04022022 first india new delhi

VOTE FOR AAP THIS TIME FOR SAKE
OF GOA’S FUTURE: ARVIND KEJRIWAL
Panaji: Aam Aadmi
Party (AAP) National
Convener Arvind Kejri-
wal on Thursday made
a strong pitch to the
supporters and workers
of other political par-
ties, including the BJP
and the Congress, to
vote for the AAP in the
upcoming Goa Assem-
bly polls for the sake of
their own future as well
as that of the coastal
state.He said they can
vote for the AAP with-
out having to change
their party affiliation.
Elections to all 40 As-
sembly seats in Goa are
scheduled on February
14 and results will be de-
clared on March 10. The
AAP is contesting all the
Assembly seats in the
state. “I am here to ad-
dress those people who
are supporters and vot-
ers of BJP
, Congress or
any other political party
.
I am not asking them to
join AAP
. You can re-
main in your party
, but
foryourownsake,future
of Goa and future of
yourfamily
,voteforAAP
this time,” he said while
talking to reporters.
Kejriwal said that the
BJPhasbeeninpowerin
Goa since the last 15
years, but it has not done
anything for the state.
“This time, vote for AAP
andyouwillseeachange
in the state,” he said.
Congress has ruled
Goaforseveralyears,but
it has been turned into a
“cadre feeder” for the
BJP
, he said, adding,
“People join Congress to
becomealeaderandthen
switch to BJP
.” –PTI
AAP’S EXPANSION PLANS IN COASTAL STATE GOA
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal at Dona Paula, in Panaji on Thursday.
Delhi CM makes strong pitch to Goa
residents to vote for AAP this time
NEW DELHI l FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2022 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI TITLE NO.DELENG/2021/19840 l Vol 1 l Issue No.156
OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR, AHMEDABAD, LUCKNOW & NEW DELHI www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Twitter
shared a video of an interaction between a police of-
ficer and CM Mamata Banerjee. “Did the Governor call
you? Did he instruct you? What to or what not to do?
Remember you are on state government duty,” she said.
Sensex declined 770 points or 1.3% to end at 58,788
level, while the NSE Nifty shut shop at 17,560, down
220 points. During the day, both the indices had
touched a low of 58,654 and 17,511, respectively.
Among sectors, all the key indices ended in the red. P6
DID GUV CALL
YOU?: DIDI
LASHES OUT AT
POLICE OFFICER
SENSEX ENDS
770 PTS DOWN;
NIFTY TOPS
17,750-MARK
CORONA CATASTROPHE
New Delhi RECOVERED
3,895
NEW
CASES
2,668 NEW
DEATHS
13
42NOT4
...Chinese soldiers killed in Galwan Valley
clash, claims Australian newspaper report
Mohd Fahad
New Delhi: The ac-
count of the Galwan
violence in Australian
newspaper “The Klax-
on”, pieced together by
a group of social media
researchers, claims the
Chinese soldiers who
drowned in the Galwan
river in June 2020, were
in retreat after the clash
with Indian troops. The
report says China had
lost 42 soldiers in the
clash, many more than
the four it had claimed.
At least 38 PLA soldiers
were washed away
.
Anthony Klan, the
Editor of the Australi-
an paper said that the
Indian soldiers had
come to ascertain
whether the Chinese
has removed their en-
campments in the buff-
er zone when the scuffle
broke out. “In heading
back across the river...
the evidence is, the Chi-
nese soldiers got
washed away,” he said,
adding that much of
this information was
from “first-hand ac-
counts deleted from the
Chinese social media”.
DDMA meeting
today; Relaxation
on COVID curbs
expected
New Delhi: The Delhi
Disaster Management
Authority will hold a
meeting today in the
view of dropping of
COVID-19 cases in na-
tional capital. Anil Baijal,
LG of Delhi, will chair the
virtual meeting, where
Delhi’s Chief Minister
Arvind Kejriwal will also
be present, sources
reported . On 27 January,
the DDMA lifted weekend
curfew, odd-even
restrictions for shops,
and allowed restaurants
and bars to operated at
50% capacity. However,
schools and other edu-
cational institutions still
remain shut. P2
May lead to injustice:
MHA asks HC to pause
hearings on marital rape
PM MODI TO ADDRESS FIRST
VIRTUAL RALLY IN U’KHAND TODAY
New Delhi: Ahead of
the upcoming Assem-
bly elections in Utta-
rakhand, Prime Min-
ister Narendra Modi
will address his first
virtual rally in the
state on Friday
.
PM will address vot-
ers of 14 Assemblies
virtually in four dis-
tricts of Uttarakhand
including Almora,
Bageshwar, Cham-
pawat, and Pithora-
garh district.
New Delhi: The Centre
on Thursday asked the
Delhi high court to de-
fer hearings on a batch
of petitions seeking to
criminalise marital
rape, saying that it
needs time to conduct
an effective consulta-
tive process before
reaching any conclu-
sion, and that the ab-
sence of such a process
by the executive and
legislature “may result
in some injustice to one
section or other”.
The high court is
hearing a bunch of PILs
filed in 2015 by various
organisations who
sought to strike down
the exception in the In-
dian rape laws.
HC STAYS
HARYANA’S 75%
LOCAL QUOTA
IN PRIVATE SECTOR
The Punjab and
Haryana high court on
Thursday stayed the
Haryana law providing
75% reservation in
industries to youngsters
with domicile of the
state. Pleas were filed
by industry bodies,
including Gurgaon
Industrial Association.
Indian diplomat to skip Beijing Winter
Olympics over Galwan torchbearer
Disputed border with nuclear
neighbours stretching India’s
security resources: Naravane
New Delhi: India has
already witnessed
“trailers” of what con-
flict in the future will
look like, along the
country’s unsettled and
active border, Indian
Army Chief General
MM Naravane said on
Thursday
.
He said India faces
“unique, substantial
and multi-domain chal-
lenges” and “disputed
borders with nuclear
neighbours, coupled
with state-sponsored
proxy war, stretches
our security apparatus
and resources”.
Speaking, along with
the chiefs of the Indian
Navy and IAF, at the
Pragyan Conclave or-
ganised by the Centre
for Land Warfare Stud-
ies think tank, Nara-
vane said, “We are al-
ready witnessing trail-
ers of future conflicts.
They are being enacted
dailyontheinformation
battlefield, in the net-
works and cyberspace”.
New Delhi: Describ-
ing China’s choice of a
PLA soldier involved
in the Galwan Valley
clash as a torchbearer
in the Beijing Winter
Olympics event as “re-
grettable”, India on
Thursday said its en-
voy will not attend the
opening or closing cer-
emonies of the games
in the Chinese capital.
This was conveyed
by Ministry of Exter-
nal Affairs spokesper-
son Arindam Bagchi at
his weekly briefing.
Qi Fabao, a regiment
commander of the Peo-
ple’s Liberation Army
who had fought during
the Galwan Valley
clashes with Indian
troops in June 2020 and
received a commenda-
tion for his role in the
fight, was one of the
torchbearers for the
Olympic flame for the
WinterOlympicsbegin-
ning in Beijing on Fri-
day
. His images were
tweeted by an English-
language news outlet.
TORCHBEARER
INCIDENT VERY
SHAMEFUL: US
PAK NSA: WANT
TO MOVE AHEAD
WITH INDIA
2 PAK MILITARY
BASES ATTACKED
US: DON’T ENDORSE
RAHUL’S REMARKS
A top United States
lawmaker has criticised
China for choosing a
soldier involved in the
Galwan valley clash as
a torchbearer for Beijing
Olympics 2022. Senator
Jim Risch, a Republican
who is a Ranking Mem-
ber of the US Senate
Foreign Relations Com-
mittee, called the move
“shameful” and said
that the US will continue
to support the sover-
eignty of India. Beijing
on Thursday kicked off
a three-day Olympic
torch relay.
Islamabad: Pakistan
wants to be “at peace
with India” but the “en-
abling environment”
has to come from New
Delhi, the country’s
National Security Ad-
viser Moeed Yusuf has
said in an interview on
Thursday. “Pakistan
wants to be at peace
with India. But the sad
reality is that India
is now in a situation
where the prevailing
ideology of the Indian
government, if I may
say so, has blocked all
avenues,” he added.
Quetta: Insurgents in the Pa-
kistani province of Balochistan
attacked two military bases
overnight, killing seven sol-
diers while losing 13 of their
own men, the army said on
Thursday, in the latest violence
in the resource-rich region
where China is investing.
US does not endorse Rahul
Gandhi’s comment that China
and Pakistan are closer than
ever due to PM Modi’s inef-
fective policies, said US State
Department spokesperson
Ned Price.
Shah cautions Jayant: Akhilesh
doesn’t even listen to his father
MULTIPLE SHOTS FIRED AT AIMIM’S ASADUDDIN
OWAISI’S VEHICLE ON WAY TO DELHI; ONE HELD
Meerut: AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on
Thursday claimed that some miscreants fired
shots at his vehicle while he was on his way to
Delhi after attending a poll event at Kithaur in
Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut. The incident is being
probed by Hapur Police and one person has
been arrested. “A while ago, shots were
fired at my car at Chhijarsi toll gate.
Four rounds were fired. There were
three-four people, all of them ran
away leaving the weapons there.
My car’s tyre got punctured. I got
into another car and left. We are
all safe,” he tweeted in Hindi.
Aditi Nagar
Bulandshahr: BJP leader
Amit Shah on Thursday
cautioned Rashtriya Lok
Dal president Jayant
Chaudhary over his
party’s tie-up with Sa-
majwadi Party, say-
ing Akhilesh Ya-
dav does not even
listen to his father
and uncle then how would he
listen to him. Addressing a poll
event in Anupshahr assembly
constituency in Bulandshahr
district of western UP, the Un-
ion Home Minister also
claimed that the SP will not be
able to form government in UP.
BJP national president JP
Nadda on Thursday was cam-
paigning in Uttar Pradesh’s
Sirathu. He attacked the Sama-
jwadi Party (SP) in his speech.
“Their (Samajwadi Party)
leaders are contesting elec-
tions either from jail or on bail.
Will you (public) bring such
people to power in the Uttar
Pradesh?, Nadda said.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister
Yogi Adityanath said that his
government has been able to
take UP’s economy to the sec-
ond spot in the country
The bullets holes
on Owaisi’s car.
China had confirmed only four deaths, but the report claimed, “PLA soldiers panicked
into retreat and at least 38 of them drowned.” India had lost 20 personnel
Doordarshan will not telecast
the opening and closing
ceremonies of the Beijing
Winter Olympics

New Delhi: Delhi resi-
dents woke up to a light
shower on Thursday
morning which pushed
the minimum tempera-
ture in the city to 11 de-
grees Celsius.
On the third day of
February light showers
commenced over most
parts. Base station
Safdarjung measured
just 0.6mm, Lodhi Road
0.3mm and Narela
6.0mm till 8.30am.
There was overcast
sky with intermittent
rain throughout the
day. Intense showers
were confined to few
pockets and that too for
short duration.
The Indian Meteoro-
logical Department
(IMD) earlier predicted
light or moderate rain-
fall in Delhi, Punjab,
Haryana, Chandigarh
and UP on Feb 3 and 4
with its peak intensity
for Feb 3.
The weather activity
will start receding from
today onwards with
complete exit on Feb 5
and later. Mercury level
is going to dive again
with the minimum re-
turning to single digit
and hovering between
7-9°C between Feb 5 and
Feb 10. Meanwhile, no
extreme cold during
day and bitter chill is
expected during this pe-
riod. —Agencies
CAPITOL
NEW DELHI | FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2022
02
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New Delhi: House-
holds are free to install
rooftop solar plants by
themselves or through
any vendor of their
choice as per simplified
procedures issued by
the Ministry of New
and Renewable Energy
(MNRE).
Earlier, residential
consumers were re-
quired to source the
rooftop solar plant from
listed vendors only to
avail subsidies and oth-
er benefits under the
Rooftop Solar Pro-
gramme.
“The Ministry of
New and Renewable En-
ergy has issued a sim-
plified procedure for
the residential consum-
ers to get the rooftop
solar plant installed by
themselves or through
any vendor of their
choice under the Roof-
top Solar Programme,”
a ministry statement
said.
According to the new
simplified procedure, a
national portal for reg-
istering applications
from the beneficiary,
approval thereof and
tracking progress will
be developed.
There will be a portal
in the similar format at
the level of the discoms
and both the portals
will be linked, the min-
istry stated.
The household bene-
ficiary who wishes to
install rooftop solar
(RTS) plant under the
new mechanism will ap-
ply on the national por-
tal.
The beneficiary will
be required to submit
necessary information,
including details of the
bank account where the
subsidy amount will be
transferred. At the time
of application, the ben-
eficiary will be in-
formed about the com-
plete process and sub-
sidy amount that can be
availed for installation
of the RTS plant.The
application will be for-
warded online to the
concerned discom for
issuance of technical
feasibility approval
within the next 15 work-
ing days. Authentic in-
formation in this re-
gard can be catch on
www.mnre.gov.in or on
SPIN portal. —PTI
Centre simplifies installation procedure for rooftop solar plant
EMPOWERING TOPS
—REPRESENTATIVE IMAGE
In new simplified procedure, a nat’l
portal for registering applications,
tracking request will be developed
NATIONAL PORTAL IN 6-8 WEEKS!
New Delhi: Unidentified men robbed gold and
silver ornaments along with electronic items from
a jewellery shop in South
Delhi's Sangam Vihar area,
police said on Thursday.
The owner, who claimed
to be running the jewellery
shop since 1990, told the
police that he was informed about the robbery on
Thursday. DCP South Benita Jaiker said the shop
owner also lives in the same locality. After reaching
the shop, the owner found that 150 grams gold, 25
kg silver, a laptop and a LCD were stolen.
UNIDENTIFIED MEN ROB GOLD, SILVER
ORNAMENTS FROM JEWELLERY SHOP
13-YRS OLD DIES
AFTER INHALING
GAS FROM GEYSER
New Delhi: A 13-year-
old girl died due to
inhalation of carbon
monoxide leaking from
the bathroom geyser
in Dwarka, Delhi police
said. The girl had gone
to take a bath and
when she didn’t return
the family members
broke the door. The girl
was found unconscious
and was taken to a
hospital where she was
declared dead. Post
mortem report said
reason of death is inha-
lation of leaking carbon
monoxide gas from a
geyser, said police.
CRUCIAL READ
PROPERTY
DEALER SHOT IN
LAXMI NAGAR
New Delhi: A prop-
erty dealer was shot
dead by unidentified
miscreants in East
Delhi's Laxmi Nagar
area on Wednesday
night. According to
Delhi Police, the victim
has been identified as
Mayur. Some miscre-
ants came to Mayur
late Wednesday night
and had a fight with
him. Following this,
they opened fire at
him killing him on the
spot. By the time po-
lice reached the crime
scene, the miscreants
had already fled. Prima
facie, police said it is
a matter of enmity and
the accused are being
identified.
COVID-19: Opening of malls can’t be compared with outdoor sports activities, says HC
DELHI HC REFUSES TO ALLOW
OUTDOOR SPORTS ACTIVITY
High Court on Thurs-
day refused to permit
outdoor sports activity
in the national capital
amid the COVID-19 pan-
demic, saying that the
Delhi Disaster Manage-
ment Authority should
be allowed to do its
work. Justice V
Kameswar, who was
dealing with a petition
against the prohibition
on such activities on ac-
count of the third wave,
observed that there was
no reason to continue
the petition when the
DDMA was scheduled
to hold its meeting on
February 4 to further
examine the situation.
The judge also stated
that the restricted
opening of malls and
cinema halls cannot be
compared with the
prayer sought in the
present case as the for-
mer provided employ-
ment to people associ-
ated with that industry
.
The petitioner wants to
play
.
Comparison sought
to be made with malls
etc has to be seen from
a different perspective.
They are sources of em-
ployment. The petition-
er wants to play tennis.
You won’t see this from
that perspective, the
court observed. —PTI
`2.50 lakh
‘unaccounted
cash’ seized
5G tech: DSLSA withdraws in HC
proceedings against Juhi Chawla
State Legal Services
Authority (DSLSA) on
Thursday informed the
Delhi High Court that it
does not wish to pursue
its plea seeking execu-
tion of the order direct-
ing actress Juhi Chawla
and two others to de-
posit Rs 20 lakh as costs
in its favour on a law-
suit against 5G technol-
ogy
, as she has voluntar-
ily agreed to campaign
for the committee.
Justice Amit Bansal
allowed DSLSA to with-
draw the execution peti-
tion in view of a divi-
sion bench’s order
which has reduced the
amount of the costs
from Rs 20 lakh to Rs 2
lakh while setting aside
the June 2021 order of a
single judge.
In view of the divi-
sion bench’s January
27 order passed in the
appeal, decree-hold-
er (DSLSA) wishes
to withdraw the
execution peti-
tion.
The execu-
tion petition is
dismissed as
w i t h -
d r a w n ,
Justice
Bansal said. The court
was informed by
DSLSA advocate S
Kansal that the actress
has volunteered to work
with them and feature
in the programmes for
empowering marginal-
ised section of society
.
When judge asked if
the amount has been
paid by Chawla, the
Kansal replied in nega-
tive and said the actress
has volunteered to cam-
paign. —ANI
Noida: The police in
poll-bound Uttar
Pradesh’s Noida have
seized Rs 2.50 lakh “un-
accounted cash” and
impounded the vehicle
in which the money was
being carried, officials
said on Thursday
.
The seizure was
made on Wednesday
evening near Sector 60
and the action was tak-
en by a joint team of
personnel from the Sec-
tor 58 police station and
the Static Surveillance
Team, they said.
“During checking,
the police intercepted a
Renault Duster over
suspicion and found Rs
2.50 lakh cash in it. Du-
shyant Gupta, who was
driving the car, could
not provide any docu-
ments that linked the
cash to him or give a
satisfactory response
about it,” a police
spokesperson said.
“The cash was seized
and the car also im-
pounded by officials,
who have launched a
detailed probe into the
matter,” the spokesper-
son said.
The police said they
were yet to ascertain if
the money was linked to
electoral malpractice.
In a similar event, the
police seized Rs 2.44
lakh and impounded a
Toyota Fortuner on
Tuesday evening in
Noida, according to of-
ficials.
So far, nearly a dozen
such episodes have
been recorded in Noida
and around Rs 2 crore
“unaccounted cash”
seized since January,
the officials added. —PTI
Delhiites use to enjoy riding Segways at Rajpath before Covid era but due to ongoing pandemic the
High Court have refused to allow any outdoor sports activity. —FILE PHOTO
DELHI HOSPITALS HOPE TO
RESUME ALL SERVICES
First India Bureau
New Delhi: The Hos-
pitals in the national
capital are waiting to
resume normal med-
ical services again as
the number of beds
occupied by Covid-
infected patients re-
main very less.
Rajiv Gandhi Su-
per Specialty Hospi-
tal run by Delhi govt
said that in January
it had only 15 Covid
patient admissions
despite the city reg-
istering a high num-
ber of cases. At pre-
sent, Lok Nayak Hos-
pital, the largest fa-
cility under Delhi
govt, has 70 Covid
patients. But Sheh-
nai banquet hall, op-
erated by LNJP hos-
pital, is lying vacant.
Currently, there
are around 1300 Cov-
id patients admitted
in private and public
hospitals. An official
from Delhi govt’s
health department
said they were work-
ing on descaling the
capacity of beds re-
served for Covid pa-
tients.
Empty beds in Hindu Rao Hospital.
2,668 CASES,
13 DEATHS IN
LAST 24-HRS
New Delhi: Delhi
today reported
2,668 fresh Covid
cases and 13 deaths
in 24 hours, while
the positivity rate
dropped to 4.3
per cent, accord-
ing to data shared
by the city health
department. With
this, the national
capital’s case
count increased to
18,38,647 and the
death count climbed
to 25,932, the lat-
est health bulletin
stated. The number
of COVID-19 tests
conducted in a day
stood at 61,992, it
said. The number of
daily cases has been
on the decline after
touching a record
high of 28,867 on
January 13. The city
recorded a positiv-
ity rate of 30.6%
on Jan 14, highest
during the ongoing
pandemic wave.
Police: Man used
cooker, cylinder
in wife’s murder
New Delhi: A 26-year-
old man allegedly killed
his wife on early Thurs-
day morning over sus-
picion of an extramari-
tal affair in southeast
Delhi’s Tughlakabad
Extension area, police
said on Thursday
.
The accused hit her
head with a cooker and
cylinder, police said.
The accused identified
as Hasim Khan, resi-
dent of Tughlakabad
Extension, has been ar-
rested, they said.
According to the po-
lice, Khan came to the
Govindpuri police sta-
tion on early Thursday
and informed that he
has killed his wife, fol-
lowing which the cops
rushed to the spot.
They found his wife
Shaheen Khan (20) ly-
ing on a bed. The ac-
cused suspected that
the victim has an extra-
marital affair with Sal-
man. —PTI
Delhi chill back after
light shower; winds
keep mercury down
Pedestrians covered in warm clothes commute near Chandni
Chowk on a cold winter morning, in New Delhi on Thursday.
Shut shop if
can’t manage
resources: HC
New Delhi: Pulling
up the East Delhi
MC for not paying
salaries to doctors
and other frontline
workers OF its
hospitals, the Delhi
HC on Thursday
termed it “shock-
ing” and said the
corporation needs
to set its house in
order. “We cannot
set your house
in order. You will
have to do it. We
cannot be run-
ning the EDMC.
Were you a private
enterprise, we
would have asked
you to be wound
up. If you can’t
manage your re-
sources, then shut
shop,” the division
bench of Justice
Vipin Sanghi and
Justice Jasmeet
Singh told the
EDMC.
Actress Juhi Chawla

INDIA
03
Atme, Syria: US special
forces carried out a
nighttime airborne raid
on Thursday in north-
western Syria during
which the head of the
Islamic State group blew
himself and his family
up,theWhiteHousesaid.
The operation was
the biggest blow to the
jihadist organisation
since his predecessor,
the better-known Abu
Bakr al-Baghdadi, was
killed in a similar raid
in the same region of
Idlib in 2019.
A senior White House
official speaking on
condition of anonymity
ahead of an address by
Biden said Qurashi det-
onated a bomb during
the raid on the house
where he was staying in
the town of Atme.
In doing so, he also
killed members of his
own family, including
women and children,
the official said.
Qurashi, an Iraqi
from the Turkmen-ma-
jority city of Tal Afar
who was also known as
Amir Mohammed Said
Abd al-Rahman al-Maw-
la, replaced Baghdadi
after his death in a US
raid in October 2019.
ASyrianCivilDefence
said that at least 13 peo-
plewerekilled,including
six children, in shelling
andclashesaftertheraid
in northwestern Syria
near Atmeh on the Turk-
ish-Syrianborder, media
reports. —Agencies
ISIS chief blows himself up during US raid
OFFENSIVE IN SYRIA
Washington: United States
President Joe Biden has
said the leader of ISIL
(ISIS) has been “taken off
the battlefield” following
an overnight raid in Syria
that also killed children
and women. A
senior US official
told reporters
ISIL leader
Abu Ibrahim
al-Hashimi
al-Qurayshi was
killed in the raid.
Biden said he would
address the nation
about the raid
at 9:30
am on Thursday. “Last night
at my direction, US military
forces in the northwest Syria
successfully undertook a
counterterrorism operation
to protect the Americans
and our Allies, and make
the world a safer
place,” Biden said
in the statement.
“Thanks to the skill
and bravery of our
Armed Forces,
we have taken off
the battlefield Abu
Ibrahim al-Hashimi
al-Qurayshi—the
leader of ISIS,”
Biden said.
POTUS CONFIRMS
The blast site and (inset) ISIS chief Qurashi.
CONG CM FACE TO BE REVEALED
ON SUNDAY, AFFIRMS CHANNI
New Delhi: Punjab
Chief Minister Charan-
jit Singh Channi on
Thursday said that the
Congress will declare
its chief ministerial
face for the state on Feb-
ruary 6.
Former party chief
Rahul Gandhi is expect-
ed to visit the poll-
bound state on Sunday.
Sources said he is likely
to make the important
announcement.
Rahul Gandhi had an-
nounced during his last
visit to Punjab on Janu-
ary 27 that the Congress
will go into the Punjab
assembly election with
a CM face and that the
decision on it will be
taken soon after con-
sulting party workers.
Congress president
Sonia Gandhi has al-
ready started consulta-
tions with party leaders
andworkersonthechief
ministerial candidate.
The party is seeking
responsesfromCongress
leaders and workers
through its Shakti app.
Over the past several
weeks, Punjab Chief
MinisterCharanjitSingh
Channi and state Con-
gress chief Navjot Singh
Sidhu have, directly or
indirectly
, made a case
for themselves to be de-
claredastheparty’schief
ministerial candidate.
The Congress ap-
pears to be putting its
weight behind Channi,
who belongs to the
Scheduled Caste com-
munity and has been
fielded from two assem-
bly seats of Chamkaur
Sahib and Bhadaur.
The state goes to the
polls on Feb 20. — PTI
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi with Punjab Chief Minister Channi and State party chief Navjot Sidhu.
‘PEOPLE WANT AAP
TO FORM NEXT GOVT’
Dhuri: People of Punjab
are tired of giving chances
to the Congress and the
SAD for the
last 44 years
and now
want the Aam
Aadmi Party
(AAP) to be
in the sad-
dle, says the party’s chief
ministerial face Bhagwant
Mann. He says people of
Punjab want change and
are keen to see the AAP
form the next government
because they know that
the party has delivered in
Delhi and will serve them
here as well.
GOA CANDIDATES
TO PLEDGE LOYALTY
TO CONG TODAY
Panaji: Congress’s
Assembly poll candi-
dates in Goa will take a
pledge of loyalty to the
party in the presence of
its senior leader Rahul
Gandhi on Friday, when
he will be on a day-
long visit to the state,
a party functionary
said. During the visit,
Gandhi will also ad-
dress a public meeting
in Sankhalim Assembly
constituency, which is
currently represented
by state Chief Minister
and BJP leader Pramod
Sawant, he said. Elec-
tions to all 40 Assembly
seats in Goa will be
held on February 14
and the results will be
declared on March 10.
SP MOVES EC OVER
‘OBJECTIONABLE
LANGUAGE’ BY YOGI
Lucknow: The Sama-
jwadi Party (SP) has
written a letter to the
Election Commission
(EC) against language
being used by Uttar
Pradesh Chief Minister
Yogi Adityanath during
poll rallies. In a letter to
the poll body, Akhilesh’s
party has asked it to
issue instructions to
CM Adityanath to use
the language which is in
accordance of the Model
Code of Conduct. Sama-
jwadi Party said there is
no justification for such
language in a democ-
racy. The party flagged
CM Yogi’s statements
including bulldozer
chalega, calling SP
candidates ma-
fias, among
others.
Yogi: UP riot-free since 2017,
now preferred investment hub
Lucknow: Claiming
success in controlling
crime in the state, Ut-
tar Pradesh Chief Min-
ister Yogi Adityanath
on Thursday accused
his predecessors of
failing to undertake
police reforms and
modification as the lat-
ter wanted to use the
department as their
personal tool. The
chief minister also
claimed that the state
was free of riots and
terrorist activities for
five years and that Ut-
tar Pradesh had be-
come the preferred
destination for
investors.
“Since2017,no
riots have taken
placeinthestate,”
c l a i m e d
Yogi. —PTI
Party chief Sonia
Gandhi begins
consultation with
leaders on CM face
ELECTION BUZZ
z Keshav Prasad
Maurya files nomina-
tion from Sirathu
z Farmer body SKM
appeals to farmers
to punish BJP in UP:
Yogendra Yadav
z BJP will be reduced
to its 2012 tally: UP ex-
Minister who recently
switched to SP
z ‘Hema Malini’
remark was sarcastic,
Jayant clarifies
SC BREATHER TO
PUNJAB MLA FROM
ARREST FOR A WEEK
New Delhi: A bench,
headed by CJI NV
Ramana, granted interim
protection from arrest
to Simranjit Singh Bains
in view of his lawyer’s
submission that Bains
should be permitted
to file his nomination
papers on Tuesday for
the upcoming assembly
poll. “We restrain the
State from arresting
the petitioner
till Thursday,”
directed the
bench, which
also com-
prised justices
AS Bopanna
and Hima
Kohli.
GATE 2022 EXAMS TO
BE HELD AS PER
SCHEDULE, SAYS SC
New Delhi: The
Supreme Court on
Thursday refused to
postpone this year’s
Graduate Aptitude Test
in Engineering (GATE
2022) exams amid
the third wave of the
coronavirus disease
(Covid-19), pointing out
that delaying the exams
might lead to “chaos
and uncertainty”
among students.
The GATE 2022
exams will
now be held
physically as
per schedule
on Febru-
ary 5, 6,
12, and 13.
IN THE COURTYARD
Teachers to trace tipplers:
Will it actually work?
Mahesh Sharma
Bihar: Chief Minister
Nitish Kumar has be-
come so obsessed with
the very worn-out idea
of prohibition that he
has used the entire ma-
chinery of the state
government to imple-
ment only prohibition.
The police and admin-
istration of Bihar is
engaged in the work of
enforcing the prohibi-
tion law 24 hours a day,
which is a way for them
to earn money
.
Liquor prohibition is
not implemented effec-
tively anywhere in the
whole of Bihar. Liquor
isbeingmadeandsoldin
every street and locality
.
In Nalanda, the home
districtof theChief Min-
ister himself, a dozen
peoplediedrecentlyafter
consuming spurious liq-
uor. Before that, in Di-
wali last year, around 40
people died due to drink-
ing in four districts. Un-
der the supervision of
the police and adminis-
tration of Bihar, the
work of making liquor
and selling it from out-
side is being done.
Amidst the failure of
the police and adminis-
tration, now the state
government has also
engaged the teachers
in the task of catching
up those engaged in
selling liquor and giv-
ing information about
the ‘consumers’.
An order has been is-
sued by the state gov-
ernment that teachers
should provide the in-
formation of such peo-
ple to the administra-
tion. For this, phone
numbers have been is-
sued and the identity of
the teachers has been
told to be kept confiden-
tial. Most of the teach-
ers reinstated in the
name of Shiksha Mitra
in Bihar are illiterate
and have been reinstat-
ed by bribing the chief
on the basis of fake
mark sheets. They were
not already doing the
job of teaching the chil-
dren. Now they have
been given a new job, in
which they will also en-
gage in business with
the help of police and
administration.
If someone honestly
gives news about this,
then there is the issue of
danger to his/her life.
Recently, an army colo-
nel, who had come to his
village on leave, was
shot dead by the liquor
mafia because the colo-
nel was stopping them
from selling liquor.
PROHIBITION LAW
Is Captain really the ‘Captain’ with PLC?
Sharat K Verma
Chandigarh: Captain
Amarinder Singh had
formed the party after
breaking away from the
Congress, so it seemed
thathewouldcontestthe
assembly elections as a
chief ministerial candi-
date with the support of
the BJP
. But the BJP has
already mellowed his
hopesbygivinghisparty
only 37 seats.
The BJP itself is con-
testing on 65 seats and
theelectoralcampaignis
being headed by former
Union Minister Vijay
Singh Sampla as its un-
declared chief ministe-
rial candidate. The BJP
had already announced
that if its government is
formed, a Dalit will be
madetheChief Minister.
So, Sampla fits the bill.
Captain’s problem is
that the 37 seats given to
him by the BJP are al-
most all in rural areas.
Seeing the displeasure
of the farmers, the BJP
itself did not want to
fight in the villages, so
it gave most of the vil-
lage seats to Captain’s
party and took the seats
of the city to itself. But
this is not even half of
Captain’s problems.
Even in the selected
urban seats that his par-
tyhasbeengivenashare,
their declared candi-
dates want to fight on
BJP’ssymbol.Justimag-
ine, what an embarrass-
ment it will be for any
party and leader that its
declared candidates do
not want to contest on its
symbol! Captain’s 10 de-
clared candidates have
askedfortheBJPsymbol
andtheBJPhasgivenits
election symbol to four.
Earlier, people close
to the Captain also
joined the BJP instead
of his party. His close
relative Arvind Khan-
na thought it better to
join the BJP than Cap-
tain’s PLC party
.
Former Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh.
BJP announcing
Sampla its CM
candidate may
sour the alliance
Avinash Pande
@avinashpandeinc
Expressing your
trust in me, heartfelt
thanks to the top
leadership, respected
Smt. Sonia Gandhi ji,
Shri RahulGandhi ji,
Smt. priyankagandhi
ji and the organisation
for giving the
responsibility of
the president in
the Coordination
Committee of
Congress.
Time
TWEET
CRUCIAL READS
MALEGAON BLAST
CASE: 17TH WITNESS
TURNS HOSTILE
New Delhi: In Malegaon
Blast Case, another witness
has turned hostile. The
witness is also claiming
that he was forced to take
names of the Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)
leaders in the case. The
witness in the court said
that he was kidnapped by
the Anti-Terrorism Squad
(ATS) and kept in illegal
custody for three-four days,
media reported. In the
matter, over 220 witnesses
have been examined, and
17 have turned hostile.
Notably, ex-Mumbai top cop
Param Bir Singh, currently
facing multiple cases of
extortion, was posted as
additional commissioner of
the ATS, when it probed the
Malegaon blast case.
Kolkata: As many as 108 municipal bodies of West
Bengal will go to polls on February 27, the State
Election Commission announced Thursday morn-
ing. It also mentioned that voting will not take place
at a ward in the South Dum Dum Municipality. SEC
Sourav Das said, “We have issued a notification to-
day (Thursday). The court has allowed to conduct
the polls in all the wards across 108 municipalities
except ward number 29 of the South Dum Dum
Municipality. We received the court order Wednes-
day. Date of nomination starts today (Thursday).”
WB: POLL PANEL ANNOUNCES ELECTIONS
FOR 108 CIVIC BODIES ON FEBRUARY 27
SPEAKERS MUST BE PUNISHED, DHARMA
SANSAD NO EXCEPTION: RSS LEADER
Mumbai: Senior RSS leader Indresh Kumar has con-
demned the alleged hate speeches against minorities at
a recent Dharma Sansad in Haridwar and said all those
who make provocative and divisive remarks should be
punished as per law without any exception. He termed
the ‘politics of hate’ as ‘corruption’ and called all po-
litical parties and their leaders to hould refrain
from indulging in hate-mongering and pitting
one section of the society against the other.

PERSPECTIVE
04
Vol 1 Issue No. 156
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: Jagdeesh Chandra.
Editor: Sharat K Verma
responsible for selection of news
under the PRB Act
SPIRITUAL SPEAK
Man is bound by his own
action except when it is
performed for the sake of
sacrifice. Therefore, Arjuna,
efficiently perform your duty,
free from attachment, for the
sake of sacrifice alone.
—Bhagavad Gita
IN-DEPTH
Nitin Gadkari
@nitin_gadkari
In addition to the bypasses constructed
in eight cities/towns/villages of Madhya
Pradesh (Mauganj, Hanumana,
Raghunathganj, Raipur Karchulian,
Manganwa, Devtalab, Gudh and Vilayatghat
Chandia). Under the one-time investment
policy, works worth `83 crore have been
approved in the roads leading through those
cities. #PragatiKaHighway #GatiShakti
Kiren Rijiju
@KirenRijiju
There is no reservations in Judiciary. But
efforts are being made to create better
representation. However, Govt has urged the
Collegium to ensure the inclusion of women
and persons from backward communities,
SC ST while recommending names for
appointment of Judges.
TOP TWEETS
GUNSHOTS FIRED
AT AIMIM’S OWAISI
VEHICLE BUT WHY,
AND WHODUNIT
lectioneering in Ut-
tar Pradesh took an
ugly turn when shots
were fired at Asadud-
din Owaisi’s vehicle
at a toll plaza on Hapur-Delhi
road. One of the alleged assail-
ants has been arrested. The
AIMIM’s Lok Sabha MP was re-
turning to Delhi after campaign-
ing. The question being asked is
whowouldhavemadesuchadar-
ing attempt at a busy toll plaza
and why? Owaisi obliquely men-
tioned Dharm Sansad’s recent
meeting at Haridwar in which he
was allegedly targeted. Last year,
the Hyderabad MP’s official resi-
dence in New Delhi was vandal-
ized by Hindu Sena members.
Couldthisactalsobethehand-
iwork of Hindu elements? Or, are
there other vested interests in-
volved? The Dharm Sansad,
some maulanas, and even Owai-
si, make fiery communal speech-
es. Campaigning also has vitiat-
ed the communal atmosphere in
Western UP and it is not likely to
stop until two days before voting.
Anyactof communalviolenceor
provocation must be condemned
in the interest of the nation.
E
n important an-
nouncementmade
by Union Finance
Minister Nirmala
Sitharaman was
about blending ethanol with
petrol and making its usage
mandatoryfromOctober2022.
Unblended petrol will invite
additional excise duty from
October. This is expected to
make private oil retailers in
the country start dispensing
ethanol mixed fuel. Sithara-
man said in her speech that
blendingof fuelwasapriority
of this government.
“To encourage the efforts
for blending of fuel, unblend-
ed fuel shall attract an addi-
tional differential excise duty
of Rs 2/litre from the 1st day
of October 2022,” the Finance
Minister said. Private retail-
ers don’t sell blended petrol
and it is only public sector oil
companies which are selling
blended oil. Due to the oxygen
contentinethanol,blendingit
withpetrolreducesemissions
and is thus good for the envi-
ronment. Increased blending
will also bring down India’s
oil import bill which is a fac-
tor in India’s high inflation.
At present only 8 percent
ethanol is blended in petrol
sold by state-owned oil com-
panies. It is to be raised to 25
percent by 2025. The addition-
al excise will work as a disin-
centive, especially for private
oil companies. It is estimated
that around 335 crore litres of
ethanol was produced in the
country in 2021. Uttar
Pradesh is among the highest
producers of ethanol in the
country
. To achieve the target
of 25 percent, ethanol produc-
tion has to be raised mani-
fold. Automakers told the Pe-
troleum Secretary Tarun
Kapoor last year that they
were ready for ethanol com-
pliant vehicles. The only chal-
lenge is finding ways to in-
crease ethanol output.
ETHANOL BLENDING
TARGET IS TOO HIGH
Unblended petrol will
invite additional
excise duty from
October. This is expected
to make private oil retailers
in the country start
dispensing ethanol
mixed fuel. Sitharaman
said in her speech that
blending of fuel was a
priority of this government
A
BJP CONFIDENT OF MAKING IT
ALONE IN MANIPUR
ven as the BJP is aiming to
bag 40 plus seats in the as-
sembly election in Manipur,
the party clearly exhibits its
confidence. All these hap-
pened in the 2017 assembly
elections when the BJP had
bagged 21 seats out of the
60-House Assembly and led
the coalition government
which was formed with the
support of the Naga People’s
Front (NPF), National Peo-
ple’s Party (NPP), Lok Jan-
shakti Party (LJP) and an
independent candidate.
Though Congress was the
single-largest party and se-
cured 28 seats, it fell short of
forming the government.
However,duringtherun-up
to this year’s Assembly elec-
tion, speculation was rife if
the recently-concluded cru-
cial state assembly elections
in West Bengal, Assam, Kera-
la,TamilNaduwouldpossibly
have an impact in the Ma-
nipur polls. Interestingly, it
may be noticed that notwith-
standing all that happened in
theelectionsintheremaining
states…inAssam,theBJP-led
NDA coalition was able to re-
tain power… even as the re-
sult in the neighbouring West
Bengal is there for all to see.
Following the post-2014 po-
litical scenario in the entire
country, the fall of the Grand
Old Party in the electoral
process (of Manipur) had
created a “void” that was
waiting to be taken up. The
influence of regional politi-
cal parties like Manipur Peo-
ple’s Party (MPP), People
Democratic Alliance (PDA)
which had once played a
huge role in the politics of
Manipur have slipped from
their stance in the post-cease
fire (2001) political scenario
in Manipur. Manipur and its
people display a high degree
of ethnic politics and region-
al parties have always flour-
ished in the state and the re-
gion. The parties are deeply
rooted in ethnic lines and
values but following the 2001
truce… these parties failed to
capture and capitalize on the
masses’ aspirations.
In 2017, when Th. Shyam-
kumar defected from Con-
gress to BJP after winning
the election, which triggered
a huge controversy in the po-
litical arena. Currently, this
is an accepted norm. Sample
this… the former president
of the Manipur Pradesh Con-
gress Committee (MPCC) Go-
vindas Konthoujam, 12 key
members of Naga People’s
Front (NPF), Lok Janshakti
Party (LJP) MLA Karam Shy-
am, former Congress MLA
from Sagolband constituency
RK Imo, Congress MLA from
Saikul Constituency,
Yumthang Haokip, Congress
MLA from Wangkhei constit-
uency
, Okram Henry had also
joined BJP
. The list goes on.
However, every situation
has its pitfall… the current
scenario in the saffron camp
reveals overcrowding of in-
tending candidates, with
each constituency having not
less than 3 or 4 potential BJP
candidates. Why delay in an-
nouncing the list. The BJP’s
delay in announcing its can-
didates had led to widespread
speculations that all was not
well. The party was finding it
difficult to choose candidates
as there are four to five (tick-
et) aspirants in every constit-
uency
. The BJP was expected
to announce its first list of
nominees by January 26.
However, three days after the
deadline, the party was still
unable to make up its mind.
BJP HAS TO ADDRESS
LOYALTY FACTOR
Angry BJP workers of Ma-
nipur on Sunday burnt effi-
gies of Chief Minister N
Biren Singh and the state unit
president Sharda Devi as well
as flags. They also ransacked
local offices and shouted slo-
gans against the ruling par-
ty’s list of assembly poll can-
didates which featured defec-
tors from the Congress ignor-
ing many loyalists. Several
BJP leaders including those
who were aspirants for party
tickets but were left out to ac-
commodate recent defectors
also resigned from the prima-
ry membership of the party
.
WHY BJP
EMERGED STRONG
This mainly depends on the
old formulation of dependen-
cy in NE politics that leads to
choosing a parallel govern-
ment. Basically
, NE survives
on Centre. However, this “old
school”conceptalwaysdoesn’t
hold good, as the last few dec-
adeshaveshownchanges.Per-
haps, the changing mode of
governancemighthavekicked
off a huge acceptance of the
BJP in the state.
FALL IN INSURGENCY-
RELATED CASES
Insurgency-related activities
in the NE in 2021 have re-
duced 80% as compared to
2014. Manipur has witnessed
a constant declining record
of insurgency-related cases;
from 233 in 2016 to 167 in 2017
and 127 in 2018, according to
the MHA security report.
From lowering the insurgen-
cy-related incidents to bring-
ing developments, the pre-
sent BJP government has
surpassed the performance
of any government before.
NEW GOVT MUST
ADDRESS AFSPA STATUS
Following Nagaland’s Mon
district firing incident where
14 civilians were killed in se-
curity forces firing on Decem-
ber 4 and 5 last year, heavy
demands for removal of AF-
SPA have been echoed across
the region and the issue has
been raised by many political
parties during the Assembly
polls campaign in Manipur.
The new government will
have to clear its stance on the
AFSPA position soon.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
E
However, every situation
has its pitfall… the current
scenario in the saffron
camp reveals overcrowding
of intending candidates,
with each constituency
having not less than 3 or 4
potential BJP candidates.
Why delay in announcing
the list. The BJP’s delay in
announcing its candidates
had led to widespread
speculations that all was
not well. The party was
finding it difficult to choose
candidates as there are four
to five (ticket) aspirants in
every constituency. The
BJP was expected to
announce its first list of
nominees by January 26
Following the post-2014
political scenario in the
entire country, the fall of
the Grand Old Party in
the electoral process
(of Manipur) had created a
“void” that was waiting to
be taken up. The influence
of regional political parties
like Manipur People’s
Party (MPP), People
Democratic Alliance
(PDA) which had once
played a huge role in the
politics of Manipur
have slipped from their
stance in the post-cease
fire (2001) political
scenario in Manipur
ROBIN ROY
The writer is Senior Associate Editor,
Free Press Journal, Mumbai and former
Managing Editor, First India

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INDIA
05
New Delhi: Kerala is
the only one out of eight
States with over 50,000
active Covid-19 cases
witnessing a surge in
new cases of infection
and an increase in posi-
tivity rate, the Central
Government said on
Thursday
. Kerala alone
accounts for 24 per cent
of all active cases in the
country. The second
State where data points
to an uptick in fresh
cases and positivity
rate is Mizoram.
The peak of the third
Covid-19 wave driven by
the highly transmissible
Omicron is slightly low-
er than that of the sec-
ond wave, which swept
thecountrylastyearand
killed lakhs of people.
The country on Thurs-
day reported 1.72 lakh
fresh cases, half the cas-
es recorded on January
21, which was the peak.
Cases have been falling
sincethen.HealthMinis-
try’sJointSecretaryLav
Agarwal told reporters
during a Press confer-
ence that 34 States/UTs,
including Maharashtra,
Karnataka and Tamil
Nadu,arenowrecording
a decline in cases.
“Consistent decline
in daily active cases,
daily positivity rate in-
dicate decreased spread
of infection,” Lav Agar-
wal said, adding that the
government has noted a
decline in case fatality
rate with an increase in
vaccination coverage.
Schools now open
in 11 States/UTs
An official with the
Ministry of Education
said schools are now
conducting physical
classes in 11 States/
UTs. At the same
time, 16 States/UTs
have allowed the par-
tial reopening of in-
stitutions. while
physical classes are
still prohibited in 9
States/UTs.
Mahesh Sharma
New Delhi: Many a
times it seems that the
Central Government
itself creates the situa-
tion of uproar and forc-
es the opposition to stay
out of both the houses
of Parliament by giving
some issue or the other.
Just imagine, how con-
venient it is that the
government has to an-
swer to the country on
inflation, unemploy-
ment and the bad condi-
tion of the economy,
then the issue of
Pegasus has come, on
which the opposition
will continue to create
ruckus. Such a system
has not yet developed in
India that the opposi-
tion should protest
against any issue, also
perform demonstra-
tions and when the Par-
liament is in session,
there is a meaningful
discussion. It is such an
irony that whatever
protests the opposition
parties will carry out
will be during the Par-
liament session. There
is no recollection of
any major demonstra-
tion outside Parliament
on the issue of infla-
tion, unemployment
and corruption. Con-
gress definitely did a
rally in Jaipur regard-
ing inflation, but it has
no meaning since pro-
tests should be an ongo-
ing process.
However,ineverySes-
sion, the Government
gives some ‘rattles’ in
the hands of the opposi-
tion. On the first day of
the last Session, the
Government suspended
a dozen MPs from the
Rajya Sabha for the en-
tire Session. This was a
completely wrong deci-
sion as the MPs were
suspended in the Winter
Session for creating a
ruckus in the Monsoon
Session of Parliament.
The work on this issue
remained stalled
throughout the Session.
Especially in the Rajya
Sabha, where the Gov-
ernment does not have a
majority
. Prior to this,
i.e. in the Monsoon Ses-
sion, the issue of
Pegasus dominated and
the opposition stalled
the work on it.
Prior to that the
Budget Session of Par-
liament was affected
due to Covid and was
postponed prematurely
due to the ongoing As-
sembly elections in five
States. At that time the
farmers’ movement
was also going on and
the opposition was cre-
ating a ruckus on that
issue as well. Before
that, i.e., the Winter
Session of 2020 was be-
ing held in the midst of
the farmers’ movement
and during the same
time, the three disputed
agricultural laws were
forcibly passed in the
Rajya Sabha, rejecting
the demand for voting
of the opposition. On
the contrary
, the MPs of
the opposition were
also suspended from the
house and they staged a
sit-in in front of the
statue of Mahatma
Gandhi on the Parlia-
ment premises through-
out the night. The two
Sessions before that
also happened in a half-
hearted manner due to
the pandemic. So, for
the last two years con-
tinuously, the proceed-
ings are being held in a
half-hearted manner.
Immense convenience to the Govt from opposition’s uproars!
KERALA, MIZORAM STILL SEEING
UPSURGE IN COVID CASES
Sharat K Verma
New Delhi: Is it to be
expected that this time
the Chief Minister of
Uttar Pradesh will be a
member of the Legisla-
tive Assembly? In UP,
usually the chief minis-
terial candidates do not
contest the Assembly
elections. The current
Chief Minister Yogi
Adityanath was a Lok
Sabha MP when he was
sworn in. Before him,
Akhilesh Yadav had
also took oath as the
Chief Minister while he
was a Lok Sabha MP
. Be-
fore him, Mayawati was
also not an MLA when
she became the CM. Af-
ter taking oath, these
three CMs took the
membership of the Leg-
islative Council due to
constitutional obliga-
tion. Therefore, this is
the first time in the last
nearly two decades that
the chief ministerial
candidates are contest-
ing the Assembly polls.
Adityanath is a con-
tender from the BJP and
is contesting the Assem-
bly elections from Gora-
khpur city seat. Akh-
ilesh Yadav is a contend-
er of the Samajwadi
Party and is in the fray
from the Karhal seat of
Mainpuri. Now the big
question is, can anyone
other than these two be-
come the Chief Minis-
ter? If Samajwadi Party
wins then there are no
ifs and buts. But there is
a doubt among political
observers who suspect
that if BJP wins then
the CM can change too?
Last time the party had
contested the election
undeclared in the name
of Keshav Prasad Mau-
rya and after the results
there was talk of mak-
ing Manoj Sinha as the
Chief Minister, howev-
er, it was Yogi Adity-
anath who became CM.
This time also such a
reversal is possible.
This time also BJP’s un-
declared contender is
Keshav Prasad Maurya
and this time he is also
contesting the Assem-
bly elections from Sir-
athu seat of Prayagraj.
Then there is the
third possibility of a
hung assembly. Even
then, apart from these
two, a third person may
come forward, who may
not be a member of the
Legislative Assembly
.
Will an MLA become the UP CM this time?
34 States including Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, UTs recording decline
in fresh cases, positivity rate, says Govt; schools fully open in 11 States, closed in nine
New Delhi: Media re-
ports about mass exodus
of migrant workers amid
the third wave of the
pandemic were untrue
and States have been
asked to be wary of ru-
mour mongering on this
issue, Parliament was
informed on Thursday.
The third wave hit the
country last month,
forcing states to impose
local restrictions to curb
the spread of Covid-19.
New Delhi: The Un-
ion Health Ministry
on Thursday re-
futed as “mis-
leading” media
reports which
claimed that 50
lakh unused
Covishield doses may
go waste by the end of
this month. It said the
Centre had proactive-
ly advised all state
governments
to review the
availability of
vaccines, right
from the start
of the drive, to
ensure that the wast-
age of doses is re-
duced to a minimum.
New Delhi: A “small
fringe group of pro-
Khalistan elements in
Canada” is spreading
anti-India feelings and
the Government is
closely engaged with
Canada over the issue,
MoS for External Af-
fairs V Muraleedharan
said on Thursday
.
Both governments
have recognised the
fundamental principle
of respect for sover-
eignty, unity and terri-
torial integrity of India
and Canada as the basis
of bilateral ties, Mu-
raleedharan told the
Rajya Sabha in re-
sponse to a question.
“The vast majority of
people of Indian origin
in Canada share a
warm emotional bond
with India and have
worked for the better-
ment of relations be-
tween India and Cana-
da,” he said.
“There is a small
fringe group of pro-
Khalistan elements
who spread anti-India
feelings through their
statements,” he said.
“The government of
India remains closely
engaged with the Gov-
ernment of Canada to
address our concerns
relating to anti-India
activities,” he said.
Muraleedharan said
the government main-
tains close contact with
Indians in Canada, and
its policy is to make
continuous efforts to
strengthen the bond
with the community
.
Khalistanis gaining
ground in Canada: MoS
New Delhi: The gov-
ernment is working
to ensure that Indian
workers are back to
their work and jobs
in the Gulf and is
pursuing the issue
with its counterparts
in the region at the
highest level, Exter-
nal Affairs Minister
S Jaishankar told the
Rajya Sabha on
Thursday
.
He also said with
the economic recov-
ery in the Gulf and
its increasing open-
ness to ease travel re-
strictions following a
receding trend in
Covid-19 cases, many
Indian workers are
now returning back
to the region.
As per the govern-
ment’s estimates, as
many as 7,16,662
workers returned to
India from the six
Gulf countries — the
UAE, Saudi Arabia,
Kuwait, Oman, Qatar,
and Bahrain — under
the ‘Vande Bharat
Mission’.
Govt pursuing return of
Indians with Gulf nations
CRUCIAL READ
New Delhi: The Border
Security Force (BSF) killed
a Pakistani intruder in
Punjab’s Ferozepur sector
as he did not stop and con-
tinued moving ahead in an
aggressive manner cross-
ing International Border, the force said. The intruder
was moving ahead of the International Border fencing
from the Pakistan side in the area of responsibility of
BSF at Border Outpost KS Wala in the Ferozepur sector
on Wednesday evening. The BSF personnel fired upon
the intruder as he entered into Indian territory. “On
February 2, 2022, during evening hours, alert BSF
troops observed some suspicious movement of an
intruder ahead of Border fencing coming from Pakistan
side in the area of BOP KS Wala, Ferozepur sector.
Thiruvananthapuram:
A tweet in Malayalam
by Sheikh Mohamed
bin Rashid Al Maktoum,
Vice President and Prime
Minister of UAE and Ruler
of Dubai, soon after his
meeting with Kerala CM
Pinarayi Vijayan in the
Emirates, has gone viral
on social media as sev-
eral expatriate Malayalis
shared it on their virtual
platforms. Besides the
tweet, the Dubai ruler also
shared the picture of the
reception given to Vijayan
at the venue of the Dubai
Expo 2020 on Wednes-
day. The tweet was later
shared by Vijayan on his
Twitter handle.
Mumbai: Former director
of Punjab and Maha-
rashtra Cooperative
(PMC) Bank Daljit Singh
Bal was apprehended
by the Mumbai police’s
Economic Offences Wing
(EOW) in Bihar, an official
said on Thursday. Bal,
who is wanted in the
PMC Bank scam case,
was arrested at Raxaul in
east Champaran close to
the India-Nepal border,
the official said. The EOW,
which is probing the
multi-crore scam, had
issued a lookout notice
against Bal and 10 former
directors of the bank. Bal
will be taken into custody
by the in Mumbai.
BSF SHOOTS DEAD PAKISTANI INTRUDER
ALONG FEROZEPUR BORDER OF PUNJAB
DUBAI RULER
TWEETS IN
MALAYALAM
FORMER DIRECTOR
OF PMC BANK
HELD IN BIHAR
New Delhi: External
Affairs Minister S Jais-
hankar targeted Con-
gress leader Rahul
Gandhi over his re-
marks that the BJP
Government’s policies
have brought “China
and Pakistan together,”
stating that “some his-
tory lessons are in or-
der” and that Pakistan
illegally handed over
the Shaksgam Valley to
China in 1963, when a
Congress government
was in office.
He said that China
built the Karakoram
highwaythroughPoKin
the 1970s and CPEC was
started in 2013 when
Congress-led UPA was
in power at the Centre.
Jaishankar also
slammed Rahul Gandhi
over his remarks in Lok
Sabha during debate on
the motion of thanks on
President’s Address
that the government
could not get a foreign
guest for Republic Day
.
EAMmountsblisteringattackonRaGa
ROW OVER REMARK
New Delhi: TMC MP
Mahua Moitra tweeted
a dare to what she called
the “heckler team” to
prepare for her speech,
a day after Congress
leader Rahul Gandhi
tore into the Govern-
ment over issues.
“Am speaking this
evening in Lok Sabha
on President’s Address.
Just wanted to give ear-
ly heads up to BJP to get
heckler team ready and
read up on imaginary
points of order. Drink
some gaumutra shots
too,”Moitra tweeted.
Mahua asks
BJP to drink
gaumutra shots
Students denied entry in
K’taka college over hijab
Bengaluru: The hijab
versus saffron scarf tus-
sle is spreading to more
colleges of Karnataka,
with one allegedly shut-
ting its gates on stu-
dents wearing hijabs,
and Hindu students in
at least two other col-
leges wearing saffron
scarves in protest.
Officials of Kun-
dapur’s Government
PU College on Thurs-
day allegedly shut the
gates on students wear-
ing hijabs. The move
came after all colleges
were asked to maintain
‘status quo’ on dress
code by the State educa-
tion department.
Meanwhile, at the
Kundapur college, more
than 40 Hindu students
reportedly wore saffron
scarves on Wednesday
to protest against
around 27 Muslim stu-
dents wearing hijabs.
REPORTS ON
MASS EXODUS
FALSE: CENTRE
Media reports on wastage of
Covishield ‘misleading’: Centre
A healthcare worker collects a sample of a passenger in Patna. —PHOTO BY ANI
UP CM Yogi Adityanath and former UP CM Akhilesh Yadav

BIZ BUZZ
06
INDIA CLOSE TO FINALISING
BATTERY SWAP SCHEME
New Delhi: The Indian
government is expect-
ed to finalise incentives
under its new battery
swap scheme for elec-
tric vehicles within the
next two months, an of-
ficial said, amid a
broader clean mobility
push to meet its decar-
bonisation goals.
The policy will ini-
tially focus on battery
swap services for elec-
tric scooters, motorcy-
cles and three-wheeled
auto rickshaws, the of-
ficial said, in a boost
for sectors like last-
mile delivery and ride-
sharing.
India said on Tues-
day it will introduce a
new policy to promote
swapping, a service
that allows EV drivers
to replace depleted bat-
tery blocks for freshly
charged ones at swap
stations. This is faster
than charging the vehi-
cle and reduces range
anxiety for drivers.
A battery is also the
most expensive part in
an EV and swapping al-
lows companies to offer
it as a service through
lease or subscription
models, bringing down
the cost of owning and
operating the vehicle,
industry executives
say
.
The government is
likely to offer EV own-
ers an incentive of up
to 20% of the total sub-
scription or lease cost
of the battery and this
will be in addition to
what they already get
for buying clean vehi-
cles, the person said.
In 2019, India set
aside 100 billion rupees
to promote EVs by giv-
ing incentives directly
to buyers, but only
about 10% of this has
been used. Incentives
for battery swapping
will likely be given
from the same fund, the
official said.
Globally, battery
swapping has been
slow to gain traction
especially among car-
makers.
In India, oil giant Re-
liance Industries has
formed a joint venture
with Britain’s BP Plc to
offer battery swapping.
Motorbike maker Hero
MotoCorp and Tai-
wan’s Gogoro have also
partnered to set up
swap stations, and the
service is offered by
start-up Sun Mobility
as well.
The government will
also define battery de-
sign and charging
standards for compa-
nies that want to set up
swap stations. This is
to ensure the batteries
can be used across EV
models of different au-
tomakers, the official
said.
“The idea is that if
one company sets up a
battery swap station,
vehicles of another
company should be
able to use the same
battery and service.
Disruption will only
come with scale,” the
person said. —Agencies
NEW POLICY
Services PMI sees lowest
expansion in 6 months
New Delhi: India’s
services sector activity
moderated further in
January as new busi-
ness rose at a noticea-
bly slower rate amid
the escalation of the
pandemic, reintroduc-
tion of restrictions
and inflationary pres-
sures, a monthly sur-
vey said on Thursday
.
The seasonally ad-
justed India Services
Business Activity In-
dex fell to 51.5 in Janu-
ary, down from 55.5 in
December, pointing to
the slowest rate of ex-
pansion in the current
six-month sequence of
growth.
For the sixth
straight month, the
services sector wit-
nessed an expan-
sion in output.
In Purchas-
ing Manag-
ers’ Index
(PMI) par-
lance, a print
above 50
means ex-
p a n s i o n ,
while a score
below 50 denotes con-
traction.
According to survey
participants, demand
was restricted by the
fast spread of the Omi-
cron variant and the
reinstatement of cur-
fews in parts of the
country
.
“The escalation of
the pandemic and rein-
troduction of curfews
had a detrimental im-
pact on growth across
the service sector. Both
new business and out-
put rose at slight rates
that were the weakest
in six months,” Polly-
anna De Lima said.
Companies became
increasingly worried
that growth would be
harmed by the intensi-
fication of the pan-
demic, reintroduction
of restrictions and in-
flationary pressures.
Business sentiment
remained positive but
slipped to a six-month
low.
“Concerns about
how long the current
wave of COVID-19 will
last dampened busi-
ness confidence and
caused job shedding.
Firms were also
alarmed about price
pressures,” Lima not-
ed. —PTI
Direct tax to breach
`12.50LAKHCRTARGET
New Delhi: Direct
tax collections are
expected to breach
the revised target of
`12.50 lakh crore and
set an all-time high
and “historic” re-
cord by the end of
this financial year in
March, CBDT Chair-
man J B Mohapatra
has said. Multiple
reasons like “eas-
ing” of tax compli-
ance processes for
taxpayers and en-
hanced ability of
the taxman in data
processing were cit-
ed by him for mop-
ping up this high-
volume of collec-
tions under two ma-
jor heads -- corporate
tax and personal in-
come tax.
“As we speak (Feb-
ruary 1), the direct
tax col-
lection numbers
stand at `10.38 lakh
crore so it is only
70,000 crore less from
the BE (budget esti-
mate) numbers of Rs
11.08 lakh crore. This
number, at this point
in time, is better
than the last year’s
total collections,”
Mohapatra said.
He also said that
“the department
never crossed `11.18
lakh crore in its his-
tory”. “This year we
are going to breach
`12 lakh crore...
our target is
`12.50 lakh
crore (re-
vised esti-
mates) and
we have
good confi-
dence of achiev-
ing the target and
probably exceeding
it,” the Central
Board of Direct Tax-
es chief said. —PTI
The direct tax
collection numbers
stand at `10.38
lakh crore so it is
only 70,000 crore
less from the BE
8.72 lakh vacant
posts in govt
departments
New Delhi: There were
over 8.72 lakh vacant
posts in central govern-
ment departments as on
March 1, 2020, the Rajya
Sabha was informed on
Thursday
. As many as
9,10,153 vacancies exist-
ed as on March 1, 2019
and 6,83,823 as on March
1, 2018, according to a
written reply given by
Minister of State for
Personnel Jitendra Sin-
gh.
There were 8,72,243
vacant posts in central
government depart-
ments as on March 1.
Three major recruit-
ing agencies -- SSC,
UPSC and the
RRBs have
carried out
2,65,468 re-
cruitment
d u r i n g
2018-19 and
2020-21, it
said. —PTI
LIC’s embedded value set at over `5L cr
New Delhi: State-run
Life Insurance Corpo-
ration of India’s (LIC)
embedded value has
been finalised at more
than Rs 5 trillion
($66.82 billion), a gov-
ernment official who is
overseeing what is ex-
pected to be the coun-
try’s largest IPO said
on Thursday
.
LIC is likely to sell
its entire stake to IDBI
Bank in 2022/23, the of-
ficial said.
Investors are eagerly
waiting for the govern-
ment to indicate LIC’s
embedded value - a
measure of future cash
flows in life insurance
companies and the key
financial gauge for in-
surers - when it releas-
es the initial public of-
fering (IPO) draft pro-
spectus, expected in a
matter of days.
While there has been
speculation about the
number in Indian me-
dia - from as low as $53
billion to as high as
$150 billion - this is the
first time the govern-
ment, which owns
100% of LIC, is com-
menting on the matter.
The embedded value
will help establish the
market valuation of
LIC and determine
how much money the
government raises in
the flotation. That will
be crucial to the gov-
ernment to help meet
its divestment targets
and keep its fiscal defi-
cit in check.
“I would say the em-
bedded value could be
more than 5 trillion ru-
pees and the enterprise
value will be multiples
of that,” Tuhin Kanta
Pandey
, told Reuters in
an interview. —Agencies
Apple makes progress in India as iPhone sales rise 34%
New Delhi: Apple Inc
had its strongest quar-
ter for iPhone sales in
India yet, a sign that
the company is finally
making progress in the
world’s fastest-growing
smartphone market.
Sales increased to 2.3
million units in the
fourth quarter, up 34%
from a year earlier, ac-
cording to numbers
from the market re-
search firm Counter-
point.
Apple appears to
have pulled in more
revenue than any of its
rivals, however, be-
cause of the iPhone’s
high price tag, accord-
ing to Counterpoint’s
calculations. The US
company took in an es-
timated $2.09 billion for
the quarter, edging
aside Samsung with
revenue of about $2 bil-
lion.
“It’s a turning point
for Apple in India,”
said Neil Shah, the
Mumbai-based partner
and research head at
Counterpoint Technol-
ogy Market Research.
“Indians were willing
to lavish money on pre-
mium phones during
the pandemic because
everyone’s lives re-
volved around their de-
vices and there was
nothing else to spend
on.”
While Apple has be-
come the most valuable
company in the world
on the popularity of its
iPhone, it has strug-
gled in the 1.3 billion-
person India market.
Pricey iPhones are far
beyond the reach of
many local consumers,
a situation aggravated
by stiff import tariffs
Apple had to pay on de-
vices made outside the
country
. —Agencies
SALES INCREASED TO 2.3 MN UNITS
New Delhi: FRL
has asked the
Supreme
Court for
two weeks
to come up
with a solution
with lenders as the retailer has
missed its payment deadline
and will be tagged as a NPA.
The council to the lenders of
Future Group suggested an
open bid between Amazon and
Reliance to settle the dispute
and ensure recovery for banks.
FRL ASKS SC 2 WEEKS’
TIME TO REACH A SOLN
New Delhi: India’s sugar
production is estimated to
have increased by 5.64% to
18.70 million tonnes during the
Oct-Jan period of the ongoing
marketing year 2021-22 from
over the year-ago period, ISMA
said on Thursday. Sugar mills
had manufactured 17.70 million
tonnes of sugar in the corre-
sponding period
of the previous
2020-21 market-
ing year (Oct-
Sept), it said.—PTI
OCT-JAN SUGAR
OUTPUT JUMPS 5.64%
New Delhi: Air
India may get
Alex Cruz, an
aviation vet-
eran with rich
experience of
heading both full
service and low cost airlines,
as its CEO. Cruz was chairman
and CEO of British Airways for
about five years till 2020. Cruz
LinkedIn profile shows he is
currently an investor, board
member and adviser on some
companies. —Agencies
EX-CEO OF BA COULD
BE AIR INDIA CHIEF
FRL
with a solution
Air
Air
heading both full
heading both full
Mumbai: Equity
benchmark Sensex
slumped 770 points to
close below the 59,000-
mark on Thursday as
selling pressure inten-
sified towards the fag-
end amid profit-book-
ing in IT and finance
counters.
Relentless foreign
capital outflows also
weighed on sentiment,
traders said.
The 30-share BSE in-
dex ended 770.31 points
lower at 58,788.02. Simi-
larly, the NSE Nifty
plunged 219.80 points
or 1.24% to 17,560.20.
HDFC was the top
laggard in the Sensex
pack, shedding over
3%, followed by Info-
sys, LT, Kotak Bank,
Bajaj Finserv and Tech
Mahindra. —PTI
Sensex falls 770 pts; Nifty settles at 17,560
MKT EVALUATION

07
NEWS
17 Gujarat BJP leaders to campaign in U’khand
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: The na-
tional leadership of
the ruling Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP) has
deputed 17 leaders
from Gujarat to cam-
paign in Uttarakhand
ahead of the assembly
elections there, in a bid
to retain power. The
party had swept the
last election, winning
57 of the 70 seats up for
grabs. The 17 Gujarat
BJP leaders heading to
Uttarakhand include
three MPs--Mohan
Kundaria, Rajesh Chu-
dasama and Mitesh
Patel--and 10 former
ministers, eight of
whom--including Bhu-
pendrasinh Chudasa-
ma, Saurabh Patel,
Ganpat Vasava, Jay-
drathsinh Parmar, Ish-
warsinh Patel, Jawa-
harChavdaand Kishor
Kanani--were mem-
bers of Vijay Rupani’s
cabinet during his ten-
ure as chief minister.
Persons close to the de-
velopment said the
party is hoping to make
huge inroads into the
Garhwal area, which
accounts for 41 Assem-
bly seats. In 2017, BJP
had won 57 seats, while
the Congress had taken
11 and others, two. Of
the total votes polled,
46.51% went to the BJP
and 33.49% to the Con-
gress. This was an im-
provement for the BJP
from 2012, when it
gained 31 seats as op-
posed to the Congress
with 32. The BSP had
won seats, Uttara-
khand Kranti Dal had
one, and Independents
won three seats.
In 2007, BJP had come
to power with 34 seats
against the Congress
party’s 22. The BJP had
tried to win the 2007
election with the help
of BC Khanduri and
his clean image but the
ploy did not work. Sim-
ilarly, in 2017, the Con-
gress had tried to win
the elections with Har-
ish Rawat, but that
strategy failed badly
.
Six months ago, the
BJP asked Uttara-
khand chief minister
Tirath Singh Rawat to
resign, an apparent re-
peat of its 2007 strate-
gy, when BC Khanduri
replaced Ramesh
Pokhriyal as the chief
minister just 184 days
before the general elec-
tions. The ploy did not
work back then, so will
be interesting to see if
BJP Chief Minister
Pushkar Singh Dhami
will be able to garner
the party a victory this
time.
Caste and communalism are emerging factors to tilt the balance
NECK-AND-NECK FIGHT B/WBJP,
RLD-SPALLIANCE INWESTUP
First India Bureau
Lucknow: West UP is
in a neck-and-neck bat-
tle largely between rul-
ing BJP and RSP-RLD
alliance in the first two
rounds of polling on
February 10 and 14. The
BSP led by Mayawati by
resorting to careful
caste-specific ticket dis-
tribution has also been
trying to pitch in the
battle for ballot.
After one-year of tus-
sle with farmers on con-
troversial farms laws,
which have already
been repealed, the BJP
has been carefully
avoiding to touch any
farm issue except enu-
merating the measures
taken by the UP govern-
ment for their welfare
including reducing the
electricity bill by half,
payment for sugarcane
dues, the RLD alliance
has been trying to
thrive on the anger of
farmers. In a tough con-
test between the two
formations, sources
said that the “caste and
communalism” are
emerging factors to tilt
the balance.
After the Delhi meet-
ing of the Jat commu-
nity, efforts are being
made to create rift be-
tween the RLD and SP
and also create confu-
sion in the community
over their preference
for the alliance.
However, ground re-
ports indicated that the
BJP’s polarisation ef-
fort is unlikely to yield
desired results. Ana-
lysts said while caste
division is palpable in
rural areas the commu-
nal divide was not as
intense as it was during
the last three elections
in 2014, 2017 and 2019
after Muzaffarnagar
clashes. In the intense
fight between BJP and
RLD alliance there ap-
peared to be rural and
urban divide also.
Sources said in urban
areas the BJP could per-
form well but in rural
areas the SP-RLD is
likely to have an upper
hand.
The BJP’s thrice test-
ed strategy of cashing
in on communal polari-
sation seems to have
suffered a setback after
yearlong farmers stir
which brought Jat-Mus-
lim-Gujjar together.
The communal harmo-
ny is now reflecting in
elections as the region
is getting ready for poll-
ing.
BKU leaders Naresh
Tikait, Rakesh Tikait
and Ghulam Moham-
mad Jaula are on fore-
front to scuttle any
move to get the election
communalised. Jaula
said BJP’s effort to raise
the exodus issue would
not be effective this
time. “They would not
be able to do their vi-
cious politics because
people have learnt a les-
son from the divisive
politics”.
However, the division
of Jat votes (20%) can-
not be ruled as the BJP
has fielded 18 Jat candi-
dates in the regions.
The RLD list is also
dominated by Jat candi-
dates. On the other
hand, Mayawati has
been trying to make the
contest multi-cornered
by approaching various
communities through
ticket distribution. In
the list of 109 candi-
dates Mayawati has
picked up 39 Muslims,
31 OBCs, 19 Dalits and
20 upper castes.
Mahesh Kumar
Ludhiana: People will
now read the story of
India’s Olympic Gold
Medal winner Neeraj
Chopra in the form of a
book. Renowned sports
writer Navdeep Singh
Gill has penned a book
on the 2021 Olympics
Gold Medal from India.
Chairman Punjab
Kala Parishad Dr Surjit
Patar and President,
Punjabi Sahit Akademi
Dr Lakhwinder Singh
Johal on Thursday re-
leased the short biogra-
phy of Tokyo Olym-
pics-2021 Gold Medal
winner Neeraj Chopra
titled ‘Golden Boy
Neeraj Chopra’ penned
by sports author Nav-
deep Singh Gill.
The literary master-
piece was dedicated to
the people amid the
presence of the author
and his family mem-
bers. It is the 7th book
written by the author
and the 6th one placing
focus on the sports as
well as the sports per-
sons. The book is an ex-
cellent piece from the
genre of children’s lit-
erature.
The book has 72 pag-
es and covers the life
history and achieve-
ments of Neeraj right
from his childhood to
the Tokyo Olympics, in
colour. The book very
aptly covers achieve-
ments of Neeraj, his
sports technique, his
numerous awards and
contemporaries in vari-
ous chapters. The look
of the book gets en-
hanced by the coloured
photos in each chapter.
NavdeepGill’s‘GoldenBoyNeerajChopra’released
HISTORY BOOK
Containers for export. —FILE PHOTO
A BJP rally in Gujarat. —FILE PHOTO
BJP’S GAME PLAN
Supporters with flags of BJP and SP —FILE PHOTO
Fake Remdesivir case:
SC relief for accused
New Delhi: The Su-
preme Court has set
aside an order for de-
tention of a Jabalpur
man accused of pro-
curing fake Remdesi-
vir injections during
the second wave of
COVID-19.
A bench of justices
D Y Chandrachud and
Dinesh Maheshwari
said the failure of the
central and the MP
governments to com-
municate the rejec-
tion of the representa-
tion of the accused in
a time bound manner
vitiates the order of
detention.
The top court said
that its earlier judge-
ment which quashed
the detention order of
the main accused,
doctor Sarabjit Singh
Mokha, would be ap-
plicable in the matter.
“No distinguisha-
ble feature has been
indicated in the coun-
ter affidavit which
has been filed in these
proceedings. As a
matter of fact, the ap-
pellant was in the
pharmaceutical wing
of the hospital which
was conducted by the
appellant in the previ-
ous case decided by
this Court,” the bench
said.
Advocate Sidharth
Luthra, appearing for
the appellant, ten-
dered a tabulated
chart reflecting the
similarities both in
respectof thegrounds
of detention and the
findings which
weighed with this
Court in allowing the
earlier appeal which
arose from the judg-
ment of the High
Court in the case of
Mokha. “We allow the
appeal and set aside
the order of detention
dated May 11, 2021 as
well as the consequen-
tial extensions which
were granted on July
8, 2020 and Sept 30,
2021,” the bench said.
The top court had
earlier quashed the
order for detention of
a Jabalpur doctor ac-
cused of procuring
fake Remdesivir injec-
tions in connivance
with Chourasia dur-
ing the second Covid
wave. —PTI
Supreme Court of India —FILE PHOTO
PIL in Delhi High Court:
Ensure admissions of 44k
kids from weaker sections
New Delhi: A PIL
came up before the Del-
hi High Court on Thurs-
day seeking direction to
the Delhi government
to ensure admission of
over 44,000 children, be-
longing to weaker sec-
tions and disadvan-
taged groups, in vari-
ous private schools
here.
A bench of Chief Jus-
tice D N Patel and Jus-
tice Jyoti Singh trans-
ferred the plea for hear-
ing onFridaytoanother
bench.
The petition by Jus-
tice For All NGO, also
sought direction to the
Director of Education
to initiate action
against the private
schools which have
failed to admit the stu-
dents on the allotted
seats. The plea, filed
through advocates
Khagesh B Jha and Shi-
kha Sharma Bagga,
said the petition was
concerned with those
children who applied
for admission in April
2021 for the session
2021-22 and nearly
50,000 are entitled for
admission as per the ac-
tual enrolment in the
schools. The petition
said there are over
53,000 seats from the
current year and addi-
tion 24,000 seats have to
be carried forwarded
from the last academic
session, that is, a total
of 77,000 seats for chil-
dren belonging to Eco-
nomically Weaker Sec-
tion (EWS) and disad-
vantage group and only
21,000 have been admit-
ted. It alleged that the
Director of Education
delayed the process on
their own and is now
refusing the admission
on the grounds of delay
which is the duty of the
appropriate govern-
ment. The plea alleged
that there blatant viola-
tion of the fundamental
rights. —PTI
MP govt to carry
out organic farming
along Narmada
Bhopal: Taking a cue
from the Union budget
proposal of starting
chemical-free farming
along the Ganga, the
Madhya Pradesh gov-
ernment has decided to
carry out organic farm-
ing along the Narmada
river, which is consid-
eredasthelifelineof the
state, an official said on
Thursday
.
The decision was tak-
enatameetingof minis-
ters and top bureaucrats
chaired by MP CM
Shivraj Singh Chou-
han on Wednesday, he
said.Aspecialcampaign
should be launched to
developnaturalfarming
on a 5-km stretch on
both sides of Narmada
river,” the chief minis-
ter said in the meeting.
The state govern-
ment’s decision has
comeadayafterFinance
Minister Nirmala Si-
tharaman in her budget
speech said that chemi-
cal-free farming will be
promoted throughout
the country, starting
withfieldswithina5-km
wide corridor along the
Ganga. —PTI
AIADMK ridicules Stalin’s
social justice fed pitch
Chennai: The opposi-
tion AIADMK in Tamil
Nadu on Thursday
lashed out at DMK Pres-
ident and Chief Minis-
ter M K Stalin’s propos-
al for an “All India Fed-
eration for Social Jus-
tice,” asking what
threat social justice was
facing right now and
dubbed the effort as a
“diversionary strategy”
during the poll season
in the state.
Senior party leader
and former Minister D
Jayakumar said ever
since Stalin has as-
sumed charge, “they
have been employing
the strategy of divert-
ing people.”
In fact, it was the AI-
ADMK which had al-
ways upheld social jus-
tice, right from the days
of its founder and late
chief minister M G Ra-
machandran, he told
reporters here.
He said that while the
DMK made a slew of
pre-election promises
including providing Rs
1000 per month to wom-
en, abolishing NEET,
reducing oil prices and
providing subsidy for
LPG cylinders, “they
have not fulfilled any
promises.” —PTI
COLOUR OF FAITH
Residents of Dhalewadi village, near Pune, celebrating the first Ganga Aarti on the Jejuri
River Karha in Kulswami Jejuri Khandoba. —PHOTO BY VIJAYKUMAR HARISHCHANDRE
ALL ABOUT NEERAJ

COVID-19
UPDATE
WORLD
57,21,140
TOTAL DEATHS
30,57,93,041
TOTAL RECOVERED
7,43,96,182
ACTIVE CASES
38,59,10,363
TOTAL CASES
INDIA
4,98,987
TOTAL DEATHS
3,97,70,414
TOTAL RECOVERED
15,33,917
ACTIVE CASES
4,18,03,318
TOTAL CASES
08
2NDFRONT
If we are and become what we
repeatedly do then excellence is a
habit, isn’t it?
—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO Editor-in-Chief, First India
Naidu hopes RS will function disruption-free
New Delhi: Rajya Sab-
ha Chairman M Ven-
kaiah Naidu on Thurs-
day expressed his de-
light at the disruption-
free proceedings on the
first full working day of
the House in the cur-
rent budget session and
said MPs should let that
spirit prevail for the
rest of the session and
in future as well.
Naidu’s observations
came in the backdrop of
disruption-free proceed-
ings in the Rajya Sabha
during the debate on the
Motion of Thanks on
the president’s address.
“After a long time, Ra-
jya Sabha witnessed
disruption-free pro-
ceedings yesterday. It
was a delight to watch
quality debates on the
Motion of Thanks to
the president,” Naidu
said in the House.
The debates on
Wednesday were
marked by the effective
assertion of achieve-
ments by the ruling
party members on the
one hand and contesta-
tion by the opposition
members on the other,
he said.
“This is the advan-
tage of smooth func-
tioning of the House,”
he said. “I hope, this
spirit will continue to
prevail for the remain-
ing part of the session
and for the future as
well,” Naidu added.
The no-disruption
proceedings came after
41 sittings spread across
four sessions and after
about a year. The last
such normal sitting was
on March 19, 2021, dur-
ing the Budget session.
The sitting on Decem-
ber 13, 2021 was also
disruption-free but it
was a Private Members’
day when the House is
normally not disrupted.
The last disruption-
free full session of Ra-
jya Sabha was the 216th
session in June 2009
when ministers of the
UPA-II government
were introduced in the
House. –PTI
SIGNS OF A HEALTHY DEMOCRACY
Congressdidn’tmakeJakharCM
justbecauseheisHindu:Chadha
First India Bureau
Chandigarh:AamAad-
mi Party’s (AAP) Pun-
jab affairs co-in-charge
Raghav Chadha, react-
ing to Punjab Congress
leader Sunil Jakhar’s
statement about Chief
Minister selection, said
that Congress has al-
ways been doing poli-
tics on the basis of
caste-religion. Congress
is also conspiring to di-
vide the people on the
basis of caste and reli-
gion by giving religious
color to the politics of
Punjab. The biggest ex-
ample of this is senior
Congress leader Sunil
Jakhar. Even after the
support of 42 MLAs,
Sunil Jakhar was not
appointed as CM just
because he is Hindu.
Addressing the me-
dia here, Chadha cited
the statement of Sunil
Jakhar, in which he
said that 42 MLAs
agreed on Jakhar’s
name in the Congress
MLAs’ meeting held af-
ter the removal of Ama-
rinder Singh, Deputy
CM Sukhjinder Rand-
hawa got 16, Preneet
Kaur 12, Navjot Sidhu 6
and Channi had the
support of only two
MLAs. He said that it is
very shameful that Con-
gress did not make
Jakhar the CM just be-
cause he is Hindu and
appointed Channi as
the CM with the sup-
port of only 2 MLAs. He
added that it was done
with the intention of
dividing the people of
Punjab on the basis of
caste and religion.
AAP senior leader Raghav Chadha (2nd from left) addressing media in Chandigarh.
AAP QUESTIONS
Chandigarh: Aam Aadmi Party’s CM candi-
date Bhagwant Mann said the Congress is
delaying the announcement of its CM face in
Punjab due to fear of splitting and due to its
(Congress) fear of defeat. They have no idea
who should be declared as Chief Minister
Candidate. The Congress high command is
still in doubt whether to announce the name
of the chief ministerial candidate or contest
elections without declaring one name for
CM face. Addressing the media at the party headquarters on Thursday, Mann
said that seeing the mood of the people of Punjab, Congress is now worried.
Seeing all the media surveys indicating the formation of the Aam Aadmi Party
government, Congress is apprehensive and is not directly forwarding any one
of its leaders due to division in their party.
CONGRESS IS DELAYING ANNOUNCEMENT OF CM FACE DUE TO
FEAR OF SPLITTING: AAP’S CM CANDIDATE BHAGWANT MANN
Cong’s Paanch Pandvas in
theKurukshetraofU’khand
Dehradun: The Con-
gress party
, which is
dreamingof returningto
power by winning the
2022 elections, has five
faces in its political quiv-
er, who are continuously
equipping it with arrows
towin.Theseincludefor-
mer Chief Minister and
Congress election cam-
paign committee chair-
man Harish Rawat, state
in-charge Devendra Ya-
dav, leader of opposition
PritamSingh,statepresi-
dentGaneshGodiyaland
screening committee
chairman Avinash Pan-
dey
.
From the 2014 Lok
Sabha elections to the
2017 assembly elections
and then the 2019 Lok
Sabha elections, the BJP
hasdefeatedCongressin
these three consecutive
elections. Therefore, in
frontof Congressin2022
election battle, there is a
doordiesituation.These
five faces in their own
way have put the coun-
try’s oldest party in a
close fight under the re-
sponsibility given by the
party high command.
To talk about Harish
Rawat, former CM has
puttheCongressinfront
of the ruling party with
greatstrength,byjoining
the support of Uttara-
khandiyat against big
brand Modi and double
engine government of
BJP
. This is the reason
that from the central
leadership of BJP to the
state leadership, only
and only Harish Rawat’s
siege is trying to find
tricks, but not much suc-
cess is visible yet.
Leader of the Opposi-
tion Pritam Singh was
the state president till
the beginning of last
year, that is, while in the
opposition, the big bur-
den of giving edge to the
attack of Congress re-
mainedonhisshoulders
in the past. Pritam Sin-
gh sweated out against
the double engine gov-
ernment from house to
road. State President
Ganesh Godiyal, as an
allyof Harda,hasplayed
an important role in giv-
ing edge to the election
agenda.
Fresh snowfall in Kashmir
Srinagar: Most parts of
Kashmir received fresh snowfall
while rain and sleet lashed
Srinagar city as the minimum
temperature improved across
the valley due to the precipitation
overnight, officials said on
Thursday.
Gulmarg and Pahalgam,
tourist resorts in the north and
south of the valley respectively,
recorded more than six inches of
fresh snowfall, while Ganderbal
district received around five
inches of fresh snow, they said.
Baramulla, Kupwara and other
parts of the valley also received
significant snowfall since
Wednesday, they said.
Fakeer Gujri area along the
Zabarwan range in Srinagar
district also recorded fresh
snowfall rain and sleet lashed the
rest of the district last night.
The weather is expected to
remain wet over the next 48
hours, officials said.
The precipitation has resulted
in increase in the minimum
temperature across Kashmir.
–PTI
Avinash Pandey
Devendra Yadav
Harish Rawat
Pritam Singh
Ganesh Gondiyal
MEDIA UNDER PRESSURE
IN THE COUNTRY: GEHLOT
Naresh Sharma
Jaipur:RajasthanChief
Minister Ashok Gehlot
hassaidthatforahealthy
democracy
, the media
must be free, fair, strong
and aware. He said today
people say that media is
under pressure in the
country
,whichshouldbe
a matter of concern for
all of us. “Dissent and
criticism have an impor-
tant place in a democra-
cy and they should be
accepted. Healthy criti-
cism made by media in
thepublicinterestallows
the governments to in-
trospect and improve
their working style,” Ge-
hlot said while address-
ing the foundation stone
laying programme of
Haridev Joshi Universi-
ty of Journalism and
Mass Communication
through a video confer-
ence from his official
residence on Thursday
.
Around 1.24 lakh square
metre land has been al-
lottedatDahmiKalanon
Ajmer Road for the
State’s first journalism
university and a project
of Rs 328 crore has been
prepared for the con-
structionof thebuilding.
Gehlot said, “During
my last tenure, I had tak-
en the initiative to set up
Haridev Joshi University
of Journalism and Mass
Communication with a
purpose to further
strengthen the journal-
ism work and Dr. BR
Ambedkar Law Univer-
sity was also set up in the
fieldof law.Theestablish-
ment of this university
wasanolddreamof mine.
Unfortunately both these
universities were closed
during the last govern-
ment. With the present
government coming to
power, we established
them by bringing an Act.
He said that the govern-
ments keep on changing,
butthedecisionstakenin
thepublicinterestshould
not be changed.
He said he is happy
that one of his dreams is
comingtruewiththelay-
ing of the foundation
stone of the building of
Journalism University
.
“There will be no dearth
of resources on the part
of the State Govt in de-
veloping this University
as a leading national-
leveleducationalinstitu-
tion. Media need to be-
come strong for the bet-
ter future of the country
and in such a situation,
theresponsibilityof this
Journalism University
increases further. The
articles written by jour-
nalists played a signifi-
cant role in giving boost
to freedom struggle. In-
spiredbyMahatmaGan-
dhi, freedom fighters
such as Achleshwar
Mama of Jodhpur and
former CMs Jainarayan
Vyas and Haridev Joshi
helped in generating so-
cial consciousness,” he
added.
Foundation stone laying of Haridev Joshi Journalism University building
Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot
Develop University of Journalism as
A Premier Institute of the Country,
Rajasthan CM Gehlot directs officials

NEW DELHI, FRIDAY
FEBRUARY 4, 2022
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia
facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09
ANITA HADA
anita.hada@firstindianews.com
t is truly said that ‘Truth is stran-
ger than Fiction’ and in Bolly-
wood one can say that ‘Real life is
hotter than Reel life’ when we see
the true life-based hits that have
made the box office records. And
when the story is about a woman
whoredefinesempowermentand
power,winningthegamewiththerawhand
lifehasdealther-thenexcitementrunshigh.
Add to this Alia Bhatt- a star who, has more
than proven her mettle- one starts counting
the day till the release.
GangubaiKathiawadiisallthisandmore.
Alia looks simply ravishing as the feisty
Ganga,looselybasedonthelifeof arealsex
worker in the book Mafia Queens of Mum-
baibyS.HussainZaidi.Thefirsttrailergar-
nerednotjust 40Mlikesbutahugeamount
of interestwiththebad-mouthingsexyAlia
in a never seen before avatar! The second
trailerwillbeouttodayandfingersareitch-
ing to click the play button.
Ever since the first look of Alia Bhatt
starrer Gangubai Kathiawadi has been re-
leased, fans have been eagerly waiting for
the film. Well, the Sanjay Leela Bhansali
directorialmadeittotheheadlinesrecently
after the new release date of the film was
announced. The anticipated blockbuster
movie is going to hit the theatres on Febru-
ary 25 and the trailer of the film will be re-
leasing today
, February 4. The first look of
Ajay Devgn was released on Thursday and
the preview of the second trailer was also
held for a select few and we bet it is going to
take your excitement levels high. Devgn
looks dashing and menacing in the poster.
All said and done, it’s Alia who is giving
sleepless nights with her daring,
bindaas,sexyandbadasslooksinthe
trailer. The raw dialogue gets a
glimpse of the no-hold-barred
script and movie which coupled
with Bhansali’s larger than life
extravagant handling promises
a blockbuster.
I
t is truly said that ‘Truth is stran-
ger than Fiction’ and in Bolly-
wood one can say that ‘Real life is
hotter than Reel life’ when we see
the true life-based hits that have
made the box office records. And
when the story is about a woman POWER PERSONIFIED
Gangubai Kathiawadi- the Bhansali film is already
creating a storm much before it’s release on Feb 25, in
reel life as in real life it portrays the power of a woman
who lives life strongly with the cards she is dealt!
SMOKING IS INJURIOUS TO HEALTH
Preview of the trailer held in
Mumbai on Thursday
Ajay Devgn and Alia Bhatt during the
preview trailer at Mumbai on Thursday

10
ETC
F
A
C
E
O
F
T
H
E
D
A
Y
HITHA GOWDA, Model
LEO
JULY 24 - AUGUST 23
Good planning will see you
complete a task at work in
record time. This is an
excellent day to spend time
with family. Your reputation is likely to
boost your image on the social front.
Monetary front grows strong for
some. You enjoy excellent health.
Those seeking love may get lucky.
LIBRA
SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22
A celebration can find you
in your element today.
Praise and honour are
likely to greet you in
something that you have managed to
achieve. You will be a pillar of
strength to a friend. A good day at
work is foreseen as you make your
mark in front of those who matter.
ARIES
MAR 21 - APR 20
Fitness through extra
efforts is assured for the
deskbound. Some positive
changes can be expected
on the home front. This seems a
good day for job seekers. If you are
in love, chances of making an
exciting plan together is possible
today.
SAGITTARIUS
NOV 23 - DEC 22
A family youngster is likely
to do you proud. Your
strategy to promote yourself
on the professional front will
bear fruits. You may need to speed up
things on the academic front to remain
ahead. On the social front, the day
finds you in your element. Special
awaits you on the romantic front today.
GEMINI
MAY 21 - JUNE 21
Some favourable
developments on the social
front are foreseen. Buying
new furniture or a major
appliance is possible. With good
networking, a prized posting can be
yours .Those trying to get back their
money will succeed. A healthy phase
of life begins for some.
AQUARIUS
JAN 21 - FEB 19
Much fun is in store on the
social front. Your own
happiness is in your hands
today. Spouse may need her
space, respect that. This is a favourable
day for completing pending jobs.
Those in love with the adventures are
likely to chase the excitement very
soon.
TAURUS
APR 21 - MAY 20
You will find family life
more than fulfilling. A
senior is likely to put in a
good word for you to the
higher ups. Financially, you will be
able to consolidate your position.
Exercise care in matters of health.
Lover may become your pillar of
strength.
CAPRICORN
DEC 23 - JAN 20
Good advice may be
required to make a
profitable investment. A
journey may take you
down the memory lane. Some of you
may start a long pending construc-
tion work at home. Winning the
affections of the one you secretly
love is possible.
VIRGO
AUG 24 - SEP 23
You may get busy
organising something on
the social front. You may
need to put your ideas into
action, if you want to prove yourself.
A party may be thrown in your
honour at work. Past investments
start giving good returns. Health-
wise a good day is foreseen.
CANCER
JUNE 22 - JULY 23
Good tidings of your well
wishers will keep you
going on the professional
front. You may take up
someone’s cause and earn apprecia-
tion from all quarters on the social
front. Remaining on the good side of
those who matter on the academic
front will help you achieve much.
PISCES
FEB20 - MARCH 20
Appreciation is in store for
some homemakers. Those
looking for buying a house
can get a good bargain. A
professional victory is yours if you
play your cards well. Business will be
able to maintain good earning. You
may enjoy good health. Young lovers
may enjoy total bliss.
SCORPIO
OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22
This is the day full of joy,
love and excitement . You
will enjoy yourself with a
new group of friends .
Those in business will soon get a
chance to make profits. A new deal is
likely to come through and give you a
taste of success pending time with
lover proves most fulfilling.
YOUR
DAY
Horoscope by
Saurabbh Sachdeva
hrough the ten
years I’ve been ac-
tively teaching
Communication
Writing, I’ve come
to certain realiza-
tions. Good ones.
First, there is no such thing
as having attained ‘com-
plete knowledge’. This is a
concept I was introduced to
when I began learning Hin-
dustani Vocal as a young
boy
. Even at an institution
likeDoon,heraldedbymany
as a great school, it was re-
freshing and humbling to
hear my own Gurus say that
they remained students
their entire lives. That there
was no limit to gaining
knowledge, honing one’s
craft, improving, evolving.
Now, I am experiencing the
same phenomenon myself.
With each session, either as
a result of interacting with
a wide age range of students
who constantly keep me
fresh with a perspective
unique to that generation or
through having to answer a
slew of diverse queries, I
stay informed not only
about my own subject but
the world and its people. It is
a beautiful thing to happen,
especially to an educator - to
stay fresh, relevant, and en-
ergized.
By that same token, I have
beenblessedtohavestudents
whoareasyoungasfiveyears
of age,andasmatureasfifty-
five. That published authors
and writers would
come to a much
younger writer like
myself to take a Writ-
ing Workshop is
proof that there are
peopleoutthere,living
and breathing the phi-
losophy I earlier men-
tioned. That despite their
laurels, they are OPEN. To
gain more exposure, to put-
tingthemselvesoutthereand
being among other students,
I suspect to gather different
viewpoints, a myriad of
shared experiences and par-
take of the buffet of knowl-
edge that is served up with
eachnewhumaninteraction.
Of the many places I am
asked to conduct workshops
at, Schools, Colleges and
Corporates,TheOpenSpace
Society, a Media College in
my home city of Jaipur, is
especially close to my heart.
It is here that I started, and
have held, over the past year
or so, more than 5 work-
shops. Two of these, titled
‘Ink’ and ‘Prologue’ respec-
tively
, have been workshops
where I have delved into
both Fiction as well as Non-
Fiction Writing. And on
both occasions, we were
blessed with two groups
that were comprised of stu-
dents as young as 8th Grade,
to as senior as retired corpo-
rate heads. Though we be-
gan with some scepticism,
our trepidation relating to
the age-disparity of the at-
tendees quickly went from
being a potential drawback
to our single biggest
strength. It became the USP
of both these workshops –
where ideas, opinions,
thoughts, feelings between
seeminglydisparategenera-
tions came together by way
of healthy debate and dis-
cussion, sometimes result-
ing in an amalgam of
ideologies, at other
times, presenting dia-
metrically opposite
but immensely in-
sightful points of
views of generations
apart. It made the entire
experience, for me as a
mentor, and for the stu-
dents, as learners, infinitely
more enriching.
Later, it made me realize
that as long as there is a pas-
sionandahungerthatbinds
learners, even a class that
mighthavethreeorfourdec-
ades separating young and
old, can be a potent force-
multiplier. Of course, now
when I curate workshops, I
am mindful that this can’t
alwayswork.If Iamgoingto
teach just school children,
for example, I am careful to
divide those batches by jun-
ior, middle and senior
school. But if it is a session
or a workshop that broadly
addresses Writing or Com-
municationSkills;aslongas
the youngest participants
have fundamental domain
knowledge of the language,
age diversity certainly
makes things much more in-
teresting and this diversity
augments the creative and
learning process.
I want to specifically ad-
dress a lot of people like us,
who may sometimes that we
are ‘past our prime’, that we
have‘missedtheboat’.There
is simply NO such thing. As
the cliché goes - It is Never
Too Late. And this is what
Teaching has taught me.
That a teacher can improve
with each lesson, as can his
students, no matter who or
what they may be - that is the
beauty of knowledge and
shared, lifelong learning.
The next time you have the
urgetolearnanewskill,and
that voice inside you says
“you can’t learn in a class-
roomanymore”,orthat“you
can’t be a student at this
age”, ignore it. If there are
people around you question-
ingyourintentionssimilarly
,
don’t pay any heed to them
either.Learningisaneternal
quest that only rewards and
enriches, so jump right in,
because learning is ageless.
LEARNING HAS NO EXPIRY DATE!
KARTIK BAJORIA
The author is a Jaipur-based
Communication Skills Educator Writer
T
and breathing the phi-
losophy I earlier men-
tioned. That despite their
laurels, they are OPEN. To
gain more exposure, to put-
views of generations
apart. It made the entire
experience, for me as a
mentor, and for the stu-
dents, as learners, infinitely
more enriching.

04022022 first india new delhi

04022022 first india new delhi

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