15022024_First India Newspaper Jaipur.pdf

MONI SHARMA
nder Prime Minister Nar-
endra Modi’s visionary
leadership, India has
emerged as a global beacon
of unity and progress, epit-
omizing the spirit of ‘Sabka
Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka
Vishwas’. His steadfast dedication to
these principles has not only secured
historic milestones like the ‘Pran Prat-
ishtha’of Ram Lalla at the Ramjanma-
bhoomi Temple in Ayodhya on Janu-
ary 22, 2024 but also fulfilled the cher-
ished dream of a Hindu temple amidst
the Arabian dunes with the inaugura-
tion of the BAPS Hindu temple inAbu
Dhabi on February 14, 2024.
Thisremarkableachievementunder-
scoresModi’sunwaveringcommitment
as a Hindutva warrior, strengthening
India’sculturaltiesacrossborders.The
BAPS Hindu Temple, as the Middle
East’s inaugural traditional stone tem-
ple, stands as a symbol of the profound
camaraderie between India and the
UAE. Since his landmark visit in 2015,
where bonds were forged with crown
princeofAbuDhabiSheikhKhaledbin
Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, PM
Modi’s efforts have paved the way for
theallocationoflandandthetemple’s
construction,fosteringadeep-rooted
friendship between the two nations.
Withmeticulousplanning,includ-
ing the establishment of a registra-
tionportalandseamlesstransport
arrangements, the temple inaugu-
ration embodies unity and inclusivity,
mirroring PM Modi’s trans-
formative leadership
on the global
stage.
PM Narendra Modi
inaugurates UAE's
largest hindu temple
U
Jaipur, Thursday | February 15, 2024
Rajasthan’s own English Newspaper
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PM Narendra Modi performs aarti with Mahant Swami Maharaj during inauguration of Bochasanwasi
Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) Temple, in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
STANDS TALL ON
WORLD STAGE!
MODI’S
STANDS TALL ON
HINDUTVA
SPIRIT
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
RNI NUMBER: RAJENG/2019/77764 | VOL 5 | ISSUE NO. 250 | PAGES 16 | `3.00

UAE WRITES GOLDEN CHAPTER 02
Jaipur, Thursday | February 15, 2024 www.firstindia.co.in firstindia.co.in/epapers/jaipur thefirstindia thefirstindia thefirstindia
MODIMIRACLEINARABDUNES!
Grand inauguration of BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi draws massive crowd amid ‘Modi-Modi’, ‘Jai Shri Ram’ chants
PM Narendra Modi during his 2-day UAE visit starting Tuesday inaugurated first Hindu temple in Abu
Dhabi, participated in World Government Summit, addressed ‘Ahlan Modi’, besides the bilateral talks.
Ahead of World Govt Summit, Burj Khalifa lit up in Indian tricolour
with words “Guest of Honor — the Republic of India” in Dubai.
Devotees blow conch shells before the opening of the first stone-built Hindu temple in the Middle
East, in Abu Mureikha, 40 kilometers (25 miles) northeast of Abu Dhabi, on Wednesday.
PM Narendra Modi conducts a Hindu ritual as he inaugurates
BAPS temple in Abu Mureikha, Abu Dhabi on Wednesday. Indian diaspora attend the ‘Ahlan Modi’ event, at Zayed Sports Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi greets a priest prior to the inauguration of the Bochasanwasi
Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) Temple, in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi offers prayers during the inauguration of the BAPS Hindu Mandir, in Abu Dhabi, UAE on Wednesday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi greets Mahant Swami Maharaj.
PM Narendra Modi and UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum attend the World Government Summit 2024, in Dubai on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi being greeted by
UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves to the
people gathered during the ‘Ahlan Modi’ event
at the Zayed Sports Stadium, in Abu Dhabi.

Sonia Gandhi files nomination as
Congress candidate from Rajasthan
Naresh Sharma
Jaipur
ormer Congress
President Sonia
Gandhi on
Wednesday filed her
nomination papers here
for the upcoming Rajya
Sabha polls from Rajast-
han. Rahul Gandhi and
Priyanka Gandhi, former
CM Ashok Gehlot, PCC
chief Govind Singh Dot-
asra, LoP Tikaram Jully
were present at the time
of the nomination filing
in theAssembly building.
The Congress is comfort-
ably placed to win 1 of 3
Rajya Sabha seats from
Rajasthan. The seat will
fall vacant after former
PM Manmohan Singh
completes his 6-year ten-
ure in April. It will be
Sonia’s first term in Up-
per House after serving 5
terms as a Lok Sabha MP.
The 77-year-old, who
represented Rae Bareli in
LS, will not contest next
general elections. “We
heartily welcome an-
nouncement of Sonia
Gandhi as RS candidate
from Cong, who re-
nounced post of PM. To-
day her announcement as
RS candidate from Raj is
a matter of happiness,”
Gehlot posted on X. P12
Sonia Gandhi files her nomination for the RS election to Principal
Secretary Mahaveer Sharma in presence of Rahul Gandhi, Ashok
Gehlot, Priyanka Gandhi & Govind Dotasra in Jaipur on Wednesday.
F
BJP renominates Vaishnaw from
Odisha, BJD backs Union minister
First India Bureau
New Delhi
ive years after
he entered the
Rajya Sabha
from Odisha, with the
state’s ruling Biju Janata
(Dal) supporting his
candidature in a by-
poll, Union minis-
ter Ashwini
Vaishnaw is set to
reprise the route,
once again with
the party’s backing.
BJD — led by
India’s sec-
ond longest-
serving Chief
M i n i s t e r ,
Naveen
Patnaik
— announced its support
for Vaishnaw, who was
posted in Odisha as a
young IAS officer. Vaish-
naw’s portfolios are rail-
ways, communications,
electronics & IT and the
BJD said that it is sup-
porting him in the “larger
interest of the state”. P10
F
BJP NOMINATES PARTY NATIONAL PRESIDENT JP NADDA FROM GUJARAT
The BJP on Wednesday fielded its president
JP Nadda for Rajya Sabha polls from Gujarat.
Nadda is currently a Rajya Sabha member from
Himachal Pradesh but the BJP does not have the num-
bers to win the lone seat from the Congress-ruled state.
Outgoing BJP MPs and Union Ministers Parshottam
Khodabhai Rupala, Mansukh Laxmanbhai Mandaviya,
and V Muraleedharan have not been renominated for
the elections to 56 seats in 15 states. MP Prakash
Javadekar has also been dropped from the list.
RAJYA SABHA ELECTION FEVER LOOMS LARGE
SENSEX
71,822.83
267.64
BSE
21,840.05
96.80
NIFTY
A famer leader addresses during the second day of their ‘Delhi
Chalo’ march at Shambhu border, near Patiala on Wednesday.
FARMERS’ PROTEST 2.0
Union Ministers to hold
talks with farmers today
First India Bureau
New Delhi
Protesting farmers of
various unions on
Wednesday started
marching towards the na-
tional capital. The Delhi
Police deployed at the
borders are as of now
guarding the borders and
ensuring the maintenance
of law and order amid the
farmers’ ‘Delhi chalo’
call. Meanwhile, a team
of Union ministers will
hold a meeting with
farmer leaders today
evening, Samyukta Kisan
Morcha leader Jagjit Sin-
gh Dallewal said. P11
Over 40 farmers injured
as police officials fire
rubber bullets, teargas at
Punjab-Haryana border
Society must work to develop
women leadership, says Prez
PK Agrawal and
Puneet Chaturvedi
Dungarpur
President Droupadi Mur-
mu said entire society has
to make efforts to give
impetus to women’s eco-
nomic development and
work on idea of develop-
ment of women leader-
ship. She said today half
the population in country
is women. “Out of 140
crore people in India, 70
crore are women. If they
will sit at home, then how
will the country and soci-
ety run? To run country,
cooperation of both men
and women is necessary,”
Murmu said while ad-
dressing tribal women as-
sociated with self-help
groups at the Beneshwar
Dham onWednesday. P12
(From Top) President Droupadi
Murmu & CM Bhajan Lal Sharma
present `50 crore cheque to SHG
beneficiaries during Lakhpati
Didi programme in Dungarpur
on Wednesday. Also seen here
are Assam Governor Gulab Chand
Kataria, Dr Kirodi Lal Meena,
Babulal Kharadi, Hemant Meena,
Kanak Mal Katara, Phool Singh
Meena, Abhay Kumar and others.
President Droupadi Murmu with
CM Sharma offer prayers at Hari
Mandir, Sabala, Beneshwar Dham.
Amit Shah to
visit Bikaner
on Feb 20
First India Bureau
Bikaner
Union Home Minis-
ter Amit Shah will
come to Bikaner on
February 20. He will
attend a meeting of 3
Lok Sabha constitu-
encies of Bikaner
cluster. The meeting
is important in wake
of forthcoming Lok
Sabha polls. Deputy
CM of UP Keshav
PrasadMauryaisalso
scheduled to come on
February 25.
RNI NUMBER: RAJENG/2019/77764 | VOL 5 | ISSUE NO. 250 | PAGES 16 | `3.00 Rajasthan’s Own English Newspaper
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P6
IN BRIEF
IN BRIEF
Surya Namaskar in all
schools of Raj today
Jaipur: The students will
practice Surya Namaskar
collectively at the same time
between 10.30 am to 11 am
in all government and non-
government schools of the
state today, on the occasion
of Surya Saptami. P5,8
Kejri gets 6th
ED summons,
asked to appear on Feb 19
New Delhi: The ED has
once again summoned
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal
in connection with an
ongoing probe into the
now-scrapped liquor policy.
Kejriwal has been asked to
appear on February 19.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan
Sanstha (BAPS) Temple, in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday. Mahant Swami Maharaj is also seen here.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi poses for a photo in front of Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam
Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) Temple during its inauguration, in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
MODI HOLDS TALKS
WITH MADAGASCAR
PRESIDENT ANDRY
Prime Minister
Narendra Modi
on Wednesday
met Madagascar Presi-
dent Andry Rajoelina,
Modi reaffirmed India’s
commitment to further
strengthen India-Mada-
gascar partnership and
help in the developmen-
tal journey of his island
nation. This was a first
meeting between the
two leaders here.
PM MODI LAYS
FOUNDATION OF
“BHARAT MART”
The foundation
stone of Bharat
Mart, which will
combine retail, ware-
housing and logistics fa-
cilities at Jebel Ali Free
Trade Zone in Dubai,
was laid during a vir-
tual ceremony by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi
and the UAE Vice Presi-
dent, Mohamed bin
Rashid Al Maktoum, on
Wednesday.
WORLD TODAY NEEDS CLEAN,
TRANSPARENT GOVT, SAYS MODI
rime Minister Narendra Modi, address-
ing at the World Government Summit in
Dubai, highlighted the importance of clean
and transparent governance as a crucial factor in
addressing the challenges faced by governments
worldwide. During his address, Prime Minister Modi
also acknowledged the dynamic leadership of UAE
President Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed, describ-
ing him as a leader with vision and resolve. “Now
the world needs a smart government, which makes
technology a government medium, which is transpar-
ent and not corrupt,” PM Modi said.
P
Govt of UAE
President
has fulfilled
a bis wish of
crores of India with a
large heart. Not just
here, they have won
hearts of 140 crore
Indians. This is a
symbol of global
unity and harmony
for the entire world.
NARENDRA MODI, PM
IAMADEVOTEEOF
MAABHARTI:MODI
First India Bureau
Abu Dhabi/Dubai
The sprawling BAPS
Swaminarayan Mandir in
Abu Dhabi, the city’s first
Hindu temple, was inau-
gurated by Prime Minis-
ter Narendra Modi on
Wednesday. The temple
will open to the public on
March 1. During the in-
auguration, PM Modi in-
scribes “Vasudhaiv Ku-
tumbakam” on stone us-
ing hammer and chisel at
first Hindu stone temple.
“This temple will rep-
resent world unity. I can’t
thank the UAE govern-
ment enough for the
grand temple. The big-
gest contribution is from
my brother MBZ. Presi-
dent of UAE’s govt has
fulfilled the dream of
crores of Indians and won
the hearts of 140 crore
indians. From the idea to
execution, I was involved
and I feel privileged for
that,” PM Modi in ad-
dress after inauguration.
After concluding
the UAE visit, PM Modi
emplaned for Qatar
on Wednesday night

RAJ’S MARVELLOUS MINES
Gold Mines to be auctioned for the first time
Nirmal Tiwari
Jaipur
nder the leader-
ship of Chief
Minister and
Minister of Mines and
Geology Department,
Bhajan Lal Sharma, the
Mining Department of
Rajasthan is set to create
history. The department
is preparing for the auc-
tion of the state’s first
gold mines in Bhukia
Jagpura, Banswara.
After completing the
necessary formalities for
the e-auction of two gold
mines, the auction tender
will be launched on the
Government of India’s e-
portal in about a month.
The new government
formed under the guid-
ance of CM Bhajan Lal
Sharma took effective
action against the mining
mafia by running a state-
wide campaign against
illegal mining activities.
The auction process of
major and minor blocks
and RCC ERCC con-
tracts has started.
Mines SecretaryAnan-
di said there are huge
gold reserves in the 14
sq.km area of Bhukia-
Jagpura of Ghatol tehsil
of Banswara.
According to a rough
estimate by the Mines
and Geology Department
of State Government,
during the mining of gold
ore here, more than 1.74
lakh tonnes of copper,
more than 9,700 tonnes
of nickel and more than
13,500 tonnes of cobalt
mineral will be obtained.
Both the blocks are being
finalised for auction by
the state government’s
Rajasthan State Mineral
Exploration Trust, for-
mally known as RSMET.
The auction of new
iron ore deposits
including Karauli
Iron and Mineral
Deposit blocks will
also create new
opportunities for
massive industrial
development and
employment
in Rajasthan
U
RAJASTHAN 04
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Promoted by
Rays Power Infra Limited
Onemorereligiousconversion
event:‘ChangeziSabha’stopped
Ravi Katara
Bharatpur
Another case of attempt
of mass religious conver-
sion has been revealed in
Bharatpur. The conver-
sion was taking place in
a house in village Pipla in
Chiksana police station
area and several people
were given certificates.
The district President of
Vishva Hindu Parishad
brought this matter to
light.A‘Changezi Sabha’
was being conducted in
the house and documents
related to money transac-
tions and certificates
were recovered. The
middlemen are given ten
thousand rupees for reli-
gious conversion.
In a recent incident, a
case of alleged religious
conversion surfaced
within Atal Bandh police
station area of Bharatpur.
The gathering was said to
include more than 500
women and children. The
VHP activists managed
to apprehend over 10 in-
dividuals.
CRIME
ROUNDUP
Embers of religious
conversion events in
Bharatpur smolder
for 3rd day in the row
Alwar triple murder case: Police
nabs jilted lover as prime accused
Ashvini Yadav
Alwar
Police have solved the
Alwar’s triple murder
case and have arrested
the accused. The shock-
ing crime had come to
light in the city’s Vaisha-
li Nagar police station
area and the police have
arrested the main ac-
cused Israel (45).
SP Anand Sharma in-
formed that information
of three bodies dumped
in a well was received on
February 12 upon which
the cops had reached and
had registered a case.
He informed that dur-
ing investigation it was
revealed that accused Is-
rael was in a relationship
with the victim and she
used to live in a rented
house in transport nagar.
On Feb 5th he made all
three of them drink a cold
drink in which a drug
was mixed. After that he
killed them by strangu-
lating their neck.
Murder-suicide in
Kota: Husband slits
wife’s throat, jumps
before moving train
Nagar orders to
end deputations
in energy dept
First India Bureau
Kota
Aman murdered his wife
by slicing her throat. Af-
ter the murder, the hus-
band fled the scene and
later committed Suicide.
According to reports, a
man’s body was discov-
ered completely disfig-
ured on a railway track
near Bhamashah Mandi,
some distance away.
The authorities are as-
suming that after murder-
ing his wife, a man
named Kailash Mogiya
committed suicide by
jumping in front of a
train. It is being said that
thethe husband and wife
had a fight last night.Ac-
cording to the authorities,
the husband allegedly
had suspicions about the
fidelity of his wife.
In the morning, the
husband brutally at-
tacked his wife, Rinku
with a sharp weapon and
killed her, after which he
fled the scene. The police
are making steps to iden-
tify the body found on
the railway track.
Vikas Sharma
Jaipur
The process of deputa-
tion from Energy Depart-
ment has come to an end
after the orders from En-
ergy Minister Hiralal Na-
gar. The Deputy Govern-
ment Secretary of the
department, RK Sharma
wrote the letter.
The exemption is giv-
en to the deputation in
Rajasthan Renewable
Energy Corporation.
Apart from this, instruc-
tions were given to recall
all personnel on deputa-
tion back to their original
posts from Wednesday.
ACB NABS OFFICIAL
WITH `7,000 BRIBE
Ajmer: Sunil
Kumar Jain, As-
sistant Administra-
tive Officer,
Office Joint
Director, State
Insurance
and Provident
Fund, Ajmer,
received
was arrested for accept-
ing a bribe of Rs 7,000.
The complainant filed a
complaint with the ACB’s
Ajmer unit, alleging that
Sunil Jain wanted Rs
8,000 in lieu of paying his
GPF dues.
MAN ABDUCTED AND
LOOTED IN KALWAR
A young man was
kidnapped, beaten,
and robbed near
the Kaalwad police sta-
tion. A case has been
opened at the police
station in response to
victim Bobby’s complaint.
He was kidnapped by
four men in a car. The
accused youths used
victim’s phone to force-
fully transfer 37 thou-
sand rupees online. The
miscreants fled, leaving
Bobby on road. Now
Kalwad police station is
looking for miscreants.
THIEVES TARGETTING
TEMPLES FOR PROFIT
Jaipur/Bhilwara:
Thieves invaded
a Jain temple
in the Sanganer Sadar
neighborhood. Thieves
breached the locks and
stole the idol, chhatra,
and other belongings. On
the other side, in Bhil-
wara’s Phoolia Kalan, the
police patrolling system
discovered a theft in Dha-
nop village. A store, Balaji
Temple, Sagasji, and Ma-
hadev Temple were all
targeted, and cash and
silver jewelry were stolen
from the donation box.
Woman dies by suicide along
with minor daughter and son
First India Bureau
Balotra
Two children and their
mother drowned in a wa-
ter tank in Rajasthan’s
Balotra district after the
woman jumped into it
along with them, police
said on Wednesday.
The incident took
place in Valu village of
the district on Tuesday
evening, Samdari SHO
Mahesh Goyal said. Na-
khat Kanwar (35) alleg-
edly jumped into the
tank along with her
daughter Pooja Kanwar
(9) & Jog Singh (7), Go-
yal said. Kanwar’s hus-
band was out working in
the field when she took
the extreme step, he said.
Preliminary investiga-
tion revealed that she was
mentally un- stable,
however
the exact
c a u s e
behind her extreme step
will be ascertained only
after further probe, the
SHO said. He added that
the bodies were handed
over to the relatives after
a post-mortem on
Wednesday.
Panchayat & urban body
By-Elections postponed
First India Bureau
Jaipur
The by-elections of the
Panchayati Raj institu-
tions and urban bodies
have been postponed due
to the possibilities of an-
nouncement of lok sabha
polls. Earlier by-elec-
tions were announced to
be conducted by March
11 on 434 vacant posts in
Panchayati Raj institu-
tions and on 20 posts in
urban bodies.
But in the meanwhile
Indian election commis-
sion issued a fresh elec-
tion planner for Lok
Sabha polls 2024 and
under this planner, all
election related activities
were planned to be or-
ganised between Febru-
ary 11, 2024 to March 14,
2024 and at the same
time, district election of-
ficers too had already
sent information about
their busy work schedule.
The election commis-
sion may soon impose a
model of code of conduct
for Lok Sabha polls.
Courtesy Meeting
Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra with his Jharkhand counterpart, Governor C.P. Radhakrishnan
on a courtesy visit at the Raj Bhavan in Jaipur on Wednesday. Radhakrishnan presenting a floral
arrangement to Mishra on the occasion.
CommissionerJoseph
hearsgrievancesduring
JansunwaiatKardhani
First India Bureau
Jaipur
Jaipur Police Commis-
sioner Biju George Jo-
seph held a public hear-
ing at Kardhani police
station on Wednesday
and heard the grievances
of the complainants. He
gave instructions to re-
solve complaints on spot.
During this,Additional
Police Commissioner
Kailash Chandra Vishnoi
and other officials were
present. Joseph said that
due to this positive initia-
tive, confidence among
general public. The Com-
missioner said that. Ear-
lier, the Commissioner
gave relief to hundreds of
complainants by holding
public hearings in Jaipur
(South) Shiprapath, and
Jaipur (East) Kanota po-
lice stations. He said that
in the coming days, the
public hearing will be
held in the circle areas of
the remaining (North)
district.
During Jansunwai,
there were
complaints of family
and land disputes,
possession of houses,
slow action in POCSO
cases, illegal tenants,
double lease of land,
illegal possession,
theft, assault, threats
and others in the area
BJP Mahila morcha burn
Mamata's effigy in protest
First India Bureau
Jaipur
In protest of the rape and
atrocities against Hindu
women in Sandeshkhali
(Wasirhat), West Bengal,
the BJP Mahila Morcha
burned Mamata Baner-
jee’s effigy in Chhoti
Chaupar in Jaipur today.
Pooja Kapil Mishra,
NationalVicePresidentof
the Bhartiya Janta Party’s
Mahila Morcha and West
Bengal in-charge, stated
that wives are being taken
away from their houses in
front of their husbands,
and TMC goons are per-
petratingatrocitiesagainst
Hinduwomen.Thevictim
Hindu women are held
hostage and exploited.
However, Mamata ad-
ministration does not take
action. When BJP Mahila
Morcha raises its voices,
the government brutually
imprisons them.
Members of BJP’s Mahila Morcha, burning the poster of Mamta
Banerjee in Jaipur on Wednesday. SANTOSH SHARMA
Dy CM Bairwa emphasizes
youth’s role in road safety
Vinod Singh Chouhan
Jaipur
Deputy chief minister
Prem Chand Bairwa on
Wednesday said that road
safety is such a task that
saves not an individual
but a family. He said that
participation of youth in
important work like road
safety is important. “If a
young man dies in a road
accident, his entire fam-
ily is devastated,” he said
while talking to reporters
at the culmination of the
Road Safety month.
“We have to work with
innovations so that road
accidents can be reduced.
The first duty of every
person is to help the in-
jured in a road accident,”
he said. The Deputy CM
also appealed to wear the
helmet on the head and
not in the hand while
driving.
“We will teach road
safety lessons in schools
and colleges and will
give information about
road safety to the youth
by organizing a camp
once a month,” he said.
Dr Prem Chand Bairwa at auditorium of State Institute of
Agriculture Management in Jaipur on Wednesday. Sreya Guha,
Nathmal Didel, Dr Manisha Arora, Nidhi Singh, Hawa Singh
Ghumariya and others were also present.
Transport department sent 100 names for felicita-
tion on the culmination of road safety month. How-
ever, Deputy CM and transport minister Dr. Prem
Chand Bairwa expressed his displeasure and made the
list shorter. There were about 100 persons who were to be
honored but Bairwa expressed displeasure over such a big
list and gave approval to selected people. Many certificates
with such names written on them remained unused.
Bairwa curtails felicitation list with 100 names

Rajendra Chhabra
Jaipur
hetransferlistof
IAS officers has
again surprised
everyone. Despite all the
speculations and discus-
sions, there has been no
change in the entire Fi-
nance Department. ACS
AkhilArora and his entire
team is continuing at the
same place.Alok has been
brought back to Jaipur to
take charge of the Energy
department.Heisanexpe-
rienced officer of this sec-
tor. In RIICO, the old gov-
ernment’sfavoriteofficers
have been removed from
posts of MD and ED.
For the first time, the
ACS of the Transport de-
partment has been given
the big responsibility of
CMD of Roadways.
The previous govern-
ment has been criticized
the most for its financial
mismanagement. The ma-
jor complaint was that the
outgoing government had
emptied the treasury by
incurring unnecessary ex-
penditure to garner votes
and the responsibility of
refillingtheemptytreasury
has again been handed
over toAkhilArora.
It is clear that despite
several weeks of search-
ing, the option of Akhil
Arora has not been found
among the available offic-
ers to handle the financial
management and bring
the financial situation
back on track.
Along with hard work
and ability,AkhilArora is
a result-oriented officer.
Holding the charge of fi-
nance for a long time in
the previous government,
Akhil Arora has gained a
lot of experience in re-
source mobilization and
financial management.
With this background,
the new government has
also taken a big decision
by handing over the keys
of the treasury to Akhil
Arora.Butthisconfidence
in the new government is
also a big challenge for
AkhilArora. His team has
also been left under him.
In such a situation, it is
natural to have high hopes
from this energetic officer
to refill the empty treas-
ury. He is an outstanding
officer and a silent per-
former who is known for
his delivery and result ori-
entation. Apart from fi-
nance, the energy sector
has also been destroyed in
the previous government.
To bring the situation un-
der control again, senior
ACS level officer Alok
has been brought back to
Jaipur and given the com-
mand of the Energy de-
partment. He has already
seen the work of Vidyut
Bhavan. He has also been
in Power Ministry in Del-
hi. His image is that of a
hard-core taskmaster and
result-oriented officer.
DineshKumarhasbeen
elevated after a long gap.
Hehasgottheresponsibil-
ity of a big and important
department like Revenue.
Aparna Arora’s change
was long due. After the
change,shehasagainbeen
assigned an equally big
department of Forest. A
strong team has been
formed in RIICO by ap-
pointing a talented and
clean image MD like Su-
shma Arora along with
Chairman Ajitabh Shar-
ma.Itcanbeexpectedthat
RIICO, which had de-
railed during the previous
government, will now
come back on track.
Justice is not being done
toNaveenMahajanevenin
the new government. Re-
movinghimfromOTSand
putting him in Ware Hous-
ing Board embodies the
idiomof‘Fellfromthesky,
got stuck in a date palm’.
ThechangeofAnshdeepin
Excise in place of Om Ka-
sera is beyond comprehen-
sion. Similarly, reason for
removing Inderjeet Singh
from IT is being sought. It
was certain that Nathmal
Didel would be removed
from Roadways but Man-
isha Arora not being re-
moved asTransport Com-
missioner is a matter of
surprise. The outgoing
government had appoint-
ed Manisha to this post a
day before implementa-
tion of code of conduct.
It is said that Kumar
Pal Gautam was removed
from responsible posts of
Excise Commissioner
within 11 months and
Housing Board Commis-
sioner within 5 months
due to complaints. Now
he has been pushed to the
margins. Shikhar Agraw-
al has been further
strengthened by giving
the additional charge of
Chairman of Pollution
Control Board and Civil
Aviation while being in
the CMO.
Similarly, the status of
CMO’s other officer Alok
Gupta has been enhanced
by handing over the com-
mand of RREC and DPR.
The responsibility of DPR
is challenging. Hemant
Gera’s case has become
very unique.
Despite his long in-
nings,insteadofremoving
himfromDoP,hehasbeen
given addl responsibility
of OTS. This is being
considered an injustice
to Gera. Now it is certain
that Rajeshwar Singh
will retire from Ajmer
after 5 months in July. It
is believed that any re-
shuffle of IAS officers
before Lok Sabha polls
has now been stopped.
First India Bureau
Jaipur
PrincipalSecretaryofCM
IAS Alok Gupta has been
given an additional re-
sponsibilityalongwithhis
current responsibilities.
He will also be doing the
important task of the pub-
licity of the state govern-
ment after he was given
additional charge of Prin-
cipal Secretary of DIPR.
Till now this responsibil-
ity was with IAS Samit
Sharma.
It’s been only ten days
that this 1996 bath officer
who originally hails from
Alwar was shifted from
the energy department to
be made CM’s principal
secretaryandisknownfor
his administrative skills.
Before energy depart-
ment, he was principal
secretary of GAD. In the
IAS transfer list which
was issued on Tuesday
night he was also given
additionalchargeofchair-
man of renewable energy
corporation.
It’s been a coincidence
that while Alok Gupta
came to CMO from the
energy department, the
responsibility of which
has now been given to an-
otherIASAlok.Anofficer
of 1973 batch Alok was
given the responsibility as
Principal resident com-
missionerinDelhiafterhe
returned from his 3 year
long central deputation .
He has now been made
ACS energy.
While there were spec-
ulations that he might be
given posting in the de-
partment of finance, this
has not happened.
Transfer of IAS officers springs surprise again
T
RAJASTHAN 05
www.firstindia.co.in firstindia.co.in/epapers/jaipur thefirstindia thefirstindia thefirstindia
First India Bureau
Jaipur
The Directorate of En-
forcement (ED) on
Wednesday conducted
raids over a dozen loca-
tions in State in connec-
tion with its probe into a
moneylaunderinginvesti-
gationlinkedtoanalleged
illegal mining case.
The searches are under-
way in Jaipur, Udaipur
and Nagaur as part of the
money laundering case
linked to irregularities in
the mining sector in the
state,sourcessaid,adding,
that the agency sleuths
conducted the raids under
the provisions of the Pre-
vention of Money Laun-
dering Act (PMLA).
Actionwastakenonthe
premises of mining busi-
nessman Meghraj Singh.
Raid were also held on
Bais Godam and Vaishali
Nagarlocations.Theraids
were conducted a month
after the new BJP govt in
Rajasthan launched a ma-
jor drive against illegal
mining activities by con-
ducting surveys through
drones, wherever needed,
to put a curb on sources of
such activities. The high-
est number of 75 illegal
cases have been detected
inBhilwaradistrict,where
revenue authorities have
been alerted.
As per officials, Ra-
jasthan has as many as 81
varieties of minerals in its
land, out of which 57 are
being commercially ex-
ploited. The state has the
highest number of mining
leases, while the govt has
been taking measures to
curbunlicensedandillegal
mining by using remote
sensing data.
Propertiesbeingraidedin
Jaipur,UdaipurNagaur
Action at premises of mining bizman Meghraj
ED team reached Riyambadi to conduct raid in Nagaur district on Wednesday.
Illegal mining case DilawarwelcomesmoveofRajHC
dismissingpleaonSuryaNamaskar
Kamal Kant
Jaipur
While hearing a petition
filed challenging the de-
cision of making Surya
Namaskar mandatory in
schools across the state,
Rajasthan High court
quashed the petition or-
dering that the petitioner
was not a registered or-
ganization. Petitioner’s
advocate Kashif Zuberi
that two petitions had
been filed in the High
Court and the one filed by
Rajasthan Muslim Forum
was rejected while the
one filed by AIMIM was
accepted and will be
heard on February 20.
Edu Min Madan Dila-
war while welcoming the
court order said that Lord
Surya will be worshipped
on Surya Saptami and we
all will do Surya Nam-
askar. He said that a few
people were creating ob-
struction and their point
was not accepted by the
court. He said that oppo-
sition by some people in
a population of 7 crore
was negligible and we are
not worried about them.
He sarcastically said that
the people who are op-
posing this might not be
taking sunlight and said
that it was an exercise.
MUSLIM STUDENTS MAY GO TO THE SCHOOL BUT
SHOULDN’T DO SURYA NAMASKAR: MUSLIM FORUM
Jaipur: Rajasthan Muslim Forum conducted
a press conference and said that the Muslim
students shouldn’t do Surya Namaskar and
said that they should go to school but should not get
involved in this process . The forum also made an
appeal to the parents that they should not send their
kids to school and if they are sent then should be
kept away from Surya Namaskar. Ziauddin Khan
Discoms to get
`783 crore after
Appellate decision
Surya Namaskar will
be performed across
schools in Raj today
Vikas Sharma
Jaipur
Electricity discoms have
won a 7 year long battle
against railways inAppel-
late Tribunal for Electric-
ity (APTEL). In its order,
APTELrejected railway’s
claim of “Deemed Licen-
see”. As a result, sur-
charge will be applicable
onopenaccesspowerpur-
chase of Railways.
After the order, officers
of all 3 electricity compa-
nies of State became ac-
tive Jaipur Discom alone
estimated recovery of Rs
783 crore from Railways.
After calculation of Jodh-
pur-Ajmer Discom, a de-
mand note will be issued
to Railways. With this,
addl surcharge- cross sub-
sidy which was closed for
seven years will be recov-
ered from the railway.
In 2017, the railway
hadtakenadecisionwhile
considering itself a
deemed licensee.
Quality infrastructure in RIICO to
be created, says Sushma Arora
Alok Tripathi
appointed as
VC of Sardar
Patel University
BJPmeetingofLokSabhaconveners,in-charges
Sushma Arora takes charge as RIICO MD
First India Bureau
Jaipur
Sushma Arora, IAS, as-
sumed charge of Manag-
ing Director, RIICO on
Wednesday at the RIICO
Hqs, Udyog Bhawan.
Along with this, Arora
also assumed the charge
of Commissioner, Delhi-
Mumbai Industrial Cor-
ridor, Jaipur. IAS officer
Sushma Arora holds sev-
eral important posts in the
state govt and has served
in various depts.
Arora is the IAS officer
from the 2008 batch. Af-
ter assuming the charge,
she took a meeting with
the senior officials of
RIICO and discussed the
working methods aligned
with the government’s
priorities. While address-
ing she said that more and
more industrial areas
should be developed in
the state to allow maxi-
mum investment in the
state and new employ-
ment opportunities. Qual-
ity infrastructure in RII-
CO is to be created in the
industrial zones for the
entrepreneurs.
Aishwary Pradhan
Jaipur
Dr Alok Tripathi has
been appointed Vice
Chancellor of the
Sardar Patel Police
SecurityandCriminal
Justice University in
Jodhpur.
Kalraj Mishra,
Governor and Chan-
cellor, has issued in-
structions appointing
retired Indian Police
Service
officer
DrAlok
Tripathi
as Vice
C h a n -
cellor of
the Sardar Patel Po-
lice Security and
Criminal Justice Uni-
versity in Jodhpur.
Mishra has made
thisappointmentafter
consulting with the
state administra-
tion. According to
the order issued by
Governor Kalraj
Mishra, Dr Alok
Tripathi has been
appointed for three
years from the date
of assumption of duty
or until he reaches the
age of 70, whichever
comes first.
First India Bureau
Jaipur
The action plan of the
programs to be organized
in the Lok Sabha constitu-
encies in the coming days
was discussed in detail in
the meeting of the Lok
Sabha Convener, Lok
Sabha in-charge and co-
in-charges at the BJP of-
fice here.
Three organizational
marathon meetings were
held under the leadership
of BJP National General
Secretary Sunil Bansal.
Along with this, a
meeting was organized
regarding the “Benefi-
ciary Contact Campaign”
in which the outline of
this campaign which
would run from 25 Febru-
ary to 5 March was pre-
pared. BJPstate president
CP Joshi said that under
the beneficiary contact
campaign, all the benefi-
ciaries of the central gov-
ernment schemes will be
contacted door-to-door.
During this, they will be
given information regard-
ing the problems they are
facing in availing the ben-
efits of any scheme and
they will be given a leaf-
let.Last week, a ‘Gaon
Chalo’ campaign was
launched by the BJP, in
which the problems of the
villagers were heard and a
dialogue was also held
with the beneficiaries of
PM Modi’s public wel-
fare schemes.
In the meeting of the
coordinators and co-con-
venors of Atal Samvad
Kendra, Sunil Bansal ex-
plained in detail to the
state team about the up-
coming action plan and
how to implement it.
Sushma Arora after assuming
office as the MD of RIICO in
Jaipur on Wednesday.
Sunil Bansal, CP Joshi, Alka Gurjar during the meeting in Jaipur
on Wednesday. PC Bairwa, Narayan Panchariya, Satish Poonia,
Rajyavardhan Rathore, Motilal Meena, Mukesh Dadheech, Dr
Somya along with convenors, in-charges and co-in-charges of
Lok Sabha were present during the meeting.
Operation Vayu Shakti
Echo of explosions thundered the Pokaran firing range in Jaisalmer as the fighter
jets including Rafale, Sukhoi showed their strength during Operation Vayu Shakti on
Wednesday. The main event of the drill will be held on February 17.
Alok Gupta gets responsibility of publicity of govt
ACSPWDSANDEEPVERMA
GETSRESPONSIBILITYOF
RAJASTHANSTATE
HIGHWAYAUTHORITY
Senior IAS ,
Additional Chief
Secretary ( ACS)
PWD Sandeep Verma has
been given
one more big
responsibil-
ity and has
been made
the Chair-
man of Raj-
asthan State Highway Au-
thority. He took the charge
of the post after the state
government issued the or-
der after getting approval
of deputy Chief Minister
Diya Kumari.
Om Adityaya Namah!
Surya Namaskar of new Ra-
jasthan. Complete information
regarding organizing Surya Namaskar
in government and private schools on
15 February 2024, the auspicious day
of Surya Saptami, dedicated to Sun
worship.
Madan Dilawar
@madandilawar
Edu Min Madan Dilawar tweeted a video messgae on Wednesday.
LISTHASCLEARSTAMPOFCSSUDHANSHPANT
It appears that for the first time most of the
postings have been done on seniority-cum-
merit basis and no political
influence is visible. In this way, the list
has a clear stamp of CS Sudhansh
Pant, who must have done lot of home
work, before it had gone to CM Bhajan
Lal Sharma for final approval. The CM
is believed to follow the basic concept
of ‘complete dedication with complete trust’ (mainly
Sudhansh Pant and Shikhar Agrawal).

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 Vol 5  Issue No. 250  RNI NO. RAJENG/2019/77764. Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar Printing Press, D.B. Corp Limited, Shivdaspura, Tonk Road, Jaipur. Published at 304, 3rd Floor,
City Mall, Bhagwan Das Road, C-Scheme, Jaipur-302001, Rajasthan. Phone 0141-4920504.  Editor-In-Chief: Dr Jagdeesh Chandra  Managing Editor: Pawan Arora  Editor: Anita Hada Sangwan responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act
PERSPECT VE 06
Jaipur, Thursday | February 15, 2024 www.firstindia.co.in firstindia.co.in/epapers/jaipur thefirstindia thefirstindia thefirstindia
‘MODI HAI TO MUMKIN HAI…’ UNTOLD STORIES OF PM MODI — PART 72
NaMo
UNMATCHED
PRECISION IN
GOVERNANCE
The narrator shared instances from inspections where Modi’s precise observations were validated, underscoring his
meticulous attention to detail. Additionally, they highlighted Modi ji’s steadfast focus, impervious to distractions, along with
his adeptness at information gathering to enhance his decision-making prowess, among various other impressive qualities.
y job was to oversee the
interior decoration of CM
Narendra Modi’s guest
house. The flooring work was go-
ing on in the large hall of the facil-
ity.Alotofdebriswaslyingaround
in the place as work was on. They
included rods, cement, tiles, pipes
andbricksstrewnhaphazardly.For
work on electric connection, 8-10
switchboards were carved and
placed on the side. The switch-
boards should be at the same level
across the guest house and any de-
viation in the uniformity of their
size and placement won’t look
good. I was ensuring the same.
One day the chief minister
walked into the place incidentally.
He casually asked me if the holes
for the electric boards were done,
andIreplied,yes.Thenheconduct-
edadetailedinspectionofthework.
In a while he
calledout‘Mukund
Lal’, the name by
whichheaddressed
meaffectionately.I
rushed to him and
hepointedtoahole
and said, see, this
placement is three
inches above the
rest. He then
moved ahead and
pointed at another
switchboard and
said, this one is an
inchandahalfbe-
low the rest. This way, he showed
me quite a few board placements
which didn’t seem uniform to him.
I told him it was my profession to
ensure everything was in place and
he need not worry himself with
suchsmallthings.Oncetheflooring
wasdone,Iwouldtakealltheexact
measurements and show them to
him.Theywouldallbeuniform.To
this he said, okay, so show me the
measurements then.
You won’t believe, that when
the flooring was done and the final
measurements were taken, the dis-
crepancies he had pointed out dur-
ing the inspection, came exactly
true. I was astounded by his atten-
tion to detail.
t was the time of the
Lehman Brothers melt-
down and the subse-
quent global economic down-
turn.All the committee members
of the Chamber came together on
this for a discussion, especially
at the Vibrant Gujarat summit of
that year. The Summit was a
global event, where investors not
only from India but from across
the world were supposed to
come and invest in the state.
The concern was, in times of
such global meltdown, was it
the right time to hold the event
and expect investments? The
world was witnessing a slow-
down of such a magnitude for
the first time after 1930. All the
industries were working to not
even half of their capacity. Who
would invest in such a trying
situation?
Everyone in the Chamber
meeting thought that the time
was not conducive at all to hold
such a mega business event like
the Vibrant Gujarat Summit. So
we decided to take our concern
to Chief Minister Narendra
Modi and request him to post-
pone the event to the next year.
As we did so, the CM stopped
us midway and said, come what
may, Vibrant Gujarat is happen-
ing. The event will be success-
ful and investments will come
for sure. He followed his state-
ment with a few lines of a poem,
which I still remember. He said,
‘Mana ki Andhra ghana hai, le-
kin kaun kehta hai diya jalana
mana hai’ (maybe the darkness
is deep, but who said the lamp
can’t be lit). Immediately, the
mood of all the committee
members changed. We instantly
felt he was right. How can we
expect results if we don’t act?
We all yoked ourselves to very
hard work to make the event a
success even in those difficult
times. Eventually, it became a
very successful event and broke
all previous investment records
in the state. 2009 Vibrant Guja-
rat Summit recorded the high-
est-ever investments. Such was
the conviction and resolve of
Modi ji that no one could dis-
tract him.
his is a small example of
Narendra Modi’s ability
to gather information to
strengthen his knowledge base
which helped in his decision-mak-
ing process. I was serving as the
collector of the Mehsana district at
that time. The repair and renova-
tion work of Becharaji temple
there was taken up around the
same time.
However, when the first rains
came, there was some leakage
found in the temple through its
roof as water started dripping in. I
got a call from Modi ji’s office the
same night itself. Queries were
raised as to how there could be
leakage in a temple that was so
freshly renovated. I was surprised
that even being in the district and
leading it, I was till that time una-
ware of this problem at the temple,
while the CM, sitting in
Ahmedabad, amid all his busy-
ness, was fully informed of what
was happening far away in
Mehsana. Later we were told by
the engineers that the joints con-
solidated after the first rains and
this was normal. From next time,
the leakage stopped.
What I came to realise after this
incident was that Modi ji’s infor-
mation network and people con-
nect was so strong that he had
every smallest detail of the hap-
peningsinthestateathisfingertips
24/7. The habit still persists with
him. Despite being at the top post,
he keeps close track of everything
that is happening in any corner of
the country, even the smallest
problems of the last man in the
row. This impeccable tab on
knowledge helps in his decision-
making and fram-
ing his policies
that are so people-
centric and effec-
tive in addressing
problems with
precision, be it ex-
tending help to the
poor to efficiently
managing natural
calamities. Despite
the height of his
success and
achievement, his
earisalwaystothe
ground.
Narendra Modi ji’s attention
to details is impeccable
PM Narendra Modi’s
ear to the ground
Modi’s steely resolve, thumping
success of Vibrant Gujarat
M
T
I
Mukund Joshi,
Gujarat
Raj Kumar Beniwal,
Officer, Gujarat
Rupesh Shah, Former Prez, Gujarat
Chamber of Commerce Industry
arendra Modi’s leader-
ship is marked by his
ability to think beyond
the ordinary. At a time
when Gujarat was aspiring to be a
power surplus state and alternative
energy sources were limited in In-
dia, he established Asia’s largest
solar park in Charanka, Gujarat.
Through this project on barren
land near the international border,
his goals were several, including
making Gujarat a solar power
hub, uplifting an underdeveloped
region, curbing migration for em-
ployment, and even addressing
national security concerns.
Charanka is in the far corner of
Rann and no one went there even
in the day, so isolated and far off
it was. It was Modi ji who first
thought of a solar park there.
Years ago, when he first pitched
the idea of a solar park, we were
amused and asked him what the
hell was it. He said it is a system
in which power is produced by
using sunlight.
At that time we had very little
and vague idea of what solar pow-
er is and deep inside, no one was
willing to believe that such a solar
park could be materialised. The
Congress even lodged a strong
protest, saying it was only an elec-
tion stunt and power can’t be pro-
duced from sunlight.
Ultimately, Modi ji’s convic-
tion led to the fruition of this
dream. Charanka saw the setting
up of the largest solar park in the
whole of Asia. The whole region
was transformed once the project
came up. Modi ji was not only
instrumental in its success but
also laid out the design and plan-
ning of every nook and corner of
the whole system. Such was his
involvement and interest in the
programme.
Thus with one stroke of his vi-
sion, he served several purposes
— i.e. improving the living stand-
ard of the people, promoting busi-
nesses in the region, securing the
borders and solving the power
requirements.
PERSPECT VE 04
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‘MODI HAI TO MUMKIN HAI…’ UNTOLD STORIES OF PM MODI — PART 71
The transformation of
Kashi, the Modi way
hen it was an-
nounced that
Modi ji would
contest polls
from Varanasi, he came here
on his first visit to the Kashi
Vishwanath temple and paid
his obeisance. While coming
out of the temple, he said, the
one who is the lord of the
world — Vishwanath — liv-
ing in such claustrophobic
condition, is a pitiable sight.
When the time of action
came, Modi ji gave clear in-
structions to come up with an
architecture that was com-
mensurate with the spiritual
and religious vibes of the
place. He said devotees had a
hard time visiting the place
andthedesignofthepathways
and access roads and entry
points must be redrawn in a
way that they are not incon-
venienced in any way while
visiting the abode of the lord.
Diesel boats were running
all across the Ganges in Vara-
nasi to ferry devotees and
tourists to the ghats and tem-
ples. This caught Modi ji’s
attention and he suggested all
boats should be run on clean
fuel like CNG to stop pollu-
tion caused by the black
smoke of age-old diesel-run
boats. This step instantly
cleared the air of Varanasi,
reducing pollution levels to a
major extent.
Most importantly, Modi ji
had clearly instructed us that
the transformation of Kashi
had to be done only after tak-
ing the people into confi-
dence. His buzz words were
cooperation and not coercion,
coordination and not conflict.
Also, Modi ji told us at the
outset that whoever was be-
ing displaced to make way
for the temple or ghat rejuve-
nation must be compensated
adequately. Interestingly, by
the time the project came to
an end, there was no pending
application to disperse the
compensation amount. This
transparency and profession-
alism instilled faith and con-
fidence in the people.
It was also our task to en-
sure that the heritage was not
tampered with, especially the
ancient temples on the way
to the main temple. They had
to be decorated and beauti-
fied, and restored where
needed, but the original
structure and location had to
remain intact. Special light-
ing has been put in place ac-
cording to the PM’s instruc-
tions so that the temples look
grand at night in the play of
light and shade.
Modi ji’s dream was to get
the water of the Ganges to
meet LordVishwanath.Asys-
tem of mechanised showers
has been put in place which
ensures a perennial and auto-
mated supply of water
from the holy river
over Vishwanath at
the temple’s ‘Garbha
Griha’. It is a neat and
smart way of observing
an important ritual.
Also, for the first
time, spic and span tour-
ist facilitation centres have
been established at crucial
points for proper crowd man-
agement as well as ease of
visit for devotees. These cen-
tres have clean toilets and
washrooms, lockers, chang-
ing rooms, token and tick-
eting systems and nice food
and clean water on offer.
The transformation of
Kashi didn’t just change the
outlook and experience of the
people of Kashi but also pre-
sented a different picture to
the world. From the dirty nar-
row streets shadowed by
hanging jumble of wires
and crowded ill-main-
tained ghats today it has
changed into a clean,
green organised tem-
ple city in line with best
tourist management
practices followed
anywhereintheworld.
Baba Vishwanath
Dham now stands out
as a template to be
imbibed to trans-
form other places
of religious sig-
nificance into
such epitomes of
spirituality and
devotion.
W
‘VISHWAGURU’
MODI’SVISHWANATH
CONNECTION!
COMPILED AND EDITED BY
SHASHIKANT SHARMA
You read PART 70 on
FEBRUARY 1, 2024
Reflecting on the announcement of Modi ji’s candidacy in Varanasi, the narrators
recount his inaugural visit to the Kashi Vishwanath temple, where he paid homage.
Exiting the temple, Modi ji remarked on the cramped conditions of Vishwanath’s
abode, showcasing his visionary leadership that transcends the ordinary.
N
Shankar Chaudhary
Speaker, Gujarat Legislative Assembly
Yogi Adityanath
CM, Uttar Pradesh
Prof Chandramauli
Upadhyay
Member, Shri Kashi
Vishwanath Mandir
Nyay Parishad
Sunil Verma
CEO, Shri Kashi Vishwanath
Mandir Nyay Parishad
SK Prajapati
Project Manager, Shri
Kashi Vishwanath Dham
Deepak Agrawal
Divisional Commissioner
Varanasi
Bimal Patel
Architect, Shri
Kashi Vishwanath Dham
Success story of Charanka Modi magic
 Vol 5  Issue No. 243  RNI NO. RAJENG/2019/77764. Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar Printing Press, D.B. Corp Limited, Shivdaspura, Tonk Road, Jaipur. Published at 304, 3rd Floor,
City Mall, Bhagwan Das Road, C-Scheme, Jaipur-302001, Rajasthan. Phone 0141-4920504.  Editor-In-Chief: Dr Jagdeesh Chandra  Managing Editor: Pawan Arora  Editor: Anita Hada Sangwan responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act
You read PART 71
on FEBRUARY 8, 2024
COMPILED AND EDITED BY
SHASHIKANT SHARMA

Jaipur, Thursday | February 15, 2024 07

SUN
SALUTATION
STEP-BY-STEP
PRANAMASANA
Begin at the edge of
your mat with feet
together, distributing
weight evenly. Expand
your chest, relax
shoulders. Inhale, lift
both arms from sides;
exhale, palms meet in
prayer position at chest.
1
HASTAUTTANASANA
Inhale, extend arms
up and back, keeping
biceps near ears.
Aim to stretch entire
body from heels to
fingertips.
2
HASTAPADASANA
Begin at the edge of
your mat with feet
together, distributing
weight evenly.
Expand your chest,
relax shoulders.
Inhale, lift both arms
from sides; exhale,
palms meet in prayer
position at chest.
3
ASHWA SANCHALANASANA
Inhale, extend right leg back as far
as possible. Lower right knee to
floor, gaze upward.
4
DANDASANA
Inhale, step left leg back,
aligning body straight.
5
ADHO MUKHA SVANASANA
Exhale, raise hips and tailbone,
forming an inverted ‘V’ shape with
the body.
8
ASHTANGA NAMASKAR
Exhale, gently lower knees, hips,
then slide forward, chest and chin
to floor. Raise posterior slightly.
Ensure hands, feet, knees, chest,
and chin touch floor (eight points).
6
BHUJANGASANA
Shift forward, lifting chest into
Cobra pose. Elbows can remain
bent, keeping shoulders away from
ears. Gaze upward.
7
ASHWA SANCHALANASANA
Inhale, bring right foot forward
between hands. Lower left knee to
floor, press hips down, and look up.
9 HASTAUTTANASANA
Inhale, roll spine
up, lifting hands
and slightly arching
backward, pushing
hips outward.
11
TADASANA
Exhale, straighten body,
lowering arms. Relax
and observe sensations
in the body.
12
HASTAPADASANA
Exhale, bring left foot forward,
keeping palms on floor. Bend knees
if needed.
10
he Bhajan Lal led- BJP
government in Rajasthan
has mandated the inclu-
sion of Surya Namaskar
in the curriculum of all
state schools starting
from February 15, 2024.
Madan Dilawar, the Minister of
School Education, made this an-
nouncement in Kota recently, em-
phasizing that the BJP government
aims to instill values alongside aca-
demic knowledge in students. The
incorporation of values into educa-
tion is a key focus of the initiative.
Minister Madan Dilawar high-
lighted that February 15 and 16
mark Surya Saptami, and the gov-
ernment plans to celebrate this oc-
casion extensively in all schools.
Programmes and events will be or-
ganised to commemorate Surya
Saptami on the specified day.
CONGRESS ACCUSES
BJP OF RSS INFLUENCE
The BJPgovernment’s decision has
sparked political debate in the state,
with the BJP applauding it as a cul-
tural tradition of India, while the
Congress party criticising the state
government, alleging it to be influ-
enced by RSS schemes and charac-
terising it as a slip government.
MUSLIM COMMUNITY
RESIST THIS IMPLEMENTATION
In this context, following the direc-
tives of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind Pres-
ident Maulana Mahmood Madani,
the State Executive of Jamiat Ulema
Rajasthan convened a meeting. The
meeting concluded with a resolution
condemning the government’s man-
date for collective Surya Namaskar
participation in all schools by stu-
dents, parents, and others. This ac-
tion was deemed as blatant interfer-
ence in religious affairs. Addition-
ally, they appealed to the Muslim
community to refrain from sending
students to school on February 15
and to boycott the event.
LEGAL BATTLE BREWS
OVER SURYA NAMASKAR
Simultaneously, a collective plea has
beensubmittedtotheRajasthanHigh
Court by various Muslim organiza-
tions, including Jamiat Ulema-e-
Hind, urging for the cancellation of
the February 15 event. On Wednes-
day, the High Court dismissed the
challenge presented against the Ra-
jasthan government’s decision to im-
plement Surya Namaskar in schools.
The court ruled that the Muslim Fo-
rum is not a registered institution,
emphasizing that only registered or-
ganizations or individuals can file
petitions in the High Court. Alterna-
tively, petitions can be filed person-
ally. In response to the petition sub-
mitted by AIMIM, the court sched-
uled a hearing for February 20.
The State Executive of Jamiat
Ulema-e-Rajasthan emphasized that
Surya is revered as a deity in Hindu
society. They asserted that reciting
verses and performing actions like
Pranamasana and Ashtanga Nam-
askar are forms of worship unaccep-
table in Islam. The Muslim commu-
nity cannot accept this imposition.
They pledged to resist this vehe-
mently through lawful means.
IS THIS TRULY A SUBJECT
WORTH DEBATING?
The merits of Surya Namaskar are
extensively deliberated within the
yoga community, as well as among
physiotherapists, fitness profession-
als, and enthusiasts. These experts
commonly assert that Surya Nam-
askar constitutes a traditional yoga
sequence comprising 12 postures,
each synchronized with deep
breaths. They advocate for its abil-
ity to enhance flexibility, strength,
overall fitness, mental focus, and
stress reduction. Regular practice is
believed to foster physical and men-
tal equilibrium. Its popularity as a
fitness regimen stems from its di-
verse range of stretches and exer-
cises, which are not only straightfor-
ward but also efficacious in deliver-
ing health benefits. Furthermore, its
accessibility, devoid of heavy equip-
ment, makes it a feasible form of
exercise for many individuals.
T
Chandra Prakash
The writer works in
the Editorial Department at
First India in a senior capacity
Childrentochannelisethe
energyofthecosmosthrough
SURYA
NAMASKAR!
With cut-throat competition prevailing everywhere, children are exposed to stress
and anxiety at an early age. The Raj government’s initiative to have kids perform
Surya Namaskar today, will help calm their minds and build endurance.
Rajasthan state will
commemorate Surya
Saptami, with Surya Namaskar
planned in both
government
and non-
government
schools.
Education
department
officials have received
instructions regarding the
Surya Namaskar program,
ensuring regular practice for
students in all schools starting
Friday. The aim is to collectively
perform Surya Namaskar on
February 15th, setting a new
record for the entire state.
MADAN DILAWAR, EDUCATION MINISTER
Surya Namaskar is a
comprehensive exercise
regimen for the entire body,
offering
numerous
benefits. It is
important to
recognize its
benefits
irrespective of
any religious connotations. By
embracing Surya Namaskar,
we can enhance not only the
physical but also the mental
well-being of our children.
Encouraging its practice can
enhance flexibility, aiding in
daily activities.
BRAJENDRA KUMAR, YOGA INSTRUCTOR
Surya Namaskar should not
be seen as a religious ritual;
it is a method to fortify our
bodies. It offers
numerous
benefits. When
practiced daily,
it brings
relaxation and a
sense of calm to
the mind, reducing tension
levels automatically. Considered
as an exercise, it elevates the
body’s energy levels.
RAMAKANT SEN, YOGA TEACHER
Surya Namaskar is a great
way to shape the body and
keep the mind calm and
healthy. If
Surya Namaskar
is done five to
twelve times
daily, then
there is no need
to do any other
exercises. This exercise is
helpful in reducing the
problems of aging, it makes
the body flexible and provides
relief from pain.
MANOJ LAMBA, PHYSIOTHERAPIST,
DEEP HOSPITAL RESEARCH CENTER
There is confusion
within the Muslim
community regarding
Surya Namaskar.
Yogasanas encompass
various exercises such as
Bhramari, Kapalbhati, etc
and Surya Namaskar is
just one among them. It
does not involve any
religious worship. Some
individuals are misleading
people for their own
political motives.
M. SADIQ KHAN, FORMER STATE
PRESIDENT OF BJP IN RAJASTHAN
(MINORITY MORCHA)
SIGNIFICANCE OF
SURYA SAPTAMI
Shukla Paksha Saptami
in the month of Magh is
known as Surya Saptami
and the day is celebrated as the
birthday of Lord Surya (Sun God).
It is believed that on this date the
Sun God started illuminating the
entire world, hence this day is also
celebrated as Surya Jayanti. The
day is also celebrated as Arogya
Saptami where people pray for
health and wealth.
TALKING POINT 08
Jaipur, Thursday | February 15, 2024 www.firstindia.co.in firstindia.co.in/epapers/jaipur thefirstindia thefirstindia thefirstindia

Jaipur, Thursday | February 15, 2024 09

INDIA 10
A TRIBUTE TO THE FALLEN SOLDIERS
PM pays homage to ‘brave heroes’killed in Pulwama attack
First India Bureau
New Delhi
rime Minister
Narendra Modi
on Wednesday
paid tributes to the CRPF
personnelkilledinaterror
attack in Pulwama on this
dayin2019.HesaidonX,
“I pay homage to the
brave heroes who were
martyred in Pulwama.
Their service and sacri-
fice for our nation will
always be remembered.”
The Pulwama attack
remains the deadliest ter-
ror attack on India’s state
security personnel in
Kashmir since 1989. The
perpetrator was identified
asAdilAhmad Dar, a 22-
year old from Kakapora.
The 2019 Pulwama at-
tackoccurredon14Febru-
ary 2019, when a convoy
ofvehiclescarryingIndian
security personnel on the
Jammu–SrinagarNational
Highway was attacked by
a vehicle-borne suicide
bomberatLethaporainthe
Pulwama district of the
Jammu Kashmir.
The attack killed 40
CRPF personnel as well
as the perpetrator—Adil
Ahmad Dar—who was a
local Kashmiri youth.
BJPsetforRSpolls,announces
candidatesfromseveralstates
First India Bureau
New Delhi
The Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) on Wednes-
day announced its candi-
dates from Madhya
Pradesh, Gujarat and
Odisha for the upcoming
Rajya Sabha Biennial
Elections. The elections
are set to take place on
February 27.
Notably, the saffron
party nominated its Pres-
ident JP Nadda from Gu-
jarat, while Union min-
istersAshwini Vaishnaw
and L Murugan as its
Rajya Sabha candidates
from Odisha and Mad-
hya Pradesh.
Many senior BJPlead-
ers outgoing Rajya
Sabha MPs, including
seven Union ministers
such as Dharmendra
Pradhan and Bhupender
Yadav, have not been re-
nominated by the party
for the biennial Rajya
Sabha polls amid strong
indications that several
of them may contest the
upcoming Lok Sabha
elections.
Among the 28 outgo-
ing MPs, the BJP has
renominated only 4. The
BJP has so far an-
nounced its candidates
from Rajasthan, Bihar,
Chhattisgarh, Haryana,
Karnataka, Uttar
Pradesh, Uttarakhand
and West Bengal for the
Rajya Sabha elections.
BJP Renominates Only 4 of 28 Outgoing Rajya Sabha MPs
UP CM Yogi Adityanath, Deputy CMs Brajesh Pathak and KP Maurya with BJP candidates after they filed
their nomination papers for Rajya Sabha elections, at UP Assembly, in Lucknow, Wednesday. PTI
7 BJP CANDIDATES FILE
NOMINATION FROM UP
1. Former Union Minister
RPN Singh
2. Former MP Chaudhary
Tejveer Singh
3. State party general sec-
retary Amarpal Maurya
4. Former state minister
Sangeeta Balwant
5. Party spokesperson
Sudhanshu Trivedi
6. Former MLA Sadhna
Singh
7. Former Agra mayor
Naveen Jain
CONGRESSANNOUNCES
SIX CANDIDATES
1. AICC treasurer Ajay
Maken from Karnataka
2. Rajya Sabha MP Syed
Naseer Hussain
3. GC Chandrashekhar will
also contest from the
southern state
4. Ashok Singh will contest
from Madhya Pradesh
5. Former MP Renuka
Chowdhury fielded from
Telangana
6. Former MP Anil Kumar
Yadav fielded from
Telangana
BJP’SSEVENNOMINEES
FROMGUJARATMAHA
Mumbai: By nominating for-
mer Maharashtra CM Ashok
Chavan, ex-MLA Medha
Kulkarni and RSS worker Dr
Ajit Gopchade for the upcom-
ing Rajya Sabha elections
from the state, the BJP has
tried to perform a balanc-
ing act, political observers
feel. BJP on Wednesday
announced the list of seven
nominees - four for Gujarat
and three for Maharashtra.
Ajit Pawar-led NCP
fields Praful Patel
BJP FIELDS FOUR
CANDIDATES FROM MP
RJDFIELDSMANOJ,
YADAVFORRSPOLLS
CONGRESSNOMINATES
MANUFROMHIMACHAL
Mumbai: The Ajit
Pawar-led Nationalist
Congress Party (NCP) on
Wednesday said it would
field senior leader Praful
Patel for the coming
election to the Rajya
Sabha. Patel has four
years of his Rajya Sabha
term left, but the decision
to field him again was
taken due to some
“technical issues”.
Bhopal : The BJP
announced the
second list of five candi-
dates for the upcoming
Rajya Sabha Elections.
The party has fielded four
candidates which include
Union Minister L Murugan,
Maya Naroliya, Bansilal
Gurjar and Umesh Nath
Maharaj from MP Union
Railway Minister Ashwini
Vaishnaw from Odisha.
Patna: The Rashtriya
Janata Dal (RJD) on
Wednesday announced
that Manoj Kumar Jha and
Sanjay Yadav will be the
party’s candidates for the
Rajya Sabha elections in
Bihar. As per party, RJD
chief Lalu Prasad finalised
their candidature.
Shimla: Senior
Congress leader
Abhishek Manu will file his
nomination for the lone
Rajya Sabha seat from HP,
CM Sukhvinder Singh
Sukhu said on Wednes-
day. Manu is a senior
advocate of the SC.
RS CONTEST FOR 6 SEATS FROM MAHA LIKELY
TO BE UNOPPOSED, HINTS STATE BJP CHIEF
Mumbai: The upcoming election to six seats of
Rajya Sabha from Maharashtra is likely to be
unopposed considering the strength of the ruling allies
and the opposition Congress in the Assembly, unlike
the May 2022 scenario when the Maha Vikas Aghadi
faced a setback despite in power at that time.
“Final talk on South Goa LS
seat after INDIA bloc meet”
Agencies
Panaji
Aday after theAamAad-
mi Party (AAP) an-
nounced its MLA as the
INDIA alliance nominee
for the South Goa Lok
Sabha seat, the Congress
on Wednesday said a fi-
nal decision on the candi-
date will be taken after
the opposition bloc’s
meeting in Delhi.
The AAP and Con-
gress have been on a col-
lision course over the
sharing of seats for the
upcoming Lok Sabha
polls, with the Arvind
Kejriwal-led party on
Tuesday deciding to field
Benaulim MLA Venzy
Viegas from South Goa
and seeking to blame the
Congress for the appar-
ent delay in picking a
candidate.
South Goa is one of the
two Lok Sabha seats in
Goa currently represent-
ed by Francisco Sardinha
of the Congress.
Asked about AAP’s
announcement of the
South Goa Lok Sabha
seat candidate, state Con-
gress PresidentAmit Pat-
kar on Wednesday said
the Opposition INDIA
alliance is yet to decide
the candidate.
“We have eight aspir-
ants each for the North
Goa and South Goa seats
from the Congress party
itself.TheAAPhas short-
listed Venzy Viegas. The
final candidate will be
decided after the INDIA
alliance meeting in Del-
hi,” Patkar said.
DIDI ‘MUTE SPECTATOR’
TO VIOLENCE: BJP
New Delhi: The
BJP on Wednesday
charged that ‘jungle
raj’ prevailed in West Bengal
and demanded resignation
of Chief Minister Mamata
Banerjee after the state
was rocked by protests and
clashes over the claims of
sexual harassment of wom-
en in the state’s Sandeshkh-
ali area. Addressing a press
conference, BJP national
spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia
claimed there is “complete
anarchy and lawlessness”
in West Bengal under the
TMC rule with Chief Minister
Banerjee allegedly provid-
ing protection to her party
goons who allegedly raped
and exploited tribal women
in Sandeshkhali. “There is
jungle raj in West Bengal.
Our sisters who belong to
the scheduled tribes are
being raped and assaulted
by the TMC goons and CM
Mamata Banerjee is a mute
spectator,” he charged.
“CENTREGIVINGTAX
BENEFITSTOBIGFIRMS”
New Delhi: The Con-
gress on Wednesday
accused the central
government of giving tax
benefits to a few chosen
big corporate conglomer-
ates and doing “anyay”
(injustice) to the poor and
common people of the
country. Congress general
secretary Jairam Ramesh
said the money generated
from personal income tax
is higher than corporate tax
and alleged this is a direct
result of Prime Minister
Narendra Modi giving cor-
porate tax cut to his chosen
friends while the poor are
reeling under the onslaught
of price rise and high taxes.
“For the first time in over
three decades (excluding
the 2020-21 pandemic),
the Union government is
generating more money
from personal income tax
(Rs 10 lakh crore) than it
is from corporate tax (Rs 9
lakh crore).
BJP MLA
receives death
threats from
ex-Corporator
Panagariya
chairs 1st meet
of 16th Finance
Commission
AAP wants to
contest eight
LS seats in
Gujarat: Pathak
Agencies
Bengaluru
BJP MLA and former
Minister K Gopalaiah
on Wednesday told the
Legislative Assembly
that he and his family
have received death
threats from an ex-Cor-
porator of the city’s civ-
ic body and demanded
protection.
Alleging that Pad-
maraj called him last
night in an inebriated
condition and used de-
rogatory language
against him and his fam-
ily, he said, despite a
complaint being filed im-
mediately, the police had
still not arrested him and
there is no update.
PTI
New Delhi
The 16th Finance Com-
mission (XVI-FC) on
Wednesday held its first
meeting under the Chair-
manship of Arvind Pana-
gariya here.
During the meeting,
the commission dis-
cussed its Terms of Ref-
erence, as per the order
by the President of India
and notified by the Min-
istry of Finance on De-
cember 31, 2023, an of-
ficial statement said. PTI
Bharuch
The Aam Aadmi Party
(AAP) on Wednesday
said it expects to contest
at least eight out of the 26
Lok Sabha seats in Guja-
rat in alliance with the
Congress and other
members of the opposi-
tion’s INDIA grouping.
It has already an-
nounced candidates for
Bharuch and Bhavnagar
Lok Sabha seats on the
basis of “winnability”
and hopes that other par-
ties in the alliance will
accept it, saidAAP’s Gu-
jarat in-charge Sandeep
Pathak here.
The BJP had won all
26 Lok Sabha seats in
Gujarat in the 2019 gen-
eral elections.
“If we look at the vote
shares of AAP and Con-
gress in 2022 (assembly
polls), one-third of the
(Lok Sabha) seats should
go to the Aam Aadmi
Party and two-thirds to
the Congress,” Pathak
told reporters.
NCP will not merge with any
political party: Supriya Sule
Agencies
Pune
The Sharad Pawar-led
Nationalist Congress
Party will not merge with
any political party, its
Lok Sabha member Su-
priya Sule asserted on
Wednesday. She was
speaking to reporters af-
ter a meeting of the NCP
(Sharadchandra Pawar)
at party chief Sharad Pa-
war’s residence here.
Apart from Pawar and
Sule, former Maharash-
tra ministers Anil Desh-
mukh and Rajesh Tope,
MPs Amol Kolhe and
Shrinivas Patil along
with others leaders at-
tended the meeting. “Our
faction will not merge
with any political party.
We will contest the up-
coming polls as part of
the Maha Vikas Aghadi
(MVA),” Sule said.
“Today’s meeting was
aimed at planning for an
upcoming rally (of the
INDIAbloc). The discus-
sion revolved around the
names of leaders who
will address the rally,”
she said. The party’s
Pune city unit president
Prashant Jagtap said,
“The news about the
merger of our party is
wrong,” he added.
Preparations on for BJP National Convention
ANI
New Delhi
The preparations ahead
of the Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) National
Convention scheduled
for February 17 and 18
have begun in Delhi on
Wednesday. The accom-
plishments of the Modi
government will be high-
lighted through decora-
tions at various locations
throughout Delhi.
A theme based on 12
significant works of the
Modi government will be
showcased from the BJP
headquarters to the
Bharat Mandap. In addi-
tion to this, 11 other the-
matic decorative cutouts
will be installed.
P
BJP leaders and supporters pay floral tribute to 40 CRPF personnel who lost their lives in the 2019
Pulwama terror attack on its 5th anniversary, at Lethpora, in Pulwama on Wednesday. ANI
In a surprise move on Tuesday, AAP declared its Benaulim MLA,
Venzy Viegas, as its Lok Sabha candidate for the South Goa seat.
The first theme-based cutout has been installed at the BJP HQ.
Mamata Banerjee Jairam Ramesh
I bow to the
valorous martyrs
of Pulwama, who
laid down their lives for our
motherland. Their supreme
sacrifice will always be
remembered. Nation will
forever remain indebted to
our bravehearts.
Amit Shah@AmitShah
Humble tributes
to the bravehearts
who sacrificed
their lives in the 2019
Pulwama terror attack. The
nation will forever remain
indebted to their exemplary
courage, supreme sacrifice
and selfless service to the
motherland.
ManojSinha@manojsinha
Ex-PM Lal Bahadur's grandson resigns from Cong
Agencies
New Delhi
Vibhakar Shastri,
grandson of former prime
minister Lal Bahadur
Shastri, resigned from
the Congress today.
In a post on X, Shastri
said, “Hon’ble Congress
President Kharge ji! Re-
spected Sir, I hereby ten-
der my resignation from
the primary membership
of Indian National Con-
gress, Regards, Vibhakar
Shastri.”
Shastri, who is the
grandson of former PM
Lal Bahadur Shastri and
son of Hari Krishna
Shastri, has unsuccess-
fully contested Lok Sab-
ha polls in the past.

NEWS 11
10 M ISSF WC
Devanshi, Lakshita secure gold silver
Agencies
New Delhi
ndia registered
their fourth
double podium
finish at the 10M Interna-
tional Shooting Sport
Federation (ISSF) World
Cup in Granada, Spain,
when Devanshi Dhama
struck gold and Lakshita
silver in the women’s
10m air pistol junior
event on competition day
two. Devanshi shot
240.0 and Lakshita 238.0
in the eight-woman final
as India continued to lead
the medal tally with four
gold, three silver and two
bronze medals in their
kitty already.
On day one, Umama-
hesh Maddineni, Parth
Mane and Ajay Malik
had swept the medals in
the junior men’s 10m air
rifle while IshaAnil Tak-
sale and Shambhavi
Kshirsagar had finished
in gold and bronze posi-
tions respectively in the
women’s 10m air rifle.
Isha Umamahesh and
Anvii Rathod and Abhi-
nav Shaw had also fin-
ished 1-2 in the mixed
team rifle. The lone In-
dian in the junior men’s
pistol, Paras Khola fin-
ished 15th with a score of
561. Drishti Sangwan in
the junior women’s pistol
also finished outside the
top eight, shooting 563
for a ninth-place finish.
Teammates Lakshita
and Devanshi shot 579
and 572 to finish sec-
ond and fourth in qual-
ification.
Male: The Maldives
has deported 186 for-
eigners, including 43
Indians, after accusing
them of committing
crimes like visa viola-
tions and drug offenc-
es, according to a me-
dia report. The highest
number of people de-
ported was from Bang-
ladesh. The date of
their deportation is not
yet known.
Maldives deports 186
including 43 Indians
Bangalore: CGI
(NYSE: GIB) (TSX:
GIB.A) has been rec-
ognized as Top Em-
ployer 2024 in India
for the fourth year in
a row. This certifica-
tion is awarded to or-
ganizations based on
their ability to shape
policies, implement
best practices.
CGI in India named as
a Top Employer 2024
Noida: A 26-year-old
schoolteacher had a
close shave Wednesday
morning after he was
shot at by two teenagers
allegedly over some per-
sonal dispute. A bullet
grazed past an earlobe
of the teacher, who was
taken to a hospital
where his condition was
stated to be normal, ac-
cording to officials.
School teacher shot
at by 2 boys in Noida
Bhopal: A tribal man
was stripped and brutal-
ly assaulted in Madhya
Pradesh's Betul, the
second such incident
that has come to light
in the district this
week. The victim runs
a tea shop and said
that the attackers kept
asking him for 'cut
money' while he was
being beaten.
Tribal man stripped,
thrashed in MP
New Delhi: The Assam
government has re-
ceived support from
two more Congress
MLAs. With the sup-
port of these two
MLAs, the total number
of Congress MLAs who
have extended their
support to the govern-
ment has reached four.
Earlier, two other Con-
gress MLAs had ex-
tended their support.
2 Assam Cong MLAs
support BJP govt
IN BRIEF
New Delhi: The SC col-
legium headed by CJI D
Y Chandrachud has rec-
ommended to the Centre
the transfer of 3 HC judg-
es on their request. The
collegium also compris-
ing Justices Sanjiv Khan-
na, B R Gavai, Surya
Kant Aniruddha Bose.
SC recommends
transfer of 3 HC Judges
RajnathSingh,Mundadiscussfarmers'issues
Farmer groups the ministerial delegation are likely to hold a meeting in Chandigarh today
PTI
New Delhi
Senior Union ministers,
including Rajnath Singh
and Arjun Munda, on
Wednesday held discus-
sions on the ongoing
farmers’ protests and
waystoaddresstheissues,
according to sources.
The meeting in the na-
tional capital assumes
significance against the
backdrop of farmers
from Punjab marching
towards Delhi and Hary-
ana Police using tear gas
shells to stop them at the
Shambhu border between
the two states.
Defence Minister Ra-
jnath Singh, also a for-
mer agriculture minister,
deliberated upon various
farmer issues with Mun-
da, who is currently in
charge of the agriculture
ministry. Munda is also
one of the ministers who
held discussions with
farmer groups, the
sources said.
Details about the meet-
ing could not be immedi-
ately ascertained.
Haryana Police
lobbed tear gas shells at
farmers from Punjab at
the Shambhu border as
thousands of protesters
stayed put there on
Wednesday, the second
day of their march.
There was a similar
standoff at Data Singh-
wala-Khanauri border in
Haryana’s Jind district,
with Haryana Police bar-
ricades stopping farmers
from travelling to Delhi
on their tractor-trolleys.
Farmers’ protest
Farmers face tear gas used by the police to disperse them during the second day of their ‘Delhi
Chalo’ march, at the Punjab-Haryana Shambhu border, near Patiala, Wednesday.
I
IndianfamilyfounddeadinCaliforniahome
Agencies
New York
In a series of unfortunate
incidents involving Indi-
an-Americans, a couple
and their four-year-old
twins were found dead
inside their home in San
Mateo, California.
Police are investigating
the deaths of Anand Su-
jith Henry, 42, his wife
Alice Priyanka, 40, and
their sons Noah and Nei-
than as a murder-suicide.
Officers responded at
about 9:15 am Monday to
the home on the 4100
block of Alameda de las
Pulgas to conduct a wel-
fare check, NBC Bay
Area reported.
The couple had
purchased the house in
2020 for $2.1 million,
records show.
An initial assessment
by the police suggests a
possible murder-suicide
scenario, though they
have not ruled out other
possibilities.
Gujarat police
seized `5,956
crore drugs in
two years: Govt
PTI
Gandhinagar
The Gujarat police have
seized Rs 5,956 crore
drugs and arrested 48 for-
eign nationals involved
in drug trafficking during
the last two years, the
state govt informed in the
assembly on Wednesday.
During a heated debate in
the assembly over the is-
sue of drugs, Gujarat
Minister of State for
Home Harsh Sanghavi
asked the opposition
Congress to stop doing
politics on the matter.
RohitSharmawill
captainIndiain2024
T20WC,confirmsShah
ANI
Gujarat
Th BCCI secretary Jay
ShahonWednesdaycon-
firmedthatskipperRohit
Sharma will be captain-
ing Men in Blue in the
ICC T20 World Cup be-
ing held in West Indies
and USA this year and
expressed optimism that
Team India will win the
covetedT20cricketprize
and end their ICC trophy
droughtofoveradecade.
Speaking at the event,
Jay opened up on India’s
heartbreaking loss to
Australia in the final of
ICC Cricket World Cup
at home last year after a
dominant10-matchwin-
ning streak, saying that
despite not getting the
trophy home, India won
heartswiththeirwinning
streak. “We may have
lost the final of World
Cup 2023. But we won
the hearts of everyone
by winning 10 matches
in a row,” said the
BCCI secretary.
UNION MINISTERS TO HOLD DISCUSSIONS WITH
FARMER GROUPS' LEADERS ON WED EVENING
MAJOR HIGHLIGHTS
INDIA DECRIES PRIMACY
OF OPEN MARKETS
CONSIDER DEMANDS OF
FARMERS: BSP CHIEF
New Delhi: Union ministers Arjun Munda, Piyush
Goyal and Nityanand Rai will hold a meeting with
leaders of the protesting farmer groups on Wednes-
day evening to discuss their demands, including guaranteed
minimum support price on crops, according to sources. The
three ministers’ meeting with the protesting farmer groups’
leaders also assume significance against the backdrop of
Haryana Police using tear gas shells to stop farmers from
Punjab at the Shambhu border between the two states.
z BJP has always
been party of farmers:
Union minister Ajay
Mishra Teni
z Farmers Fly Kites
To Tackle Drones Car-
rying Tear Gas Shells
z Farm leader says
Centre should ensure
positive atmosphere for
dialogue with farmers
z Farmers Protest:
Top Cop Directs
Police To Show More
Aggression At Singhu
Border
z Why Modi govt run-
ning away from giving
legal guarantee of
MSP: Cong
z Farmers' march:
Traffic movement
unrestricted at Ghaz-
ipur border, closed at
Singhu and Tikri
United Nations:
“Open Markets must
not become an argu-
ment to perpetuate inequity
and promote discrimina-
tion” in the availability of
foodgrain, India’s Permanent
Representative Ruchira
Kamboj told the Security
Council. It is “necessary for
all of us to appreciate the
importance of equity and
accessibility when it comes
to foodgrains”, she said.
BSP chief Mayawati
on Wednesday said
the Centre should
initiate talks with protesting
farmers instead of taking
action against them. The
Centre should resolve their
issue in a timely manner
so that the farmers are not
forced to protest again and
again in support of their
demands, the former Uttar
Pradesh chief minister said
in a post on X.
Couple with their four-year-
old twins.
Lakshita, Devanshi Dharma, Mariami Prodiashvili.
Rohit Sharma during a
practice session ahead
of the third Test match
between India and England,
at Saurashtra Cricket
Association Stadium, in
Rajkot, Tuesday .
‘GOVT WORKING FOR
SAFETY OF INDIANS’
Prime Minister
Narendra Modi has
always taken the
initiative and spoken to
leaders of other countries to
ensure the safety of Indian
nationals abroad, Foreign
Secretary Vinay Kwatra
said here on Wednesday.
“He (PM) has taken the ini-
tiative to speak to leaders of
other countries,” the foreign
secretary said.
Offering
prayer!
Hindu devotees offer
prayers after taking
holy dip in the Ganga
river on the occasion
of Basant Panchami
festival during the
annual religious
‘Magh Mela’ festival at
Sangam, in Prayagraj,
Wednesday.
PTI

12
Some things can only be experienced, we cannot
know or understand simply by watching or
reading about them.
Dr Jagdeesh Chandra, CMD Editor-in-Chief
THOUGHT OF THE DAY
Postal Reg No. JPC/004/2022-24
Poorhealthpoliticalcompulsion
bringSoniatoRajyaSabhapolls
l The primary rationale behind choosing Rajasthan is the State’s significant electoral weight,
boasting 25 Lok Sabha seats l Gandhi’s representation from Rajasthan is expected to energise
Congress workers and potentially bolster the party’s prospects in the Lok Sabha elections
Manoj Mathur
Jaipur
The filing of nomination
by Congress leader Sonia
Gandhi for the Rajya Sab-
ha is widely interpreted as
signaling the conclusion
of an era in which the
Gandhi family actively
participated in electoral
politics. Poor health and a
desire to focus on other
political contributions are
cited as the primary moti-
vations behind this sig-
nificant decision. Having
served as a Member of
Parliament for five terms
in the Lok Sabha, Gandhi
has been representing Rae
Bareli in Uttar Pradesh.
It is being said that due
to her poor health, she
couldn’t remain active in
her parliamentary con-
stituency, and in the fu-
ture too, her getting very
active is quite difficult.
Though Uttar Pradesh has
been a political bastion
for the Gandhi family, but
now, the Congress is los-
ing ground so much so
that Rahul Gandhi lost the
election last time from his
longstanding stronghold
of Amethi.
The atmosphere that
has been formed after the
construction of Ram tem-
ple in Ayodhya, would
have been very challeng-
ing for Sonia Gandhi to
contest from Rae Bareli.
Any adverse election
outcome would have
conveyed a wrong politi-
cal message. The party
holds the belief that So-
nia Gandhi’s continued
presence in Parliament,
despite her reduced ac-
tivity, is beneficial for the
party’s vitality. Conse-
quently, it appears highly
likely that Priyanka Gan-
dhi will contest from Rae
Bareli.
BothHimachalPradesh
and Rajasthan were under
consideration as ‘poten-
tial gateways’ for Sonia
Gandhi’s entry into the
RajyaSabha.Theprimary
rationale behind choosing
Rajasthan is the State’s
significant electoral
weight, boasting 25 Lok
Sabha seats. Gandhi’s
representation from Ra-
jasthan is expected to en-
ergise Congress workers
and potentially bolster the
party’s prospects in the
Lok Sabha elections.
However, political adver-
saries are likely to attempt
to spin this decision as a
sign of apprehension
about impending defeat.
It’s intriguing that So-
nia Gandhi marks the
third generation of the
Nehru-Gandhi family to
step into the Upper
House of Parliament.
Preceding her, only two
female members of the
Nehru-Gandhi lineage
held seats in the Rajya
Sabha. Uma Nehru, the
wife of Shamlal, a cousin
of Pandit Nehru, served
as a Rajya Sabha member
from 1962 to 1963. Fol-
lowing her, Indira Gan-
dhi entered the Rajya
Sabha in 1964 and held
her seat until 1967. Both
leaders represented Uttar
Pradesh in the Rajya Sab-
ha. Notably, when Indira
Gandhi assumed the role
of Prime Minister for the
first time, she was al-
ready a member of the
Rajya Sabha.
Sonia Gandhi with Ashok Gehlot, KC Venugopal, and Rahul Gandhi
upon her arrival at Jaipur Airport on Wednesday. Bhanwar Jitendra
Singh also seen.
Priyanka Gandhi arrives at
Jaipur Airport.
SUNIL SHARMA
Analysis
BJP CANDIDATES TO
FILE NOMINATION FOR
RAJYA SABHA TODAY
The BJP candi-
dates, Chunnilal
Garasia and Madan
Rathore will file nomination
papers for Rajya Sabha at
11 am today. Prominent
BJP leaders including
Chief Minister Bhajanlal
Sharma, BJP in-charge
Arun Singh, and BJP State
President CP Joshi will be
present during the filing of
nomination papers. Both
the candidates will file two
sets each. Ministers Jhabar
Singh Kharra and Jawahar
Bedham reached Assem-
bly on Wednesday. Rajya
Sabha candidate Madan
Rathore too reached the
State Legislative Assembly.
Vikas Sharma
Jaipur
A workaholic by nature,
CS Sudhansh Pant, who
was working on his birth-
day on Wednesday, con-
ducted a surprise inspec-
tion of Transport Dept
and his action exposed
poor working of officials,
who were found missing.
CS went to the office of
Transport Commissioner
Manisha Arora, who
wasn’t present there. As
soon as the news of the
surprise check reached
her, she reached the of-
fice within 15 minutes
and excused herself say-
ing that she had been to
the venue of the Road
Safety programme. How-
ever, CS wasn’t con-
vinced with her reply. “I
never disclose to anyone
about my plans. How do
people get to know about
my visit? Staff who had
their duties in the field
are also present in the of-
fice. How media gets to
know about my visit, is
surprising,” Pant said.
Governor Kalraj Mishra bid a heartfelt farewell to
President Droupadi Murmu as she departed from the
Raj Bhavan in Jaipur on Wednesday. During this time,
Governor Mishra also presented a miniature art peacock
sculpture to the President as a token of remembrance.
The President, in return, extended her felicitations
to the Governor by presenting him with a shawl. It is
noteworthy that President Murmu had arrived in Jaipur
on Tuesday evening and had spent the night at the Raj
Bhavan Guest House.
Prez Droupadi Murmu, CM Bhajan Lal Sharma and GC Kataria
offer prayers at Hari Mandir, Sabla located at Beneshwar Dham
in Dungarpur dist on Wednesday. Prez also attended the ’Aarti’.
President Droupadi Murmu being greeted by CM Bhajan Lal
Sharma before she departs for Mehendipur Balaji from Jaipur
Airport on Wednesday.
WorkaholicChiefSecretaryPant
conducts surprisecheckonhisb’day
CS Sudhansh Pant reviews work progress while operating a
computer during a surprise visit to the Transport Dept in Jaipur
on Wednesday. Other officials of department were also present.
Kamal Kumari Bhandari laid to rest with honours
Dr Jagdeesh Chandra, MN Bhandari, Virendra Lodha, Virendra Dangi
Anil Sharma during the funeral procession of Justice MN Bhandari’s
mother, late Kamal Kumari Bhandari in Jaipur. The cremation was held
at Lal Kothi crematorium in Jaipur on Wednesday. NAIM KHAN
Dr Jagdeesh
Chandra interacts
with other
visitors during
the cremation
of late Kamal
Kumari Bhandari
at Lal Kothi
crematorium.
Bhuvnesh Sharma,
Ashok Kumar
Gaur, SK Garg,
MN Bhandari,
NK Jain, Ashok
K Jain Vimal
Chaudhary during
the cremation in
Jaipur.
Pradesh Congress Committee, LoP, our incharge and
all the leaders had urged Sonia Gandhi to file a
nomination from Rajasthan, if she decides to
contest Rajya Sabha elections. We had invited her to
the state. We have been told to be on alert mode. All
our MLAs are in Jaipur today. Whoever is the
candidate from here, will win.
Govind Singh Dotasra, PCC PRESIDENT
I think if Sonia Gandhi is coming to Rajasthan and
filing the nomination today, it will be a matter of
pride for us and the entire Rajasthan. This is a historic
moment. She is our national leader and the epitome
of sacrifice. She has a different aura. Nothing can be
more important for Rajasthan than this.
Tika Ram Jully, LEADER OF OPPOSITION
A busy day for Prez
We welcome Sonia Gandhi. The
people of Rajasthan welcome her.
During the UPA I UPA II
governments, a lot of work was
done, especially the MNREGA. Sonia
Gandhi has worked as Congress
President for a long time. So, there
is great joy among Congress people
public in Rajasthan. Her arrival
will strengthen us.
Bhanwar Jitendra,GEN SECY, AICC
TIMINGS
4.30 pm to 5.30 pm
PRAYER MEETING TODAY
PLACE
Subodh Public School, Rambagh Circle, Jaipur
Passengers, especially women,
thank Birla for new train service
Diya: NEP will be meaningful in
building nation’s bright future
Bhanwar S Charan
Kota
The introduction of Ko-
ta-Chaumhala MEMU
train brought joy to
hundreds of houses in
Kota. The members of
these families, especial-
ly women, will no long-
er have to wake up at
1.30 in the night to
reach office at 7.30 in
the morning.
After flagging off the
train, LS Speaker Om
Birla interacted with the
passengers during his
journey till Ramganj-
mandi and everyone
thanked him for starting
this new train service.
Birla participated in
‘Tiffin with Didi’ event
with women of SHGs
self-in Modak. He inter-
acted with women and
also heard their success
stories. Women in Self-
Help Groups will receive
full support to become
‘Lakhpati Didis,’assured
the Lok Sabha Speaker.
Nirmal Tiwari
Jaipur
Deputy CM Diya Kumari
said that the New Educa-
tion Policy ( NEP) pre-
pared under PM Modi’s
leadership will be mean-
ingful towards making
nation’s future bright.
Speaking as a Chief
Guest at Balika Shiksha
Protsahan avam Pathya
Pustak Mandal Swarna
Jayanti Samaroh organ-
ised at RIC, she said that
State govt was writing a
new script of women em-
powerment. She also said
that financial assistance
under the ‘Lado Protsa-
han Yojana,’ where on
the birth of a girl child in
low income households
saving bond of Rs 1Lwill
be extended under ‘
Lakhpati Didi Yojana’
annual income of 5L
families will be raised
upto Rs 1 lakh annually.
Om Birla relishes home-made snacks and interacts with
passengers on board while travelling in a train after
inaugurating the MEMU Rail service from Kota on Wednesday.
Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat
inscribes ‘Jai Shri Ram’ on a wall while inaugurating a
painting drive based on Lord Shri Ram Charit at a Park
located in Sector 11 of Chaupasni Housing Board in
Jodhpur on Wednesday. Vineeta Seth, Devendra Joshi,
Kishan Ladda others were present.
Diya Kumari being felicitated
during the Golden Jubilee
celebrations of RSTB at RIC in
Jaipur on Wednesday. Madan
Dilawar and others are seen.
First India Bureau
Jaipur
In a matter related to Ke-
shoraipatan Assembly
seat election, HC has is-
sued notices to MLA
Chunnilal Bairwa, SEC
DEO, seeking replies.
Justice AK Dhand also
ordered preservation of
poll records for this seat
while hearing petition
filed by Chandrakanta
Meghwal, who lost the
poll. She alleged that
Bairwa had contested
poll from reserved seat,
identifying himself as a
Bairwa, claimed that his
caste certificate was fake.
Initiating a drive...
Keshoraipatan
Assembly polls:
HC issues notice

decade ago,
Parul Beel
embarked
on a jour-
ney that
would shape the educa-
tional landscape of
Jaipur.As the Founder
and Director of The i
Dream School, her vi-
sion was clear, to
build a strong foun-
dation for the na-
tion’s future by pro-
viding children with
a holistic learning
experience.
“The journey with
The i Dream School
has been great so far.
This field always
fascinated me.Adis-
ciplined life, chil-
dren around me
waiting to learn and
explore and if I
could be a medium,
then I couldn’t ask
for a bigger bless-
ing,” reflected Pa-
rul. At The i Dream
School, the ap-
proach to education
is unique and child-
centric. “We be-
lieve in nurturing
the child by guiding
and helping our stu-
dents to develop their
moral, aesthetic, physi-
cal, intellectual, emo-
tional, and social do-
mains to the full so
that they become
good and responsible
citizens,” explained Parul. The
school follows a skill-based
curriculum tailored to indi-
vidual learning styles, em-
phasising stress-free and
activity-oriented learning.
Maintaining a balance be-
tween academic excellence and
holistic development is para-
mount at The i Dream School.
Parul ensures that students are
engaged in a mix of practical
skills and theoretical knowledge,
preparing them for the competi-
tive global era.
Balancing personal and pro-
fessional life is a challenge Parul
tackles with passion. “Running a
school is my passion. I give my
mind, body, and soul to it. Once
you enjoy what you do, it no
longer is a task, it’s a part of your
daily routine,” she shares. Tech-
nology plays a crucial role in en-
hancing the learning experience
at The i Dream School. Parul
believes that incorporating tech-
nology into the classroom pro-
vides a more engaging learning
environment, paving the way for
innovative teaching practices.
Looking ahead, Parul envi-
sions expanding The i Dream
School to multiple branches in
Jaipur. “As of the immediate fu-
ture, we plan to come up with a
couple of branches in Jaipur. I
believe in taking life as it comes,”
she stated. Through her dedica-
tion and vision, Parul Beel con-
tinues to inspire and empower
future generations atThe i Dream
School, shaping the leaders of
tomorrow with a holistic ap-
proach to education.
Glamour | Fashion | Bollywood | Hollywood | Lifestyle
LIFE BEGINS AT 18…!
he very special occasion of turning 18
years of age for Suhana Tomar was
celebrated in a joyous and stupendous
birthday party at The Botanist at Taj
Rambagh on Tuesday evening. P15
T
13
firstindia.co.in
firstindia.co.in/epapers/jaipur thefirstindia thefirstindia thefirstindia
Embark on a journey of educational innovation and holistic development with
Parul Beel, the visionary Founder and Director of The i Dream School, Jaipur. City
First highlights a passion-driven commitment to shaping tomorrow’s leaders!
ParulBeel
UnleashingPotential
Mitali
Dusad
mitalidusad@firstindia.co.in
A
NAIM
KHAN
JAIPUR, THURSDAY | FEBRUARY 15, 2024

14
firstindia.co.in
firstindia.co.in/epapers/jaipur thefirstindia thefirstindia thefirstindia
ourism in Ra-
jasthan is on an
upward trajec-
tory with a
surge in nation-
al and interna-
tional visitors, surpassing 100
million in 2023. This remarka-
ble recovery from the Covid
phase elevated Rajasthan's
tourism ranking to seventh
from eleventh place on national
and international scales. While
being ranked 7th in India is
commendable, given the state's
abundant natural and built her-
itage, both tangible and intangi-
ble, it is essential not to become
complacent.
For now, is the time for India
and particularly Rajasthan.
Building upon the vision of
PrimeMinisterNarendraModi's
Developing Tourism in Mis-
sion Mode, the Ministry of
Tourism launched an ambitious
campaign aimed at showcasing
India as a premier wedding des-
tination on the global stage.And
Rajasthan is already there hav-
ing metamorphosed its heritage
properties into the most sought-
after wedding destination.
Besides with Diya Kumari, as
the deputy Chief minister, and
Minister ofTourism, at the helm
of affairs, it is expected that
tourism projects in Rajasthan
would get a renewed focus that
would immensely bolster the
tourism sector in the state.
However, stakeholders feel if
some of their long-standing de-
mands are taken care of by the
government it would give the
necessary shot in the arm to
tourism in the state.
TO MENTION A FEW:
IMPROVE DESTINATION
CONNECTIVITY
Rajasthan happens to be the
largest state of India with an
area of 3.42 lakh sq. km.
Though the road network is
good, air connectivity is dismal.
It has been a long-standing de-
mand of the tourism stakehold-
ers to improve air connectivity
in the state.
The number of airports in
proportion to the size of the
state is very low. Presently, 64
flights are operating in and out
of Jaipur daily, 14 from Jodh-
pur, Udaipur 17, Jaisalmer 6,
Kishangarh 3, and Bikaner only
2 in a week. There is a dire need
for intra-connectivity besides
increasing the state’s global
footprint.
Jaipur International Airport
operates only 4 international
flights. This is a major stum-
bling block for Rajasthan tour
operators in promoting their
wedding destinations or plan-
ning large conventions and con-
ferences (MICE) segments
across the state.
Aviation is indispensable for
tourism and a major engine of
economic growth. Globally,
54% of international tourists
travel by air. Aviation’s global
economic footprint (direct, in-
direct, induced, and tourism
catalytic benefits) is estimated
at $3.5 trillion, contributing
4.1% to the global gross domes-
tic product (GDP) and support-
ing 87.7 million jobs according
to a report by the IATA. Im-
proving connectivity would
give great impetus to tourism in
the state.
SHORTAGE OF HIGH-END
LUXURY VEHICLES AND
COACHES
Rajasthan being the number
one choice for high-end desti-
nation weddings does not have
the transport fleet to support
such movement. As and when
such a requirement does come,
luxury cars like Porsche, Mer-
cedes, BMW, and high-end
coaches must be called from
other states. Government taxa-
tion is a major hurdle here. With
a little support from the govern-
ment in terms of relaxation in
taxes, GST, or exemption from
paying road transport tax for
3-5 years of the purchase of
such vehicles would help op-
erators purchase high-end vehi-
cles for prestigious events.
REVIVE RTDC HOTELS
It has been far too long since
RTDC hotels located at prime
locations have been dysfunc-
tional. RTDC could collaborate
with home-grown private or-
ganizations to manage and mar-
ket these hotels. Not only will
these properties get a new lease
of life but tour operators will
have new properties to market
with ownership resting with the
government.
DISTRICTS CAN ADD NEW
ATTRACTIONS
District collectors know their
area at the back of their hand.
With a little focus on tourism,
they could suggest historical
Havelis, Baoris, Temples, small
forts, local crafts, or traditional
cuisine to the Tourism Depart-
ment. Once communicated to
the tour operators they could be
promoted to enhance off-beat
and new attractions.
LEARNING AND
DEVELOPMENT FOR
DRIVERS
First impression is very impor-
tant. And in any tourism ven-
ture, the first interaction a client
has is with the driver at the
pick-up location. It should be
ensured that the drivers are edu-
cated and well-mannered else
just a simple bad pickup experi-
ence can ruin the destination
experience. There could be a
standardization of eligibility for
personnel qualifying as a tourist
driver. Regular LD activities
and workshop training should
be conducted for their skill en-
hancement with a valid certifi-
cate. Classes in grooming, and
knowledge of historical facts of
the location, could be imparted
to them to empower them as
well-informed guides.
The list is endless for atten-
tion to minor details can create
a major difference in tourism.
For instance, there could be a
uniform for registered tourist
guides with their name and Ra-
jasthan Tourism logo embossed
to safeguard tourists from fake
imposters.
And last but not least the
government should ensure suc-
cinct road signage to inform the
tourists of each village, city,
and town that they traverse
through to increase the tourist
experience.
This will not only enhance
the tourist experience but also
help in promoting smaller des-
tinations. Tourism contributes
to 15 per cent of Rajasthan's
GDP. A road map now needs to
be made for the next 20 years to
facilitate the promotion of Ra-
jasthan as a MICE and wedding
destination.
Rachna
Singh
cityfirst@firstindia.co.in
T
RTDC hotels located at prime
Explore,DreamDiscover
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JAIPUR, THURSDAY | FEBRUARY 15, 2024
Tourism has a huge multiplier
impact. For every direct job
that you create, you create
seven indirect jobs. Somehow the tourism
industry has failed to tell the politicians
that we are a big creator of jobs. The
sector has the potential of creating 25
million jobs by 2030. And it is doable.
Amitabh Kant,
India’s G20 Sherpa

15022024_First India Newspaper Jaipur.pdf

15022024_First India Newspaper Jaipur.pdf

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