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- 1. www.firstindia.co.in www.firstindia.co.in/epapers/mumbai twitter.com/thefirstindia facebook.com/thefirstindia instagram.com/thefirstindia MUMBAI l THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2023 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI TITLE NO. MAHENG/2022/14652 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 294 With one word, Sanjay Raut wreaks havoc First India Bureau Mumbai: Shiv Sena -Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray leader Sanjay Raut alleg- edly called the legislature “chor- mandal” (body of thieves), leading to chaos in both Houses on Wednesday . The Maha- rashtra Leg- i s l a t i v e Council ad- journed early amid allegations and counter-allega- tions by the ruling and opposition parties, while proceedings in the assembly were also disrupted. Earlier in the day, talking to reporters in Kolhapur, Raut alleg- edly called the “vidhi- mandal” (legislature) a “chormandal” (a body of thieves), upsetting lawmakers across par- ty lines. The issue was raised by Bharatiya Janata Party leader Ashish Shelar as soon as the Lower House assem- bled for the day . “Lawmakers are be- ing called thieves and it is an insult to the state,” he said. Atul Bhatkhalkar, another BJP legislator, said he has submitted a notice of breach of privilege against Raut, who is a Rajya Sabha member, and urged Speaker Ra- hul Narvekar to admit it. In the Upper House, Deputy Chief Minister and BJP lead- er Devendra Fadnavis said, “Sanjay Raut did not call any person chor (thief), he used the word “chormandal” for the legislative body. Raut and his faction’s leader Uddhav Thack- eray are also legislative house members. (Based on Raut’s comment), He is also a member of the chormandal.” Referring to the breach of privilege mo- tion moved by an as- semblymemberagainst Raut, Fadnavis said it is to maintain the respect for the house. “If the deputy chair- person does not want to accept the privilege mo- tion, it is your decision. I am standing here to protect the decorum and respect for the house. If a BJP member had made such com- ments, my stand as part of the state government would have been the same,” said Fadnavis. CHORMANDAL Raut’s comment leads to uproar in Assembly, early adjournment in Legislative Council He (Raut) is not an ordinary person, but a respect- ed member of the Rajya Sabha. If we are not going to condemn his comments jointly irrespective of the party line, then there will be thousands of Sanjay Rauts in society who will disrespect the House every day. —Devendra Fadnavis, Dy CM ‘Shinde couldn’t have become CM if speaker disqualified him’ New Delhi (PTI): Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde could not have been sworn in as the CM of Maharashtra if the assembly speaker was not restrained from deciding the dis- qualification petitions pending against 39 MLAs, the SC on Wednesday said. The Shinde faction told the top court that even if 39 MLAs had been disqualified, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) govt would have fallen because it had lost its majority and the then-CM Uddhav Thackerayhadresigned before the floor test. The Thackeray fac- tion had earlier told the top court that the for- mation of a new state govt under Shinde was the “direct and inevita- ble result” of two or- ders of the apex court dated June 27, 2022 (re- straining the speaker from deciding the pend- ing disqualification pe- titions), and June 29, 2022 (allowing the trust vote to be held), and had “disturbed the co- equal and mutual bal- ance” between judicial and legislative organs of the State. The hear- ing will continue on Thursday . CM Shinde arrives for the Budget Session of the Assembly, in Mumbai on Wednesday. —PHOTO BY PTI Maha Assembly Speaker sets up privileges panel Mumbai (PTI): Amid uproar over Shiv Sena - Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut’s com- ments, Rahul Narwekar, the Speaker of the Ma- harashtra Legislative Assembly, on Wednes- day constituted a privi- leges committee in the Lower House for 2023-24. The 15-member com- mittee comprises three MLAs of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), two members of the Congress,twoindepend- ent MLAs supporting the ruling alliance, two MLAs of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and six Bharatiya Jana- ta Party (BJP) MLAs. Notably, no MLA of the Shiv Sena - UBT has found a place on the panel. Narwekar’s move comes in the backdrop of uproar in the House after Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut allegedly called the legislature “chor-mandal”. OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR MUMBAI Rahul Narwekar —FILE PHOTO THREE-TIER SECURITY IN TRIPURA, NAGALAND AND MEGHALAYA TODAY Countdown for counting begins First India Bureau Agartala/Kohima/ Shillong: Counting of votes for assembly elec- tions held in Megha- laya, Nagaland and Tripura will take place on Thursday (March 2). The voting on 178 seats across three states was held on February 16 and 27. The counting of votes will begin at 8am as per the directives from Election Commis- sion of India (ECI). While there are 60 seats in Nagaland, one con- stituency (Akuluto) has been won uncontested by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In Megha- laya too, the total num- ber come down from 60 to 59 as election on one seat has been counter- manded. DAY AFTER, SISODIA JAIN RESIGN AS MINISTERS... Saurabh, Atishi set to be new mins First India Bureau New Delhi: The AAP has picked MLAs Sau- rabh Bharadwaj and Atishi Singh as the two new faces in the Delhi cabinet. According to sources, their names will be sent to Lieuten- ant Governor VK Saxe- na, as per rules, who will then forward them to the President for her assent. This comes a day after Manish Siso- dia and Satyendar Jain resigned from their ministerial positions. Sisodia is in CBI custo- dy, Jain is in Tihar. P5 BJP, CONGRESS HOLD PROTEST ACROSS DELHI, SEEK CM ARVIND KEJRIWAL’S RESIGNATION DELHI LG SENDS SISODIA, JAIN’S RESIGNATIONS TO PRESIDENT MURMU Delhi LG Vinai Kumar Saxena on Wednesday sent the resignations of deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and minister Satyendar Jain to the president recom- mending that they be accepted, officials said. Saurabh Bharadwaj Atishi Singh Delhi BJP and Congress on Wednesday escalated its attack on the AAP after Sisodia and Jain, arrested in different cor- ruption cases, resigned from the cabinet on Tuesday. Parties protested at over 10 locations demanding resignation of Kejri. BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY SPEAKS ON NIRAV MODI, VIJAY MALLYA’S EXTRADITION OVERALL 40 DELEGATIONS S JAISHANKAR HOLDS TALKS ON UKRAINE CONFLICT, OTHER KEY AREAS WITH LAVROV THIS ISN’T AN ERA OF WAR: INDIA ON UKRAINE CONFLICT Referring to the extradition of fugitive economic offenders Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi, British Foreign Secre- tary James Cleverly on Wednesday said that the British Judicial system was independent of the government and it was them to decide. Without mentioning the names of fugitive economic offend- ers, Cleverly said, “The legal process in the UK, just as it is in India, is independent of govt. We always want to see the machinery of the justice system working promptly but those are the decisions of the British judicial system.” Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, European Union, France, Germany, India as host, Indonesia both as imme- diate past president and ASEAN chair, Italy, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, UK, US (all G20 member countries) -- to participate in the meeting. 9 more guest countries participat- ing at the level of FMs. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday held wide-ranging discussions with his Russian coun- terpart Sergey Lavrov on bilateral cooperation, the Ukraine conflict and issues relating to G-20. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) was in power in Tripura for more than 30 years until BJP recorded a historic win in 2018. In the last as- sembly election, the BJP won 36 of 60 seats. CM Conrad Sangma, who heads NPP and had decided to fight elections solo. His party and Himanta Biswa Sarma’s BJP had been running the state govt together under banner of the MDA. BJP and NDPP came to power in 2018. The two parties had come together to form govt with support from JD (U) and an Independent. The current Chief Minister of State of Neiphiu Rio. India on Wednesday cleared its stand on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, reaffirming Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement that “this isn’t an era of war”. Speaking at a special briefing on G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said, “Dialogue and diplomacy are the way forward. The agenda is for the foreign ministers to discuss in the meet.” India is a hugely important partner to the UK and “the deeper ties we are forging now will help to grow the UK economy and boost industries for the future. —James Cleverly, UK foreign secy Moni Sharma New Delhi: The G20 Foreign Ministers Meet- ing (FMM), which is scheduled to take place in physical format from March 1-2 in New Delhi under India’s Presiden- cy is “one of the largest gatherings of foreign ministers hosted by any G20 Presidency.” The venue of G20 FMM is Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Center. UK foreign secretary James Cleverly is in In- dia to attend a meeting of G20 foreign minis- ters. Cleverly raised the issue of tax searches at BBC offices at a meeting with his Indian counter- part S Jaishankar on Wednesday and was told all entities operating in the country have to com- ply with rules and regu- lations, people familiar with the matter said. The duo held a bilat- eralmeetingoverdiscus- sions on the commence- ment of the Young Pro- fessional Scheme. EAM also exchanged views on the global situation as well as the G20 agenda. G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting “one of the largest gatherings” in India UK raises BBC issue with EAM, he says all entities must comply with law External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar meets with UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, in New Delhi on Wednesday. S Jaishankar with Sergey Lavrov in New Delhi on Wednesday. WORLD TRUSTS THE INDIANPRESIDENCY! EAM Jaishankar meets Cleverly, discuss Young Pro Scheme AADHAAR UPI CAN HAVE GLOBAL IMPACT, SAYS BILL GATES @ G20 Billionaire-philanthropist Bill Gates, on his first tour of India since the pandemic, does not mince his words when he talks about lessons from the tragedy wrought by Covid. Bill Gates, co-chair and trustee of Bill Melinda Gates Foundation, is in India to get a sense of the country’s recovery after the Covid-19 pandemic. TRIPURA MEGHALAYA NAGALAND COOKING GAS PRICES HIKED `50 FOR DOMESTIC, `350.50 FOR COMMERCIAL CYLINDERS Prices of 14.2 kg domestic liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and 19 kg commercial cylinders have been hiked with immediate effect from Wednesday. The hike for domestic consumers will be `50 per cylinder and `350.50 per bottle for commercial consumers. MUMBAI Domestic gas cylinder will be available for `1,103 Commercial gas cylinder will now be available for `2,119.50 P4
- 2. NEWS MUMBAI | THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2023 02 www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epapers/mumbai I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia First India Bureau Mumbai: Star Indian batter and skipper Har- manpreet Kaur will lead Mumbai Indians (MI) team into the inau- gural season of Wom- en’s Premier League (WPL), the team an- nounced on Wednesday . MI will play the sea- son opener of WPL 2023 on March 04, at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai against the Gujarat Giants. “We are looking for- ward to the beginning of this new chapter for MI! I cannot wait to see our girls play the fear- less and entertaining MI brand of cricket that our fans adore. More power to Harmanpreet and the entire MI team on this exciting journey ahead,” team owner Nita M Ambani said in a statement. Harman has played against head coach Charlotte Edwards and has played with and cap- tainedJhulanGoswami, who is the team’s men- tor and bowling coach. She recently became thefirstcricketertoplay 150 T20Is and has been a pillar for the national team for over a decade now across formats, since debuting at the age of 20. The national teamcaptain,anArjuna Awardee, has a solid winning record, and also holds the record for the highest-ever indi- vidual score in a knock- out game in a Women’s World Cup match (171*). Harmanpreet has played a total of 151 T20Is for India, in which shehasscored3,058runs at an average of 28.05. She has also scored one century and 10 half-cen- turies in the shorter for- matforhercountry ,with thebestscoreof 103.The Indian skipper can de- liver some crucial wick- ets for her side too, hav- ing taken 32 wickets in T20Is, with best bowling figures of 4/23. India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur to captain Mumbai Indians WPL 2023 lll Harman will inspire our women's team to play their best cricket, bring more glory to women in sports, Nita Ambani says National skipper Harmanpreet Kaur recently became the first cricketer to play 150 T20Is. We are thrilled to have Harmanpreet as the captain of MI’s first-ever women’s cricket team. As the national captain, she has led the Indian women’s team to some of their most exciting wins. And I am sure that with Charlotte and Jhulan’s support, she will inspire our MI women’s team to play their best cricket, display a sense of pride, and bring even more glory to women in sports. —Nita M Ambani, Owner, MI First India Bureau Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Wednes- day started uploading Marathi translations of its judgements onto its website. A separate ‘Nivadak Nirnay’ (selected judg- ments) tab has been made available on the home page of bombay- highcourt.nic.in for these translations. Translations of three judgements pro- nounced on February 20 by division benches of Justices DH Thakur and Kamal Khata, Jus- tices DH Thakur and Abhay Ahuja, and Jus- tices AS Gadkari and PD Naik became avail- able through this tab on Wednesday . A clarification was also issued stating that the translations should be used only for the purpose of helping liti- gants understand judgements in their mother-tongue, and not for any other pur- poses like execution or enforcement of court directives. English would con- tinue to be the official language for judge- ments, it said. In January, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud had launched a service for translating Supreme Court judgements into regional languages. The Kerala High Court recently began to upload its judgements in Malayalam. First India Bureau Mumbai: Ambadas Danve, the Leader of Opposition in the Ma- harashtra Legislative Council, on Wednes- day submitted a breach of privilege notice against Chief Minister Eknath Shinde for al- legedly referring to Opposition legislators as “anti-nationals”. Meanwhile,ShivSena - Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) MLA Sunil Prabhu has writ- tentoAssemblySpeaker RahulNarvekarrequest- ing permission to ad- dress the Lower House on Shinde's remarks. Both Prabhu and Danve claimed that even though the Oppo- sition boycotted the tea party convened last Sunday—the eve of the Budget Session—by the CM with a letter, Shin- de went on to say he had avoided having tea with “anti-nationals”. Submitting his notice to the Council’s deputy chairperson Neelam Gorhe, Danve, a senior MLC from the Shiv Sena - UBT said CM Shinde’s alleged comments were an insult to the suprem- acy of the legislature. He appealed to Gorhe to send the notice to the privileges committee. Now, read judgements in Marathi on High Court website Translations of three judgements pronounced on Feb 20 became available on Wednesday Cong workers protest against Adani group in Mum, detained First India Bureau Mumbai: Police de- tained local Congress leader Bhai Jagtap and many other party work- ers on Wednesday while they were protesting against the Adani group and its chairman Gau- tam Adani outside the National Stock Ex- change (NSE) building in Bandra-Kurla Com- plex, an official said. Hundreds of Con- gress party workers, including women, gath- ered outside the NSE building and started shouting slogans against the Adani group. Thereafter, 40-50 party workers and lead- ers including Mumbai Regional Congress Committee chief Jag- tap, were detained and taken to the BKC, Kher- wadi and Nirmal Nagar police stations, the offi- cial said. The action was taken under the Bombay Po- lice Act and the protest- ers were later allowed to leave, the official said, adding that no one was arrested. Jagtap said they were protesting against the move to include some Adani group stocks in dedicated in- dices by the NSE. “We also demand that Gautam Adani’s pass- port be seized so that he cannot flee the country” theCongressleadersaid. Cops detained Congress leader Bhai Jagtap and party workers outside NSE building in Mumbai on Wednesday. —PHOTO BY PTI Breach of privilege notice against CM Ambadas Danve —FILE PHOTO Want SIT to probe COVID-19 centre contracts: Somaiya First India Bureau Mumbai: Bharatiya Ja- nata Party leader Kirit Somaiya on Wednesday demanded a special in- vestigation team (SIT) be formed to look into alleged irregularities in the award of contracts for COVID-19 centres by the city civic body dur- ing the pandemic. Addressing a press conference at his home here, Somaiya alleged that a “scam of Rs100 crore” related to Life- line Hospital Manage- ment Services had oc- curred. Sujeet Patkar, a partner in the firm is a close aide of Shiv Sena - Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) lead- er Sanjay Raut, he said. The Mumbai police had in August 2022 reg- istered an FIR against the hospital manage- ment company and four persons, including Patkar, for allegedly submitting fake docu- ments to obtain con- tracts for COVID-19 care centres in 2020. Somaiya said the po- lice on Tuesday arrest- ed two persons in con- nection with the case and one of them is a tea vendor outside the civ- ic-run KEM hospital in Parel. “How did the Mumbai municipal cor- poration give Rs100 crore COVID centre contract to this compa- ny, which didn’t even exist (in 2020)? Whose pressure was it? Was it from Bandra or Bhan- dup?” Somaiya asked. While then-CM Ud- dhav Thackeray is a resident of Bandra, Raut lives in Bhandup. Somaiya, a former MP, alleged that Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray had given the Worli and Dahisar jumbo centre ICU man- agement contracts to the company despite it being blacklisted by the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority. The BJP leader claimed that the com- pany has received prof- its of Rs32 crore so far and its four co-part- ners have distributed Rs20 crore among themselves. The tea vendor is a co-partner and a “profit of Rs4.11 crore has been official- ly credited to his ac- count”, he said. Kirit Somaiya —FILE PHOTO Ex-MP alleges ‘scam of `100 crore’ related to Lifeline Hospital Management Services VOTES FOR BYPOLLS IN CHICHWAD, KASBA TO BE COUNTED Pune (PTI): Counting of votes for the byelec- tions to Kasba and Chinchwad Assembly constituencies in Pune district will start on Thursday morning. The bypolls, necessi- tated by the deaths of incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs Mukta Tilak (Kasba Peth) and Lax- man Jagtap (Chinch- wad), were held last Sunday and saw 50% voter turnout. The elections pitted the BJP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena against the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance of the Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Shiv Sena - Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray . The main contenders in the Kasba Peth con- stituency are Hemant Rasane of the BJP and Ravindra Dhangekar of the Congress (backed by the MVA). In Chinchwad the fight is between BJP’s Ashwini Jagtap, NCP’s Nana Kate and Inde- pendent Rahul Kalate. Counting will begin at 8 am, an official said. ‘Assemblystalledtoavoidkeyissues’ First India Bureau Mumbai: State Con- gress president Nana Patole on Wednesday accused the ruling com- bine of Eknath Shinde- led Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of avoiding a dis- cussion on important issues concerning peo- ple by stalling the func- tioning of the state Assembly . The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday ad- journed the Lower House for the day in the wake of chaos that en- sued after Shiv Sena - Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray leader San- jay Raut called the leg- islature a “chorman- dal” (a body of thieves). Talking to reporters after the Assembly saw an early adjournment, Patole said Raut’s state- ment indefensible and the Speaker should have taken an “urgent decision” on it. “What Sanjay Raut said about the legisla- ture is objectionable...it cannot be supported. No one has the right to insult the legislature. It is also an insult to the people of the state. BJP has introduced a breach of privilege motion against him in this re- gard. There was no op- position from anyone on this in the House,” Patole said. The Speaker should have given an urgent decision on this and then discussion should have been held over other issues faced by the people, he said, add- ing, “The ruling parties decided to stall the pro- ceedings of the House for the day, so that the issues of the people could not be discussed.” He also hit out at the government on issues such as the cooking gas price hike and inflation. The Centre on Wednes- day hiked the price of cooking gas LPG by Rs50 per cylinder. “Inflation and spiral- ling prices are adding to the woes of the com- mon people. Farmers do not get electricity. The power supply of agri- cultural pumps is being cut off. Opposition par- ties wanted to raise these issues in the House. These are im- portant problems that common people face and it should have been discussed in the Assem- bly, but it wasn’t al- lowed,” he said. The ruling alliance did not allow the func- tioning of the legisla- ture. This was done to divert the attention of the common man, he added. On Day 03 of the ongoing Budget Session, opposition parties staged a protest seeking a reduction in domestic gas prices, and 12-hour electricity supply for farmers. —PHOTO BY BHUSHAN KOYANDE Maha Cong chief Patole targets ruling combine of BJP, Shinde’s Sena Inflation and spiralling prices are adding to the woes of the common people. Farmers do not get electricity. Opposition parties wanted to raise these important issues, facing com- mon people, in the House. They should have been discussed in the As- sembly, but it wasn’t allowed. —Nana Patole, Maha Cong chief
- 3. MAHARASHTRA MUMBAI | THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2023 03 www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epapers/mumbai I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia Angry neighbour throws 2 kids off building, 1 dies First India Bureau Thane: A man alleged- ly threw his neigh- bour’s five-year-old son and four-year-old daughter from the sec- ond floor of a building in Maharashtra’s Thane district follow- ing which the boy died and the girl was severe- ly injured, police said on Wednesday . The incident took place in the Devripada area of Mumbra town- ship on Saturday and a probe was on to ascer- tain the exact motive behind the crime, they said. The accused, identi- fied as Asif, was arrest- ed on Monday, an offi- cial from Mumbra po- lice station said. Asif and his wife, who do not have a child, were next door neighbours of the victims in the building. The accused and his wife used to have fre- quent quarrels over petty issues. The ac- cused’s wife was a friend of the victims’ mother and they used to talk frequently which he did not like, the offi- cial said. On Saturday, the ac- cused allegedly threw the two children from the second floor of the building where they were playing, he said. The boy died on the spot and his sister suf- fered serious injuries. The girl, however, man- aged to go home and in- formed her father that their neighbour threw them from the building, the official said. Thebodywassenttoa government hospital for post-mortem.Basedona complaint by the chil- dren’s mother, the police arrestedtheaccusedand booked him under Indi- an Penal Code Sections 302 (murder) and 307 (at- tempt to murder), the official said. 5-year-old boy died on the spot; his 4-year-old sister suffered serious injuries in the fall ACT OF RAGE Alcoholic woman held for beating up minor daughters First India Bureau Thane: Police have ar- resteda33-year-oldwom- an for allegedly severely beating up her two mi- nor daughters under in- fluence of liquor, an of- ficialsaidonWednesday . The Mira Bhayandar- Vasai Virar (MBVV) po- lice took action against the woman based on a complaint lodged by her husband,whoworksasa jewellery designer, on February 25. “The couple lives with their two daugh- ters aged twelve and six. The woman has a habit of drinking liquor and beating up her daugh- ters for no particular reason. On February 22, one of their neighbours called up the woman’s husband, who was at his workplace, and in- formed that his daugh- ters have suffered inju- ries on their hands and legs after his wife thrashed them,” an of- ficial of Navghar police station said. The wom- an’s husband rushed back home and admin- istered first-aid to the daughters, he said. Hisdaughtersshowed him a video of the moth- er beating them. After that, he approached po- lice and lodged a com- plaint. He told police that his wife has been addicted to drinking since the past eight yearsandthatshewould regularly abuse and beat their daughters. Following her arrest, the woman has been charged under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sec- tions 323, 324 (voluntar- ily causing hurt by dan- gerous weapons or means) and 504 (inten- tional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and the Juvenile Justice (Care and Pro- tectionof Children)Act, 2000, the police said. The girls showed their father video of their mother beating them. He then approached police filed a complaint Statue stolen from Mumbai church; search on for culprit Mumbai (PTI): A stat- ue of St Anthony has been stolen allegedly by an unidentified person from a church in Mum- bai following which the city police have regis- tered an FIR, an official said on Wednesday. Ef- forts were on to nab the culprit who stole the statue, located in Gloria Church compound in the Byculla area, on February 21, he said. The statue, made of “cheeni matti” (China clay), was stolen by breaking the lock of a grill door outside the church compound, the official from Byculla po- lice station said. As per CCTV footage of the church, it seems the culprit might be a drug addict and com- mitted the crime to earn quick money , he said. The person decamped with the statue a day be- fore the beginning of the Christian holy peri- od of Lent, he said. “We are searching for the culprit and hope to catch him soon. We have registered a case of theft and a probe is on into it,” the official said. In January , crosses in a cemetery attached to St Michael’s Church in the Mahim area were vandalized. Last month, a person threw a stone at a grotto of Mother Mary outside a church in suburban Malad, of- ficial added. Statue was made of China clay and was stolen by breaking the lock of a grill door Bar raided in Thane; 7 held for flouting norms Thane (PTI): Police raided an orchestra bar and arrested seven peo- ple for allegedly flout- ing rules and indulging in obscene acts, an offi- cial said on Wednesday . Following a com- plaint and a tip-off, of- ficials of the Mira Bhayander-Vasai Virar police’s anti-human trafficking cell (AHTC) raided the bar located in Kashimira area on the intervening night of Monday-Tuesday, senior police inspector Sameer Ahirrao said. Thepolicefoundsome women indulging in ob- scene acts in the prem- ises, he said. Seven peo- ple, including the bar contractor,managerand a male singer, were ar- rested, the official said. Search was on for the bar owner, he said. A case was registered against the accused un- der the Maharashtra Prohibition of Obscene Dance in Hotels, Res- taurants and Bar Rooms and Protection of Dignity of Women (Working Therein) Act, 2016, the police added. FLYING SQUAD INTERCEPTS TEMPO, LIQUOR WORTH `30 LAKH SEIZED Thane (PTI): Indian-Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) worth Rs30,56,000 was seized in Palghar district on Wednes- day, an official said. Officials of the Konkan flying squad of the Maharashtra excise department intercepted a tempo at Talasari, he said. IMFL meant for sale only in the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Da- man and Diu was being transported to Palghar district, he said. The tempo was intercepted near Khanvel Udhva Road and liquor of several brands packed in 400 boxes concealed under the bags of sawdust was seized, the official added. 12 cars destroyed in automobile garage fire First India Bureau Thane: Twelve cars were destroyed after a fire broke out in an au- tomobile garage in Ma- harashtra’s Thane dis- trict on Wednesday morning, fire officials said. A person suffered a minor injury while handling a fire extin- guisher, Ambernath Municipal Council’s deputy fire officer SN Sutar said. The blaze erupted at around 7.30 am in the garage located on Am- bernath-Badlapur road close to a supermarket and a gas station, he said. The CNG cylin- ders of the cars parked in the garage exploded, shattering the vehicles, the official said. Two fire engines from the Ambernath MIDC and one each from the Ambernath and Bad- lapur civic bodies were rushed to the spot and the blaze was brought under control after abouttwohours,hesaid. The garage was gut- ted and 12 cars were completely destroyed, the official said. LOUD CLEAR ‘Newborn’ means full-term preterm baby: Bombay HC First India Bureau Mumbai: A new born would mean both a full- term baby and a pre- term baby, the Bombay High Court on Wednes- day said while directing an insurance company to pay a claimant Rs11 lakh medical expenses for the treatment of her twins who were born prematurely . The petitioner, a woman legal practi- tioner, moved the HC in 2021 after New India As- surance Company re- fused her claims on the grounds that her two mediclaim policies only covered newborns who are born full-term and not babies born preterm. As per the plea, the woman had taken two policies for Rs20 lakh from the firm in 2007, and renewed them peri- odically . In September 2018, she delivered twin baby boys in an emergency Caesarean surgery at 30 weeks’ gestation. The premature babies had to be admitted to the NeoNatal Intensive Care Unit for life-saving treatment. After their discharge, the petitioner submit- ted a claim for Rs11 lakh to the insurance company for the ex- penses she had in- curred. However, the firm op- posed the petition and said the twins devel- oped complications due to their premature birth, which would not have occurred if they had been full-term births. A division bench of Justices Gautam Patel and Neela Gokhale re- fused to accept this ar- gument and said the insurance firm’s rejec- tion of the claim was “contrary to law, unrea- sonable and arbitrary, and liable to be set aside”. Noting that the firm’s approach was “unrea- sonable, unjust and con- trary to the fundamen- tal utmost good faith ethic of an insurance policy”, the court also ordered it to pay the woman an additional Rs5 lakh for interpret- ing clauses, only with a view to avoid honour- ing claims. All the amounts would have to be paid within a period of four weeks, the court said. The distinction between a ‘new- born’ and a ‘premature baby’ or a baby born ‘preterm’ is baseless as a newborn baby can be one that is born ‘full-term’ or ‘pre- term’. A full-term baby does not become more ‘newer’ any more than a ‘preterm’ baby becomes an ‘earlier born’ or, to make it even more pointed, ‘old born’. —Bombay HC The court raps insurance co that tried to avoid paying claim for preemie twins Civic body invites tender to recycle seized plastic First India Bureau Mumbai: The Brihan- mumbai Municipal Cor- poration (BMC) has re- vealed that 4,148 kg of plastic is lying unused initswarehousesforthe past few months. De- spite the civic body’s plans to recycle the seized plastic into benches, dustbins and school stationery, the ideaisyettomaterialise. Therefore, the civic body has now revived discussion with a few NGOs willing to recycle this plastic material and has also decided to invite a tender. The BMC resumed its drive against since July last year. Single-use plastic is banned in the city, with ward-wise teams of the licensing department visiting markets, shops and es- tablishments to seize the prohibited material. The seized plastic is be- ing stored in warehous- es until a policy deci- sion is taken on its dis- posal or recycling. COURTESY MEET Dr Jagdeesh Chandra meets Union Minister of Road Transport Highways Nitin Gadkari at the latter’s residence in New Delhi on Wednesday.
- 4. PERSPECTIVE MUMBAI | THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2023 04 www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epapers/mumbai I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia COMPILED AND EDITED BY SHASHIKANT SHARMA AND SHWETA SHARMA odiji started the Garib Kalyan Mela. It was meant to take the welfare schemes to their beneficiaries. Earlier the beneficiaries of welfare schemes would have to waste their time by doing several rounds of govern- ment offices in order to avail the benefits, and would seldom achieve anything even after trying so hard. But what Modi did here proved to be extremely beneficial to the poor. He tasked the officers in various departments to go and find the beneficiaries of the schemes that came under each depart- ment. For this, he sent them out deep into the villages. It was not a superficial or a cursory exercise. Proper lists were created and the beneficiaries were invited with full respect. Programswereorganized in every tehsil where either the CM or the ministers or the Collector would present the schemes to the invited beneficiaries. Modiji would give out cheques, letters, items or whatever people needed to avail the schemes and this would be done with complete decorum and planning. Thismadetheentireprocessextremelytransparent.Therewasnoscope left for any corruption to creep into the system. These stories bring to the fore the determination of PM Modi to come down heavily on corruption and squashing the heavy bureaucratic processes that hinder the welfare schemes from reaching their actual beneficiaries. Garib Kalyan Mela is an initiative that tamed corruption by cutting out the middle men and helping the poorest of the poor to avail the benefits of government schemes. The narrators share their personal experiences when Modiji inspired them with his vision, his love for the poor and his inventiveness when it comes to making a difference to people’s lives. He ensured that rather than the poor reaching out for the schemes and failing, the schemes reached them directly, thereby ushering in welfare in the truest sense. UNTOLD STORIES OF PM MODI - PART 33 ‘MODI HAI TO MUMKIN HAI…’ NaMo: THE PEOPLE’S PRIME MINISTER GOVERNMENT TO BENEFICIARIES TRANSFORMATION WITH TRANSPARENCY M “I WANT TO SEE DUST ON THEIR COATS!” nce CM Modi said to me “We need to takethebenefitsto the people. We have to cut the bu- reaucratic line and ensure that benefits are directly given to the people.” And that was when he had just become CM, it was that early in his tenure that he wanted to ensure that practicesthatallowcorruption to creep into the system are nipped in the bud. Lok Mela program was his brainchild andwasimplementedwithfull gusto. I remember that once a program was organized in a north Gujarat village. Now it was extremely dusty there. So I covered my nose with a cloth as we are not used to such dust. Next day in a meeting, he re- marked “I witnessed there was 1 inch dust in the coats of our Secretaries. That’s what I want to see!” And this become a buz- zword - that CM Modi wants to see the Secretaries of the de- partments to work with the massesatthegroundlevel,and get their coats dusty . He did not like the Secretaries to revert to him sitting in their AC offices. They must visit the villages, they must observe and under- stand the problems and chal- lenges of the people with their own eyes and head, and he also motivated the Secretaries tell- ing them “I know this. I am convinced of the fact that if you go to the villages yourself, problems will be resolved.” He would often quote Mahat- ma Gandhi and say “We have to worry about the last man stand- ing in the line.” He told us that nobody is bothered about that poorpersonandtherefore,itwas our duty to worry about him. Wheneveryoudrawupascheme, always keep the last man stand- ing in the picture and plan for him, who is the poorest of the poor. Keep him in mind, always. When Modi directed the Secretaries to visit the villages and resolve issues O YOU READ PART 32 ON FEBRUARY 24, 2023 WEEDING OUT THE MIDDLE CLASS MEN ...GARIB KALYAN YOJANA BECOMES BENEFICIARY-CENTRIC ll the government schemeswouldbeim- plemented in Collec- tor office, Zilla Pari- shad, and there peo- ple would be asked to visit to fill up forms as per the Yojana, and attach the necessary documents for the schemes to work out for them. There used to be no guarantee whether the beneficiaries would be able to avail the benefits of the schemes as the entire process in- volved several middlemen before it could reach completion. So it was not that the government schemes were not in place. Every- thing was there but the system was not people friendly or benefi- ciary-centric. People were left to their fate and the mood of the middlemen if they wanted to ben- efit from government welfare schemes. The entire credit goes to Modiji for devising a new method of implementing these schemes. He did not want people to come to the yojanas. He wanted the yoja- nastoreachthepeople.Hecreated a full-proof system that ensured that the schemes reached the peo- ple. In one of the meetings, he an- nounced the conduct of Garib Kalyan Mela. He said that first it would be organized at the Zilla level and then in every tehsil. Eachandeveryschemeof thegov- ernment available for the poor would be covered in the program. All the beneficiaries of schemes from Collector office, DDO office etcwouldbeaskedtocollectatone place and they would be made to directly avail the schemes, there- by removing all the middlemen. For instance, if the beneficiaries had to get cycles, they were given cycles first-hand in the event or- ganized specially for them. Thou- sands of beneficiaries under one roof directly availing the benefits that they are entitled for under welfare schemes for the poor - it was a remarkable and a very suc- cessful initiative undertaken by PM Modi, who was CM at that time.Thiswasonlyapreliminary introductiontothecreativevision of PM Modi! TO BE CONTINUED... A The Man Who Always Worries About the “Last Man Standing”: PM Modi Prime Minister Narendra Modi l Vol 1 l Issue No. 294 l RNI TITLE NO. MAHENG/2022/14652 Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Dangat Media Pvt Ltd, No.22, Dighe MIDC, Vishnu Nagar, TTC Industrial Area, Dighe, Navi Mumbai-400701. Published at Plot No. 3 Scheme C of Manglorean Garden Home, CHS Limited, Survey No. 5, 6C (Part) Ville Parle East, Mumbai 400057. Phone 022-46031417. Editor-In-Chief: DrJagdeesh Chandra Editor: Kartikey Dev Singh responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act
- 5. To Receive Free Newspaper PDF Daily Whatsapp: Telegram: Click the above link☝ subscribe us on your preferred platform. https://bit.ly/fiwhatsappmumbai https://t.me/thefirstindiamumbai
- 6. MUMBAI | THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2023 05 INDIA www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epapers/mumbai I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia Well-planned cities will determine fate of country: PM Modi New Delhi: Prime Min- ister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that well-panned Indian cit- ies will determine the fate of the country . In a webinaron‘UrbanPlan- ning, Development and Sanitation’, he said with India urbanising rapid- ly, it is important to build infrastructure that is futuristic. “The well-planned cit- ies of India will only de- termine the fate of In- dia. When planning is better, our cities will be- come climate resilient and water secure,” the the PM said. He also listed 3 focus areas for urban planning and de- velopment - How to strengthen urban plan- ningecosysteminstates, show to better utilise expertise available in private sector for urban planning and how to de- velop such Centres of Excellence which take urban planning to the new level. The govern- ment has organised a seriesof post-budgetwe- binars to seek ideas and suggestionsfortheeffec- tive implementation of initiativesannouncedin the Union Budget 2023. Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the Post-Budget Webinar on ‘Urban Planning, Development and Sanitation’, in New Delhi on Wednesday. Hardeep Singh Puri, Bhupender Yadav and other dignitaries are also present. —PHOTO BY ANI PM to inaugurate Raisina Dialogue on March 2 New Delhi (ANI): In- dia’s flagship confer- ence on geopolitics and geo-strategy, Raisina Dialogue is coming up with its 8th edition on March 2 and prime minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate it, accord- ing to the statement released by the EAM. In collaboration with Observer Re- search Foundation (URF), External Af- fairs Ministry is or- ganizing the event from March 2-4. On Thursday, PM Naren- dra Modi will inaugu- rate the Dialogue and Italian prime minis- ter Giorgia Meloni will join the inaugu- ral session as the Chief Guest. The Raisina Dialogue 2023 will witness the par- ticipation of repre- sentatives from over 100 countries includ- ing Ministers, former Heads of State and Heads of Govern- ment, Military Com- manders, Captains of the Industry, Technol- ogy Leaders, Academ- ia, Journalists, Schol- ars on Strategic Af- fairs, Experts from leading Think Tanks, and Youth. This year’s edition assumes spe- cial significance com- ing against the back- drop of India’s G20 Presidency . The theme of the 2023 Edition is “Prov- ocation, Uncertainty, Turbulence: Light- house in the Tempest. UMESH MURDER: AHMED MOVES SC SEEKING SECURITY COURT UPHOLDS ACQUITTAL OF EX- JAMIA REGISTRAR New Delhi: Former Samajwadi Party leader Atiq Ahmed moved the Supreme Court seeking its protection, claiming that he has been “roped in” as an accused in the Umesh Pal murder case and fears threat to his life. Lodged in the Central Jail, Ahmed has also sought direc- tions to ensure that no physical or bodily injury or harm is done to him. New Delhi: A court has upheld the order of a magisterial court to acquit a former registrar of Jamia Hamdard University of the charges of sexual harassment, criminal intimidation and assault or criminal force to a woman with intent to outrage her modesty. The woman filed an appeal in the superior sessions court against pre- vious order in Dec 2021. New Delhi: Extra-judicial confession is a weak piece of evidence which requires strong evidence to corroborate it, the SC said while acquitting a man in a 2007 murder case. “Extra-judicial confession is a weak piece of evidence and especially when it has been retracted during trial. It requires strong evidence to corroborate it and also it must be estab- lished that it was completely voluntary and truthful. In view of the discussion, we do not find any corroborating evidence to support the extra judicial confession,” the bench said. New Delhi: Delhi police filed a status report in the High court and said that they are working expeditiously on a tender for the installation of CCTV cameras in all police stations. It is also stated that the SC is monitoring this issue and has called for a report from all the State governments on the issue of the installation of CCTV cameras with a storage capacity of 18 months in police Stations. The HC directed Delhi police to comply with the order of the SC in relation to the installation of CCTV cameras in Police stations. NEED STRONG EVIDENCE TO CORROBORATE EXTRA-JUDICIAL CONFESSION,SAYS SC WORKING ON TENDER PROCESS TO SET UP CCTV CAMERAS: DELHI POLICE TO HC IN THE COURTYARD New Delhi (Agencies): Union Home Minister Amit Shah in a meeting held with BJP’s Telanga- naleadersandthenation- alleadersassociatedwith thestate’sAssemblyelec- tion campaign expressed strong displeasure over the ongoing factionalism in the state unit. Leaders, including party’snationalorganisa- tion Secretary B.L. San- thosh, General Secretary Sunil Bansal, who moni- tors and coordinates the work of the party in Tel- angana, state in-charge andnationalGeneralSec- retary Tarun Chugh, state chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar, Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy , D.K. Aruna, national Presi- dentof BJPOBCMorcha K.Laxmanamongothers were present in the meet- ing held at party J.P . Na- dda’s residence. Telangana is the sec- ondstateafterKarnataka in South India where the saffronpartyisconfident of winning,duetowhich the BJP high command has been busy preparing extensively for the Legis- lativeAssemblyelections to be held later this year. BJP’S MISSION TELANGANA Union Home Minister Amit Shah —FILE PHOTO TRIBAL RESEARCH CENTRES WILL BE OPENED: NADDA EX BENGALURU TOP COP QUITS AAP, JOINS BJP Chamarajanagar (ANI): BJP President JP Nadda while interacting with the tribal community said that 27 tribal research centres would be opened in the country. “27 tribal research centres will high- light the developmental work done by tribals. I want to assure the tribal brothers and sisters that we will change landscape of the area,” Nadda said. Bengaluru (PTI): In a setback to the Aam Aadmi Party in Karnataka, its prominent face and former Bengaluru police commis- sioner Bhaskar Rao on Wednesday quit the party and joined the ruling BJP in the state. Rao had joined the AAP just 11 months ago in New Delhi in the presence of the AAP supre- mo and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. AAP UNDER ATTACK? DelhiCMcallsmeetingwithMLAs Amid the ongoing crisis, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal called a meeting of AAP MLAs MCD councillors to discuss the strategies, a day after Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain, both arrested on corruption charges resigned from Cabinet New Delhi (PTI): Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal is chairing a high-level meeting with Aam Aadmi Party MLAs and councillors amid the political crisis plaguing his govern- ment. The meeting with AAP elected representa- tives comes a day after two top Delhi ministers Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain, who are in jail over allegations of corruption, resigned from the government. Kejriwal on Wednes- day said the entire coun- try is proud of former AAP ministers Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain and alleged they were arrested just to “stop the good work be- ing done” in the nation- al capital. Addressing reporters after a meeting with AAP MLAs and council- lors, the chief minister challenged the BJP: “AAP is a storm. We will be unstoppable now and our time has come.” He alleged that Sisodia’s ar- rest in the excise policy case was just an excuse, and asserted that new ministers would carry on the good work of the government at double the speed. “We shall see if the need arises,” said Kejri- wal said Wednesday try- ing to end speculations about appointing a dep- uty following the arrest and resignation of Man- ish Sisodia. Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal holds a meeting with AAP MLAs and Councilors, in New Delhi on Wednesday. KEJRIWAL ORDERS MLAS TO HOLD DOOR- TO-DOOR CAMPAIGN AGAINST ARREST LG APPROVES KEJRIWAL’S PROPOSAL TO GIVE ADDN DEPTS TO GAHLOT, ANAND BJP DEMANDS KEJRIWAL’S RESIGNATION New Delhi(Agencies): The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will hold door-to- door protests in Delhi beginning March 5 in response to the arrests of Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain. AAP MLAs have been tasked with telling the “story” behind Sisodia and Jain’s resignations. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, following a meeting at his residence, asked the AAP leaders to begin the door-to-door campaign to inform the public that Sisodia and Jain were sent to jail after the BJP-led Centre became “disturbed” by the success of Delhi’s health and education models. Satyendar Jain held the health and prisons departments, and Sisodia was Kejriwal’s deputy and handled finance, educa- tion, and several other departments in the Delhi government. New Delhi (ANI): Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena has approved Arvind Kejriwal’s proposal to give the responsibility of additional depart- ments to ministers Kailash Gahlot and Raajkumar Anand. Gahlot has been given the responsibility of Law, Justice and Legis- lative Affairs; Transport; Revenue; Finance; Plan- ning; Power; Home; Urban Development; Water; Administrative Reforms; Information and Technology; Public Works Department; Women and Child Development; Irrigation and Flood Control, said Gazette notification on Wednesday. New Delhi (PTI): The BJP on Wednesday staged protests at various places, demanding the resigna- tion of Arvind Kejriwal as it stepped up its attack against the AAP and its supremo in the wake of resignations by two Delhi ministers facing corruption charges. The saffron party also took its protest online, running a series of tweets with the hashtag “#Thek- edar_Kejriwal_Istifa_Do”. CONGRESS SILENT, MAKEN SUPPORTS CBI ACTION ‘PM WANTS TO STOP GOOD WORK DONE IN DELHI’ New Delhi (Agencies): The Congress has officially maintained a studied and intriguing silence over the arrest of former Delhi deputy chief minister Man- ish Sisodia by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on February 26 in the excise police case. As events unfolded, the only senior national-level Congress leader to not just talk about the arrest but also to support the CBI action is former Union minister Ajay Maken. New Delhi (PTI): Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejri- wal on Wednesday said the entire country is proud of former AAP ministers Man- ish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain and alleged they were arrested just to “stop the good work being done” in the national capital. Addressing reporters after a meeting with AAP MLAs and councillors, the chief minister challenged the BJP: “AAP is a storm. We will be unstoppable now and our time has come.” Congress slams BJP govt over LPG price hike Congress MLAs stage a walkout from the Madhya Pradesh Assembly against the price hike in the domestic and commercial LPG cylinders during the Budget Session, in Bhopal on Wednesday. New Delhi (PTI): Con- gress president Mall- ikarjun Kharge on Wednesday slammed the Centre for raising prices of domestic and commercial LPG ahead of Holi. Kharge said in a tweet in Hindi, “Price of domestic gas has in- creased by Rs 50 and commercial by Rs 350, the people are now ask- ing how to make Holi dishes, how long will these orders of loot con- tinue?” He said the peo- ple are being crushed due to high inflation during the government. The Prices of domes- tic cooking gas and commercial cylinders have been hiked by Rs 50 and Rs 350.50 per cyl- inder respectively . The CPI(M) on Wednesday also de- manded a rollback in the LPG cylinder price hike, stating that the rise will further lead people to forgo the ben- efits under the Ujjwala Scheme which has al- ready seen a 10 per cent decrease in beneficiar- ies opting for refills. In a statement, the CPI(M) politburo said that with the hike of Rs 50, the burden on people will increase at a time when the cost of all food and essential commodi- tiesisrisingrelentlessly . OPPOSITION SLAMS BJP GOVT OVER LPG PRICE HIKE IN GOA Panaji (Agencies): Reacting sharply to price hike of domestic cook- ing gas and commercial cylinders, Goa’s Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao on Wednesday sarcasti- cally said that now even frying ‘pakodas’ (frit- ters) will be difficult for educated unemployed youths. Alemao slammed the BJP Government for continuously “putting financial burden” on peo- ple. “This hike will result in complete collapse of household budgets. This is a financial emergency imposed by the insensi- tive BJP Government on the middle class and poor. The increase in price of commercial LPG cylinders will result in escalation of food items in restaurants and food outlets,” he said. MP presents `3.14 Lakh Cr Budget Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh government on Wednesday presented a Rs 3.14 lakh crore state budget for 2023-24, even as the Opposition Con- gress staged a walkout from the Assembly on the issue of hike in the LPG cylinder price. Congress members including former min- isters Tarun Bhanot, Vijay Laxmi Sadho and Jitu Patwari created ruckus in the House over the LPG price hike issue the moment state Finance Minister Jag- dish Devda started reading out the budget proposals. “The central government has in- creased the price of an LPG cylinder by Rs 50, Rs 300 on commercial cylinder, causing lot of hardships to the peo- ple,” Bhanot told re- porters. He demanded that like the Rajasthan government, the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh also provide LPG cylinders at Rs 500 each (to people below poverty line). Earlier in the morn- ing, Congress members staged a protest in front of the statue of Mahat- ma Gandhi in the As- sembly premises on the issue of hike in the price of LPG cylinders. MP Finance Min Jagdish Devda —PHOTO BY ANI Shah expresses displeasure over factionalism
- 7. MUMBAI | THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2023 06 INDIA www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epapers/mumbai I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia New Delhi (ANI): Ahead of the G20 Foreign Min- ister’s Meeting, External Affairs Minister S Jais- hankar met Argentina’s Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero, Netherlands For- eign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Wopke Hoekstra and South Africa’s Foreign Minis- ter Naledi Pandor. The Foreign Ministers Meeting is scheduled to take place from March 1-2, 2023 in New Delhi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to address the foreign ministers of the member countries of G20 and he will talk about India’s growing influ- ence globally. The March 1-2 meeting of the G20 foreign ministers will be held days after a meeting of finance chiefs of the bloc in Bengaluru. New Delhi (Agencies): India imposed by far the highest number of internet shutdowns in the world in 2022, inter- net advocacy watchdog Access Now said on Tuesday, as the country topped the list for the fifth successive year. Out of 187 internet shutdowns globally re- corded by Access Now, 84 took place in India, including 49 in Jammu and Kashmir, the New York-based digital rights advocacy group said in a report pub- lished. “Authorities dis- ruptedinternetaccessat least 49 times in Kash- mir due to political in- stability and violence, including a string of 16 back-to-back orders for three-day-long curfew- style shutdowns in Jan- uary and February 2022,” the watchdog re- port added. In August 2019, the Bharatiya Ja- nata Party government led by PM Narendra Modi scrapped the au- tonomy of JK, split- ting it into two federally administered territo- ries. The government has since regularly im- posed communications restrictions on the re- gion on security grounds, which rights groupshavecondemned. Although India once again led the world in internet shutdowns, 2022 marked the first time since 2017 that there were fewer than 100 shutdowns in the country, the watch- dog said. Indiatopsworldininternetshutdowns:Report 5TH TIME IN A ROW lll Out of 187 internet shutdowns globally, 84 took place in India, including 49 in JK, the New York-based firm revealed in its report New Delhi (Agen- cies): Telecom and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednes- day termed 2023 as a landmark year and said, “India has built a unique framework for the digital economy.” Microsoft co-founder Gates, who addressed the session, appreciat- ed India’s competitive private market and re- liable and low-cost con- nectivity. “This will be the cheapest 5G mar- ket,” Gates added. India has a great dig- ital network and a very high percentage of peo- ple using smartphones, he noted. Union Minister of Communications, Elec- tronics and IT, and Rail- ways Ashwini Vaishnaw mentioned, “India has created a unique framework for the digital economy that focuses on making a difference in people’s lives.” BILL GATES PRAISES INDIA’S DIGITAL PUBLIC NETWORKS; SAYS THIS WILL BE CHEAPEST 5G MARKET ‘No one built more comprehensive platforms’ JAISHANKAR MEETS MINISTERS OF ARGENTINA, NETHERLANDS, SA COUNTERING TERRORISM: KWATRA New Delhi (ANI): India on Wednesday highlighted the use of crypto-currencies in spreading terror- ism across nations and asserted that crypto will form one constituent of countering terrorism at the G20 delibera- tions. Speaking at a special briefing on G20 Foreign Minis- ters’ Meeting, For- eign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said, “What we expect from tomorrow’s meet is a clear, strong all- encompassing mes- sage on the problem of terrorism on its challenges and the need for the G20 countries to come together to fight, address and defeat it comprehensively. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw looks on as Microsoft’s co-founder Bill Gates speaks during the G20 Secretariat programme at Sushma Swaraj Bhawan, in New Delhi on Wednesday. —PHOTOS BY ANI External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar meets with Netherlands Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, in New Delhi on Wednesday. AUS’S UNIVERSITIES TO SET UP CAMPUSES IN GUJ Gurugram(ANI): Gurugram police have arrested one person in connec- tion with a case related to theft of flower pots set up for the G20 event, police said on Wednesday. Earlier a video had earlier gone viral on social media, which showed two people purportedly stealing the flower pots kept on the Delhi- Gurugram express- way.The accused has been identified as one 50-year- old Manmohan, a resident of Gurugram.“Police have seized the stolen flower pots and the car used in the theft,” said Gurugram police. MAN HELD FOR STEALING FLOWER POTS TMC TWITTER ACCOUNT FIXED AFTER OVER 13 HRS ABDULLAH HAILS STALIN, BATS FOR DMK CHIEF AS PM SCHOOLS REOPEN IN KASHMIR AFTER 3-MONTH BREAK New Delhi (Agencies): TN Chief Minister MK Stalin is celebrating his 70th birthday today, March 1, with warm wishes pouring in from celebrities, political leaders, and volunteers. Former Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) president Farooq Abdullah is also a part of his birthday celebrations, among other leaders. On being asked what the chanc- es are of Stalin becom- ing the PM, Abdullah said, “Why not? What is wrong about it?” Srinagar (PTI): Schools in Kashmir reopened today after remaining closed for 3 months on account of winter vacations. There was a sudden change in weather conditions following a spell of rainfall but the down- pour failed to dampen the enthusiasm among the students, many of whom were feel- ing bored confined at home. Also, there was some criticism of the administration for opening the schools early in the morning as the weather is still cold. New Delhi (Agencies): The official Twitter account of TMC was restored after over 13 hours, officials said.The account was hacked on Monday and its name was changed to ‘Yuga Labs’, sources said. “It was restored at around 4 PM after nearly 13 hours,” a member of the AITC media team said.The party lodged a complaint with the cyber cell of Kolkata Police, he said. TMC spokesperson Derek O’Brien said that the ac- count was compromised. Telangana (ANI): A 16-year-old boy was found hang- ing from the ceiling fan of his classroom at a private college in the Rangareddy district of Telangana on Wednesday. The deceased boy was identified as Na- gula Satwik his parents alleged foul play saying that his death was the fallout of the tortured perpetrated on him by the management of the private college. A police team rushed to the spot and set about breaking up the protest, a source informed further. Hapur (PTI): Four members of a family were killed when a speeding car rammed into a stationary canter truck in Uttar Pradesh’s Hapur, police said on Wednesday. A minor girl was also seriously injured in the accident which took place late on Tuesday night. The family was returning from a wedding ceremony in Garhmukteshwar and going towards Delhi when the accident took place. Police pullled out the bodies from the car and got the injured girl admitted to a hospital. 16-YEAR-OLD BOY FOUND HANGING IN PVT COLLEGE, KIN ALLEGE TORTURE 4 OF FAMILY KILLED AS CAR RAMS INTO TRUCK IN UP’S HAPUR, SAYS POLICE CRUCIAL READ UKRAINE ON 2ND Twitter was down for hours after Elon Musk fired 200 employees,later fixed Security tightened across Meghalaya Tura (ANI): The Elec- tion Commission of In- dia has set up 13 count- ing centres for the counting of votes for the Meghalaya assem- bly elections on March 2 and adequate security measures have been taken across the state. The security at all EVM strong rooms has been strengthened with up to three layers of se- curity in place. The vot- ing for 59 assembly con- stituencies of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly was held on February 27 and an 85.17 per cent voter turnout was recorded. FRKharkongor,Chief Electoral Officer, said, the counting of votes will be held on March 2 and all arrangements for counting have been made. “Wehavesetup13 countingcentresinall12 districts and in one Sub- Division. 27 counting observers and 500 micro observers have been de- ployed for the counting of votes. We have made all arrangements,” Kharkongor said. InWestGaroHillsdis- trict which has 11 con- stituencies, the count- ing centre has been set up in the Dakopgre area and a large number of personnel have been de- ployed for the security of the EVM room. New Delhi (Agen- cies): Twitter is down is nothing new as the platform has faced mul- tiple outages in the last few months, especially after Elon Musk ac- quired the platform and fired thousands of em- ployees. On Wednesday, the microblogging site faced a massive outage globally. And Twitter users believe that the platform is down be- cause Musk fired some engineers in the latest round of layoffs. The issue occurred after Musk abruptly fired 10% of the work- force, which is around 200 people. Twitter em- ployees who lost jobs included many product managers, engineers, and people in data sci- ence department. Musk also fired Esther Craw- ford, who was heading some big projects such as Blue verification sub- scription and payments platform. Chris Reidy, who was the acting Twitter head of sales, was also asked to leave during the layoffs. Indian, Japanese air forces in Shinyuu Maitri exercise New Delhi: The Indian Air Force (IAF) is par- ticipating in Exercise Shinyuu Maitri with the Japan Air Self De- fence Force (JASDF). The exercise is being organised on the side- lines of the Indo-Japan Joint Army Exercise, Dharma Guardian, which is being conduct- ed from 13 February 2023 to 02 March 2023 at Komatsu, Japan. The IAF contingent is participating in Exer- cise Shinyuu Maitri 23 with one C-17 Globe- master III aircraft. The Exercise is being con- ducted on 01 and 02 March 2023. The first phase of the exercise consists of discussions on transport operations and tactical manoeu- vring, followed by the second phase of flying drills by IAF’s C-17 and JASDF C-2 transport aircraft. The exercise gives an opportunity for the respective subject matter experts to inter- act and study each oth- er’s operational philoso- phiesandbestpractices. Jailed conman writes to Delhi Guv over ‘Prison Footage Leak’ CISF to celebrate Raising Day in Hyderabad Top commanders to discuss ops in Arabian Sea New Delhi: Jailed busi- nessman Sukesh Chan- drashekhar has filed a complaint to Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, claiming CCTV footage of his cell were being leaked and circulated online, amounting to a security breach. Chandrasekhar also sought an inquiry into the alleged leak of CCTV footage of his cell.The businessman further alleged that it was a deliberate secu- rity breach by responsi- ble officers for their “personal gain”. New Delhi: Central In- dustrial Security Force (CISF) will hold its an- nual Raising Day cele- brations in Hyderabad on March 12. As per officials, this will be the first time that CISF will be hold- ing the ‘Raising Day’ celebrations outside the National capital, New Delhi. A senior CISF of- ficer has confirmed that for the first time, the an- nual celebration will be held outside Delhi. New Delhi: In a bid to promote Make In India defence systems, the In- dian Navy is going to hold its senior com- manders’ conference on board the aircraft car- rier INS Vikrant in the Arabian Sea. The deci- sion is also in line with PM Narendra Modi’s directives to organise major events outside Delhi after which offide- cided to hold it on board the new aircraft carrier on March 6. New Delhi (PTI): Two Aus- tralian universities — Wol- longong and Deakin — will soon establish campuses in Gujarat’s ‘GIFT City’, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced on Wednesday. The two varsities will sign an agreement on setting up their campuses during Australian Prime Minis- ter Anthony Albanese’s maiden visit to India next week.Pradhan made the announcement during an event at Delhi University’s Venkateshwara College that hosted Australian Education Minister Jason Clare, who is on a four-day visit to the country.“Two Australian universities will be establishing campuses in the GIFT City in Gujarat. We want to partner with Australia with accessibility, affordability and quality of education for youngsters,” he said. TRIPURA: CANNABIS WORTH `3 CR SEIZED New Delhi (Agencies): A massive consignment of cannabis worth approxi- mately Rs 3 crores was caught in Tripura, a day before the counting be- gins in the state for the recently held assembly elections. As per initial reports, the officials said that the massive consignment was seized during a regular check- ing set up at Ganganagar area which falls under the Dhalai district of Tripura today. Never said who will lead or become PM: Congress Chennai (ANI): Pitch- ing for opposition unity to take on the BJP-led government in the 2024 LS polls, Congress Pres- ident Mallikarjun Kharge saidonWednes- day that he had never said “who will lead or who will become PM” and that the party is keen that the like-mind- ed parties come togeth- er for the electoral chal- lenge. “All like-minded opposition parties should come together against the divisive forc- es. I never said who will lead or who will become PM. It’s not the ques- tion. We want to fight together unitedly , this is our desire,” Kharge said at an event to mark the 70th birthday celebra- tions of DMK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin.
- 8. Overall PV dispatches cross 3.35 lakh units New Delhi (PTI): Driven by strong demand, the overall passenger vehicle dispatches crossed 3.35 lakh units in February as automakers, including MSI, Hyundai, Tata Motors and Mahindra Mahin- dra, reported robust sales during the month. The dispatches of more than 3.35 lakh units last month marked an 11% over Feb 2022. The country’s largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India on Wednesday said its domestic wholesales rose 11% to 1,55,114 units in February as compared with 1,40,035 units in the same month last year. Hyundai Motor India saw its domestic whole- sales increase 7% year-on- year to 47,001 units in Feb- ruary . Tata Motors said its PV sales in the domestic market last month rose to 43,140 units as against 40,181 units in the corre- sponding period last year. AUTOMAKERS POST ROBUST SALES DATA IN NUMBERS z The dispatches of more than 3.35 lakh units last month marked an 11% over February 2022 z It was also the highest ever overall wholesales in the month of February z Maruti Suzuki India’s domestic wholesales rose 11% to 1,55,114 units in Feb business BRIEFS New Delhi: State-owned CIL produced 619.7 mil- lion tonnes (MT) in the April-February period of the current fiscal, regis- tering a year-on-year growth of 14.3%. The maharatna firm had pro- duced 542 MT of coal in the year-ago period. “This is a 100% achieve- ment against progressive target. With a quantum gain of 77.3 MT CIL is well on its way to breach the production target of 700 MT of FY’23,” Coal India Ltd (CIL) said in a statement. —PTI COAL INDIA LIMITED PRODUCTION RISES 14% DURING APR-FEB New Delhi: Gold prices jumped by `475 to `55,955 per 10 grams in the national capital on Wednesday amid strong global trends. The pre- cious metal had ended at `55,480 per 10 grams in the previous trade. Silver, however, plummeted by `1,225 to `63,825 per kg. “Spot gold prices in the Delhi markets traded at `55,955 per 10 grams, up `475 per 10 grams,” said Saumil Gandhi, Senior Analyst - Commodities at HDFC Securities. In the overseas market, gold was trading higher at $1,833 per ounce while silver was marginally up at $21.04 per ounce.—PTI GOLD RATES JUMP BY `475; SILVER PLUMMETS `1,225 New Delhi: India’s power consumption logged a year-on-year growth of over 9% to 117.84 billion units in February this year, according to gov- ernment data. The robust growth of power con- sumption indicates sus- tained momentum of eco- nomic activities in Febru- ary. In February 2022, power consumption stood at 108.03 billion units (BU), higher than the 103.25 BU in the same month of 2021, the data showed. —PTI INDIA’S ELECTRICITY CONSUMPTION GROW OVER 9% IN FEB New Delhi: Moody’s In- vestors Service on Wednesday said the banking sector outlook remains stable and is supported by economic growth and improved fi- nancials. “While we ex- pect the country’s real GDP growth to moderate in the fiscal year ending March 2024), India’s un- derlying growth potential is fundamentally strong, which will support banks’ credit growth and asset quality,” Moody’s said. However, loans to SMEs continue to pose risks to banks’ asset quality.—PTI MOODY’S MAINTAINS STABLE OUTLOOK ON INDIAN BANKS MUMBAI | THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2023 07 www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epapers/mumbai I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia Commodity Price Change % Chg GOLD 55,955.00 475.00 0.84 (Per 10g) SILVER 63,825.00 1225.00 1.91 (Per 1kg) COMMODITIES Currency Price Change % Chg USDINR 82.50 0.08 0.09 GBPINR 99.36 0.45 0.45 CURRENCIES *Rates till the edition went to print. AXIS BANK COMPLETES ACQUISITION OF CITI’S INDIA BUSINESS New Delhi: Private sector lender Axis Bank on Wednes- day announced that it has completed acquisition of Citibank’s consumer business and non-banking financial com- pany consumer business. The bank paid `11,603 crore for the acquisition announced last year in March. The sale ex- cludes Citi’s institutional client businesses in India. Axis Bank is the fourth-largest issuer of credit cards with a total base of 8.6 million cards. —PTI EU’S CARBON TAX TO IMPACT INDIA’S METAL EXPORTS: GTRI New Delhi: The carbon border adjustment mechanism being implemented by the Euro- pean Union will have an adverse impact on India’s exports of metals such as iron, steel and aluminium products to the EU, the GTRI said on Wednesday. The EU is introducing the carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) from October 1 this year. CBAM will translate into a 20-35% tax on select imports into the EU starting Jan 1, 2026. —PTI MOODY’S UPS INDIA’S GROWTH PROJECTION FOR 2023 TO 5.5% New Delhi: Moody’s Investors Service on Wednesday raised India’s eco- nomic growth estimate for 2023 to 5.5% from 4.8% pegged earlier, on the back of a sharp increase in capital expenditure in the Budget and a resilient economic mo- mentum. It however revised downwards India’s growth estimate for 2022 to 6.8% from 7% pegged in November last year. It said India’s growth projection has been “meaning- fully raised”. —PTI AKASA AIR TO PLACE ORDER FOR FLEET OF AIRCRAFT IN 3 DIGITS Bengaluru: Akasa Air is going to place an order for a fleet of aircraft which will be in three digits by the year-end, the company said on Wednes- day. The company’s founder and CEO, Vinay Dube said it plans to go international by the year-end and intends to set up a learn- ing academy “By the end of the year we will place a large order for aircraft. I’m not go- ing to disclose the number but the order will be in three digits and it will be significant.”—PTI DOMESTIC AIRLINES INDUSTRY TO FLY BACK INTO PROFITABILITY NEXT FISCAL: CRISIL Mumbai: Domestic airlines industry is expected to fly back into profitability next fiscal, for the first time since the outbreak of Covid, amid easing cost pressures and reduction in leverage to support credit profiles. As per the report by Crisil, the industry is also likely to pare its net loss by as much as 75-80% year-on-year to `3,500- 4,500 crore this fiscal, compared with around `17,500 crore last fiscal. Strong recovery in passenger traffic and easing cost pressures are supporting this turnaround in operating performance. —PTI OTHER STORIES Feb’sGSTcollectionat`1.50Lcr New Delhi (PTI): Goods and Services Tax (GST) collections rose 12% to more than `1.49 lakh crore in February as domestic economic activities and consumer spending on high-end goods gained momentum. However, the collections arelowerthanJanuarymop upof `1.58lakhcrore,which was also the second highest monthly revenue figure since the rollout of GST on July 1, 2017. `1,49,577 crore gross GST revenue collected in February 2023; 12% higher than GST revenue in same month last year, the fi- nance ministry said. Generally, February be- ing a 28-day month, wit- nesses a relatively lower collection of GST revenue, the ministry said. During the month, reve- nues from domestic trans- action (including import of services) were 15% higher while revenues from im- port of goods was 6% high- er compared to the same month last year. As per the ministry data, out of the gross GST reve- nue, Central GST was `27,662 crore, State GST was `34,915 crore, Integrat- ed GST was `75,069 crore (including `35,689 crore collected on import of goods) and Cess was `11,931 crore (including `792 crore collected on import of goods). The cess collection of `11,931 crore was the highest since implementa- tion of GST. ICRA Chief Economist Aditi Nayar said the se- quential dip in the GST col- lections in February 2023 is partly on account of the boost to the January figure from the quarter-ending inflows for the month of December, which were re- mitted in the following month. The monthly GST reve- nue has remained at more than `1.4 lakh crore for 12 months in a row, including February . KEY FIGURES z GST collections rose 12% to more than `1.49 lakh crore in February z However, the collections are lower than January mop up of `1.58 lakh crore z Generally, Febbeing a 28-day month, witnesses a relatively lower collection z Revenues from domestic transaction were 15% higher India’smfgPMIshows steadygrowthinFeb New Delhi (PTI): The growth momentum in In- dia's manufacturing sector was maintained in Febru- ary, with new orders and output increasing at simi- lar rates to January , accord- ing to a monthly survey . The seasonally adjusted SP Global India Manufac- turing Purchasing Manag- ers' Index (PMI) was at 55.3 in February, little-changed from 55.4 in January . The February PMI data pointed to an improvement in overall operating condi- tions for the 20th straight month. India's manufac- turing industry sustained robust growth of output and new orders halfway through the final fiscal quarter, albeit with a nota- ble slowdown in the rate of international sales expan- sion, the survey said. Companies signalled only mild pressure on their own operating capacities, with outstanding business increasing marginally in February . Barcelona (PTI): Indian telecom operators have sur- passed the three- year 5G network rollout target giv- en to them within six months and now the gov- ernment is making efforts to enhance adoption of 5G applications across various key segments, a senior gov- ernment official said here. DoT Additional Secre- tary VL Kantha Rao said, When the spectrum was allocated to telecom ser- vice providers for 5G roll- out, we gave a minimum rollout obligation saying that within one year they have to cover a few cities within three years, a few towns and so on and so forth. I'm glad to say that in the first six months of 5G rollout, they have sur- passed all the targets that we have given them for the next three years, Rao said. He said the rapid rollout of the 5G network in India shows that telecom service providers in India have seen the opportunity of 5G. They have set up more than one lakh sites in 350 towns. They have even an- nounced that by the end of this year they will cover majority of the towns. So this is a big plus for the roll- out of 5G services in In- dia, Rao said. 5G roll out: Indian telcos meet 3-yr target in 6 months Markets bounce back after 8-day downward slide; end 1% higher Mumbai (PTI): Stock mar- ket benchmarks ended nearly 1% higher on Wednesday, halting their eight days of decline, amid gains in Asian and Euro- pean equity exchanges. The BSE Sensex ad- vanced 448.96 points or 0.76% to settle at 59,411.08 after a positive beginning. The NSE Nifty climbed 146.95 points or 0.85% to end at 17,450.90. From the Sensex pack, State Bank of India, Axis Bank, IndusInd Bank, Tech Mahindra, HCL Technolo- gies, Tata Consultancy Ser- vices, Maruti Suzuki, Tata Steel and Tata Motors were the major gainers. Power Grid and HDFC Bank were the laggards. ALL LISTED ADANI GROUP FIRMS GAIN New Delhi (PTI): Stocks of all the ten listed Adani Group firms ended with gains on Wednesday, continuing the positive momentum amid a recovery in the broader equity market. Adani Enterprises stock jumped 14.70% to settle at Rs 1,564.55 on the BSE. Adani Transmis- sion advanced 5%, Adani Green Energy rose 4.99%, Adani Wilmar gained 4.99%, NDTV rallied 4.99% and Adani Power climbed 4.98%. Shares of Adani Total Gas jumped 4.85%, Ambuja Cements (3.32%), ACC (2.14%) and Adani Ports (1.61%). ` GAINS 8 PAISE TO CLOSE AT 82.50/$ New Delhi (PTI): The rupee appreciated by 8 paise to close at 82.50 (provisional) against the US dollar on Wednesday. At the interbank foreign exchange market, the local unit opened at 82.48 against the American currency and finally settled at 82.50 against the greenback, registering a gain of 8 paise over its previous close of 82.58. PVR INOX to add 200 screens every year New Delhi (PTI): Leading multiplex operator PVR is working on “getting econo- mies of scale” after the merger of rival Inox Lei- sure and expects a double- digit growth in its top-line in FY24, said managing di- rector Ajay Bijli. PVR is working on syn- ergies on revenue from ticket prices, food bever- age, advertising, and oper- ating costs, he said, adding that the merged entity has plans to add 200 screens every year, and tap the po- tential of smaller markets. When asked about the growth in terms of the top- line of the merged entity in FY24, Bijli said he expects double-digit growth. PETROL, DIESEL SALES SURGE IN FEB AFTER WINTER LULL New Delhi (PTI): India’s fuel demand witnessed the sharpest rebound in Febru- ary as petrol and diesel consumption rose by dou- ble digits after a winter lull in the previous month, pre- liminary industry data showed on Wednesday . Petrol sales of state- owned fuel retailers jumped 12% to 2.57 million tonne in February, as com- pared to 2.29 million tonne of consumption in the same period of last year. Month-on-month, the de- mand was up 13.5%, revers- ing the dip in the previous month. Sales had fallen 5.1% month-on-month in January as cold conditions cut vehicular movement. Diesel, the most used fuel in the country, posted a 13% rise in sales during February to 6.52 million tonne. Month-on-month sales surged 9.2% from 5.97 mil- lion tonne in January . In January, diesel con- sumption fell 8.6% month- on-month as snowfall in higher reaches halted truck movement.
- 9. MUMBAI | THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2023 08 2NDFRONT www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epapers/mumbai I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia Problems are a part of life and when they arise, we come to know two important things- our own strengths and who is a true well-wisher! — Dr Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO Editor-in-Chief, First India z Decades back when you came from Paki- stan, did you ever think that you would reach such heights and would become Chief Minister? CM ML Khattar: Well, it was not Pakistan, but I had come from West Punjab. Pakistan was created later. This is a fact that those who came here, were ‘hand to mouth’ and fought the situation, worked as labourers, or small-time farmers, or worked in shops. Our family was one such family, which had to undergo im- mense struggle. Even our studies happened under many hardships. After completing my studies when I realised that the family needs to be supported, I started my cloth shop so that a properly organised sys- tem can be set up. It so happened that since Emergency was en- forced in 1975, we learned about the Sangh being a national- ist organisation. We learnedaboutitbecause of the Emergency and started attending the ‘Shakhas’. In 1980, I be- came a ‘Pracharak.’ So, all these developments brought a major turn in my life. Subjects like na- tionalism, discipline, etc. touched my heart. And once I became a Pracharak, I kept on working whatever the organisation demanded of me and when they asked me to carry out this responsibility in the political field, I am carrying it out. z So when did you en- ter active politics from Sangh? This happened in 1994 and before that, as a Pracharakof theSangh, I used to handle the shakhasandotherwork. In 1994, I was told that I will have to handle the work of the Organisa- tional Secretary of Har- yana BJP and I worked in that position till 2002. After 2002, I was given various works across the nation, which I car- ried out. Then in 2013, I wasmadetheChairman of the Election Commit- tee for the 2014 General elections for Haryana State. In 2014, we con- tested a good election and eight out of ten seats went into BJP’s kitty and that very year, I was told that I have to contest the Assembly polls. Although, I had never thought of con- testing from any seat, still I discussed it with my friends, supporters and well wishers, who pinpointed a few seats and National President Amit Shah told me to contest from Karnal, so I contested. Then he planned that as a Chief Minister, Manohar Lal could be the face, al- though there were sev- eral leaders for the posi- tion, my stand was that whatever the organisa- tion says I will do that. So the organisation de- cided and I became the Chief Minister and I am now serving the people continuously . z When did you meet Amit Shah for the first time? It was during the 2013 election that we met. During the Lok Sabha election too he used to guide us and then after the Assembly election, the meetings increased. z How do you rate him as a strategist? Brilliant! Just like how as a loved leader Naren- dra Modi is the leader of the nation, similarly , on the strategic level, whether it is forming a strategy for elections or expanding the organisa- tion, the work that Amit Shah ji has done, is un- paralleled. z Generally it is said that you are Naren- dra Modi’s find as a Chief Minister . So when did you first meet Narendra Bhai? I met him first when he handled the work of Haryana in 1996, as he had North-Indian re- gions of Himachal, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir and Chandi- garh under him and I was working in Hary- ana. Although my very first interaction with him was in 1991, when he crossed Haryana under his ‘Tiranga Yatra’ and I was a Pracharak in the Hisar region. So when the Yatra reached Luharu, that is when I first met him, but that was a meeting of just one day. Therefore, when in 1996, he became the in- charge of Haryana, since then, the touch has been constant. z I have read that one became a Prime Min- ister from being a ‘Karma Yogi’ and the other became Chief Minister from a ‘Kar- ma Yogi.’ I have heard that you two used to travel on a Scooter? Sometimes, we had to stay together since he handled four regions of North India and I had Haryana under me. Co- incidentally, his centre was Panchkula and for three years, due to party work, my centre was also Panchkula, hence, it is obvious that meet- ings were frequent. z You used to cook together? Oh, he enjoyed that. WhenwewereinRohtak office, he used to enter the kitchen and used to ask our office boy Deep- ak what has he made. So he would list out what he had made and he (PM Modi) liked to make Kh- ichdi and he made it re- ally well like that which is prepared in Gujarat. z During his public rally in 2014, he men- tioned about Deepak also. Yes, it was a rally in Jhajjhar. I asked him do you remember Deepak? He said yes, where is he? So, I said he is in the crowd. He immediately asked me to call Deepak on the stage and when Deepak came, he (Modi) hugged him. It was a never before-seen in- stance wherein, a boy that worked in the kitch- en, was hugged by a per- son of the Prime Minis- terial level. z This is his quality. He does not forget his people. He told a jour- nalist from Shimla that he used to inter- act with journalists in a cafe at Mall Road. How do you see this one-to-one con- nect of his? Superb.Heisalwayscar- ing and worries about the personal well-being of people. When I con- tracted Covid-19, he came to know about it and we spoke over the phone.Hetoldmetocon- tact good doctors imme- diately and he told Dr Guleriya who then called me up and said, “OurChief Ministerhas contracted Covid?” I said yes but how did you come to know. He said that Prime Minister had called him and told to speak to me. So he wor- ries for people’s well-be- ing. And he (PM Modi) used to call up every day andaskaboutmyhealth. Later, he told me that its ‘after effects’ are also bad and one has to be ex- tremely cautious. He told me that my weight was on the higher side and asked me to lose some. I was actually 93 kilograms and from that moment onwards, I worked on it. Although my target was to reach 80 kilograms, but even right now, I weigh around 86-87 kilograms. z Haryana is called Jatland. Yet, a non- Jat Chief Minister has been so successful and it has been eight years. The party is now gearing up for yet another five-year term. How did this be- come a possibility? See, in our nation’s pol- itics, this casteism be- came too dominant dur- ing the Congress rule. And not just in Hary- ana, I have observed that in other states too, caste politics made a huge impact. The influ- ential castes did not let those from simple or less influential castes come forward. The en- tire politics used to re- volve around one or two castes. But I give this credit to Prime Minis- ter Modi, as he started working on what was the need for society and kept the casteist poli- tics at bay, which im- pressed the general public. And because that happened, people, in reality, got freedom from the pressure of the influential castes and started saying that they want their own CM. I did not know, during the first tenure, that I will become the Chief Minister, but ultimate- ly, people knew the sec- ond time around. So, during the second time too, our vote percentage in Haryana increased. In the first tenure, we were at 34 percent and the second time, we se- cured 37 percent votes. Yes, the number of seats did fall, but the people of Haryana kept on increasing their trust and love towards us. We also do not en- gage in any caste-based preference or influence any one particular com- munity anyhow, be it Jats or non-Jats, or Pun- jabis, Baniyas, Brah- mins or backward class- es, whoever it is. Even people from Scheduled Castes that have joined us, feel that in this gov- ernment, be it PM Nar- endra Modi’s govt at the Centre or the BJP Gov- ernment in Haryana, they will get justice and no one will do injustice to them. Otherwise, people say that there were those too that used to use their power, but now people know that such a thing does not happen. z So what do you think, will you form the government for the third time in As- sembly polls next year? See, firstly , this decision has to be taken by the people. We can’t enforce them. Secondly, we work so much for the benefit of the people that we have complete faith that the masses will choose us and why will they negate us? The people have to see their benefit at the end of the day, and we too have to work for the welfare of the masses. There is no personal benefit here. We had started the gov- ernment with a resolu- tion of working for the people. We are not those leaders or governments that used to enjoy the power of the govern- ment. We haven’t come here to enjoy that pow- er, rather we believe that power can be a way to serve the people, which has been estab- lished by PM Modi, and us too. Otherwise, when people used to be asked about politicians, at times, they would make comments. Even a good person would feel that such is the thought of people for them. Modiji was once asked by a per- son that what he thought would be his biggest challenge once he becomes the Prime Minister. He replied saying that his biggest challenge would be to better the image of leaders and politicians in the minds of people. So in a sense, his re- marks meant that such is the image of politi- cians that they must be dacoits or thieves or are engaged in corruption. Such was the image of politicians. Today, even good people are coming forward with the aim that they too want to play a role in the gov- ernance or leadership of the country . This pic- ture changed after Modiji came to power. z PM Modi has been successful in better- ing the image of the party and politicians. Exactly .Hehasachieved that target of his to a great degree. Today peo- ple say that BJP leaders have no desires of their own but rather want to work for the nation and society. The leaders in states keep the states ahead and national leaders keep the nation ahead, be it Modiji or Yogiji and the same goes for Manohar Lal. z So you will bring the majority in poll results on your basis or will you opt for alliance? All these depend on the situation. And at times, we have seen that even after winning the ma- jority, several people walk together, and that too is a way of giving a strong government. And going about on your own is also a way to move ahead. See, there are many political parties in this country and this doesn’t mean that if one party forms a government, all oth- ers become its oppo- nent. When there are parties that have the same sort of ideologies, then they move togeth- er. Today BJP has the full majority, but we have other parties in NDA. In 1980, when the election was contested under the leadership of Choudhary Devilalji, the party alliance won 80 seats, of which, we had only 18. Devilalji had 62 seats of his own and only 45 seats were needed for the majority and yet we walked to- gether till 1991. TO BE CONTINUED… PM Modi is one of the most caring persons; has successfully achieved his target of improving the image of leaders in nation: CM Khattar During the show #JCWithManoharLal trended top All-India on Twitter Dr Jagdeesh Chandra in conversation with Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar during The JC Show. CEO and Editor-in-Chief, Bharat24-Vision of New India and First India; CMD, First India News, Dr Jagdeesh Chandraholdsatete-a-tetewithHaryanaChiefMinisterManoharLalKhattarandfindshowand whyPMNarendraModihasanindelibleconnectwitheveryonehemeets,howAmitShahisasamaster strategist,learnsaboutKhattar’spoliticallifeandhowdespitenotbeingfromtheJatcommunity,hehas successfullyrunagovernmentfortwotermsinastate,whereitwasclaimedthatJatswouldalwaysbetheCM faceandyet,Khattarhasbrokenthestereotypeandhaspublic’ssupporttoogoingahead.Excerpts...(Part-I)
- 10. www.firstindia.co.in I https://firstindia.co.in/epapers/mumbai I twitter.com/ thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09 MUMBAI, THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2023 n a unique event of its kind, doc- tors and other healthcare staff of the Sawai ManSinghMedi- cal College turned showstoppers of the fashion show by don- ning traditional and Indo- western attires. The glit- terati occasion witnessed a magical response. The doctors were appreciated for their relentless ser- vices during the unprece- dented peak phases of the coronavirus pandemic. Taking a break from their medical profession, the members of SMS Medical College cele- brated the Platinum Ju- bilee with utmost grace. The main event of the day was a fashion show which saw the participa- tion of over 100 doctors. Doctors-turned-models walked the ramp with elegance and full confi- dence. They looked rav- ishing in trendy design- er outfits. Several senior doctors also graced the occasion including Dr Saurabh Jain, Dr Rimmi Shekhawat, Ekta Ajma- ni, Parth Ajmani, sr- Mamta Dhaka and Dr Vijaylaxmi Nangliya with others. Principal Dr Rajeev Bagarhatta and Organis- ing Secretary Dr Ashok Gupta informed that the grand finale of the cul- tural fest will be held on March 4. The stage was operated by Dr Ramesh Roop Rai. CulturalFestcoordina- tor Dr Sandeep Nijhawan said that before the fash- ion show, a musical night was organised in which Dr Gaurav Jain, Dr San- jay Raizada and Dr Pooja Rathore were present as the jury members. Dr Rajesh Arora said, “We doctors have to learn to dress up in a few minutes as we face many emergency cases. There- fore, we must be updated with the latest fashion trends. The fashion show was very interest- ing and we all en- joyed it a lot. The day was a memora- ble one for the en- tire fraternity .” Dr Saurabh Jain told that 100 doctors walked the ramp in the fashion show. The doctors walked the ramp wearing outfits from fashion designer Ekta N Parth’s Kafra, Aashna Vaswani’s Fashionolic, Pra- nay’s Nikhar Fash- ion and Mayur Mo- han’s Mohanlal Sons range. Dur- ing this, male doc- tors wore Sher- wani, Tuxedo and Jodhpuri outfits, while the female doctors walked the ramp in tradi- tional outfits, and flaunted gota pat- ti, zari, and patola print saree. FEEL BEFORE YOU HEAL DOCTORS’ FASHION SHOW..! A stunning cultural fest was held at the Birla Auditorium, to mark the Platinum Jubilee of SMS Medical College. Bollywood actress Mugdha Godse and actor Gavie Chahal graced the evening as the showstoppers on Tuesday! MITALI DUSAD mitalidusad01@gmail.com I Anjali Tiwari, Jaya Dadheech, Mamta Meena, Alka Mittal, Ekta Ajmani, Dr Anupama Soni, Parth Ajmani, Aashu, Parul Gupta, Mukta Meel and Poonam Jakhar with others during the ramp walk Dr Rajeev Bagarhatta with (L-R) Dr Saurabh Jain, Dr Rimmi Shekhawat, Ekta Ajmani and Parth Ajmani Dr Rajesh Arora and IAS Sushma Arora Clockwise: Dr Anupama Soni, Dr Maya Bagree, Mugdha Godse, Mamta Dhaka and Vijaylaxmi Nangliya —PHOTOS BY SANTOSH SHARMA