First India-Lucknow Edition-3rd January 2022

COVID-19: CM
ORDERS
STATEWIDE
MOCK DRILL
Lucknow: Amid an
alarming increase of
new Covid-19 cases
in Uttar Pradesh, Chief
Minister Yogi Adityanath
has ordered a state-wide
mock drill on Monday
and Tuesday to review
preparedness to tackle the
resurgence. In the past
24 hours, 383 fresh Covid
cases were reported in
38 districts of the state,
while the number of active
cases was 1,211. “Experts
say that the infection rate
is now higher but the
virus is weaker. People
should wear masks and
follow social distancing,
sanitisation and vaccina-
tion,” the Chief Minister
said. More on P3
UP Govt to provide maintenance
allowance to 1.5 crore labourers
Lucknow: Aiming to
provide relief to the
poor suffering due to
the economic slow-
down caused by the
coronavirus (Covid-19)
pandemic, Uttar
Pradesh Chief Minis-
ter Yogi Adityanath
will provide a ‘mainte-
nance allowance’ to the
tune of Rs 1500 crore to
1.50 crore labourers
and construction work-
ers on Monday.
Working with the
mantra of saving both
‘lives and livelihood’,
the Uttar Pradesh gov-
ernment will provide
two-month allowance
of Rs 1,000 to each such
worker to tide over the
economic crisis during
the pandemic. The total
number of registered
workers in the state are
5,09,08,745. Out of these,
the number of unor-
ganized workers regis-
tered on the e-SHRAM
portal are 3,81,60,725
and the total number of
workers registered un-
der the BOCW
board are
1,27,48,020.
In the first
phase, mainte-
nance allow-
ance will
be sent to
the bank accounts of a
total of two crore work-
ers. The Yogi govern-
ment has also distrib-
uted maintenance al-
lowance to small shop-
keepers, daily wage la-
bourers, rickshaw /e-
rickshaw pullers, por-
ters, barbers, washer-
men, cobblers and con-
fectioners etc.
It is noteworthy that
the state of Uttar
Pradesh was the first
among all to provide
such relief to the poor,
which was also later
adopted by other states.
Since the second
wave was Turn to P2
PM Modi, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visit Meerut’s Aunghadnath’s Temple situated in
Meerut. Modi is the first Prime Minister to have visited the temple.
A total of `1500 cr
to be transferred
Total number of
workers registered
in the state are
over 5.90 crores
FACT FILE
MODI AT
MEERUT
MANDIR
‘EARLIER, CRIMINALS PLAYED GAMES IN UP,
NOW, YOGI GOVT PLAYS ‘JAIL JAIL’ WITH THEM’
Laying foundation stone of Major Dhyan Chand Sports University, PM Modi said that
every year, more than 1,000 girls, boys will graduate from the world’s finest varsity
LUCKNOW l MONDAY, JANUARY 3, 2022 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. UPENG/2020/80229 l Vol 2 l Issue No. 53
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The last year ended on a dramatic note for Indian aviation with a passenger air-
craft taking off without air traffic control (ATC) clearance. This incident happened
when a SpiceJet flight took off from Rajkot for Delhi without the mandatory nod
on the penultimate day of 2021 — December 30. The directorate general of civil
aviation (DGCA) is probing this serious lapse.
The technical committee appointed by Supreme Court to investigate use of
Pegasus spyware to snoop on phones of politicians, activists and journalists,
has sought information from people who suspect their phones were targeted.
In a public notice, the committee has asked such people to contact them by
January 7. The committee has also said that it is ready to examine the phones.
FLIGHT TAKES
OFF WITHOUT
ATC’S NOD,
PROBE INITIATED
‘GIVE US DETAILS,’
PANEL ASKS THOSE
WHO THINK OF BEING
PEGASUS TARGETS
23 new Omicron cases in Odisha;
Bengal announces fresh curbs
Bhubaneswar: Like in
other parts of the coun-
try, Omicron cases wit-
nessed a steep spike in
Odisha after 23 new
cases were reported on
Sunday, taking the Cov-
id mutant infection tal-
ly to 37 in the State.
As per the State
Health Department, all
the samples were sent
for genome sequencing
at the Institute Of Life
Sciences (ILS), Bhu-
baneswar.
Health Services Di-
rector, Bijay Mohapatra
said that of the 23 new
Omicron cases, 19 are
male and 4 female in the
age group of 8 to 83
years.
Aditi Nagar
Meerut: Hitting out at
the previous govern-
ment in Uttar Pradesh,
Prime Minister Naren-
dra Modi on Sunday
said earlier criminals
and the mafia used to
play their games, but
now the Yogi Adity-
anath government is
playing “jail-jail” with
them.
Addressing a public
meeting after laying the
foundation stone for
the Major Dhyan Chand
Sports University in
Meerut, the Prime Min-
ister Modi said, “Dur-
ing the previous gov-
ernment, criminals
used to play their
games, the mafia used
to play its games. Ear-
lier, there were tourna-
ments of illegal
grabbing (of land).
People making bad re-
marks (‘phabtiyaan’)
on daughters used to
roam openly
.”
People living in
Meerut and adjoining
areas can never forget
how houses used to be
set ablaze, and the ear-
lier government used to
indulge in games of
criminals and the ma-
fia, he said.
The result of these
games played by earlier
governments was that
people were forced to
leave their ancestral
homes and there was
“exodus”, the Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi added.
“Now, the govern-
ment of Yogi (Adity-
anath) ji is playing ‘jail-
jail’ with such crimi-
nals. Five years ago, the
daughters of Meerut
used to fear leaving
their homes after even-
ing. Today, the daugh-
ters of Meerut are
bringing laurels to the
entire country,” PM
Modi further added.
Pak soldier
killed on LOC;
take back body,
says Army
Srinagar: The Indian
Army on Sunday asked
its Pakistani counter-
part to take back the
body of a Pak infiltra-
tor killed yesterday
while trying to cross the
Line of Control (LoC) in
the Keran sector of
J&K’s Kupwara.
A senior army officer
had said the man - iden-
tified as Mohammad
Shabir Malik - may have
been a member of the
Pakistan Army’s Bor-
der Action Team, or
BAT. A hotline commu-
nication has been made
to the Pakistan Army
from our side, asking
them to take back body
.
Economically weaker
section quota rules will
change next year: Govt
New Delhi: Existing
criteria to identify EWS
(Economically Weaker
Section) reservation
beneficiaries for admis-
sion to medical courses
across the country will
be retained for this aca-
demic year, the govern-
ment told the Supreme
Court in an affidavit
filed on Friday, details
of which emerged on
Sunday morning.
The government said
changing norms at this
time - when admissions
and allocation of col-
leges for NEET (Nation-
al Eligibility cum En-
trance Test) students
are ongoing - will lead
to complications. gov-
ernment said.
The government had
earlier argued that the
Rs 8 lakh annual in-
come criteria was con-
sistent with Articles 14,
15, 16 of Constitution.
SCHOOLS, COLLEGES CLOSED
IN WEST BENGAL FROM TODAY
JAN 5: PM MODI TO HOLD PUBLIC
RALLY IN PUNJAB’S FIROZPUR
PM MODI TO VISIT MANIPUR,
TRIPURA ON JANUARY 4
PM GETS WARM WELCOME FROM LOCALS IN MEERUT
NEW
CRITERIA
PM MODI PAYS
TRIBUTES TO
SHAHEEDS IN
MEERUT CITY
Kolkata: In view of the Omicron situation, West Ben-
gal has imposed a series of fresh coronavirus disease
(Covid-19)-related restrictions from January 3 (Monday),
under which all schools and colleges in the state will once
again shut their gates. Moreover, restrictive measures
have also been imposed on shopping malls, market com-
plexes, restaurants, and bars, wherein they will now allow
only 50 per cent of their total capacity. The restrictive
measures, on part of the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool
Congress government in West Bengal, were announced
on Sunday by the state’s chief secretary, HK Dwivedi.
Firozpur: Ahead of Punjab the Assembly elections,
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a public
rally in Firozpur district on January 5. This will be the
first rally of PM Modi in Punjab after the repeal of three
farm laws. The Prime Minister is also scheduled to in-
augurate a satellite center of the Postgraduate Institute
of Medical Education and Research (PGIMR) in Pun-
jab’s Firozpur. He is also likely to address a rally after
the event. Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi
is also likely to attend the event at PGIMR. The political
rally by PM is significance as he will be joined by ex-
Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh. Former Punjab
CM Captain Amarinder Singh and SAD (Sanyukt) leader
Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa will also take part in the rally.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit
Manipur and Tripura on January 4. According to a state-
ment issued by the Prime Minister’s Office on Sunday,
the Prime Minister will inaugurate 13 Projects worth
around Rs 1,850 crores and lay the foundation stone of
9 projects worth around Rs 2,950 crore in Manipur. He
will also inaugurate the new Integrated Terminal Build-
ing at Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport and will also launch
two key development initiatives in Tripura. Prime Minis-
ter will also dedicate 2,387 mobile towers to the people
of Manipur. He will lay the foundation stone of ‘State of
the Art Cancer Hospital’ in Imphal. Further, to boost the
Covid related infrastructure in the State, Prime Minister
will inaugurate ‘200 Bedded Covid Hospital at Kiyamgei.
Meerut: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday received a warm welcome from the peo-
ple in Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut where he will lay the foundation stone of Major Dhyan Chand
Sports University. A huge crowd, chanting ‘Modi- Modi’, was seen along the side of the
road. PM Modi accepting the greetings of the locals also waived back to the crowd while
sitting inside his car. Earlier in the day, PM Modi offered prayers at the Augurnath Temple.
The revised EWS
criteria retains the
contentious Rs 8 lakh
annual income ceiling
but excludes families
with agricultural land
of five acres or more,
irrespective of income.
CORONA CATASTROPHE
INDIA
27,553
new cases
284
new fatalities
UTTAR PRADESH
552
new cases
01
new fatalities
MESSI
TESTS
POSITIVE
 Seven-time Ballon
d’Or winner Lionel
Messi is among four
players in the Paris
Saint-Germain squad
to have tested positive
for the coronavirus
ahead of the team’s
French Cup game on
Monday night
 PSG coach Mauri-
cio Pochettino is un-
certain when Messi
will be able to return
to France, or whether
he can recover in
time to play away to
Lyon in the league
next Sunday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath wave to their
supporters during the foundation stone laying ceremony of Major Dhyan Chand Sports University.
Meerut: Prime Min-
ister Narendra Modi
paid floral tribute at
Shahid Smarak in Ut-
tar Pradesh’s Meerut
on Sunday. He was
accompanied by Uttar
Pradesh’s Governor
Anandiben Patel and
Chief Minister Yogi
Adityanath. PM Modi ar-
rived in the city today to
lay the foundation stone
of Major Dhyan Chand
Sports University. As per
an official statement is-
sued by Prime Minister’s
Office, the university
will be established at
Salawa and Kaili villages
of Sardhana town in
Meerut at an estimated
expenditure of about
Rs 700 crore. —ANI

UTTAR PRADESH
LUCKNOW | MONDAY, JANUARY 3, 2022
02
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LOCAL (TALENT) TO GO GLOBAL: PM MODI
Youtharenowwritingnewchaptersofsuccessinthefieldofsports,saidPrimeMinister
NarendraModiwhilelayingfoundationstoneof MajorDhyanChandSportsUniversity
First India Bureau
Meerut:Prime Minis-
ter Narendra Modi on
Sunday laid the foun-
dation stone of the first
sports university in
Meerut and said that it
will make local sports
talent global.
“Our government
set up the first nation-
al sports university in
Manipur and now the
first sports university
in Uttar Pradesh will
come up in Meerut.
The university is
named after hockey
icon Major Dhyan
Chand and the name
itself gives us a direc-
tion to remain fo-
cused, to keep ‘dhy-
an’,” he said.
“The Prime Minis-
ter said that earlier,
only rich families in
urban cities could ac-
cess sports training
and government were
apathetic to sportsper-
sons.
“The previous gov-
ernment was busy
playing its own games.
Criminals and mafia
were playing their
own games. The tour-
naments were for land
grabbing and people
had started migrating
from here. The Soti-
ganj market was an
example of this (The
market dealt in scrap
form stolen vehicles),”
he said.
He said that the Yogi
Adityanath govern-
ment was promoting
real games. “The new
university will be built
at a cost of Rs 700
crore. Every year, 1,000
students will graduate
from this sports uni-
versity. Students will
get facilities of inter-
national standards
and they can hone
their skills. Youth are
now writing new chap-
ters of success in the
field of sports,” he
said.
The Prime Minister
said that sportsmen
lacked respect and if
one opted for sports,
people believed that he
was doing it to get a job.
“We must create a
new culture for sports,
a new thinking and vi-
sion and youth should
have faith in sports.
The government is pro-
viding training, facili-
ties, exposure and
transparency to sport-
spersons. We will take
care of fitness and food
an sports infrastruc-
ture in the rural interi-
ors is also being devel-
oped,” the Prime Min-
ister stated.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inspects sports goods manufactured in Meerut on Sunday. He was in the city to lay the foundation stone of Major Dhyan Chand Sports University.



THINGS HAVE CHANGED (IN BJP GOVT)
Yogi govt plans to give
jobs to sports medalists
First India Bureau
Meerut: Chief Min-
ister Yogi Adity-
anath said that the
historic perfor-
mance of sports per-
sons in the Tokyo
Olympics and Tokyo
Paralympics bears
testimony to the Cen-
tral Government’s
concrete steps to pro-
mote sports in the
country
.
Expressing his
gratitude to the PM
for naming the uni-
versity after the
great hockey player
of yesteryear Major
Dhyan Chand, CM
Yogi said that the
State Government
under the guidance
of PM Modi has tak-
en significant steps
to promote sports in
the state. “We are
working on having a
playing foiield in
every village. We are
also building stadi-
ums in villages. Be-
sides, we have set up
Eklavya Sports Fund
to train and prepare
sports persons for
national and inter-
national champion-
ships”, CM Yogi re-
marked.
The Chief Minis-
ter further said that
the State Govern-
ment has also decid-
ed to give govern-
ment jobs to those
sports persons who
win medals at major
national and inter-
national events.
PM Narendra Modi, Guv Anandiben Patel, CM Yogi, Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya
with medal winning sportspersons on Sunday.
Yogi has deep-
ly condoled
death of people
in a road acci-
dent in Lakhim-
pur Kheri. He has
given instruc-
tions to provide
proper treatment
to the injured
CM Yogi has
urged people
and those between
15 -18 years to get
vaccinated and in
the vaccina-
tion drive
starting
Monday.
Yogi Speaks
Yogi Speaks
First India Bureau
Lucknow: In an at-
tempt to reach out to
youth ahead of the Ut-
tar Pradesh Assembly
polls, the BJP has
planned a series of
events to connect with
young voters.
BJYM, the party’s
youth wing, will ex-
plain to young voters
the work done by the
Narendra Modi govern-
ment and the achieve-
ments of the his gov-
ernment in the Centre.
Similarly they will be
highlighting the
achievements of the
government led by Yogi
Adityanath.
BJYM’s UP unit is or-
ganising youth confer-
ences in all the districts
to highlight the youth-
centric policies and
schemes of the Modi
and the Yogi Adity-
anath governments.
“The Uttar Pradesh
BJYM is organising
‘Yuva Sammelan’
across the state. In the
programme, the outfit
is talking about numer-
ous government
schemes that have suc-
cessfully benefitted mil-
lions of people and are
also supportive and en-
couraging for the youth.
Some of the policies are
Skill India, Startup In-
dia and Mudra loan,
among others,” a BJYM
leader said.
“Youth from all the
403 assembly constitu-
encies of Uttar Pradesh
will reach Kashi to at-
tend the youth confer-
ence. Youths from oth-
er parts of the country
will also participate in
the programme,” the
BJYM leader said.
The series of events
started from December
13, with the inaugura-
tion of Kashi Vishwa-
nath Dham Corridor,
will come to an end
with the youth confer-
ence on January 12.
PM Modi had dedicat-
ed the redeveloped
Kashi Vishwanath
temple to the nation on
December 13.
BJP Youth outreach in 403 seats to bring new voters in party fold
POLL ROLL
BJYM has planned a series of
events to connect the young voters
with UP government’s initiative
1L PLUS EXPECTED!
Elderly woman
dies protesting
First India Bureau
Agra: An elderly
woman, who was
sitting on a a stir
demanding the
construction of a
drain in the Mal-
pura police station
area of Agra, died
late on Saturday
night.
The protest,
staged by the
woman was going
on for 81 days in
the village and
was connected to
construction of
road and drains in
her locality
.
There is outrage
among the villag-
ers due to the
death of the elder-
ly woman.
On October 13,
people under the
leadership of
Savitri Devi sat on
a dharna on Sir-
auli Marg of Mal-
pura police station
area to protest
against not build-
ing a road, drain.
CONDOLING LAWYERS HAVE NO RIGHT
TO OBSTRUCT COURTS FUNCTIONING
First India Bureau
Prayagraj: The Alla-
habad High Court has
recently observed that
the Members of the Bar
are free to hold a meet-
ing to condole the de-
mise of any member or
anyone else, but they do
not have the right to ob-
struct the functioning
of Courts.
The Bench of Justice J.
J. Munir observed this
while dealing with the
affidavits filed before it
by the President and the
Secretary of Commis-
sioner Court’s Bar As-
sociation, Ayodhya ten-
dering their uncondi-
tional apology for the
repeated strikes.
Due to the repeated
strikes, the proceedings
in a case pending before
Addl Commissioner,
Faizabad (First) Ayod-
hya Division, Ayodhya
could not see any pro-
gress On December 17,
2021, the Court perused
a report filed by Addi-
tional Commissioner,
Faizabad (First) Ayod-
hya Division, in compli-
ance with the court’s
order highlighting that
the case could not be
taken up by the Com-
missioner because of
the strikes called by
members of the Bar.
—FILE
PHOTO
MASK KAHA HAI?
Despite implementation of night curfew by the government, Lucknowites are not abiding by the Covid protocols and are not
seen wearing masks. —PHOTO BY SUMIT KUMAR
Yogi: CM who has always
thought for the poor, needy
Continued from page 1
considerably more
contagious than the
first, it caused more
devastation.
The section of the
society, such as small
s h o p ke e p e r s, d a i ly
wage labourers,
rickshaw/e-rickshaw
pullers, porters, bar-
bers, washermen, cob-
blers, confectioners,
handcraft drivers,
construction workers,
fruit and vegetable
vendors, whose fami-
ly’s livelihood depend-
ed on the daily income
of its head, remained
most affected by the
pandemic.
Apart from ensur-
ing facilities such as
free vaccines, free
testing and free treat-
ment for Covid-19, the
government also en-
sured the provision of
other basic amenities
to the poor.
The workers in the or-
ganized sector were
provided maintenance
allowance twice and
workers in the unor-
ganized sector once.
Along with this, the
ration was made avail-
able twice a month,
once through the
Pradhan Mantri Garib
Kalyan Yojana and
through the Public
Distribution System,
eliminating the ration
card obligation.
In the last four and
half years, the Yogi
government has
reached out to the
poorest of the poor, to
the last man at the
bottom of the pyramid
with facilities un-
heard of.
The free ration dis-
tribution aimed at
providing food secu-
rity to the poor and
deprived in the state
through the Public
Distribution System
is a major step in this
regard.

UTTAR PRADESH
03
CRUCIAL READ
BJP JIBE AT ‘RED CAPS’ CONTINUES, NOW
PRADHAN ON TWEETING SPREE AGAINST SP
Lucknow: Union Education Minister and BJP’s Uttar
Pradesh poll in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan on
Sunday said those who wear red caps, an apparent
reference to Samajwadi Party (SP) members, are going
to get a major shock in the state assembly elections.
In a series of tweets in Hindi, Pradhan said, “Those
who had given ‘gundaraj’ are now talking about giving
free electricity. Now, Akhilesh ji is also making claims
of building the Ram temple, although everyone knows
that it was the SP that fired at devotees of Lord Ram.”
“The credibility of those beating the drum of lies is
zero. Those wearing red caps are going to get a major
shock this time again,” he added.
SI KILLED AS CAR
HITS COPS DURING
CHECKING DRIVE
Mathura: A sub-inspec-
tor was killed and three
cops were injured when
a car, allegedly owned
by a criminal, mowed
them down while they
were checking vehicles
in Mathura’s Govardhan
area. The incident took
place on Saturday and
the police said one of the
five occupants of the car,
Chandra Shekhar, 25,
was also injured.
DON’T OBSTRUCT
COURT WORK: HC
TO BAR ASSN
Prayagraj: The Alla-
habad HC observed that
Members of the Bar are
free to hold any condo-
lence meeting, but they
do not have the right to
obstruct functioning of
courts. The Bench of
Justice JJ Munir was
dealing with affidavits
by the President and
Secretary of Com-
missioner Court’s Bar
Association, Ayodhya.
First India Bureau
Lucknow: In the elec-
tion heat, UP potato is
getting hot for All-India
Majlis-e-IttehadulMusli-
meen(AIMIM)president
Assaduddin Oawaisi as
resentment is brewing
among Muslim potato
cultivators against him
in Agra-Farrukhabad
-Kannuaj belt.
Since Telangana gov-
ernment of Telangana
Rashtria Samithi (TRS)
has completely banned
import of potato from
UP
, the Muslim potato
growers, who are in
large numbers in the re-
gion have come out
against Owaisi because
AIMIM is an ally of TRS
in the state. Owaisi, vig-
orously campaigning in
UP has planned to con-
test on at least 100 Mus-
lim dominated seats, in-
cluding the “potato belt”
of the state.
The general secretary
of Aloo Utpadak Kisan
Samiti Mohammad
Alamgir,expressingcon-
cern over ban on potato
export from UP said that
“how the AIMIM could
ask for Muslim support
of this region when TRS
government, whom the
AIMIM is supporting
has banned import”. He
said Telangana govern-
ment decision has hit
hard the potato cultiva-
tors in the state.
WithUPbeingamajor
producer of potato, the
state has been sending
around 100-150 truck-
loads of the product ev-
ery day to Telangana.
Tamil Nadu, Maharash-
tra, Andhra Pradesh,
Karnataka are other
states importing huge
quantity of potato from
UP
. The potato farmers
are quite perturbed over
the decision of Telanga-
na because the next crop
is expected in Febru-
ary-March and because
of the ban they are un-
able to take out their last
year’s stock from cold
stores to create space for
new crop.
The ban has come in
effect since Telangana is
seeking to promote ex-
tensive cultivation of
potato,aspartof itscrop
diversificationplans.De-
fending his govern-
ment’sdecisionTelanga-
na’s Agriculture Minis-
ter S Niranjan Reddy
said,“The potatoes now
coming from UP are the
produceof lastyear,kept
in cold stores. Why
should we consume this
when freshly harvested
potatoesgrowninTelan-
gana are arriving at the
Rythu Bazar vegetable
marketshere?”heasked.
While the ban is not
good news for potato
growers, it has snow-
balled into major politi-
cal controversy with
AIMIM seeking Muslim
support in the state’s po-
tato belt, which is Mus-
lim dominated.
Telangana potato import ban pits UP Muslim farmers against Owaisi
PLAYING SPOILSPORT

AIMIM is an
ally of TRS in
Telangana.
Owaisi,
vigorously
campaigning in
UP, has planned
to contest on at
least 100 Muslim
dominated seats
AIMIM’s Asaduddin Owaisi is campaigning vigorously in UP.
Covid-19vaccinationdrivefor
15-18 year-oldsstartstoday
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Amidst a
spike in cases, Uttar
Pradesh is all set launch
the vaccination drive for
15-18 year-old from Mon-
day
. Both walk-in and
online registration will
be available for vaccina-
tion of children in this
age group, according to
officials.
The State has admin-
istered over 20.22 crore
vaccine doses adminis-
tered so far. Chief Minis-
ter Yogi Adityanath on
Sundayhasissueddirec-
tives to ensure complete
preparedness concern-
ing the vaccination for
15-18-year olds, frontline
workers and senior citi-
zens January 10, and
that a massive aware-
nesscampaignshouldbe
conducted for immuni-
zation of adolescents.
While reviewing the
Covid-19situationacross
the state at a high-level
meeting with the senior.
officials, the Chief Min-
ister instructed, “Suffi-
cient availability of vac-
cine doses must be en-
sured so that the drive is
carried out in a phased
and hassle-free manner
to benefit the eligible
beneficiaries.”
For districts where
the first dose coverage
still remains lower than
So percent, the CM has
asked the authorities to
prepareadetailedaction
plan and ensure 100 per
cent vaccination of
adults.Inaddition,those
who have not yet been
vaccinated should be en-
couragedtogetvaccinat-
ed as soon as possible.
Forvaccination,thegen-
eral public should also
becontactedthroughthe
CM helpline. Mean-
while, UP continues to
reach new milestones in
its Covid-19 vaccination
rollout every day
, Uttar
Pradesh has adminis-
tered the highest num-
ber of doses across the
board among States.
Over 8 per cent of the
populationhasbeenpar-
tiallyvaccinated,where-
as nearly 50 per cent of
the population has been
fully vaccinated in UP
.
In the light of the
emergence of the new
variant ‘omicron’, the
governmenthasexpedit-
ed its vaccination cover-
age in the state. The CM
has already said com-
plete vaccination has
proved to be effective in
fighting against new
variants like ‘Omicron’,
hence, the pace of the
ongoing vaccination
drive has been ramped
up. All those people who
have not taken the sec-
ond dose despite the
stipulated time on a pri-
ority basis are being
contacted.
First India Bureau
Devipatan: Upendra
Kumar Agarwal, DIG
(Devipatan Mandal) on
Sunday held a meeting
with SP Sujata Singh,
District Officers and In-
spector-in-Charge In-
spectors/SHOs of the
district to review the
preparations for the up-
coming assembly polls.
In the meeting, the
DIG instructed the offi-
cials to ensure that all
problems identified
during the physical veri-
fication of polling sta-
tions, roads leading to
them, etc. be resolved at
the earliest.
He further directed
them to ensure that all
minor disputes around
the polling areas be re-
solved at the earliest so
that major incidents are
avoided during the elec-
tion time.
The DIG during the
meeting instructed the
officials to run a special
campaign to get all the
weapon holders in the
state to deposit their
weapons and another
campaign to identify the
those who could cause
disturbance during poll
times.
He further directed
the officials to travel to
all the places assigned to
them and start a cam-
paign to take action
againstthoseinvolvedin
illegal liquor/weapons
to ensure that the up-
coming elections are
conducted in a peaceful
and safe environment.
DIG Agarwal during
the meeting directed all
the police stations to as-
sign a nodal in-charge
andinstallCCTVcamer-
as, woman helpdesk and
maintainproperrecords
of visitors to the station.
He further directed
the officers to arrest all
the criminals in the
wantedlistattheearliest
by running a special
campaign.
Thestationin-charges
were directed to make
necessary arrangement
for the stay of security
personnel who will be
travelling to the polling
stations and called for
deployment of woman
constables at each poll-
ing booth.
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Twofarmers
wereonSaturdayarrest-
ed by the Special Investi-
gation Team (SIT), in
connection with the
Lakhimpur Kheri vio-
lence of October 3, 2021.
According to sources,
the farmers were arrest-
ed in connection with
the alleged lynching of
three BJP workers
during the violence.
The two were identi-
fied as Kamaljeet Singh
(29) and Kawaljeet Singh
Sonu (35).
They had been al-
legedly hiding from the
police for nearly two
months.TheSIThadear-
lier released pictures of
a few suspects, which
included the two.
They will be produced
before a magistrate and
their remand custody
will be sought by the in-
vestigating officer.
So far, six farmers
have been arrested in
connection with the
deathof threeBJPwork-
ers. The SIT had earlier
arrested Vichitra Singh,
Gurwinder Singh, Avta-
ar Singh, and Ranjeet
Singh after they were
identified as suspects.
An FIR with charges
of murder and rioting
was initially registered
against ‘unidentified
farmers’ based on the
complaint of BJP work-
er Sumit Jaiswal, who is
a co-accused along with
Union Minister of State
for Home Ajay Mishra
Teni’s son, Ashish Mish-
ra, in connection with
the deaths of four farm-
ers and a journalist
during the violence.
The FIR filed by
Sumit didn’t mention
the deaths of the five,
who were allegedly
mowed down by
Ashish’s convoy.
ThefirstFIRrelatedto
the violence was lodged
bythepoliceonthebasis
of a complaint filed by
farmers against Ashish
and others.
The SIT arrested 13
people in that case and
termed the incident as
“planned”.
First India Bureau
Kanpur: Dearth of
CCTV cameras in Jha-
karkati bus stand poses
a big hurdle in the moni-
toring of the busy bus
stand. The bus stand,
which on average have
1,000 buses originating
from here to various cit-
ies and even states like
Rajasthan and Delhi, is
considered to be one of
the busiest but the lack
of functioning CCTV
cameras have made it a
big task in monitoring
the safety of the public.
The bus stand caters
to an average of 50,000
people who take buses to
60 cities in the state in-
cluding Prayagraj, Rae
Bareli, Gorakhpur, Gon-
da, Bahraich, Agra,
Aligarh,Varanasi,Bara-
banki and Lucknow as
well as other states.
The CCTV cameras
previouslyinstalledhave
been damaged over the
time and there has been
no proper maintenance
of the CCTV cameras.
Shopkeepers in the
bus stand following the
incident have com-
plained to the Assistant
Regional Manager about
it and demanded the in-
stallation of functional
CCTVcamerasinthebus
stand.
50% OF
POPULATION
FULLY VAXED
IN STATE
Administered in UP
TOTAL VAX DOSES
15-18 year-oldsstartstoday
20.22 CR
Along with putting preventive measures in
place, the UP govt has also ensured abun-
dant availability of medical resources. As
per the directives issued by the CM, medi-
cal arrangements have been ensured at
government and private hospitals. Over 551
oxygen plants have also become functional.
For Magh Mela in
Prayagraj set to be-
gin from Jan 14/15,
the government
has made us-
age of masks,
72-hr RT-PCR
negative report
and complete vac-
cination certificate
mandatory for all
seers, saints, and
devotees.
The Mela adminis-
tration will deploy
medical teams at
all entry points
of the campus
for strict
adherence
of covid-19
protocols. Besides,
there would be
regular testing and
checking at camps
of seers and saints.
Sufficient availability of vax
doses must be ensured so
that the drive is carried out
in a phased & hassle-free manner.
—Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister
SIT arrests two farmers for
alleged lynching of BJP workers
LAKHIMPUR KHERI VIOLENCE
SC SIT TEAM
DIG Devipatan orders arrest
of all criminals on wanted list
NO WORKING
CCTV CAMS
AT BUSY
JHAKARKATI
DIG Upendra Kumar Agarwal
DGP asks to
identify those
who can cause
disturbance
during polls
Over 70 people
donate blood in
Knp police camp
Sumit Awasthi
Kanpur: The Kan-
pur Nagar Police
Commissionerate
on Sunday held 29th
blood donation
camp out of the 34
planned blood dona-
tion camps. The
blood donation held
on Sunday at Ambi-
tion Institute for
NEET,ThanaKakdeo
was aimed at helping
children suffering
from Thalassemia.
In the blood dona-
tion camp organised
by the Kanpur Nagar
Police Commis-
sionerate, a total of 73
people donated blood
to the Helet Blood
Bank. The donors
were all felicitated by
Deputy Commission-
er of Police (West),
Kanpur Nagar BB-
GTS Murthy
.
The blood dona-
tion camp was at-
tended by Assistant
Commissioner of Po-
lice (Swaroop Nagar)
Braj Narayan, In-
spector-in-charge Ka-
kdeo Ram Kumar
Gupta and various
other personnel.
Police personnel at the blood donation camp on Sunday.
—FILE
PHOTO

PERSPECTIVE
04
l Vol 2 l Issue No. 53
l RNI NO. UPENG/2020/80229.
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 Luc-
know. Published at 98, Friend’’s
Colony, Raheem Nagar, Dudouli
Road, Madiyaon, Lucknow (UP).
Editor-In-Chief: Jagdeesh Chandra.
Editor: Vishal Srivastav
responsible for selection of news
under the PRB Act
Promoted by First India
News International Pvt. Ltd.
Piyush Goyal
@PiyushGoyal
We have to remember one more thing
related to the world of sports. The
global market for sports services and
goods is worth millions of crores.
Sports goods are exported to more
than 100 countries from Meerut itself.
Vocal is not only for Meerut local,
but also making local global: PM@
NarendraModi Ji.
Anurag Thakur
@ianuragthakur
Prime Minister @narendramodiji
keeps his promises! From spending
hours motivating our sportspersons to
interacting with them on their return
from the Olympics - he truly has been
the sportspersons PM.
SPIRITUAL SPEAK
For our struggle is not against
flesh and blood, but against the
rulers, against the authorities,
against the powers of this dark
world and against the spiritual
forces of evil in the heavenly
realms. —Bible
IN-DEPTH
ON ENVIRONMENT
CHILE SHOWS THE
WAY, TO REWRITE
CONSTITUTION
s climate change con-
tinuestothreatenour
survival, countries
party to the confer-
ence on climate
change keep protecting their
own political and national inter-
ests rather than taking substan-
tial steps to stop behaving as en-
vironment marauders. Of all the
countries it is Chile which has
decided to take a decisive step
towards protection of the envi-
ronment by asking Chileans to
rewrite the country’s 1980 consti-
tution written under the regime
of Augusto Pinochet to tackle a
“climate and ecological emer-
gency”. A committee of 155 Chil-
eans will look at issues like na-
ture having rights, how to regu-
late mines and if local communi-
ties should have a say in mining.
The interesting point before
the committee is whether nature
has rights. The Uttarakhand
High Court had in 2017 ordered
India’s lifeline, the Ganga and
Yamuna to be treated as living
entities. The order was later
stayed by the Supreme Court but
the time has come for us to give
nature some special rights.
TOP TWEETS
A
ear 2022 has start-
ed on a positive
note with Goods
and Services Tax
(GST) collections
recording a 13 percent in-
crease in December over the
corresponding period in 2020.
The gross revenue collections
remained above `1 lakh crore
for the sixth month in a row
amid signs that the economy
was on the path of recovery
.
Though a healthy indica-
tor, GST collections do not
give the complete picture.
Former chief economic ad-
viser Arvind Subramanian
pointed to other parameters
to strike a note of caution.
The former CEA has said that
the economy was emerging
out of last year’s blues so let’s
not raise a toast just yet.
“The GDP is barely back at
the pre-pandemic level and
IIP (Index of Industrial Pro-
duction) is still below pre-
pandemic level…It is far too
early to celebrate the num-
bers. They are still fairly
weak compared to the pre-
pandemic level,” he is re-
ported to have said.
Subramanian, who differs
from the government’s view
on economic growth, re-
opened the debate on GDP
growth between 2013-14 and
2018-19 which, he said, was 4
percent and not 7 percent
and called for its factual re-
assessment.
No one in the government
will be interested in giving
the previous GDP numbers a
second look as they can’t be
expected to revise the num-
ber downward.
Another aspect which the
Congress has taken up is the
high unemployment rate
which stood at 7.9 percent of
which urban youth com-
prised 9.3 percent and rural
7.2 percent. Improvement in
these numbers will reflect
only when there is buoyancy
in the key sectors of the
economy
.
GST COLLECTIONS KEEP
REVIVAL HOPES HIGH
Though a healthy
indicator, GST
collections do not give the
complete picture. Former
chief economic adviser
Arvind Subramanian
pointed to other
parameters to strike a
note of caution
Y
Importance of Value
ave you noticed that the word
“value” has become such a
buzzword of the 21st century!
Anytime you go on Google,
you witness some marketing
maven, company, blog post or
an industry guru, whipping
out this word and emphasiz-
ing how important it is to
“create value.”
We are indeed overusing
the word and it’s confusing
people, especially the young
generation. They use “Value”
in their banter with such
ubiquity that it hardly has
any meaning left.
In my 20+ years of experi-
ence, I have seen many Lead-
ers and marketing/sales pro-
fessionals attend hyped webi-
nars or a conference to only
realize that they have NO
clue of what it is, why they
are supposed to offer it, and
how to measure it!
I often see baffled, foiled,
inept people scratching their
heads and saying; “Hey,
where do I find VALUE?” As
if it is a treasure hunt! Let’s
start making more effort in
talking about what it is and
how to provide it.
In my opinion, VALUE as a
word doesn’t mean anything.
It is a placeholder, a catch-
phrase for something that is
dynamic, contextual and re-
quires an acknowledgment
from others. So when we
bring up this word in our con-
versations, we’re not offering
much insight. VALUE for one
person is different for anoth-
er and changes from a prod-
uct to a service to an idea and
an offer.
Please understand, VAL-
UE isn’t a thing; it’s an
AGREEMENT.
Identifying value starts
with looking outward. It be-
gins with a comprehensive
understanding of the other
person, group, or company
you’re looking to collaborate
with. Creating VALUE re-
quires empathy and has a
deep connotation with con-
sidering other person’s goals
and objectives. Being able to
solve, minimize and eradi-
cate the pain points of your
team and your customer is
critical to defining your VAL-
UE. Mostly the choice is be-
tween whether you can posi-
tion yourself as an asset or as
a tool in someone’s efforts to
improve their world.
Creating value is easy
when it is intrinsic. For ex-
ample, materialistic acquisi-
tions such as money, gold,
stocks, etc. have an intrinsic
value and therefore it’s easi-
er for the market to put a
price on it. However, in the
world of sales, it is not so
easy…Puzzling questions
like, What is the value of 60
minutes of someone’s time?
How do you measure the val-
ue of content writers? Why
should we pay a certain
amount to some trainers
when there are others avail-
able for much less? Deter-
mining the value of these
things makes the task even
more difficult.
In simple terms, value is
being seen as worth some-
thing; time, money, commit-
ment, support, etc. When you
expect to achieve something
in return, you’re headed in
the right direction. The more
someone will give you for
what you are offering, the
more VALUE you are provid-
ing, but it can only be estab-
lished by your power of con-
viction.
VALUES are significant in
our lives because they help
us grow and develop. They
create a road map for the fu-
ture we want to experience.
Through hundreds of deci-
sions that we make every day
,
we direct ourselves towards
a specific purpose.
Let me share a high-level
overview of the four kinds of
values that we all imbibe:
INDIVIDUAL VALUES
They are reflected in how you
show up in your life and the
principles you live by! Out-
lining the importance of
what you consider important
for your self-interest and dis-
play enthusiasm, creativity,
and humility
.
RELATIONSHIP VALUES
These are reflected in how
you relate to other people in
your life! Be it friends, family
,
or colleagues in your organi-
zation, they include open-
ness, trust, generosity, and
caring.
ORGANISATIONAL
VALUES
These are reflected in how
the organisation operates in
the world. They include fi-
nancial growth, strategic al-
liances, human resources
and social capital.
SOCIETAL VALUES
Societal values include fu-
ture generations, environ-
mental awareness, ecology,
sustainability, and how you
relate to your socio–econom-
ic status.
When the above values are
shared, they build a strong
backbone that provides im-
mense opportunities to inter-
nal as well as external stake-
holders. The true WIN is ac-
tually in knowing more about
what it is and how to create it
rather than negotiating un-
der false pretexts.
Let’s glide into the holiday
season with a profound un-
derstanding and considera-
tion. Thank you for reading
this and hope it provided
VALUE on your time.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
H
DR DIVYA JAITLY
The writer is a TEDx Speaker, Integrated
Communication Specialist, Leadership Mentor,
Public Speaking Coach, Image Consultant
Renowned TV Anchor in India.
In my opinion, VALUE as a
word doesn’t mean anything.
It is a placeholder, a
catchphrase for something
that is dynamic, contextual
and requires an
acknowledgment from others.
So when we bring up this
word in our conversations,
we’re not offering much
insight. VALUE for one
person is different for
another and changes from a
product to a service to an
idea and an offer.
We are indeed
overusing the word
and it’s confusing
people, especially the
young generation. They
use “Value” in their
banter with such ubiquity
that it hardly has any
meaning left

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INDIA
05
New Delhi: A Delhi-
based journalist has
filed a complaint with
the cyber cell of south-
eastdistrictpolice,alleg-
ing that unidentified
persons uploaded doc-
tored photos of her on a
webpage alongside ob-
jectionable comments
“aimedatinsultingMus-
limwomen”.Thiscomes
six months after police
inDelhiandNoidaregis-
tered cases in connec-
tion with photos of Mus-
lim women being up-
loaded on a Github app.
No arrests have been
madeinconnectionwith
that complaint.
DCP (south-east dis-
trict) Esha Pandey con-
firmed they have re-
ceived a complaint. “We
are looking into it and
appropriate legal action
will be taken,” she said.
Sources in the cyber
cell claimed they had
identifiedsomeaccounts
in connection with the
objectional posts, which
were deactivated follow-
ingthepolicecomplaint.
Police are trying to get
further details.
The complainant
states, “I was shocked to
find out this morning
that a website… had a
doctored picture of me
inanimproper,unaccep-
table and clearly lewd
context. I am often the
target of online trolls
and this seems to be the
next step in such harass-
ment. This needs imme-
diate action as the same
is clearly designed to
harass me and other
similarly situated inde-
pendent women and
journalists.”
She further wrote:
“The term bulli-bai it-
self seems disrespectful
and the content of this
website is clearly aimed
at insulting Muslim
women as the derogato-
ry term buli is used ex-
clusively for Muslim
women and the entire
website seems to have
been designed with the
intent of insulting Mus-
lim women. The term
bulli of the day further
objectifies and dehu-
manises women.” —PTI
SCRIBE FILES FIR ALLEGING HER
DOCTORED PICTURE UPLOADED
Several women posted screenshots of their photos with ‘lewd context’ being used on the webpage
‘Channi blaming Guv over delay
in regularisation of employees’
Amritsar: Attacking
Punjab Chief Minister
Charanjit Singh Chan-
ni, the Shiromani Akali
Dal (SAD) on Sunday
alleged that the Chief
Minister was trying to
put the blame on Gover-
nor Banwarilal Purohit
for delaying the imple-
mentation of the law to
regularise contractual
employees.
“Channi’s lies have
been caught. People
have come to know that
he is a ‘dramebaaz CM’.
He is now trying to put
the blame on the Guv to
safeguard himself from
public ire. But he’ll not
be able to escape them”,
alleged SAD leader
Prem Singh Chanduma-
jra on Sunday
.
Oxfam laments
loss of licence
New Delhi: Oxfam In-
dia on Saturday said the
govt’s decision to refuse
renewal of its FCRA li-
cence - needed to receive
funding from abroad -
will severely affect the
organisation’s ongoing
social work in 16 states.
“
As per the list released
by the MHA on Jan 1,
2022, Oxfam India’s
FCRA registration re-
newal request has been
denied... which means
thatOxfamIndiawillnot
be able to receive foreign
funds for any of its work
in India (effective imme-
diately),” the group said.
5-member SIT to probe Haridwar
Dharma Sansad hate speech
New Delhi: A five-
member special inves-
tigating team (SIT)
will probe the ex-
tremely provocative
hate speeches deliv-
ered at the Dharma
Sansad in Haridwar,
Uttarakhand, in mid-
December.
The SIT will be head-
ed by an officer of the
superintendent of po-
lice level and legal ac-
tion will be taken
against those found
guilty, said the Garhwal
deputy inspector gen-
eral, Karan Singh
Nagnyal, on Sunday
.
On Saturday, offi-
cials said two more
names — Yati Narasim-
hanand, Sindhu Sagar
— were added to an FIR
lodged in connection
with the Haridwar
event where speeches
inciting violence
against Muslims were
allegedly delivered.
New Delhi: After fury
over Muslim women be-
ing ‘auctioned’ by right-
wing extremists - for
the second time in less
than a year - IT Minis-
ter Ashwini Vaishnaw
tweeted a terse two lines
late Saturday to say the
GitHub user behind the
‘Bulli Bai’ app had been
blocked and “further
action” was being coor-
dinated. The brief mes-
sage was in response to
a plea by Shiv Sena MP
Priyanka Chaturvedi,
who yesterday tagged
Mr Vaishnaw asking
him to act against
“rampant misogyny and
communal targeting
of women”. “GitHub
(the Microsoft-owned
software-sharing plat-
form used to build and
run the ‘Bulli Bai’ app)
confirmed blocking
the user this morning
itself. CERT (Computer
Emergency Response
Team, an office within
the Ministry of Electron-
ics and Information
Technology, or MEITY)
and police authori-
ties are coordinating
further action. GitHub
confirmed blocking
the user this morning
itself. CERT and Police
authorities are coordi-
nating further action,”
Vaishnaw tweeted.
AMuslim group has approached the SC seek-
ing action against hate speeches against the
community, saying state authorities had failed to
act despite complaints. The plea by Jamiat Ula-
ma-i-Hind, through its president Maulana Syed
Mahmood Asad Madani, said “such speeches go
beyond the limits of a permitted critical denial of
another’s beliefs, and are certainly likely to incite
religious intolerance…”.
“BULLI BAI CREATOR BLOCKED”: MIN;
SENA MP SAYS MORE ACTION NEEDED
MUSLIM ORGANISATION MOVES
SUPREME COURT OVER HATE SPEECH
NAVJOT SIDHU
BATS FOR SELF
CDS CHOPPER CRASH
Probe report in January,
CIFT error likely cause
New Delhi: The probe
into last month’s heli-
copter crash in Tamil
Nadu that killed the
country’s first Chief
of Defence Staff, Gen-
eral Bipin Rawat, and
13 others is close to be-
ing complete and the
final report is expected
to be submitted to the
Air Force Chief in Jan-
uary, Defence sources
told.
There is no official
word from the Air
Force on the probe’s
findings so far. Sources
suggested that the like-
ly cause is not human
or technical error but
what is known as Con-
trolled Flight into Ter-
rain (CIFT), when the
pilot unintentionally
hits a surface.
CIFT means the heli-
copter was airworthy
and the pilot was not at
fault, sources said. In
this case, reduced vis-
ibility because of bad
weather in the Coonoor
area, where the crash
occurred, could be one
of the causes, they
said. CIFT is one of the
main causes of air-
craft crashes globally.
Air Force officials
said the final report
will shed light on the
details of the accident.
The tri-services
court of inquiry is
headed by Air Marshal
Manvendra Singh, who
is the country’s top
helicopter pilot in the
armed forces.
New Delhi: The Air
Force’s inquiry into
the chopper crash that
killed CDS General Bipin
Rawat, his wife and 11
armed forces personnel
is almost complete and
will be submitted soon,
sources. Neither the Air
Force nor the govt has
made any statement
yet on the probe or its
report, but sources indi-
cate that reduced visibil-
ity due to bad weather
may have contributed
to the crash. There has
also been no statement
or explanation so far on
whether pilot-error was
the underlying cause of
the accident or whether
rules for operating
within clouds in hilly
areas were disregarded.
Sources also said the
inquiry ruled out any
possibility of technical
errors or mechanical
defects.
BAD WEATHER LIKELY FACTOR IN GEN
RAWAT’S CHOPPER CRASH: SOURCES
BSF on alert at border areas
ahead of Modi’s visit to Tripura
Agartala: Security has
been tightened at the
India-Bangladesh bor-
der ahead of Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi’s visit to Tripura
on January 4, con-
firmed the Border Secu-
rity Force (BSF) on Sat-
urday
.
While speaking to
media, BSF Comman-
dant Ratnesh Kumar,
120 Battalions, said that
whenever there is VVIP
movement near border
areas, alertness is usu-
ally increased to ensure
there is no untoward
incident. “We have also
increased patrolling
along the border,” he
added.It should be not-
ed that PM Modi is slat-
ed to visit the north-
eastern state on Janu-
ary 4 and inaugurate a
new terminal building
atMaharajaBirBikram
Airport in Agartala.
P’’itching himself as a
chief ministerial can-
didate, Punjab Congress
president Navjot Singh
Sidhu Saturday said the
people of the state are
looking for a leader who
will show them hope and
give a concrete road map.
“I believe that the ‘Punjab
Model’ is the answer to
it,” Sidhu said. He has
been claiming that he had
developed a ‘Punjab Model’
which is cure-all for the
state’s financial problems.
New Delhi: NCP lead-
er state cabinet min-
ister Nawab Malik on
Sunday criticised the
NCB for appealing
against the bail of his
son-In-law, Sameer
Khan, who was earlier
arrested in a drug case.
“The main accused
in the drug case is
Karan Sajnani. How-
ever, they have gone to
the HC to cancel the
bail of Sameer Khan,
just because he is my
son-in-law. They are
trying to scare me. But
I’ll not get scared and
will keep exposing the
wrongdoings,” Malik
said.
Malik releases two audio clips
with ‘proof’ of NCB wrongdoings
MALIK MAKES
NEW ALLEGATIONS
Maharashtra Minister
and NCP leader
Nawab Malik on Sunday
alleged that some
influential BJP leaders
from Maha are lobbying
for NCB zonal director
Sameer Wankhede at
the level of Union Home
Ministry for the further
extension of his tenure,
which came to end on
December 31 last year.
Image for representational purpose only.
Prem Singh Chandumajra
Rakesh Ranjan
New Delhi: The Su-
preme Court will sing
Auld Lang Syne for
eight judges this year
including the Chief Jus-
tice of India NV Rama-
na even before 2022 runs
its course. And yet, it’s
not clear how the Su-
preme Court Collegium
and the government
plan to fill the vacancies
to arise during the
course of 2022.
While CJI Ramana is
scheduled to step down
on August 27, 2022, his
likely successor in
terms of seniority Jus-
tice UU Lalit may have
just a little over two
months before he too re-
tires on November 8. If
the next senior judge DY
Chandrachud is ap-
pointed the Chief Jus-
tice of India after Jus-
tice Lalit, he will have a
good two-year term till
November 10, 2024.
According to the re-
tirement schedule, Jus-
tice Lalit will be the last
one to retire and his de-
parturewill bepreceded
by seven judges includ-
ing the CJI.
The first on the list of
retirement is Justice R
Subhash Reddy who
will step down tomor-
row i.e. 04.01.2022.
Justice Vineet Saran
will follow him as he
will retire on May 10
whereas Justice L
Nageshwar Rao will re-
tire on June 7. Justice
AM Khanwilkar will re-
tire on July 29 to be fol-
lowed by Justice Indira
Banerjee on September
23 and Justice Hemant
Gupta on October 16.
It may be underlined
that out of 34, the total
sanctioned posts of
judges, one post is al-
ready vacant.
It is stressed that to
maintain the dignity
and efficiency of the Su-
preme Court, it’s vital
that the scheduled va-
cancies are filled as
soon as they arise.
About 70,000 cases are
said to have been pend-
ing in the SC. This is
despite the fact that a
record 1.5 lakh cases
were heard via video
conferencing in 2021 af-
ter the virtual hearing
started post-March 2020.
Already, the dignity
of the judicial system
has suffered a huge
blow because of the
backlog of cases run-
ning into crores.
About 37% vacancies
of judgesinHighCourts
and over 20% in district
courts has considerably
slowed down the admin-
istered justice system
that is seen to be already
mired down by too
many deficiencies.
It is reported that
about 56 lakh cases are
pending in High Courts.
The rising pendency of
cases has touched the 5.7
croresmarkwithdistrict
courtsaccountingforthe
bulk of these cases. The
latter can’t be entirely
pinned down for the de-
laysasoutof 24,247sanc-
tionedposts,thesecourts
have 4,928 posts vacant.
Will retirement of eight SC judges in 2022 see smooth succession?
IN THE COURT
FACTFILE

z 56 lakh cases are
pending in High Courts.

z 5.7 crore is pendency
of cases with district
courts accounting for
most cases

z Out of 24,247 sanc-
tioned posts, dist courts
have 4,928 posts vacant
The‘passive-politician’
RahulGandhireturns!
Mahesh Sharma
New Delhi: Mamta Ba-
nerjee made scathing
remarks about Rahul
Gandhi during her
Mumbai tour and re-
marked as to what poli-
tics can be done with a
leader who stays abroad
all the time. Thereafter
Congress leaders be-
came extremely furious
while several leaders
stressed on how much
time Rahul is now de-
voting in domestic poli-
tics. But Rahul has gone
abroad again, and at a
crucial juncture too,
since elections of five
statescanbeannounced
anytime. At this time
BJP leaders are holding
rallies after rallies. PM
Narendra Modi and Un-
ion Home Minister
Amit Shah have thrown
themselves into the poll
campaign. Even leaders
of regional parties are
engaged but the Gandhi
scion chose to go on a
foreign tour.
He had returned from
a long foreign tour just
before the winter ses-
sion of Parliament.
Now by going abroad
again, he has made peo-
ple realize his serious-
ness. These days, prepa-
rations are on for elec-
tions and the third wave
of Corona is about to
come, therefore, how
can a serious and sensi-
tive politician go on a
foreign tour at such a
time?
The Prime Minister
has cancelled his visit
to the UAE, which was
scheduled for January
6, to mark 50 years of
India-UAE ties but Ra-
hul has gone abroad for
a holiday. There is cur-
rently a fifth wave of
corona in Europe and
international flights
are being stopped in
view of the third wave
in India. What if there
is a complete lockdown?
Will Rahul Gandhi be
taken out of a ship and
brought to India under
Vande Bharat Mission?
The number of ques-
tions raised by the BJP
leaders on his move will
be further picked up by
the leaders of the oppo-
sition parties.
Rahul Gandhi
Supreme Court of India
Nawab Malik

INDIA
06
We have put
up a strong
fight against
Covid earlier and
this learning must
be used to re-focus on
efforts against the
Omicron variant.
We must focus on
planning with re-
gard to the 15-18 age
group vaccination
and precautionary
doses for eligible
beneficiaries.
—Mansukh Mandaviya,
Union Health Minister
New Delhi: Congress
leader Rahul Gandhi on
Sunday called upon
people to raise their
voice against insult of
women and communal
hatred and said it was
time to speak up against
the menace.
His comments on
Twitter came amid out-
rage by netizens and
women rights groups
over the dodgy ‘Bulli
Bai’ app that has listed
Muslim women for
“auction”. Hundreds of
Muslim women, with
photographs, were list-
ed for “auction” on the
app. It has happened for
the second time in less
than a year. The app ap-
peared to be a clone of
Sulli Deals which trig-
gered a row last year.
“The insult of wom-
en and communal ha-
tred will stop only when
we stand against it in
one voice. The year has
changed, the situation
should also change. It is
time to speak up,” Gan-
dhi tweeted using the
hashtag ‘no fear’.
After photographs of
at least 100 influential
Muslim women were
uploaded for auction on
the app sparking wide-
spread outrage, IT Min-
ister Ashwini
Vaishnaw said GitHub,
the hosting platform,
has confirmed block-
ing user and that CERT
police are coordinat-
ing further action. The
minister did not elabo-
rate on the action be-
ing taken. —ANI
‘Time to speak up against insult of women’ Probe panel urges citizens
to share info on incident
Katra: Divisional Com-
missioner Jammu Ra-
ghav Langer, probing
Mata Vaishno Devi
stampede incident that
claimed the lives of 12
pilgrims on Saturday,
has issued a public no-
tice stating that those
desiring to submit any
evidence or facts may
appear before the en-
quiry committee either
online or in-person by
January 5. J-K govt or-
dered a high-level probe
headed by Principal
Secretary (Home). —ANI
CRUCIAL READ
PARL PANEL TO CHECK
MARRIAGE AGE BILL
HAS ONE WOMAN
MEMBER OUT OF 31!
NADDA TO VISIT WB
ON JANUARY 9 TO
STRENGTHEN PARTY:
SOUMITRA KHAN
WOMEN CONSTABLES
TO CHECK ON WOMEN
SMUGGLERS AT INDO-
BANGLA BORDER NOW
OBC QUOTA STIR:
BHIM ARMY CHIEF,
OTHERS DETAINED IN
MP CAPITAL
New Delhi: Parl panel
assigned to examine
landmark bill which
seeks to raise legal age
of marriage for women
to 21 has only 1 woman
MP out of 31 members.
Prohibition of Child
Marriage Bill, which will
have wider influence
over society especially
females, was introduced
in LS during winter ses-
sion and referred to Parl
Standing Committee on
Edu, Women, Children,
Youth and Sports.
New Delhi: Days after
WB BJP underwent
major organizational
changes, party MP Sou-
mitra Khan on Sunday
informed that party
national president JP
Nadda will visit state on
January 9 to strengthen
and guide state party
leaders. Alleging that
WB CM Mamata
Banerjee is destroying
democracy in state,
Khan asserted that BJP
will make WB ‘Sonar
Bangla’ again.
New Delhi: In order
to enhance patrolling
on India-Bangladesh
border, female consta-
bles have been deployed
to frisk women who
cross over border are
suspected to be involved
in smuggling illegal
substances into India,
informed BSF official.
“This is starting point
of India-B’desh border.
There is a village on that
side of border which
partly belongs to India,”
said BSF Constable.
Bhopal: Bhim Army
chief Chandrashekhar
Azad a dozen other
people were detained on
Sunday ahead of their
plans to gherao (en-
circle) MP CM Shivraj
Chouhan’s residence to
seek 27% reservation
for OBC, police said.
Azad was detained at
airport along with 12 to
13 people, though exact
number of detainees
will be known by late
evening, police commis-
sioner Makarand said.
ARMY CHOPPER MAKES EMERGENCY
LANDING IN JIND DUE TO TECH FAULT
New Delhi: An Army helicopter, on Sunday,
had made an emergency landing in Haryana’s
Jind due to a technical
fault. The chopper was
on its way from Punjab’s
Bathinda to Delhi. The
emergency landing was
made due to a techni-
cal glitch which is being repaired and it will be
flown back to Bhatinda. According to Indian
Army Officials, an Indian Army ALH Dhruv was
on its way from Bathinda to Delhi, made an
emergency landing in a village in Jind. “The
chopper has now been repaired and it has flown
back to Bathinda. The chopper landed back in
Bathinda at 5:30 pm,” the official said. —ANI
BENGAL NEWS UPDATE
On TMC anniv, Didi vows to
strengthen federal structure
Kolkata: WB CM
Mamata Banerjee,
while congratulated
TMC workers on the
party’s foundation day,
todayvowedtostrength-
en the federal structure
of the country. This
could be aimed at bring-
ing together various
regional parties for a
united fight against the
BJP in 2024 under her
stewardship. “I extend
my best wishes to our
workers, supporters
and members of the
Maa-Mati-Manush fam-
ily
. Our journey began
on January 1, 1998,
and since then we have
been committed in our
efforts towards serving
people,” she tweeted.
“As we step into yet an-
other year, ...let us work
towards strengthening
the federal struc-
ture of this na-
tion,” she wrote
on microblog-
ging site. —ANI
RAHUL GANDHI SLAMS CENTRE
POLL PROMISE FOR GOAN YOUTH
Panaji: The alliance of TMC and MGP on Sunday
announced ‘Yuva Shakti Card’, its second major
promise ahead of the assembly elections. The
scheme targeting Goan youth aged between 18 and
45 provides credit of Rs 20 lakh at 4 per cent inter-
est with the government as the guarantor. Announc-
ing the scheme on Sunday, Goa TMC leader Kiran
Kandolkar said that youth made up for nearly half of
the state’s population. “The population between age
group of 18 to 45 in Goa is 7.5 lakh. A lot of
times they cannot pursue higher edu be-
cause fin condition of their parents is
not very good. In this scheme govt
will be the guarantor,” he said.
TRIPURA GOVT CANCELS ABHISHEK’S PROGRAMME
Agartala: Tripura govt
on Sunday cancelled LS
MP and TMC National
Gen Secy Abhishek
Banerjee’s program
at Baramura eco-park,
stating that no prior
permission was taken.
In a letter from police,
Teliamura to DG secu-
rity WB, Tripura govt in-
formed, “On 02.01,2022
Lam Phiyoknai Trust
have already taken
permission from SDFO,
Teliarnura to organ-
ize a programme in
front of Haithai Kotor
Cafeteria where Minister
of Tripura Mebar K
Jamatia will attend in
the said programme
and even there is no
prior permission from
appropriate authority to
organize a programme
at Baramura Ecological
Park by Banarjee, LS
MP on 02.01.2022.”
JUDGEMENTAL
VIEW TAKEN ON
SUVENDU: GUV
GNF denounces
extension
of AFSPA
Kohima: An organisa-
tion that works for the
rights of the Naga peo-
ple globally has de-
nounced extension of
the Armed Forces (Spe-
cial Powers) Act (AFS-
PA) in Nagaland, days
after the death of 14
civilians by security
forces.
The demand for with-
drawing the AFSPA was
raised by several quar-
ters following the kill-
ing of 14 civilians by
army para-commandos
in Oting area of Mon
district of the Noirth-
eastern state in a
botched up operation
and its aftermath on De-
cember 4 and 5.
The leaders of state
governments in region,
including Nagaland,
Meghalaya Manipur
have appealed for the
removal of AFSPA. The
people and civil society
of the region have long
wanted AFSPA re-
pealed, Global Naga Fo-
rum (GNF) said in an
open letter to PM Nar-
endra Modi. —ANI
Kolkata: WB Governor
Jagdeep Dhankhar on
Sunday asked state govt
to inform him on whose
order a “judgemental
view” was taken on
communication by LoP
Suvendu Adhikari over
selection of state’s Lok-
ayukta. Adhikari was not
present in the meeting of
committee on Dec 27.
Governor West Ben-
gal Jagdeep Dhankhar
@jdhankhar1
As the communication
of Leader of Opposi-
tion @SuvenduWB, a
member of committee
for appointment #Lok-
ayukta, was apparently
determined without ref-
erence to the Commit-
tee, Governor has raised
issues for response @
MamataOfficial
Union Health Minister brought attention of States,UTs to fact that collectively they have only
used just over 17% of available approved funds under Emergency Covid-19 Response Package
New Delhi: Union
Health Minister Man-
sukh Mandaviya on
Sunday interacted
with State Health Min-
isters, Principal Secre-
taries, Additional
Chief Secretaries of
States/UTs and re-
viewed the public
health preparedness to
Covid-19 and national
Covid-19 vaccination,
informed the MoHFW.
The meeting was
held in view of the ris-
ing cases of the Omi-
cron variant and the
recent decisions to roll
out vaccination for the
age group 15-18 years
and precautionary
dose for identified vul-
nerable categories.
The Union Health
Minister noted at the
very outset that glob-
ally, countries are ex-
periencing 3-4 times
the surge in Covid-19
cases in comparison to
their earlier peaks.
The Omicron variant
being highly transmis-
sible, a high surge in
the case can over-
whelm the medical
system. —ANI
KEY HIGHLIGHTS

z Media reports claiming India
missed Covid-19 vaccination targets
‘misleading’: Union Health Ministry

z Haryana implements new norms,
applicable till Jan 12

z Delhi collects Rs 99 lakh for
Covid violations on Jan 1

z 85 school children test Covid-19
positive in Nainital

z Glenn McGrath tests positive

z Over 3.5 lakh kids in 15-18 age
group register on CoWin

z Mata Vaishno Devi University
closed after 13 students test positive

z Over 19.81 cr vaccine doses avail-
able with States, UTs, says Centre

z Assam reports 150 new cases

z Odisha reports 23 Omicron cases

z Pakistan confirms 594 new cases

z Russia registers 18,233 new cases

z New Zealand detects 2 new cases

z India’s vaccination programme one
of world’s most successful, says Govt
Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya reviews Public Health Preparedness to Covid-19 and
National Vaccination Progress with the States and the Union Territories in New Delhi on Sunday.
MANDAVIYA REVIEWS PUBLIC HEALTH
PREPAREDNESS WITH STATES,UTs
SONIA GANDHI SPEAKS TO BAGHEL,
TAKES STOCK OF COVID IN C’GARH
New Delhi: Congress
interim president Sonia
Gandhi on Sunday
spoke to Chhattisgarh
CM Bhupesh Baghel to
take stock of Covid-19
and Omicron situation in
state, said sources. The
2 Congress leaders held
a detailed discussion
over the possibility of
a 3rd wave of Covid-19
and its variant Omicron.
CM assured the Con-
gress interim chief that
Chhattisgarh is fully
prepared to deal with
any such eventuality.
Srinagar: Lieuten-
ant Governor of JK,
Manoj Sinha on Sun-
day chaired a high-lev-
el meeting with Covid
Task Force, DCs, and
SPs to review Covid-19
status, vaccination
for 15-18 age group
and preparedness of
health infrastructure
across the UT. As per
an official statement,
in view of new variant
Omicron and rise in
cases across country,
administration has
been asked to ensure
the functioning of
oxygen plants, avail-
ability of requisite
medicines, audit of
ICU and Oxygen sup-
ported beds across all
UT’s hospitals. “DCs
and Health officials to
ensure infrastructure
beginning from the
Panchayat Level are
strengthened and
optimally utilized,”
statement read.
Abu Dhabi: UAE has
announced a travel ban
on citizens unvacci-
nated with COVID-19
vaccines from January
10 with a requirement
to obtain the booster
dose for the fully vac-
cinated. The country’s
National Emergency
Crisis and Disaster
Management Author-
ity said in a tweet on
Saturday. However,
authority has said it
would not be applicable
for those medically ex-
empted from taking the
vaccine, humanitarian
and treatment cases.
J-K LG CHAIRS HIGH-LEVEL
MEETING ON COVID SITUATION
UAE: Travel ban from Jan 10 on
citizens unjabbed with Covid vax
SURGE: VIRTUAL
HEARINGS IN SC
FROM JAN 3
New Delhi: Amid rise in
Omicron cases in national
capital, the SC of India
has decided to shift to the
virtual system of hearing
starting January 3 till 2
weeks. A circular issued
by top court said physi-
cal hearings before the
court stands suspended
for two weeks and shall
be through virtual mode
only. New Delhi on Sun-
day reported 3,194 fresh
coronavirus cases.
JK Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha chairs a high-level
meeting with the Covid Task Force, DCs and SPs to review
Covid-19 status in Srinagar on Sunday.
Rahul Gandhi
Devotees stand in a queue on way
to Mata Vaishno Devi in Reasi.
VAISHNO DEVI STAMPEDE
Mamata Banerjee

NEWS
07
RIPPLES IN
POLITICAL
CIRCLES?
Kanpur is in the headlines
these days, after the recovery
of humungous cash reportedly
aggregating to over Rs 200 crore
from the premises of Kanpur
businessman Piyush Jain by
GST authorities. Recently, in
Kanpur, a group of officers
looking for black money reached
Kanpur only to witness walls
coughing up currency notes. Bad
luck descended in a nearby town
whose famous aroma is known
all over the world. Though about
this small town of Kannauj, some
people from another part of the
country may not have heard of
but here a manufacturer of
perfume on the theme of ‘one
district one personality’ has
brought the city into the
limelight.The team of officers
who arrived in search of black
money succeeded in recovering
cash worth crores, which created
ripple political circles of Uttar
Pradesh.And why not ripples be
created in political circles as
some see it as a political profit
and some a political loss. Amidst
all this political upheaval, the
morale of the team of officers
searching for black money has
increased so much that now
other rich people are also under
their radar.
—Sumit Awasthi
TWO POLICE
CONSTABLES
CAUGHT FOR
STEALING
VEHICLES
In a shocking case, two police
constables who were running a
racket of stealing vehicles along
with the thieves were themselves
caught by their own police team,
which has left the officers
surprised. There was a possibility
of suspension of both the
constables till late at night when
they were being investigated.
As per sources, both of these
policemen were using a stolen
vehicle, and on receiving
information about the same, the
Kotwali police took both the
constables into custody. The
sources in the department further
informed that since the matter
was related to the Police
department, efforts to hush -up
the case had started. The stolen
vehicle was taken from a thief
gang. Although this is not a new
thing, even before this the police
have been caught cops using
stolen vehicles. In the past, the
then SO of Bithoor police station
was also accused of using a
stolen vehicle..
—First India Bureau
BJP targeting minority Jain community: Akhilesh
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Samajwadi
Party chief Akhilesh
Yadav on Sunday al-
leged that the ruling
BJP is targeting the mi-
nority Jain community
and does not want it to
prosper.
The former Uttar
Pradesh chief minister
said this referring to
central agencies’ raids
on the premises of two
perfume traders in the
state recently
. Both trad-
ers--Piyush Jain and
Pushpraj Jain--belong
to the community Push-
praj Jain is also a Sam-
ajwadi Party (SP) MLC.
Embarking on 10th
leg of the Samajwadi
Vijay Yatra here after
paying obeisance to
Lord Parshuram at a
temple, Yadav said,
“The BJP is not only
the enemy of develop-
ment but also of mi-
norities.”
Referring to the raids
on perfume traders in
Kanpur and Kannauj,
Yadav said, “These peo-
ple are being raided as
the people of Jain com-
munity are in minority
.
These people (BJP) do
not want the people
from the Jain commu-
nity to prosper.”
He claimed that the
money recovered
during a raid in Kan-
pur (on premises of Pi-
yush Jain) was that of
the BJP.
The money kept “in-
side the walls” and
counted belonged to
the BJP, he alleged.
Yadav claimed that
the BJP in order to
avoid getting itself de-
famed and justify its
wrong decisions is
pointing a finger at the
SP, in an apparent ref-
erence to party MLC
and perfume trader
Pushpraj Jain.
The Finance Minis-
try had said Rs 177
crore was recovered
from Piyush Jain’s
premises in Kanpur
and it was the “biggest
ever seizure of cash” by
an enforcement agency
.
BJP leaders have
sought to link Piyush
Jain with the SP, claim-
ing he had launched
the “Samajwadi Attar”
(perfume)’ with Ya-
dav’s support recently.
Samajwadi Party
president Akhilesh Ya-
dav on Tuesday cate-
gorically denied any
links between his par-
ty and Piyush Jain,
and mockingly said the
BJP got “its own busi-
nessman” raided “by
mistake”.
SP President Akhilesh Yadav unveiled a grand statue of Parashuram at Mahura Kalan on the banks
of Purvanchal Expressway in Lucknow on Sunday —PHOTO BY SUMIT KUMAR
Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow rally
slammed BJP and alleged that
the money recovered during the
raids actually belonged to BJP
MAMMOTH CROWDS
First India Bureau
Bundelkhand: Bun-
delkhand’s ‘Jal Sahelis’
(friends of water) -- a
group of women work-
ing for water conserva-
tion and revival of
ponds in the Bun-
delkhand region -- have
asked all political par-
ties to include water
conservation, revival
of water bodies, demar-
cation of water struc-
tures, allotment of land
and houses to the land-
less besides proper im-
plementation of MGN-
REGA scheme, in their
manifestos for the up-
coming UP assembly
polls. The Jal Sahelis
have already handed
over their ‘water mani-
festo’ to heads of all
political parties.
Shivani Singh, state
coordinator of ‘Jal Jan
Jodo Abhiyan’, told
IANS, “The geographi-
cal location of Bun-
delkhand region is dif-
ferent in Uttar Pradesh.
Spread in the hilly ter-
rain, the region is
drought-prone. A few
years back, the area
was in the grip of
drought for a decade
and people had to mi-
grate in search of live-
lihood and water. The
1.3 crore people resid-
ing in the region de-
pend on agriculture for
livelihood. Around 40
to 50 per cent of the
population has to mi-
grate to cities and oth-
er states in search of
jobs.” She further said
that ‘Jal Sahelis’ want
to draw the attention of
political parties to-
wards the issues and
problems faced by the
people residing in the
seven districts of Bun-
delkhand region --
Jhansi, Lalitpur, Ja-
laun, Hamirpur, Maho-
ba, Banda and Chitra-
koot. “The political
parties should address
the issue and include
the demands of the peo-
ple in their election
manifesto for the 2022
UP assembly elec-
tions,” she said.
Sanjay Singh, na-
tional convener, “Jal
Jan Jodo Abhiyan”,
said, “Along with water
conservation, the is-
sues of unemployment,
environment, tourism,
art and culture have
been included in the
public manifesto. The
people of Bundelkhand
region have demanded
formation of a Pond
Conservation Authori-
ty to deal with water
crisis and protection of
water bodies. Each per-
son should get 55 litre
pure drinking water
per month.
First India Bureau
Lucknow: The UP Con-
gress today announced
to launch one-day agita-
tion against Sahara In-
dia Group on January 4
for the failure of the
company to make pay-
ment of the poor people
after maturity of their
deposits. The Congress
said the Yogi Aditya-
nath government has
been maintaining stoic
silence on the issue. Ad-
dressing press confer-
ence here on Sunday the
UPCC president Ajay
Kumar Lallu said the
party would launch agi-
tation on the issue. Lal-
lu said not only Yogi
government but the op-
position parties like Sa-
majwadi Party and BSP
should also clarify their
stand on the issue. He
said poor people who
had invested their hard
earned money on the
company had failed to
get it back after the com-
pletion of the maturity
period of their deposits.
Lallu said the company
had cheated the large
number of poor people
in the state and the Con-
gress would not be si-
lent on the issue.
Bundelkhand water activists
insist on ‘Water Manifesto’
—FILE PHOTO
Participation of the
voluntary organisations
in MGNREGA should be
encouraged. The state
govt should appoint a
retired judge for hearing
the cases associated
with the MGNREGA
and women should also
get farming and land
ownership rights.” The
Jal Sahelis said that be-
fore elections, political
parties make prom-
ises to the people of
Bundelkhand region to
redress their grievances
but after polls, they
forget about the issues.
CASES RELATED
TO MGNREGA
Kejriwal launches AAP’s UP poll campaign from Lko
First India Bureau
Lucknow: The Aam
Aadmi Party (AAP) on
Sunday launched elec-
tion campaign for the
upcoming UP assem-
bly elections with a
rally in Lucknow. Ad-
dressing the rally, Del-
hi Chief Minister
Arvind Kejriwal kept
his speech simple,
straight and short.
He did not talk about
caste, community and
crime. Instead, he
spoke about schools,
hospitals and free elec-
tricity. “If you want
free electricity
, vote for
us otherwise you can
vote for Yogi ji. If you
want good hospitals
and schools, vote for us
or else you can vote for
Yogi ji,” he said.
He further said that
when Delhi deputy
chief minister Manish
Sisodia spoke about
improvement in our
schools, he was chal-
lenged by UP educa-
tion minister to see the
schools in UP. “But
when Sisodia came
here, he was stopped
by the police from vis-
iting any school. I now
invite Yogi ji to visit
our schools in Delhi,”
he said. Talking about
Ayodhya, Kejriwal
said that he had visit-
ed the holy city recent-
ly and was slammed by
the BJP. “I do not
know what wrong I
did. After going back
to Delhi, I sent two
trains full of people to
visit Ayodhya and the
trips were free. If we
form government
here, I will do the same
for you,” he said.
He said that the peo-
ple of Uttar Pradesh
have given a chance to
the SP, the BSP, the
BJP and the Congress..
“Give us one chance
and if we do not work
properly, I will not ask
you for another
chance,” he stated.
Arvind Kejriwal waves to supporters at Rozgar Guarantee
Rally, at Smriti Upvan Maidan, in Lucknow on Sunday.
UPCC to launch stir
against Sahara India to
recover people’s money
Parents in UP wary of
sending kids to school
First India Bureau
Lucknow: With the
continued surged in
the number of new
Covid-19 cases in Ut-
tar Pradesh, parents
are now wary of send-
ing their children
back to school. “My
son’s life matters to
me more than his edu-
cation. I have decided
not to send my son to
school when they re-
open on January 17.
We face many prob-
lems in online teach-
ing but we will still not
send our child to
school,” said Ruchi
Arora, a young moth-
er. She said that her
eight-year-old son who
studiesinClassIIIcan-
not be expected to fol-
low Covid protocols.
“Children play with
each other, share their
tiffin and do not use
sanitizers regularly
. In
fact, they wear the
mask only when the
teachers say so. How
can we take chances in
such a situation?” she
asked.Parentsarealso
concerned because
most children use bus-
esorrickshawstogoto
school. “There are
multiple children in
rickshaws and school
buses. Sanitization is
not done properly and
there is no supervisor
either. We cannot af-
ford to drop and pick
up the child in our car
because petrol prices
have gone up.
Theriskistherefore
greater,” said Sunita
Kapoor, a mother of
three in Prayagraj.
Most schools in the
state, have now decid-
ed to continue in hy-
brid mode when
schools reopen. “Over
the past few days, the
attendancehasdipped.
Parents having chil-
drenin15-18agegroup
are eagerly waiting for
the vaccination of
their wards before
they send them to
school.Wewillresume
online classes till the
situation eases.”
—REPRESENTATIONAL IMAGE
—PHOTO
BY
ANI

08
2NDFRONT
You can always choose to
change but at the beginning of a
year it is easier - do it!
—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO Editor-in-Chief, First India
EK GARAM CHAI KI PYAALI HO!
Girls relish tea on a chilly Sunday morning at Bada Imambara in Lucknow. —PHOTO BY SUMIT KUMAR
CRIMINAL-POLITICIAN NEXUS
INGRAINED IN UP’S POLITY
Gyanendra Kumar Shukla
Lucknow: The nexus
of crime and politics
has a deep rooted his-
tory in UP. Recently,
the BSP supremo’s di-
rection to the party of-
ficials to take an affida-
vit of no-criminal
background from the
ticket seekers has
sparked a debate about
the criminalization of
politics. After the Yogi
govt tightened the
noose, Mayawati may
have also distanced
herself from the ma-
fia-turned-politician
Mukhtar Ansari.
But in the past the
BSP has had a deep re-
lationship with the
Ansari family.
Mukhtar Ansari,
lodged in Banda jail,
became BSP MLA from
Mau while his brother
Afzal Ansari is BSP
MP from Ghazipur
parliamentary seat.
According to political
analyst Pawan Upad-
hyay , “Even though
the BSP chief is seem-
ingly shunning of
tainted candidates,
her party has regular-
ly fielded candidates
with tainted back-
ground”. The Associa-
tion of Democratic Re-
forms report ratifies
this view point. As in
the 2017 assembly elec-
tions, Most of the can-
didates with a tainted
image were fielded by
the BSP. 150 of its 400
candidates had crimi-
nal antecedents. Of
these, 123 had serious
criminal cases regis-
tered against them.
Even in 2007, when
the BSP came to power
with a majority, it had
fielded 131 candidates
with criminal records,
out of which 63 won
and became MLAs.
Many of whom were
accused in serious cas-
es like murder, rape,
dacoity, rioting and
kidnapping. However,
in the state with the
largest population of
the country, no politi-
cal party is untouched
by the leaders of the
tainted image. out of
143 MLAs of the cur-
rent 17th legislative
Assembly, against
whom cases were reg-
istered, 105 MLAs were
booked under serious
cases like murders,
molestation and mis-
appropriation. These
included 114 MLAs of
BJP, 14 of SP, five of
BSP and one from
Cong. Whereas, out of
80 MPs who won in the
2019 Lok Sabha elec-
tions, 44 had criminal
cases registered
against them, includ-
ing 35 from BJP, 5 from
BSP and 2 from SP.
Mayawati has
now distanced
herself from
Ansari
BSP president Mayawati (L) Mafia-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari (R)
PENDING COURT
CASES FOR 20 YRS
Among the MLAs
against whom cases
are pending in the
court for more than 20
years, the name of BJP
Member of the Legisla-
tive Assembly(MLA)
Ramashankar Singh
from Mirzapur’s Madi-
han area is on the top.
Mau which is located
in the eastern part of
Uttar Pradesh Member
of the Legislative As-
sembly (MLA) Mukhtar
Ansari is at number
two and Ashok Kumar
Rana, BJP MLA from
Dhampur in Bijnor is
at number three. A
total of 63( Sixty three)
criminal cases are
pending against 32
(Thirty two) MLAs for
a period of ten years
or more.
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Eying the
upcoming assembly
polls in UP this year,
the four-member com-
mittee constituted by
the BJP on December
26 to woo Brahmin vot-
ers of the state within
a target of 25 days, has
reached out to more
than 80 Brahmin orga-
nizations that have a
strong outreach in
their regions, accord-
ing to the sources.
The BJP had consti-
tuted a 4-member com-
mittee on Dec 26, 2021.
The committee chaired
by former Union Minis-
ter Shiv Pratap Shukla
comprises members
Mahesh Sharma, Abhi-
jat Mishra, and Ram
Bhai Morakiya. The
committee has begun
its work.
The first meeting was
held in Lucknow. The
second meeting is
scheduled to take place
on January 4, said the
sources.Their main
task will be to keep the
Brahmins of their area
informed about the
BJP`s work towards the
welfare of Brahmins,
including the work
done by the govt and
their future plans. The
BJP has set a target of
25 days to cater to its
Brahmin voters. The
list of all the assembly
constituencies of UP
has been prepared and
on the basis of which,
work will be done in all
the areas. Besides the 80
organizations that the
party has reached out to
so far, it is yet to reach
six more organizations
that have strong out-
reach in their commu-
nity. According to the
party sources, from Jan
6, BJP will prioritize
those assembly constit-
uencies where BJP does
not have a Brahmin
candidate to inform the
people about what all it
has done for the com-
munity since these con-
stituencies do not have
a Brahmin face to
spread awareness about
the party`s initiatives
towards the community
.
Speaking to ANI, a
committee member,
Abhijat Mishra, claim-
ing that the majority of
the people are satisfied
with the work done by
the govt, said that the
party would reach out
to the dissatisfied vot-
ers “to end their dis-
pleasure”. ”There are
many such voters who
vote for BJP and who
selflessly work at the
time of elections. They
also consider them-
selves a member of the
party,” Mishra added.
Mishra also hit out at
the Opposition for
“spreading confusion
among the Brahmin
community
.
25 days,80 organisations:BJP on ‘Mission Woo Brahmins’
AHEAD OF POLLS

The BJP has set
a target of 25
days to cater to
its Brahmin
voters.
4-member
committee has
reached out to
80 Brahmin
organisations
—PICTURE FOR REPRESENTATION
Will fight election from
wherever party says:Yogi
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Chief Min-
ister Yogi Adityanath
has said he is ready to
contest the upcoming
assembly elections
from wherever his
party decides. The
BJP leader also said
he has fulfilled what-
ever was promised
and has no regrets
about his tenure. “I
am ready to fight the
election from wherev-
er the party says,” Ad-
ityanath told report-
erswhenaskedwheth-
er he will contest from
Ayodhya, Mathura, or
from his home district
Gorakhpur.
The chief minister,
who is currently a
member of the UP
Legislative Council,
was interacting with
the media here on Sat-
urday night. Recently
,
during a rally in
Mathura, he had clear-
ly said that Mathura is
a holy land, a pilgrim-
age, but he has no in-
tention of contesting
elections from here.
However strategists
believe that Ayodhya
will be more import-
ant than Mathura to
unite the Hindutva
votes. Yogi has also
beenconstantlytrying
to establish Ayodhya
as a game changer of
UP. This will not only
benefit the BJP in Pur-
vanchal, but will also
help in the polariza-
tion of Hindutva votes
in entire UP. The peo-
ple of Ayodhya believe
that after Yogi Aditya-
nath became the CM
in state, Ayodhya got a
different identity
. He
said that the BJP
would win more than
three hundred seats
in assembly elections.
The CM said
COVID-protocol will
be followed to the hilt
whenever the dates
for the election are
announced.
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Ahead of
2022 polls, the Bahujan
Samaj Party on Sunday
slammed Akhilesh Ya-
dav over his announce-
ment of free electricity
and perks for farmers
by saying that Sama-
jwadi Party is a party of
lies, propaganda and
deceit and people of UP
know this very well.
“Samajwadi Party is
a party of lies and pro-
paganda. It is a party of
deceit. It creates reli-
gious conflict in society
in association with the
BJP. Instead of electric-
ity, they generate loot,
deceit and lies,” said
BSP’s Sudhindra
Bhadoria. “Whenever
SP government has
been formed in Uttar
Pradesh, the state has
been pushed into riots,
darkness and loot. This
time too, on the occa-
sion of elections, they
are making such false
promises which can
never be fulfilled,”
Bhadoria added.“Till
date, they have not ful-
filled basic needs like
employment, educa-
tion, health, fair price
to farmers on their pro-
duce because Samajwa-
di party is fighting elec-
tions on the basis of
lies.” After a similar
freebie announcement
from the Aam Aadmi
Party former UP Chief
Minister Yadav prom-
ised to provide 300 units
of free electricity to
households if voted to
power in the upcoming
Uttar Pradesh assembly
polls. Addressing a pub-
lic meeting in Lucknow
on Saturday
.
First India Bureau
Faizabad:Congress
General Secretary Pri-
yanka Gandhi Vadra
has sent a smart phone
and a bag of gifts to the
Dalit bangle maker, Si-
tara Jatav, whose house
she visited last week in
Firozabad.
Cong district presi-
dent Sandeep Tiwari
visited Sitara’s house
on Saturday and hand-
ed over the gifts from
Priyanka. The gifts in-
cluded an android
smartphone, clothes for
her three daughters, a
woollen blanket, pres-
sure cooker and some
other utensils. The
35-year-old Sitara was
overjoyed to receive the
gifts and said that she
never expected any
leader to send her gifts.
Sitara had shared her
difficulties with Priyan-
ka when the latter visit-
ed her home in Turkiya
village.
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Despite a
severe cold wave cou-
pled with dense fog Va-
ranasi, people on Sun-
day thronged to take a
holy dip in the river
Ganga because of their
“devotion for the Lord”.
The northern part of
India including the na-
tional capital and most
parts of UP is under
the grip of chilling
winter with tempera-
tures dipping as low as
4 degrees Celsius.
Speaking to ANI, a
resident and devotee,
Pratik Tiwari, who had
come to take the holy
dip in river Ganga,
said, “Cold will come
go, but celebrating
New Year, visiting the
Kashi Vishwanath cor-
ridor bathing in the
Ganga River is very
fortunate. There can-
not be a better begin-
ning of a New Year
than this.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and CM Yogi laid the foundation stone of Major Dhyan Chand
Sports University in Meerut on Sunday.
CM said cases
of omicron
have been
reported but
urged people
not to panic.
‘Samajwadi Party is party of
lies,propaganda,deceit’
PGV sends
gifts to Dalit
bangle
maker
Devotees gather for holy dip in Ganga
BSP National Spokesperson Sudhindra Bhadoria —PHOTO BY ANI
HC IN VIRTUAL MODE

09
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia
facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
Stride of strength
Stride of strength
courage
courage
TARUNA THAPA, 22 IS A WOMAN OF MULTIPLE PASSIONS WHO
HAILS FROM CHANDIGARH. THAPA PARTICIPATED IN FIRST
MISS INDIA HELD IN GOA ON OCTOBER 30, 2021 CHARMED
THE AUDIENCES WITH HER TALENTS AND KNACK FOR FASHION!
assion and will are
two igniting pow-
ers that are re-
quired in any field
of profession, es-
pecially showbiz.
The world of mod-
elling, though filled with
glitz and glamour is also a
tough industry to make a
mark in. But, Taruna
Thapa, an ace teen mod-
el hailing from Chan-
digarh has made
her mark, early
on.
Taruna, a
nurse by profes-
sion, finalist of
First Miss India
Teen 2021 got
candid with City
First about her
journey as a
model and her
plans for the fu-
ture in the mod-
elling industry
.
Talking about
her journey,
Taruna said, “At
the time of my
2nd year in Bsc
nursing there
was a pageant
named, “Miss
North India Princess 2018’.
My sister and mother got
me registered for the show
and fortunately I was
among the top 12 contest-
ants. From that day I start-
ed modelling, and it gave
me the sense of content-
ment, happiness and the
realisation that one should
only make a career in the
field which makes them
happy from the inside.”
Discussing her inspira-
tion and motivation man-
tra, she said, “My mother is
a true warrior. She has
raised me into a strong
woman and I can’t be
more grateful to her. I
also believe that one
should live in the pre-
sent as life is so unpre-
dictable. Do what your
heart says. One
shouldn’t fear life and
unfold every chapter
as a challenge.”
Being a part of a
massive beauty
pageant like First
Miss India Teen
2021, Taruna
shared her expe-
rience. She said,
“My family is
my biggest sup-
port and their
faith in me and
my passion made
me confident enough
to be a part of this
huge pageant. First
India made full efforts
to provide us
with the best
mentors, ac-
comodation, facilities,
stage, prizes. The journey
went like a dream, all of
the participants took back
something precious home,
be it prizes, confidence,
friends, or strength.”
UTTKARSHA SHEKHAR
cityfirst@firstindia.co.in
P
LUCKNOW, MONDAY
JANUARY 3, 2022

10
ETC
F
A
C
E
O
F
T
H
E
D
A
Y
KUHOO, Model
ARIES
MAR 21 - APR 20
Some of you
are going to
experience
emotional
fulfillment on
romantic front.
Yoga would help
in raising energy
levels. Place
emphasis on domestic affairs to enhance
the domestic tranquility and harmony.
Associating yourself with humanitarian
group on social front would benefit you.
LIBRA
SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22
You will have an
awesome day.
Continue to put
in efforts at work
and you will
see promising
opportunities.
Matrimonial
match for siblings
will bring happiness for entire family. You
will get a good price for your property.
You may receive invaluable guidance
from a spiritual leader.
TAURUS
APR 21 - MAY 20
Seek the opinion
of your family
before finalizing
an important
property deal.
An impromptu
invitation to a
function from
an unexpected
friend is likely to be received. Your bold
initiatives on romantic front bring back
passion, love and spark in romantic
relationship.
SCORPIO
OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22
Health tips from
an expert will
enable you to
get closer to
your fitness
goals. Chances
of being misled
by competitors
in business are
high, so remain alert. Your generous
behavior would enable to enjoy some
lovely moments with family. Friendship
may turn into romance.
GEMINI
MAY 21 - JUNE 21
Your hard work
and dedication
are likely to
be noticed
by seniors,
paving way for
promotion or
increment. Family
will be supportive
of career aspirations. A promising day
overall as you stay in limelight without
any efforts. Harsh words may create a rift
in your romantic relationship; be careful.
SAGITTARIUS
NOV 23 - DEC 22
Investment in
antiques and
jewellery would
bring handsome
financial gains.
On professional
front, recognition
for good work
would motivate
you to work harder. Efforts made to
improve personality will bring desired
results. Those awaiting an affirmation on
romantic front may get lucky today.
CANCER
JUNE 22 - JULY 23
Those suffering
from chronic
ailments may
find remarkable
improvement in
their health with
home remedies.
Today you will
enjoy the trust
of senior management. Minor domestic
disputes may snowball into a major row,
so give attention to the family. Rewards
and recognition will come your way.
CAPRICORN
DEC 23 - JAN 20
You succeed
in completing
an important
project well
before deadline.
Disagreements
on the family
front are
foreseen. Be
careful about the legal apprehensions
in the property you are planning to buy.
Your intuition will save you from a tricky
spot today.
LEO
JULY 24 - AUGUST 23
You will succeed
in resolving mis-
understanding
with family
members,
normalizing ties.
Seek proper
valuation of the
property you are
planning to buy. You will remain much
in demand on social front. You need to
stand by romantic partner during testing
times to make the relationship stronger.
AQUARIUS
JAN 21 - FEB 19
A sound
financial health
of businessmen
would enable to
give monetary
benefits to
employees. Your
sole dependency
on friends may
fail to bring any respite from loneliness
today. It is good day to confess your love
as stars appear favourable for positive
reply.
VIRGO
AUG 24 - SEP 23
Paying special
attention to plan
your career would
give immense joy
and happiness.
You are likely
to get clearance
or approval for
your construction
plans. You find things moving in the
way you want them. Gifting something
to your beloved is likely to make the day
memorable.
PISCES
FEB20 - MARCH 20
Implementation
of new ideas
and projects
would add to
your prestige on
the professional
front. A sound
monetary
position would
enable you to keep pace with changing
times. Avoid raising controversial issues
at home to maintain harmony. It is a
wonderful day to build new connections.
YOUR
DAY
Horoscope by
Saurabbh Sachdeva
The Gingerbread Girl
tephen King is the
author of more than
60 books- ALL of
them worldwide
bestsellers!! Many
of his works are the
basis of major mo-
tion pictures. ‘It’ is the high-
est-grossing horror film of
all time. He is the recipient of
the 2020 Audio Publishers As-
sociation Lifetime Achieve-
ment Award, the 2018 PEN
America Literally Service
Award, the 2014 National
Medal of Arts, and the 2003
National Book Foundation
Medal for Distinguished Con-
tribution to American Let-
ters. He lives in Bangor,
Maine, with his wife Tabitha,
also a novelist.
‘The Gingerbread Girl’
originally appeared in Es-
quire magazine. It was later
included in King’s 2008 col-
lection of stories- ‘Just After
Sunset’. It is a story of abuse,
psychosis, and loneliness. In
King’s own words, “....even
the fastest runners have to
stand and fight”. The story
focuses on Emily, a woman
devastated by the ‘crib death’
of her two-month-old child.
She seeks solace in running.
She runs..... runs. Fighting
her emotional pain - she
pushes her physical self to
its limits- vomiting, sweat-
ing, running. When her hus-
band Henry treats it as a psy-
chological disorder, she runs
away from him to Florida
Gulf, to her father’s summer
home. It’s a conch shack in
the loneliest stretch of Ver-
million Key
.
Em keeps up her run-
ning- barefoot on the beach,
sneakers on the road- in total
isolation. Her life becomes
simple. Eat plain meals and
run. The only person she vis-
its is Deke Hollis, an old
friend of her father, who
runs the drawbridge on the
island. One day he tells her
that Jim Pickering, a man
who owns an estate on the
island, is back. He warns Em
about Pickering being a
womanizer- as he is seen
with a new ‘niece’ on every
one of his frequent visits.
One day, Em is jogging
past Pickering’s estate when
she sees the body of a girl
half falling out from the
trunk of a Mercedes car. As
she goes to get a closer look,
she is attacked, abducted,
dragged inside the house and
tied to a chair by the psycho-
path Pickering. From here
begins the gut-wrenching
terror so typical of Stephen
King. “He keeps the narra-
tion tight as a steel cable...
not letting the tension drop at
all”. The strong sense of fore-
boding permeates every
move that Em desperately
tries in her bid to escape. Re-
alizing that Deke Hollis will
come looking for her, Picker-
ing locks her in and goes to
first finish him off. Em gets
time to break the chair she is
tied to and rip off the duct
tapes. She manages to free
herself, attack and temporar-
ily knockout Pickering,
break the glass of his room’s
window and jump out from
the first floor, reminiscing
her childhood experiences.
She runs. “She hears him
behind her and realizes, in a
rather odd coincidence- that
she has been ‘training’ for
this moment”. Emily’s
months of running now help
her survive. Exhausted, hurt,
bleeding, she keeps running
on the beach, chased by him-
armed with large garden
scissors. A gardener from
one of the estates comes out
of curiosity to check on her-
but he is Spanish and cannot
understand her panic cries
for help. Pickering convinces
him of it being a marital is-
sue. When he senses doubt in
the gardener’s eyes, he at-
tacks and kills him. She does
outsmart him, but he has got
that crazy strength psycho-
paths to get when they are in
a murderous rage. Finding
no escape route, she runs
into the ocean. Pickering fol-
lows. But, he begins to floun-
der, pushing, bucking, and
convulsively thrashing.
“Truth lit up in her head like
fireworks on a dark night. He
couldn’t swim. Pickering
couldn’t swim. What kind of
a man with water phobia
would own a house on the
Gulf? He’d have to be crazy”.
She manages to escape
and sits on the shoreline to
watch Pickering drown. “She
wanted him to die in terror
and not quickly
. For Nicole...
and all the other ‘nieces’
there might have been before
her... Was she too a niece?
The last niece! The one who
had run as fast as she could.
The one who had survived.”
Finally, with her long or-
deal over, Em “stands and
shouts at the birds flying
about” and prepares to final-
ly ‘walk’ back home. Safe at
last.
‘The Gingerbread Girl’ is
intriguing, fast-paced, and to
the point. Stephen King’s no-
vella has all of his trademark
tension, violence, and cathar-
sis, with a spackling of mi-
sogyny
. It has an unexpected
twist at the end. The protago-
nist is most admirable, vul-
nerable yet so clear-headed
with a strong will to survive.
She keeps you glued to the
very end.
DEEPAK
deepaklifemusings@gmail.com
DEEPAK’S CORNER
S
months of running now help

First India-Lucknow Edition-3rd January 2022

First India-Lucknow Edition-3rd January 2022

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First India-Lucknow Edition-3rd January 2022