03012023_ First India New Delhi (1).pdf

Delhi in 2022 logged 2nd-lowest
PM2.5, PM10 levels in 5 years
New Delhi (PTI): Delhi
in 2022 saw the lowest
recorded daily average
PM10 and PM2.5 con-
centration in five years,
barring 2020 with low-
est anthropogenic ac-
tivities due to the pan-
demic-related restric-
tions, the Commission
for Air Quality Manage-
ment (CAQM) said on
Monday
.
PM10 and PM2.5 con-
centrations in 2022,
with all activities in full
throttle in Delhi-NCR,
were even lower than
those recorded in 2021,
it said in a statement.
The city logged aver-
age PM10 and PM2.5
concentrations of 211
microgram per cubic
metre and 98 micro-
gram per cubic metre.
The values were the
lowest after 2020 which
saw average PM 10 and
PM2.5 concentrations
of 181 microgram per
cubic metre and 95 mi-
crogram per cubic me-
tre, respectively
.
Delhi had no ‘severe plus’ air quality day in 2022, unlike previous 3 years.
Health Minister Mandaviya
reviews screening, Covid
testing facility at IGI Airport
New Delhi (PTI): Un-
ion Health Minister
Mansukh Mandaviya
Monday reviewed Covid
testing facility at Indira
Gandhi International
(IGI) Airport here.
The government has
made random Covid
tests mandatory for two
per cent of passengers
arriving on each inter-
national flight irrespec-
tive of their port of de-
parture. Besides, pas-
sengers from China,
Hong Kong, Japan,
South Korea, Singapore
and Thailand are man-
datorily required to pro-
vide Covid negative re-
ports.
The test has to be con-
ducted within 72 hours
of undertaking the jour-
ney to India and the
negative report from the
RT-PCRtesthastobeup-
loaded on Air Suvidha
portal before departure.
DELHI RIOTS:
COURT ACQUITS
2 OF RIOTING
CHARGES
New Delhi: A court here
acquitted two accused in
a 2020 northeast Delhi ri-
ots case, saying the
possibility of the only
eyewitness being a “ficti-
tious person” cannot be
ruled out. The court also
said the FIR was regis-
tered and a “semblance
of investigation” carried
out by arresting the
accused and arranging
some witnesses with
“utter disregard” as to
how such evidence shall
stand in the court, and
with “total apathy to the
agony of the victims”.
The court was hearing
a case against Ajay and
Gaurav Panchal, accused
of being members of a
riotous unlawful assem-
bly, armed with weapons,
who, indulged in
vandalism, violence, and
destruction of property.
SALUTING VALOUR
President Droupadi Murmu during her interaction with ‘Veer Naris’ from Leh
participating in Capacity Building Tour organised by the Indian Army, at Rashtrapati
Bhavan in New Delhi, Monday. —PHOTO BY PTI
DEATH PENALTY FOR
ACCUSED MEN: KEJRI
Calling the incident “rarest of
rare”, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal
said the culprits
should be given
the strictest
punishment.
“What
happened to the
woman is very
shameful. The culprits should
be punished severely. They
should be hanged,” he said.
SC 4:1 MAJORITY VERDICT UPHOLDS NOTES
BAN PROCESS, 1 JUDGE DISSENTS
DeMo is valid!
Moni Sharma
New Delhi: A five-
judge Constitution
bench of the Supreme
Court on Monday up-
held the government’s
2016 decision to demon-
etise Rs 500 and Rs 1,000
currency notes, saying
the decision was about
executive policy and
cannot be reversed.
The court rejected the
58 petitions challenging
demonetisationandsaid
that the decision-mak-
ing process of the gov-
ernment was not flawed.
The judgment, authored
byJusticeBRGavai,was
agreed to by Justices S
Abdul Nazeer, AS Bo-
panna, and V Ramasu-
bramanian. Justice BV
Nagarathna faulted de-
monetisation in her dis-
senting judgment but
did not quash it.
Gavai said though
there was consultation
between Modi govt, RBI
for 6 months, indicating
a “reasonable nexus be-
tween the measures un-
dertaken and the object
sought to be achieved”
and, therefore, notes
ban notification passed
test or doctrine of “pro-
portionality”. More on P5
Top court rejects the 58 petitions
challenging the demonetisation
There was consultation between
Centre, RBI for 6 months: Bench
A five-judge Constitution bench of SC on Monday hearing petitions challenging govt’s 2016 decision to demonetise `500 and `1,000 notes.
CONSTITUTION BENCH OF THE
SUPREME COURT SAID...
‘UNLAWFUL’ MOVE: JUSTICE
NAGARATHNA IN HER VERDICT...
l The 52-day window provided for the
exchange of demonetised currency notes
with legal tenders is not unreasonable and
cannot be extended now.
l RBI does not have any independent
power to bring in demonetisation and
directed registry to place matter before
CJI for directions and to answer
other questions left open in
the judgment.
l Demonetisation
decision does not suf-
fer from any legal or
constitutional flaws.
Petitions can be
placed before an
appropriate bench
by CJI for deciding
issues linked to
main issue over
validity of notes ban.
l Observing that there was no independ-
ent application of mind by RBI, the entire
exercise was carried out in 24 hours and
was an exercise of power, contrary to law,
and therefore unlawful.
l The power of Centre
being vast has to be
exercised through a
plenary legislation
rather than by an ex-
ecutive act by issuance
of notification.
l It is necessary that Parliament, which
consists of the representatives of the
people of the country, discusses the matter
and thereafter, approves the matter.
l Proposal originated from Centre while
RBI’s opinion was sought and such an
opinion given by central bank cannot be
construed as a “recommendation” under
section 26(2) of RBI Act.
HISTORIC JUDGMENT IN THE NATIONAL
INTEREST, WILL RAHUL SAY SORRY: BJP
SC NOTE BAN VERDICT SLAP ON THE
WRIST FOR GOVERNMENT: CONGRESS
BJP hailed SC judgment upholding govt’s demonetisa-
tion exercise as “historic” and slammed Congress for
its campaign against decision and
asked if its leader Rahul Gandhi will
tender an apology after the verdict.
Ravi Shankar Prasad asserted
that demonetisation done in 2016
proved to to be “biggest blow” to
terrorism by curbing terror funding.
It boosted income tax and cleansed
economy, he claimed.
SC’s verdict on demonetisation deals only with decision-
making process, and it is “misleading” to say that the
court has upheld the notes ban,
Congress said. ‘The Supreme Court
has only pronounced on whether
Section 26(2) of RBI Act, 1934 was
correctly applied or not before an-
nouncing demonetisation on Nov 8
2016. Nothing more, nothing less,”
Jairam Ramesh head of Congress’s
communication wing said.
Dayafterdeadlyshooting:
2kidsdie,6hurtinRajouri
First India Bureau
Jammu: A day after
four people were killed
by terrorists in JK’s
Rajouri, an explosion
near the house of one
of victims was reported
on Monday in same dis-
trict. 4-year-old boy and
a 5-year-old girl were
killed and 6 people were
injured in explosion.
The injured people have
been admitted to a hosp.
The blast occurred in
Dangri village where
there was firing on
some houses on Sunday
evening. “A blast oc-
curred near the house
of the victim of yester-
day’s firing incident in
Rajouri’s Dangri vil-
lage,” ADGP, Jammu
Zone, Mukesh Singh
said to media.
The explosion on Monday was reported near the home of a victim
of Sunday’s terrorist attack in Jammu Kashmir’s Rajouri region.
KANJHAWALA DEATH CASE
5 accused of dragging
woman by car, sent to
3-day police custody
First India Bureau
New Delhi: The Delhi
Police on Monday was
granted three-day cus-
tody of five accused in
connection with the
death of a woman after
she was dragged by a
car for a few kilometers
in the city
. The incident
took place on Sunday
.
The woman (23), who
was on her way home,
was dragged by a car for
around four kilometres
from Sultanpuri to Kan-
jhawala in Delhi on
Sunday morning.
A CCTV grab of
the car dragging
woman. (Right)
Anjali Singh.
ZOMATO CO-FOUNDER
AND CTO GUNJAN QUITS
IN TOP-LEVEL EXIT
New Delhi: Food delivery
platform Zomato on
Monday, said its co-founder
and Chief Technology Officer
(CTO) Gunjan Patidar has
quit, in what is the latest in
a series of top-level exits.
Patidar was one of the first
few employees of Zomato
and built the core tech
systems for the company.
RELIEF FOR EX-MLA
MUKHTAR ANSARI AS
SC STAYS 7-YEAR JAIL
New Delhi: In a big relief
to former UP MLA Mukhtar
Ansari, SC on Monday
stayed Allahabad HC
verdict convicting former
MLA Mukhtar Ansari and
sentencing him to seven
years imprisonment for
threatening a jailer, pointing
a pistol at him in 2003.
4 KILLED, 3 INJURED
AS TWO HELICOPTERS
COLLIDE IN AUSTRALIA
Melbourne: 2 helicopters
collided in an Australian
tourist hotspot Monday
afternoon, killing four
passengers and critically
injuring three others in a
crash that drew emergency
aid from beachgoers
enjoying the water during
the southern summer.
READ
Crucial
Crucial
BOMBSHELL FOUND
NEAR RESIDENCES OF
PUNJAB, HARYANA CMs
New Delhi: A bombshell
was found within a few
hundred metres of the
official residences of
Punjab and Haryana CMs
in Chandigarh on Monday,
triggering a scare. A
bomb disposal squad was
immediately dispatched
to the spot from a helipad
used by the Punjab CM.
ACTOR JEREMY RENNER
CRITICALLY ILL AFTER
SNOW PLOW ACCIDENT
Los Angeles: Movie
star Jeremy Renner,
known for Hawkeye in
Marvel blockbusters,
was in critical but stable
condition following an
accident on Monday. He
was plowing snow when
he suffered injuries.
SHAH SEEKS REPORT
FROM DELHI TOP COP
Kyiv (FIB): Russia ac-
knowledged on Mon-
day that scores of its
troops were killed in
one of Ukraine war’s
deadliest strikes. Rus-
sia’s defence ministry
said 63 soldiers had
died in fiery blast. It
said accommodation
had been hit by 4 rock-
ets fired from US-made
HIMARS launchers,
claiming 2 rockets had
been shot down.
Anger in Russia as 63 soldiers killed
in one of the war’s deadliest strikes
Kyiv said the Russian death toll was in the hundreds, though
pro-Russian officials called this an exaggeration.
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‘LS PRAWAS’
EXERCISE: AMIT
SHAH TO VISIT 11
STATES IN JAN
New Delhi: Home Minister Amit Shah will travel
to as many as 11 states this month as part of his
party’s “Lok Sabha Prawas” programme, which is
aimed at boosting its prospects in targeted Parl
constituencies ahead of general polls in 2024. P5
NEW DELHI l TUESDAY, JANUARY 3, 2023 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI TITLE NO. DELENG/2021/19840 l Vol 2 l Issue No. 125
RECESSION WILL
HIT A THIRD OF
THE WORLD THIS
YEAR: IMF CHIEF
Washington: A third of global economy will be
in recession this year, IMF chief Kristalina
Georgieva said, and warned that 2023 will be
“tougher” than 2022 as US, EU and China
will see their economies slow down.
P8

CAPITOL
NEW DELHI | TUESDAY, JANUARY 3, 2023
02
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New Delhi (PTI): The
NHRC has issued no-
tices to the Delhi gov-
ernment and the direc-
tor general of Prisons
over reports that a pris-
oner was sexually as-
saulted by fellow in-
mates in Tihar Jail, of-
ficials said on Monday
.
The National Human
Rights Commission has
also decided to send its
own team for an on-spot
inquiry in the case,
they said.
The NHRC has taken
suo motu cognizance
of media reports car-
ried on December 30
that a 22-year-old pris-
oner was allegedly sex-
ually assaulted by fel-
low inmates at Tihar
Jail, the rights panel
said in a statement. Re-
portedly, the prisoner
is under medical treat-
ment, it said.
According to the no-
tices issued to the chief
secretary of Delhi and
the director general of
Prisons, the commis-
sion has sought a de-
tailed report in the mat-
ter within four weeks.
The report should in-
clude the present health
status of the victim, ac-
tion taken against the
erring officers and the
accused inmates as well
as the steps taken and
proposed to be taken to
ensure that such inci-
dents do not recur in
the future, the state-
ment said.
The NHRC said it
has issued several
guidelines, advisories
and recommendations
in the past to improve
many aspects of prison
administration “but it
appears that there is no
perceptible change in
the living conditions
of the inmates in Tihar
Jail since, intermit-
tently, incidents of
various types of their
human rights viola-
tions including harass-
ment, torture and sex-
ual abuse are being re-
ported and complained
about”.
SexualassaultinTiharJail:
NHRCissuesnoticetogovt
The Human Rights Commission has also decided to send its own team for inquiry in the case
Tihar Jail —FILE PHOTO
Noida (PTI): Liquor
worth over Rs 9 crore
was sold across Noida
and Greater Noida on
December 30 and 31, an
Excise department of-
ficial said on Monday
.
Gautam Buddh Na-
gar, adjoining Delhi in
western Uttar Pradesh,
sold liquor worth nearly
Rs 140 crore in Decem-
ber alone, District Ex-
cise Officer Rakesh Ba-
hadur Singh told PTI.
Of the total liquor
sold in December, there
were 1.5 lakh cans of
beer, 8,900 bottles of for-
eign liquor, and 2.5 lakh
(250 ml packs) of ‘desi’
(country-made) liquor,
according to the officer.
“Total liquor sold on
December 30 and 31 is
estimated worth Rs 9
crore while the total liq-
uor sale in the month
of December 2022 stood
at Rs 139.60 crore.
“The total revenue
earned for the state ex-
chequer in December
was 23 per cent higher
in 2022 as compared to
2021,” Singh said.
The district excise de-
partment said there are
98 shops with perma-
nent bar licenses, while
another 82 occasional
licenses were issued for
the new year celebra-
tions. Gautam Buddh
Nagar has around 550
liquor shops across Noi-
da and Greater Noida,
the officer said.
NOIDA GUZZLED LIQUOR WORTH OVER `9 CR ON NEW YEAR
END ON A PRICEY NOTE
COMMISSION
SEEKS REPORT
WITHIN 4 WEEKS
The NHRC has taken
suo motu cognizance of
media reports carried on
Dec 30 that a 22-year-
old prisoner was alleg-
edly sexually assaulted
by fellow inmates at
Tihar Jail, the rights
panel said. As per no-
tices issued to the chief
secretary of Delhi and
the director general of
Prisons, the commission
has sought a detailed
report in the matter
within four weeks.
Cold wave grips Delhi, air
quality remains ‘Very Poor’
Phule’s birth aniv on Jan 3
should also be celebrated
as Women’s Day: JNU VC
New Delhi (Agencies):
After a brief respite on
NewYear,coldwavecon-
ditions returned to the
national capital on Mon-
day and people were
found huddled around
bonfires along the roads
to beat the bone-chilling
conditions.
“It is very very cold.
One cannot survive
without sitting near the
fire,” said a watchman
who was seen near a
bonfire near Mata Sun-
dri road in the New
Delhi area.
“I leave my place for
work at around 5 am.
Sitting near the fire is
the only respite in the
cold weather,” said an-
other man waiting near
the bonfire.
Meanwhile, the air
quality in the national
capital was recorded in
the ‘very poor’ category
with the AQI reaching
301.
As per the India Me-
teorological Depart-
ment (IMD) forecast,
the minimum and max-
imum temperatures in
January 2023 are most
likely to remain below
normal over many
parts of central India
and adjoining areas of
peninsular, east and
northwest India.
New Delhi (PTI): JNU
Vice Chancellor San-
tishree Dhulipudi Pan-
dit on Monday urged the
Central government to
declare social reformer
Savitribai Phule’s birth
anniversaryonJanuary
3 as Women’s Day, and
celebrate it alongside
March 8.
Pandit, the first wom-
en VC of the university,
said it is because of the
work and contribution
of Phule that “I have
been able to reach
where I am today”.
“It is a historic mo-
ment for all of us at the
Jawaharlal Nehru Uni-
versity that we are cel-
ebrating the 192nd
birth anniversary of
Mata Savitribai Phule.
It is a matter of great
pride that we are organ-
ising such type of pro-
gram on her for the
first time in the history
of the university,” San-
tishree said.
Air quality likely
to worsen for next
3 days: Experts
A train runs on its track amid low visibility due to a thick layer of
fog on a cold winter day, in Gurugram, Monday. —PHOTO BY PTI
IMD WARNS OF COLDER DAYS
Consider augmenting number
of DRTs: HC asks Centre
Delhi HC has asked the
Centre to consider in-
creasing the number of
Debt Recovery Tribu-
nals in view of the large
pendency of cases and
the quantum of money
lying locked in litiga-
tions in the DRTs.
A bench headed by
Justice Najmi Waziri,
while hearing a case
dealing with the griev-
ances arising from the
state of functioning of
the DRTs, sought a com-
prehensive affidavit
from the government on
the issues raised in the
proceedings. The court
took note of the “unfor-
tunate physical state”
of the court rooms of
the three DRTs in Delhi.
It asked the authori-
ties to also examine the
state of the court rooms
and facilities needed for
efficient conduct of
court proceedings, ob-
serving, “The state of
affairs shown in the
photographs cannot be
considered of the fo-
rum’s conducive dis-
charge of responsibili-
ty of adjudication.”
The court also
noted “unfortunate
physical state” of
the court rooms of
3 DRTs in Delhi
HC DISMISSES WITH COST PLEA BY
NGOS AGAINST TVC CONSTITUTION
DELHI HC REFUSES ANTICIPATORY
BAIL TO FAKE CALL CENTRE KINGPIN
Delhi HC has dis-
missed with a cost of
Rs 10,000 a petition by
certain NGOs against
their non-nomination
to Town Vending Com-
mittees constituted in
the city, saying they
have no legal right to
be nominated in perpe-
tuity. A bench said the
petitioners only have a
“right to be considered
for nomination” as
members of the com-
mittees but “no legal
or vested right” to be
nominated, and asked
them to pay the costs
to the Delhi HC Legal
Services Committee.
Delhi HC has refused to
grant anticipatory bail
to the alleged kingpin of
a cyber scam that tar-
geted US citizens said
the “extraordinary rem-
edy” is not to be granted
in a routine manner.
Justice Amit Mahajan
stated that custodial
interrogation is held to
be more effective and
anticipatory bail inter-
feres in an investigation,
therefore the court
must be circumspect in
exercising its power to
grant anticipatory bail.
Emphasising that an
anticipatory bail order
can be used as a shield,
the court observed that
the allegations made
against the applicant
are not frivolous and he
has also not cooperated
with the investigation.
PROTEST CONTINUES
A candidate gets his head tonsured during a demonstration over the cancellation of
Dehradun Forest Inspector recruitment, outside Gandhi Park, in Dehradun, Monday.
Bharat Jodo Yatra: Delhi to face heavy traffic
Police on Monday is-
sued a traffic advisory
for Rahul Gandhi’s
Bharat Jodo Yatra
which will start from
the central part of the
city and enter Uttar
Pradesh crossing the
Loni border. According
to the advisory
, the Con-
gress Yatra will resume
around 10 am on Tues-
day from Marghat Wale
Baba, Hanuman Man-
dir, near Red Fort and
reach Loni Border
around 12 pm.
The Yatra will travel
via the Iron Bridge-
Shastri Park Metro Sta-
tion, Old GT Road, Fur-
niture Market, Ansari
Road, Maujpur, Babar-
pur, Wazirabad Road,
and Gokulpuri Police
StationtoreachtheLoni
roundabout. A large
number of pedestrians
and vehicles are expect-
ed to join the Yatra at
various points along the
route, police said.
Shyama Prasad
Mukherjee Marg, Netaji
Subhash Marg, Ring
Road/MGM Marg, the
road from Hanuman
Mandir to Old Iron
Bridge, Geeta Colony/
Pushta Road, Ansari
Road,GTRoad,Jafrabad
main road, Wazirabad
Road, and Loni Road
will be affected due to
the Yatra, it said.
lll
Gautam Buddh
Nagar, adjoining
Delhi in western
UP, sold liquor
worth nearly
`140 cr in
December alone,
Dist Excise
Officer Rakesh
Singh said
REVENUE EARNED WAS 23% HIGHER IN 2022
AS COMPARED TO 2021: EXCISE DEPT OFFICIAL
New Delhi (PTI): Of the total liquor sold in December,
there were 1.5 lakh cans of beer, 8,900 bottles of foreign
liquor, and 2.5 lakh (250 ml packs) of ‘desi’ (country-
made) liquor, according to the officer. “Total liquor sold
on December 30 and 31 is estimated worth Rs 9 crore
while the total liquor sale in the month of December
2022 stood at Rs 139.60 crore. “The total revenue
earned for the state exchequer in December was 23 per
cent higher in 2022 as compared to 2021,” Singh said.
Traffic around Ashram flyover. —FILE PHOTO
ASHRAM FLYOVER
CLOSURE: POLICE
ADVISE TO TAKE
ALTERNATIVE ROUTE
PAAN, TEA SELLERS
MANAGE TRAFFIC
AS CONSTRUCTION
WORK STARTS
New Delhi (PTI): Bumper-
to-bumper traffic on
Monday clogged roads
near the Ashram flyover
that has been closed for
45 days for the construc-
tion of a link-artery,
officials said. Some
commuters took to Twitter
to share photos of jams,
while many travelling on
the route, during the peak
hours, claimed they spent
around half an hour to
cross the section. There
is heavy traffic in the area,
the officials said added
that several people called
police to report jams.
New Delhi (PTI): A group
of people including those
selling tea and paan be-
neath the Ashram flyover,
shut since Sunday for the
last leg of construction
work to link it with DND
Flyway, was deployed to
manage vehicular traffic as
men and machines got to
work. Vehicles were stuck
at signals near the flyover
for interminable minutes
as dust from construction
work blotted out the sun.
The team that helped the
traffic police manage the
vehicular flow had a hard
time during office hours.
—REPRESENTATIONAL IMAGE
—PHOTO
BY
PTI

CAPITOL
03
DCWquestionspoliceonKanjhawalaincident
Swati Maliwal asks Delhi Police to clarify if Kanjhawala victim
was sexually harassed and if accused had criminal history
Also seeks explanation on what immediate action was taken by
the police after the incident was reported to the control room
Commission for Women
chief Swati Maliwal on
Monday asked police to
clarify if the woman,
whosebodywasdragged
for four kilometres by a
car that had hit her
scooter, was sexually
harassed and if the ac-
cused had a criminal
history
.
The incident came to
light after a video pur-
portedly showing a
woman without clothes
and broken legs sur-
faced on social media.
The footage also led to
claims that the victim
was raped and killed,
but police said it was an
accident.
In a series of ques-
tions she posed to Delhi
Police in connection
withtheincidentatKan-
jhawla, Maliwal also
asked, “was she killed
like this after she pro-
tested over the harass-
ment?”
“I have some ques-
tions for Delhi Police --
Wasthewomansexually
harassedbytheaccused?
Was she killed like this
after she protested over
the harassment? For
how many kilometres
was she dragged by the
car? Was there no check-
post or OCR van de-
ployed on the stretch
that she (was) dragged
on?” Maliwal asked.
“Did the accused men
have previous criminal
cases against them? We
have issued summons to
Delhi Police and want
them to answer these
questions.Tillwhenwill
our girls be killed like
this? This is a case that
shames our humanity
.
This is a very scary inci-
dent that happened in
the national capital,”
she said.
New Delhi (PTI):
Eighty per cent of Del-
hi’s bus fleet will run on
electric by 2025, CM
Arvind Kejriwal said on
Monday, asserting that
acquisition of e-buses
will go a long way in re-
ducing pollution in the
national capital.
Sharing a roadmap
for procurement of elec-
tric buses, he said the
government will be buy-
ing 1,500 such buses in
2023 and by 2025, 6,380
electric buses will be
procured.
“We have 300 electric
buses now. Delhi has
7,379 buses plying on its
roadscurrentlywhichis
the highest number of
buses plying on the
roads in the last 75
years. New buses were
not purchased for many
years and we were also
questioned over it,” he
saidataceremonyatthe
Rajghat Depot to flag off
50 electric buses.
Out of the 7,379 buses,
more than 4,000 are be-
ing operated by the Del-
hi Transport Corpora-
tion and over 3,000
through the DIMTS, he
said.
Kejriwal also shared
that nearly 100 electric
feeder buses were being
operated by the Delhi
Metro Rail Corporation.
But as it could not run
them, the Delhi govern-
ment is taking over the
corporation’s bus fleet,
he said.
“By 2025, over 10,000
buses will be there on
Delhi’s roads and 80 per
cent of them will be
electric. This is a huge
step in reducing pollu-
tion,” he said.
The CM also said the
processinstallingcharg-
ing points for e-buses at
depots is going on and
three already have the
facility
.
“By June this year,
the work of electrifica-
tionof 17busdepotswill
be completed and by De-
cember, 36 bus depots
will be electrified,” Ke-
jriwal said. The electric
buses are equipped with
facilities like panic but-
tons, GPS, cameras.
Eighty per cent of Delhi’s bus fleet will run on electric by 2025: CM
GREEN DELHI
lll
Kejriwal said
presently there
were 300
e-buses on
roads, and the
government
would buy 1,500
such buses in
2023 and 6,380
buses by 2025
AAP MLA Rakhi Birla speaks with the media outside Sultanpuri police station as people gather
demanding stern punishment for men accused in the incident, in New Delhi, Monday.
See if there were
lapses on part of
police: LG to
Police Comm
New Delhi (PTI): Lieu-
tenant Governor VK
Saxena on Monday di-
rected the Police Com-
missioner to “strictly
ensure” if there were
any “lapses “on part of
the police in the Kanjha-
wala incident.
He instructed the city
police chief to ensure
that the accused were
treated as per the law ir-
respectiveof theirsocio-
economic position or
political affiliation, LG
office sources said.
They also said the Lt
Governor asked the of-
ficers to see if anyone of
the victim’s family
could be provided with a
government job.
AAP has alleged one
of the five accused ar-
rested beloned to BJP
.
HEAD HANGS IN SHAME OVER ‘INHUMAN’ CRIME: LG
SAXENA CONDEMNS KANJHAWALA INCIDENT
COLD-BLOODED MURDERERS DESERVE STRICTEST
PUNISHMENT: BJP MP GAUTAM GAMBHIR
Lieutenant Governor
VK Saxena has con-
demned an incident in
which a woman was
killed after her scooty
was hit by a car and her
body dragged for four
kilometres from Sul-
tanpuri to Kanjhawala
here, saying his head
hung in shame over the
“inhuman” crime. The
victim’s two-wheeler
was hit by a car and
her body dragged for
around four kilometres
from outer Delhi’s Sul-
tanpuri to Kanjhawala
on Sunday, police said.
Five men travelling in
the car have been ar-
rested, they added. “My
head hangs in shame
over the inhuman crime
in Kanjhawla-Sultanpuri
today morning and I am
shocked at the mon-
strous insensitivity of
the perpetrators.
New Delhi (ANI): For-
mer cricketer and BJP
MP Gautam Gambhir
condemned the incident
at northwest Delhi’s
Khanjawala on New
Year’s night in which a
20-yr-old woman, riding
a scooter, was hit by a
car and dragged for a
kilometres under the
wheels until she died.
The MP said the “cold-
blooded murderers”
deserved the strictest
punishment. Gambhir
added the visuals of the
incident were ‘shock-
ing’. Taking to Twitter, he
wrote, “The visuals (of
the Khanjawala incident)
are shocking. Skin from
the back of the victim
was completely scraped
off. Those who dragged
and killed the girl with
their car are cold-blood-
ed murderers. They
deserve the strictest
punishment (sic).”
CM Arvind Kejriwal and Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot during the flagging off ceremony of 50
e-buses under Delhi Transport Corporation, in New Delhi, Monday. —PHOTO BY PTI
Excise‘scam’:Judicialcustody
of4accusedextendedtillJan7
New Delhi (PTI): A
Delhi court on Monday
extended till January 7
the judicial custody of
four accused, arrested
in a money laundering
case related to the al-
leged Delhi excise poli-
cy scam also involving
Deputy Chief Minister
Manish Sisodia.
Special Judge M K
Nagpal extended the
custody of business-
men Sharath Reddy,
Binoy Babu, Vijay Nair
and Abhishek Boinpal-
ly after they were pro-
duced before the court,
noting that the bail peti-
tions of all these ac-
cused is presently pend-
ing in this court for ar-
guments on different
dates.
The special judge
passed the order after
noting the submissions
of Enforcement Direc-
torate’s special public
prosecutor NK Matta
that the agency was in
process of filing a sup-
plementary charge
sheet against all ar-
rested accused.
The ED told the
court that the charge
sheet is likely to be
filed by January 6.
The agency had ear-
lier told the court that
the next charge sheet
would be common
against all the arrested
accused in the money
laundering case relat-
ed to the alleged Delhi
excise scam.
The ED told the
court that the investi-
gation regarding the
role of other accused
persons and the phas-
ing out of the remain-
ing proceeds of crime
is still pending.
Greater Noida: An
unidentified body of a
woman was found early
Monday at Greater Noi-
da’s Eastern Peripheral
highway, Uttar Pradesh
Police said.
Deputy Superinten-
dent of Police (DSP) Ab-
hishek Verma, Greater
Noida said, Dadri Police
Station received infor-
mation about the pres-
ence of a body of a wom-
an at Greater Noida’s
Eastern periphery on
Monday at around 7 am.
Verma further said a
police staff, other offi-
cials immediately
reached the spot after
receiving the informa-
tion.
“When the police
reached the spot, they
found injury marks on
the hands, head and feet
of the dead woman. The
footprints of a truck
tyre were also found at
the scene,” the police of-
ficer added.
During the prelimi-
nary investigation, the
police have learnt that
the woman apparently
died after being hit by a
heavy object.
“The police are at-
tempting to establish
the identity of the wom-
an,” Verma said.
One of the accused, AAP leader and businessman Vijay Nair. —FILE PHOTO
DELHI GOVERNMENT FINDS GAPS IN CBI REPORT AGAINST
JAILED MINISTER SATYENDER JAIN IN EXCISE CASE
New Delhi: The Delhi
government’s vigilance
department has put a
spanner in the clo-
sure of a corruption
case against minister
Satyendar Jain, saying
the CBI report has
“lacunae and discrepan-
cies”, requiring further
probe in the matter of
hiring a creative team
for the PWD depart-
ment, officials said on
Monday. The assistant
director of the vigilance
department had filed a
written request before
a special court, seeking
two months’ time to
study the “lacunae and
discrepancies” in the
Central Bureau of Inves-
tigation (CBI)’s closure
report in the case to
file an appropriate
protest petition before
it. The officials said the
issues raised by the
department may require
further investigation by
the agency.
Woman’s
body found
with injuries in
Greater Noida
STF-NOIDA POLICE OPERATION
Gangster killed in encounter
had five murders to his name
Noida (PTI): Gangster
Kapil, who succumbed
to bullet injuries after
an encounter with the
Special Task Force
(STF) and the Noida Po-
lice here, was active in
western Uttar Pradesh
since 2008 and was an
accused in at least five
murder cases, accord-
ing to official records.
Kapil, who also went
by the name Krapal,
was mostly active in
Baghpat, Muzaffarna-
gar, and Bulandshahr
districts of UP, but had
FIRs lodged against
him in Gurugram and
Delhi too, the police re-
cord showed.
The 33-year-old died
after he suffered inju-
ries in a gunfight with a
joint team of the STF
and the Noida Police
here Sunday evening,
Superintendent of Po-
lice (STF Meerut Zone)
Kuldeep Narayan said.
The encounter hap-
pened when a police
team intercepted him in
the Bisrakh area over a
tip-off about his move-
ment in NCR for a
planned murder, Naray-
an said.
The officer said Kapil
had around three dozen
criminal cases against
him.
According to official
records accessed by
PTI, he was first booked
at Khekra Police Sta-
tion in Baghpat in 2008
under IPC section 308
(attempt to culpable
homicide not amount-
ing to murder).
He was booked for the
first time in a murder
case in 2010 at Muzaffa-
rnagar’s Fugana Police
Station.
In 2014, he had back-
to-back murder cases
lodged against him at
Khekra and Baraut po-
lice stations in Baghpat.
Before the year ended,
he had one more mur-
der FIR to his name at
Baghpat Police Station.
The latest murder
case against him was
lodged at Khekra Police
Station in Baghpat in
February 2022 for alleg-
edly gunning down a
man and his grandson.
Kapil worked as a
shooter for the Vikas
Badhoda gang before
defecting to the Sunil
Rathi gang, both active
in western UP, accord-
ing to a police officer.
Was active in
Muzaffarnagar,
Bulandshahr and
Baghpat in UP
Gangster Kapil in police custody. —FILE PHOTO
—PHOTO
BY
PTI

PERSPECTIVE
04
CONSTITUTION PARK
EMBODIMENT OF CULTURE AND IDEALS
ASSOCIATED WITH THE CONSTITUTION
very responsible citizen should
keep an eye on how the govern-
ance is going on in a democracy
and how it should be run. I
agree, the Constitution makes it
possible. The work of giving jus-
tice, freedom and participation
in power to all the citizens of the
country is done through some-
one, then it is the Constitution
itself. The intention behind im-
plementing the Constitution in
the country on January 26, 1950
and adopting it has been that all
Indians get the ideal of a univer-
sal democratic republic.
Our Constitution related to
fraternity
, self-respect and unity
of the nation among the citizens
is not only a law to govern the
country
, but also a kind of man-
ifesto for economic and social
transformation of the country.
The faith of the Constitution is
in the ‘democratic system of
governance’. That’s why you see,
the power of the Constitution
lies directly with the people.
What ideals, aspirations the
Constitution reveals, it can be
understood clearly from the
words contained in the pream-
ble of the Constitution ‘We the
people of India’. It is not just the
words of the preamble of the
Constitution but it is the life
philosophy of our great Indian
culture. If the Constitution has
given us rights, it has also given
us duties. In my every public
function, I recite the fundamen-
tal duties along with the pream-
ble of the Constitution.
I do that so that all should be
alert to follow the basic duties
along with the rights. I firmly
believe that no democracy can
be called vibrant unless its citi-
zens are ready to actively par-
ticipate in governance and
shoulder responsibilities for the
best interest of the country
. Our
nation is one of the few coun-
tries in the world where the glo-
rious tradition of democracy
has existed since ancient times.
In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord
Shri Krishna says that one
should perform one’s duties
without expecting the fruits. In
this way
, what other book can be
bigger about performing one’s
duty than the saga of Lord Shri
Ram, the Supreme Per-
sonality of Godhead!
Mahatma Gandhi
always used to say
that the right
source of rights is
our duties and if we
perform our du-
ties prop-
erly then we will not need to ask
for rights. The Constitution bal-
ances the rights and duties of
the citizens. I believe that the
fundamental duties act as a
kind of cautionary for the citi-
zens of the country. It helps in
achieving national goals by pro-
moting a sense of discipline and
commitment towards the nation
as well as ensuring active par-
ticipation of the citizens. The
fundamental duties in the Con-
stitution were needed because
rights and duties are inter-
dependent.
There are some moral
duties in the Constitution
and some others are civic
duties. It is a moral ideal to
cherish the noble ideals of the
freedom struggle and it is the
civic duty of all of us to respect
the Constitution, the National
Flag and the National Anthem.
Fundamental Duties are a part
of Indian tradition, mythology,
religions and practices.
Nation is not a geography.
The Constitution is also not
just an idea or just a book.
This is an ideal and for
this we all need
to keep work-
ing continu-
ously. That’s
why after assuming the post of
Governor in Rajasthan, I started
working keeping constitutional
awareness as a priority. I initi-
ated the tradition of reciting the
preamble and basic duties of the
Constitution in the speech in the
State Legislative Assembly
, took
the initiative to build a Constitu-
tion Park in all funded universi-
ties of the state and the con-
struction of a Constitution Park
in the Raj Bhavan is the culmi-
nation of that.
Themainintentionbehindthe
construction of the Constitution
Park has been that people can
experience the tangible explana-
tion of the ideals related to our
Constitution like a movie. The
Governor is not a person but a
constitutional institution. Any-
onewhocomestotheRajBhavan,
special or common, can come
face to face with the high ideals
enshrined in the Constitution,
for this purpose the Indian Con-
stitution has been realised here
through sculptures, pictures, in-
stallations and other mediums.
By looking at the sculptures,
models and images displayed
here, it will be known how the
dream of constitutional democ-
racy
, socialism, secularism, free-
dom, equality
, fraternity
, good-
will, unity and integrity have
beenincludedintheConstitution
by the makers of the Constitu-
tion. Mahatma Gandhi had once
said that nation is an abstract
concept which is made concrete
bythecitizensof thenation.This
belief is created by the culture,
civilization, thinking tradition,
religion, worship, way of life etc.
of that group of people.
If we go in the light of this say-
ing of Gandhiji, then it will also
be known that our Constitution
was prepared keeping the ideals
of Indian culture at the centre.
Renowned artist Nandlal Bose
was called from Santiniketan
and paintings were made in all
the 22 parts of the Constitution
in the light of ancient Indian cul-
ture, tradition and geography
.
It is a matter of pride that Kir-
pal Singh Shekhawat, a re-
nowned artist of Rajasthan, has
also contributed in the making
of these paintings. The Consti-
tution Park, which has been pre-
pared in the Raj Bhavan, is im-
portant in the way that it is very
beautiful, saluting the journey
of Constitution making, Con-
stituent Assembly committees,
the picture of the Constituent
Assembly of 1950, the Constitu-
ent Assembly model and the
contribution of women in the
Constituent Assembly. Sculp-
tures have been displayed.
Here the names of the mem-
bers of the Constituent Assem-
bly are engraved, then historical
photographs related to the mak-
ing of the Constitution and the
statue of presenting the Consti-
tution book to the then Presi-
dent Dr Rajendra Prasad by Dr
BR Ambedkar. Apart from that,
images of public heroes associ-
ated with the Constitution and
democracy have been displayed.
This Constitution Park not
only shows the historical jour-
ney of the Constitution mak-
ing, but it is also a beautiful
euphemism of Indian art-cul-
ture and rule of law. When the
idea of this park came to my
mind, the first thing I discussed
was with our Chief Specialist
Govind Ram Jaiswal. He gave
very important suggestions af-
ter studying the culture related
to the Constitution. When the
Jaipur Development Authority
started work under the Smart
City Scheme of the Central
Government, Architect Anoop
Bartaria worked to bring alive
the concrete form of the Con-
stitution.
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot
took full interest in it and it was
completed in less than a year
after its foundation stone was
laid on January 26, 2022. The
President of the world’s largest
democratic nation, Droupadi
Murmu will inaugurate it and
dedicate it to the state and the
nation. This is truly a historic
moment. I want that taking in-
spiration from the Constitution
as a reflection of our culture, all
the citizens should work while
being aware of their constitu-
tional rights as well as their
basic duties.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
E
KALRAJ MISHRA
The writer is Governor of Rajasthan
This Constitution Park not
only shows the historical
journey of the Constitution
making, but it is also a
beautiful euphemism of
Indian art-culture and rule of
law. When the idea of this
park came to my mind, the
first thing I discussed was with
our Chief Specialist Govind
Ram Jaiswal. He gave very
important suggestions after
studying the culture related to
the Constitution. When JDA
started work under the Smart
City Scheme of Central
Government, Architect Anoop
Bartaria worked to bring alive
the concrete form of the
Constitution. CM Ashok Gehlot
took full interest in it and it
was completed in less than a
year after its foundation stone
was laid on January 26, 2022
EVERY RESPONSIBLE
CITIZEN SHOULD KEEP
AN EYE ON HOW THE
GOVERNANCE IS GOING
ON IN A DEMOCRACY AND
HOW IT SHOULD BE RUN
PRESIDENT
DROUPADI MURMU
TO INAUGURATE
THE PARK AT RAJ
BHAVAN TODAY
The President of the
world’s largest demo-
cratic nation, Droupadi
Murmu will inaugurate it
and dedicate it to the state
and the nation. This is
truly a historic moment. I
want that taking inspira-
tion from the Constitution
as a reflection of our
culture, all the citizens
should work while being
aware of their constitu-
tional rights as well as
their basic duties
In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord
Shri Krishna says that one
should perform one’s
duties without expecting
the fruits. Just like this, what
other book can be a bigger one
about performing one’s duty
than the saga of Lord Shri
Ram, the Supreme Personality
of Godhead!
Governor Kalraj Mishra inspects the statues installed at the newly-constructed Constitution Park in Raj Bhavan, Jaipur.
l Vol 2 l Issue No.125 l RNI TITLE NO. DELENG/2021/19840 Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Impressions Printing and Packaging Limited, C-21, 22 Sector-59, Noida-201301.
Published at G-20, 3rd Floor, 309, Preet Vihar, New Delhi-110092. Phone 011-49846474. Editor-In-Chief: Dr Jagdeesh Chandra Editor: Anita Hada Sangwan responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act

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INDIA
05
New Delhi (PTI): Cir-
culation of Fake Indian
Currency Notes (FICN)
in the country contin-
ues to pose a challenge
even after the 2016 de-
monetisation, whose
one of the key objec-
tives was to eradicate
counterfeiting of notes.
According to report
of the National Crime
ControlBureau(NCRB),
FICN with the face val-
ue of Rs 245.33 crore has
been seized by the law
enforcement agencies
across the country since
2016 -- the year the Cen-
tre demonetised Rs 1,000
and Rs 500 notes.
The highest amount
of FICN with the face
value of Rs 92.17 crore
was seized in 2020 while
the lowest with the face
value of Rs 15.92 crore
was seized in 2016.
In 2021, FICN of Rs
20.39crorefacevaluewas
seized in the country
, of
Rs 34.79 crore in 2019, Rs
26.35crorein2018andRs
55.71 crore in 2017, the
NCRB data showed.
According to the RBI
annual report, pub-
lished in May 2022, the
number of fake curren-
cy notes of 500 denomi-
nation detected by the
banking system more
than doubled to 79,669
pieces in 2021-22 fiscal
over the previous year.
The number of coun-
terfeit notes of 2,000 de-
nomination detected in
the system was 13,604
piecesduring2021-22,up
54.6 per cent from the
precedingfinancialyear.
After declining in
2020-21, the total num-
ber of FICN of all de-
nominations detected in
the banking sector in-
creased to 2,30,971 piec-
es from 2,08,625 pieces
in the previous fiscal.
During 2019-20, the
number of FICN stood
at 2,96,695 pieces.
‘’Compared to the
previous year, there
was an increase of 16.4
per cent, 16.5 per cent,
11.7 per cent, 101.9 per
cent and 54.6 per cent in
the counterfeit notes de-
tected in the denomina-
tions of Rs 10, Rs 20, Rs
200, Rs 500 (new design)
and Rs 2,000, respective-
ly,’’ said the RBI’s an-
nual report for 2021-22.
The counterfeit notes
detected in the denomi-
nations of Rs 50 and Rs
100 declined by 28.7 per
cent and 16.7 per cent,
respectively
.
During 2021-22, out of
thetotalFICNdetectedin
thebankingsector,6.9per
cent was detected at the
Reserve Bank and 93.1
per cent at other banks,
the RBI report said.
One of the major ob-
jectives of the 2016 de-
monetisationof thethen
prevailing Rs 500 and Rs
1,000 notes was to curb
circulation of fake cur-
rency notes. On Novem-
ber 8, 2016, Prime Minis-
ter Narendra Modi had
announced that Rs 500
and Rs 1,000 notes would
cease to be legal tender
in India from that mid-
night. Modi had said
that the decision had
been taken to ‘’fight cor-
ruption, black money
and terrorism’’. The Rs
2,000 notes and Rs 500
notes with a new design
had been introduced af-
ter demonetisation.
POST DEMONETISATION
Fake currency notes’ circulation
continues to pose challenge: NCRB
An NCRB report has revealed that even after demonetisation,
fake currency is being circulated in the country. —FILE PHOTO
SLAP FOR THE GOVT:
P CHIDAMBARAM ON
APEX COURT VERDICT
Chennai: Former Union
finance minister P Chidam-
baram on Monday said the
major-
ity verdict
by the
Supreme
Court has
steered
clear of the
question
whether the objectives of
the demonetisation exer-
cise were achieved at all.
“Once the Hon’ble Supreme
Court has declared the law,
we are obliged to accept it.
However, it is necessary to
point out that the majority
has not upheld the wisdom
of the decision; nor has the
majority concluded that
the stated objectives were
achieved,” Chidambaram
said in a tweet.
VERDICT CANNOT BE INTERPRETED AS
UPHOLDING DEMONETISATION, SAYS CPI(M)
New Delhi: The Left on Monday noted that the Supreme
Court has not endorsed the consequences of the Centre’s
decision on demonetisation, but merely upheld its right to
do so, and demanded a white paper on the exercise. The re-
action comes on a day the apex court, in a 4:1 majority ver-
dict, gave its stamp of approval to the government’s 2016
decision to demonetise Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 denomination
currency notes, saying the “decision-making process was
neither flawed nor hasty”. The CPI(M) said the dissenting
opinion of one of the judges maintained that the RBI must
recommend to the govt to initiate demonetisation.
WRONG TO SAY SC HAS UPHELD DEMONETISATION: CONGRESS
New Delhi: It is “misleading and wrong”
to say the Supreme Court has upheld
demonetisation, the Congress declared on
Monday, adding that the majority apex court
verdict on the matter deals with the limited
issue of the process of decision making not
with its outcomes. The verdict has nothing
to say on whether the stated objectives
of demonetisation were met or not, AICC
general secretary Jairam Ramesh said.
China doing same
to India as Russia
to Ukraine: Rahul
New Delhi (PTI): Con-
gress leader Rahul Gan-
dhi on Monday said Chi-
na is adopting the same
principle with India as
Russia is with Ukraine,
as it is threatening to al-
ter India’s boundaries.
He also claimed that
the Sino-Indian border
conflict has a link with
a weak economy, a con-
fused nation without
any vision, hatred, an-
ger and the Chinese sit-
ting in Indian territory
.
“Essentially
, what the
Russians have done in
Ukraine is that they
havesaidwedonotwant
Ukrainetohaveastrong
relationship with the
West and they have basi-
cally told the Ukraini-
ans that if you will have
a strong relationship
with the West, we will
alter your geography
.
“That is the same
principle that can be ap-
plied to India. What the
Chinese are saying
to us is that be
careful with what
you are doing,
because we will
alter your geog-
raphy
,” Gandhi
said.
CONGRESS’ PLENARY
SESSION IN FEB
New Delhi: The Congress
on Monday announced
that its 85th plenary
session will begin from
February 24 in Raipur.
At a press conference at
the party headquarters
here, Congress general
secretary in-charge Or-
ganisation KC Venugopal
announced this.
AKHILESH WISHES
SUCCESS FOR BJY
Lucknow: Samajwadi Party
Chief Akhilesh Yadav on
Monday thanked Congress
leader Rahul Gandhi for
inviting him to his ‘Bharat
Jodo Yatra’ and wished
it a success, even as the
party said he will not be
attending it. SP spokesper-
son Rajendra Chaudhary
announced it on Monday.
MAYAWATI THANKS
RaGa FOR BJY INVITE
Lucknow: Ahead of the
resumption of the Bharat
Jodo Yatra which is on a
winter break, BSP chief
Mayawati on Mon-
day thanked Ra-
hul Gandhi for
inviting her to
join the yatra.
In a tweet in
Hindi, she
thanked
Gandhi.
Sack Sandeep Singh
or face stir, Khaps
warn Haryana govt
Jhajjar (PTI): A ‘khap
panchayat’ here on
Monday threatened to
launch a big agitation if
Haryana minister
Sandeep Singh, who
has been booked for sex-
ually harassing a wom-
an coach, is not sacked.
Singh on Sunday
gave up his Sports port-
folio, saying he has tak-
en the step on moral
grounds, and claimed
that the charges against
him are baseless.
The former India
hockey captain said he
has handed over the
charge of the sports de-
partment to CM Khattar.
However, he has not re-
signedfromtheministry
.
A panchayat of “12
Dhankar khaps”, or
caste councils, was held
inavillageinthedistrict
and attended by repre-
sentatives of khaps’ and
social organisations.
A khap representa-
tive said, the meeting
urged the state govern-
ment to ensure justice
for the coach at the ear-
liest and sack the minis-
ter. If the government
fails to do this, the
khaps will launch a “big
movement”, he said.
The meeting demand-
ed that Singh should be
sacked immediately as
he could “influence” the
investigations if he con-
tinues to be a minister.
Unemployment
rate among
Kerala youth
huge: Tharoor
Kottayam (PTI): Un-
employmentrateamong
the youth in Kerala is
huge and
there is a
need to
make the
state more
attractive
for its
younger generation to
prevent them from go-
ingoutsideforjobs,Con-
gress MP Shashi Tha-
roor said on Monday
.
Tharoor, speaking at
the 146th Mannam Jay-
anthi celebration here,
said unemployment
among the youth in Ker-
ala was 40 per cent in
June 2022. Mannam
Jayanthi is held to cel-
ebrate the birth anni-
versary of NSS founder
and social reformer
Mannath Padmanab-
han. He said only JK
was in such a situation,
but that was due to mil-
itancy problems there.
Shahtovisit11statesthismonthas
partofBJP’s‘LSPrawas’exercise
New Delhi (PTI): Sen-
ior BJP leader and
Home Minister Amit
Shah will travel to as
many as 11 states this
month as part of his
party’s “Lok Sabha Pra-
was”programme,which
is aimed at boosting its
prospects in targeted
parliamentary constitu-
encies ahead of the gen-
eral election in 2024.
Party sources said
Shah will be in Tripura
on January 5 and Ma-
nipur and Nagaland on
January 6. He will be
travelling to Chhattis-
garh and Jharkhand on
January 7 and Andhra
Pradesh on January 8.
He will be in UP on
January 16, in West Ben-
gal on January 17 and at
Hubli in Karnataka on
January 28. The home
minister will be in the
northernstatesof Hary-
anaandPunjabonJanu-
ary 29, sources said.
BJP WILL COME TO POWER IN NEXT ELECTION
BASED ON GOVERNANCE: K’TAKA CM BOMMAI
Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai stated
that BJP will come back to power based on ‘governance and
good work’. He was answering to reporters after visiting Ven-
kateshwara temple in
Bengaluru on the oc-
casion of the Vaikunta
Ekadashi festival on
Monday. When asked
if he prayed for BJP’s
victory, Bommai said
generally he will not
pray for such things.
“I have confidence.
According to me, people are gods. What is on their mind is
going to happen. The governance and good work by BJP will
help the party to attain power,” the Chief Minister said.
MAHADAYI DISPUTE:
GOA DELEGATION TO
MEET PM AND SHAH
Panaji: Goa Chief Minister
Pramod Sawant on Monday
said he will soon lead an
all-party delegation to meet
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi, Union Home Minister
Amit Shah and Union Jal
Shakti Minister Gajendra
Singh Shekhawat opposing
the approval granted by the
Centre to Karnataka govern-
ment for detailed project
reports (DPRs) of two dams
on the Mahadayi River.
WOMAN CONSTABLE
‘HARASSED’ AT DMK
EVENT; BJP CONDEMNS
Chennai: A woman constable
was allegedly harassed by
two DMK party’s youth wing
functionaries during a public
meeting at the Virugambak-
kam area of Chennai on
December 31. A complaint
was lodged by the woman
constable at the Valasaravak-
kam Police Station on Sunday
in this regard. However, the
police is yet to register a
case. The BJP has termed the
incident as “disgraceful”.
COURTYARD
in the
in the
“MOVE HC FOR NOD
TO REGISTER FIR
AGAINST SUVENDU”
New Delhi: The Supreme
Court on Monday refused
to entertain a plea by
West Bengal minister
Birbaha Hansda chal-
lenging the Calcutta
High Court order which
banned registration of
fresh FIRs against BJP
leader Suvendu Adhikari
without prior permission
of the court. A bench
asked the Trinamool
Congress leader to ap-
proach the Calcutta High
Court, which is seized of
a similar matter and is
scheduled to hear it on
January 10.
MLAs POACHING:
T’GANA HC UPHOLDS
LOWER COURT ORDER
Hyderabad: The Telanga-
na High Court on Monday
dismissed an appeal by
the Special Investigation
Team (SIT) challenging
order of a special Anti
Corruption Bureau (ACB)
court which had aside a
memo to array BJP na-
tional General Secretary
B.L. Santhosh and three
others as accused in the
MLAs’ poaching case.
The ACB special court
had last month rejected
the memo and the SIT
had challenged this in the
High Court.
URBAN LOCAL BODY
POLLS: SC TO HEAR
UP’S PLEA ON JAN 4
New Delhi: The Supreme
Court on Monday agreed
to hear on January 4 the
UP govt’s appeal chal-
lenging an Allahabad High
Court order quashing its
draft notification on urban
local body elections and
directing it to hold the
polls without reserva-
tion for other backward
classes. A bench took
note of the submissions
of Solicitor General
Tushar Mehta, appearing
for the state govt, saying
the matter needed an
urgent hearing.
CBI REPORT LINKS
MONDAL’S NAME
WITH BOGTUI CASE
Kolkata: The CBI on Mon-
day submitted a report to
the Calcutta High Court,
wherein it linked the
name of TMC strongman
and the party’s Birbhum
district president, with
the Bogtui carnage that
took place in the same
district in March last year.
In March last year, the
murder a local Trinamool
Congress leader, Bhadu
Sheikh, had triggered
violence in Bogtui in Birb-
hum district that led to the
death of nine persons.
Vienna (PTI): Voicing
“very deep” concern
overtheongoingUkraine
conflict,ExternalAffairs
Minister S Jaishankar
said on Sunday that In-
diaisonthesideof peace
andsincebeginningNew
Delhi’s effort has been to
return to dialogue and
diplomacyasdifferences
cannotbesettledthrough
violence.
Jaishankar, who ar-
rived here from Cyprus
on the second leg of his
two-nation tour, made
the remarks while ad-
dressing the members
of the Indian diaspora.
“This (Ukraine) con-
flict is really a matter of
very, very deep con-
cern… Prime Minister
NarendraModideclared
in September (that) we
actually genuinely be-
lieve that this is no long-
er an era of war. You
cannot settledifferences
and issues through vio-
lence,” he said.
“So from the very be-
ginning, our effort has
been to urge (Russia and
Ukraine to) return to di-
alogue and diplomacy…
ThePrimeMinisterhim-
self has spoken on nu-
merous occasions with
President(Vladimir)Pu-
tin and President (Volo-
dymyr) Zelensky
. I my-
self talked to my col-
leagues in Russia and
Ukraine,” he said.
“We know this is not
(an) easily resolvable
situation. But it’s impor-
tant that countries who
believe (in)…negotia-
tion, speak up clearly in
that regard…,” he said,
addingthat“we’reonthe
side of peace and a large
part of the world thinks
likeus.”Indiahasrepeat-
edlycalledonRussiaand
Ukraine to return to the
path of diplomacy and
dialogue and end their
ongoing conflict.
PM Modi has spoken
to the presidents of Rus-
sia and Ukraine on mul-
tipleoccasionsandurged
for immediate cessation
of hostilities and return
to the path of diplomacy
anddialogueforthereso-
lution of the conflict.
In his bilateral meet-
ing with Russian Presi-
dent Putin in Uzbeki-
stan on September 16,
Modi said “today’s era is
not of war” and nudged
him to end the conflict.
India has not yet criti-
cised the Russian attack
onUkraineandhasbeen
maintainingthatthecri-
sis should be resolved
through dialogue.
Jaishankar also said
that India and Austria
would sign some agree-
ments on Monday and
some of them are of in-
teresttoIndiandiaspora
– one on migration and
mobilityforIndianswho
want to come here as
students/professionals
and another on ‘Work-
ingHoliday’programme
whichwillenableIndian
students in Austria to
work for six months.
Concerned India urges Russia, Ukraine to return to dialogue diplomacy
PLEA FOR PEACE
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar interacts with the Indian
community, in Vienna on Sunday. —PHOTO BY ANI
We know this
is not (an)
easily
resolvable situation.
But it’s important that
countries who believe
(in)…negotiation,
speak up clearly in that
regard… we’re on the
side of peace and a
large part of the world
thinks like us.
—S Jaishankar,
External Affairs Minister

INDIA
06
Goa (Agencies): Goa’s
Dabolim airport han-
dled a record 104 flights
over a 24-hour period on
January 1 owing to
thousands of tourists
and others who arrived
in the state to celebrate
Christmas and New
Year’s, the Airports Au-
thority of India (AAI)
said. The AAI, which
handles the passenger
terminal at Dabolim,
said the airport on Sun-
day beat its previous
record of 102 flights,
clocked on January 2
last year.
“On 1 January 2023,
Goa International Air-
port handled 104 arriv-
als and 104 departures
with 13,147 arrival pas-
sengers and 17,335 de-
parture passengers,”
the AAI said.
The figure is expect-
ed to return to 95 on
Monday, including
scheduled domestic and
international flight, as
well as chartered
flights. The airport on
most days handles any-
where between 85 and
95 flights over a 24-hour
period.
The first tourism sea-
son after Covid-19,
which was blighted by
the resurgence of the
Omicron variant, has
shown encouraging
signs and the number
of tourists is likely to
surpass that of pre-pan-
demic days.
TourisminGoapeaks
in the week between
Christmas and New
Year’s when millions of
travellers from across
the country wish to cel-
ebrate the occasions in
Goa. “We strive to en-
sure a hassle-free tran-
sit experience for our
esteemed guests at the
airport,” the AAI said.
Flights to and from
Goa witness a huge de-
mand during the New
Year’s weekend, with
flight fares soaring up
to four times than the
usual prices.
Later this month,
with the Mopa interna-
tional airport also
scheduled to commence
flight operations, the
load at Dabolim airport
is expected to ease,
though the latter will
remain functional for
civilian operations. Sev-
eral airlines, including
IndiGo, GoFirst, Akasa
Air and Oman Airways,
have announced flights
from the new airport.
Dabolim records highest ever per day flight traffic
BREAKING RECORD
Mumbai (ANI): The
family of Sheezan
Khan, the boyfriend of
popular television actor
Tunisha Sharma ar-
rested on the charge of
abetting her suspected
suicide, on Monday re-
futed the allegation’s of
the actor’s uncle that
she started wearing a
hijab (headscarf worn
by Muslim women)
from the time she met
Sheezan.
Her uncle’s remark
hinted at a love jihad an-
gle behind her death.
Addressing a press
conference on Monday,
Sheezan’s sister and co-
actor Shafaq Naaz said
the image of Tunisha in
a hijab, which is being
circulatedonline,isfrom
the shoot for a show.
“The picture of Tuni-
sha in a hijab being cir-
culated online is from
the set of a show she was
shooting for. It can be
clearly seen in the image
that it was from a set. We
never made her wear a
hijab,” Shafaq said.
Tunisha’s uncle,
Pawan Sharma,
claimed on December
28 that her behaviour
and lifestyle changed
after she met Sheezan
and that she even start-
ed wearing a ‘hijab’.
Earlier, Sheezan’s ad-
vocate Shailendra
MishraallegedthatTun-
isha’s uncle was also her
‘former manager’ and
was fired because of his
‘harsh behaviour’.
Sheezan’s advocate
alleged that Tunisha
was scared of another
‘uncle’ from Chandi-
garh, as he had insti-
gated her mother, Vani-
ta, to strangulate her.
“Tunisha used to pan-
ic a lot upon hearing the
name of Sanjeev Kaush-
al (another uncle). On
his instigation, Tuni-
sha’s mother broke her
phone and tried to
strangulate her. Sanjeev
Kaushal and Tunisha’s
mother used to control
her life,” Sheezan’s ad-
vocate alleged.
Sheezan's sister claims Tunisha's
picture in Hijab is from a shoot
Sheezan's lawyer alleged that Tunisha's mother had control over her daughter's life
TUNISHA SHARMA DEATH
Gujarat (ANI): The
BSF apprehended 22 Pa-
kistani fishermen and
seized 79 fishing boats in
the most inhospitable,
marshy and difficult ter-
rain of Creeks and Har-
ami Nalla in Gujarat's
Bhuj sector in 2022.
Pointing the achieve-
ments of Gujarat BSF,
a statement issued by
force, mentioned: BSF
Gujarat is further
strengthening its hold
along Sir Creek and
Harami Nalla area by
establishing perma-
nent bases.
The BSF, which
guards the 7,419 km In-
dia-Pakistan border,
also informed that 50
packetsof Heroinworth
Rs 250 crore and 61 pack-
ets of Charas worth
Rs 2.49 crore were also
recovered from the
coastal and creek re-
gion of Gujarat.
The statement also
credited BSF Gujarat,
for being responsible
for securing the 826 km
long India-Pakistan in-
ternational border from
Barmer in Rajasthan to
Rann of Kutch and
Creek area, including
85 kms of the Coastal
area of Gujarat through
effective domination of
its entire area of re-
sponsibility
.
Gujarat:BSFnabbed22Pak
fishermen,seized79boats
New Delhi: The NCC
Republic Day (RD)
Camp 2023 commenced
at the Cariappa Parade
Ground, Delhi Cantt. A
total of 2,155 cadets, in-
cluding 710 girls, drawn
from all 28 States and
eight Union Territories,
are participating in the
nearly month-long
camp, which will culmi-
nate with PM’s rally on
Jan 28th. It also includes
114 cadets from JK and
120 cadets from the
North-Eastern Region.
During the camp, the
cadets will participate
in a number of activi-
ties, including cultural
competitions, national
integration awareness
programmes and insti-
tutional training. A
number of dignitaries,
including the Vice Pres-
ident of India, Raksha
Mantri, Raksha Rajya
Mantri, Delhi Chief
Minister, Chief of De-
fence Staff and the Ser-
vice Chiefs will also pay
a visit to the camp.
New Delhi: The Indian
Railways' earnings from
freight loading for the
first nine months of fi-
nancialyear2022-23have
surpassed those of the
same period last year,
the ministry of railways
said on January 2.
On a cumulative ba-
sis, from April to De-
cember 2022, freight
loading of 1,109.38 met-
ric tonnes has been
achieved, as against
loading of 1,029.96 met-
ric tonnes during the
same period last year.
This marks an improve-
ment of 8 percent.
The earnings of In-
dian Railways from
freight loading opera-
tions are Rs 1,20,478
crore so far this fiscal.,
Railways earns `1,20,478 crs from
freight loading this FY till Dec 2022
New Delhi (ANI): The
NIA is likely to visit Up-
per Dangri village in
JK's Rajouri district
where five people, in-
cluding a child, were
killed and many more
were injured in two sep-
arate terrorist attacks
since Sunday evening,
sources said.
Highly placed sourc-
es indicated that a team
led by a senior NIA of-
ficial may visit the spot
any time today or to-
morrow following a
new modus operandi
adopted by the agency
to visit places where
such terror incidents
happen. The team will
be sent from NIA's Jam-
mu branch, which will
note down details of the
incidents along with
the sleuths of JK po-
lice in order to keep a
tab on the methods of
killings of civilians in
two terror attacks.
NIA to visit
Upper Dhangri
village in JK's
Rajouri district
NCC'S REPUBLIC DAY
CAMP WITH 2,155
CADETS BEGIN IN DELHI
Tunisha Sharma's death accused Sheezan Khan’s sisters Shafaq Naaz and Falaq Naaz during a joint
press conference at Andheri, in Mumbai on Monday. —PHOTO BY ANI
Cadets present at the Cariappa Parade Ground, Delhi Cantt in
Delhi on Monday.
Chennai: K V Srinivasan, a senior photographer of a
national English daily passed away here on Monday,
following a heart attack. The
photojournalist is survived by
his wife and two sons. Tamil
Nadu Governor R N Ravi, CM
M K Stalin and Information
Minister M P Saminathan ex-
pressed grief over Srinivasan’s
death and conveyed their condolences. Stalin, in a
statement said, he has ordered release of Rs 5 lakh
financial assistance to the kin of the deceased from a
State fund for the welfare of families of journalists.
SENIOR PHOTOJOURNALIST K V
SRINIVASAN PASSES AWAY IN CHENNAI
71% INCREASE
IN PASSENGER
SEGMENT
New Delhi: The total
earnings in the passen-
ger segment for Indian
railways from April to
Dec 2022 were at Rs
48,913 crore, an increase
of 71 per cent in com-
parison to Rs. 28,569 cr
during the same period
last year. In the reserved
passenger segment, the
total approximate number
of passengers booked
from 01 April to 31 Dec
2022 was 59.61 cr.
KHAN'S MOTHER
SAYS 'YOU
WANT MY SON
TO COMMIT
SUICIDE TOO?'
New Delhi: Tunisha
Sharma’s death has
come as a shock to
everyone. The actress
died by suicide on
December 24, 2022.
The actress hanged
herself in the make-up
room of her co-star
and former boyfriend
Sheezan Mohammed
Khan. The actor's
judicial custody has
been extended for 14
days, after he was
arrested for allegedly
abetting the suicide of
Tunisha Sharma. The
27-year-old actor was
arrested by Valiv Po-
lice in Palghar district
on December 26.'
Now, on January 2,
Sheezan Khan's law-
yer, Adv. Shailendra
Mishra and his sisters
Falak Naaz, Shafaq
Naaz and his mother,
spoke up for the first
time after facing sev-
eral allegations. They
held a press confer-
ence and spoke to
the media about the
case. Tunisha Sharma
died by suicide on
December 24.
TUNISHA'S TIES WITH HER FAMILY WERE
NOT GOOD: SHEEZAN'S LAWYER
Mumbai: Family of TV actor Sheezan Khan, who
has been in jail since December 25 in connection
with Tunisha Sharma’s death case, on Monday
named an “uncle” who the late actress was in
mortal fear of. TV actor Tunisha Sharma, who
allegedly died by suicide on Christmas eve, was in
frightful awe of her uncle from Chandigarh, who
instigated her mother, Vanita, to strangulate Tuni-
sha, Sheezan’s advocate told the media. Sheezan’s
sisters also accused Tunisha’s mother of causing
her childhood trauma and making the late actor
“beg before her for every penny”.
4 KILLED AS
TRUCK OVERTURNS
IN WEST BENGAL
JILTED LOVER
STABS STUDENT TO
DEATH IN B'LURU
West Bengal: Four peo-
ple were killed as a truck
overturned in West Ben-
gal’s Bankura district,
police said on Monday.
The accident happened
near Janata More on
Bishnupur-Patrasayar
Road on Sunday night,
they said. The truck was
on the way to Raina
in Purba Bardhaman
district with rice bags
when one of its tyres
punctured, following
which the driver lost
control and the vehicle
overturned, police said.
Bengaluru: A jilted lov-
er stabbed an engineer-
ing student to death in
Bengaluru on Monday
for rejecting his pro-
posal, police said. The
deceased was iden-
tified as Layasmitha,
while the accused,
Pavan Kalyan, also
stabbed himself after
the crime. He had been
rushed to the hospital,
where his condition
is said to be serious.
The incident occurred
at the Presidency Uni-
versity College.
INDIAN-AMERICAN
TAKES OATH AS
COUNTY JUDGE
KERALA: SI CAUGHT
TAKING BRIBE IN
VIRAL VIDEO
Houston: Three Indi-
an-American Demo-
crats have taken oath
as Fort Bend County
Judges in the United
States. Juli A. Mathew,
K.P. George, and Suren-
dran K. Pattel were
sworn in as Fort Bend
County judges, along
with other newly elected
and re-elected officials.
Juli A. Mathew, the
first Indian-American
woman to be elected to
a judge’s bench in the
US four years ago.
Kochi: A Sub-Inspector
(SI) grade official of
Ayyampuzha police
station in Kerala’s Kochi
was allegedly seen tak-
ing money in a purport-
ed viral video. The inqui-
ry order has been given
by the Superintendent of
Police (SP), Ernakulam
Rural, Vivek Kumar after
the SI of Ayyampuzha
police station was seen,
in the video, demanding
more money from a
person for allowing to
transport soil.
CRUCIAL READ
—Image
for
representational
purpose
Kolkata (Agencies):
With an eye on West
Bengal panchayat polls
due this year, the ruling
Trinamool Congress on
Monday launched a
new campaign Didir
Suraksha Kavach to
reach out to the people.
The campaign was
launched by West Ben-
gal CM Mamata Baner-
jee in the presence of
TMC national general
secretary Abhishek Ba-
nerjee and state presi-
dent Subrata Bakshi.
The party will start the
campaign on January
11 and will continue
with it for 60 days. Our
party workers will
reach out to the people
across the state and en-
sure that everyone can
avail of the welfare
schemes of the state
government, Abhishek
Banerjee said at a press
conference.
The party will start
the campaign on Janu-
ary 11 and will continue
with it for 60 days. Our
party workers will
reach out to the people
across the state and en-
sure that everyone can
avail of the welfare
schemes of the state
government, Abhishek
Banerjee said.
Didilaunchesnewcampaign
‘DidirSurakshaKavach’
Mamata Banerjee with PM Narendra Modi. —FILE PHOTO
WON'T BOTHER BEREAVED PM WITH
STATE'S DUES NOW: MAMATA BANERJEE
Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on
Monday said she will not bother Prime Minister Narendra Modi
over the state's financial dues in his moment of personal grief
as he lost his mother last week. Banerjee on several occasions
has written to Modi requesting him to clear the MGNREGA dues
of the state government. I have already written to Prime Min-
ister Narendra Modi about this on previous occasions. It's time
for his mourning; I won't say anything more now, Banerjee told
a press conference here.

—Image for representational purpose

07
Commodity Price Change % Chg
GOLD 55,397.00 154.00 0.27 (Per 10g)
SILVER 69,831.00 17.00 0.02 (Per 1kg)
COMMODITIES
Currency Price Change % Chg
USDINR 82.75 0.14 0.16
GBPINR 99.69 0.16 0.16
CURRENCIES
Unemployment rate surges to 8.3% in Dec
First India Bureau
New Delhi: The rate of un-
employment in India has
zoomed to a high of 8.3% in
December, the highest in
2022, according to data from
CMIE. The unemployment
rate during November was
at 8%, while in September
it was the lowest at 6.43%
and was at the second high-
est level during the year at
8.28% in August.
While the urban unem-
ployment rate was at 10%
during the last month of
2022,ruraljoblessnessstood
at 7.5% during December.
Among the states, unem-
ployment continued to be
the highest in Haryana at
37.4% in December, fol-
lowed by Rajasthan at
28.5%, Delhi 20.8%, Bihar
19.1% and Jharkhand 18%.
CIEL HR Services man-
aging director and CEO
Aditya Narayan Mishra
said there were no signifi-
cant new employment op-
portunities in December.
ACCORDING TO CMIE DATA
HIGHEST IN
2022
z The unemployment rate
during November was at
8%, while in September it
was the lowest at 6.43%
and was at the second
highest level during the
year at 8.28% in August,
the CMIE data stated.
z The urban unemployment
rate was at 10% during the
last month of 2022.
business
BRIEFS
New Delhi (PTI): OYO
witnessed a record 4.5
lakh-plus bookings on
New Year’s eve, its high-
est bookings per hotel per
day for India in the last 5
years, Founder and Group
CEO Ritesh Agarwal said.
Agarwal spoke about the
“busiest day of the year”
for the travel technology
company and shared that
OYO saw higher bookings
in Varanasi as compared
to Goa. “Over 450k-plus
bookings were made on
this New Year’s Eve glob-
ally. This is 35 per cent
more than last year. We
are also seeing the high-
est bookings per hotel per
day for India in the last 5
years,” Agarwal informed.
New Delhi (PTI): State-
owned NMDC on Monday
announced that it has
hiked the prices of iron
ore lumps by `200 to
`4,300 per tonne. The
country’s largest iron ore
miner has also increased
rates of iron ore fines by
`500 to `3,410/tonne,
NMDC said in a regulato-
ry filing. The prices are
effective January 1, and
exclude royalty, district
mineral fund (DMF), Na-
tional Mineral Exploration
Trust (DMET), cess, for-
est permit fee and other
taxes, the company said.
NMDC HIKES IRON
ORE LUMP RATES BY
`200 PER TONNE
OYO SAW OVER 4.5
LAKH BOOKINGS ON
NEW YEAR’S EVE
New Delhi (PTI): Maruti
Suzuki India’s production
in Dec 2022 was lower by
17.96% at 1,24,722 units,
according to a regulatory
filing. The company had a
total production of
1,52,029 units in the
same month a year ago.
Production in mini cars
and compact segment,
comprising models such
as Alto, S-Presso, Baleno,
Celerio, Dzire, Ignis, Swift
and WagonR, was lower
at 83,753 units in Dec
2022 as compared to
1,06,090 units in Dec ‘21.
MARUTI SUZUKI'S
PRODUCTION FALLS
18% IN DECEMBER
New Delhi (PTI): CIL’s
coal supply to the power
sector rose 11% to 432.7
million tonne in the April-
Dec period of current fi-
nancial year. In the year-
ago period, the supply
was 390.2 MT. The supply
to the non-power sector
last month was 10.5 MT
due to increased output.
Coal India Ltd’s output in
April-December 2022-23
increased to 479 MT from
413.6 MT in the year-ago
period. The PSU excavat-
ed 1,154 million cubic
metres (MCuM) of over
burden removal (OBR) till
December.
CIL'S COAL SUPPLY
TO POWER SECTOR
UP 11% AT 433 MT
*Rates till the edition went to print.
COFFEE EXPORTS UP
NEARLY 2% TO 4 LAKH
TONNE IN 2022
New Delhi (PTI): Coffee
shipments from India rose
1.66% to 4 lakh tonne in 2022
on rise in
instant coffee
exports and
re-exports, ac-
cording to the
Coffee Board. Exports stood
at 3.93 lakh tonne in 2021.
In value terms, coffee export
was higher at `8,762.47 crore
in 2022 as against `6,984.67
crore in the previous year.
India ships both Robusta and
Arabica varieties, besides
instant coffee.
COAL MINISTRY TO
TAKE UP ADDITIONAL
19 PROJECTS
New Delhi (PTI): The Centre
on Monday said an addi-
tional 19 first mile connectiv-
ity projects of
state-owned
CIL and SCCL
will be imple-
mented by
2026-27. “The Ministry of Coal
will be taking up additional 19
First Mile Connectivity (FMC)
projects for Coal India Ltd
(CIL) and Singareni Collieries
Company Ltd (SCCL) with a
capacity of 330 million tonnes
(MT) and these projects will be
implemented by FY26-27.”
INDIAN ECONOMY LIKELY TO NAVIGATE ROUGH
GLOBAL WEATHER IN 2023: ASSOCHAM
New Delhi (PTI): India’s economy is expected to navigate rough
global weather in 2023 due to resilient consumer demand, better
corporate performance and abating of
inflation, even as the year is likely to
be full of challenges and opportunities,
Assocham said on Monday. “While the
global outlook seems rather tough, the
Indian economy is set to stay on steady
ground, helped by strong domestic
demand, a healthy financial sector and
improved corporate balance sheets. Early signs point towards a
robust performance of agriculture,” its Secy General stated.
TEA INDUSTRY FACING MULTIPLE CHALLENGES IN
WAKE OF COVID PANDEMIC: EXPERTS
Kolkata (PTI): The tea industry has been no exception to the rav-
ages of the Covid pandemic over the last two years, as it grapples
with low prices and high input costs,
with stakeholders calling for more
focus on quality and boosting exports.
Production, too, has seen a decrease in
the last few years since the onset of the
pandemic due to restrictions on pluck-
ing -- from 1,390 million kg in 2019 to
1,258 million kg in 2020, 1,329 million
kg in 2021 and 1,050 million kg till October this year.
OTHER STORIES
SIX YRS AFTER DEMO
First India Bureau
New Delhi: Six years after
the shock move to ban 86%
of the currency in circula-
tion in the country
, cash is
still the king with official
data showing close to dou-
blingof cashwiththepublic.
According to Reserve
Bank data, the value of the
currency in circulation (or
public holding of cash)
stood at `32.42 lakh crore as
on December 23, 2022.
This compares to `17.74
lakh crore worth of notes
in circulation (NiC) on No-
vember 4, 2016, days before
PM Narendra Modi an-
nounced outlawing of old
1,000 and 500 rupee notes to
target black money and
fight corruption.
NiC fell to about `9 lakh
crore after demonetisation.
Compared with January 6,
2017, the cash in circulation
has seen a more than 3-fold
or 260% jump, while from
November 4, 2016, it has
seen about 83% rise.
After the shock an-
nouncement, the govern-
ment gave a limited-time
window for the public to
return the banned curren-
cy. According to the RBI,
almost the entire amount
of currency withdrawn
was turned in.
The total value of notes
returned by the public was
`15.3 lakh crore or 99.3% of
the total of `15.4 lakh crore
of notes in circulation on
November 8, 2016.
According to a written
reply, Union Finance Min-
ister Nirmala Sitharaman
furnished in the Lok Sabha
on December 19, 2022, the
value of NiC fell over 20%
at end of March 2017 to
`13.1 lakh crore but has
been on the rise since.
It rose by 37.67% to `18.03
lakhcroreonMarch31,2018.
The value of NiC soared to
`21.10 lakh crore on March
31, 2019, `24.20 lakh crore on
March 31, 2020, `28.26 lakh
crore on March 31, 2021, and
`31.05 lakh crore on March
31, 2022.
As on December 2, 2022,
the value of NiC was `31.92
lakh crore.
CASHINCIRCULATIONUP83%
ACCORDING TO
RBI DATA
z According to RBI data,
the value of the currency in
circulation stood at `32.42 lakh
crore as on Dec 23, 2022. This
compares to `17.74 lakh crore
worth of notes in circulation
(NiC) on Nov 4, 2016.
z The total value of notes
returned by the public was
`15.3 lakh crore or 99.3% of
the total of `15.4 lakh crore of
NiC on Nov 8, 2016.
z The outlawed currency notes
were replaced by new 500
2,000 rupee notes.But 1,000
rupee note was not reintroduced.
Washington (PTI): A
third of the global econo-
my will be in recession this
year, the IMF chief has
said, and warned that 2023
will be tougher than last
year as the US, EU and Chi-
na will see their economies
slow down.
Kristalina Georgieva,
the chief of the IMF made
these grim assertions dur-
ingaCBSnewsprogramme
Face the Nation.
It comes at a time when
the ongoing conflict in
Ukraine shows no signs of
abating after more than 10
months, with spiralling in-
flation, higher interest rates
andthesurgeincoronavirus
infections in China fuelled
by the Omicron variant.
We expect one-third of
the world economy to be in
recession, Georgieva said.
The year 2023 will be
tougher than last year be-
cause the economies of the
US, the EU and China will
slow down, she said.
Even in countries that
are not in recession, it
would feel like a recession
for hundreds of millions of
people, she explained.
New Delhi (PTI): India’s
manufacturing sector ac-
tivity rose to a 13-month
high in December, support-
ed by healthy inflows of
new business and strong
demand conditions, accord-
ing to a monthly survey
.
The seasonally adjusted
SP Global India Manufac-
turing PMI stood at 57.8 in
Dec, up from 55.7 in Novem-
ber, as business conditions
improved to the greatest
extent in over two years.
The December PMI data
pointed to an improvement
in overall operating condi-
tions for the 18th straight
month. “Following a prom-
ising start to 2022, the In-
dian manufacturing indus-
try maintained a strong
performance as time pro-
gressed, wrapping the year
with the best expansion in
production seen since No-
vember 2021,” Pollyanna De
Lima, Economics Associate
Director at SP Global
Market Intelligence, said.
Hiring activity was
stretched to December,
while more inputs were ac-
quired as firms sought to
supplement production and
add to their inventories.
Demand resilience
boosted sales growth in De-
cember.
Recession will hit 1/3rd
of world this year: IMF
India’s mfg PMI hits
13-month high in Dec
Mumbai (PTI): Equity
benchmarks started the
first day of trade of the
New Year on a positive note
and ended with smart
gains, propelled by buying
in index majors Reliance
Industries and ICICI Bank
amid a firm trend in Euro-
pean markets.
The 30-share BSE Sensex
climbed 327.05 points or
0.54%tosettleat61,167.79on
Monday
. During the day
, it
jumped 382.05 points or
0.62% to 61,222.79. The
broaderNSENiftyadvanced
92.15 points or 0.51% to end
at 18,197.45.
From the Sensex pack,
Tata Steel, Tata Motors,
ICICI Bank, Axis Bank,
Mahindra Mahindra, Re-
liance Industries, NTPC
and Bharti Airtel were the
prominent winners. How-
ever, Asian Paints, Titan,
Tech Mahindra, Nestle and
Hindustan Unilever were
among the major laggards.
Marketsclimbonfirstday
oftradeofNewYear2023
RUPEE FALLS 14
PAISE TO CLOSE AT
82.75 AGAINST $
Mumbai (PTI): The rupee started
the New Year on a muted note,
declining 14 paise to close at
82.75 (provisional) against the
US dollar on Monday as rising
crude oil prices and sustained
foreign fund outflows weighed
on investor sentiment. At the
interbank foreign exchange
market, the rupee opened lower
at 82.66 against the greenback
and witnessed an intra-day high
of 82.56 and a low of 82.78. It
finally settled at 82.75, down 14
paise over its previous close.
New Delhi (PTI): Online
gaming companies will not
be allowed to engage in bet-
ting on the outcome of
games under the principle
laid in draft rules, MoS for
Electronics and IT Rajeev
Chandrasekhar said.
The minister said that as
of now, all permissible on-
line gaming will need to be
registered with a self-regu-
latory organisation that
will be accountable to the
online gaming rules.
As per the principles
laid under the rule, wager-
ing on the outcome of game
will not be allowed. All on-
line gaming companies
will have to register with
the self-regulatory body
that will decide on the ac-
tion required to be taken as
per the rules, he said.
‘Betting on results not allowed’
New Delhi (PTI): Indian
traders should follow seven
steps, including knowing
trade policy and rules of
origin of respective prod-
ucts in Australia in order
to take full advantage of
the recently implemented
free trade agreement, ac-
cording to a study by GTRI
released on Monday
.
“We have suggested a
seven-step process to en-
sure that the firms do not
miss critical details while
exporting or importing un-
der ECTA,” it said.
Mumbai (PTI): The RBI
on Monday said state-
owned SBI, along with pri-
vate sector lenders ICICI
Bank and HDFC Bank con-
tinue to be Domestic Sys-
temically Important Banks
(D-SIBs) or institutions
which are ‘too big to fail’.
SIBs are perceived as
banks that are ‘too big to
fail’. This perception cre-
ates an expectation of govt
support for these lenders in
times of distress.
GTRI suggests seven
steps to make full
use ofAustralia FTA
SBI, ICICI HDFC
Bank continue to
remain D-SIBs: RBI

08
2NDFRONT
The first 30 minutes after you
wake up, have profound influence
on your day and life- Make them
empowering and positive.
—Dr Jagdeesh Chandra,
CEO Editor-in-Chief, First India
New Delhi (PTI): Bu-
reaucrat Subhasish
Panda on Monday took
charge as the vice chair-
man of the Delhi Devel-
opment Authority, a
senior official said.
A 1997-batch IAS of-
ficer of the Himachal
Pradesh cadre, Panda
was holding the charge
of principal secretary
to the chief minister in
the hill state before
joining the DDA, an of-
ficial statement said.
In a career spanning
over two decades, Pan-
da has worked in vari-
ous sectors like health,
food and public distri-
bution, petroleum and
natural gas, urban de-
velopment, tourism,
planning, public works
and information tech-
nology, the DDA said.
“He played a pivotal
role as deputy director
(administration) in the
All India Institute of
Medical Sciences - Delhi
during the COVID-19
pandemic to ensure all
essential facilities are
provided to the patients
in a time-bound man-
ner,” the statement said.
His model of a com-
munity-led total sanita-
tion programme was
adopted across
Himachal, which ulti-
mately led to the state
becoming “the first
ODF (open defecation-
free) state in the coun-
try
,” the DDA said.
Panda’s experience
will be beneficial at a
time when important
projects are being un-
dertaken by the DDA,
such as preparation of
the Delhi Master Plan-
2041, rejuvenation of
river Yamuna plains, in
situ slum rehabilitation
scheme and PM-UDAY
scheme, it said.
Subhasish Panda takes charge as DDA vice chairman
NEW COMMAND
Bureaucrat Subhasish Panda
PANDA’S CONTRIBUTION IN VARIOUS SECTORS
TAKING CULTURE BEYOND
People wearing traditional attire take out tableaux of traditional costumes and dishes during the
'Manali Winter Carnival 2023', in Manali, Monday. —PHOTO BY PTI
Delhi government
launched a Mathemat-
ics Winter Camp for
the city schools on Mon-
day to bridge the learn-
ing gaps induced by the
COVID-19 pandemic
among students.
The camp will be run
till January 14.
The initiative is ex-
pected to supplement
the classroom content,
improve the learning
level of the Class-9 stu-
dents, act as a brief ex-
am-focused revision
and enable students to
address foundational
concepts.
The camp will be an
opportunity to work on
the challenges faced
throughout the academ-
ic year and the Class-9
students of the schools
run by the city govern-
ment will be provided
with additional learn-
ing support to strength-
en the foundational con-
cepts,Delhigovernment
Advisor Reena Gupta
said. She said the camp
was launched as a small-
scale pilot project.
Our students have
immense capability and
programmes such as
the 'Mathematics Win-
ter camp' will create a
conducive environment
to overcome the fear or
phobia of mathematics,
generate enthusiasm
among students to work
hard for their annual
examination and be an
opportunity to work on
learning gaps faced
throughout the academ-
ic year, Gupta said.
Taking into consider-
ation the contextual
needs of students, the
camp will revise topics
such as number sys-
tems, quadrilaterals,
menstruation and chap-
ters from the syllabus
that continue to be a
weak link. Teachers will
also conduct exercises
related to the subject
and mathematics puz-
zles to strengthen calcu-
lation, integers, unit
conversion, divisibility,
simplification and re-
vise crucial formulas.
'MATHEMATICS WINTER
CAMP' FOR CITY SCHOOLS
The camp will bridge the learning gaps induced by the pandemic among students
DELHI GOVT’S NEW INITIATIVE
Delhi government Advisor Reena Gupta interacts with students and parents at a government
school in New Delhi. —TWITTER PHOTO
‘PILOT PROJECT’
Dehradun (ANI): In-
dia's star wicketkeeper-
batter Rishabh Pant is
doing well and has been
shifted to a private suite
due to fear of infection,
revealed Delhi and Dis-
trict Cricket Associa-
tion (DDCA) Director
Shyam Sharma today
.
Due to fear of infec-
tion, we have told his
family and hospital ad-
ministration to shift
him to a private suite.
He is doing better and
will recover soon, said
Sharma to ANI.
Uttarakhand Chief
Minister Pushkar Singh
Dhami on Sunday an-
nounced that the state
government will pro-
vide all help for the
25-year-old's treatment,
who was seriously in-
jured in a road accident
near Roorkee on Decem-
ber 30 while on his way
to surprise his mother.
Pant was alone in the
car and reportedly fell
asleep at the wheel
when the accident hap-
pened. According to a
statement by the Board
of Control of Cricket in
India (BCCI) in coordi-
nation with the Max
Hospital Dehradun
where he has been ad-
mitted, the cricketer
has suffered two cuts on
his forehead, a ligament
tear in his right knee
along with injuries on
his right wrist, ankle,
toe and back.
New Delhi (Agen-
cies): Addressing the
students and professors
of Delhi University on
the first day of 2023 on
Monday, Vice-Chancel-
lor Prof Yogesh Singh
shared the achieve-
ments made by the uni-
versity in 2022.
The Vice-Chancellor
in his address said that
the university has com-
pleted 100 years of its
establishment in 2022.
The H-index of the
university, Professor
Singh said, has in-
creased from 230-250.
There has been an in-
crease of nine per cent
in research papers in
the Scopus index jour-
nal, the Vice-Chancel-
lor said.
The Vice-Chancellor
also said that five-year
LLB, Competency En-
hancement Scheme,
Vice Chancellor Intern-
ship Scheme, MBA
(Business Analytics),
and MBA, BBA, BMS,
BLIS, and MLIS in SOL
and many new courses
in Medicine including
MSc (Respiratory Ther-
apy), DM (Medical Gas-
troenterology), MDS,
DM, and MD have been
introduced.
As many as 5,398
teachers have been pro-
moted by the universi-
ty and new recruit-
ments of 838 teachers
and 249 non-teaching
personnel were also
done in the last year,
the Vice-Chancellor
said in the address.
Looking forward to
2023, the Vice Chancel-
lor said that in the
new year, Rs 330 crore
for the new building
of IOE, Rs 289.61 crore
for the IOE hostel, Rs
87 crore for the con-
struction of the com-
puter center and Rs
110 crore for the ex-
pansion of the library
will be spent.
The Vice-Chancellor
said that the renovation
and value-addition
works at various places
across the university
will also be completed
this year for a cost of Rs
29.4 crore.
Chandigarh (PTI): A
live bomb was found a
few hundred metres
away from the helipad
used by Punjab and
Haryana chief minis-
ters here on Monday,
police said.
The shell was found
in the fields on the Nay-
agaon-Kansal road,
which is about one kilo-
metre away from the
helipad and about two
kilometres from the of-
ficial residences of
Punjab CM Bhagwant
Mann and his Haryana
counterpart Manohar
Lal Khattar, they said.
An official of the dis-
aster management de-
partment who reached
the spot told reporters
that the police control
room received a mes-
sage that a bomb-like
object had been seen
near the Kansal and
Nayagaon T-point.
Lucknow (PTI): Uttar
Pradesh Chief Minister
Yogi Adityanath on
Monday reviewed the
COVID-19 situation in
the state at a high-level
meeting with officials,
and said that the situa-
tion in the state is nor-
mal amid the rising cas-
es in various countries.
Healsodirectedtheof-
ficials to closely monitor
the changing trends of
coronavirus and to con-
ductgenomesequencing
of the new cases.
Adityanath reviewed
the situation in the
state during the meet-
ing with Team-9, a team
of senior officials and
ministers constituted
for Covid management,
and gave necessary
guidelines, according to
an official statement.
The CM said that the
situation in UP is nor-
mal amid the rising
number of Covid cases
in various countries,
the statement said.
More than 9.06 lakh
tests were done in the
month of December, of
which 103 cases were
found to be positive.
Bombshell found near Punjab,
Haryana CMs' official residences
The spot where the bombs were found.
Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) Director Shyam
Sharma speaking to reporters in Dehradun.
Pant doing ‘better’,
shifted to private suite
over infection scare
DELHIUNIVVCSHARESACHIEVEMENTSOF2022
Apart from the launch of new academic
programmes in 2022, Professor Yogesh
Singh while addressing the university today
said that the DU has signed 18 agreements
with foreign universities last year
Covid situation in UP is
normal: CM Adityanath
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath
ACTIVE COVID CASES IN
COUNTRY DECLINE TO 2,670
New Delhi (PTI): India has recorded 173 new
coronavirus infections, while the active cases
have declined to 2,670, according to Union health
ministry data updated on Monday. The total
tally of Covid cases has been recorded at 4.46
crore (4,46,78,822) and the death toll stands at
5,30,707 with two fatalities -- one reconciled by
Kerala and one reported by Uttarakhand -- in the
last 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am stated.
The daily positivity rate has been recorded at 0.19
per cent while the weekly positivity was pegged
at 0.14 per cent, it said. The ministry said 92,955
tests have been conducted in the last 24 hours.
The active cases comprise 0.01 per cent of the
total infections, while the national recovery rate
has increased to 98.80 per cent, according to the
ministry's website. The ministry said a decrease
of 36 cases has been recorded in the active Covid
caseload in a span of 24 hours.

www.firstindia.co.in I https://firstindia.co.in/epapers/delhi I twitter.com/
thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09
NEW DELHI, TUESDAY,
JANUARY 3, 2023
eople around the
world have been
celebrating the
start of each new
year for at least
four millennia.
Common traditions
include attending parties,
eating special New Year’s
foods, making resolutions
for the new year and
watching fireworks dis-
plays. A similar get-to-
gether was witnessed on
December 28, Saturday.
Jagdeesh Chandra graced
the occasion as a special
guest.
Gaurav Gaur, director
of Elite Miss Rajasthan
along with supermodels
were also present to make
the evening more special.
The celebration wit-
nessed various fun activi-
ties including musical
games, and dumb charades,
among others. While some
beauties grooved on Bolly-
wood music, others were
seen shaking legs on hit
Punjabi tracks too.
Everyone eased into their
conversations and enjoyed
the mood with great compa-
ny, wonderful food, and mu-
sic. The lip-smacking food
and energetic crowd made
for an exuberant party
.
Jagdeesh Chandra greet-
ed everyone with a Happy
New Year in advance and
wished them huge success.
He also motivated everyone
to lead a healthy life.
The magnificent party
witnessed the ravishing
models in sequin pieces,
fluffy frocks and furry coat
and neck wraps.
It is natural for people to
show up in high spirits, ea-
ger to start the year on a
positive note. Therefore, the
stunning beauties flaunted
their new year outfits to re-
flect this energy and positiv-
ity. From sequin, bodycon
and cocktails dresses, to
jumpsuits, crop tops, long
boots and right accessories
and make up, the girls made
the evening glamorous.
A grand New Year get-together party was organised
on December 28, Saturday, with Jagdeesh Chandra
as the special guest of the evening!
MITALI DUSAD
mitalidusad01@gmail.com
FOR THEY PRECEDE NEW BEGINNINGS
CELEBRATEENDINGS...
P
Upadhi Jolotia, Srishti Khatri, Tanu Choudhary, Shweta Raje, Kalpana Gupta, Sheena Parashar, Muskan Moolchandani, Navya Singh, Varunavi Singh,
Khushi Vijayvargiya, Bhagyashree Mundra, Priya Agarwal, Devshree Hada, Harshita Singh, Rishika Chandani, Vinnie Soni, Ragini and Sneha Chaturvedi
Jagdeesh Chandra with (L-R) Devshree Hada, Simran Modi,
Akanksha Bhalla, Priyanka Bhalla and Shrishti Khatri
( L- R) Shweta Raje, Isha Agarwal, Navya Singh,
Rishika Chandani, Vinnie Soni and Tripti Arora
—PHOTOS BY SUNIL SHARMA

10-11
ETC
www.firstindia.co.in I https://firstindia.co.in/epapers/delhi I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
DREAM, SPARKLESHINE
A NEW YEAR GET-TOGETHER WAS CELEBRATED WITH MUCH FERVOUR ON DECEMBER 28, SATURDAY. THE
BEAUTIES WERE SEEN FLAUNTING GORGEOUS ATTIRE AS IT WAS A SHEEN AND THE PERFECT OCCASION FOR A
FRESH START WHILST MAKING NEW YEAR’S CELEBRATION AN IDEAL REPRESENTATION OF COLOUR, FERVOUR,
ZEST AND ENTHUSIASM. THE HOUSE-PACKED REVELLERS RAISED THE TOAST TO THE JOY OF A NEW YEAR AND
ADDED A LITTLE SPARKLE TO THE END OF THE YEAR 2022. CITY FIRST BRINGS TO YOU SOME GLIMPSES!
(L-R) Priyanka Bhalla, Shrishti Khatri, Muskan Moolchandani,
Akanksha Bhalla, Devshree Hada, Upadhi Jalotia Varunavi Singh, Bhagyashree Mundra,
Khushi Vijayvargiya and Priya Agarwal
Clockwise: Kalpana Gupta, Vinnie Soni, Sneha Chaturvedi,
Sheena Parashar and Tanu Choudhary
Jagdeesh Chandra with (L-R) Harshita Singh, Ritu and Muskaan Moolchandani
Muskaan, Ragini, Devshree, Ritu, Sheena, Harshita, Shweta, Kalpana, Khushi, Varunavi,
Gaurav Gaur, Navya, Vinnie, Rishika, Shrishti, Priya, Bhagyashree, Sneha, Muskaan and Ranu
—PHOTOS
BY
SUNIL
SHARMA

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