to the
UP government after
hearing the petition
filed by Sanjay Singh
and fixed the matter for
further hearing till the
third week of March.
The SC asked the Ut-
tar Pradesh Govern-
ment why the 14 FIRs
against Singh were not
clubbed together to be
heard at one place.
Senior lawyer Vivek
Tankha appearing for
the AAP MP submitted
to the Apex Court that
if his client has com-
mitted an offence,
please send him to jail.
Dehradun: Villagers
of Raini village in Tapo-
van area of Chamoli
have expressed con-
cerns that Sunday’s
flash floods may be the
result of heat being pro-
duced by a radioactive
device. Raini village
lies near the area which
saw the maximum de-
struction caused by the
flash floods.
The device was lost in
1965 during a secret ex-
pedition to Nanda Devi
conducted by the CIA
and IB to plant nuclear-
powered surveillance
equipment on the sum-
mit of the mountain for
spying on China.
However, the moun-
taineering team con-
ducting the expedition
got caught in a blizzard
and had to return, leav-
ing the device at the
base. A year later, when
they went back to the
area, they could not
find it; subsequent ex-
peditions have also not
been able to trace the
device. —Agencies
New Delhi: The Su-
preme Court Tuesday
sought government’’s
reply on a plea, seeking
transfer of cases from
several high courts to
it against the Centre’’s
notification to declare
five communities —
Muslims, Christians,
Sikhs, Buddhists and
Parsees as minorities
even in those states
and UTs where they
are in majority.
OTT rules
almost ready,
says Centre
New Delhi: The govern-
ment will soon release
guidelines for OTT plat-
forms, Union Minister
Prakash Javadekar said
today in parliament,
weeks after a controver-
sy over two shows.
“We get a lot of sug-
gestions and com-
plaints. Guidelines and
directions are almost
ready and will be imple-
mented soon,” Mr Ja-
vadekar said on OTT or
Over The Top content.
The government had
putOTTplatforms,such
as Netflix, as well as
news and current af-
fairs content on online
platforms under the
Ministryof Information
and Broadcasting and
given it powers to regu-
late policies and rules
for the digital space in
November last year.
There have been calls
on regulating the wildly
popular platforms after
a row over two series on
Amazon Prime - “Tan-
dav” and “Mirzapur”.

NEWS
07
Promoted by
Vrion Global Pvt. Ltd.
Purusharth Adrak
With assembly polls in
UP round the corner
, CM
Yogi Adityanath led gov-
ernment is committed to
deliver flats to home
buyers. In an interview
with First India’s Del-
hi-NCR bureau chief
Purusharth Aradhak,
Minister of State (In-
dependent Charge)-
Stamp Duty, Court
Fee and Registration-
Uttar Pradesh Ravin-
dra Jaiswal said the
government has directed
the Noida and Greater
Noida Authority to
workout on the apex
court order on capping
the rate of interest at
eight per cent on the out-
standing dues of land
against the exorbitant
15 to 23 per cent.
Q: The Supreme Court,
in June last year,
capped the rate of in-
terest at eight per cent
to be charged by Noida
and Greater Noida au-
thorities. Why still it
is not implemented?
A: The government
agenda is clear, to ren-
der relief to home buy-
ers. The authorities
havebeenaskedtowork-
outthemodelandimple-
ment the court order.
The authorities say that
implementation of or-
derwilldentitsrevenue.
We have been told by the
authorities that these
authorities are seeking
relief from court.
Q: But the government
is supposed to work
for the welfare of the
society, not to make
money. At least 80,000
flat buyers are wait-
ing for their regis-
tries?
A: We are putting all ef-
forts to do justice with
the home buyers. The
government is not mak-
ing money out of it. Our
prime subject is relief
to home buyers. We
have also sped up the
process to chase the is-
sues between authori-
ties and builders to
reach a consensus.
Q: Authorities charge
heavy interest on dues
of land allotment.
This further makes
projects unsustaina-
ble. Amidst this, home
buyers are trapped?
A: During meetings
with the all stake hold-
ers we have realised
that past governments
without acquiring land
had allotted to the build-
ers. Several years the
builders waited to get
the possession of plots,
which further delayed
the projects and hence
became an unsustaina-
ble model. The govern-
ment has decided to not
allot any land before
acquiring it. Like in
apex court order on
charging simple inter-
est, we have asked au-
thorities to work out the
matter and streamline
things.
Q: Maximum revenue
is generated from Noi-
da and Greater Noida.
The government is
lacking behind achiev-
ing target.
A: It is true the ongoing
issues between builders
and authorities are hit-
ting government reve-
nue. We are aggressive-
ly following these mat-
ters as a consensus on
this issue will be a win
win formula for every-
one.
Q: Recently Maha-
rashtra and Delhi
slashed circle rates. Is
UP government mull-
ing this idea?
A: For last four years,
YogiAdityanathgovern-
ment has not put any
burden on home buyers.
So far there is no con-
crete plan to slash rates.
We have been examin-
ing the issue and put the
facts before cabinet
committee.
‘Relieftohomebuyersisgovt’sagenda’
In an interview with First India, MinisterRavindraJaiswalsays that govt is working on SC order of capping interest in NOIDA
MoS Ravindra Jaiswal
First India Bureau
Lucknow: State Spe-
cial Operation Cell of
Amristar, Punjab has
come across the infor-
mation that the infa-
mous terrorist Jagdev
Singh alias Jagga of
Pro-Khalistan terror or-
ganisation had plans to
stay in Lucknow under
the guise of a hawker or
merchant.
The terrorist had
wanted to spread his
terror links in UP while
staying in the state.
This particular infor-
mation regarding ter-
rorist Jagga has forced
the intelligence cell of
the country to be on its
toes. The intelligence
department has now be-
gun to weed out people
who are associated with
the Khalistani terror
organisation.
According to Inspec-
tor Indradeep Singh of
the State Special Opera-
tion Cell, Amritsar Jag-
ga managed to escape
while his associate Jag-
roop Singh was arrest-
ed by the Amristar po-
lice. The police team
recovered five advanced
pistols from the arrest-
ed terrorists. The es-
caped master-mind
Jagga had plans to car-
ry out terror incidents
in the state while also
expanding his links to
places like Kanpur, Var-
anasi and western UP.
The funds for organis-
ing terror incidents
were received by jagga
from one Paramjeet Sin-
gh Pamma from Eng-
land and Maltani Singh
from Germany
.Apart
from these two mem-
bers, he also received
funds from Canada and
America. He used these
funds to procure tools
and weapons in India.
DCP North Rais
Akhtar said Jagga’s
connection with the
peasant movement was
also being investigated
and that his depart-
ment was also in touch
with Punjab Police for
regular updates.
First India Bureau
Lucknow: The opposi-
tion parties have been
trying to ride the peas-
ant movement for politi-
cal gains even though
the farm leaders have
been steadfastly trying
tosteerawayfrompoliti-
calimpression.Insucha
situation, rivals of BJP
have begun weaving
plans to create an atmos-
phere against the state
government. The Con-
gress is now trying to
build its own farmers’
movementbyorganising
TehsilKisanPanchayats
from Wednesday
.
The UP Congress has
been drawing the out-
line of the peasant
movement for several
months now and now
the party’s senior state
official said Tehsil
Kisan Panchayats will
be held in 24 districts of
UP from February 10 to
21. Congress State Presi-
dent Ajay Kumar Lallu,
all former state presi-
dents, current and for-
mer ministers, MPs,
MLAs and senior lead-
ers will be present in
them. The High Com-
mand has given clear
instructions that all
leaders should partici-
pate in these panchay-
ats. Through these pro-
grams, the party will try
to create an atmosphere
against the government
regarding the farm
laws. Apart, panchayats
will also be held in some
development blocks.
First India Bureau
Lucknow: UP Gover-
nor Anandiben Patel
whileattendingthefunc-
tion to signal the end of
the 3-day regional fruit,
vegetable and flower ex-
hibition said the Raj
Bhavan belongs to the
general public. She an-
nouncedthatRajBhavan
will be open to all from
Monday to Saturday
while students along
with family members
will be allowed from
Tuesday to Thursday
.
In the event Governor
Anandiben Patel who
after seeing the in-
creased flow of people to
the exhibition has ex-
tended the exhibition
for one more day
. The
Governor while reward-
ing the winners of the
exhibition said that the
exhibition will be re-or-
ganized in the first week
of February next year.
Governor Anandiben
Patel had announced
that while Raj Bhavan
will be open for every-
one, the Raj Bhavan gar-
dens will be available
for public use from Feb-
ruary 9 to 12 from morn-
ing 8 AM to 6 PM in the
evening. The visitors to
the garden though will
have to bring their pho-
to-identity proofs for
security purpose.
Different parts for
garden was given to Di-
rector General of Po-
lice Lucknow, Addition-
al Director General of
Police PAC, Municipal
Commissioner, Munici-
pal Corporation, Jalsa
Resort, Housing Com-
missioner to showcase
their entry for the exhi-
bition. Shashi Jain,
Prashant Kumar were
awarded for thier per-
sonal gardens while
Yash of Ratan Khand
was awarded for the
terrace garden in his
house. Superintendent
District Prison Hardoi
was awarded for vari-
ous types of fruits and
vegetable grown by the
inmates in the prison.
There were lot of other
awards and cash prizes
given to many others
who took part in the
exhibition.
Pro-Khalistani terror group mastermind Jagdev Singh alias Jagga
A kisan mahapanchayat in progress — FILE PHOTO
UP Governor Anandiben Patel at the flower exhibition.
Jagga was planning
to spread terror
network in state Congress to hold Tehsil Kisan
Panchayats in 24 dists of UP
Guv opens doors of Raj Bhavan to general public
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Abbas An-
sari, son of Mafia
MukhtarAnsarihadnot
only obtained 8 weapons
on a single license but
also had bought foreign
weapons by making use
of corrupt channels.
A Special Task Force
(STF) investigation has
revealedthatAbbaswho
was a renowned shooter
from National Rifle As-
sociation had no per-
mission to operate pis-
tols but had bought pis-
tols from abroad. To get
his imported pistols re-
leased Abbas did not
show Customs the im-
port certificate of Na-
tional Rifle Association.
This finding has forced
the STF to expand the
scope of investigation
as they fear the other
shooters may also have
bought weapons from
abroad illegally
.
Abbas Ansari
bought guns
illegally: STF
First India Bureau
Lucknow: A youth’s
video has gone viral in
which he can be seen
bad mouthing PM Nar-
endra Modi. A case has
been filed by BJP dis-
trict President Sunil Ku-
mar Singh against the
youth and the police
have said that they will
soon arrest the youth.
On Monday, a video
went viral on the inter-
net in which a person
was seen making inde-
cent remarks about the
Bharatiya Janata Party
and also PM Narendra
Modi. The youth in the
video went on to bad
mouth many of the BJP
leaders as well as jour-
nalists while conversing
with certain people. The
viral video has caused a
lotof resentmentamong
the BJP party workers
and the District Presi-
dent of the Bharatiya
Janata Party, Sunil Ku-
mar Singh lodged a case
inSadarKotwaliagainst
the youth in the video.
Meanwhile, BJP’s dis-
trict minister Deepak
Puri said that other
leaders had strongly
condemned and de-
manded strict action
against the guilty
.
SP Vijay Dhull talk-
ing about the case said
that the accused would
soon be arrested as his
face had been captured
in the viral video and
will help them in identi-
fying the accused.
Case against youth
for badmouthing PM
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
First India Bureau
Lucknow: The Chinhat
police and Crime-
Branch have arrested
two miscreants in-
dulged in looting lakhs
of ruppes from ATMs
by cutting them open
and the police are also
on the lookout for the
kingpin. The police re-
covered pistols, car-
tridges, Rs 3 lakh in
cash and many more
items. The gang had
made away with Rs. 8.44
lakh from Canara
Bank’s ATM on Dewan
Road in Chinhat. DCP
Eastern Sanjeev Suman
said that the gang had
used similar methods
while robbing another
ATM in Vibhutikhand.
ADCP East Qasim
Abdi said the arrested
accused Arjun alias
Shailendra Prajapati
and Mahendra Kumar
Maurya were from Bah-
raich district.
They used to first
scout ATMs with no
guards and then one of
them would paint the
glass of the ATM and
cut open the ATM while
the other stood guard
outside.
Two held for looting
lakhs from ATMs
CABINET REJIG:
THE WAIT GETS
LONGER FOR
ASPIRANTS
The wait seems never
ending for these half-
a-dozen aspirants vying for
a berth in the Yogi Cabinet.
The buzz around the much-
hyped and most-awaited
expansion had intensified
after 12 newly elected
MLCs were administered
oath here on February 5.
Political pundits had, on at
least three occasions in the
past, predicted that fresh
faces would be inducted in
the first week of February
reason being the CM would
then get busy in giving
final touches to the budget
session of the UP Assembly
scheduled to commence
from February 18. “I have
not gone back home since I
took oath to meet family and
relatives as that call from Raj
Bhawan for my swearing-
in can come anytime,”
confided this legislator
from Western UP, confident
of a berth. Then there is
this another high-profile
aspirant from Eastern UP,
who too has been twiddling
his thumbs bidding his
time meeting supporters
and party workers lining
up outside his newly
allotted Government
accommodation in
Lucknow. Leave alone
a cabinet berth, he
has not been given an
accommodation decent
enough to match his
stature! But then things
do come to those who
stand and wait. The budget
session is just a week away.
And anything can happen in
the interregnum, as a week,
as the saying goes, is a
longtime in politics.
—MTariqKhan
HUM DO, HAMARE
PAANCH!
While the Population
Control Bill may
be a reality in times to
come, an Uttar Pradesh
BJP leader Vineet Sharda
is asking people to
cash on giving birth to
children before the Bill
becomes a law in India.
Convener of the BJP
Trade Unit in state Vineet
Sharda has suggested
a community people to
trash the two-child policy
and take up the five-
child policy. The leader
was speaking during an
event organised by the
Akhil Bhartiya Vaishya
Ekta Parishad in Aligarh
recently where he said
that while Muslims
have always believed in
multiple children policy,
the Hindus have always
said Hum Do Hamare
Do. If this continues in
Hindu families, then in
25 years time from now,
children would never
know who a Mama is,
Bua is or Mausa is.
He also attributed the
fact that ancestors had
multiple children. What
is even more interesting
is the fact that Lok Sabha
Speaker Om Birla was
to feature in this event.
—Vishal Srivastav
AWARE OF ISSUES

A person who is flexible and can
change himself as per the
circumstances keeping steadfast
on the principles, will never look back.
—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO Editor, First India
08
2NDFRONT
M Tariq Khan
Lucknow: More than
four dozen IAS officers
have still not filed their
Immovable Property Re-
turn (IPR) as mandated
by the Department of
PersonnelandTraining.
The DoPT had issued
several reminders and
circulartocivilservants
to file their IPRs for
2019-2020 by January 31.
But the missive has
failed to cut ice with
these ‘erring’ officials,
whose list has now been
uploadedonthewebsite.
Of the 500 plus IAS of-
ficers in the UP cadre,
447havesofarfiledtheir
IPR returns and 58 are
yet to do so, according to
the ministry
. The de-
faulters’ list include
eight officers of
2010-batch, six from
2012-batch, five each
from 2008-09, four from
2004, three each from
2005, 2011 so on so forth.
“Failure to comply
withtherequirementsof
the aforesaid provisions
constitutes good and suf-
ficientreasonforinstitu-
tion of disciplinary pro-
ceedings, among other
things,” states the per-
sonnel ministry
.
The missive warns
that vigilance clear-
ance can be denied to
IAS officers who failed
to submit the annual
immovable property re-
turns. They will there-
fore find it difficult to
go on deputation, for-
eign training and for
empanelment among
others.
A senior officer said
theIASofficerswerenot
taking the submission
of IPRs regularly as a
serious matter. He said
some officers submitted
the IPRs after the dead-
line. This, when to fa-
cilitate the IPR filing,
the personnel ministry,
has introduced an on-
line filing system for
lAS officers.
Deadline gone, 58 IAS officers yet to file IPR
DEFAULTING BABUS
Shishir Awasthi
Lucknow: Political
parties who have been
trying to regain their
political hold in the
state are using the
farmers’ movement
for their advantage
and weaving a plan to
overcome the social
political equations of
2022 to pre-2013 lev-
els. This is what RLD
leader Jayant Chaud-
hary’s visit to the dis-
tricts of western UP
and SP’s active cam-
paign on social media
to sensitise farmers
have shown.
Only the future will
tell how successful the
Opposition is in this
cause but the recent
change in the attitude
of the peasant move-
ment has shown a ray
of hope for them. When
talking about the voter
banks enjoyed by the
opposition parties, pre-
viously vote banks of
Rajput, Muslim, Gurjar
Jat, and Yadav (RaM-G
ki JaY) were effective
for non-Congress and
non-BJP parties but the
split of Mulayam Singh
Yadav with Ajit Singh
dealt a big blow to the
SP and the 2013 Muzaf-
farnagar riots com-
pletely shattered the
Jat and Muslim equa-
tion.
Most of the popula-
tion of Jats rallied
with the BJP due to
the breakdown of the
Hindu-Muslim equa-
tion while Gurjar
and Rajput had al-
ready showed sup-
port for BJP and the
Muslims turned to SP
and BSP
.
The split only proved
fatal for the successors
of Chuadhary Charan
Singh i.e. Ajit Singh
and Jayanth Chaud-
hary. So it is natural for
the non-BJP parties,
especially RLD and SP,
to re-establish their
hold and reach in west-
ern UP and seek politi-
cal benefit by turning
the farmers’ movement
in their favour.
Even though the field
in UP has AAP and
Congress, in the cur-
rent scenario it is only
the SP and BSP who
will be considered the
main opposition to BJP.
However, it is not very
easy for them to turn
their expectations into
reality in view of PM
Modi’s speech in Rajya
Sabha on Monday. AP
Tiwari who retired
from the Dr. Shakunta-
la Mishra National Re-
habilitation University
said the opposition’s
attempt to weave a po-
litical benefit out of
Muslim equations with
ethnic arithmetic will
only benefit BJP. The
involvement of the po-
litical parties in the
farm movement even
when the farmers had
initially asked them to
stay away will only play
into the hands of BJP,
who will now find it
easy to prove that the
movement is being held
to create an atmosphere
against PM Modi.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and RLD chief Ajit Singh
Oppn boards RaM-G ki JaY
poll plank to corner Yogi G
Political parties using farmers’ movement, caste equations to regain power in the state
TOUGH BATTLE
EMPOWERING WOMEN
Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel handing over a reward to a member of the Self
Help Group under the UP Rajya Grameen Ajeevika Mission in Gorakhpur on Tuesday.
First India Bureau
Lucknow: The peasant
movement and anti-gov-
ernment sentiment s
have prepared ground
ripe for Opposition par-
ties to mobilise support
in western UP
.
Apart from RLD and
other regional parties,
the Congress party too
is seeing an opportunity
for its revival as the agi-
tation continues to gain
momentum.
Priyanka Gandhi
Vadra, AICC general
secretary in-charge of
Uttar Pradesh, is all set
to make her way to UP’s
Saharanpur. According
to sources, Priyanka
will arrive at the Nakud
Tehsil in Saharanpur to
address a farmer’s rally
onWednesdayunderthe
party’s ‘Jai Jawan Jai
Kisan Abhiyan’.
Last week, Priyanka
had travelled to Bilas-
pur in UP’s Rampur to
attend the prayer meet-
ing for Navreet Singh,
the farmer who died
when his tractor over-
turned during the farm-
ers’ Republic Day pa-
rade.
According to sources
within the Congress, the
farmers’ agitation has
left a significant impact
on several districts in
western Uttar Pradesh,
including Saharanpur,
Shamli, Muzaffarnagar,
Baghpat and Hapur.
Hundreds of farmers
from these districts
havebeenflockingtothe
protest site at Delhi’s
Ghazipur border each
day
. Making the most of
this opportunity, the
Congresspartyhasbeen
working on a strategy to
launch its ‘Jai Jawan
Jai Kisan’ campaign in
the interiors of UP
. This
campaign of the Con-
gress will involve popu-
lated villages in each
tehsils in the state’s in-
terior districts.
Janardan Misra
Lucknow: The Alla-
habad High Court re-
cently directed the
Home Guard Quarters
in UP to reinstate a
staff member belong-
ing to the LGBT com-
munity whose appoint-
ment was cancelled due
to a video which re-
vealed his sexual orien-
tation (Pramod Kumar
Sharma v. State of UP).
The court directed
the concerned depart-
ment to take the peti-
tioner back in service
with immediate effect.
The order states, “The
petitioner shall be enti-
tled to all admissible
dues and the honorari-
um shall be paid regu-
larly as and when the
same falls due.” On
June 11, 2019, the Dis-
trict Commandant of
Home Guards, Buland-
shahar had passed an
order cancelling peti-
tioner’s appointment,
who challenged the
same before the High
Court.
On the previous date
of hearing, the Court
had directed the author-
ities to file a counter
within ten days. After
perusing the counter af-
fidavit, the Court noted
that in paragraph No.8,
the perception of the of-
ficer who had passed
the order of cancella-
tion was shown.
First India Bureau
Lucknow: As soon as
the construction of the
Ram Mandir has begun
politics around the
same has also started.
Young saints have de-
manded the Central
government to name
the proposed Purvan-
chal State as ‘Kaushal’
and to make Ayodhya as
its capital.
In a meeting held at
Tulsi Garden, the saints
have decided to put
11000 lit lamps in the
Saryu River on the eve
of Mauni Amavasya on
February 11.
Chief Minister Yogi
Adityanath is trying to
put Ayodhya on the
world map in terms of
development. Anuj
Rahi, national president
of Purvanchal State Jan
Andolan, said a road-
map has been chalked
out to make the andolan
a cultural one. He added
that to give this cultural
form, we have started
taking support from
saints in Ayodhya and
the Ayodhya saint soci-
ety has extended their
support.
Raghavesh Das Ve-
danti said the demand
for Purvanchal state has
been going on in the
country for the last sev-
en-eight years and the
demand has been now
got support of the
young saints of
Ayodhya.
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Business-
man Ashok Singh has
joined the list of people
who have written to
Congress leader Priyan-
ka Gandhi Vadra re-
garding Mafia don
Mukhtar Ansari.
The businessman
from Mau has also sent a
very emotional letter to
the former National
President of Congress
Rahul Gandhi to make
the BSP MLA Mukhtar
Ansari UP Congress
chief.TheCongress’love
for terror and crime ma-
fia Mukhtar Ansari and
his operatives has be-
come the reason for re-
sentmentamongthepeo-
ple of UP
.
Ashok Singh who had
been tormented by the
Mukhtar Ansari is hurt
by the actions of the
Congress and has even
questioned their inten-
tions. Singh in his letter
has written that if the
Congress loves the crim-
inals so much, then Ajay
Kumar Lallu should be
replaced by Ansari.
Priyanka to address farmers’
rally in Saharanpur as Cong to
expand footprint in western UP
‘Homosexuality can’t be
reason for termination’
Make Ansari UP Cong chief,
angry bizman writes to Rahul Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra
Mukhtar Ansari
—FILE PHOTO
‘Name proposed Purvanchal as Kaushal’
DoPT had issued several reminders to
bureaucrats to file their IPRs by Jan 31
First India Bureau
Lucknow: The Su-
preme Court on
Tuesday granted
protection from ar-
rest to Aam Aadmi
Party leader Sanjay
Singh in connection
with the FIRs filed
against him in Uttar
Pradesh for alleged
hate speech.
The cases against
Singh are related to
a remark that he
made at a press con-
ference in Lucknow
in August last year.
He had accused the
Uttar Pradesh gov-
ernment of favour-
ing a certain caste
over the others.
Multiple FIRs
were filed against
the Singh in UP,
which he alleged
was an attempt to
harass him. He ap-
proached the Su-
preme Court seeking
the quashing of the
FIRs and a non-bail-
able warrant issued
against him
Though the bench
headed by Justice
Ashok Bhushan
granted relief to Sin-
gh, it noted that he
cannot divide the so-
ciety on lines of
castes and religion.
Singh’s lawyers
Vivek Tankha and
Sumeer Sodhi told
the Supreme Court
that the police did
not follow proce-
dures while filing
cases against him.
Hate speech: Sanjay
Singh gets SC relief
AAP leader Sanjay Singh
TWO PPS OFFICERS TRANSFERRED

B
ollywood actress
Vaani Kapoor, says
she wants to do more
films that celebrate
women, their lives and deci-
sions. “As a woman, I want to do
more films that celebrate women,
their lives and decisions. I have been
fortunate that I have got films like
Shudh Desi Romance, Befikre and War
that have highlighted some brilliant
aspects of being a woman. They
showed how women are free-spirited,
ambitious,resilientandstrong,”Vaani
said. —Agency
B
ollywood actor Sara
Ali Khan on Tues-
day extended birth-
day wishes to her
mother Amrita Singh and
penned down a sweet note to
mark the occasion. The ‘Kedar-
nath’ star hopped on to Insta-
gram and shared a couple of pic-
tures with a heart-warming note.
Callinghermother‘mywholeworld’,
the ‘Simmba’ star extend birthday
wishes to Amrita. She noted in the
caption, “Happy Birthday to my
whole world. Thank you for being
my mirror, strength and inspira-
tion.” In the caption, she also re-
vealed that blue is her favorite color.
She said, “I lo-blue the most.”—Agency
L
isa Haydon is going to
be a mommy again.
The model-actor,
who shared the
news on Instagram,
is due in June. In a
video post, Hay-
don said that
lately she had
stayed away
from social me-
dia due to ‘lazi-
ness’. She added,
“So, I’ve actually
been meaning to get
on here and chat with
you all, and to catch you
all up with stuff that’s
been happening lately
.”
—Agency
LUCKNOW, WEDNESDAY
FEBRUARY 10, 2021
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia
facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09
ollywood star Jacque-
line Fernandez, who
recently moved house,
admits she indulges in
household chores, too,
in between her hectix
professional sched-
ule. “I spend an hour doing
the house chores -- from look-
ing into groceries to cleaning
the house and looking into the
food menu,” she stated.
“Living independently does
give freedom but brings in a
lot of challenges along with it.
You need to have the right bal-
ance of personal and profes-
sional life,” she adds.
If maintaining a physically
healthy routine amid the
grind of Bollywood is a chal-
lenge, and the actress has her
way to manage with that
bit. “I maintain a journal
which I write in the morning
that helps me channelise my
thoughts,” she revealed.
—Agency
B
Household
chores
Household
chores
S
alman had two special
guests, his co-stars of
‘Radhe: Your Most
Wanted Bhai’ on the
sets of Bigg Boss 14’s Week-
end Ka Vaar episode on Satur-
day, where they kickstarted
the promotions on the show.
Salman along with Disha Pa-
tani and Randeep Hooda con-
firmed the release of the film
on Eid, this year in theatres
once again.
The show Began with an en-
tertainingperformancebySal-
manKhanandDishaPatanion
Slowmotionfrom‘Bharat’
reminding us of their
greaton-screenchem-
istry
. Along with Disha Patani,
Randeep Hooda too graced
the sets of Bigg Boss.
—Agency
RELEASEDAYANNOUNCED!
LisaHaydon
announced
pregnancy
Happy
Happy
Birthday
Birthday
T
aapsee Pannu, who has
been shooting back to
back, has shared anoth-
er first look from her
upcoming thriller film Looop
Lapeta. The First Look is of
actor Tahir Raj Bhasin who
will be seen in a prominent
role in the film. The thriller
drama Looop Lapeta, which is
a Hindi remake of the German
film Run Lola Run, is helmed
by Aakash Bhatia. In the
first look, Tahir Raj Bha-
sin is looking cool and
his changed avatar is
very impressive. Shar-
ing the look on her
official Twitter han-
dle, Taapsee wrote,
“Satya’s shortcuts
always lead to satya-
nash! Presenting @
tahirrajbhasin as Satya,
the lazy, loveable “jholer”, in
the year’s craziest ride, “Looop
Lapeta”. #LooopLapeta.” She
introduced his character
name. In the picture, Tahir is
seen carrying a bag.—Agency
LOOOP LAPETA
Celebratewomen
Lisa Haydon
Vaani Kapoor
Taapsee Pannu
Tahir Raj Bhasin
Disha Patani and Randeep Hooda with Salman Khan
on the sets of Bigg Boss
Jacqueline Fernandez
Disha Patani
Sara Ali Khan

10
ETC
F
A
C
E
O
F
T
H
E
D
A
Y
AKANKSHA AARYA, Content Creator
LEO
JULY 24 - AUGUST 23
Your desire for an exciting
time on the social front is
likely to be fulfilled today.
Those looking for buying a
house can get a good bargain.
Appreciation is in store for some
homemakers. A professional victory
is yours if you play your cards well.
You are likely to enjoy good health.
LIBRA
SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22
You may wait for
someone’s invitation for a
trip. Your professionalism
in handling problem areas
will be appreciated. Tenant troubles
are foreseen for some house owners.
You will find family life more than
fulfilling. A senior is likely to put in a
good word for you to the higher ups.
ARIES
MAR 21 - APR 20
A new deal is likely to
come through and give you
a taste of success. Those
fond of travelling may get
their chance soon. This is the time
when you enjoy yourself with a new
group of friends or colleagues. A
change of job is likely to give you
better salary and perks.
SAGITTARIUS
NOV 23 - DEC 22
You are likely to take up
someone’s cause and earn
appreciation from all
quarters on the social front.
Remaining on the good side of those
who matter on the academic front will
help you achieve much. Good tidings
of your well wishers will keep you
going on the professional front.
GEMINI
MAY 21 - JUNE 21
Excellent opportunities
may knock at your door.
Professionals will be able
to give their best in a new
situation. Financially, this day may
prove lucky for you, so go ask for the
raise that is keeping you on
tenterhooks. Don’t take any chances
with your health today.
AQUARIUS
JAN 21 - FEB 19
You will have to be more
focussed on the academic
front. You may get busy
organising something on the
social front. You may need to put your
ideas into action, if you want to prove
yourself. A party may be thrown in
your honour at work. Your good
performance is likely to be noticed.
TAURUS
APR 21 - MAY 20
A family youngster is likely
to do you proud. A
business trip is indicated.
Your strategy to promote
yourself on the professional front will
bear fruits. You may need to speed
up things on the academic front to
remain ahead. On the social front, the
day finds you in your element.
CAPRICORN
DEC 23 - JAN 20
Success is foretold on the
academic front. Your
reputation is likely to boost
your image on the social
front. On the work front, you will
manage to keep your superiors in
good humour. This is a good day to
spend time with family. Good
planning will complete a task.
VIRGO
AUG 24 - SEP 23
Getting into a favourable
situation on the academic
front is possible. Good luck
promises to brighten your
day. Some positive changes can be
expected on the home front. This
seems a good day for job seekers.
New avenues for earning open up as
you get more determined.
CANCER
JUNE 22 - JULY 23
Your performance at work
will be commendable. Your
own happiness is in your
hands today. Spouse may
need her space, respect that. This is
a favourable day for completing
pending jobs. Financially, no
problems are foreseen. It is best to
avoid outside food.
PISCES
FEB20 - MARCH 20
You will manage to achieve
what you had aimed for on
the academic front. A
celebration can find you in
your element today. Praise and
honour are likely to greet you in
something that you have managed to
achieve. You will be a pillar of
strength to a friend or associate.
SCORPIO
OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22
Good performance on the
academic front will help
enhance your reputation at
work. Some favourable
developments on the social front are
foreseen. Buying new furniture or a
major appliance is possible. With
good networking, a prized posting
can be yours.
YOUR
DAY
Horoscope by
Saurabbh Sachdeva
hile the world
has been tack-
ling the COV-
ID-19 pandem-
ic, in Ra-
jasthan, FAYA
Coordinators
are working to prioritize
the health of women and
adolescent girls in rural
communities. FAYA pro-
ject led by NGO Popula-
tion Foundation of India
is implemented in 4 dis-
tricts of Rajasthan – Dun-
garpur, Karauli, Bundi
Tonk with support of The
Young People Foundation
(TYPF) and field partners.
The program aims at en-
hancing knowledge of
adolescents about their
sexual reproductive
health (SRH) and building
a conducive environment
so that they can access
SRH services and infor-
mation.
Despite the restrictions
and difficulties faced by
people due to lockdown,
these young coordinators
ensured and motivated
other youth to ensure that
adolescent girls have ac-
cess to health information
and services. One such
story is from Dabella vil-
lage in Dungarpur. Rake-
sh Parmar, a resident of
this village in Dovda clus-
ter, shared, “It was sug-
gested to us by Harish (a
field coordinator from Ja-
tan Sansthan - implemen-
tation partner of Popula-
tion Foundation of India),
that even during the lock-
down, it is very important
to take care of the health
of mothers and sisters in
our community
.” Harish is
a youth from Dovda gram
panchayat. After complet-
ing graduation, he served
as ward panch (an elected
PRI member) and is now
actively engaged in ad-
dressing adolescent health
issues within the commu-
nity.
Rakesh further explains,
“My mother is currently a
Ward Panch and keeps me
motivated to work towards
improving our community
.
After the lockdown, on the
advice of Harish, I formed
a team of village youth and
convinced them that they
should ensure the availa-
bility of sanitary pads. On
a day to day basis, I keep
sharing the health issues
faced by village adoles-
cents and women with
Harish , he gets them re-
solved through the ANM.”
Anju, FAYA Project Co-
ordinator, from Jatan San-
stha, Dungarpur says “To
address the problem of
unavailability of sanitary
napkins, Harish is also
educating adolescent girls
on making and hygieni-
cally using cloth pads. Har-
ish has learned about cloth
pads from an online webi-
nar organized by The
Young People Foundation
under FAYA program.
Rakesh and his team with
the support of Harish have
been ensuring that the
community members fol-
low social distancing
norms and stay at home
during the lockdown.
When a medical team vis-
ited their village for the
screening for COVID-19, he
and his team members en-
sured full cooperation by
the community members”.
“Through WhatsApp, I
keep our school staff, Har-
ish and ANM updated
daily about the health-re-
lated activities and the
needs in our village. After
all, only if my village is
healthy, I will be healthy,”
said Rakesh.
HEALTH, A TRUE WEALTH
Amid the Pandemic, FAYA coordinators emerge as
champions in addressing menstrual-related issues
of adolescent girls and women in panchayat!
PARUL SHARMA
Program Manager, Population
Foundation of India
W
Rakesh Parmar
Harish Parmar
Team of Jatan Sansthan

he super bowl com-
mercial takes us
back to the love
story of Holly-
wood’s rare fa-
vourite couple,
Gwen Stefani
and Blake Shelton.
The T-Mobile Super
Bowl commercial
features Adam
Levine playing
the role of cu-
pid, by setting
up a date for
them. In real-
ity, the cou-
ple first
met on the
sets of
‘The
Voice’
where
they
hosted
as
coaches.
The couple has
been dating for
a while now
and wedding
rumours can
be heard every
once in a
while.
—Agency
ETC
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia LUCKNOW | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2021
11
Abhi-well-done!
A
bhinandan Sin-
gh aka RJ
Abhi, who has
been a Radio
Jockey in Jaipur and
various other cities
like Chandigarh, Shim-
la, Ludhiana, is now
hosting one of the big-
gest reality shows of
Punjab, ‘Miss PTC Pun-
jabi 2021’.
The show aired
worldwide from Febru-
ary 1; however, the An-
chor started his prepa-
ration way before. “I’ve
lost 4 kilos in 10 days,
thanks to the keto diet,
the difference of which
can be seen from my
aired promo to the
mega audition’s final
episode,” RJ Abhi
shared.
The show is to be
judged by Bigg Boss
fame Himanshi Khura-
na, famous actress and
Politician Gurpreet
Kaur Chadha from
Mumbai and Japji
Khera, the beautiful
face of Punjabi films.
Talking about the fu-
ture projects, he said,
“I plan to resume the
projects which were
put on hold since lock-
down.” On further ask-
ing his interest in host-
ing Hindi reality
shows, he shared, “I
hosted one show last
year with the ace come-
dian Sunil Pal being a
judge on Anjan Tv;
since I strongly believe
in Manifestation, I’m
pretty sure that’ll hap-
pen very soon with
God’s grace.”
ASTROLOGICAL
ADVICE
F
or the next 3
days, intense en-
ergy will be in
circulation due
to 6 planets coming in
one zodiac sign in the
sky. In astrology, these
planetary alignments
create energy that is
not favourable.
There are ways to
overcome this accord-
ing to our ancient rem-
edies which we will
share with you so that
this energy can be
converted into posi-
tive for individu-
als. Do the follow-
ing these 3 days:
1Chant, your
favourite man-
tra for at least 24
minutes.
2 Chant the Navg-
rah Mantra at
least once.
3 Talk less and
avoid discus-
sions as people will
be on edge.
4Many couples
may have argu-
ments, anticipate
this and be more
tolerant as dur-
ing this time
egos will in-
flate. So, be cautious
and do not to get angry
.
5Light a clay lamp
with mustard oil or
sesame oil, anywhere in
the house after sunset.
6Offer water to the
rising Sun.
Astrologically from
tonight and Feb 10 to 11,
again 6 planets will be
in one zodiac sign, but
now in Capricorn sign,
with lower power than
2019 configuration.
These planets are Sat-
urn, Jupiter, sun, moon,
mercury and venus.
SUSHMITA AIND
I
t’s the Valentine’s Week and
you must be wondering why
the importance of such
things have risen up all of a
sudden? First, it was roses, fol-
lowed by chocolates and now
teddy bears. But, why not! As we
celebrate the season of love, re-
gardless of whether we like
teddy bears or not, remind your-
self and your partner that love
is worth celebrating. It’s the
only feeling that might make
you do stupid things, churn up
the butterflies in your stomach,
but, in the end, it’s all worth it!
In the words of Friedrich Ni-
etzsche, what is done out of love
always takes place beyond good
and evil! Go ahead and surprise
yourloverwithagiftof warmth.
City First wishes you the best
on the occasion of Teddy Day!
Happy Teddy Day
Happy Teddy Day
Love is
Love is
in the air
in the air
KARISHMA
GWALANI
Karishma.gwalani
@firstindia.co.in
MAHESH
BANG
cityfirst@
firstindia.co.in
T
A
merican foot-
ball quarter-
back Aaron
Rodgers who
was awarded as the
most valuable player is
tying the knot with
Shailene Woodley. Aar-
on has recently pro-
posed Shailene and al-
though a little quick,
the couple seems to be
crazy about each other.
A source revealed,
“They are happy togeth-
er. It’s not surprising he
proposed so fast. When
you know, you know
right?” —ANI
HAPPY
together
Raging
SPIRIT
I
t hasn’t been a
year since Rishi
Kapoor had
breathed his
last owing his long
battle with cancer.
And while the Ka-
poors are still
struggling with
the loss, here
comes another jolt
for them as Rishi’s
younger brother
Rajiv Kapoor has
breathed his on
Tuesday. Accord-
ing to media re-
ports, the Ram
Teri Ganga Maili
star died of a heart
attack at the age of
58 in Mumbai. He
suffered a massive
heart attack and
was rushed to the
hospital immedi-
ately but he was
declared dead on
arrival.
—Agency
T
he season is crowded
with award ceremonies
and as the anticipation
of the nominees’ rises,
so does the audience recipro-
cate. Critics Choice Awards
have released its nomination
for the year 2021 with nomi-
nations in Best Picture, Best
Director, Best Actor, Best Ac-
tress, Best Supporting Actor,
Best Supporting Actress,
Best Young Actor/Ac-
tress, Best Acting En-
semble, Best Original
Screenplay, Best
Adapted Screenplay,
Best Production De-
sign, Best Cinematog-
raphy, Best Costume
Design, Best Editing,
Best Hair and Make-up,
Best Visual Effects, Best
Score, Best Song, Best
Foreign Language Film
and Best Comedy. The show
will be hosted virtually on
March 7. —ANI
CRITICS CHOICE AWARDS 2021
Abhinandan Singh
Gwen Stefani
Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton
Late Rajiv Kapoor
Shailene Woodley
Andra Day
Maria Bakalova Ben Affleck Bill Murray Zendaya
Amanda Seyfried
Sidney Flanigan Sacha Baron Cohen

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